M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jehoahaz King of Judah(A)
36 The people of ·Judah [L the land] ·chose [L took] Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and made him king in Jerusalem in his father’s place.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for three months. 3 Then King Neco of Egypt ·removed Jehoahaz from being king [dethroned/deposed him] in Jerusalem. Neco made the people of Judah pay a ·tax [or fine] of ·about seventy-five hundred pounds [L one hundred talents] of silver and ·about seventy-five pounds [L one talent] of gold. 4 The king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim the king of Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz to Egypt [C as a prisoner].
Jehoiakim King of Judah(B)
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for eleven years. He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. 6 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked ·Judah [L him], ·captured Jehoiakim [bound him], put bronze chains on him, and ·took him [carried him away] to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar removed some of the ·things [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, took them to Babylon, and put them in his own ·palace [or temple; L house].
8 The ·other things Jehoiakim did as king [rest of the events/acts/history of Jehoiakim], the ·hateful [detestable; abominable] things he did, and everything ·he was guilty of doing [found against him], ·are [L are they not…?] written in the ·book [scroll] of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
Jehoiachin King of Judah(C)
9 Jehoiachin was ·eight [or eighteen; 2 Kin. 24:8] years old when he became king of Judah, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for three months and ten days. He did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. 10 ·In the spring [L At the turn of the year] King Nebuchadnezzar sent for Jehoiachin and brought him and some valuable ·treasures [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord to Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar made Jehoiachin’s ·uncle [relative; L brother] Zedekiah the king of Judah and Jerusalem.
Zedekiah King of Judah(D)
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ·was king [reigned] in Jerusalem for eleven years. 12 Zedekiah did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the Lord’s sight/eyes]. The prophet Jeremiah spoke ·messages from [L from the mouth of] the Lord, but Zedekiah did not ·obey [L humble himself]. 13 Zedekiah turned against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had forced him to ·swear [vow; take an oath] in God’s name to be loyal to him. But Zedekiah ·became stubborn [L stiffened his neck] and ·refused to obey [L hardened his heart against seeking] the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 Also, all the ·leaders [officials] of the priests and the people of Judah became more ·wicked [unfaithful], following the ·evil example [detestable/abominable practices] of the other nations. The Lord had ·made holy [consecrated; sanctified] the ·Temple [L house] in Jerusalem, but the leaders ·made it unholy [defiled/polluted it].
The Fall of Jerusalem
15 The Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], sent ·prophets [L messengers] again and again to warn his people, because he had ·pity [compassion] on them and on his ·Temple [dwelling place]. 16 But they ·made fun of [mocked] God’s ·prophets [L messengers] and hated God’s ·messages [L words]. They ·refused to listen to the [ridiculed/scoffed at his] prophets until, finally, the Lord became so angry with his people that ·he could not be stopped [there was no remedy/L healer]. 17 So God brought the king of ·Babylon [the Chaldeans] to attack them. The king ·killed [slaughtered; L killed with the sword] the young men even when they were in the ·Temple [L house of their sanctuary]. He had no ·mercy [pity; compassion] on the young men or women, the old men or those who were ·sick [infirm]. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. 18 Nebuchadnezzar carried away to Babylon all the ·things [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [L house] of God, both large and small, and all the treasures from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and from the king and his ·officers [officials]. 19 Nebuchadnezzar and his army ·set fire to [burned down] God’s ·Temple [L house] and broke down Jerusalem’s wall and burned all the ·palaces [or fortifications; L houses]. They destroyed every valuable thing in Jerusalem.
20 Nebuchadnezzar took ·captive [into exile] to Babylon the people who ·were left alive [L escaped the sword], and he forced them to be ·slaves [servants] for him and his descendants. They remained there as ·slaves [servants] until the Persian kingdom ·defeated Babylon [L came/rose to power]. 21 And so ·what the Lord had told Israel through the prophet Jeremiah happened [L the word of the Lord through the mouth of Jeremiah was fulfilled; C he prophesied the fall of Jerusalem]: The country ·was an empty wasteland [lay desolate/fallow] for seventy years ·to make up for the years of Sabbath rest [Lev. 25:1–7] that the people had not kept [or enjoying its sabbath rest; C a bitter observation that the land experienced an ironic “rest” while the Israelites were in exile; Lev. 25:4, 26:33–35].
