M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Jephthah Wins the Battle Over Ephraim

12 The troops of Ephraim were called out. The troops went across the Jordan River to Zaphon. When they arrived, they said to Jephthah, “You went to fight against the Ammonites. Why didn’t you ask us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”

² Jephthah answered, “I and my people were taking part in a great struggle. We were at war with the Ammonites. I asked you for help. But you didn’t come to save me from their power. ³ I saw that you wouldn’t help. So I put my own life in danger. I went across the Jordan to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord helped me win the battle over them. So why have you come up today to fight against me?”

⁴ Then Jephthah called the men of Gilead together. They fought against Ephraim. The men of Gilead struck them down. The people of Ephraim had said, “You people of Gilead are nothing but deserters from Ephraim and Manasseh.” ⁵ The men of Gilead captured the places where people go across the Jordan River to get to Ephraim. Some men of Ephraim weren’t killed in the battle. When they arrived at the river, they would say, “Let us go across.” Then the men of Gilead would ask each one, “Are you from Ephraim?” Suppose he replied, “No.” ⁶ Then they would say, “All right. Say ‘Shibboleth.’ ” If he said “Sibboleth,” the way he said the word would give him away. He couldn’t say it correctly. So they would grab him. Then they would kill him at one of the places where people go across the Jordan. At that time, 42,000 men of Ephraim were killed.

⁷ Jephthah led Israel for six years. Then he died. He was buried in a town in Gilead. Jephthah was from the land of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon and Abdon

⁸ After Jephthah, Ibzan from Bethlehem led Israel. ⁹ He had 30 sons and 30 daughters. He gave his daughters to be married to men who were outside his family group. He brought in 30 young women to be married to his sons. Those women also came from outside his family group. Ibzan led Israel for seven years. ¹⁰ Then he died. He was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹ After Ibzan, Elon led Israel. He was from the tribe of Zebulun. Elon led Israel for ten years. ¹² Then he died. He was buried in Aijalon. It was in the land of Zebulun.

¹³ After Elon, Abdon led Israel. Abdon was the son of Hillel. Abdon was from Pirathon. ¹⁴ He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons. They rode on 70 donkeys. Abdon led Israel for eight years. ¹⁵ Then he died. He was buried at Pirathon in Ephraim. Pirathon was in the hill country of the Amalekites. Abdon was the son of Hillel.

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas

16 Paul came to Derbe. Then he went on to Lystra. A believer named Timothy lived there. His mother was Jewish and a believer. His father was a Greek. ² The believers at Lystra and Iconium said good things about Timothy. ³ Paul wanted to take him along on the journey. So he circumcised Timothy because of the Jews who lived in that area. They all knew that Timothy’s father was a Greek. ⁴ Paul and his companions traveled from town to town. They reported what the apostles and elders in Jerusalem had decided. The people were supposed to obey what was in the report. ⁵ So the churches were made strong in the faith. The number of believers grew every day.

Paul’s Vision of the Man From Macedonia

⁶ Paul and his companions traveled all through the area of Phrygia and Galatia. The Holy Spirit had kept them from preaching the word in Asia Minor. ⁷ They came to the border of Mysia. From there they tried to enter Bithynia. But the Spirit of Jesus would not let them. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia. Then they went down to Troas. ⁹ During the night Paul had a vision. He saw a man from Macedonia standing and begging him. “Come over to Macedonia!” the man said. “Help us!” ¹⁰ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia. We decided that God had called us to preach the good news there.

Lydia Becomes a Believer in Philippi

¹¹ At Troas we got into a boat. We sailed straight for Samothrace. The next day we went on to Neapolis. ¹² From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony. It is an important city in that part of Macedonia. We stayed there several days.

¹³ On the Sabbath day we went outside the city gate. We walked down to the river. There we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered together. ¹⁴ One of the women listening was from the city of Thyatira. Her name was Lydia, and her business was selling purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to accept Paul’s message. ¹⁵ She and her family were baptized. Then she invited us to her home. “Do you consider me a believer in the Lord?” she asked. “If you do, come and stay at my house.” She succeeded in getting us to go home with her.

