M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

14 These are the inheritances which the people of Isra’el took in the land of Kena‘an, which El‘azar the cohen, Y’hoshua the son of Nun and the heads of the ancestral clans of the tribes of the people of Isra’el distributed to them ² by lot for them to inherit, as Adonai ordered through Moshe, for the nine tribes and the half-tribe. ³ Moshe had already given the inheritances to the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Yarden; to the L’vi’im he gave no inheritance among them. ⁴ The descendants of Yosef constituted two tribes, M’nasheh and Efrayim; and they gave no portion of the land to the L’vi’im except cities to live in, with the open land surrounding them for their livestock and crops. ⁵ As Adonai had ordered Moshe, so the people of Isra’el did — they divided the land.

⁶ The descendants of Y’hudah approached Y’hoshua in Gilgal, and Kalev the son of Y’funeh the K’nizi said to him, “You know what Adonai told Moshe the man of God about me and you in Kadesh-Barnea. ⁷ I was forty years old when Moshe the servant of Adonai sent me from Kadesh-Barnea to reconnoiter the land, and I brought back to him an honest report. ⁸ My brothers who went up with me discouraged the people, but I followed Adonai my God completely. ⁹ On that day Moshe swore, ‘Surely the land where your foot has been will be the inheritance for you and your descendants forever, because you have followed Adonai my God completely.’ ¹⁰ Now, look: Adonai has kept me alive these forty-five years, as he said he would, from the time Adonai said this to Moshe, when Isra’el was going through the desert. Today I am eighty-five years old, ¹¹ but I am as strong today as on the day Moshe sent me — I’m as strong now as I was then, whether for war or simply for going here and there. ¹² Therefore, give me this hill, the one Adonai spoke about on that day; for on that day you heard how the ‘Anakim were there with great, fortified cities; perhaps Adonai will be with me, and I will drive them away, as Adonai said.”

¹³ Y’hoshua blessed him and gave Hevron to Kalev the son of Y’funeh as his inheritance. ¹⁴ So Hevron became the inheritance of Kalev the son of Y’funeh the K’nizi, as it is to this day; because he followed Adonai the God of Isra’el completely. ¹⁵ (Hevron was formerly called Kiryat-Arba; this Arba was the greatest man among the ‘Anakim.) Then the land had rest from war.

15 The territory chosen by lot for the tribe of the descendants of Y’hudah according to their families extended to the border of Edom in the Tzin Desert, toward the Negev in the far south.

² Their southern border began at the far shore of the Dead Sea, from the bay facing southward, ³ and went out south of the Scorpion Ascent, passed toward Tzin, went up south of Kadesh-Barnea, passed Hetzron, went up toward Adar, turned toward Karka, ⁴ passed toward ‘Atzmon, and went out at the Vadi of Egypt, with the border ending at the sea; this will be your southern border.

⁵ The eastern border was the Dead Sea to where the Yarden entered it.

The northern border began at the bay of the sea at the end of the Yarden; ⁶ then the border went up to Beit-Hoglah and passed north of Beit-‘Aravah; next the border went up to the Stone of Bohan the son of Re’uven; ⁷ then the border went up to D’vir from the Akhor Valley, then northward facing Gilgal (that is, across from Ma‘alei-Adumim, which is on the south side of the vadi); next the border passed to the ‘Ein-Shemesh Spring and went out at ‘Ein-Rogel. ⁸ Then the border went up the Ben-Hinnom Valley to the south side of the Y’vusi (that is, Yerushalayim), and the border continued up to the top of the hill in front of the Hinnom Valley on the west (which is also at the northernmost end of the Refa’im Valley) ⁹ From this hilltop the border was drawn to the source of the Neftoach Spring and continued out to the cities of Mount ‘Efron; next the border was drawn to Ba‘alah (that is, Kiryat-Ye‘arim). ¹⁰ Then the border turned from Ba‘al westward to Mount Se‘ir, passed the spur of Mount Ye‘arim (also called K’salon) on the north, went down to Beit-Shemesh and passed Timnah. ¹¹ Next the border went out toward the side of ‘Ekron northward; and finally, the border was drawn to Shikron, passed Mount Ba‘alah, and went out at Yavne’el, with the border ending at the sea.

¹² As for the west border, the Great Sea was its border. These were the borders of the territory of the descendants of Y’hudah, by clans.

