M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samson’s Revenge
15 Later on, during the wheat harvest,(A) Samson took a young goat as a gift and visited his wife. “I want to go to my wife in her room,” he said. But her father would not let him enter.
2 “I was sure you hated her,” her father said, “so I gave her to one of the men who accompanied you. Isn’t her younger sister more beautiful than she is? Why not take her instead?”
3 Samson said to them, “This time I will be blameless(B) when I harm the Philistines.” 4 So he went out and caught three hundred foxes.(C) He took torches, turned the foxes tail-to-tail, and put a torch between each pair of tails. 5 Then he ignited the torches and released the foxes into the standing grain of the Philistines. He burned the piles of grain and the standing grain as well as the vineyards and olive groves.(D)
6 Then the Philistines asked, “Who did this?”
They were told, “It was Samson, the Timnite’s son-in-law, because he took Samson’s wife and gave her to his companion.” So the Philistines went to her and her father and burned them to death.
7 Then Samson told them, “Because you did this, I swear that I won’t rest until I have taken vengeance on you.” 8 He tore them limb from limb[a] and then went down and stayed in the cave at the rock of Etam.
9 The Philistines went up, camped in Judah, and raided Lehi. 10 So the men of Judah said, “Why have you attacked us?”
They replied, “We have come to tie Samson up and pay him back for what he did to us.”
11 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the cave at the rock of Etam, and they asked Samson, “Don’t you realize that the Philistines rule us?(E) What have you done to us?”
“I have done to them what they did to me,” he answered.[b]
12 They said to him, “We’ve come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.”
Then Samson told them, “Swear to me that you yourselves won’t kill me.”
13 “No,” they said,[c] “we won’t kill you, but we will tie you up securely and hand you over to them.” So they tied him up with two new ropes(F) and led him away from the rock.
14 When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came to meet him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on him, and the ropes that were on his arms and wrists became like burnt flax and fell off. 15 He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand, took it, and killed a thousand men with it. 16 Then Samson said:
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have piled them in heaps.
With the jawbone of a donkey
I have killed a thousand men.
17 When he finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone and named that place Jawbone Hill.[d] 18 He became very thirsty and called out to the Lord, “You have accomplished this great victory through your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” 19 So God split a hollow place in the ground at Lehi, and water came out of it. After Samson drank, his strength returned, and he revived.(G) That is why he named it Hakkore Spring,[e] which is still in Lehi today. 20 And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.
Twelve Disciples of John the Baptist
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples(A) 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (B)
“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”(C)
3 “Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them.
“Into John’s baptism,” they replied.(D)
4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,(E) telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”(F)
5 When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on(G) them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues[a] and to prophesy.(H) 7 Now there were about twelve men in all.
In the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God.(I) 9 But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.(J) 10 This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks,(K) heard the word of the Lord.(L)
Demonism Defeated at Ephesus
11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons[b] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.(M)
13 Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” (N) 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. 15 The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. 17 When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus(O) was held in high esteem.(P)
18 And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, 19 while many of those who had practiced magic(Q) collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.(R)
The Riot in Ephesus
21 After these events, Paul resolved by the Spirit[c] to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “It is necessary for me to see Rome as well.”(S) 22 After sending to Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus,(T) he himself stayed in Asia for a while.(U)
23 About that time there was a major disturbance about the Way.(V) 24 For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen. 25 When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.(W) 27 Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”
28 When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius(X) and Aristarchus,(Y) Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 30 Although Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him. 31 Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to venture[d] into the amphitheater. 32 Some were shouting one thing and some another,(Z) because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some Jews in the crowd gave instructions to Alexander[e] after they pushed him to the front. Motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.(AA) 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great[f] Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our[g] goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.(AB) 39 But if you seek anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly. 40 In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting(AC) for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disturbance.” 41 After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.
Hananiah’s False Prophecy
28 In that same year, at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah,(A) in the fifth month of the fourth year, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur from Gibeon(B) said to me in the temple of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people, 2 “This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.(C) 3 Within two years I will restore to this place all the articles of the Lord’s temple(D) that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took from here and transported to Babylon. 4 And I will restore to this place Jeconiah[a] son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the exiles from Judah(E) who went to Babylon’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’”
Jeremiah’s Response to Hananiah
5 The prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the temple of the Lord. 6 The prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen!(F) May the Lord do that. May the Lord make the words you have prophesied come true and may he restore the articles of the Lord’s temple and all the exiles from Babylon to this place! 7 Only listen to this message I am speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster,[b] and plague against many lands and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace—only when the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the Lord has truly sent.”(G)
Hananiah Breaks Jeremiah’s Yoke
10 The prophet Hananiah then took the yoke bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah and broke it.(H) 11 In the presence of all the people Hananiah proclaimed, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In this way, within two years I will break the yoke of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon from the neck of all the nations.’” The prophet Jeremiah then went on his way.
The Lord’s Word against Hananiah
12 After the prophet Hananiah had broken the yoke bar from the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Go say to Hananiah, ‘This is what the Lord says: You broke a wooden yoke bar, but in its place you will make an iron yoke bar. 14 For this is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: I have put an iron yoke on the neck of all these nations that they might serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon,(I) and they will serve him.(J) I have even put the wild animals under him.’”(K)
15 The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord did not send you, but you have led these people to trust in a lie.(L) 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to send you off the face of the earth. You will die this year because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’”(M) 17 And the prophet Hananiah died that year in the seventh month.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
14 It(A) was two days before the Passover(B) and the Festival(C) of Unleavened Bread.(D) The chief priests and the scribes(E) were looking for a cunning(F) way to arrest Jesus and kill him.(G) 2 “Not during the festival,” they said, “so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”
The Anointing at Bethany
3 While(H) he was in Bethany(I) at the house of Simon the leper,[a](J) as he was reclining at the table,(K) a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured it on his head.(L) 4 But some were expressing indignation to one another: “Why has this perfume been wasted? 5 For this perfume might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii[b](M) and given to the poor.”(N) And they began to scold her.
