M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 10
Conspiracy against Gibeon.[a] 1 Now Adoni-zedek, the king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had taken Ai and had totally destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king what he had already done to Jericho and its king, and also how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were living near them. 2 He and his people were shocked, for Gibeon was one of the larger cities, large enough to be one of the royal cities. It was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty warriors. 3 Adoni-zedek appealed to Hoham, the king of Hebron, Piram, the king of Jarmuth, Japhia, the king of Lachish, and Debir, the king of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and assist me with an attack on Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”
5 The five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, and all of their armies went up and encamped outside of Gibeon to attack it. 6 The Gibeonites sent a message to Joshua who was in his camp at Gilgal saying, “Do not abandon your servants! Come up quickly to us and save us. All of the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country have gathered forces against us.”
Joshua Rescues Gibeon. 7 So Joshua and all of his fighting men went up along with his most valiant warriors. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them. I have delivered them into your hands. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.” 9 Joshua marched from Gilgal all night and took them by surprise. 10 The Lord routed them before Israel. They killed many at Gibeon, chasing after them on the road leading up to Beth-horon, slaying them all the way up to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they were fleeing before the Israelites on the road from Beth-horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled down large hailstones upon them, so that more of them were killed by the hailstones than had been killed by the swords of the Israelites.
12 On the day that the Lord delivered the Amorites up to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord in front of the Israelites saying, “O Sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still and the moon stopped until the nation had taken vengeance upon their enemies. Is this not written about in the Book of Jashar?[b] The sun stood still in the middle of the sky and delayed going down for a full day. 14 There had never before been a day like this, and never will be again, a day when the Lord listened to the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. 15 Joshua and all the Israelites with him then returned to the camp in Gilgal.
16 Five Kings Executed. These five kings fled and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah. 17 Joshua was told, “The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah.” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones over the mouth of the cave and assign men to guard it, 19 but do not stay there yourselves. You must chase after your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter into their cities, for the Lord, your God, has delivered them over into your hands.” 20 When the Israelites had finished all but wiping them out, and those few who remained had slipped into fortified cities, 21 all the people returned safely to Joshua at the camp in Makkedah. No one uttered a sound against the Israelites.
22 Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave, and bring those five kings out of the cave to me.” 23 So they brought those five kings out of the cave to him: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they had brought those five kings to Joshua, Joshua summoned all of the men of Israel and said to the leaders of the army who had gone out with him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.”[c] So they drew near and put their feet on their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all of your enemies against whom you are going to fight.” 26 Joshua then struck and killed them, hanging them from five trees. They were left hanging from the trees until the evening. 27 At sunset Joshua ordered that they be taken down from the trees and cast into the cave where they had been hiding. They placed large stones at the mouth of the cave that are still there today. 28 That same day Joshua conquered Makkedah. He put it and its king to the sword, wiping out all of them. He did not leave any survivors. He treated the king of Makkedah the same way he had treated the king of Jericho.
29 The Conquest of Southern Canaan. Joshua and all the Israelites then moved on from Makkedah to Libnah, and once there they attacked Libnah. 30 The Lord handed it and its king over into the hands of the Israelites. They put everyone in it to the sword. He left no survivors. He treated its king the same way he had treated the king of Jericho.
31 Joshua and all of the Israelites then traveled from Libnah to Lachish, making camp outside of it and attacking it. 32 The Lord handed Lachish over[d] into the hands of the Israelites who took it on the second day. They put everyone in it to the sword, just as they had done at Libnah.
33 Horam, the king of Gezer, had come up to assist Lachish. Joshua defeated him and his army, leaving no survivors. 34 Joshua and all of the Israelites then traveled from Lachish to Eglon. They camped outside of it and attacked it. 35 They captured it that same day, putting everyone in it to the sword. He totally wiped it out, just as he had done at Lachish.
36 Joshua and all of the Israelites went up from Eglon to Hebron and attacked it. 37 They took it and put everyone to the sword, including its king, its dependent towns, and all of its inhabitants. He totally destroyed it and killed everyone in it, just as he had done at Eglon.
38 Then Joshua and all of the Israelites turned back to Debir and attacked it. 39 He took it and its king and all of its dependent towns. He put them all to the sword. He totally destroyed it and killed everyone in it. He left no survivors. He treated Debir and its king the same way he had treated Hebron and also Libnah and its king.
