M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 23
The Levitical Classes.[a] 1 When David was old and his years were complete, he made Solomon, his son, king over Israel. 2 He gathered together all of the leaders of Israel along with the priests and the Levites.
3 The Levites who were thirty years and older were counted, and the total number of them was thirty-eight thousand. 4 David appointed twenty-four thousand of them to supervise the work on the temple of the Lord, and another six thousand of them were to be officials and judges. 5 Four thousand of them were to be gatekeepers, and four thousand were to praise the Lord upon musical instruments about which David said, “I made them to praise the Lord.”
6 David divided the Levites of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari into groups.
7 From the Gershonites there were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan were Jehiel, the firstborn, Zetham, and Joel. There were three in all. 9 [b]The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. There were three of them in all. These were the leaders of the ancestral clans of Ladan. 10 The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zizah, Jeush, and Beriah. Shimei had four sons in all. 11 Jahath was the leader, and Zizah was the second in charge. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were reckoned as a single ancestral clan.
12 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. There were four of them in all.
13 The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things. He and his sons were to burn incense before the Lord forever, and to minister, and to proclaim blessings in his name forever.
14 The sons of Moses, the man of God, were included with the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.
16 Shubael was the son of Gershom, his first. 17 Rehabiah was the son of Eliezer, his first. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had a large number of sons.
18 Shelomith was the son of Izhar, his firstborn.
19 The sons of Hebron were Jeriah, his firstborn, Amariah, his second, Jahaziel, his third, and Jekameam, his fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel were Micah, his firstborn, and Isshiah, his second.
21 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.
22 Eleazar died without having any sons, he had only had daughters. The sons of Kish, their relatives, married them.
23 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth. There were three of them in all.
24 These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral clans, with the leaders of the ancestral clans as they were registered by name and counted. These are the ones who could perform the work in the temple of the Lord, twenty years old and older.[c]
25 David did this because he said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, had given his people rest so that they might dwell in Jerusalem forever. 26 The Levites therefore no longer have to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”
27 Thus, according to the last instructions of David, the Levites who were twenty years or older were counted. 28 Their responsibility was to assist the sons of Aaron in the service of the temple of the Lord, to be in charge of the courtyard and the inner chambers, to purify all of the holy things, and to fulfill other tasks in the temple of the Lord. 29 They were responsible for the shewbread, for the flour for the cereal offerings, for the unleavened loaves, for the baking and the mixing, and for all the standards of measurement and size. 30 They were to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same every evening. 31 They were also to do this whenever burnt offerings were made to the Lord on the Sabbath, on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts, as they had been commanded to do regularly before the Lord, 32 that they were to serve the tent of meeting and be responsible for the sanctuary under the direction of the descendants of Aaron, their brethren, for the service of the temple of the Lord.
Chapter 4
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, you should arm yourselves also with the same intention. For anyone who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin 2 and for the remainder of life on earth must be ruled not by human passions but by the will of God.
3 You have already spent enough time in doing what the Gentiles like to do, pursuing a life of debauchery, licentiousness, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and sacrilegious idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you no longer join them in a life of dissipation, and they revile you as a result. 5 However, they will have to render an account to him who stands ready to judge[a] the living and the dead.
6 And this is the reason why the gospel was preached even to the dead, so that, although they might be judged in the flesh like men, they might enjoy the life of God in the spirit.
Qualities of a Christian Community Waiting for Christ.[b] 7 The end of all things is near. Therefore, lead disciplined lives and be watchful in prayer. 8 Above all, maintain the fervor of your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the varied graces of God, use whatever gift each one of you has received to serve one another.
11 Whoever speaks should do so as one who is speaking the very words of God. Whoever serves should do so with the strength that God provides. In all things, let God be glorified through Jesus Christ, for to him belong all glory and power forever and ever. Amen.
12 Courage and Joy in Suffering.[c] Beloved, do not be surprised that you are being tested by a fiery ordeal,[d] as though it were something extraordinary. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing in the sufferings of Christ, so that your joy will be without limit when his glory is revealed.
14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, consider yourself blessed, for upon you rests the Spirit of glory[e] and of God. 15 [f]However, let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, or any other kind of criminal, or as one who meddles in another person’s business. 16 Let it be because you are a Christian,[g] not considering it a disgrace, but glorifying God because you bear this name.
17 The time has come for the judgment of the household of God to begin. If it begins with us, how will it end for those who refuse to obey the gospel of God?
18 And:
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the godless and those who are sinners?”
19 And so, those who suffer in accordance with God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.
Chapter 2
Those Who Covet Fields and Homes
1 Woe to those who plot evil,
who lie in their beds planning iniquity.
When morning dawns they perform their wicked deeds
since they have the power to do so.
2 They seize the fields that they covet;
they confiscate houses as well.
They lay hands on the owner of a house,
and take his inheritance as well.
3 Therefore, thus says the Lord:
Behold, I am planning against this people an evil
from which you will not be able to save your necks.
