M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 15
Samson’s Revenge on the Philistines. 1 Later on, during the wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife, bringing her a kid goat. He said, “I am going in to my wife’s room,” but her father would not let him go in. 2 The father said, “I was so sure that you hated her that I gave her to your friend. Her younger sister is prettier than she is. Please, take her instead.” 3 But Samson said to them, “It is no longer my fault if I harm the Philistines.”
4 Samson went out and caught three hundred foxes. He tied them together, tail to tail. He then fastened a torch between each pair of tails. 5 He set the torches on fire and let them go into the Philistine’s standing grain. It burned up both the standing grain and the stacks of grain, as well as the vineyards and the olive orchards.
6 When the Philistines asked, “Who did this,” they were told, “It was Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite. He did it because they took his wife and gave her to his friend.” The Philistines therefore went and burned her and her father to death. 7 Samson said to them, “Because you have done this, I will never stop getting my vengeance on you.” 8 He struck them ruthlessly, slaughtering many of them. He then went down and dwelt in a fissure of the rock of Etam.
9 The Philistines went up and camped in Judah, spreading out near Lehi. 10 The Judahites asked, “Why have you come to fight against us?” They answered, “To take Samson prisoner so that we can do to him what he did to us.” 11 Three thousand men from Judah went down to the fissure of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, “Did you not know that the Philistines are ruling over us? What have you done to us?” He answered, “I just did to them what they did to me.” 12 They said to him, “We have come to take you prisoner and to deliver you over to the Philistines.” He said to them, “Swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.” 13 They said, “No, but we will tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you.” So they bound him with two new ropes and led him away from the rock.
14 As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him. The ropes that were around his arms became like charred flax, and the binding fell off of his hands.
15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and he reached out and took it in his hand. He then killed one thousand men with it. 16 Samson said,
“With the jawbone of a donkey,
I have piled them up;
with the jawbone of a donkey,
I have killed a thousand men.”
17 When he finished speaking, he dropped the jawbone from out of his hand. The name of that place is Ramath-lehi.
18 Now he was very thirsty, so he called out to the Lord, “You have given this great victory through the hand of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?”[a] 19 God split open a hollow place in Lehi, and water came out. When he drank it, his strength returned and his spirit was revived. The spring is called En-hakkore, and it is still in Lehi today. 20 Samson was a judge over Israel for forty years during the days of the Philistines.
Chapter 19
Paul in Ephesus.[a] 1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No. We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 He asked, “Then how were you baptized?” They answered, “With the baptism of John.”
4 Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve of them in all.
8 He then entered the synagogue, and during the next three months he spoke out fearlessly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. 9 But some remained stubborn in their disbelief and began to malign the Way publicly. So he withdrew from them, taking the disciples with him, and began to hold daily discussions in the hall of Tyrannus. 10 This continued for two years, with the result that all the residents of the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.
11 New Encounter of the Church with Magic.[b] So extraordinary were the wonders God worked through Paul 12 that when handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, they were cured of their diseases and the evil spirits came out of them.
13 Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists used the name of the Lord Jesus over those possessed by evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish leading priest named Sceva were among those who were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit sprang at them, overpowered them, and prevailed over them so violently that they fled out of the house battered and naked.
17 When this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, everyone was awestruck, and the name of the Lord Jesus came to be held in ever increasing honor. 18 Moreover, many of those who had become believers came forward and openly confessed their deeds, 19 while a great number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly. When the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver pieces.[c] 20 In such ways did the word of the Lord spread ever more widely and successfully.
21 Paul’s Future Plans.[d] After all this had been accomplished, Paul decided in the Spirit to visit Macedonia and Achaia and then return to Jerusalem. “And after I have been there,” he said, “I must also visit Rome.” 22 Then he sent two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed a while longer in the province of Asia.
23 The Riot of the Silversmiths. About that time, a serious disturbance broke out concerning the Way. 24 A man named Demetrius was a silversmith who crafted silver shrines of Artemis[e] that provided considerable employment for the craftsmen. 25 He called a meeting of these craftsmen and of those in similar trades, and addressed them: “As you men know, our prosperity depends upon this business. 26 And as you can now see and hear, not only in Ephesus but also throughout most of the province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people by insisting that gods fashioned by human hands are not gods.
27 “Therefore, we are facing a dangerous situation. Not only may our business be discredited, but it could also happen that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will become an object of scorn, and that she who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the entire world will be deprived of her greatness.”
28 When they heard this, they became enraged and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The entire city was in an uproar, and the people all rushed to the theater, dragging along with them Gaius and Aristarchus,[f] Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not permit him to do so. 31 Even some officials of the province of Asia who were friendly to him sent him a message urging him not to venture into the theater.[g]
32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, some another, for the assembly was in an uproar, and most of the people had no idea why they had all come together. 33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had pushed forward. Then Alexander motioned for silence and tried to offer some type of defense. 34 However, as soon as the crowd recognized him to be a Jew, all of them shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 Finally, the town clerk quieted the crowd and said, “Citizens of Ephesus, is there anyone who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple[h] of the great Artemis and of her statue that descended from heaven? 36 Since these things cannot be denied, you ought to remain calm and do nothing rash. 37 These men whom you have brought here are not temple robbers, nor have they uttered any blasphemy against our goddess.
38 “Therefore, if Demetrius and his fellow artisans have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and proconsuls are available. Let them bring charges there against one another. 39 If there are further charges to present, let these be settled in the lawful assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting today. There is no reason for it, and we will be unable to offer any justification for this commotion.” 41 When he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Chapter 28
Breaking the Yokes. 1 During that same year, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah, the son of Azzur, from Gibeon, said to the prophet Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. 3 Within two years I will bring back to this place all the vessels of the house of the Lord that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took away from this place and carried off to Babylon. 4 I will also bring back to this place King Jeconiah of Judah, the son of Jehoiakim, and all the exiles of Judah who went to Babylon, says the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.”
