M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Origin of the People of God[a]
Abraham, Man of Faith[b]
Chapter 12
“Leave Your Country [and] Your People.”[c]1 The Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people, and the house of your father, and go to the land to which I will lead you.
2 “I will make of you a great
people and I will bless you.
I will make your name great
and it will become a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless
you and curse those who curse you.
And through you
all the nations on the earth shall be blessed.”
4 Abram therefore departed, just as the Lord had ordered him. Lot went along with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai, Lot, the son of his brother, and all the possessions that they had accumulated in Haran, and all the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and left for the land of Canaan. Thus, they arrived in the land of Canaan.
6 Abram traveled through the land until he arrived at Shechem near the oak of Moreh. In those days the Canaanites lived in that land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Abram therefore built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.
8 From there he traveled into the mountain region to the east of Bethel and he pitched his tent so that Bethel was to the west and Ai was to his east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. 9 Then Abram set out again, gradually traveling toward the Negeb.[d]
10 Abram a Refugee in Egypt.[e] There was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt to stay there for a time, for the famine was very serious in the land. 11 But, when he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai, his wife, “Look, I realize that you are a very beautiful woman. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will think, ‘She is his wife,’ and they will kill me, leaving you alive. 13 Therefore, say that you are my sister, so that they will treat me well and let me live because of you.”
14 When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians saw that his wife was very beautiful. 15 The stewards of Pharaoh saw her and told Pharaoh how beautiful she was. They took the woman and brought her to the house of Pharaoh. 16 Because of her they treated Abram well. He received flocks and herds, male and female slaves, female donkeys, and camels.
17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with terrible plagues because of Sarai, the wife of Abram. 18 Therefore, Pharaoh summoned Abram and said to him, “What have you done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I ended up taking her as my wife? Here is your wife; take her and leave!” 20 Then Pharaoh entrusted him to some men who accompanied him to the borders along with his wife and all his belongings.
Jesus Is the Expected Messiah[a]
Jesus and John the Baptist[b]
Chapter 11
Report to John What You Hear and See.[c] 1 When Jesus had finished giving these instructions to his twelve disciples, he moved on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
2 When John who was in prison heard what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3 to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come,[d] or are we to wait for another?” 4 Jesus answered them, “Go back and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”[e]
John Is the Elijah Who Was Destined To Return.[f] 7 As John’s disciples were departing, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the wind? 8 Then what did you go out to see? Someone robed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are found in royal palaces. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it is written:
‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women, no one has been greater than John the Baptist, and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.[g] 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and the violent are taking it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until the arrival of John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John is the Elijah who was destined to return. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
16 Indecisive Children.[h]“To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another:
17 ‘We played the flute for you,
but you would not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you refused to mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! He is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ Yet wisdom is proved right by her actions.”
20 Woe to the Cities of Galilee.[i] Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his mighty deeds had been performed because they had refused to repent. 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty deeds performed in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And as for you, Capernaum:
‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will be cast down to the netherworld.’
For if the mighty deeds performed in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would be standing to this day. 24 But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you.”
25 The Self-Revelation of Jesus.[j] At that time, Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to children. 26 Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
27 “All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
28 The Gentle Mastery of Christ.[k]“Come to me, all you who are weary and overburdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The Deeds of Nehemiah
Chapter 1
Nehemiah’s Vocation. 1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hacaliah.
In the month of Kislev,[a] in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with some men from Judah. I asked them about the Jews—those who had survived the captivity—and about Jerusalem.
3 They replied: “Those who survived the captivity and remained in the province are in dire distress and badly demoralized. The wall of Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire.” 4 Upon hearing this, I sat down and wept,[b] mourning for several days while fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
5 Then I offered this prayer: “O Lord, God of heaven, you are a great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of steadfast love with those who love him and obey his commandments. 6 Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to heed the prayer of your servant that I now offer to you day and night in your presence on behalf of your servants, the people of Israel.
“I confess the sins that your servants, the Israelites, have committed against you. I and my family are equally guilty in this regard. 7 We have offended you grievously and failed to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the laws you enjoined on your servant Moses.
8 “Do not fail to remember the promise you made to your servant Moses when you said: ‘If you are unfaithful, I shall scatter you among the nations. 9 However, if you return to me and obey my commandments and fulfill them, then I will gather even those among you who have been scattered to the farthest ends of the world and bring you back to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my name.’
10 “These are your servants, your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the humble prayer of your servants who take delight in revering your name. Grant that your servant will be given success this day and win this man’s compassion”—for at that time I was cupbearer to the king.[c]
Chapter 11
Peter’s Explanation of Cornelius’ Baptism. 1 The apostles and the brethren in Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. 2 Therefore, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers protested to him, 3 saying, “Why did you enter the house of uncircumcised men and eat with them?”
4 Peter replied by explaining the facts to them step by step, saying, 5 “While I was praying one day in the city of Joppa, I fell into a trance and had a vision. I saw something like a large sheet lowered down from heaven by its four corners, and it landed close to me.
6 “I looked into it carefully and observed four-footed animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill and eat!’ 8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord. For nothing profane or unclean has ever been in my mouth.’ 9 But the voice spoke to me from heaven for a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times, and then everything was taken up into heaven again.
11 “At that very moment, three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Spirit instructed me to go with them without any hesitation. These six brethren also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house who said, ‘Send to Joppa and ask for Simon who is also called Peter. 14 He will give you a message that will grant salvation to you and your entire household.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit descended upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning, 16 and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to oppose God?”
18 When they heard this, they held their peace, and they praised God, saying, “God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
19 A Church at Antioch.[a] Meanwhile, those who had scattered after the persecution that arose because of Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia,[b] Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word only to Jews. 20 However, among them there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene who went to Antioch where they started preaching also to the Greeks, proclaiming to them the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of them became believers and turned to the Lord.
22 News of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and perceived the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord with resolute devotion, 24 for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number of people were added to the Lord.
25 Barnabas then went to Tarsus[c] to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a large number of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
Threats against the Church[d]
27 A Famine in the World.[e] During these days, some prophets[f] came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a severe famine would afflict the entire world. This in fact occurred during the reign of Claudius. 29 The disciples decided to send relief to the brethren living in Judea, each according to his means. 30 This they did, delivering it to the elders[g] through Barnabas and Saul.
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