M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 2
The Israelites Break the Covenant.[a] 1 An angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim[b] and said, “I brought you up from out of the land of Egypt and led you to the land that I had promised your fathers saying, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. 2 Make no covenant with the people of this land. Break down their altars.’ But you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? 3 Now I proclaim to you that I will not drive them out from before you. They will be like thorns in your sides, and their gods will become a snare to you.” 4 When the angel of the Lord said these things to the Israelites, the people wept out loud. 5 They named that place Bochim, and they offered sacrifices to the Lord there.
The Death of Joshua. 6 After Joshua had dismissed the people, the Israelites all went to their inheritances and they took possession of the land. 7 The people served the Lord during Joshua’s lifetime and the lifetimes of the elders who survived Joshua and who had seen all of the great things that the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten. 9 They buried him within the land that was his inheritance, at Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, to the north of Mount Gaash.
10 Infidelity of the People. When that whole generation had been gathered home to their fathers, another generation arose after them that did not know the Lord[c] or the works that he had done for Israel. 11 [d]The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, serving the Baals. 12 They abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out from the land of Egypt. They followed other gods, the gods of the people who lived around them, and they worshiped them. This provoked the Lord’s anger 13 because they had abandoned him to serve Baal and the Astartes. 14 The Lord’s anger blazed out against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies living around them so that they could not stand up to them anymore. 15 Whenever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as the Lord had told them, for the Lord had promised this to them. They therefore suffered terribly.
16 Deliverance through Judges. However, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hands of those raiders. 17 Yet, they would not listen to the judges, and they prostituted themselves after other gods, worshiping them. They quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers had walked, that of obeying the commandments of the Lord. They did not do this. 18 When the Lord raised up judges, the Lord was with the judge. He delivered them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived, for the Lord had mercy on them when they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.
19 But when the judge died,[e] they turned back and became even worse than their fathers, following other gods, serving and worshiping them. They would not abandon their selfish, stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord blazed out against Israel and he said, “Because this people has sinned against the covenant that I gave to their fathers and they have not heeded my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out any of the nations before them that were left when Joshua died. 22 Thus, I will test Israel, to see whether or not they will keep to the way of the Lord, walking in it as their fathers did.” 23 The Lord therefore left those nations there, not hurrying to drive them out, nor delivering them into Joshua’s hands.
Jerusalem, First Center of Diffusion[a]
Chapter 6
Institution of the Seven Deacons.[b] 1 In those days, as the number of disciples grew, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews,[c] asserting that their own widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. 2 And so the Twelve called together the entire community of disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Therefore, brethren, we direct you to select from among you seven[d] men of good reputation, men filled with the Spirit and with wisdom, to whom we may assign this task. 4 We will then be able to devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 The entire community found this proposal to be acceptable, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch who was a convert to Judaism. 6 They then presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid hands on them.[e]
7 The word of God continued to spread ever more widely. The number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.
Accusation against Stephen.[f] 8 Stephen, a man filled with grace and power, began to work great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, people from Cyrene and Alexandria, as well as others from Cilicia and Asia, came forward to debate with Stephen. 10 However, they were unable to refute him because of his wisdom and the Spirit who inspired his speech.
11 So they bribed some men to say, “We heard this Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 After this, stirring up the people as well as the elders and the scribes, they seized Stephen, placed him under arrest, and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
13 Then they called forward false witnesses who claimed, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law. 14 For we have heard him assert that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the traditions that Moses handed down to us.” 15 All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and his face appeared like the face of an angel.
Chapter 15
1 The Lord then said to me: Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me, my heart would not have pity on this people. Send them away from my presence! Let them go! 2 And if they should ask you where they should go, say to them: Thus says the Lord:
Those destined for the plague, to plague;
those destined for the sword, to the sword;
those destined for famine, to famine;
those destined for captivity, to captivity.
3 Furthermore, four kinds of destroyers I will send against them, says the Lord: the sword to kill, dogs to drag away, birds of the sky and beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will make them an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth because of what King Manasseh of Judah, the son of Hezekiah, did in Jerusalem.
5 [a]Who will there be to pity you, O Jerusalem?
Who will mourn for you?
Who will have the slightest concern
to inquire how you are?
6 You have rejected me, says the Lord,
and you have turned your back on me.
Therefore, I have stretched out my hand over you
in order to destroy you;
I am weary of having compassion for you.
7 I have winnowed them with a winnowing fork
at every city gate in the land.
I have brought bereavement and destruction on my people
because they would not abandon their evil ways.
8 I have made their widows more numerous
than the sands of the sea.
I brought a destroyer at noonday
against the mothers of young men.
Without warning, I afflicted them
with anguish and terror.
9 The mother of seven sons will grow faint
and gasp for breath.
