M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 5[a]
The Song of Deborah. 1 On that day Deborah and Barak, the son of Abinoam, sang,
2 “Israel’s leaders led bravely,
the people followed gladly,
praise the Lord.
3 Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes,
for I, myself, will sing about the Lord;
I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched out of the fields in Edom,
the earth trembled, and the heavens poured,
the clouds poured down water.[b]
5 The mountains quaked before the Lord,
he who was on Sinai,
before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar, the son of Anath,
in the days of Jael,
the highways were deserted,
travelers took winding paths.
7 Village life ceased in Israel,
it ceased until I, Deborah,
until I rose up as mother in Israel.[c]
8 When they chose new gods,
war showed up at the gates.
Not a shield nor a spear was to be found
among the forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart was with the leaders of Israel;
they offered themselves willingly with the people.
Bless the Lord.
10 Speak, you who ride on white donkeys,
who sit in judgment,
who walk along the ways.
11 Far from the noise of archers,
in the places where there is water,
there they shall recount the righteous deeds of the Lord,
his righteous deeds toward his villagers in Israel.
Then the people of the Lord will go down to the gates.
12 Awake, awake, Deborah.
Awake, awake, sing a song.
Arise, O Barak,
and lead your captives away,
O son of Abinoam.
13 Then the remnant of the nobles marched,
the people of the Lord came to me with the mighty.
14 Some came from Ephraim,
whose roots were in Amalek;
Benjamin was with your people who followed you.
From Machir[d] officers came down,
from Zebulun those who bear a commander’s staff.
15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah,
Issachar was with Barak;
he sent them into the valley under his command.
In the districts of Reuben
there were serious doubts.
16 Why did you stay among the sheep folds
to hear the bleating of the flocks?
In the districts of Reuben
there were serious doubts.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan.
Dan, why did he remain by the ships?
Asher remained by the seashore
and stayed in his coves.[e]
18 The people of Zebulun risked their lives,
as did Naphtali on the heights of the field.
19 Kings came and fought;
the kings of Canaan fought at Taanach by the waters of Megiddo,
but they took no plunder, no silver.
20 From the heavens the stars fought on;[f]
they fought against Sisera in their courses.
21 The Wadi Kishon swept them away;
the ancient wadi,
the Wadi Kishon.
March on, O my soul, be strong.
22 Then the horses’ hoof beats thundered,
galloping, galloping, go the mighty steeds.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’[g] said the angel,
‘bitterly curse those who live there.
They did not come to help the Lord,
to help the Lord against the mighty.’
24 You will be blessed above other women,
O Jael, wife of Heber, the Kenite;
you are blessed above other women who live in tents.
25 He asked for water, and she gave him milk.
In a dish fit for royalty, she brought him cream.
26 Her hand reached for a tent peg,
her right hand for a workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera; she crushed his head,
she pierced and bored through his temple.
27 He sank down to her feet,
fell down and lay there.
At her feet he sank and fell down;
where he sank, there he fell, dead!
28 Sisera’s mother looked out through a window,
she cried from behind the lattice,
‘Why is his chariot taking so long?
Why is the clatter of chariots so late in coming?’
29 The wisest of her ladies answers her,
indeed, she keeps saying to herself,
30 ‘Are they having trouble finding and dividing the spoils?
A woman or two to each man,
colorful garments as plunder to Sisera,
the plunder of garments with colorful needlework,
colorful needlework for around the plunderer’s neck?’
31 So may all of your enemies perish, O Lord,
may those who love him come forth like the mighty sun.”
There was then peace in the land for forty years.
Chapter 9
Conversion of Saul on the Road to Damascus.[a] 1 Now, Saul,[b] still breathing threats and violence against the Lord’s disciples, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus,[c] authorizing him to arrest any men or women there who were followers of the Way and bring them back to Jerusalem.
3 While he was drawing near Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from the sky flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.”
