M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 7
1 The Lord said to Noah, “Enter into the ark with your entire family, for I have seen that you, of all this generation, are just in my sight. 2 You are to take seven pairs of each type of clean animal with you, male and female. You are to take one pair of each type of unclean animal with you, male and female. 3 You are also to take seven pairs of birds of the air, male and female, with you, so that you may save every species of animal upon the earth. 4 In seven days I will make it begin to rain upon the earth, and it will rain for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
5 Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him to do.
End of the Sinful World.[a] 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood began and the waters covered the earth. 7 Noah went into the ark with his sons, his wife, and the wives of his sons to escape from the waters of the flood. 8 The clean animals and the unclean animals, the birds, and the creatures that creep on the ground[b] 9 entered the ark two by two, male and female, along with Noah, just as the Lord had commanded. 10 After seven days, the waters of the flood covered the earth; 11 this happened in the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month. On that very day the springs of the great abyss and the floodgates of the heavens opened.[c] 12 The rains fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 That day Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth entered the ark along with the wife of Noah and the three wives of his sons. 14 They entered along with all living creatures according to their kind, all cattle according to their kind, all creeping creatures according to their kind, and all birds according to their kind. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two by two, every creature that had breath in it. 16 Those that came, male and female of every type of flesh, entered the ark as God had commanded. The Lord closed the door after them.
17 The flood lasted for forty days. The waters rose and lifted the ark off the earth as they increased. 18 The waters continued to swell and increased greatly on the earth until the ark floated upon the waters. 19 The waters rose more and more on the earth and covered all the highest mountains that are under the heavens. 20 The waters were fifteen cubits over the tops of the mountains that they covered.
21 Every living creature that moves upon the earth, every bird, cattle, wild animal, and creature that crawls upon the earth, and every single person on dry land died. 22 Every creature on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
23 This is how every living creature on earth was slain, every human being and every animal, every reptile and every bird of the air. They were blotted out of the earth, and only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived.[d]
24 The waters covered the earth for one hundred and fifty days.
Chapter 7
Do Not Judge.[a] 1 “Do not judge, so that you in turn may not be judged. 2 For you will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the measure that you use for others will be used to measure you.
3 “Why do you take note of the splinter in your brother’s eye but do not notice the wooden plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while all the time the wooden plank remains in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the wooden plank from your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly enough to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.
Do Not Profane Sacred Things.[b] 6 “Do not give to dogs anything that is holy. And do not cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and then proceed to tear you to pieces.
Ask, Seek, Knock.[c] 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks will receive, and those who seek will find, and to those who knock the door will be opened.
9 “Is there anyone among you who would give a stone to his son if he asks for bread, 10 or hand him a snake if he asks for a fish? 11 If you then, despite your evil nature, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 The Golden Rule of Love.[d]“In everything, deal with others as you would like them to deal with you. This is the Law and the Prophets.
13 The Two Ways.[e]“Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and those who find it are few in number.
15 False Prophets and True Disciples.[f]“Be on guard against false prophets who come to you disguised in sheep’s clothing, but who inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits you will know them. Does one pick grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruits you will know them.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. 22 Many will say to me on that day,[g] ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not perform many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers!’
24 The Wise and Foolish Builders.[h]“Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts in accordance with them will be like a wise man who constructed his house on a rock foundation. 25 The rain came down, the flood waters rose, and fierce winds battered that house. However, it did not collapse, because it had its foundations on rock.
26 “In contrast, everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act in accordance with them will be like a fool who constructed his house on a foundation of sand. 27 The rain came down, the flood waters rose, and the winds blew and buffeted that house. And it collapsed with a great crash.”
28 The Authority of Jesus.[i] When Jesus had finished this discourse, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, 29 because he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
The Deeds of Ezra[a]
Chapter 7
Ezra the Scribe. 1 After these occurrences, during the reign of Artaxerxes,[b] king of Persia, Ezra, the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of the high priest Aaron— 6 this Ezra came up from Babylon. He was a scribe who was skilled in the law of Moses which was given by the Lord, the God of Israel, and the king granted him everything that he requested, since the hand of the Lord God was upon him.
7 Ezra was accompanied to Jerusalem by a number of Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple slaves in the seventh year of the reign of King Artaxerxes. 8 Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of the seventh year of the king’s reign.
9 On the first day of the first month, Ezra had ordered the departure from Babylon, and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, since the gracious hand of his God was upon him. 10 For he had devoted himself to the study and observance of the law of the Lord so as to put that law into practice and to teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
11 The Decree of Artaxerxes. This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest-scribe, a scholar in matters pertaining to the commandments and statutes of the Lord for Israel:[c]
12 “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest-scribe, a scholar versed in the commandments and statutes of the Lord for Israel. 13 I have issued a decree stating that any of the people of Israel in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who freely choose to go up to Jerusalem with you are free to do so. 14 For you are being sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries as to how the law of your God in which you are extremely knowledgeable is being followed in Judah and Jerusalem.
15 “You are also to convey the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have voluntarily offered to the God of Israel whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16 as well as all the silver and gold which you may receive throughout the province of Babylon and the voluntary offerings that have been freely contributed by the people and the priests for the house of their God in Jerusalem.
17 “You must spend this money with extreme care to purchase bulls, rams, and lambs, as well as the cereal offerings and libations, and sacrifice them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. 18 As for the remainder of the silver and gold, you and your brothers may do whatever seems best to you. 19 In the presence of the God of Israel you are to deliver those vessels that have been given to you for the service of the house of your God. 20 As for whatever else is required and you are obliged to supply for the needs of the house of your God, you may supply from the royal treasury.
