M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Reign of Sin[a]
Chapter 4
Hostility toward One’s Neighbor.[b] 1 Adam was intimate with Eve his wife and she conceived and bore a son named Cain. She said, “I have obtained a son from the Lord.” 2 Next she bore another child named Abel. Abel was a shepherd of flocks and Cain tilled the soil.
3 Some time later Cain offered the fruit of the earth as a sacrifice to the Lord, 4 and Abel offered the firstborn of his flock and their fat offerings. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5 but he was not pleased with Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.
6 The Lord therefore said to Cain, “Why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be able to hold up your head? But if you do what is wrong, sin is crouching at your door. It seeks to dominate you, but you can overcome it.”
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out into the fields.” While they were walking in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord asked Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” He answered, “I do not know. Am I to be my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord told him, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the soil. 11 Now may you be cursed far from the soil that drank the blood of your brother that you have shed. 12 When you till the soil, it shall not be fruitful for you. You shall be a fugitive and wanderer upon the earth.”
13 Cain told the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14 Behold, you are banishing me from the soil this day. I will have to hide far from you. I will be a fugitive and wanderer upon the earth, and whoever meets me will be able to kill me.” 15 But the Lord told him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” The Lord placed a mark[c] upon Cain, so that no one who might meet him would strike him.
16 Descendants of the Murderer.[d] Cain left the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod,[e] which lies to the east of Eden.
17 Cain was intimate with his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. He became the founder of a city, which he named after his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methusael. Methusael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech had two wives: one named Adah and the other named Zillah. 20 [f]Adah bore Jabal, who was the forefather of those who live in tents and herd cattle. 21 His brother was named Jubal. He was the forefather of those who play the lyre and the flute. 22 Zillah bore Tubalcain, the forger, and forefather of those who forge things made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to my voice;
wives of Lamech, lend an ear to what I say.
I have killed a man for wounding me
and a boy, for bruising me.
24 If Cain received a vengeance of sevenfold,
Lamech will receive one of seventy-sevenfold.”
25 First Stages of the History of Salvation.[g] Adam was once again intimate with his wife, and she bore a son who was named Seth.[h] She said, “God has granted me another child to take the place of Abel whom Cain killed.”
26 Seth also had a son who was named Enosh. It was at this time that people began to call upon the name of the Lord.
Chapter 4
Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil.[a]1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was famished.
3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God,[b] command these stones to be transformed into loaves of bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “As it is written:
‘Man does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’ ”[c]
5 Next the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the summit of the temple.[d] 6 [e]Then he said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and with their hands they will raise you up
lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is also written:
‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8 Finally, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their splendor. 9 Then he said to him, “All these will I give you if you kneel down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him in reply, “Depart from me, Satan! It is written:
‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
and him alone shall you serve.’ ”[f]
11 Then the devil departed from him, and suddenly angels came and ministered to him.
12 Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee.[g]When Jesus learned that John had been arrested,[h] he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Departing from Nazareth, he settled in Capernaum[i] by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 in order that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
the passageway to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who lived in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those who dwell in a land darkened by the shadow of death
light has dawned.”
17 From that day forward Jesus began to proclaim the message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.”
18 Jesus Calls the First Disciples.[j] As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the water, for they were fishermen. 19 He said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately, they abandoned their nets and followed him.
21 As he proceeded farther, he saw two more brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately, they left their boat and their father and followed him.
23 Jesus Proclaims the Message and Heals the Sick.[k] Jesus traveled all throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every type of disease and illness among the people. 24 His reputation spread throughout Syria,[l] and they brought to him all those who were sick, afflicted with various diseases, racked with pain, or possessed by demons, as well as those who were stricken with epilepsy or paralyzed, and he healed them. 25 Great throngs from Galilee, the Decapolis,[m] Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan, followed him.
Chapter 4
Samaritan Interference. 1 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were in the process of building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, 2 they approached Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the heads of families and said: “Let us assist you as you build, for we reverence your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of King Esarhaddon of Assyria who brought us here.”
3 However, Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of Israelite families replied: “You shall have no share in the building of the house for our God. We alone shall build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us.”
4 As a result, the people who lived around them became determined to discourage the people of Judah and to make them fearful of continuing to build. 5 Moreover, they also bribed officials to frustrate the plans of the people of Judah. This continued during the remaining years of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and into the reign of King Darius of Persia.[a]
Later Hostility.[b] 6 At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus, the people of the land drew up an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And later, in the days of Artaxerxes of Persia, Mithredath joined Tabeel and their other associates in writing a letter to the king in Aramaic and then translated.
