M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
8 3 The siege, 19 and winning of Ai. 29 The king thereof is hanged. 30 Joshua setteth up an Altar. 32 He writeth the Law upon stones, 35 and readeth it to all the people.
1 After, the Lord said unto Joshua, (A)Fear not, neither be thou faint hearted: take all the men of war with thee and arise, go up to Ai: behold, I have given into thine hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.
2 And thou shalt do to Ai and to the king thereof, as thou didst unto (B)Jericho and to the king thereof: nevertheless the spoil thereof and (C)the cattle thereof shall ye take unto you for a prey: thou shalt lie in wait against the city on the [a]back side thereof.
3 ¶ Then Joshua arose, and all the men of war to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand strong men, and valiant, and sent them away by night.
4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye [b]shall lie in wait against the city on the back side of the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all in a readiness.
5 And I and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and when they shall come out against us, as they did at the first time, then will we flee before them.
6 For they will come out after us, till we have brought them out of the city: for they will say, They flee before us as at the first time: so we will flee before them.
7 Then you shall rise up from lying in wait and [c]destroy the city: for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 And when ye have taken the city, ye shall set it on fire: according to the commandment of the Lord shall ye do: behold, I have charged you.
9 ¶ Joshua then sent them forth, and they went to lie in wait, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the West side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night [d]among the people.
10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and [e]numbered the people: and he and the Elders of Israel went up before the people against Ai.
11 Also all the men of war that were with him went up and drew near, and came against the city, and pitched on the North side of Ai: and there was a valley between them and Ai.
12 And he took about five thousand men, [f]and set them to lie in wait between Bethel and Ai on the West side of the city.
13 And the people set all the host that was on the North side against the city, and the liars in wait on the West, against the city: and Joshua went the same night into the [g]midst of the valley.
14 ¶ And when the king of Ai saw it, then the men of the city hasted and rose up early, and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the plain: for he knew not that any lay in wait against him on the back side of the city.
15 Then Joshua and all Israel [h]as beaten before them, fled by the way of the wilderness.
16 And all the people of the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away out of the city,
17 So that there was not a man left in Ai, nor in Bethel, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
18 Then the Lord said unto Joshua, [i]Stretch out the spear that is in thine hand, toward Ai: for I will give it into thine hand: and Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand, toward the city.
19 And they that lay in wait, arose quickly out of their place, and ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted, and set the city on fire.
20 And the men of Ai looked behind them, and saw it: for lo, the smoke of the city ascended up [j]to heaven, and they had no [k]power to flee this way or that way: for the people that fled to the wilderness, turned back upon the pursuers.
21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that they that lay in wait, had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city mounted up, then they turned again and slew the men of Ai.
22 Also the [l]other issued out of the city against them: so were they in the midst of Israel, these being on the one side, and the rest on the other side: and they slew them, so that they let none of them (D)remain nor escape.
23 And the King of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.
24 And when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, that is, in the wilderness where they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and [m]smote it with the edge of the sword.
25 And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
26 For Joshua drew not his hand back again which he had stretched out with the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
27 (E)Only the cattle and the spoil of this city, Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the Lord, which he commanded Joshua.
28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap [n]forever, and a wilderness unto this day.
29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree, unto the evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded [o]that they should take his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and (F)lay thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
30 ¶ Then Joshua built an altar unto the Lord God of Israel, in mount Ebal,
31 As Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the (G)book of the Law of Moses, an altar of whole stone, over which no man had lift an iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.
32 Also he wrote there upon the stones, a [p]rehearsal of the Law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.
33 And all Israel (and their Elders, and officers and their Judges stood on this side of the Ark, and on that side, before the Priests of the Levites, which bare the Ark of the covenant of the Lord) as well the stranger, as he that is born in the country: half of them were over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal, (H)as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the children of Israel.
34 Then afterward he read all the words of the Law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the Law.
35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded, which Joshua read not before all the Congregation of Israel, (I)as well before the [q]women and the children, as the stranger that was conversant among them.
139 1 David cleanseth his heart from all hypocrisy, showeth that there is nothing so hid, which God seeth not. 13 Which he confirmeth by the creation of man. 14 After declaring his zeal and fear of God, he professeth to be enemy to all them that contemn God.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, thou hast tried me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my [a]sitting and my rising: thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou [b]compassest my paths, and my lying down, and art accustomed to all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my [c]tongue, but lo, thou knowest it wholly, O Lord.
