M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Territories of the Remaining Tribes
18 Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; the land lay subdued before them.
2 There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. 3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you be slack to go in and take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? 4 Provide three men from each tribe, and I will send them out that they may set out and go up and down the land, writing a description of it with a view to their inheritances, and then come to me. 5 They shall divide it into seven portions, Judah continuing in his territory on the south, and the house of Joseph in their territory on the north. 6 And you shall describe the land in seven divisions and bring the description here to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord our God. 7 The Levites have no portion among you, for the priesthood of the Lord is their heritage; and Gad and Reuben and half the tribe of Manas′seh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave them.”
8 So the men started on their way; and Joshua charged those who went to write the description of the land, saying, “Go up and down and write a description of the land, and come again to me; and I will cast lots for you here before the Lord in Shiloh.” 9 So the men went and passed up and down in the land and set down in a book a description of it by towns in seven divisions; then they came to Joshua in the camp at Shiloh, 10 and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord; and there Joshua apportioned the land to the people of Israel, to each his portion.
The Territory of Benjamin
11 The lot of the tribe of Benjamin according to its families came up, and the territory allotted to it fell between the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Joseph. 12 On the north side their boundary began at the Jordan; then the boundary goes up to the shoulder north of Jericho, then up through the hill country westward; and it ends at the wilderness of Beth-a′ven. 13 From there the boundary passes along southward in the direction of Luz, to the shoulder of Luz (the same is Bethel), then the boundary goes down to At′aroth-ad′dar, upon the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-hor′on. 14 Then the boundary goes in another direction, turning on the western side southward from the mountain that lies to the south, opposite Beth-hor′on, and it ends at Kir′iath-ba′al (that is, Kir′iath-je′arim), a city belonging to the tribe of Judah. This forms the western side. 15 And the southern side begins at the outskirts of Kir′iath-je′arim; and the boundary goes from there to Ephron,[a] to the spring of the Waters of Nephto′ah; 16 then the boundary goes down to the border of the mountain that overlooks the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is at the north end of the valley of Reph′aim; and it then goes down the valley of Hinnom, south of the shoulder of the Jeb′usites, and downward to En-ro′gel; 17 then it bends in a northerly direction going on to En-she′mesh, and thence goes to Geli′loth, which is opposite the ascent of Adum′mim; then it goes down to the stone of Bohan the son of Reuben; 18 and passing on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-arabah[b] it goes down to the Arabah; 19 then the boundary passes on to the north of the shoulder of Beth-hoglah; and the boundary ends at the northern bay of the Salt Sea, at the south end of the Jordan: this is the southern border. 20 The Jordan forms its boundary on the eastern side. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, according to its families, boundary by boundary round about.
21 Now the cities of the tribe of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-ke′ziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemara′im, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Che′phar-am′moni, Ophni, Geba—twelve cities with their villages: 25 Gibeon, Ramah, Be-er′oth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephi′rah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Tar′alah, 28 Zela, Ha-eleph, Jebus[c] (that is, Jerusalem), Gib′e-ah[d] and Kir′iath-je′arim[e]—fourteen cities with their villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin according to its families.
The Territory of Simeon
19 The second lot came out for Simeon, for the tribe of Simeon, according to its families; and its inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. 2 And it had for its inheritance Beer-sheba, Sheba, Mola′dah, 3 Hazar-shu′al, Balah, Ezem, 4 Elto′lad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-mar′caboth, Ha′zar-su′sah, 6 Beth-leba′oth, and Sharu′hen—thirteen cities with their villages; 7 En-rimmon, Ether, and Ashan—four cities with their villages; 8 together with all the villages round about these cities as far as Ba′alath-beer, Ramah of the Negeb. This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon according to its families. 9 The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon formed part of the territory of Judah; because the portion of the tribe of Judah was too large for them, the tribe of Simeon obtained an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.
The Territory of Zebulun
10 The third lot came up for the tribe of Zeb′ulun, according to its families. And the territory of its inheritance reached as far as Sarid; 11 then its boundary goes up westward, and on to Mar′eal, and touches Dab′besheth, then the brook which is east of Jok′ne-am; 12 from Sarid it goes in the other direction eastward toward the sunrise to the boundary of Chis′loth-ta′bor; thence it goes to Dab′erath, then up to Japhi′a; 13 from there it passes along on the east toward the sunrise to Gath-hepher, to Eth-kazin, and going on to Rimmon it bends toward Ne′ah; 14 then on the north the boundary turns about to Han′nathon, and it ends at the valley of Iph′tahel; 15 and Kattath, Na′halal, Shimron, I′dalah, and Bethlehem—twelve cities with their villages. 16 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Zeb′ulun, according to its families—these cities with their villages.
The Territory of Issachar
17 The fourth lot came out for Is′sachar, for the tribe of Is′sachar, according to its families. 18 Its territory included Jezre′el, Chesul′loth, Shunem, 19 Haph′ara-im, Shion, Ana′harath, 20 Rabbith, Kish′ion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gan′nim, En-had′dah, Beth-paz′zez; 22 the boundary also touches Tabor, Shahazu′mah, and Beth-she′mesh, and its boundary ends at the Jordan—sixteen cities with their villages. 23 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Is′sachar, according to its families—the cities with their villages.
