M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Israel’s Victory at Ai
8 Yahweh said to Joshua, “Don’t be terrified or afraid. Take all the troops with you, and march against Ai. I am about to hand the king of Ai, his people, city, and land over to you. 2 You will do the same thing to Ai and its king that you did to Jericho and its king. However, you may take its loot and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”
3 So Joshua and all the soldiers started to march against Ai. Joshua picked 30,000 of his best soldiers and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: “Set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far away from the city. Everyone must be ready. 5 I’ll approach the city with the rest of the troops. When they come out to attack us as they did the first time, we will run away from them. 6 They’ll come out after us, and we will lure them away from the city. They’ll say, ‘They’re running away from us just like the first time.’ As we run away from them, 7 you come out of hiding and capture the city. Yahweh your Elohim will hand it over to you. 8 When you have captured the city, set it on fire. Do what Yahweh says. These are your orders.”
9 So Joshua sent them out, and they hid. They took their position west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. Joshua spent the night with the troops.
10 Joshua got up early in the morning and assembled the troops. Then he and the leaders of Israel led the army to Ai. 11 All the troops with him marched until they were near the city. They camped north of Ai with the ravine between them and Ai.
12 Joshua had taken about five thousand men and had them hide between Bethel and Ai, west of the city. 13 All the troops were positioned. The main camp was north of the city, and the other troops were hiding west of the city. That night Joshua went down into the middle of the valley.
14 When the king of Ai saw the main camp, he and all his troops got up early in the morning. They rushed out toward the plains to meet Israel for battle, just where Joshua expected. However, the king didn’t know there were troops behind the city waiting to attack him.
15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated. They ran away toward the desert. 16 All the troops in the city were called out to chase them. As they chased Joshua, they were lured away from the city. 17 Not one man was left in Ai or Bethel; they all went after Israel. So the city was left unprotected as they chased Israel.
18 Then Yahweh said to Joshua, “Hold out the spear in your hand toward the city, because I am handing Ai over to you.” So Joshua held out his spear. 19 The men who were hiding got up as soon as he stretched out his hand. They entered the city, captured it, and quickly set it on fire. 20 When the men of Ai looked back, they could see the city going up in smoke. They had no place to go, since the Israelites, who had been running toward the desert, had now turned back on them. 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men who had been hiding had captured the city and that it was going up in smoke, they turned and attacked the men of Ai. 22 The men who had captured the city also came out and attacked them. The men of Ai were caught between the battle lines of Israel. So Israel attacked them on both sides. None of them survived or escaped. 23 But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had been pursued. They put them all to death; not one person survived. Then the Israelites went back to Ai and killed everyone left there. 25 Twelve thousand men and women from Ai died that day. 26 Joshua did not lower his hand holding the spear until he had completely destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27 Israel took the loot and the livestock of that city for themselves, as Yahweh had commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it a deserted mound of ruins.[a] It is still in ruins today.
29 Joshua hung the king of Ai’s dead body on a pole and left him there until evening. When the sun went down, Joshua gave the order to take his body down. They threw it in the entrance of the city and made a large pile of stones over it. That pile is still there today.
The Lord Renews His Promise with Israel
30 At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to Yahweh Elohim of Israel. 31 He built an altar with uncut stones on which no iron chisels had been used. This was as Yahweh’s servant Moses had commanded the people of Israel in the Book of Moses’ Teachings. They made burnt offerings to Yahweh and sacrificed fellowship offerings on the altar. 32 There in front of the people of Israel he wrote on stone slabs a copy of the Teachings which Moses had written down.
33 All the people of Israel, whether foreigners or native Israelites, the leaders, officers, and judges were standing on opposite sides of the ark. They faced the Levitical priests who carried the ark of Yahweh’s promise. Half of the people were in front of Mount Gerizim and the other half in front of Mount Ebal. Right from the beginning, Yahweh’s servant Moses had commanded the priests to bless the people of Israel this way. 34 Afterwards, Joshua read all the Teachings—the blessings and curses—as they had all been written down by Moses. 35 Joshua read Moses’ Teachings in front of the whole assembly of Israel, including women, children, and foreigners living among them. He did not leave out one word from everything Moses had commanded.
Psalm 139
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 O Yahweh, you have examined me, and you know me.
