M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samson’s Parents
13 And again, the Israelites[a] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.
2 There was a certain man from Zorah, from the tribe of the Danites, and his name was Manoah; his wife was infertile and did not bear children. 3 And an angel of Yahweh appeared to the woman, and he said to her, “Behold, you are infertile and have not borne children, but you will conceive and bear a son. 4 So then, be careful and do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and bear a son. No razor will touch[b] his head, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God[c] from birth.[d] And it is he who will begin to deliver Israel from the hand of the Philistines.” 6 And the woman came and told her husband, saying, “A man of God came to me, and his appearance was like the appearance of an angel of God, very awesome. I did not ask him from where he came, and he did not tell me his name. 7 And he said to me, ‘Look, you will conceive and bear a son, so then, do not drink wine or strong drink, and do not eat anything unclean, for the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth[e] until the day of his death.’”
8 Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh and said, “Excuse me, my Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent again come to us and teach us what we should do concerning the boy who will be born.” 9 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and an angel of God came again to the woman; she was sitting in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her. 10 The woman quickly ran and told her husband, and she said to him, “Look! The man who came to me the other day appeared to me.” 11 So Manoah got up and went after his wife, and he came to the man and said to him, “Are you the man that spoke to the woman?” And he said, “I am.” 12 And Manoah said to him, “Now when your words come true,[f] what will be the boy’s manner of life[g] and work?” 13 And the angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “Let the woman be attentive to all that I said. 14 She should not eat of anything that comes from the vine, or drink wine or strong drink, or eat anything unclean; she should keep all that I commanded.”
15 And Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “Please stay,[h] and let us prepare a young goat[i] for you.” 16 The angel of Yahweh said to Manoah, “If you keep me, I will not eat your food, but if you prepare a burnt offering for Yahweh, you can offer it (for Manoah did not know that he was an angel of Yahweh).” 17 And Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, “What is your name so that when your words come true we may honor you?” 18 But the angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why do you ask my name? It is too wonderful.”
19 And Manoah took the young goat[j] and the grain offering, and he offered it to Yahweh on the rock, to the one who performs miracles.[k] And Manoah and his wife were watching. 20 And when the flame went up toward the heaven from the altar, the angel of Yahweh went up in the flame of the altar to heaven while Manoah and his wife were watching. And they fell on their faces to the ground. 21 The angel of Yahweh did not appear again to Manoah and his wife, and then Manoah knew that he was a messenger[l] of Yahweh. 22 And Manoah said to his wife, “We will certainly die because we have seen God.” 23 But his wife said to him, “If Yahweh wanted to kill us he would not have taken[m] from our hand the burnt offering and the grain offering, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us things such as these.”
24 The woman bore a son, and she called him Samson; the boy grew big, and Yahweh blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of Yahweh began to stir him in the camp of Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.
Attacked by a Mob in Thessalonica
17 Now after they[a] traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And as was his custom,[b] Paul went in to them and on three Sabbath days he discussed with them from the scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that it was necessary for the Christ[c] to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.”[d] 4 And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, and also a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few of the prominent women.
5 But the Jews were filled with jealousy and, taking along some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace and forming a mob, threw the city into an uproar. And attacking Jason’s house, they were looking for them to bring them[e] out to the popular assembly. 6 And when they[f] did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world[g] have come here also, 7 whom Jason has entertained as guests! And these people are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus!” 8 And they threw the crowd into confusion, and the city officials who heard these things. 9 And after[h] taking money as security from Jason and the rest, they released them.
Paul and Silas in Berea
10 Now the brothers sent away both Paul and Silas at once, during the night, to Berea. They[i] went into the synagogue of the Jews when they[j] arrived. 11 Now these were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. They[k] accepted the message with all eagerness, examining the scriptures every day to see if these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and not a few of the prominent Greek women and men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the message of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there too, inciting and stirring up the crowds. 14 So then the brothers sent Paul away at once to go to the sea, and both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 And those who conducted Paul brought him[l] as far as Athens, and after[m] receiving an order for Silas and Timothy that they should come to him as soon as possible, they went away.
