M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

1 After the death of Y’hoshua, the people of Isra’el asked Adonai, “Who will go up for us first to fight against the Kena‘ani?” ² Adonai said: “Y’hudah will go up; here, I have handed the land over to him.” ³ Y’hudah said to his brother Shim‘on, “Come up with me into my assigned territory, so that we can fight against the Kena‘ani; and I likewise will go with you into your territory.” So Shim‘on went with him. ⁴ Y’hudah went up; and Adonai gave the Kena‘ani and the P’rizi into their hands; of those in Bezek they killed ten thousand men. ⁵ They found Adoni-Bezek in Bezek; and they fought against him. They killed the Kena‘ani and the P’rizi, ⁶ but Adoni-Bezek fled. They pursued him, caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. ⁷ Adoni-Bezek said: “Seventy kings, with their thumbs and their big toes cut off, gathered food under my table; God has paid me back in accordance with what I did.” They brought him to Yerushalayim, and he died there.

⁸ Then the people of Y’hudah fought against Yerushalayim, captured it, overpowered it with the sword, and set the city on fire. ⁹ Afterwards, the people of Y’hudah went down to fight against the Kena‘ani who lived in the hill-country, in the Negev, and in the Sh’felah. ¹⁰ Y’hudah also attacked the Kena‘ani living in Hevron (formerly called Kiryat-Arba), and they overpowered Sheshai, Achiman and Talmai.

¹¹ From there they attacked the inhabitants of D’vir (D’vir was formerly called Kiryat-Sefer). ¹² Kalev said: “To whoever overpowers Kiryat-Sefer and captures it I will give my daughter ‘Akhsah as his wife.” ¹³ ‘Otni’el the son of K’naz, Kalev’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him ‘Akhsah his daughter as his wife. ¹⁴ After becoming his wife, she persuaded him to ask her father to give them a field; when she got off her donkey, Kalev asked her, “What do you want?” ¹⁵ She said to him: “Give me a blessing: since you gave me land in the Negev, also give me sources of water.” So Kalev gave her the Upper Springs and the Lower Springs.

¹⁶ Next, the descendants of the Keini, Moshe’s father-in-law, went up out of the City of Date-Palms with the people of Y’hudah into the Y’hudah Desert south of ‘Arad; and they came and settled with the people.

¹⁷ Y’hudah went with Shim‘on his brother; they overpowered the Kena‘ani who inhabited Tz’fat, and completely destroyed it. The name of the city was called Hormah. ¹⁸ Y’hudah also took ‘Azah with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory and ‘Ekron with its territory. ¹⁹ Adonai was with Y’hudah, and they took possession of the hill-country, because they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, since they had iron chariots.

²⁰ They gave Hevron to Kalev, as Moshe had said to do; and he drove out from there the three sons of ‘Anak.

²¹ The people of Binyamin did not drive out the Y’vusi who inhabited Yerushalayim; rather, the Y’vusi continued living with the people of Binyamin in Yerushalayim, as they do to this day.

²² The house of Yosef likewise attacked Beit-El; and Adonai was with them. ²³ The house of Yosef sent spies to Beit-El (the city was formerly called Luz). ²⁴ The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him: “Please show us the way to enter the city, and we will treat you kindly.” ²⁵ So he showed them the way into the city, and they overpowered the city with the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. ²⁶ He went into the land of the Hittim, built a city and called it Luz, which is its name to this day.

²⁷ M’nasheh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beit-Sh’an and its villages, Ta‘anakh and its villages, Dor and its villages, Yivle‘am and its villages or Megiddo and its villages; so that the Kena‘ani managed to keep on living in that land. ²⁸ In time, when Isra’el had grown strong, they did put the Kena‘ani to forced labor but failed to drive them out completely.

²⁹ Efrayim did not drive out the Kena‘ani living in Gezer; so the Kena‘ani continued living in Gezer along with them.

³⁰ Z’vulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron or Nahalol; so the Kena‘ani continued to live among them but became subject to forced labor.