The Return from Exile(E)
22 In the first year Cyrus was king of Persia [539–38 bc], the Lord ·had Cyrus [L stirred the heart/spirit of Cyrus to] send an ·announcement to [decree/proclamation throughout] his whole kingdom. This happened ·so the Lord’s message spoken by Jeremiah would come true [to fulfill the word of the Lord in the mouth of Jeremiah]. He wrote:
23 ·This is what Cyrus king of Persia says [T Thus says Cyrus king of Persia]:
The Lord, the God of ·heaven [the heavens], has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has appointed me to build a ·Temple [L house] for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Now may the Lord your God ·be with [accompany; fill] all of you who are his people. You are free to go [C back to Jerusalem at the end of the exile; Ezra 1].
22 Then the angel showed me the river of the ·water of life [or living water]. It was ·shining [bright; clear] like crystal and was flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the ·street [main street; square] of the city [Gen. 2:10; Ezek. 47:1–12]. The tree of life was on each side of the river [Gen. 2:9; C heaven is like Eden, only better]. It produces ·fruit twelve times a year, once each month [or twelve kinds of fruit, producing fruit each month]. The leaves of the tree are for the healing of all the nations. 3 ·Nothing that God judges guilty will be in that city [Nothing accursed will be there; or There will no longer be any curse; Gen. 3:16–19; Zech. 14:11]. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and God’s servants will ·worship [serve] him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads [C denoting ownership; 3:12; 7:3; contrast 13:16; Ex. 28:36–38]. 5 There will never be night again. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light. And they will ·rule as kings [reign] forever and ever.
6 The angel said to me, “These words ·can be trusted and are [are faithful and] true.” The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets [C the spirit that inspires the prophets; 1 Cor. 14:32], sent his angel to show his servants the things that must happen ·soon [quickly].
7 “·Listen [L Look; T Behold]! I am coming ·soon [quickly]! ·Blessed [Happy] is the one who obeys the words of prophecy in this ·book [scroll].”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I ·bowed [fell] down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed these things to me. 9 But the angel said to me, “·Do not worship me [Don’t do that!; L See, not]! I am a ·servant like you [fellow servant with you], your brothers the prophets, and all those who ·obey [keep] the words in this ·book [scroll]. Worship God!”
10 Then the angel told me, “Do not ·keep secret [L seal; contrast 10:4] the words of prophecy in this ·book [scroll], because the time is near for all this to happen. 11 Let whoever is doing ·evil [wrong; harm] continue to do evil [wrong; harm; Dan. 12:10]. Let whoever is ·unclean [vile; impure; filthy] continue to be ·unclean [vile; impure; filthy]. Let whoever is ·doing right [righteous; just] continue to do ·right [righteousness; justice]. Let whoever is holy continue to be holy.”
12 “·Listen [L Look; Behold]! I am coming ·soon [quickly]! ·I will bring my reward with me [L and my reward is with me; Is. 40:10], and I will repay ·each one of you [L each person] for what you have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End [1:8; 21:6].
14 “·Blessed [Happy] are those who wash their robes [C an image of spiritual cleansing] so that they will receive the ·right [power; authority] to eat the fruit from the tree of life and may ·go through [enter] the gates into the city. 15 Outside the city are the ·evil people [L dogs], those who do ·evil magic [sorcery], who ·sin sexually [fornicate], who murder, who worship idols, and who love lies and tell lies.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to ·tell you [testify/witness to] these things for the churches. I am the ·descendant from the family of David [root and descendant/offspring of David; C a messianic title applied to Jesus; 5:4; Is. 11:10], and I am the bright morning star [2:28; Num. 24:17; C a messianic title].”
17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears this say, “Come!” Let whoever is thirsty come; whoever wishes may ·have [take; receive] the water of life ·as a free gift [freely].
18 I ·warn [testify to] everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this ·book [scroll]: If anyone adds anything to these words, God will add to that person the ·disasters [plagues] written about in this ·book [scroll]. 19 And if anyone takes away from the words of this ·book [scroll] of prophecy, God will take away that one’s ·share [part] of the tree of life and of the holy city, which are written about in this ·book [scroll; Deut. 4:2; 12:32].
20 ·Jesus, the One who says these things are true, [L The One who witnesses to these things] says, “Yes, I am coming ·soon [quickly].”
·Amen [C Hebrew for “so be it”]. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
The Day of the Lord’s Judging
4 “[L For look/T behold] There is a day coming that will burn like a hot furnace, and all the ·proud [arrogant] and ·evil people [evildoers] will be like ·straw [chaff; stubble]. On that day they will be completely burned up so that not a root or branch will be left,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 2 “But for you who ·honor me [L fear/revere my name], ·goodness will shine on you like the sun [L the sun of righteousness will rise], with healing in its ·rays [L wings]. You will ·jump around [go out leaping], like ·well-fed calves [L calves from the stall]. 3 Then you will ·crush [trample] the wicked like ashes under your feet on the day I will do this,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
4 “Remember the ·teaching [law; L Torah] of Moses my servant, those ·laws [decrees] and rules I gave to him on ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb] for all the Israelites [Ex. 19–24].