Paul in Athens
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he[n] observed the city was full of idols. 17 So he was discussing in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles,[o] and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 And even some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were saying, “What does this babbler want to say?” But others said,[p] “He appears to be a proclaimer of foreign deities,” because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took hold of him and[q] brought him[r] to the Areopagus, saying, “May we learn what is this new teaching being proclaimed by you? 20 For you are bringing some astonishing things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”[s] 21 (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who stayed there used to spend their time in nothing else than telling something or listening to something new.)
Paul Speaks to the Areopagus
22 So Paul stood there in the middle of the Areopagus and[t] said, “Men of Athens, I see you are very religious in every respect.[u] 23 For as I[v] was passing through and observing carefully your objects of worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an unknown God.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it,[w] this I proclaim to you— 24 the God who made the world and all the things in it. This one, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, 25 nor is he served by human hands as if he[x] needed anything, because[y] he himself gives to everyone life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of humanity to live on all the face of the earth, determining their fixed times and the fixed boundaries of their habitation, 27 to search for God, if perhaps indeed they might feel around for him and find him.[z] And indeed he is not far away from each one of us, 28 for in him we live and move and exist,[aa] as even some of your own[ab] poets have said: ‘For we also are his[ac] offspring.’[ad] 29 Therefore, because we[ae] are offspring of God, we ought not to think the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. 30 Therefore although[af] God has overlooked the times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man who he has appointed, having provided proof to everyone by[ag] raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they[ah] heard about the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed, but others said, “We will hear you about this again also.” 33 So Paul went out from the midst of them. 34 But some people[ai] joined him and[aj] believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named[ak] Damaris and others with them.
Jeremiah Escapes Death
26 At the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came from Yahweh, saying,[a] 2 “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Stand in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh, and you must speak to all the cities of Judah that come to bow in worship in the house of Yahweh all the words that I command you to speak to them. You must not omit a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and turn back each from his evil way, and I will relent of the disaster that I am planning to do to them because of their evil deeds. 4 And you shall say to them, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘If you will not listen to me, to walk in my law that I have set[b] before you,[c] 5 to listen to the words of my servants the prophets whom I have sent to you, over and over again,[d] though you have not listened, 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh, and this city I will make a curse for all the nations of the earth.’”’”
7 And the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the temple of Yahweh. 8 And then[e] as Jeremiah finished speaking all that Yahweh had commanded him to speak to all the people, then the priests and the prophets and all the people laid hold of him, saying,[f] “You will die! 9 Why have you prophesied in the name of Yahweh, saying,[g] ‘This house will be like Shiloh, and this city will be in ruins, without[h] inhabitant’?” And all the people gathered around Jeremiah in the temple of Yahweh.
10 When the officials of Judah heard these things, they came up from the house of the king to the temple of Yahweh, and they sat in the entrance of the New Gate of Yahweh’s temple. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and to all the people, saying,[i] “This man deserves the death sentence,[j] because he has prophesied against this city as that which you have heard with your ears.”
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials and to all the people, saying,[k] “Yahweh sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that you have heard. 13 Now therefore[l] amend your ways and your deeds, and obey the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent of the disaster that he has spoken over you. 14 But as for me, look, I am in your hand, do to me what is good and right in your eyes. 15 Only you must certainly know that if you put me to death, you will bring on yourselves innocent blood, and on this city and on its inhabitants, for truly[m] Yahweh sent me to you to speak all these words in your ears.”
16 Then the officials and all the people said to the priests and to the prophets, “This man does not deserve[n] a sentence of death, for in the name of Yahweh our God, he has spoken to us.” 17 Then men from the elders of the land arose and said to all the assembly of the people, saying,[o] 18 “Micah the Morashtite was prophesying in the days of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and he said to all the people of Judah, saying:[p]
‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts,
“Zion will be plowed,
and Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the temple[q] as high places of wood.”’
19 Did Hezekiah, the king of Judah, and all Judah actually put him to death? Was he not in fear of Yahweh? And he entreated the face of Yahweh, and Yahweh relented of the disaster that he had spoken against them. But we are about to do great disaster to ourselves.”
