M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Samson’s Riddle

14 Samson went down to Timnah^(A) and saw a young Philistine woman there. ² He went back and told his father and his mother, “I have seen a young Philistine woman in Timnah. Now get her for me as a wife.”

³ But his father and mother said to him, “Can’t you find a young woman among your relatives or among any of our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines for a wife?”

But Samson told his father, “Get her for me. She’s the right one for me.” ⁴ Now his father and mother did not know this was from the Lord,^(B) who wanted the Philistines to provide an opportunity for a confrontation.^[a] At that time, the Philistines were ruling Israel.

⁵ Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Suddenly a young lion came roaring at him, ⁶ the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on^(C) him, and he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he did not tell his father or mother what he had done. ⁷ Then he went and spoke to the woman, because she seemed right to Samson.

⁸ After some time, when he returned to marry her, he left the road to see the lion’s carcass, and there was a swarm of bees with honey in the carcass. ⁹ He scooped some honey into his hands and ate it as he went along. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had scooped the honey from the lion’s carcass.^(D)

¹⁰ His father went to visit the woman, and Samson prepared a feast there, as young men were accustomed to do. ¹¹ When the Philistines saw him, they brought thirty men to accompany him.

¹² “Let me tell you a riddle,”^(E) Samson said to them. “If you can explain it to me during the seven days of the feast and figure it out, I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes. ¹³ But if you can’t explain it to me, you must give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes.”

“Tell us your riddle,” they replied.^[b] “Let’s hear it.”

¹⁴ So he said to them:

After three days, they were unable to explain the riddle. ¹⁵ On the fourth^[c] day they said to Samson’s wife, “Persuade your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father’s family to death. Did you invite us here to rob us?”

¹⁶ So Samson’s wife came to him, weeping, and said, “You hate me and don’t love me!^(F) You told my people the riddle, but haven’t explained it to me.”

“Look,” he said,^[d] “I haven’t even explained it to my father or mother, so why should I explain it to you?”

¹⁷ She wept the whole seven days of the feast, and at last, on the seventh day, he explained it to her, because she had nagged him so much. Then she explained it to her people. ¹⁸ On the seventh day, before sunset, the men of the city said to him:

So he said to them:

¹⁹ The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of their men. He stripped them and gave their clothes to those who had explained the riddle. In a rage, Samson returned to his father’s house, ²⁰ and his wife was given to one of the men who had accompanied him.

Founding the Corinthian Church

18 After this, he^[a] left Athens and went to Corinth,^{(A) 2} where he found a Jew named Aquila,^(B) a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, ³ and since they were of the same occupation, tentmakers by trade,^(C) he stayed with them and worked. ⁴ He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.^(D)

⁵ When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word^[b] and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.^{(E) 6} When they resisted and blasphemed,^(F) he shook out his clothes^(G) and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads!^(H) I am innocent.^[c] From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^{(I) 7} So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household.^(J) Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

⁹ The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”^{(K) 11} He stayed there a year and a half, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the tribunal.^{(L) 13} “This man,” they said, “is persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or of a serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. ¹⁵ But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”^{(M) 16} So he drove them from the tribunal. ¹⁷ And they all^[d] seized Sosthenes,^(N) the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal, but none of these things mattered to Gallio.

The Return Trip to Antioch

¹⁸ After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.^{(O) 19} When they reached Ephesus^(P) he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, ²¹ but he said farewell and added,^[e] “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.”^(Q) Then he set sail from Ephesus.

²² On landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.^(R)

²³ After spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.^(S)

The Eloquent Apollos

²⁴ Now a Jew named Apollos,^(T) a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit,^[f] he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism.^{(U) 26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside^[g] and explained the way of God to him more accurately.^{(V) 27} When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.^{(W) 28} For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.^(X)

The Yoke of Babylon

27 At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah^[a] son of Josiah, king of Judah,^(A) this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord:^{[b] 2} This is what the Lord said to me: “Make chains and yoke bars^(B) for yourself and put them on your neck.^{(C) 3} Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon^(D) through messengers who are coming to King Zedekiah of Judah in Jerusalem. ⁴ Command them to go to their masters, saying, ‘This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: Tell this to your masters: ⁵ “By my great strength and outstretched arm,^(E) I made the earth,^(F) and the people, and animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please.^{[c](G) 6} So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of my servant^(H) Nebuchadnezzar,^(I) king of Babylon. I have even given him the wild animals to serve him. ⁷ All nations will serve him, his son, and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, and then many nations and great kings will enslave him.^(J)

⁸ “‘“As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and does not place its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation I will punish by sword, famine, and plague—this is the Lord’s declaration—until through him I have destroyed it. ⁹ So you should not listen to your prophets, diviners,^(K) dreamers, fortune-tellers,^(L) or sorcerers^(M) who say to you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon!’ ¹⁰ They are prophesying a lie^(N) to you so that you will be removed from your land. I will banish you, and you will perish. ¹¹ But as for the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave it in its own land, and that nation will cultivate^[d] it and reside in it. This is the Lord’s declaration.”’”