Her sun went down while it was still day;
she has been shamed and disgraced.
As for the rest, I will give them to the sword
to perish at the hands of assassins, says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Call Renewed[b]
10 “O my mother, how I wish
that you had never given birth to me,
a man of strife and contention for the entire land.
I have never borrowed from anyone,
nor have I lent to anyone,
yet everyone curses me.
11 Have I not truly done my best
to serve you, O Lord?
Have I not interceded with you
in times of disaster and times of distress?
12 “Can iron and bronze
break iron from the north?
13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will hand over as plunder, without repayment,
because of all your sins
throughout your territory.
14 I will force you to serve your enemies
in a land you do not know,
for my anger will kindle a fire
that will blaze against you.
15 O Lord, you know me well.
Remember me and visit me
and avenge me on my persecutors.
Continue to be patient with me
and do not cast me aside;
remember the insults I suffer for your sake.
16 “When I discovered your words, I devoured them;
they became a source of joy to me
and the delight of my heart,
because I bore your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
17 “I have never associated with revelers
or rejoiced in their company;
I sat alone because I felt your hand on me,
and you had filled me with indignation.
18 Why then is my suffering continuous
and my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?
You have indeed become for me a treacherous brook
whose waters cannot be relied upon.”
19 In reply the Lord said to me:
If you repent, I will restore you,
and you will stand in my presence.
If you utter precious words
and not what is worthless,
you will be my spokesman.
This people may turn to you,
but you must not turn to them.
20 I will make you appear in the eyes of this people
to be a fortified wall of bronze.
They will fight against you
but they will not prevail,
for I am with you
to save and deliver you, says the Lord.
21 I will rescue you from the clutches of the wicked
and redeem you from the grasp of the violent.
Preparation for the Mission of Jesus[a]
Chapter 1
Beginning of the Good News.[b] 1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 It is written in the prophet Isaiah:[c]
“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
3 The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ ”
4 Hence, John the Baptist appeared in the desert, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 People from the entire Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem went out to him, and as they confessed their sins they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
6 John was clothed in a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and his food consisted of locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was the message he proclaimed: “One who is far more powerful than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy even to stoop down and loosen the straps of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”[d]
Jesus Is Baptized by John.[e] 9 At that time,[f] Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 [g]And as he was coming up out of the water, he beheld the heavens break open and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.”
12 Jesus Is Tempted in the Desert.[h] The Spirit immediately drove him out into the desert. 13 He remained there for forty days, during which time he was tempted by Satan. He lived there among the wild beasts, while the angels ministered to him.
Is Jesus the Messiah?[i]
First Testimonies of the Messiah’s Mission
14 Jesus Inaugurates His Mission. After John had been arrested,[j] Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 15 “The time of fulfillment has arrived, and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
16 The First Disciples.[k] As Jesus was walking along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 18 Immediately, they abandoned their nets and followed him.
19 As he proceeded farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They also were in a boat mending their nets. 20 Immediately, he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers and followed him.
21 Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon.[l] They journeyed to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath Jesus immediately entered the synagogue and began to instruct the people. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 In that synagogue there was a man with an unclean spirit, and he shrieked, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”[m] 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”
26 The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions and with a loud cry emerged from him. 27 The people were all amazed, and they began to ask one another, “What is this? It must be a new kind of teaching! With authority he gives commands even to unclean spirits, and they obey him!” 28 His reputation quickly began to spread everywhere throughout the entire region of Galilee.
29 Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law. Immediately on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John into the house of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law[n] was lying in bed, sick with a fever, and they informed Jesus at once about her. 31 Jesus approached her, grasped her by the hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 Other Healings. That evening, after sunset, they brought to him all those who were sick or possessed by demons.[o] 33 The whole town was present, crowded around the door. 34 He cured many who were afflicted with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, although he would not permit them to speak because they knew who he was.
35 Jesus Proclaims the Message and Heals the Sick. Early the next morning, long before dawn, he arose and went off to a secluded place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions set forth in search of him, 37 and when they found him they said, “Everybody is looking for you.” 38 He replied, “Let us move on to the neighboring towns so that I may proclaim the message there as well. For this is the reason why I came.” 39 Then he traveled all throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
40 Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy. A man with leprosy[p] approached and, kneeling before him, begged him, “If you choose to do so, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, “he stretched out his hand and touched him,[q] saying, “I do choose. Be made clean!” 42 Immediately, the leprosy left him and he was cured.
43 Jesus then sent him away at once, after first sternly warning him, 44 “See that you tell no one anything about this. Just go and show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed. That will be proof for them.”[r] 45 However, he went forth and began to proclaim the entire story, spreading the word far and wide. As a result, Jesus could no longer go openly into any town. Rather, he stayed outside in deserted places, and people continued to come to him from every quarter.
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