20 Indeed, there also was a man prophesying in the name of Yahweh, Uriah, the son of Shemaiah, from Kiriath-Jearim, and he prophesied against this city and against this land like all the words of Jeremiah. 21 And when King Jehoiakim, and all his warriors, and all the officials heard his words, then the king sought to put him to death. But Uriah heard, and he was afraid, and he fled and went to Egypt. 22 Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt. Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and men with him went to Egypt. 23 And they brought out Uriah from Egypt and they brought him to King Jehoiakim, and he struck him down with the sword, and he threw his dead body into the burial sites of the sons of the people. 24 However, the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, so that he was not given into the hand of the people to put him to death.
The Parable of the Tenant Farmers in the Vineyard
12 And he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, and put a fence around it, and dug a trough for the winepress, and built a watchtower, and leased it to tenant farmers, and went on a journey. 2 And he sent a slave to the tenant farmers at the proper time, so that he could collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from the tenant farmers. 3 And they seized him and[a] beat him[b] and sent him[c] away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent to them another slave, and that one they struck on the head and dishonored. 5 And he sent another, and that one they killed. And he sent[d] many others, some of whom they beat and some of whom they killed. 6 He had one more, a beloved son. Last of all he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 And they seized and[e] killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What[f] will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenant farmers and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
this has become the cornerstone.[g]
11 This came about from the Lord,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”[h]
12 And they were seeking to arrest him, and they were afraid of the crowd, because they knew that he had told the parable with reference to them. And they left him and[i] went away.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
13 And they sent some of the Pharisees and the Herodians to him so that they could catch him unawares in a statement. 14 And when they[j] came, they said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and you do not care what anyone thinks,[k] because you do not regard the opinion of people[l] but teach the way of God in truth. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” 15 But because he[m] knew their hypocrisy, he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius so that I can look at it!”[n] 16 So they brought one.[o] And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” And they said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” And they were utterly amazed at him.
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
18 And Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and began to ask[p] him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies and he leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, that his brother should take the wife and father[q] descendants for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife. And when he[r] died, he did not leave descendants. 21 And the second took her, and he died without leaving descendants. And the third likewise. 22 And the seven did not leave descendants. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection, when they rise, whose[s] wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife. 24 Jesus said to them, “Are you not deceived because of this, because you[t] do not know the scriptures or the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 Now concerning the dead, that they are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses in the passage about the bush[u] how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob’?[v] 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are very much mistaken!”
The Greatest Commandment
28 And one of the scribes came up and[w] heard them debating. When he[x] saw that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and from your whole soul and from your whole mind and from your whole strength.’[y] 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[z] There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “That is true, Teacher. You have said correctly[aa] that he is one and there is no other except him. 33 And to love him from your[ab] whole heart and from your[ac] whole understanding and from your[ad] whole strength, and to love your[ae] neighbor as yourself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And Jesus, when he[af] saw that he had answered thoughtfully, said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to put a question to him any longer.
David’s Son and Lord
35 And continuing, Jesus said while[ag] teaching in the temple courts,[ah] “How can the scribes say that the Christ is David’s son? 36 David himself said by the Holy Spirit,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies
under your feet.”’[ai]
37 David himself calls him ‘Lord,’ and how is he his son?” And the large crowd was listening to him gladly.
Warning to Beware of the Scribes
38 And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces 39 and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets, 40 who devour the houses of widows and pray lengthy prayers for the sake of appearance. These will receive more severe condemnation!”
A Poor Widow’s Offering
41 And he sat down opposite the contribution box and[aj] was observing how the crowd was putting coins into the contribution box. And many rich people were putting in many coins.[ak] 42 And one poor widow came and[al] put in two small copper coins[am] (that is, a penny).[an] 43 And summoning his disciples, he said to them, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow put in more than all those who put offerings[ao] into the contribution box. 44 For they all contributed[ap] out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in everything she had, her whole means of subsistence.”
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