40 So Joshua struck down the entire land, the hill country, the Negeb, the western slopes and the mountain slopes and all of their kings. He left no survivors, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. 41 Joshua conquered from Kadesh-barnea up to Gaza, and the whole territory of Goshen up to Gibeon. 42 Joshua captured all of these kings and all of their lands in one campaign because the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for Israel. 43 Then Joshua and all of the Israelites returned to the camp at Gilgal.
Psalm 142[a]
Prayer in Time of Abandonment
1 A maskil[b] of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.
2 [c]I cry out to the Lord with my plea;
I entreat the Lord to grant me mercy.
3 Before him I pour out my complaint
and tell my troubles in his presence.
4 [d]No matter how faint my spirit is within me,
you are there to guide my steps.
Along the path on which I travel[e]
they have hidden a trap for me.
5 I look to my right,
but there is no friend who knows me.
There is no refuge available to me;
no one cares whether I live or perish.[f]
6 [g]I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”[h]
7 Listen to my plea for help,
for I am in desperate straits.
Rescue me from those who seek to persecute me,
for they are too strong for me.[i]
8 Set me free from my prison,[j]
so that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will assemble around me
because of your great generosity to me.
Psalm 143[k]
Prayer of a Penitent in Distress
1 [l]A psalm of David.
O Lord, hear my prayer,
incline your ear to my supplications.
In your faithfulness respond to me
with your righteousness.
2 Do not subject your servant to your judgment,
for no one living is righteous before you.[m]
3 [n]An enemy has stalked me unrelentingly
and crushed me into the ground;
he has left me to live in darkness[o]
like those long dead.
4 My spirit is faint within me,
and my heart[p] has succumbed to fear.
5 I remember the days of old,
reflecting on all your actions
and meditating on the works of your hands.[q]
6 I stretch out my hands[r] to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 [s]Answer me quickly, O Lord,
for my spirit grows faint.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.[t]
8 At dawn[u] let me experience your kindness,
for in you I place my trust.
Show me the path I must walk,
for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord,
for in you I seek refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.[v]
Let your gracious Spirit lead me
along a level path.
11 For your name’s sake,[w] O Lord, preserve my life;
in your righteousness deliver me from distress.
12 In your kindness, destroy my enemies,
and annihilate all those who oppress me,
for I am your servant.[x]
Chapter 4
1 If you return, O Israel, says the Lord,
if you return to me,
if you banish your loathsome idols from my sight
and do not go astray,
2 and if you swear, “As the Lord lives!”
in truth, in justice, and in uprightness,
then the nations will bless themselves by him
and will glory in him.
3 For these are the words of the Lord to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
Break up your unplowed ground
and do not sow among thorns.
4 For the sake of the Lord be circumcised
and remove the foreskin of your hearts,
O men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
or my wrath will leap forth like fire
and burn with no one to quench it
because of your evil deeds.
Invasion from the North[a]
5 Announce it in Judah;
proclaim it in Jerusalem.
Blow the trumpet throughout the land;
shout aloud the command,
“Gather together!
Let us flee to the fortified cities!”
6 Raise the signal to proceed toward Zion!
Flee for safety! Do not delay!
For I am bringing disaster from the north
as well as immense destruction.
7 A lion has come forth from its lair
the destroyer of nations has set forth.
He has left his lair
to make your towns a wasteland;
they will be in ruins and uninhabited.
8 Therefore, wrap yourselves in sackcloth,
beat your breasts and wail,
because the blazing anger of the Lord
has not turned away from us.
9 On that day, says the Lord,
the courage of the kings and the princes will fail;
the priests will be horrified
and the prophets will be astounded.
10 Then I said, “Alas, Lord God,
you completely deceived the people and Jerusalem
when you promised that we would have peace,
for now the sword is held at our throats.”
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem:
A scorching wind comes forth from the desert heights
and sweeps down on my people,
although not to winnow or to cleanse.
12 A wind far too strong for that
will come forth at my bidding,
and I myself will pass judgment on them.
13 Behold, he advances
like storm clouds;
like a whirlwind are his chariots.
His horses are swifter than eagles.
Disaster threatens us. We are lost.
14 Cleanse your heart of all wickedness
so that you may be saved.
How long will you allow evil thoughts to lodge within you?
15 A voice from Dan[b] declares the news
proclaiming disaster from Mount Ephraim.