Nor will you walk proudly,
for it will be a time of disaster.
4 On that day they will ridicule you,
and your mournful dirge will be heard:
“We are utterly ruined;
our land has been appropriated by our captors.
Our fields have been awarded to renegades,
and no one can retrieve them.”
5 Therefore, you will have no one
to divide the land by lot
in the assembly of the Lord.
Against Prophets of Ease
6 “Do not preach,” they advise;
“one should not expound on such matters;
disgrace will not overtake us.”
7 O house of Jacob, should it be said:
“Has the Lord’s patience been exhausted?
Does he do such things?
His words only prophesy good
to those who are upright.”
8 But now you have risen up
as an enemy to my people.
You strip the cloaks from travelers
who pass by peacefully,
or from soldiers returning from battle.
9 The women of my people you drive forth
from their pleasant homes
and deprive their children
of my glory forever,
10 commanding them, “Get up and depart,
for you cannot stay here.”
To obtain something worthless for yourselves,
you do not hesitate to practice extortion.
I Will Assemble the Remnant of Israel
11 If someone were to go about
uttering falsehoods and lies, and saying,
“I prophesy that you will have your fill
of wine and strong drink,”
such a man would be the perfect prophet
for a people like this.
12 I will gather all of you together, O Jacob;
I will assemble the remnant of Israel.
I will gather them together
like sheep into a fold,
like a flock in a pasture;
no longer will they be filled with panic.
13 With their leader proceeding before them,
they shall break through the gate and go out.
Their king will go forth before them,
the Lord at their head.
Chapter 11
Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer.[a] 1 One day, Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
Father,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is in debt to us.
And do not lead us into temptation.”
The Parable of the Persistent Friend.[b] 5 He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says: ‘My friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey, and I have nothing to offer him,’ 7 and the friend answers from inside: ‘Do not bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up now to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you: even though he will not get up and give it to him because of their friendship, he will get up and give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
Ask, Seek, Knock. 9 “Therefore, I say to you: ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks will receive, and those who seek will find, and to those who knock the door will be opened.
11 The Parable of the Good Father.“Is there any father among you who would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish, 12 or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13 If you, then, despite your evil nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
For or against Jesus[c]
14 Jesus and Beelzebul.[d] Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the man who was mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.” 16 Others, to test him, demanded a sign from heaven.
17 However, he knew what they were thinking, and he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a house divided against itself will collapse. 18 If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?
“For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 Now, if it is by Beelzebul that I cast out demons, by whom do your own children cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe. 22 But when someone who is stronger than he is attacks and overpowers him, he carries off all the weapons upon which the owner relied and distributes the plunder.
23 No Compromise.“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
24 New Offensive from the Evil Spirit.“When an unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions seeking a place to rest, and if it finds none it says, ‘I will return to the home from which I departed.’ 25 However, when it returns, it finds that home swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes off and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter and settle there. As a result, the plight of that person is worse than before.”
27 True Blessedness.[e] While he was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out to him and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” 28 Jesus replied, “Blessed, rather, are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”
29 The Sign of Jonah.[f] As the crowd continued to increase in number, Jesus said to them, “This is an evil generation. It asks for a sign, but the only sign it will be given is the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the inhabitants of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
31 “On the day of judgment the queen of the south will rise up with the men of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the farthest reaches of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now one greater than Solomon is here. 32 On the day of judgment, the men of Nineveh will rise up with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.
33 The Parable of the Lighted Lamp.[g]“No one lights a lamp and then puts it in a cellar or under a basket; rather, he places it upon a lampstand so that people may see the light when they come in.
34 The Lamp of the Body.“Your eyes are the lamp of your body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be filled with light. However, if your eyes are diseased, your whole body will be in darkness. 35 See to it then that the light inside you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp illuminates you with its rays.”
37 Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees.[h] When he had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and took his place at table. 38 The Pharisee was surprised to see that he had not first washed[i] before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees cleanse the outside of a cup and dish, but you leave the inside full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Did not the one who made the outside also make the inside? 41 Let what is inside be given as alms to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
42 “Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes[j] of mint and rue and every garden herb, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced these without neglecting the others.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees! You love to have the best seats in synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves[k] upon which people tread without realizing it.”
45 On hearing this, one of the lawyers said, “Teacher when you say such things you are insulting us too.” 46 He replied, “Woe also to you lawyers! For you impose burdens on people that are difficult to bear, but you yourselves do not lift a finger to be of assistance.
47 “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the Prophets whom your ancestors murdered. 48 By acting in this way you bear witness to and approve of what your ancestors did. They killed the Prophets, and you build their tombs.
49 “That is why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them Prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that this generation may be charged with the responsibility for the blood of all the Prophets shed since the foundation of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah[l] who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.
52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter, and you blocked those from entering who were trying to go in.”
53 When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees were extremely hostile and they began to interrogate him about many things, 54 hoping to trap him in something he might say in reply.
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