M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Tola and Jair Judge Israel

10 Then after Abimelech died, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, ^(A)arose to save Israel; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. ² And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.

³ After him, Jair the Gileadite arose and judged Israel twenty-two years. ⁴ And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities ^[a]in the land of Gilead ^(B)that are called ^[b]Havvoth-jair to this day. ⁵ And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

Israel Forsakes Yahweh Again

⁶ Then the sons of Israel again did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and ^(C)served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, ^(D)the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus ^(E)they forsook Yahweh and did not serve Him. ⁷ So the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and He ^(F)sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. ⁸ And they shattered and smashed the sons of Israel ^[c]that year; for eighteen years they did this to all the sons of Israel who were beyond the Jordan ^[d]in Gilead in the land of the Amorites. ⁹ Then the sons of Ammon crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was greatly distressed.

Israel Cries Out to Yahweh

¹⁰ And the ^(G)sons of Israel cried out to Yahweh, saying, “We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.” ¹¹ Then Yahweh said to the sons of Israel, “Did I not save you ^(H)from the Egyptians, ^(I)the Amorites, ^(J)the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines? ¹² Also the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites ^(K)oppressed you. And you cried out to Me, and I saved you from their hand. ¹³ Yet ^(L)you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer save you. ^14 (M)Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” ¹⁵ Then the sons of Israel said to Yahweh, “We have sinned, so You, ^(N)do to us whatever seems good in Your eyes; only please deliver us this day.” ^16 (O)So they removed the foreign gods from among them and served Yahweh; and ^[e](P)He could bear the trouble of Israel no longer.

¹⁷ Then the sons of Ammon were summoned, and they camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel gathered together and camped in ^(Q)Mizpah. ¹⁸ And the people, the princes of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Jephthah Delivers Israel

11 Now ^(R)Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, but he was the son of a harlot. And Gilead ^[f]became the father of Jephthah. ² And Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” ³ So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of ^(S)Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves ^[g]about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

⁴ Now it happened after a while that ^(T)the sons of Ammon fought against Israel. ⁵ So it happened that as the sons of Ammon fought against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob; ⁶ and they said to Jephthah, “Come and be our chief that we may fight against the sons of Ammon.” ⁷ Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “^(U)Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in distress?” ⁸ And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and ^(V)become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” ⁹ So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and Yahweh gives them up ^[h]to me, will I become your head?” ¹⁰ And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “^(W)Yahweh is ^[i]witness between us; surely we will do ^[j]as you have said.” ¹¹ Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before Yahweh at ^(X)Mizpah.

In Iconium

14 Now it happened that in ^(A)Iconium ^(B)they entered the synagogue of the Jews together and spoke in such a manner ^(C)that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of ^(D)Greeks. ² But ^(E)the ^[a](F)unbelieving Jews instigated and embittered the ^[b]minds of the Gentiles against ^(G)the brothers. ³ Therefore they spent a long time there ^(H)speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that ^[c](I)signs and wonders be done through their hands. ^4 (J)But the multitude of the city was divided; and some ^[d]sided with ^(K)the Jews, and some with ^(L)the apostles. ⁵ And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and ^(M)the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and to ^(N)stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to the cities of ^(O)Lycaonia, ^(P)Lystra and ^(Q)Derbe, and the surrounding region; ⁷ and there they continued to ^(R)proclaim the gospel.

In Lystra and Derbe

⁸ And at ^(S)Lystra ^(T)a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet, lame from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. ⁹ This man listened to Paul as he spoke, who, ^(U)when he fixed his gaze on him and saw that he had ^(V)faith to be ^[e]saved from being lame, ¹⁰ said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” ^(W)And he leaped up and began to walk. ¹¹ And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the ^(X)Lycaonian language, “^(Y)The gods have become like men and have come down to us.” ¹² And they began calling Barnabas, ^[f]Zeus, and Paul, ^[g]Hermes, because he was ^[h]the chief speaker. ¹³ And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was ^[i]just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and ^(Z)was wanting to offer sacrifice with the crowds. ¹⁴ But when ^(AA)the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they ^(AB)tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out ¹⁵ and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also ^(AC)men of the same nature as you, ^(AD)proclaiming the gospel to you that you should turn from these ^[j](AE)vain things to a ^(AF)living God, ^(AG)who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. ^16 [k]In the generations gone by He ^(AH)permitted all the ^[l]nations to ^(AI)go their own ways; ¹⁷ and yet ^(AJ)He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and ^(AK)gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.” ¹⁸ And saying these things, with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