³¹ Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of ‘Akko, Tzidon, Achlav, Akhziv, Helbah, Afik or Rechov; ³² so the Asheri lived among the Kena‘ani who were living in the land, because they didn’t drive them out.

³³ Naftali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beit-Shemesh or Beit-‘Anat but lived among the Kena‘ani living in the land; however, the inhabitants of Beit-Shemesh and Beit-‘Anat became forced labor for them.

³⁴ The Emori forced the people of Dan into the hills; for they would not let them come down to the valley. ³⁵ The Emori had resolved to live in the Heres Hills, in Ayalon and in Sha‘alvim; but when the power of the house of Yosef grew greater, they became subject to forced labor. ³⁶ So the territory of the Emori was from the Scorpion Ascent and the Rock upward.

5 But there was a man named Hananyah who, with his wife Shappirah, sold some property ² and, with his wife’s knowledge, withheld some of the proceeds for himself; although he did bring the rest to the emissaries. ³ Then Kefa said, “Why has the Adversary so filled your heart that you lie to the Ruach HaKodesh and keep back some of the money you received for the land? ⁴ Before you sold it, the property was yours; and after you sold it, the money was yours to use as you pleased. So what made you decide to do such a thing? You have lied not to human beings but to God!”

⁵ On hearing these words, Hananyah fell down dead; and everyone who heard about it was terrified. ⁶ The young men got up, wrapped his body in a shroud, carried him out and buried him.

⁷ Some three hours later, his wife came in, unaware of what had happened. ⁸ Kefa challenged her: “Tell me, is it true that you sold the land for such-and-such a price?” “Yes,” she answered, “that is what we were paid for it.” ⁹ But Kefa came back at her, “Then why did you people plot to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The men who buried your husband are at the door. They will carry you out too!” ¹⁰ Instantly she collapsed at his feet and died. The young men entered, found her there dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. ¹¹ As a result of this, great fear came over the whole Messianic community, and indeed over everyone who heard about it.

¹² Meanwhile, through the emissaries many signs and miracles continued to be done among the people. United in mind and purpose, the believers met in Shlomo’s Colonnade; ¹³ and no one else dared to join them. Nevertheless, the people continued to regard them highly; ¹⁴ and throngs of believers were added to the Lord, both men and women. ¹⁵ They went so far as to bring the sick into the streets and lay them on mattresses and stretchers, so that at least Kefa’s shadow might fall on them as he passed by. ¹⁶ Crowds also gathered from the towns around Yerushalayim, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits; and every one of them was healed.

¹⁷ But the cohen hagadol and his associates, who were members of the party of the Tz’dukim, were filled with jealousy. ¹⁸ They arrested the emissaries and put them in the public jail. ¹⁹ But during the night, an angel of Adonai opened the doors of the prison, led them out and said, ²⁰ “Go, stand in the Temple court and keep telling the people all about this new life!” ²¹ After hearing that, they entered the Temple area about dawn and began to teach.

Now the cohen hagadol and his associates came and called a meeting of the Sanhedrin (that is, of Isra’el’s whole assembly of elders) and sent to the jail to have them brought. ²² But the officers who went did not find them in the prison. So they returned and reported, ²³ “We found the jail securely locked and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened it, we found no one inside!” ²⁴ When the captain of the Temple police and the head cohanim heard these things, they were puzzled and wondered what would happen next.

²⁵ Then someone came and reported to them, “Listen! The men you ordered put in prison are standing in the Temple court, teaching the people!” ²⁶ The captain and his officers went and brought them, but not with force; because they were afraid of being stoned by the people. ²⁷ They conducted them to the Sanhedrin, where the cohen hagadol demanded of them, ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name! Look here! you have filled Yerushalayim with your teaching; moreover, you are determined to make us responsible for this man’s death!”