¹³ To Kalev the son of Y’funeh he gave a portion with the descendants of Y’hudah, as Adonai had ordered Y’hoshua, namely, Kiryat-Arba (Arba was the father of the ‘Anak), also called Hevron. ¹⁴ Kalev expelled from there three descendants of ‘Anak — Sheshai, Achiman and Talmai, children of ‘Anak. ¹⁵ From there he went up to fight the inhabitants of D’vir (D’vir was formerly called Kiryat-Sefer). ¹⁶ Kalev said, “To whoever overpowers Kiryat-Sefer and captures it I will give my daughter Akhsah as his wife.” ¹⁷ ‘Otni’el the son of K’naz, Kalev’s brother, captured it; so he gave him ‘Akhsah his daughter as his wife. ¹⁸ After becoming his wife, she persuaded him to ask her father to give them a field; when she got off her donkey, Kalev asked her, “What do you want?” ¹⁹ She said to him: “Give me a blessing: since you gave me land in the Negev, also give me sources of water.” So Kalev gave her the Upper Springs and the Lower Springs.

²⁰ This is the inheritance of the tribe of the descendants of Y’hudah, by clans.

²¹ The cities at the outer part of the tribe of Y’hudah toward the border with Edom in the south were: Kavtze’el, ‘Eder, Yagur, ²² Kinah, Dimonah, ‘Ad‘adah, ²³ Kedesh, Hatzor, Yitnan, ²⁴ Zif, Telem, Be‘alot, ²⁵ Hatzor, Hadatah, K’riot, Hetzron (which is Hatzor), ²⁶ Amam, Sh’ma, Moladah, ²⁷ Hatzar-Gadah, Heshmon, Beit-Pelet, ²⁸ Hatzar-Shu‘al, Be’er-Sheva, Bizyot-Yah, ²⁹ Ba‘alah, ‘Iyim, ‘Etzem, ³⁰ El-Tolad, K’sil, Hormah, ³¹ Ziklag, Madmanah, Sansanah, ³² L’va’ot, Shilchim, ‘Ayin and Rimmon — twenty-nine cities in all, together with their villages.

³³ In the Sh’felah: Eshta’ol, Tzor‘ah, Ashnah, ³⁴ Zanoach, ‘Ein-Ganim, Tapuach, ‘Enam, ³⁵ Yarmut, ‘Adulam, Sokhoh, ‘Azekah, ³⁶ Sh’arim, ‘Aditayim, G’derah and G’derotayim — fourteen cities, together with their villages. ³⁷ Tz’nan, Hadashah, Migdal-Gad, ³⁸ Dil‘an, Mitzpeh, Yokte’el, ³⁹ Lakhish, Bozkat, ‘Eglon, ⁴⁰ Kabon, Lachmas, Kitlish, ⁴¹ G’derot, Beit-Dagon, Na‘amah and Makkedah — sixteen cities, together with their villages. ⁴² Livnah, ‘Eter, ‘Ashan, ⁴³ Yiftach, Ashnah, N’tziv, ⁴⁴ Ke‘ilah, Akhziv and Mareshah — nine cities, together with their villages. ⁴⁵ ‘Ekron, with its towns and villages — ⁴⁶ from ‘Ekron to the sea; all those near Ashdod, with their villages; ⁴⁷ Ashdod, with its towns and villages; ‘Azah, with its towns and villages, to the Vadi of Egypt, with the Great Sea as its border.

⁴⁸ In the hills: Shamir, Yatir, Sokhoh, ⁴⁹ Danah, Kiryat-Sanna (that is, D’vir), ⁵⁰ ‘Anav, Esht’moh, ‘Anim, ⁵¹ Goshen, Holon and Giloh — eleven cities, together with their villages. ⁵² Arav, Dumah, Esh’an, ⁵³ Yanum, Beit-Tapuach, Afekah, ⁵⁴ Humtah, Kiryat-Arba (that is, Hevron) and Tzi‘or — nine cities, together with their villages. ⁵⁵ Ma‘on, Karmel, Zif, Yutah, ⁵⁶ Yizre‘el, Yokde‘am, Zanoach, ⁵⁷ Kayin, Giv‘ah and Timnah — ten cities, together with their villages. ⁵⁸ Halchul, Beit-Tzur, G’dor, ⁵⁹ Ma‘arat, Beit-‘Anot, Elt’kon — six cities, together with their villages. ⁶⁰ Kiryat-Ba‘al (that is, Kiryat-Ye‘arim) and Rabbah — two cities, together with their villages.