The Territory of Asher
24 The fifth lot came out for the tribe of Asher according to its families. 25 Its territory included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Ach′shaph, 26 Allam′melech, Amad, and Mishal; on the west it touches Carmel and Shihor-lib′nath, 27 then it turns eastward, it goes to Beth-dagon, and touches Zeb′ulun and the valley of Iph′tahel northward to Beth-emek and Nei′el; then it continues in the north to Cabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, Kanah, as far as Sidon the Great; 29 then the boundary turns to Ramah, reaching to the fortified city of Tyre; then the boundary turns to Hosah, and it ends at the sea; Mahalab,[f] Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek and Rehob—twenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Asher according to its families—these cities with their villages.
The Territory of Naphtali
32 The sixth lot came out for the tribe of Naph′tali, for the tribe of Naph′tali, according to its families. 33 And its boundary ran from Heleph, from the oak in Za-anan′nim, and Ad′ami-nekeb, and Jabneel, as far as Lakkum; and it ended at the Jordan; 34 then the boundary turns westward to Az′noth-ta′bor, and goes from there to Hukkok, touching Zeb′ulun at the south, and Asher on the west, and Judah on the east at the Jordan. 35 The fortified cities are Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chin′nereth, 36 Ad′amah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Ed′re-i, En-ha′zor, 38 Yiron, Mig′dal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-she′mesh—nineteen cities with their villages. 39 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Naph′tali according to its families—the cities with their villages.
The Territory of Dan
40 The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan, according to its families. 41 And the territory of its inheritance included Zorah, Esh′ta-ol, Ir-she′mesh, 42 Sha-alab′bin, Ai′jalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 El′tekeh, Gib′bethon, Ba′alath, 45 Jehud, Bene-be′rak, Gath-rim′mon, 46 and Me-jar′kon and Rakkon with the territory over against Joppa. 47 When the territory of the Danites was lost to them, the Danites went up and fought against Leshem, and after capturing it and putting it to the sword they took possession of it and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan, after the name of Dan their ancestor. 48 This is the inheritance of the tribe of Dan, according to their families—these cities with their villages.
Joshua’s Inheritance
49 When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 By command of the Lord they gave him the city which he asked, Tim′nath-se′rah in the hill country of E′phraim; and he rebuilt the city, and settled in it.
51 These are the inheritances which Elea′zar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot at Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
Praise for God’s Goodness to Israel
149 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the faithful!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker,
let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with timbrel and lyre!
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to wreak vengeance on the nations
and chastisement on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!
Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness
150 [a]Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his exceeding greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with timbrel and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
9 [a] O that my head were waters,
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
that I might weep day and night
for the slain of the daughter of my people!
2 [b] O that I had in the desert
a wayfarers’ lodging place,
that I might leave my people
and go away from them!
For they are all adulterers,
a company of treacherous men.
3 They bend their tongue like a bow;
falsehood and not truth has grown strong[c] in the land;
for they proceed from evil to evil,
and they do not know me, says the Lord.
4 Let every one beware of his neighbor,
and put no trust in any brother;
for every brother is a supplanter,
and every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
5 Every one deceives his neighbor,
and no one speaks the truth;
they have taught their tongue to speak lies;
they commit iniquity and are too weary to repent.[d]
6 Heaping oppression upon oppression, and deceit upon deceit,
they refuse to know me, says the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, I will refine them and test them,
for what else can I do, because of my people?
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully;
with his mouth each speaks peaceably to his neighbor,
but in his heart he plans an ambush for him.
9 Shall I not punish them for these things? says the Lord;
and shall I not avenge myself
on a nation such as this?
10 “Take up[e] weeping and wailing for the mountains,
and a lamentation for the pastures of the wilderness,
because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard;
both the birds of the air and the beasts
have fled and are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a lair of jackals;
and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation,
without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the man so wise that he can understand this? To whom has the mouth of the Lord spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land ruined and laid waste like a wilderness, so that no one passes through? 13 And the Lord says: “Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, or walked in accord with it, 14 but have stubbornly followed their own hearts and have gone after the Ba′als, as their fathers taught them. 15 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will feed this people with wormwood, and give them poisonous water to drink. 16 I will scatter them among the nations whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them.”
The People Mourn in Judgment
17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Consider, and call for the mourning women to come;
send for the skilful women to come;
18 let them make haste and raise a wailing over us,
that our eyes may run down with tears,
and our eyelids gush with water.
19 For a sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How we are ruined!
We are utterly shamed,
because we have left the land,
because they have cast down our dwellings.’”
20 Hear, O women, the word of the Lord,
and let your ear receive the word of his mouth;
teach to your daughters a lament,
and each to her neighbor a dirge.
21 For death has come up into our windows,
it has entered our palaces,
cutting off the children from the streets
and the young men from the squares.
22 Speak, “Thus says the Lord:
‘The dead bodies of men shall fall
like dung upon the open field,
like sheaves after the reaper,
and none shall gather them.’”
23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; 24 but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord.”[f]
25 “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish all those who are circumcised but yet uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all who dwell in the desert that cut the corners of their hair; for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees
23 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. 4 They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear,[a] and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries[b] broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.[c] 10 Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. 11 He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; 12 whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither enter yourselves, nor allow those who would enter to go in.[d] 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you traverse sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell[e] as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If any one swears by the temple, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.’ 19 You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and he who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who dwells in it; 22 and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?[f] 34 Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechari′ah the son of Barachi′ah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation.
The Lament over Jerusalem
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate.[g] 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1965, 1966 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.