M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Prophecy from Peor
24 When Balaam saw that it [a]pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to [b]seek (A)omens but he set his face toward the (B)wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel [c]camping tribe by tribe; and (C)the Spirit of God came upon him. 3 He took up his [d]discourse and said,
“(D)The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;
4 The oracle of him who (E)hears the [e]words of God,
Who sees the (F)vision of [f]the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,
5 How fair are your tents, O Jacob,
Your dwellings, O Israel!
6 “Like [g]valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside the river,
Like (G)aloes planted by the Lord,
Like (H)cedars beside the waters.
7 “Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than (I)Agag,
(J)And his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 “(K)God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
(L)He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones in pieces,
And shatter them with his (M)arrows.
9 “(N)He [h]couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a [i]lion, who [j]dares rouse him?
(O)Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.”
10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his [k]hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times! 11 Therefore, [l]flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the Lord has held you back from honor.” 12 Balaam said to Balak, “(P)Did I not tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying, 13 ‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the [m]command of the Lord, either good or bad, (Q)of my own [n]accord. (R)What the Lord speaks, that I will speak’? 14 And now, behold, (S)I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the [o]days to come.”
15 He took up his discourse and said,
“(T)The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16 The oracle of him who hears the [p]words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the [q]Most High,
Who sees the vision of [r]the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
A star shall come forth from Jacob,
(U)A scepter shall rise from Israel,
(V)And shall crush through the [s]forehead of Moab,
And [t]tear down all the sons of [u]Sheth.
18 “(W)Edom shall be a possession,
(X)Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.
19 “One from Jacob shall have dominion,
And will destroy the remnant from the city.”
20 And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said,
21 And he looked at the (Z)Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,
“Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.
22 “Nevertheless Kain will be consumed;
How long will (AA)Asshur [w]keep you captive?”
23 Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Alas, who can live except God has ordained it?
24 “But ships shall come from the coast of (AB)Kittim,
And they shall afflict Asshur and will afflict (AC)Eber;
(AD)So they also will come to destruction.”
25 Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to (AE)his place, and Balak also went his way.
Praise for God’s Mighty Deeds and for His Answer to Prayer.
For the choir director. A Song. A Psalm.
66 (A)Shout joyfully to God, all the earth;
2 Sing the (B)glory of His name;
Make His (C)praise glorious.
3 Say to God, “How (D)awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will [a](E)give feigned obedience to You.
4 “(F)All the earth will worship You,
And will (G)sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.” [b]Selah.
5 (H)Come and see the works of God,
Who is (I)awesome in His deeds toward the sons of men.
6 He (J)turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through (K)the river on foot;
There let us (L)rejoice in Him!
7 He (M)rules by His might forever;
His (N)eyes keep watch on the nations;
Let not the rebellious (O)exalt themselves. Selah.
8 Bless our God, O peoples,
And [c](P)sound His praise abroad,
9 Who [d](Q)keeps us in life
And (R)does not allow our feet to [e]slip.
10 For You have (S)tried us, O God;
You have (T)refined us as silver is refined.
11 You (U)brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
12 You made men (V)ride over our heads;
We went through (W)fire and through water,
Yet You (X)brought us out into a place of abundance.
13 I shall (Y)come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall (Z)pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was (AA)in distress.
15 I shall (AB)offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts,
With the smoke of (AC)rams;
I shall make an offering of [f]bulls with male goats. Selah.
16 (AD)Come and hear, all who [g]fear God,
And I will (AE)tell of what He has done for my soul.
17 I cried to Him with my mouth,
And [h]He was (AF)extolled with my tongue.
18 If I [i](AG)regard wickedness in my heart,
The (AH)Lord [j]will not [k]hear;
19 But certainly (AI)God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
20 (AJ)Blessed be God,
Who (AK)has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.
The Nations Exhorted to Praise God.
For the choir director; with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
67 God be gracious to us and (AL)bless us,
And (AM)cause His face to shine [l]upon us— [m]Selah.
2 That (AN)Your way may be known on the earth,
(AO)Your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the (AP)peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4 Let the (AQ)nations be glad and sing for joy;
For You will (AR)judge the peoples with uprightness
And (AS)guide the nations on the earth. Selah.
5 Let the (AT)peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6 The (AU)earth has yielded its produce;
God, our God, (AV)blesses us.
7 God blesses us,
[n]That (AW)all the ends of the earth may fear Him.
Israel’s Taunt
14 When the Lord will (A)have compassion on Jacob and again (B)choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then (C)strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2 The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the (D)house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord (E)as male servants and female servants; and [a]they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressors.
3 And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you (F)rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, 4 that you will (G)take up this [b]taunt against the king of Babylon, and say,
“How (H)the oppressor has ceased,
And how [c]fury has ceased!
5 “The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked,
The scepter of rulers
6 (I)Which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes,
Which [d]subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution.
7 “The whole earth is at rest and is quiet;
They (J)break forth into shouts of joy.
