M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Birth of Isaac
21 The Lord visited[a] Sarah just as he had said he would and did[b] for Sarah what he had promised.[c] 2 So Sarah became pregnant[d] and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 3 Abraham named his son—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac.[e] 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old,[f] Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do.[g] 5 (Now Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him.)[h]
6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh.[i] Everyone who hears about this[j] will laugh[k] with me.” 7 She went on to say,[l] “Who would[m] have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!”
8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared[n] a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.[o] 9 But Sarah noticed[p] the son of Hagar the Egyptian—the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham—mocking.[q] 10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish[r] that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!”
11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son.[s] 12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset[t] about the boy or your slave wife. Do[u] all that Sarah is telling[v] you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted.[w] 13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation,[x] for he is your descendant too.”
14 Early in the morning Abraham took[y] some food[z] and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child,[aa] and sent her away. So she went wandering[ab] aimlessly through the wilderness[ac] of Beer Sheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved[ad] the child under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot,[ae] away; for she thought,[af] “I refuse to watch the child die.”[ag] So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably.[ah]
17 But God heard the boy’s voice.[ai] The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter,[aj] Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard[ak] the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water.[al] She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran.[am] His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt.[an]
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you[ao] in all that you do. 23 Now swear to me right here in God’s name[ap] that you will not deceive me, my children, or my descendants.[aq] Show me, and the land[ar] where you are staying,[as] the same loyalty[at] that I have shown you.”[au]
24 Abraham said, “I swear to do this.”[av] 25 But Abraham lodged a complaint against[aw] Abimelech concerning a well[ax] that Abimelech’s servants had seized.[ay] 26 “I do not know who has done this thing,” Abimelech replied. “Moreover,[az] you did not tell me. I did not hear about it until today.”
27 Abraham took some sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. The two of them made a treaty.[ba] 28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs apart from the flock by themselves. 29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning[bb] of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He replied, “You must take these seven ewe lambs from my hand as legal proof[bc] that I dug this well.”[bd] 31 That is why he named that place[be] Beer Sheba,[bf] because the two of them swore an oath[bg] there.
32 So they made a treaty[bh] at Beer Sheba; then Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, returned[bi] to the land of the Philistines.[bj] 33 Abraham[bk] planted a tamarisk tree[bl] in Beer Sheba. There he worshiped the Lord,[bm] the eternal God. 34 So Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for quite some time.[bn]
Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner[a] who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage,[b] he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When it was about nine o’clock in the morning,[c] he went out again and saw others standing around in the marketplace[d] without work. 4 He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will give you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. When[e] he went out again about noon and three o’clock that afternoon,[f] he did the same thing. 6 And about five o’clock that afternoon[g] he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go and work in the vineyard too.’ 8 When[h] it was evening[i] the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages[j] starting with the last hired until the first.’ 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each received a full day’s pay.[k] 10 And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage. 11 When[l] they received it, they began to complain[m] against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.’ 13 And the landowner[n] replied to one of them,[o] ‘Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage?[p] 14 Take what is yours and go. I[q] want to give to this last man[r] the same as I gave to you. 15 Am I not[s] permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’[t] 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Third Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve[u] aside privately and said to them on the way, 18 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the experts in the law.[v] They will condemn him to death, 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged severely[w] and crucified.[x] Yet[y] on the third day, he will be raised.”
A Request for James and John
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor.[z] 21 He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied,[aa] “Permit[ab] these two sons of mine to sit, one at your[ac] right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus[ad] answered, “You don’t know what you are asking![ae] Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?”[af] They said to him, “We are able.”[ag] 23 He told them, “You will drink my cup,[ah] but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 Now[ai] when the other ten[aj] heard this,[ak] they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 26 It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave[al]— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom[am] for many.”
Two Blind Men Healed
29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them. 30 Two[an] blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted,[ao] “Have mercy[ap] on us, Lord, Son of David!”[aq] 31 The[ar] crowd scolded[as] them to get them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Lord, have mercy on us,[at] Son of David!” 32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
10 On the sealed documents were the following names:[a]
Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah, along with Zedekiah,
2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah,
3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah,
4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch,
5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah,
6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch,
7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin,
8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These were the priests.
9 The Levites were as follows:
Jeshua[b] son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel.
10 Their colleagues[c] were as follows:
Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan,
11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah,
12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah,
13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 The leaders[d] of the people were as follows:
Parosh, Pahath Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani,
15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai,
16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin,
17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur,
18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai,
19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,
20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir,
21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua,
22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah,
23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub,
24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,
25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,
26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,
27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28 “Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple attendants, and all those who have separated themselves from the neighboring peoples[e] because of the law of God, along with their wives, their sons, and their daughters, all of whom are able to understand— 29 hereby participate with their colleagues the town leaders[f] and enter into a curse and an oath[g] to adhere to[h] the law of God which was given through Moses the servant of God, and to obey[i] carefully all the commandments of the Lord our Lord,[j] along with his ordinances and his statutes.