2 You alone know when I sit down and when I get up.
You read my thoughts from far away.
3 You watch me when I travel and when I rest.
You are familiar with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a single word on my tongue,
you know all about it, Yahweh.
5 You are all around me—in front of me and in back of me.
You lay your hand on me.
6 Such knowledge is beyond my grasp.
It is so high I cannot reach it.
7 Where can I go to get away from your Ruach?
Where can I run to get away from you?
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there.
If I make my bed in hell, you are there.
9 If I climb upward on the rays of the morning sun
or land on the most distant shore of the sea where the sun sets,
10 even there your hand would guide me
and your right hand would hold on to me.
11 If I say, “Let the darkness hide me
and let the light around me turn into night,”
12 even the darkness is not too dark for you.
Night is as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You alone created my inner being.
You knitted me together inside my mother.
14 I will give thanks to you
because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made.
Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.
15 My bones were not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
when I was being skillfully woven in an underground workshop.
16 Your eyes saw me when I was only a fetus.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book
before one of them had taken place.
17 How precious are your thoughts concerning me, O El!
How vast in number they are!
18 If I try to count them,
there would be more of them than there are grains of sand.
When I wake up, I am still with you.
19 I wish that you would kill wicked people, O Eloah,
and that bloodthirsty people would leave me alone.
20 They say wicked things about you.
Your enemies misuse your name.
21 Shouldn’t I hate those who hate you, O Yahweh?
Shouldn’t I be disgusted with those who attack you?
22 I hate them with all my heart.
They have become my enemies.
23 Examine me, O El, and know my mind.
Test me, and know my thoughts.
24 See whether I am on an evil path.
Then lead me on the everlasting path.
The People Continue to Reject the Lord’s Love for Them
2 Yahweh spoke his word to me,
2 “Go and announce to Jerusalem,
‘This is what Yahweh says:
I remember the unfailing loyalty of your youth,
the love you had for me as a bride.
I remember how you followed me into the desert,
into a land that couldn’t be farmed.
3 Israel was set apart for Yahweh.
It was the best part of the harvest.
All who devoured it became guilty,
and disaster struck them,’” declares Yahweh.
4 Listen to the word of Yahweh, descendants of Jacob,
all the families in the nation of Israel.
5 This is what Yahweh says:
What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that they went so far away from me?
They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
6 They didn’t ask, “Where is Yahweh,
who brought us from Egypt?
He led us through the desert,
through a wasteland and its pits,
a land of drought and the shadow of death.
No one lives there or travels there.”
7 I brought them into a fertile land
to eat its fruit and its produce.
They came and made my land unclean.[a]
They made my property disgusting.
8 The priests didn’t ask, “Where is Yahweh?”
Those who deal with my teachings didn’t know me.
The rulers rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied in the name of Baal
and followed statues that couldn’t help them.
9 “That is why I am bringing charges against you,” declares Yahweh,
“and I am bringing charges against your grandchildren.
10 Go over to the coasts of Cyprus, and see.
Send someone to Kedar, and observe closely.
See if there has ever been anything like this.
11 Has any nation ever exchanged gods?
(Their gods aren’t really gods.)
Yet, my people have exchanged their Glory
for something that doesn’t help them.
12 Be horrified over this, heaven.
Be terribly afraid,” declares Yahweh.
13 “My people have done two things wrong.
They have abandoned me,
the fountain of life-giving water.
They have also dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that can’t hold water.
14 “Are the people of Israel slaves?
Were they born into slavery?
Why, then, have they become someone’s property?
15 Young lions have roared very loudly at them.
Young lions have turned the land into a wasteland.
The cities have been burned down, and everyone has left.
16 People from Noph and Tahpanhes have cracked your skulls, Israel.
17 You have brought this on yourself
by abandoning Yahweh your Elohim
when he led you on his way.
18 You won’t gain anything by going to Egypt
to drink water from the Nile River.
You won’t gain anything by going to Assyria
to drink water from the Euphrates River.
19 Your own wickedness will correct you,
and your unfaithful ways will punish you.
You should know and see how evil and bitter it is for you
if you abandon Yahweh your Elohim and do not fear me,”
declares Adonay Yahweh Tsebaoth.
20 “Long ago you broke off your yoke,[b] tore off your chains,
and said that you wouldn’t be a slave.
