M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Gideon’s 300 Men
7 Then (A)Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and camped beside [a]the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of [b]them by the hill of (B)Moreh in the valley.
2 And Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, (C)lest Israel honor themselves, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 So now, [c]come, call out in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘(D)Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.
4 (E)Then Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. And it will be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And Yahweh said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, you shall set him aside by himself, and so also everyone who kneels to drink.” 6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. 7 And Yahweh said to Gideon, “I will save you (F)with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his place.” 8 So [d]the 300 men took the people’s provisions and their trumpets into their hands. And [e]Gideon sent all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
9 Now it happened the same night that Yahweh said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, (G)for I have given it into your hands. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, then both you and Purah your young man, go down to the camp, 11 and you will hear what they say; and (H)afterward your hands will be strengthened, that you may go down against the camp.” So he went with Purah his young man down to the [f]outskirts of the armed men that were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley (I)as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, (J)as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 13 Then Gideon came, and behold, a man was recounting a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I [g]had a dream; [h]a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it [i]upside down so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his friend answered and said, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp (K)into his hand.”
15 Now it happened that when Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for Yahweh has given the camp of Midian into your hands.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three [j]companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. 17 Then he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise. And behold, I will come to the outskirts of the camp, and it will be that just as I do so you do likewise. 18 And I and all who are with me will blow the trumpet. Then you also shall blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, ‘For Yahweh and for Gideon.’”
Gideon Kills the Princes of Midian
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set up the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three [k]companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, and they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing and called out, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!” 21 And each stood in his place around the camp. Then (L)all of the camp ran, and they made a loud shout and fled. 22 So they blew 300 trumpets. And (M)Yahweh set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole camp. And the camp fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of (N)Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were summoned from (O)Naphtali and Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian.
24 Now Gideon had sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to meet Midian and (P)capture the waters before them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan. 25 Then they captured the two princes of Midian, (Q)Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon (R)from across the Jordan.
Peter’s Report in Jerusalem
11 Now the apostles and (A)the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, [a](B)those who were circumcised took issue with him, 3 saying, “(C)You [b]went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” 4 But Peter began speaking [c]and proceeded to explain to them (D)in orderly sequence, saying, 5 “(E)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw (F)a vision, [d]an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from heaven, and it came right down to me, 6 and when looking closely at it, I was observing it and saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the [e]sky. 7 And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise up, Peter; [f]slaughter and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing defiled or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘(G)What God has cleansed, no longer consider defiled.’ 10 And this happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven. 11 And behold, immediately three men appeared at the house in which we were, having been sent to me from (H)Caesarea. 12 (I)And the Spirit told me to go with them [g](J)without taking issue at all. (K)These six brothers also went with me and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he reported to us how he had seen the angel [h]standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is also called Peter; 14 and he will speak (L)words to you by which you will be saved, you and (M)all your household.’ 15 And as I began to speak, (N)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just (O)as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘(P)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized [i]with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Therefore if (Q)God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, (R)who was I that I could prevent God’s way?” 18 And when they heard this, they [j]quieted down and (S)glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the (T)repentance that leads to life.”
The Church in Antioch
19 (U)So then those who were scattered because of the [k]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way [l]to (V)Phoenicia and (W)Cyprus and (X)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone. 20 But there were some of them, men of (Y)Cyprus and (Z)Cyrene, who came to (AA)Antioch and began speaking to the [m](AB)Greeks also, (AC)proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21 And (AD)the hand of the Lord was with them, and (AE)a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 Now the [n]news about them [o]reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent (AF)Barnabas off [p]to (AG)Antioch, 23 who, when he arrived and saw (AH)the grace of God, rejoiced and began to encourage them all with a purposeful heart to remain true to the Lord; 24 for he was a good man, and (AI)full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a (AJ)considerable crowd was [q]brought to the Lord. 25 And he left for (AK)Tarsus to search for Saul; 26 and when he found him, he brought him to (AL)Antioch. And it happened that for an entire year they [r]met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. And (AM)the disciples were first called (AN)Christians in (AO)Antioch.
27 Now in those days, (AP)some prophets came down from Jerusalem to (AQ)Antioch. 28 And one of them named (AR)Agabus stood up and indicated [s]by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine (AS)all over the [t]world. [u]And this took place in the reign of (AT)Claudius. 29 And as any of (AU)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the service of (AV)the brothers living in Judea. 30 (AW)And this they did, sending it [v]in charge of (AX)Barnabas and Saul to the (AY)elders.
Yahweh Speaks Against Pashhur
20 Then Pashhur the priest, the son of (A)Immer, who was (B)ruling overseer in the house of Yahweh, heard Jeremiah prophesying these words; 2 and Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet (C)struck and put him in the (D)stocks that were at the upper (E)Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of Yahweh. 3 Now it happened that on the next day, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks. And Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name Yahweh has (F)called you, but rather [a](G)Magor-missabib. 4 For thus says Yahweh, ‘Behold, I am going to make you a (H)terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while (I)your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will (J)give over all Judah to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take them away into (K)exile to Babylon and will strike them down with the sword. 5 I will also give over all the (L)wealth of this city, all the fruit of its labor, and all its precious things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the (M)hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon. 6 And you, (N)Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die, and there you will be buried, you and all your (O)friends to whom you have (P)prophesied lies.’”