5 Thou holdest me strait behind and before, and layest thine [d]hand upon me.
6 Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is so high that I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy [e]Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I lie down in hell, thou art there.
9 Let me take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
10 Yet thither shall thine hand [f]lead me, and thy right hand hold me.
11 If I say, Yet the darkness shall hide me, even the night shall be [g]light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and light are both alike.
13 For thou hast [h]possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee, for I am [i]fearfully and wondrously made: marvelous are thy works, and my soul knoweth it well.
15 My bones are not hid from thee, though I was made in a secret place, and fashioned [j]beneath in the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see me, when I was without form: [k]for in thy book were all things written, which in continuance were fashioned, when there was none of them before.
17 How [l]dear therefore are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more than the sand: when I awake, [m]I am still with thee.
19 Oh that thou wouldest [slay], O God, the wicked and bloody men, to whom I say, Depart ye from me:
20 Which speak wickedly of thee, and being thine enemies are lifted up in vain.
21 Do not I [n]hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and do not I earnestly contend with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with an unfeigned hatred, as they were mine utter enemies.
23 Try me, O God, and know mine heart: prove me and know my thoughts,
24 And consider if there be any [o]way of wickedness in me, and lead me in the [p]way forever.
2 2 God rehearseth his benefits done unto the Jews. 8 Against the priests and false prophets. 12 The Jews are destroyed because they forsake God.
1 Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, with the [a]kindness of thy youth and the love of thy marriage, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness [b]in a land that was not sown.
3 Israel was as a thing [c]hallowed unto the Lord, and his firstfruits: all they [d]that eat it, shall offend: evil shall come upon them, saith the Lord.
4 Hear ye the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel.
5 Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone [e]far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become [f]vain?
6 For they said not, Where is the Lord that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness, through a desert, and waste land, through a dry land, and by [g]the shadow of death, by a land that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt?
7 And I brought you into a plentiful country, to eat the fruit thereof, and the commodities of the same: but when ye entered, ye defiled [h]my land, and made mine heritage an abomination.
8 The priests said not, [i]Where is the Lord? and they that should minister the [j]Law, knew me not: the [k]pastors also offended against me, and the prophets prophesied in [l]Baal, and went after things that did not profit.
9 Wherefore I will yet [m]plead with you, saith the Lord, and I will plead with your children’s children.
10 For go ye to the isles of [n]Chittim, and behold, and send unto [o]Kedar, and take diligent heed, and see whether there be such things.
11 Hath any nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their [p]glory, for that which doth not [q]profit.
12 O ye [r]heavens, be astonied at this: be afraid and utterly confounded, saith the Lord.
13 For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me [s]the fountain of living waters, to dig them pits, even broken pits that can hold no water.
14 Is Israel a [t]servant, or is he born in the house? why then is he spoiled?
15 The [u]Lions roared upon him and yelled, and they have made his land waste: his cities are burnt without [v]an inhabitant.
16 Also the children of [w]Noph and Tahapanes have [x]broken thine head.
17 Hast not thou procured this unto thyself, because thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, when he [y]led thee by the way?
18 And what hast thou now to do in the way of [z]Egypt? to drink the water of Nilus? or what makest thou in the way of Assyria? to drink the water of the [aa]River?
19 Thine own wickedness shall [ab]correct thee, and thy turnings back shall reprove thee: know therefore and behold, that it is an evil thing, and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord God of hosts.
20 For of old time I have broken thy yoke, and burst thy bonds, and thou saidest, [ac]I will no more transgress, but like an harlot thou runnest about upon all high hills, and under all green trees.
21 Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, whose [ad]plants were all natural: how then art thou turned unto me into the plants of a strange vine?
22 Though thou wash thee with [ae]nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord God.
23 How canst thou say, I am not polluted, neither have I [af]followed Baal? behold thy ways in the valley, and know what thou hast done: thou art like a swift [ag]dromedary, that runneth by his ways.
24 And as a wild [ah]ass used to the wilderness that snuffeth up the wind by occasion at her pleasure: who can turn her back? all they that seek her, will not weary themselves, but will find her in her [ai]month.
25 Keep thou thy feet from [aj]bareness, and thy throat from thirst: but thou saidest desperately, No, for I have loved strangers, and them will I follow.