5 Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. 6 He said, “Amen. May the Lord do so. May the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied by bringing the vessels of the house of the Lord and all the exiles back from Babylon to this place. 7 But now, listen carefully to what I am going to say for you and all the people to hear. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me in ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence for many countries and for great kingdoms. 9 However, the prophet who prophesies peace can be recognized as one who has been truly sent by God only when his word comes true.
10 Then the prophet Hananiah took the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it, 11 as he announced in the presence of all the people, “Thus says the Lord: This is how I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of the nations within two years.” On hearing this, the prophet Jeremiah departed.
12 A short time after the prophet Hananiah had removed the yoke from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broken it, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, 13 “Go to Hananiah and tell him this: Thus says the Lord: You have broken a wooden yoke, only to have it replaced with a yoke of iron. 14 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: I will place a yoke of iron on the neck of all these nations and force them to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They will become his slaves. I have even given him the wild animals.”
15 Then the prophet Jeremiah further said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen carefully, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, and you have led this people to trust in false prophecies. 16 Therefore, thus says the Lord, ‘I intend to remove you from the face of the earth. Before this year comes to a close, you will be dead, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’ ”
17 During that same year, in the seventh month, the prophet Hananiah died.
The Mystery Is Fully Manifested in the Passion and Resurrection[a]
Chapter 14
The Plot against Jesus.[b] 1 It was now two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking to arrest Jesus by deceit and put him to death. 2 They said, “It must not occur during the feast, or the people may begin to riot.”
A Woman of Bethany Anoints Jesus.[c] 3 When Jesus was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came in with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured the ointment over his head. 4 Some of those present said to one another indignantly, “Why was this ointment wasted in such a manner? 5 It could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii,[d] with the money given to the poor.” And they began to rebuke her sharply.
6 However, Jesus said, “Let her alone! Why are you bothering her? She has performed a good action toward me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish, but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She has anointed my body to prepare for my burial. 9 Amen, I say to you, wherever in the whole world this gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”
10 Judas Betrays Jesus.[e] Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests and offered to hand him over to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard his proposal, and they promised to give him money. Then he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
12 The Preparations for the Passover.[f] On the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, the disciples said to Jesus, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
13 He sent forth two of his disciples, instructing them: “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him! 14 Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: “Where is the room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ 15 Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 The disciples went forth, entered the city, and found everything just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17 The Treachery of Judas Foretold.[g] Now when evening came, he arrived with the Twelve. 18 And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 On hearing this they began to be distressed and to say to him, one after another, “Is it I?”
20 He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”
22 The Last Supper.[h] While they were eating he took bread, and after he had pronounced the blessing, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “Take it; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and after offering thanks he gave it to them. After they all drank from it, 24 he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many. 25 Amen, I say to you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I shall drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”
26 And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
27 Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial.[i] Then Jesus said to them, “You will all be scandalized, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’
28 But after I have been raised up, I shall go ahead of you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even if all the others will be scandalized, I will never be.” 30 Jesus replied, “Amen, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But Peter insisted, “If I have to die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same thing.
32 The Agony in the Garden.[j] Then they went to a place that was called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and he began to suffer distress and anguish. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful, even to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch.”
35 Moving on a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass him by, 36 saying, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible. Take this cup from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”
37 Returning to the disciples, he found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak.”
39 Again, he went apart and prayed, saying the same words. 40 Then he came again and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to say to him. 41 When he returned a third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come when the Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up! Let us go! Look, my betrayer is approaching.”
43 Jesus Is Arrested.[k] At once, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him there was a crowd of men, armed with swords and clubs, who had been sent by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 Now his betrayer had agreed with them on a signal, saying, “The one I shall kiss is the man. Arrest him, and lead him away under guard!” 45 And so, when he came, he proceeded directly to Jesus and said “Rabbi!” and kissed him. 46 Then they seized him and placed him under arrest. 47 Meanwhile, one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck a servant of the high priest, slicing off his ear.
48 Then Jesus said to them, “Why are you coming forth with swords and clubs to arrest me, as though I were a bandit? 49 Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But in this way the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then everyone deserted him and fled. 51 [l]Among those who had followed Jesus was a young man wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, 52 but he slipped out of the linen cloth and ran off naked.
53 Jesus Is Condemned by the Sanhedrin.[m] They led Jesus away to the high priest, where the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were gathering. 54 Meanwhile, Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest, and he was sitting there with the attendants, warming himself at the fire.
55 The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin[n] tried to elicit testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they failed in their efforts. 56 Many witnesses offered perjured testimony against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false witness against him: 58 “We heard this man say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another not made with hands.’ ” 59 But even on this point their statements did not agree.
60 The high priest then rose among them and asked Jesus, “Have you no reply to counter the testimony that these witnesses have given?” 61 [o]But he remained silent and offered no response. Again, the high priest questioned him, asking, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”[p] 62 Jesus replied, “I am.
And you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power
and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
63 Thereupon the high priest tore his garments and exclaimed, “What need do we have of any further witnesses! 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” They all condemned him as guilty and deserving of death. 65 Some of them began to spit at him. They blindfolded him and struck him, taunting him as they said, “Prophesy!” And the guards also slapped him.
66 Peter Denies Jesus.[q] While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servant girls came by. 67 When she noticed Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” Thereupon he went forth into the outer courtyard. Then the cock crowed.[r] 69 The servant girl saw him and again began to say to the bystanders: “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it.
Shortly afterward, some bystanders said to Peter, “You are unquestionably one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 Then he began to shout curses, and he swore an oath: “I do not know this man you are talking about.” 72 At that very moment, a cock crowed for a second time, and Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
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