5 “But I will send you Elijah the prophet before that great and terrifying day of the ·Lord’s judging [L Lord]. 6 Elijah will ·help parents love [L turn the hearts of fathers/parents to] their children and ·children love [L turn children to] their parents. Otherwise, I will come and ·put a curse on the land [strike the land with a curse/destruction].”
Jesus Appears to Seven Followers
21 ·Later [L After these things], Jesus ·showed [revealed] himself to his ·followers [disciples] again—this time at ·Lake Galilee [L the Sea of Tiberias; C an alternate name of Lake/the Sea of Galilee]. This is how he ·showed [revealed] himself: 2 Some of the ·followers [disciples] were together: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus [C meaning “the Twin”]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee [C James and John], and two other ·followers [disciples]. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going out to fish.”
The others said [L to him], “We will go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat. They fished that night but caught nothing.
4 ·Early the next morning [Just at daybreak] Jesus stood on the shore, but the ·followers [disciples] did not ·know [realize] it was Jesus. 5 Then he said to them, “·Friends [L Children; C a term of endearment], did you catch any fish?”
They answered, “No.”
6 He said to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they did, and they caught so many fish they could not pull the net back into the boat.
7 The ·follower [disciple] whom Jesus loved [C John] said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” [L So] When Peter heard him say this, he wrapped his ·coat [outer garment] around himself. (·Peter had taken his clothes off [L for he was naked].) Then he jumped into the ·water [L sea; lake]. 8 The other ·followers [disciples] went to shore in the boat, ·dragging [towing] the net full of fish. They were not very far from shore, only about a hundred yards [L two hundred cubits]. 9 When the ·followers [disciples] ·stepped out of the boat and onto the shore [landed; disembarked], they saw a fire of hot coals. There were fish on the fire, and there was bread.
10 Then Jesus said [L to them], “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
11 Simon Peter went into the boat and ·pulled [hauled] the net to the shore. It was full of big fish, one hundred fifty-three in all, but even though there were so many, the net did not tear. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and ·eat [or have breakfast].” None of the followers dared ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, along with the fish.
14 This was now the third time [C see 20:19–23; 20:26–29] Jesus ·showed [revealed; manifested] himself to his ·followers [disciples] after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus Talks to Peter
15 When they finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” [C “These” probably refers to the other disciples (rather than the fishing gear), and could mean “Do you love me more than you love your friends?” or “Do you love me more than they love me?” The latter is more likely. This whole scene is the restoration of Peter after he had boasted of his loyalty to Jesus and then denied him.]
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “·Take care of [Tend; Shepherd] my sheep.”
17 A third time he said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter ·was hurt [grieved] because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” Peter said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you!”
He said to him, “Feed my sheep. [C In verses 15 and 16 Jesus uses a different word for “love” (agapaō) than Peter uses (phileō); but then in v. 17 Jesus uses Peter’s word (phileō). The two terms can be synonymous, and the difference is probably stylistic. The passage is not contrasting two kinds of love; rather, Peter’s three affirmations counterbalance his three denials; see 18:15–18, 25–27] 18 ·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], when you were younger, you ·tied your own belt [dressed yourself] and went where you wanted. But when you are old, you will put out your hands and someone else will ·tie [dress] you and take you where you don’t want to go.” 19 (Jesus said this to ·show [indicate; signify] how Peter would die to ·give glory to [glorify] God.) Then Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me!”
20 Peter turned and saw that the ·follower [disciple] Jesus loved [C John] was ·walking behind them [following]. (This was the ·follower [disciple] who had leaned against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who will ·turn against [betray] you?” [see 13:24–25]) 21 When Peter saw him behind them, he asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered [L him], “If I want him to live until I come back, ·that is not your business [L what is that to you?]. You follow me.”
23 So a ·story [rumor; report; saying; L word] spread among the ·followers [disciples; L brothers] that this one would not die. But Jesus did not say he would not die. He only said, “If I want him to live until I come back, ·that is not your business [what is that to you?].”
24 That ·follower [disciple] is the one who ·is telling [witnesses/testifies to] these things and who has now written them down. We know that ·what he says [his testimony/witness] is true.
25 There are many other things Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not be big enough for all the books that would be written.
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