8 After that, Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes denouncing Jerusalem as follows:
9 “From Rehum the governor and Shimshai the secretary, and the rest of their associates, the judges, the envoys, the officials, the magistrates, and the governors over the men from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, and Babylon, the Elamites in Susa, and 10 all the other peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled, in the city of Samaria and in the rest of the province of West-of-Euphrates.”[c]
11 This is a copy of the letter that they sent to him: “To King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the people of the province of Trans-Euphrates: 12 The king has the right to know that the Jews who came up from you to us have arrived in Jerusalem and are in the process of rebuilding this rebellious and wicked city. They have restored the walls and are repairing the foundations. 13 Now we wish to inform the king that if the city is rebuilt and the walls are restored, they will refuse to pay tribute, taxes, or tolls, causing the royal revenues to be sharply reduced.
14 “Now, because we share the salt of the palace,[d] we know that it is not right for us to witness the king’s dishonor. We therefore are sending this information to the king 15 in order that a search may be made in the archives of your ancestors. In those archives you will discover that this is a rebellious city greatly troublesome to kings and provinces, and that sedition has been stirred up within its walls from the earliest times. That is why this city was destroyed. 16 Therefore, we wish to inform you, O king, that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are raised up again, you will be left without any territory in Trans-Euphrates.”
17 The king sent this reply: “To Rehum the governor, to Shimshai the secretary, and to the rest of their associates who reside in Samaria and in the province of West-of-Euphrates: Greetings!
18 “The letter you have sent to us has now been accurately translated and been read in my presence. 19 When an inquiry was made at my command, it was discovered that this city has frequently risen up against the kings in the past, and that revolt and rebellion were more than an occasional occurrence. 20 In addition, powerful kings have reigned in Jerusalem and exercised authority over the entire province of West-of-Euphrates while exacting tribute, taxes, and tolls.
21 “Therefore, now give orders that these men must cease their work, and make it clear that this city is not to be rebuilt until I issue a decree to that effect. 22 And take care that you do not act negligently in this regard, lest the damage increase, to the detriment of the royal house.”
23 As soon as the text of the letter from King Artaxerxes was read before Rehum the governor, Shimshai the secretary, and their colleagues, they traveled immediately to Jerusalem and compelled the Jews by force of arms to stop their work.
24 Rebuilding of the Temple. Work on the house of God in Jerusalem then ceased, and it so remained until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.[e]
Chapter 4
First Phase of the Trial: A Warning.[a] 1 While they were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard,[b] and the Sadducees came over to them, 2 greatly annoyed that they were teaching and proclaiming to the people the resurrection of the dead through Jesus. 3 Therefore, they arrested them and placed them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 However, many of those who had listened to their message became believers, their total approaching five thousand.
5 On the next day, their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John,[c] Alexander, and all who belonged to the high priestly family. 7 They then brought the apostles before them and asked, “By what power or by what name have you done this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if you are interrogating us today in regard to a good deed done to someone who was crippled and how he was healed, 10 let it be known to you and to all the people of Israel that it was in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth whom you crucified, and whom God raised from the dead, that this man standing before you was cured. 11 This is
‘the stone rejected by you, the builders,
that has become the cornerstone.’
12 There is no salvation in anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to men by which we can be saved.”
13 They were amazed to see the fearlessness shown by Peter and John and to discover that they were uneducated ordinary men. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, 14 but, when they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they could not say anything in reply. 15 They ordered them to stand outside while the Sanhedrin discussed the matter.
16 Then they said, “What are we going to do with these men? Everyone living in Jerusalem is aware that a notable sign has been worked through them, and we clearly cannot deny it. 17 But to stop the news from spreading any further among the people, let us issue them a warning never again to speak to anyone in his name.”
18 Therefore, they summoned them back and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 However, Peter and John answered them, “You be the judges about whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God. 20 We cannot possibly refrain from speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After threatening them once again, they released them, for they could find no way to punish them inasmuch as the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who had been miraculously healed was over forty years old.
23 The Community’s Prayer for the Apostles.[d] As soon as they were released, they went back[e] to the community and reported everything that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard it, they raised their voices to God with one accord and said, “Lord, maker of heaven and earth and the sea and of everything that is in them, 25 you said by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our ancestor David, your servant,
‘Why do the Gentiles rage
and the peoples devise futile plots?
26 The kings of the earth take their stand,
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord and against his Anointed.’
27 “Indeed, in this very city both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel plotted against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, 28 to do whatever your hand and your decree had predestined to take place. 29 And now, O Lord, be aware of their threats, and grant that your servants may proclaim your word with all boldness, 30 as you stretch out your hand to heal and as signs and wonders are accomplished through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 When they had finished their prayer, the place where they were gathered together shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaimed the word of God fearlessly.
32 Life of the First Community—II.[f] The entire community of believers was united in heart and soul. No one claimed any of his possessions as his own, for everything was held in common. 33 With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection[g] of the Lord Jesus, and they were all greatly respected. 34 There was never anyone among them in need, because those who were the owners of lands or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, 35 and lay them at the feet of the apostles, to be distributed to any who were in need.
36 Barnabas.[h] One such instance involved Joseph, a Levite and a native of Cyprus, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas, meaning “son of encouragement.” 37 He sold a field that belonged to him and then brought the money to the apostles and laid it at their feet.
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