7 The men who were traveling with him stood there speechless, for they had heard the voice but had seen no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was unable to see. Therefore, they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days, he was without sight and neither ate nor drank.
10 Saul’s Baptism. There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. In a vision, the Lord said to him, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the Street called Straight,[d] to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying, 12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”
13 Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man and how much harm he has done to your saints[e] in Jerusalem. 14 Now he has come here with authority from the chief priests to imprison all who invoke your name.”
15 However, the Lord said to him, “Go, for this is the man I have chosen as a vessel to bring my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I myself will show him how much he will have to suffer for the sake of my name.”
17 And so Ananias went forth and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”[f] 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized; 19 then, after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul Preaches in Damascus. For several days, Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astounded, and they said, “Is not this the man who in Jerusalem was persecuting those who invoked this name? And did he not come here for the specific purpose of arresting them so that they might be taken to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul’s strength continued to increase, and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by showing that Jesus is indeed the Christ.
23 After some time had passed, the Jews devised a plan to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were keeping watch on the city gates day and night so that they might kill him, 25 but his disciples took him one night and let him down in a basket over the wall.
26 Saul in Jerusalem and Tarsus. When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him because they did not believe that he had become a disciple. 27 However, Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He related to them how on his journey Saul had seen the Lord who had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 Saul then moved about with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He also engaged in debate with the Hellenists[g] but they began planning to kill him. 30 When the brethren learned of this, they brought him to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.[h]
31 Period of Peace for the Church.[i]Meanwhile, the Church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace, building up strength and living in the fear of the Lord. Encouraged by the Holy Spirit,[j] the Church grew in numbers.
32 Peter Heals Aeneas at Lydda. As Peter traveled throughout the region, he went down to visit the saints living in Lydda.[k] 33 While there, he found a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years, for he was paralyzed. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed.” He immediately stood up. 35 All the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
36 Peter Restores Tabitha to Life. In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha, or Dorcas in Greek, whose life was devoted to performing good works and giving to those in need. 37 In those days, she became ill and died. After they had washed her body, they laid her out in an upper room.[l] 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, on hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.”
39 Peter immediately set out with them, and when he arrived, they escorted him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
40 Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and the widows, and he showed her to them alive. 42 It came to be known throughout Joppa, causing many to come to believe in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed on for many days in Joppa at the house of a tanner[m] named Simon.
Chapter 18
The Potter’s House.[a] 1 This is the message delivered by the Lord to Jeremiah. 2 “Arise and go forth to the potter’s house, and then I will tell you what I have to say.” 3 Therefore, I proceeded to the potter’s house, where I found him working at his wheel. 4 Whenever the vessel he was making of clay turned out badly in his hands, he would use that clay to remold it into another vessel as he saw fit.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 6 Can I not do to you what this potter does, O house of Israel? Like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. 7 On occasion I may threaten to uproot, tear down, and destroy a particular nation or kingdom. 8 However, should that nation which I have threatened turn away from its evil ways, I will then relent and not inflict the disaster I had devised. 9 On another occasion I may promise to build up and plant a nation or kingdom. 10 However, if that nation follows an evil path and refuses to obey me, then I will cease to bestow upon it the blessings that I had promised.
11 Therefore, now deliver this message to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: Thus says the Lord: Be forewarned! I am preparing a disaster for you and designing a plan against you. So now, each one of you, turn away from your evil pursuits and amend your conduct and your actions. 12 However, they will reply, “It is no use. We intend to continue our ways and follow the wicked inclinations of our heart.”
Judah’s Apostasy
13 Therefore, thus says the Lord:
Ask among the nations:
Who has ever heard anything like this?
The virgin Israel has done
a truly horrible thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon
ever disappear from its rocky slopes?
Do the torrents of gushing waters
ever cease to flow?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me;
they burn incense to worthless idols,
causing them to stumble
as they forsake ancient roads
to travel along unfamiliar paths.
16 Their land will be laid waste,
an object of unending scorn.