16 Announce this to the nations,
make it known to Jerusalem:
Besiegers are coming from a distant land,
shouting their war cry against the cities of Judah.
17 They surround her like watchmen guarding a field
because she has rebelled against me, says the Lord.
18 Your conduct and your evil deeds
have brought this upon you.
How bitter is your punishment!
It has pierced the depths of your heart.
19 How great is my anguish
that causes me to writhe in pain!
I cannot keep silent in my agony
as my heart beats wildly.
For I have heard the sound of the trumpet
and that of the battle cry.
20 One disaster follows upon another;
the entire land lies in ruins.
My tents are suddenly destroyed,
everything that offered me shelter.
21 How long must I see the standard raised
and hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 My people are fools;
they do not know me.
They are senseless children
who have no semblance of understanding.
They are skilled in the practice of evil
but they do not know how to do good.
23 I looked at the earth,
and it was a formless wasteland;
I gazed at the heavens,
but I could not discern any light.
24 I looked at the mountains,
and they were quaking,
while all the hills moved back and forth.
25 I looked, but I could not see anyone;
even the birds of the air had flown away.
26 I looked, and the fertile land had become a desert;
all of its towns lay in ruins
before the Lord, before his blazing anger.
27 Thus says the Lord:
The entire land will be a desolate waste,
but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Because of this the earth will mourn
and the heavens above will grow dark.
For I have spoken and made clear my intention,
and I will not relent or turn back.
29 At the shouts of horsemen and archers
every city takes to flight.
Some people crawl into the thickets
while others scale the rocks.
All the cities are abandoned,
with no one to live in them.
30 What are you doing, you who are doomed,
by clothing yourself in purple,
adorning yourself with ornaments of gold
and shading your eyes with cosmetics?
You are beautifying yourself in vain,
for your lovers despise you,
and they only seek your life.
31 I hear cries like those of a woman in labor,
the anguished groans of one bearing her first child.
They are the screams of daughter Zion gasping for breath
as she stretches forth her hands and cries out,
“Woe is me; I am dying.
I sink exhausted before my murderers.”
Instructions to the Disciples: The Charter of the Community[a]
Chapter 18
Become Like Little Children.[b] 1 At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 Then Jesus beckoned a child to come to him, placed it in their midst, 3 and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself and becomes like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Woe to the World because of Scandals.[c] 5 “And whoever receives one such child in my name receives me. 6 But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. 7 Woe to the world because of scandals. Such things are bound to occur, but woe to the one through whom they come.
8 [d]“If your hand or your foot is an occasion of sin for you, cut it off and throw it away. It is preferable for you to enter into life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is preferable for you to enter into life with one eye than to have two eyes and be cast into the fires of Gehenna.
10 “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven gaze continually on the face of my heavenly Father. [ 11 For the Son of Man has come to save what was lost.][e]
12 The Parable of the Lost Sheep.[f]“Tell me your opinion. If a man owns a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the other ninety-nine on the hillside and go off in search of the one who went astray? 13 And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he is more filled with joy over it than over the ninety-nine who did not wander off. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that a single one of these little ones should be lost.
15 The Church: Community of Love, Prayer, and Pardon.[g]“If your brother wrongs you, go and take up the matter with him when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every detail may be confirmed by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, report it to the Church. And if he refuses to listen to the Church, treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.
18 “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 [Amen,] I say to you, further, if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there in their midst.”
21 Then Peter came up to him and asked, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy times seven.[h]
23 The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.[i]“For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the accounting, a man was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.[j] 25 Since he had no possible way to repay what he owed, his master ordered him to be sold, together with his wife, his children, and all his property, to satisfy the debt. 26 At this, the servant fell to his knees, saying, ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you in full.’ 27 Moved with compassion, the master of that servant let him go and canceled the debt.
28 “However, when that servant left, he encountered one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii,[k] and, choking him, he demanded, ‘Pay me back what you owe.’ 29 His fellow servant fell to his knees and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Be patient with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he turned a deaf ear and had him thrown into prison until he had repaid the debt.
31 “When his fellow servants observed what had happened, they were greatly upset, and, going to their master, they reported everything that had taken place. 32 Then his master sent for the man and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you for your complete debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in his anger his master handed him over to be tortured until he repaid the entire debt. 35 In the same way, my heavenly Father will also deal with you unless each of you forgives his brother from the heart.”
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