⁶¹ In the desert: Beit-‘Aravah, Middin, S’khakhah, ⁶² Nivshan, ‘Ir-Hamelach and ‘Ein-Gedi — six cities, together with their villages.

⁶³ As for the Y’vusi, who lived in Yerushalayim, the descendants of Y’hudah could not drive them out; so the Y’vusi live with the descendants of Y’hudah in Yerushalayim to this day.

7 This word came to Yirmeyahu from Adonai: ² “Stand at the gate of the house of Adonai and proclaim this word: ‘Listen to the word of Adonai, all you from Y’hudah who enter these gates to worship Adonai! ³ Here is what Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el, says: “Improve your ways and actions, and I will let you stay in this place. ⁴ Don’t rely on that deceitful slogan, ‘The temple of Adonai, the temple of Adonai — these [buildings] are the temple of Adonai.’ ⁵ No, but if you really improve your ways and actions; if you really administer justice between people; ⁶ if you stop oppressing foreigners, orphans and widows; if you stop shedding innocent blood in this place; and if you stop following other gods, to your own harm; ⁷ then I will let you stay in this place, in the land I gave to your ancestors forever and ever. ⁸ Look! You are relying on deceitful words that can’t do you any good. ⁹ First you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, offer to Ba‘al and go after other gods that you haven’t known. ¹⁰ Then you come and stand before me in this house that bears my name and say, ‘We are saved’ — so that you can go on doing these abominations! ¹¹ Do you regard this house, which bears my name, as a cave for bandits? I can see for myself what’s going on,” says Adonai. ¹² “Go to the place in Shiloh that used to be mine, that used to bear my name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Isra’el. ¹³ I spoke to you again and again, but you wouldn’t listen. I called you, but you wouldn’t answer. Now,” says Adonai, “because you have done all these things, ¹⁴ I will do to the house that bears my name, on which you rely, and to the place I gave you and your ancestors, what I did to Shiloh; ¹⁵ and I will drive you out of my presence, just as I drove out all your kinsmen, all the descendants of Efrayim.”’

¹⁶ “So you, [Yirmeyahu,] don’t pray for this people! Don’t cry, pray or intercede on their behalf with me; because I won’t listen to you. ¹⁷ Don’t you see what they are doing in the cities of Y’hudah and in the streets of Yerushalayim? ¹⁸ The children gather the wood, the fathers light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and, just to provoke me, they pour out drink offerings to other gods! ¹⁹ Are they really provoking me,” asks Adonai, “or are they provoking themselves, to their own ruin?”

²⁰ Therefore, here is what Adonai Elohim says: “My anger and fury will be poured out on this place, on men, animals, trees in the fields and produce growing from the ground; and it will burn without being quenched.”

²¹ Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot, the God of Isra’el: “You may as well eat the meat of your burnt offerings along with that of your sacrifices. ²² For I didn’t speak to your ancestors or give them orders concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. ²³ Rather, what I did order them was this: ‘Pay attention to what I say. Then I will be your God, and you will be my people. In everything, live according to the way that I order you, so that things will go well for you.’ ²⁴ But they neither listened nor paid attention, but lived according to their own plans, in the stubbornness of their evil hearts, thus going backward and not forward. ²⁵ You have done this from the day your ancestors came out of Egypt until today. Even though I sent you all my servants the prophets, sending them time after time, ²⁶ they would not listen or pay attention to me, but stiffened their necks; they did worse than their ancestors. ²⁷ So tell them all this; but they won’t listen to you; likewise, call to them; but they won’t answer you. ²⁸ Therefore, say to them,

³⁰ “For the people of Y’hudah have done what is evil from my perspective,” says Adonai; “they have set up their detestable things in the house which bears my name, to defile it. ³¹ They have built the high places of Tofet in the Ben-Hinnom Valley, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, something I never ordered; in fact, such a thing never even entered my mind! ³² Therefore, the days are coming,” says Adonai, “when it will no longer be called either Tofet or the Ben-Hinnom Valley, but the Valley of Slaughter — they will put the dead in Tofet, because there will be no space left [anywhere else]. ³³ The corpses of this people will become food for the birds in the air and the wild animals; no one will frighten them away. ³⁴ Then in the cities of Y’hudah and the streets of Yerushalayim I will silence the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of bridegroom and bride; because the land will be reduced to ruins.