Those who pass by will be appalled on beholding it
and shake their heads.
17 Like the east wind,
I will scatter them before their enemies.
On the day of their downfall
I will show them my back, not my face.
18 Another Prayer for Vengeance. They then raised a cry, “Let us devise a plot against Jeremiah. We will still receive instruction from the priests. Wise men will still offer us counsel, and prophets will still proclaim the word. Therefore, let us bring charges against him and refuse to pay attention to anything he says.”
19 Pay heed to me, O Lord,
and listen to what my adversaries are saying.
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Now they are digging a pit for me.
Remember how I stood before you,
interceding on their behalf
and begging you to turn away your wrath from them.
21 Therefore, give their children over to famine
and abandon them to the power of the sword.
Let their wives become childless and widowed;
let their men die of pestilence
and their young men be slain by the sword in battle.
22 May screams be heard from their houses
when you bring marauders upon them suddenly.
For they have dug a pit to catch me
and laid snares for my feet.
23 Yet you, O Lord, are fully aware
of all their murderous plots to slay me.
Do not pardon their guilt
or blot out their sin from your sight.
Let them be thrown down before you;
deal with them at the height of your anger.
Chapter 4
The Parables—A Veiled Language[a]
The Parable of the Sower. 1 On another occasion he began to teach by the side of the lake. However, such a large crowd gathered that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while the whole crowd gathered on the shore facing the lake. 2 Then he taught them many things in parables.
In the course of his teaching, he said to them: 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. It sprouted quickly, since the soil had no depth, 6 but when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it lacked roots, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no crop. 8 But some seed fell onto rich soil and brought forth grain, increasing and yielding thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.” 9 He then added, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
10 The Reason for Parables. When he was alone, the Twelve and his other companions asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “To you has been granted knowledge of the mysteries[b] of the kingdom of God, but to those outside, everything comes in parables, 12 so that
‘they may look and see but not perceive,
and hear and listen but fail to understand,
lest they be converted and be forgiven.’ ”[c]
13 The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower.[d] He went on to say to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then are you to understand any of the parables? 14 What the sower is sowing is the word.
15 “Some people are like seed that falls along the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan immediately comes and carries off the word that has been sown in them.
16 “Others are like the seed sown on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the word they immediately receive it with joy. 17 But they have no deep root and they endure for only a short time. When some trial or tribulation arises on account of the word, they immediately fall away.
18 “Those sown among thorns are the ones who hear the word, 19 but worldly cares, the lure of riches, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.
20 “But those sown in rich soil are those who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit and yield thirty or sixty or a hundred times what was sown.”
21 The Parable of the Lamp.[e] He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? To the contrary, it is placed on a lampstand. 22 For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing is secret that will not be brought to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
24 The Parable of the Measure.[f] He also told them, “Pay careful attention to what you hear. The measure you give will be the measure you will receive, and you will receive more in addition. 25 To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who does not have, even what little he has will be taken away.”[g]
26 The Parable of the Secretly Growing Seed.[h] He went on to say, “The kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he sleeps and while he is awake, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not understand how. 28 The ground produces fruit of its own accord—first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 And when the crop is ripe, he immediately stretches out the sickle, because the time for harvest has come.”
30 The Parable of the Mustard Seed.[i] He then said, “With what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to explain it? 31 It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. 32 But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the greatest of all plants, and it puts forth large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33 The Usefulness of Parables.[j] With many such parables as these he spoke the word to them so far as they were able to comprehend it. 34 He never spoke to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were by themselves.
Jesus Overcomes Evil and Effects Salvation[k]
35 Jesus Calms the Storm.[l] On that day, as evening approached, he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36 And so, leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. Some other boats joined them.
37 Suddenly, a great storm came up, and the waves were crashing over the boat so that it was almost swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They awakened him and said, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”
39 Then he stood up and rebuked the wind, and he said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so frightened? Are you still without faith?” 41 They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.”
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