²⁹ Kefa and the other emissaries answered, “We must obey God, not men. ³⁰ The God of our fathers^[a] raised up Yeshua, whereas you men killed him by having him hanged on a stake.^{[b] 31} God has exalted this man at his right hand^[c] as Ruler and Savior, in order to enable Isra’el to do t’shuvah and have her sins forgiven. ³² We are witnesses to these things; so is the Ruach HaKodesh, whom God has given to those who obey him.”

³³ On hearing this, the members of the Sanhedrin were infuriated and wanted to put the emissaries to death. ³⁴ But one of the members of the Sanhedrin rose to his feet, a Parush named Gamli’el, a teacher of the Torah highly respected by all the people. He ordered the men put outside for a little while ³⁵ and then addressed the court: “Men of Isra’el, take care what you do to these people. ³⁶ Some time ago, there was a rebellion under Todah, who claimed to be somebody special; and a number of men, maybe four hundred, rallied behind him. But upon his being put to death, his whole following was broken up and came to nothing. ³⁷ After this, Y’hudah HaG’lili led another uprising, back at the time of the enrollment for the Roman tax; and he got some people to defect to him. But he was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, my advice to you is not to interfere with these people, but to leave them alone. For if this idea or this movement has a human origin, it will collapse. ³⁹ But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them; you might even find yourselves fighting God!”

They heeded his advice. ⁴⁰ After summoning the emissaries and flogging them, they commanded them not to speak in the name of Yeshua, and let them go. ⁴¹ The emissaries left the Sanhedrin overjoyed at having been considered worthy of suffering disgrace on account of him. ⁴² And not for a single day, either in the Temple court or in private homes, did they stop teaching and proclaiming the Good News that Yeshua is the Messiah.

¹¹ Then Adonai said to me, “Don’t pray for this people or for their welfare. ¹² When they fast, I will not hear their cry; when they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Rather, I will destroy them with war, famine and disease.” ¹³ Then I said, “Adonai, God! The prophets are telling them, ‘You won’t see war, and you won’t have famine; but I will give you secure peace in this place.’” ¹⁴ Adonai replied, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I didn’t send them, order them or speak to them. They are prophesying false visions to you, worthless divinations, the delusions of their own minds. ¹⁵ Therefore,” Adonai says, “concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name, whom I did not send, yet they say, ‘There will be neither war nor famine in this land’ — it will be war and famine that will destroy those prophets. ¹⁶ And the people to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Yerushalayim because of the famine and war, with no one to bury them — them, or their wives, or their sons, or their daughters — because I will pour their own wickedness out upon them. ¹⁷ You are to give them this message:

28 After Shabbat, as the next day was dawning, Miryam of Magdala and the other Miryam went to see the grave. ² Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of Adonai came down from heaven, rolled away the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so terrified at him that they trembled and became like dead men. ⁵ But the angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Yeshua, who was executed on the stake. ⁶ He is not here, because he has been raised — just as he said! Come and look at the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell the talmidim, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and now he is going to the Galil ahead of you. You will see him there.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So they left the tomb quickly, frightened yet filled with joy; and they ran to give the news to his talmidim. ⁹ Suddenly Yeshua met them and said, “Shalom!” They came up and took hold of his feet as they fell down in front of him. ¹⁰ Then Yeshua said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go and tell my brothers to go to the Galil, and they will see me there.”

¹¹ As they were going, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the head cohanim everything that had happened. ¹² Then they met with the elders; and after discussing the matter, they gave the soldiers a sizeable sum of money ¹³ and said to them, “Tell people, ‘His talmidim came during the night and stole his body while we were sleeping.’ ¹⁴ If the governor hears of it, we will put things right with him and keep you from getting in trouble.” ¹⁵ The soldiers took the money and did as they were told, and this story has been spread about by Judeans till this very day.

¹⁶ So the eleven talmidim went to the hill in the Galil where Yeshua had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they prostrated themselves before him; but some hesitated. ¹⁸ Yeshua came and talked with them. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make people from all nations into talmidim, immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, yes, even until the end of the age.”