30 “We will not give our daughters in marriage to the neighboring peoples, and we will not take their daughters in marriage for our sons. 31 We will not buy[k] on the Sabbath or on a holy day from the neighboring peoples who bring their wares and all kinds of grain to sell on the Sabbath day. We will let the fields lie fallow every seventh year, and we will cancel every loan.[l] 32 We accept responsibility for fulfilling[m] the commands to give[n] one third of a shekel each year for the work of the temple[o] of our God, 33 for the loaves of presentation and for the regular grain offerings and regular burnt offerings, for the Sabbaths, for the new moons, for the appointed meetings, for the holy offerings, for the sin offerings to make atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the temple of our God.
34 “We—the priests, the Levites, and the people—have cast lots concerning the wood offerings, to bring them to the temple of our God according to our families[p] at the designated times year by year to burn on the altar of the Lord our God, as is written in the law. 35 We also accept responsibility for[q] bringing the firstfruits of our land and the firstfruits of every fruit tree year by year to the temple of the Lord. 36 We also accept responsibility, as is written in the law, for bringing the firstborn of our sons and our cattle and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks to the temple of our God, to the priests who are ministering in the temple of our God. 37 We will also bring the first of our coarse meal, of our contributions, of the fruit of every tree, of new wine, and of olive oil to the priests at the storerooms of the temple of our God, along with a tenth of the produce[r] of our land to the Levites, for the Levites are the ones who collect the tithes in all the cities where we work.[s] 38 A priest of Aaron’s line[t] will be with the Levites when the Levites collect the tithes, and the Levites will bring up a tenth of the tithes to the temple of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. 39 The Israelites and the Levites will bring the contribution of the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil to the storerooms where the utensils of the sanctuary are kept, and where the priests who minister stay, along with the gatekeepers and the singers. We will not neglect the temple of our God.”
Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece
20 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging[a] them and saying farewell,[b] he left to go to Macedonia.[c] 2 After he had gone through those regions[d] and spoken many words of encouragement[e] to the believers there,[f] he came to Greece,[g] 3 where he stayed[h] for three months. Because the Jews had made[i] a plot[j] against him as he was intending[k] to sail[l] for Syria, he decided[m] to return through Macedonia.[n] 4 Paul[o] was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea,[p] Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica,[q] Gaius[r] from Derbe,[s] and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.[t] 5 These had gone on ahead[u] and were waiting for us[v] in Troas.[w] 6 We[x] sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread,[y] and within five days[z] we came to the others[aa] in Troas,[ab] where we stayed for seven days. 7 On the first day[ac] of the week, when we met[ad] to break bread, Paul began to speak[ae] to the people, and because he intended[af] to leave the next day, he extended[ag] his message until midnight. 8 (Now there were many lamps[ah] in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)[ai] 9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window,[aj] was sinking[ak] into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak[al] for a long time. Fast asleep,[am] he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down,[an] threw himself[ao] on the young man,[ap] put his arms around him,[aq] and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”[ar] 11 Then Paul[as] went back upstairs,[at] and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them[au] a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly[av] comforted.
The Voyage to Miletus
13 We went on ahead[aw] to the ship and put out to sea[ax] for Assos,[ay] intending[az] to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way.[ba] He[bb] himself was intending[bc] to go there by land.[bd] 14 When he met us in Assos,[be] we took him aboard[bf] and went to Mitylene.[bg] 15 We set sail[bh] from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios.[bi] The next day we approached[bj] Samos,[bk] and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.[bl] 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time[bm] in the province of Asia,[bn] for he was hurrying[bo] to arrive in Jerusalem, if possible,[bp] by the day of Pentecost. 17 From Miletus[bq] he sent a message[br] to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.[bs]
18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived[bt] the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot[bu] in the province of Asia,[bv] 19 serving the Lord with all humility[bw] and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots[bx] of the Jews. 20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming[by] to you anything that would be helpful,[bz] and from teaching you publicly[ca] and from house to house, 21 testifying[cb] to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.[cc] 22 And now,[cd] compelled[ce] by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem[cf] without knowing what will happen to me there,[cg] 23 except[ch] that the Holy Spirit warns[ci] me in town after town[cj] that[ck] imprisonment[cl] and persecutions[cm] are waiting for me. 24 But I do not consider my life[cn] worth anything[co] to myself, so that[cp] I may finish my task[cq] and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news[cr] of God’s grace.
25 “And now[cs] I know that none[ct] of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom[cu] will see me[cv] again. 26 Therefore I declare[cw] to you today that I am innocent[cx] of the blood of you all.[cy] 27 For I did not hold back from[cz] announcing[da] to you the whole purpose[db] of God. 28 Watch out for[dc] yourselves and for all the flock of which[dd] the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,[de] to shepherd the church of God[df] that he obtained[dg] with the blood of his own Son.[dh] 29 I know that after I am gone[di] fierce wolves[dj] will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Even from among your own group[dk] men[dl] will arise, teaching perversions of the truth[dm] to draw the disciples away after them. 31 Therefore be alert,[dn] remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning[do] each one of you with tears. 32 And now I entrust[dp] you to God and to the message[dq] of his grace. This message[dr] is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have desired[ds] no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine[dt] provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 35 By all these things,[du] I have shown you that by working in this way we must help[dv] the weak,[dw] and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”[dx]
36 When[dy] he had said these things, he knelt down[dz] with them all and prayed. 37 They all began to weep loudly,[ea] and hugged[eb] Paul and kissed him,[ec] 38 especially saddened[ed] by what[ee] he had said, that they were not going to see him[ef] again. Then they accompanied[eg] him to the ship.
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