6 Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a noble thing(O) for me. 7 You always have the poor(P) with you, and you can do what is good for them whenever you want, but you do not always have me.(Q) 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body(R) in advance for burial.(S) 9 Truly I tell you,(T) wherever the gospel(U) is proclaimed in the whole world,(V) what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
10 Then(W) Judas Iscariot,(X) one of the Twelve,(Y) went to the chief priests(Z) to betray Jesus(AA) to them. 11 And when they heard this, they were glad and promised to give him money.(AB) So he started looking for a good opportunity to betray(AC) him.
Preparation for Passover
12 On(AD) the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrifice the Passover lamb,(AE) his disciples(AF) asked him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare the Passover so that you may eat it?”
13 So he sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Wherever he enters, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher(AG) says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” 16 So the disciples(AH) went out, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
Betrayal at the Passover
17 When(AI) evening came, he arrived with the Twelve.(AJ) 18 While they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19 They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I?”
20 He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve—the one who is dipping bread in the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man(AK) will go just as it is written(AL) about him,(AM) but woe(AN) to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had not been born.”
The First Lord’s Supper
22 As(AO) they were eating, he took bread,(AP) blessed and broke(AQ) it, gave it to them,(AR) and said, “Take it; this is my body.”(AS) 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks,(AT) he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant,[c](AU) which is poured out(AV) for many.(AW) 25 Truly I tell you,(AX) I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine(AY) until that day when I drink it new[d](AZ) in the kingdom of God.”(BA)
26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.(BB)
Peter’s Denial Predicted
27 Then(BC) Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away,[e] because it is written:(BD)
28 But after I have risen,(BG) I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”(BH)
29 Peter(BI) told him, “Even if everyone falls away, I will not.”
30 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said to him, “today, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”(BJ)
31 But he kept insisting, “If I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And they all said the same thing.
The Prayer in the Garden
32 Then(BK) they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples,(BL) “Sit here while I pray.”(BM) 33 He took Peter,(BN) James,(BO) and John(BP) with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 He said to them, “I am deeply grieved[g] to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.”(BQ) 35 He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour(BR) might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba,[h] Father!(BS) All things are possible(BT) for you. Take this cup(BU) away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.” 37 Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon,(BV) are you sleeping?(BW) Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray(BX) so that you won’t enter into temptation.[i](BY) The spirit(BZ) is willing, but the flesh(CA) is weak.” 39 Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, because they could not keep their eyes open. They did not know what to say to him.(CB) 41 Then he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The time has come. See, the Son of Man(CC) is betrayed into the hands of sinners.(CD) 42 Get up; (CE) let’s go. See, my betrayer is near.”
Judas’s Betrayal of Jesus
43 While(CF) he was still speaking, Judas,(CG) one of the Twelve,(CH) suddenly arrived. With him was a mob, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes,(CI) and the elders.(CJ) 44 His betrayer had given them a signal. “The one I kiss,” he said, “he’s the one; arrest him and take him away under guard.” 45 So when he came, immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Rabbi!” (CK) and kissed him. 46 They took hold of him and arrested him. 47 One of those who stood by drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.
48 Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal,[j] to capture me? 49 Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple,(CL) and you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures(CM) must be fulfilled.”(CN)
50 Then they all deserted him and ran away.(CO) 51 Now a certain young man, wearing nothing but a linen cloth, was following him. They caught hold of him, 52 but he left the linen cloth behind and ran away naked.(CP)
Jesus Faces the Sanhedrin
53 They(CQ) led Jesus away to the high priest,(CR) and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes(CS) assembled.(CT) 54 Peter(CU) followed him at a distance, right into the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants,[k](CV) warming himself by the fire.
55 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin(CW) were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death,(CX) but they could not find any. 56 For many were giving false testimony(CY) against him, and the testimonies did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, stating, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with human hands,(CZ) and in three days I will build another not made by hands.’” 59 Yet their testimony did not agree(DA) even on this.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them all and questioned Jesus, “Don’t you have an answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 61 But he kept silent and did not answer.(DB) Again the high priest questioned him, “Are you the Messiah,(DC) the Son(DD) of the Blessed(DE) One?”
62 “I am,”(DF) said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man(DG) seated at the right hand(DH) of Power and coming with the clouds(DI) of heaven.”[l](DJ)
63 Then the high priest(DK) tore his robes(DL) and said, “Why do we still need witnesses?(DM) 64 You have heard the blasphemy.(DN) What is your decision?” They all condemned him as deserving death.(DO)
65 Then some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to beat him, saying, “Prophesy!” (DP) The temple servants(DQ) also took him and slapped him.
Peter Denies His Lord
66 While(DR) Peter(DS) was in the courtyard below, one of the high priest’s maidservants came. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”(DT)
68 But he denied it: “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about.” Then he went out to the entryway,[m] and a rooster crowed.[n]
69 When the maidservant saw him again, she began to tell those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.”
70 But again he denied it. After a little while those standing there said to Peter again, “You certainly are one of them, since you’re also a Galilean.”[o](DU)
71 Then he started to curse and swear,(DV) “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time,(DW) and Peter remembered when Jesus had spoken the word to him, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
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