M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Midian Oppresses Israel
6 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.(A) So the Lord handed(B) them over to Midian seven years, 2 and they oppressed Israel.(C) Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places(D) for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the east(E) came and attacked them. 4 They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For the Midianites came with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts.(F) They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to lay waste to it. 6 So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the Lord.(G)
7 When the Israelites cried out to him because of Midian, 8 the Lord sent a prophet(H) to them. He said to them, “This is what the Lord(I) God of Israel says: ‘I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery.(J) 9 I rescued you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed(K) you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you: I am the Lord your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in.(L) But you did not obey me.’”
The Lord Calls Gideon
11 The angel of the Lord(M) came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah,(N) which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.”(O)
13 Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.”
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!” (P)
15 He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.”
16 “But I will be with you,”(Q) the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”
17 Then he said to him, “If I have found favor with you,(R) give me a sign(S) that you are speaking with me. 18 Please do not leave this place until I return to you. Let me bring my gift and set it before you.”
And he said, “I will stay until you return.”
19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel[a] of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.
20 The angel of God(T) said to him, “Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.” So he did that.
21 The angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
22 When Gideon realized that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God!(U) I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” (V)
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.[b] It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today.
Gideon Tears Down a Baal Altar
25 On that very night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal(W) that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this mound.(X) Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night.
28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. 29 They said to each other, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.”
30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.”
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.” 32 That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he tore down his altar.
The Sign of the Fleece
33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and people of the east gathered together, crossed over the Jordan, and camped in the Jezreel Valley.(Y)
34 The Spirit of the Lord enveloped[c] Gideon,(Z) and he blew the ram’s horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who also came to meet him.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will deliver Israel by me, as you said, 37 I will put a wool fleece here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that you will deliver Israel by me, as you said.” 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water.
39 Gideon then said to God, “Don’t be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground.” 40 That night God did as Gideon requested: only the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.
Cornelius’s Vision
10 There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.(A) 2 He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.(B) 3 About three in the afternoon[a] he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.”(C)
4 Staring at him in awe, he said, “What is it, Lord?”
The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God.(D) 5 Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”(E)
7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him. 8 After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision
9 The(F) next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof(G) about noon.[b] 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened(H) and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. 13 A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 “No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”(I)
15 Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.”(J) 16 This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.
Peter Visits Cornelius
17 While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, right away the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there.
19 While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you.(K) 20 Get up, go downstairs, and go with them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”(L)
21 Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Here I am, the one you’re looking for. What is the reason you’re here?”
22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.”(M) 23 Peter then invited them in and gave them lodging.
The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.(N) 24 The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.
26 But Peter lifted him up and said, “Stand up. I myself am also a man.”(O) 27 While talking with him, he went in and found a large gathering of people. 28 Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner,(P) but God has shown me that I must not call any person impure or unclean.(Q) 29 That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So may I ask why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon,[c] I was[d] praying in my house. Just then a man in dazzling clothing stood before me(R) 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight. 32 Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner’s house by the sea.’[e] 33 So I immediately sent for you, and it was good of you to come. So now we are all in the presence of God to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.”
Good News for Gentiles
34 Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism,(S) 35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.(T) 37 You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him.(U) 39 We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree.(V) 40 God raised up this man on the third day and caused him to be seen, 41 not by all the people, but by us whom God appointed as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.(W) 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.(X) 43 All the prophets testify(Y) about him that through his name(Z) everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”(AA)
Gentile Conversion and Baptism
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down(AB) on all those who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.(AC) 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[f] and declaring the greatness of God.
Then Peter responded, 47 “Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (AD) 48 He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.(AE) Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
The Clay Jar
19 This is what the Lord says: “Go, buy a potter’s clay(A) jar. Take[a] some of the elders of the people and some of the leading priests(B) 2 and go out to Ben Hinnom Valley(C) near the entrance of the Potsherd Gate. Proclaim there the words I speak to you. 3 Say, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, kings of Judah and residents of Jerusalem.(D) This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I am going to bring such a disaster on this place that everyone who hears about it will shudder[b](E) 4 because they have abandoned me(F) and made this a foreign place. They have burned incense in it to other gods that they, their ancestors, and the kings of Judah have never known. They have filled this place with the blood of the innocent.(G) 5 They have built high places to Baal on which to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, something I have never commanded or mentioned; I never entertained the thought.[c](H)
6 “‘Therefore, look, the days are coming(I)—this is the Lord’s declaration—when this place will no longer be called Topheth and Ben Hinnom Valley, but Slaughter Valley.(J) 7 I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who intend to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.(K) 8 I will make this city desolate, an object of scorn. Everyone who passes by it will be appalled and scoff because of all its wounds.(L) 9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and their daughters, and they will eat each other’s flesh in the distressing siege inflicted on them by their enemies who intend to take their life.’(M)
10 “Then you are to shatter the jar in the presence of the people going with you, 11 and you are to proclaim to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I will shatter these people and this city, like one shatters a potter’s jar that can never again be mended. They will bury the dead in Topheth because there is no other place for burials.(N) 12 That is what I will do to this place—this is the declaration of the Lord—and to its residents, making this city like Topheth. 13 The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will become impure like that place Topheth—all the houses on whose rooftops they have burned incense to all the stars in the sky(O) and poured out drink offerings to other gods.’”