21 “I, King Artaxerxes, have issued this decree to all the treasurers of West-of-Euphrates: Whatever the priest Ezra, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may request of you is to be provided to him exactly, 22 up to one hundred talents of silver, one hundred kors of wheat, one hundred baths of oil, and unlimited amounts of salt. 23 Let everything that the God of heaven commands be carried out exactly for the house of the God of heaven so that wrath may not be inflicted upon the realm of the king and his sons. 24 We also wish to make clear to you that it is against the law to impose a tribute, tax, or toll on any priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple slaves, or other servants of this house of God.
25 “As for you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God which you possess, you are to appoint magistrates and judges[d] to administer justice to all the people in West-of-Euphrates—to all, that is, who know the laws of your God. Furthermore, you are to instruct all those who do not know these laws. 26 Whoever refuses to obey the law of your God and the law of the king is to have judgment be strictly executed, whether the penalty be death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.”
27 Ezra and His Companions. Then Ezra said: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has influenced the heart of the king in this way to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, 28 and who permitted me to be granted the faithful love of the king and his counselors and all the most powerful of the king’s officials. Because the hand of the Lord, my God was upon me, I assembled those Israelite leaders to accompany me.”[e]
Chapter 7
Stephen’s Discourse. 1 Then the high priest asked him, “Are these things true?” 2 He replied, “Brethren and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.’
4 “Therefore, he departed from the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. And after his father died, God led him to the land where you now dwell. 5 He did not give him any of this land as a heritage, not even as little as a foot, but he promised to give it to him as his possession, and to his descendants after him, even though he was childless.
6 “This is what God said: ‘His descendants will reside in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. 7 But I will bring judgment on the nation that enslaved them,’ God said, ‘and after that they will come out and worship me in this place.’ 8 Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so, when he became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day, as Isaac did for Jacob, and Jacob did for the twelve patriarchs.
9 “The patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and they sold him into Egypt, but God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions. He gave Joseph wisdom and the favor of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who appointed him governor of Egypt and his entire household.
11 “Then a severe famine struck all of Egypt and Canaan, causing severe affliction, and our ancestors could find no food. 12 However, when Jacob learned that there was grain available in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. 13 During their second visit, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and his ancestry became known to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his entire family, seventy-five people in all.
15 “Jacob migrated to Egypt, and after he and our ancestors had died there, 16 they were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had purchased from the sons of Hamor at Shechem for a sum of money.
17 “When the time of the promise that God had pledged to Abraham drew near, our people in Egypt had greatly increased in number. 18 Then a new king came to power who had never heard of Joseph. 19 He dealt treacherously with our people and forced our ancestors to abandon their infants so that they could not survive.
20 “It was at this time that Moses was born, who was pleasing to God. For three months he was nursed in his father’s house, 21 but after he had been abandoned, the daughter of Pharaoh adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 Moses was trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful both in word and in deed.
23 “When he was forty years old, he decided to visit his fellow countrymen, the children of Israel. 24 When he saw one of them being maltreated, he went to his aid and avenged the victim by slaying the Egyptian. 25 He thought that his brethren would realize that God was offering them deliverance through him, but they did not understand.
26 “The next day, he came upon two of them fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brethren! Why are you trying to hurt one another?’ 27 But the man who had wronged his neighbor pushed him aside, saying, ‘Who appointed you to be our ruler and judge? 28 Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 Moses fled when he heard this, and he dwelt as an alien in Midian and became the father of two sons.
30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert near Mount Sinai in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed, and as he approached to examine it, the voice of the Lord said to him, 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’
“Moses was terrified and did not dare to look. 33 Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. 34 I have seen the oppression of my people in Egypt and have heard their sighs, and I have come down to rescue them. Now come! I will send you to Egypt.’
35 “This Moses whom they rejected by saying ‘Who appointed you to be our ruler and judge?’ God now sent forth as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and for forty years in the desert. 37 It was this Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘God will raise up for you, from your own people, a prophet like me.’ 38 It was he who was in the assembly in the desert with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and with our ancestors, and who received words of life to hand on to us.
39 “This is the man whom our ancestors refused to obey. Instead they thrust him aside, and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt, 40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead us on the way. As for this Moses, who led us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’
41 “It was then that they made a calf, offered a sacrifice to the idol, and rejoiced over the work of their hands. 42 So God turned away from them and gave them up to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the Prophets:
‘Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
during those forty years in the desert, O house of Israel?
43 No, you carried aloft the tent of Moloch
and the star of your god Rephan,
the images that you had made to worship.
And so I shall send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
44 “While they were in the desert, our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony, as God commanded when he directed Moses to make it according to the pattern he had been shown. 45 Our ancestors with Joshua brought it with them when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. It remained there until the time of David, 46 who found favor with God and desired to provide a dwelling for the God of Jacob.
47 “However, it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands. As the prophet says,
49 ‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house can you build for me? asks the Lord.
Where shall my resting place be?
50 Did not my hand make all these things?’
51 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52 Was there ever a prophet whom your fathers did not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53 You received the Law through God’s angels, and yet you have not observed it.”
54 Stephen’s Martyrdom. When they heard this, they became enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. 56 “Look!” he cried. “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
57 On hearing these words, they covered their ears, cried out loudly, and rushed en masse against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. The witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.[a]
59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed aloud, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a clear voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And with these words he fell asleep.
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