Paul and Silas Are Thrown Into Prison

¹⁶ One day we were going to the place of prayer. On the way we were met by a female slave. She had a spirit that helped her tell people what was going to happen. She earned a lot of money for her owners by doing this. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us around. She shouted, “These men serve the Most High God. They are telling you how to be saved.” ¹⁸ She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became upset. Turning around, he spoke to the spirit that was in her. “In the name of Jesus Christ,” he said, “I command you to come out of her!” At that very moment the spirit left the woman.

¹⁹ Her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone. So they grabbed Paul and Silas. They dragged them into the market place to face the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them to the judges. “These men are Jews,” her owners said. “They are making trouble in our city. ²¹ They are suggesting practices that are against Roman law. These are practices we can’t accept or take part in.”

²² The crowd joined the attack against Paul and Silas. The judges ordered that Paul and Silas be stripped and beaten with rods. ²³ They were whipped without mercy. Then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. ²⁴ When he received these orders, he put Paul and Silas deep inside the prison. He fastened their feet so they couldn’t get away.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying. They were also singing hymns to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was a powerful earthquake. It shook the prison from top to bottom. All at once the prison doors flew open. Everyone’s chains came loose. ²⁷ The jailer woke up. He saw that the prison doors were open. He pulled out his sword and was going to kill himself. He thought the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ “Don’t harm yourself!” Paul shouted. “We are all here!”

²⁹ The jailer called out for some lights. He rushed in, shaking with fear. He fell down in front of Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out. He asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus. Then you and everyone living in your house will be saved.” ³² They spoke the word of the Lord to him. They also spoke to all the others in his house. ³³ At that hour of the night, the jailer took Paul and Silas and washed their wounds. Right away he and everyone who lived with him were baptized. ³⁴ The jailer brought them into his house. He set a meal in front of them. He and everyone who lived with him were filled with joy. They had become believers in God.

³⁵ Early in the morning the judges sent their officers to the jailer. They ordered him, “Let those men go.” ³⁶ The jailer told Paul, “The judges have ordered me to set you and Silas free. You can leave now. Go in peace.”

³⁷ But Paul replied to the officers. “They beat us in public,” he said. “We weren’t given a trial. And we are Roman citizens! They threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and personally lead us out.”

³⁸ The officers reported this to the judges. When the judges heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they became afraid. ³⁹ So they came and said they were sorry. They led them out of the prison. Then they asked them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house. There they met with the brothers and sisters. They told them to be brave. Then they left.

Seventy Years in Babylon

25 A message from the Lord about all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah. It came in the fourth year that Jehoiakim was the king of Judah. It was the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah. ² Jeremiah, the Lord’s prophet, spoke to all the people of Judah and Jerusalem. He said, ³ “For 23 years the Lord’s messages have been coming to me. They began to come in the 13th year that Josiah was king of Judah. He was the son of Amon. The Lord’s messages still come to me today. I’ve spoken to you people again and again. But you haven’t listened to me.

⁴ “The Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you. They’ve come to you again and again. But you haven’t listened. You haven’t paid any attention to them. ⁵ They said, ‘Each of you must turn from your evil ways and practices. Then you can stay in the land forever. It’s the land the Lord gave you and your people of long ago. ⁶ Don’t follow other gods. Don’t serve them or worship them. Don’t make the Lord angry with the gods your own hands have made. Then he won’t harm you.’

⁷ “ ‘But you did not listen to me,’ announces the Lord. ‘You have made me very angry with the gods your hands have made. And you have brought harm on yourselves.’

⁸ “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘You have not listened to my words. ⁹ So I will send for all the nations in the north. And I will send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon,’ announces the Lord. ‘I will bring all of them against this land and against you who live here. They will march out against all the nations that are around this land. I will set apart Judah and the nations around it in a special way to be destroyed. People will be shocked because of them. And they will make fun of them. Those nations will be destroyed forever. ¹⁰ I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness. I will put an end to the voices of brides and grooms. The sound of grinding millstones will not be heard anymore. And lamps will not be lit anymore. ¹¹ This whole country will become dry and empty. And these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.