26 As the [ak]thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed, they, their kings, their princes and their priests, and their prophets,
27 Saying to a tree, Thou art my [al]father, and to a stone, Thou hast begotten me: for they have turned their back unto me, and not their face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and help us.
28 But where are thy gods, that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can help thee in the time of thy trouble: for according [am]to the number of thy cities, are thy gods, O Judah.
29 Wherefore will [an]ye plead with me? ye all have rebelled against me, saith the Lord.
30 I have smitten your children in vain, they received no correction: your own [ao]sword hath devoured your Prophets like a destroying lion.
31 O generation, take heed to the word of the Lord: have I been as a [ap]wilderness unto Israel? or a land of darkness? Wherefore saith my people then, We are lords, [aq]we will come no more unto thee?
32 Can a maid forget her ornament, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me, days without number.
33 Why dost thou prepare thy way, to [ar]seek amity? even therefore will I teach thee, that thy ways are wickedness.
34 Also in thy [as]wings is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it in holes, but upon all these places.
35 Yet thou sayest, Because I am guiltless, surely his wrath shall turn from me: behold, I will enter with thee into judgment, because thou sayest, I have not sinned.
36 Why runnest thou about so much to change thy ways? for thou shalt be confounded of Egypt, [at]as thou art confounded of Assyria.
37 For thou shalt go forth from thence, and thine hands upon [au]thine head, because the Lord hath rejected thy confidence, and thou shalt not prosper thereby.
16 1 The sign of Jonah. 6 The leaven of the Pharisees, 12 for their doctrine. 13 The people’s opinion of Christ. 17 Faith cometh of God. 18 The rock. 19 The keys. 21 Christ foreshadoweth his death. 24 The forsaking of ourself, and the cross. 25 To lose the life.
1 Then (A)[a]came the Pharisees and Sadducees, and did [b]tempt him, desiring him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 But he answered, and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, Fair weather, for the sky is red.
3 (B)And in the morning, ye say, Today shall be a tempest: for the sky is red and lowering. O hypocrites, ye can discern the [c]face of the sky, and can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 (C)The wicked generation, and adulterous seeketh a sign, but there shall no sign be given it, but [d]that sign of the Prophet (D)Jonah: so he left them, and departed.
5 ¶ [e]And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had (E)forgotten to take bread with them.
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
7 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have brought no bread.
8 But Jesus [f]knowing it, said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye thus among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
9 Do ye not yet perceive, neither remember the [g]five loaves, when there were (F)five thousand men, and how many baskets took ye up?
10 Neither the seven loaves when there were (G)four thousand men, and how many baskets took ye up?
11 Why [h]perceive ye not that I [i]said not unto you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?
12 Then understood they that he had not said that they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees, and Sadducees.
13 ¶ (H)[j]Now when Jesus came into the coasts of [k]Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?
14 And they said, Some say, [l]John Baptist: and some, Elijah: and others, Jeremiah, or one of the Prophets.
15 He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 Then Simon Peter answered, and said, (I)Thou art that Christ, the son of the living God.
17 [m]And Jesus answered, and said to him, Blessed art thou, Simon, the son of Jonah: for [n]flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 [o]And I say also unto thee, that thou art (J)[p]Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church: and the [q]gates of hell shall not overcome it.
19 [r]And I (K) will give unto thee the [s]keys of the Kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt [t]bind upon earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.
20 [u]Then he charged his disciples, that they should tell no man that he was Jesus that Christ.
21 ¶ [v]From that time forth Jesus began to show unto his disciples, that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the [w]Elders, and of the high Priests, and Scribes, and be slain and be raised again the third day.
22 Then Peter [x]took him aside, and began to rebuke him, saying, Master, pity thyself: this shall not be unto thee.
23 [y]Then he turned back, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, [z]Satan: thou art an offence unto me, because thou [aa]understandest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.
24 [ab]Jesus then said to his disciples, (L)If any man will follow me, let him forsake himself: and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For (M)whosoever will save his life, shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, shall [ac]find it.
26 (N)For what shall it profit a man though he should win the whole world, if he lose his own soul? or what shall a man give for recompense of his soul?
27 For the son of man shall come [ad]in the glory of his Father with his Angels, and (O)then shall he give to every man according to his deeds.
28 (P)Verily I say unto you, there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the Son of man come in his [ae]kingdom.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.