Warning to Zedekiah

¹² I spoke to King Zedekiah of Judah^(O) in the same way: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, serve him and his people, and live! ¹³ Why should you and your people die^(P) by the sword, famine, and plague as the Lord has threatened against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon? ¹⁴ Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are telling you, ‘Don’t serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying a lie to you.^{(Q) 15} ‘I have not sent them’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘and they are prophesying falsely in my name; therefore, I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who are prophesying to you.’”

¹⁶ Then I spoke to the priests and all these people, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do not listen to the words of your prophets. They are prophesying to you, claiming, “Look, very soon now the articles of the Lord’s temple will be brought back from Babylon.”^(R) They are prophesying a lie to you. ¹⁷ Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?^{(S) 18} If they are indeed prophets and if the word of the Lord is with them, let them intercede with the Lord of Armies not to let the articles that remain in the Lord’s temple, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem go to Babylon.’ ¹⁹ For this is what the Lord of Armies says about the pillars, the basin,^[e] the water carts,^(T) and the rest of the articles that still remain in this city, ²⁰ those King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon did not take when he deported Jeconiah^[f] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, from Jerusalem to Babylon along with all the nobles of Judah^(U) and Jerusalem. ²¹ Yes, this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the temple of the Lord, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: ²² ‘They will be taken to Babylon and will remain there until I attend to them again.’^(V) This is the Lord’s declaration. ‘Then I will bring them up and restore them to this place.’”^(W)

Destruction of the Temple Predicted

13 As^(A) he was going out of the temple,^(B) one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher,^(C) look! What massive stones! What impressive buildings!” ^(D)

² Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings?^(E) Not one stone will be left upon another—all will be thrown down.”

Signs of the End of the Age

³ While he was sitting on the Mount of Olives^(F) across from the temple,^(G) Peter,^(H) James,^(I) John,^(J) and Andrew^(K) asked him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”

⁵ Jesus told them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁶ Many will come in my name,^(L) saying, ‘I am he,’^(M) and they will deceive^(N) many. ⁷ When you hear of wars and rumors of wars,^(O) don’t be alarmed;^(P) these things must take place,^(Q) but it is not yet the end. ⁸ For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.^(R) There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines.^[a] These are the beginning^(S) of birth pains.^(T)

Persecutions Predicted

⁹ “But you, be on your guard! They will hand you over to local courts,^[b](U) and you will be flogged^(V) in the synagogues.^(W) You will stand before governors and kings^(X) because of me,^(Y) as a witness^(Z) to them.^{(AA) 10} And it is necessary that the gospel^(AB) be preached to all nations. ¹¹ So when they arrest you and hand you over, don’t worry beforehand what you will say, but say whatever is given to you at that time, for it isn’t you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

¹² “Brother will betray^(AC) brother to death,^(AD) and a father his child. Children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ You will be hated by everyone because of my name,^(AE) but the one who endures to the end will be saved.^(AF)

The Great Tribulation

¹⁴ “When you see the abomination of desolation^[c](AG) standing where it should not be” (let the reader understand), “then those in Judea^(AH) must flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ A man on the housetop must not come down or go in to get anything out of his house,^{(AI) 16} and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat.^{(AJ) 17} Woe ^(AK) to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!

¹⁸ “Pray^(AL) it^[d] won’t happen in winter. ¹⁹ For those will be days of tribulation,^(AM) the kind that hasn’t been from the beginning of creation,^(AN) which God created, until now and never will be again.^{(AO) 20} If the Lord^(AP) had not cut those days short,^(AQ) no one would be saved. But he cut those days short for the sake of the elect,^(AR) whom he chose.^(AS)

²¹ “Then if anyone tells you, ‘See, here is the Messiah!^(AT) See, there!’ do not believe it. ²² For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and will perform signs and wonders^(AU) to lead astray, if possible, the elect. ²³ And you must watch! I have told you everything in advance.

The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “But in those days, after that tribulation:^(AV) The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; ²⁵ the stars^(AW) will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.^{(AX) 26} Then they will see the Son of Man^(AY) coming^(AZ) in clouds^(BA) with great power^(BB) and glory.^{(BC) 27} He will send out the angels^(BD) and gather his elect^(BE) from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.^(BF)

The Parable of the Fig Tree

²⁸ “Learn^(BG) this lesson^(BH) from the fig^(BI) tree: As soon as its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near.^{(BJ) 29} In the same way, when you see these things happening, recognize^[e] that he^[f] is near—at the door.

³⁰ “Truly I tell you,^(BK) this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things take place. ³¹ Heaven and earth^(BL) will pass away,^(BM) but my words will never pass away.^(BN)

No One Knows the Day or Hour

³² “Now concerning that day^(BO) or hour no one knows—neither the angels^(BP) in heaven nor the Son^(BQ) —but only the Father.^(BR)

³³ “Watch! Be alert!^[g] For you don’t know when the time^(BS) is coming.^(BT)

³⁴ “It is like^(BU) a man on a journey, who left his house, gave authority to his servants,^(BV) gave each one his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to be alert. ³⁵ Therefore be alert,^(BW) since you don’t know when the master^(BX) of the house is coming—whether in the evening or at midnight or at the crowing of the rooster or early in the morning. ³⁶ Otherwise, when he comes suddenly he might find you sleeping.^{(BY) 37} And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Be alert!”