M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

5 (vi) Here is the genealogy of Adam. On the day that God created man he made him in the likeness of God; ² he created them male and female; he blessed them and called them Adam [humankind, man] on the day they were created. ³ After Adam lived 130 years he fathered a son like himself and named him Shet. ⁴ After Shet was born, Adam lived another 800 years and had both sons and daughters. ⁵ In all, Adam lived 930 years, and then he died.

⁶ Shet lived 105 years and fathered Enosh. ⁷ After Enosh was born, Shet lived another 807 years and had sons and daughters. ⁸ In all, Shet lived 912 years; then he died.

⁹ Enosh lived ninety years and fathered Kenan. ¹⁰ After Kenan was born, Enosh lived another 815 years and had sons and daughters. ¹¹ In all, Enosh lived 905 years; then he died.

¹² Kenan lived seventy years and fathered Mahalal’el. ¹³ After Mahalal’el was born, Kenan lived another 840 years and had sons and daughters. ¹⁴ In all, Kenan lived 910 years; then he died.

¹⁵ Mahalal’el lived sixty-five years and fathered Yered. ¹⁶ After Yered was born, Mahalal’el lived another 830 years and had sons and daughters. ¹⁷ In all, Mahalal’el lived 895 years; then he died.

¹⁸ Yered lived 162 years and fathered Hanokh. ¹⁹ After Hanokh was born, Yered lived 800 years and had sons and daughters. ²⁰ In all, Yered lived 962 years; then he died.

²¹ Hanokh lived sixty-five years and fathered Metushelach. ²² After Metushelach was born, Hanokh walked with God 300 years and had sons and daughters. ²³ In all, Hanokh lived 365 years. ²⁴ Hanokh walked with God, and then he wasn’t there, because God took him.

(vii) ²⁵ Metushelach lived 187 years and fathered Lemekh. ²⁶ After Lemekh was born, Metushelach lived 782 years and had sons and daughters. ²⁷ In all, Metushelach lived 969 years; then he died.

²⁸ Lemekh lived 182 years and fathered a son, ²⁹ whom he called Noach [restful]; for he said, “This one will comfort us in our labor, in the hard work we do with our hands [to get what comes] from the ground that Adonai cursed.” ³⁰ After Noach was born, Lemekh lived 595 years and had sons and daughters. ³¹ In all, Lemekh lived 777 years; then he died.

³² Noach was 500 years old; and Noach fathered Shem, Ham and Yefet.

5 Seeing the crowds, Yeshua walked up the hill. After he sat down, his talmidim came to him, ² and he began to speak. This is what he taught them:

¹¹ “How blessed you are when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of vicious lies about you because you follow me! ¹² Rejoice, be glad, because your reward in heaven is great — they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.

¹³ “You are salt for the Land. But if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except being thrown out for people to trample on.

¹⁴ “You are light for the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Likewise, when people light a lamp, they don’t cover it with a bowl but put it on a lampstand, so that it shines for everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they may see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

¹⁷ “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete. ¹⁸ Yes indeed! I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah — not until everything that must happen has happened. ¹⁹ So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness is far greater than that of the Torah-teachers and P’rushim, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

²¹ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not murder,’^[b] and that anyone who commits murder will be subject to judgment. ²² But I tell you that anyone who nurses anger against his brother will be subject to judgment; that whoever calls his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Sanhedrin; that whoever says, ‘Fool!’ incurs the penalty of burning in the fire of Gei-Hinnom! ²³ So if you are offering your gift at the Temple altar and you remember there that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift where it is by the altar, and go, make peace with your brother. Then come back and offer your gift. ²⁵ If someone sues you, come to terms with him quickly, while you and he are on the way to court; or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer of the court, and you may be thrown in jail! ²⁶ Yes indeed! I tell you, you will certainly not get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not commit adultery.’^{[c] 28} But I tell you that a man who even looks at a woman with the purpose of lusting after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye makes you sin, gouge it out and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom. ³⁰ And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.

³¹ “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a get.’^{[d] 32} But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and that anyone who marries a divorcee commits adultery.

³³ “Again, you have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Do not break your oath,’ and ‘Keep your vows to Adonai.’^{[e] 34} But I tell you not to swear at all — not ‘by heaven,’ because it is God’s throne; ³⁵ not ‘by the earth,’ because it is his footstool;^[f] and not ‘by Yerushalayim,’ because it is the city of the Great King.^{[g] 36} And don’t swear by your head, because you can’t make a single hair white or black. ³⁷ Just let your ‘Yes’ be a simple ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ a simple ‘No’; anything more than this has its origin in evil.

³⁸ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’^{[h] 39} But I tell you not to stand up against someone who does you wrong. On the contrary, if someone hits you on the right cheek, let him hit you on the left cheek too! ⁴⁰ If someone wants to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well! ⁴¹ And if a soldier forces you to carry his pack for one mile, carry it for two! ⁴² When someone asks you for something, give it to him; when someone wants to borrow something from you, lend it to him.

⁴³ “You have heard that our fathers were told, ‘Love your neighbor^[i] — and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ Then you will become children of your Father in heaven. For he makes his sun shine on good and bad people alike, and he sends rain to the righteous and the unrighteous alike. ⁴⁶ What reward do you get if you love only those who love you? Why, even tax-collectors do that! ⁴⁷ And if you are friendly only to your friends, are you doing anything out of the ordinary? Even the Goyim do that! ⁴⁸ Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

5 The prophets Hagai and Z’kharyah the son of ‘Iddo prophesied to the Judeans in Yerushalayim and Y’hudah; they prophesied to them in the name of the God of Isra’el. ² Then Z’rubavel the son of Sh’alti’el and Yeshua the son of Yotzadak began rebuilding the house of God in Yerushalayim; with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

³ No sooner had they begun, when Tatnai the governor of the territory beyond the [Euphrates] River, Sh’tar-Boznai and their colleagues came and asked them, “Who gave you permission to rebuild this house and finish this wall? ⁴ What are the names of the men putting up this building?” ⁵ But the eye of their God was on the leaders of the Judeans, so they didn’t stop them until the matter could come before Daryavesh and a reply in writing be received.

⁶ Here is the text of the letter which Tatnai the governor of the territory beyond the River, Sh’tar-Boznai and their fellow officials beyond the River sent to Daryavesh the king; ⁷ they sent him a letter in which it was written:

“To Daryavesh the king,

“Complete shalom!”

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.