You lay down and acted like a prostitute
on every high hill and under every large tree.
21 I planted you like a choice grapevine from the very best seed.
Now you have turned against me and have become a wild vine.
22 Even if you wash with detergent and use a lot of soap,
I would still see the stains from your wickedness,”
declares Adonay Yahweh.
23 “How can you say that you haven’t dishonored yourselves
and haven’t followed other gods—the Baals?
Look how you’ve behaved in the valley.
Acknowledge what you’ve done.
You are like a young camel that swiftly runs here and there.
24 You are like a wild donkey that is used to the desert,
sniffing the wind while in heat.
All who look for you won’t get tired.
They will find you during your monthly period.
25 Don’t run until your feet are bare and your throats are dry.
But you say that it’s useless.
You love foreign gods and follow them.
26 “As a thief feels ashamed when he’s caught,
so the nation of Israel will feel ashamed.
Their kings, princes, priests,
and prophets will also feel ashamed.
27 You call wood your father.
You call stone your mother.
You’ve turned your backs, not your faces, to me.
But when you’re in trouble, you ask me to come and rescue you.
28 Where are the gods that you made for yourselves?
Let them come and rescue you when you’re in trouble.
You have as many gods as you have cities, Judah!
29 “Why do you complain about me?
All of you have rebelled against me,” declares Yahweh.
30 “I have punished your children without results.
They didn’t respond to correction.
You killed my prophets like a raging lion.
31 “Consider the word of Yahweh, people of this generation.
Haven’t I been a desert, a land of thick darkness, for Israel?
Why do my people say that they are free to wander around
and no longer come to me?
32 A young woman can’t forget her jewelry or a bride her veils.
Yet, my people have forgotten me for countless days.
33 You carefully planned ways to look for love.
You taught your ways to wicked women.
34 You have the blood from poor and innocent people
on your clothes.
You didn’t kill them for breaking into your home.
35 In spite of all this you say, ‘I’m innocent.
Yahweh will turn his anger from me,
because I haven’t sinned.’
36 You change your mind so easily.
You will be put to shame by Egypt
as you were put to shame by Assyria.
37 You will also leave this place with your hands over your head,
because Yahweh has rejected those you trust.
You will not be helped by them.”
The Pharisees Ask for a Sign from Heaven(A)
16 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Yeshua. So they asked him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven.
2 He responded to them, “In the evening you say that the weather will be fine because the sky is red. 3 And in the morning you say that there will be a storm today because the sky is red and overcast. You can forecast the weather by judging the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
4 “Evil and unfaithful people look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will be given is that of Jonah.”
Then he left them standing there and went away.
The Yeast of the Pharisees(B)
5 The disciples had forgotten to take any bread along when they went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
6 Yeshua said to them, “Be careful! Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”
7 The disciples had been discussing among themselves that they had not taken any bread along.
8 Yeshua knew about their conversation and asked, “Why are you discussing among yourselves that you don’t have any bread? You have so little faith! 9 Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand and how many baskets you filled? 10 Don’t you remember the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many large baskets you filled? 11 Why don’t you understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”
12 Then they understood that he didn’t say to watch out for the yeast in bread, but to watch out for the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Peter Declares His Belief about Jesus(C)
13 When Yeshua came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptizer, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 He asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”
17 Yeshua replied, “Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! No human revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven revealed it to you. 18 You are Peter, and I can guarantee that on this rock[a] I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free.”
20 Then he strictly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life(D)
21 From that time on Yeshua began to inform his disciples that he had to go to Jerusalem. There he would have to suffer a lot because of the leaders, the chief priests, and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be brought back to life.
22 Peter took him aside and objected to this. He said, “Heaven forbid, Lord! This must never happen to you!”
23 But Yeshua turned and said to Peter, “Get out of my way, Satan! You are tempting me to sin. You aren’t thinking the way God thinks but the way humans think.”
What It Means to Follow Jesus(E)
24 Then Yeshua said to his disciples, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses, and follow me. 25 Those who want to save their lives will lose them. But those who lose their lives for me will find them. 26 What good will it do for people to win the whole world and lose their lives? Or what will a person give in exchange for life? 27 The Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory. Then he will pay back each person based on what that person has done. 28 I can guarantee this truth: Some people who are standing here will not die until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.