¹² “ ‘But I will punish that king and his nation because they are guilty. I will do this when the 70 years are over,’ announces the Lord. ‘I will make that land a desert forever. ¹³ I have spoken against that land. And I will make all these things happen to it. Everything will happen that is written in this book. And I will make everything Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations come true. ¹⁴ The people of Babylon will become slaves of many other nations and great kings. I will pay them back for what they have done.’ ”

The Cup of God’s Great Anger

¹⁵ The Lord is the God of Israel. He said to me, “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my great anger. Make all the nations to which I send you drink it. ¹⁶ When they drink it, they will not even be able to walk straight. It will drive them out of their minds. I am going to send war against them.” ¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to which he sent me drink from it.

So he sent me to all the kingdoms on the face of the earth, one after the other. They will all drink from the cup of the Lord’s anger. After they drink, the king of Babylon will drink from it too.

²⁷ The Lord says, “Tell them, ‘The Lord who rules over all is the God of Israel. He says, “Drink from this cup. Get drunk and throw up. Fall down and do not get up again. I am going to send war against you.” ’ ²⁸ But they might refuse to take the cup from your hand. They might not want to drink from it. Then tell them, ‘The Lord who rules over all says, “You must drink from it! ²⁹ I am beginning to bring trouble on the city where I have put my Name. You might think you will not be punished. But you will certainly be punished. I am sending war against everyone who lives on earth,” announces the Lord who rules over all.’

³⁰ “Jeremiah, prophesy against them. Tell them,

³² The Lord who rules over all says,

³³ At that time those the Lord kills will be lying around everywhere. They will be found from one end of the earth to the other. No one will mourn for them. Their dead bodies will not be gathered up or buried. Instead, they will be like human waste lying there on the ground.

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

11 As they all approached Jerusalem, they came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent out two of his disciples. ² He said to them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Just as you enter it, you will find a donkey’s colt tied there. No one has ever ridden it. Untie it and bring it here. ³ Someone may ask you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ If so, say, ‘The Lord needs it. But he will send it back here soon.’ ”

⁴ So they left. They found a colt out in the street. It was tied at a doorway. They untied it. ⁵ Some people standing there asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to. So the people let them go. ⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus. They threw their coats over it. Then he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road. Others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those in front and those in back shouted,

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courtyard. He looked around at everything. But it was already late. So he went out to Bethany with the 12 disciples.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears Out the Temple Courtyard

¹² The next day as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Bethany, they were hungry. ¹³ Not too far away, he saw a fig tree. It was covered with leaves. He went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves. It was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And his disciples heard him say it.

¹⁵ When Jesus reached Jerusalem, he entered the temple courtyard. He began to drive out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of the people who were exchanging money. He also turned over the benches of those who were selling doves. ¹⁶ He would not allow anyone to carry items for sale through the temple courtyard. ¹⁷ Then he taught them. He told them, “It is written that the Lord said, ‘My house will be called a house where people from all nations can pray.’ (Isaiah 56:7) But you have made it a ‘den for robbers.’ ” (Jeremiah 7:11)

¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard about this. They began looking for a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples left the city.

The Dried-Up Fig Tree

²⁰ In the morning as Jesus and his disciples walked along, they saw the fig tree. It was dried up all the way down to the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you put a curse on has dried up!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus said. ²³ “What I’m about to tell you is true. Suppose someone says to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea.’ They must not doubt in their heart. They must believe that what they say will happen. Then it will be done for them. ²⁴ So I tell you, when you pray for something, believe that you have already received it. Then it will be yours. ^25-26 And when you stand praying, forgive anyone you have anything against. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins.”

The Authority of Jesus Is Questioned

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples arrived again in Jerusalem. He was walking in the temple courtyard. Then the chief priests came to him. The teachers of the law and the elders came too. ²⁸ “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “Who gave you authority to do this?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. ³⁰ Was John’s baptism from heaven? Or did it come from human authority? Tell me!”

³¹ They talked to each other about it. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ³² But what if we say, ‘From human authority’?” They were afraid of the people. Everyone believed that John really was a prophet.

³³ So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

Jesus said, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I am doing these things either.”