8 “Even the (K)cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
‘Since you were laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.’
9 “(L)Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come;
It arouses for you the [e]spirits of the dead, all the [f]leaders of the earth;
It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.
10 “(M)They will all respond and say to you,
‘Even you have been made weak as we,
You have become like us.
11 ‘Your (N)pomp and the music of your harps
Have been brought down to Sheol;
Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you
And worms are your covering.’
12 “How you have (O)fallen from heaven,
O [g](P)star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
13 “But you said in your heart,
‘I will (Q)ascend to heaven;
I will (R)raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
(S)I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 “Nevertheless you (T)will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16 “Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will [h]ponder over you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world like a (U)wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who (V)did not [i]allow his prisoners to go home?’
18 “All the kings of the nations lie in glory,
Each in his own [j]tomb.
19 “But you have been (W)cast out of your tomb
Like [k]a rejected branch,
[l]Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword,
Who go down to the stones of the (X)pit
Like a (Y)trampled corpse.
20 “You will not be united with them in burial,
Because you have ruined your country,
You have slain your people.
May the (Z)offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.
21 “Prepare for his sons a place of slaughter
Because of the (AA)iniquity of their fathers.
They must not arise and take possession of the earth
And fill the face of the world with cities.”
22 “I will rise up against them,” declares the Lord of hosts, “and will cut off from Babylon (AB)name and survivors, (AC)offspring and posterity,” declares the Lord. 23 “I will also make it a possession for the (AD)hedgehog and swamps of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of (AE)destruction,” declares the Lord of hosts.
Judgment on Assyria
24 The Lord of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, (AF)just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand, 25 to (AG)break Assyria in My land, and I will trample him on My mountains. Then his (AH)yoke will be removed from them and his burden removed from their shoulder. 26 This is the (AI)plan [m]devised against the whole earth; and this is the (AJ)hand that is stretched out against all the nations. 27 For (AK)the Lord of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
28 In the (AL)year that King Ahaz died this [n](AM)oracle came:
Judgment on Philistia
29 “Do not rejoice, O (AN)Philistia, all of you,
Because the rod that (AO)struck you is broken;
For from the serpent’s root a (AP)viper will come out,
And its fruit will be a (AQ)flying serpent.
30 “[o]Those who are most (AR)helpless will eat,
And the needy will lie down in security;
I will [p]destroy your root with (AS)famine,
And it will kill off your survivors.
31 “Wail, O (AT)gate; cry, O city;
[q]Melt away, O (AU)Philistia, all of you;
For smoke comes from the (AV)north,
And (AW)there is no straggler in his ranks.
32 “How then will one answer the (AX)messengers of the nation?
That (AY)the Lord has founded Zion,
And (AZ)the afflicted of His people will seek refuge in it.”
As Newborn Babes
2 Therefore, (A)putting aside all [a]malice and all deceit and [b]hypocrisy and [c]envy and all [d](B)slander, 2 (C)like newborn babies, long for the [e](D)pure [f]milk of the word, so that by it you may (E)grow [g]in respect to salvation, 3 if you have (F)tasted [h](G)the kindness of the Lord.
As Living Stones
4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been (H)rejected by men, but is [i]choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 (I)you also, as living stones, [j]are being built up as a (J)spiritual house for a holy (K)priesthood, to (L)offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in [k]Scripture:
“(M)Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a (N)precious corner stone,
And he who believes in [l]Him will not be [m]disappointed.”
7 (O)This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
8 and,
“(R)A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;
(S)for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, (T)and to this doom they were also appointed.
9 But you are (U)a chosen race, a royal (V)priesthood, a (W)holy nation, (X)a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you (Y)out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 (Z)for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 (AA)Beloved, (AB)I urge you as (AC)aliens and strangers to abstain from (AD)fleshly lusts which wage (AE)war against the soul. 12 (AF)Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they (AG)slander you as evildoers, they may [n]because of your good deeds, as they observe them, (AH)glorify God (AI)in the day of [o]visitation.
Honor Authority
13 (AJ)Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent [p]by him (AK)for the punishment of evildoers and the (AL)praise of those who do right. 15 For [q](AM)such is the will of God that by doing right you may (AN)silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as (AO)free men, and [r]do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as (AP)bondslaves of God. 17 (AQ)Honor all people, (AR)love the brotherhood, (AS)fear God, (AT)honor the [s]king.
18 (AU)Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and (AV)gentle, but also to those who are [t]unreasonable. 19 For this finds [u]favor, if for the sake of (AW)conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if (AX)when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds [v]favor with God.
Christ Is Our Example
21 For (AY)you have been called for this purpose, (AZ)since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you (BA)an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who (BB)committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 [w]and while being (BC)reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself [x](BD)bore our sins in His body on the [y](BE)cross, so that we (BF)might die to [z]sin and live to righteousness; for (BG)by His [aa]wounds you were (BH)healed. 25 For you were (BI)continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the (BJ)Shepherd and [ab]Guardian of your souls.
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