14 Jeremiah returned from Topheth, where the Lord had sent him to prophesy, stood in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple,(P) and proclaimed to all the people, 15 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I am about to bring on this city—and on all its cities—every disaster that I spoke against it, for they have become obstinate, not obeying my words.’”(Q)
Demons Driven Out by Jesus
5 They(A) came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gerasenes.[a] 2 As soon as he got out of the boat, a man with an unclean(B) spirit(C) came out of the tombs(D) and met him. 3 He lived in the tombs,(E) and no one was able to restrain him anymore—not even with a chain(F)— 4 because he often had been bound with shackles and chains, but had torn the chains apart and smashed(G) the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue(H) him. 5 Night(I) and day among the tombs(J) and on the mountains,(K) he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And he cried out with a loud voice, “What do you have to do with me, Jesus, Son(L) of the Most High God?(M) I beg you before God, don’t torment(N) me!” 8 For he had told him, “Come out of the man, you unclean(O) spirit!”(P)
9 “What is your name?” he asked him.
“My name is Legion,”(Q) he answered him, “because we are many.” 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the region.
11 A large herd of pigs(R) was there, feeding(S) on the hillside. 12 The demons[b] begged him, “Send us to the pigs, so that we may enter them.” 13 So he gave them permission, and the unclean(T) spirits(U) came out and entered the pigs. The herd of about two thousand rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned there.
14 The men who tended them ran off(V) and reported it in the town and the countryside, and people went to see what had happened. 15 They came to Jesus and saw the man who had been demon-possessed,(W)(X) sitting there, dressed and in his right mind;(Y) and they were afraid.(Z) 16 Those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed(AA) man and told about the pigs. 17 Then they began to beg him to leave their region.
18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged him earnestly that he might remain with him. 19 Jesus did not let him but told him, “Go home to your own people, and report to them how much the Lord(AB) has done(AC) for you and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So he went out and began to proclaim(AD) in the Decapolis(AE) how much Jesus had done for him, and they were all amazed.(AF)
A Girl Restored and a Woman Healed
21 When(AG) Jesus had crossed over again by boat[c] to the other side, a large crowd(AH) gathered around him while he was by the sea. 22 One of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus,(AI) came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet(AJ) 23 and begged him earnestly, “My little daughter is dying. Come and lay your hands on(AK) her so that she can get well[d](AL) and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following and pressing against him.
25 Now a woman suffering from bleeding(AM) for twelve years 26 had endured(AN) much under many doctors.(AO) She had spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched(AP) his clothing.(AQ) 28 For she said, “If I just touch his clothes, I’ll be made well.”(AR) 29 Instantly her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was healed(AS) of her affliction.
30 Immediately Jesus realized that power(AT) had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd(AU) and said, “Who touched my clothes?”(AV)
31 His disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing against you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’”
32 But he was looking around to see who had done this. 33 The woman, with fear and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down(AW) before him, and told him the whole truth.(AX) 34 “Daughter,” he said to her, “your faith(AY) has saved you.(AZ) Go in peace and be healed(BA) from your affliction.”(BB)
35 While he was still speaking, people came from the synagogue leader’s house and said, “Your daughter is dead. Why bother the teacher(BC) anymore?”
36 When Jesus overheard[e] what was said, he told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid.(BD) Only believe.” 37 He did not let anyone accompany him except Peter,(BE) James,(BF) and John,(BG) James’s brother. 38 They came to the leader’s house, and he saw a commotion—people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping?(BH) The child(BI) is not dead but asleep.”(BJ) 40 They laughed at him, but he put them all outside. He took the child’s father,(BK) mother, and those who were with him, and entered the place where the child was. 41 Then he took the child(BL) by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum”[f] (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up”(BM)). 42 Immediately the girl got up(BN) and began to walk.(BO) (She was twelve years old.) At this they were utterly astounded.(BP) 43 Then he gave them strict orders that no one should know about this(BQ) and told them to give her something to eat.
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