21 As they were approaching Yerushalayim, they came to Beit-Pagei on the Mount of Olives. Yeshua sent two talmidim ² with these instructions: “Go into the village ahead of you, and you will immediately find a donkey tethered there with its colt. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them’; and he will let them go at once.” ⁴ This happened in order to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet,

⁶ So the talmidim went and did as Yeshua had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put their robes on them, and Yeshua sat on them. ⁸ Crowds of people carpeted the road with their clothing, while others cut branches from trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ The crowds ahead of him and behind shouted,

to the Son of David;

¹⁰ When he entered Yerushalayim, the whole city was stirred. “Who is this?” they asked. ¹¹ And the crowds answered, “This is Yeshua, the prophet from Natzeret in the Galil.”

¹² Yeshua entered the Temple grounds and drove out those who were doing business there, both the merchants and their customers. He upset the desks of the money-changers and knocked over the benches of those who were selling pigeons. ¹³ He said to them, “It has been written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’^[e] But you are making it into a den of robbers!”^[f]

¹⁴ Blind and lame people came up to him in the Temple, and he healed them. ¹⁵ But when the head cohanim and Torah-teachers saw the wonderful things he was doing, and the children crying out in the Temple, “Please deliver us!”^[g] to the Son of David, they were furious. ¹⁶ They said to him, “Do you hear what they’re saying?” Yeshua replied, “Of course! Haven’t you ever read,

¹⁷ With that, he left them and went outside the city to Beit-Anyah, where he spent the night.

¹⁸ The next morning, on his way back to the city, he felt hungry. ¹⁹ Spotting a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. So he said to it, “May you never again bear fruit!” and immediately the fig tree dried up. ²⁰ The talmidim saw this and were amazed. “How did the fig tree dry up so quickly?” they asked. ²¹ Yeshua answered them, “Yes! I tell you, if you have trust and don’t doubt, you will not only do what was done to this fig tree; but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Go and throw yourself into the sea!’ it will be done. ²² In other words, you will receive everything you ask for in prayer, no matter what it is, provided you have trust.”

²³ He went into the Temple area; and as he was teaching, the head cohanim and the elders of the people approached him and demanded, “What s’mikhah do you have that authorizes you to do these things? And who gave you this s’mikhah?” ²⁴ Yeshua answered, “I too will ask you a question. If you answer it, then I will tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things. ²⁵ The immersion of Yochanan — where did it come from? From Heaven or from a human source?” They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From Heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘From a human source,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard Yochanan as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they answered Yeshua, “We don’t know.” And he replied, “Then I won’t tell you by what s’mikhah I do these things.

²⁸ “But give me your opinion: a man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ²⁹ He answered, ‘I don’t want to’; but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ The father went to his other son and said the same thing. This one answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he didn’t go. ³¹ Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they replied. “That’s right!” Yeshua said to them. “I tell you that the tax-collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you! ³² For Yochanan came to you showing the path to righteousness, and you wouldn’t trust him. The tax-collectors and prostitutes trusted him; but you, even after you saw this, didn’t change your minds later and trust him.

³³ “Now listen to another parable. There was a farmer who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower; then he rented it to tenants and left. ³⁴ When harvest-time came, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the crop. ³⁵ But the tenants seized his servants — this one they beat up, that one they killed, another they stoned. ³⁶ So he sent some other servants, more than the first group, and they did the same to them. ³⁷ Finally, he sent them his son, saying, ‘My son they will respect.’ ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance!’ ³⁹ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. ⁴⁰ Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” ⁴¹ They answered him, “He will viciously destroy those vicious men and rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the crop when it’s due.” ⁴² Yeshua said to them, “Haven’t you ever read in the Tanakh,

⁴³ Therefore, I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to the kind of people that will produce its fruit!” ^44 [j]

⁴⁵ As the head cohanim and the P’rushim listened to his stories, they saw that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ But when they set about to arrest him, they were afraid of the crowds; because the crowds considered him a prophet.