Jeremiah Curses the Day He Was Born
7 O Yahweh, You have enticed me, and I was enticed;
You were (Q)stronger than I, and You prevailed.
I have become a (R)laughingstock all day long;
Everyone (S)mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I (T)call out violence and devastation
Because for me the (U)word of Yahweh has [b]resulted
In reproach and derision all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not (V)remember Him
Or speak anymore in His name,”
Then in (W)my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am weary of holding it in,
And (X)I cannot prevail.
10 For (Y)I have heard the bad report of many,
“(Z)Terror on every side!
(AA)Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!”
[c]All my (AB)trusted friends,
Keeping watch for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be [d]deceived, so that we may (AC)prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”
11 But (AD)Yahweh is with me like a ruthless mighty one;
Therefore my (AE)persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be utterly ashamed, because they have not prospered,
With an (AF)everlasting dishonor that will not be forgotten.
12 Yet, O Yahweh of hosts, You who (AG)test the righteous,
Who see the [e]mind and the heart;
Let me (AH)see Your vengeance on them,
For (AI)to You I have revealed my cause.
13 (AJ)Sing to Yahweh, praise Yahweh!
For He has (AK)delivered the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the (AL)day when I was born;
Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!
15 Cursed be the man who brought the good news
To my father, saying,
“A [f](AM)baby boy has been born to you!”
And made him very glad.
16 But let that man be like the cities
Which Yahweh (AN)overthrew without [g]relenting,
And let him hear an (AO)outcry in the morning
And a [h]shout of war at noon,
17 Because he did not (AP)put me to death from the womb,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb ever pregnant.
18 Why did I ever come forth from the womb
To (AQ)look on trouble and sorrow,
So that my (AR)days have been spent in (AS)shame?
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
6 (A)And Jesus went out from there and *came into [a](B)His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. 2 And when the Sabbath came, He began (C)to teach in the synagogue; and (D)many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to this man, and such [b]miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 Is this man not (E)the carpenter, (F)the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not (G)His sisters here with us?” And they were taking (H)offense at Him. 4 And Jesus was saying to them, “(I)A prophet is not without honor except in [c](J)his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 5 And He could do no [d]miracle there except that He (K)laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He was marveling at their unbelief.
(L)And He was going around the villages teaching.
The Twelve Sent Out
7 (M)And (N)He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out (O)in pairs, and was giving them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 (P)and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only—no bread, no [e]bag, no money in their belt— 9 but [f]to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two [g]tunics.” 10 And He was saying to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you [h]leave town. 11 And any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, (Q)shake the dust [i]off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 (R)And they went out and [j]preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and (S)were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
The Death of John the Baptist
14 (T)And King Herod heard it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “(U)John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” 15 But others were saying, “He is (V)Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is (W)a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”
17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of (X)Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “(Y)It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 (Z)Now Herodias was holding a grudge against him and was wanting to put him to death and was not able; 20 for (AA)Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he was keeping him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; [k]but he [l]used to enjoy listening to him. 21 And a strategic day came when Herod on his birthday (AB)gave a banquet for his great men and [m]military commanders and the leading men (AC)of Galilee; 22 and when the daughter of (AD)Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and [n]his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to (AE)half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 And immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of [o]his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her. 27 And immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 And when his disciples heard this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.
30 (AF)And the (AG)apostles *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and (AH)they did not even have time to eat.) 32 (AI)And they went away in (AJ)the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
33 And the people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. 34 And when Jesus went [p]ashore, He (AK)saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because (AL)they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. 35 And when it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and began saying, “[q]This place is desolate and it is already quite late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves [r]something to eat.” 37 But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat!” (AM)And they *said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred [s](AN)denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” 38 And He *said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they *said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 And He commanded them all to [t]sit down by [u]groups on the green grass. 40 And they [v]sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He (AO)blessed the food and broke the loaves. And He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them, and He divided up the two fish among them all. 42 And they all ate and were satisfied, 43 and they picked up twelve full (AP)baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. 44 And there were (AQ)five thousand men who ate the loaves.
Jesus Walks on the Sea
45 (AR)And immediately Jesus made His disciples get into (AS)the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to (AT)Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 And after (AU)bidding them farewell, He left (AV)for the mountain to pray.
47 And when it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 And seeing them [w]straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the [x](AW)fourth watch of the night He *came to them, walking on the sea; and He was intending to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were [y]terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “(AX)Take courage; it is I, (AY)do not be afraid.” 51 Then He got into (AZ)the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were [z]utterly amazed, 52 for (BA)they [aa]had not gained any insight about the loaves, but their [ab]heart (BB)was hardened.
Many Healed at Gennesaret
53 (BC)And when they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 and ran about that whole region and began to carry here and there on their mats those who were sick, to [ac]the place they heard He was. 56 And wherever He was entering villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the marketplaces, and pleading with Him that they might just (BD)touch (BE)the fringe of His garment; and as many as touched it were being [ad]saved from their sicknesses.
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