¹⁹ But ^(AL)Jews came from ^(AM)Antioch and ^(AN)Iconium, and after winning over the crowds and ^(AO)stoning Paul, they were dragging him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. ²⁰ But while ^(AP)the disciples stood around him, he rose up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to ^(AQ)Derbe. ²¹ And after they had ^(AR)proclaimed the gospel to that city and had ^(AS)made many disciples, they returned to ^(AT)Lystra and to ^(AU)Iconium and to ^(AV)Antioch, ²² strengthening the souls of ^(AW)the disciples, encouraging them to continue in ^(AX)the faith, and saying, “^(AY)Through many afflictions we must enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ And when ^(AZ)they had appointed ^(BA)elders for them in every church, having ^(BB)prayed with fasting, they ^(BC)commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

The Return to Antioch

²⁴ And when they passed through ^(BD)Pisidia, they came into ^(BE)Pamphylia. ²⁵ And when they had spoken the word in ^(BF)Perga, they went down to Attalia. ²⁶ And from there they sailed to ^(BG)Antioch, from ^(BH)where they had been ^(BI)committed to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. ²⁷ And when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to ^(BJ)report all things that God had done with them and ^[m]how He had opened a ^(BK)door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they spent not a little time with ^(BL)the disciples.

The Righteous Branch

23 “^(A)Woe to the shepherds who are ^[a](B)destroying and scattering the ^(C)sheep of My pasture!” declares Yahweh. ² Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who are shepherding My people: “You have scattered My flock and banished them and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to ^(D)attend to you for the ^(E)evil of your deeds,” declares Yahweh. ³ “Then I Myself will ^(F)gather the remnant of My flock out of all the land where I have banished them and cause them to return to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. ⁴ I will also raise up ^(G)shepherds over them, and they will ^[b]shepherd them; and they will ^(H)not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, ^(I)nor will any be left unattended,” declares Yahweh.

⁷ “^(Q)Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when they will no longer say, ‘As Yahweh lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ ^8 (R)but, ‘As Yahweh lives, who ^(S)brought up and brought back the seed of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the lands where I had banished them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.”

False Prophets Condemned

¹⁵ Therefore thus says Yahweh of hosts concerning the prophets,

¹⁶ Thus says Yahweh of hosts,

²⁵ “I have ^(BD)heard what the prophets have said who ^(BE)prophesy a lie in My name, saying, ‘I had a ^(BF)dream, I had a dream!’ ²⁶ How long? Is there anything in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy a lie, even these prophets of the ^(BG)deception of their own heart, ²⁷ who intend to ^(BH)make My people forget My name by their dreams which they recount to one another, just as their fathers ^(BI)forgot My name because of Baal? ²⁸ The prophet who has a dream may recount his dream, but let him who has ^(BJ)My word speak My word in truth. ^(BK)What does straw have in common with grain?” declares Yahweh. ²⁹ “Is not My word like ^(BL)fire?” declares Yahweh, “and like a ^(BM)hammer which shatters a rock? ³⁰ Therefore behold, ^(BN)I am against the prophets,” declares Yahweh, “who steal My words from each other. ³¹ Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares Yahweh, “who take their tongues and declare, ‘Yahweh declares.’ ³² Behold, I am against those who have prophesied ^(BO)lying dreams,” declares Yahweh, “and who recounted them and led My people astray by their lying and ^(BP)reckless boasting; yet ^(BQ)I did not send them, and I did not command them, and they do not ^(BR)furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares Yahweh.

³³ “Now when this people or the prophet or a priest asks you, saying, ‘What is the ^[h](BS)oracle of Yahweh?’ then you shall say to them, ‘What oracle?’ Yahweh declares, ‘I will ^(BT)abandon you.’ ³⁴ Then as for the prophet or the priest or the people who say, ‘The ^(BU)oracle of Yahweh,’ I will bring punishment upon that man and his household. ³⁵ Thus will each of you say to his neighbor and to his brother, ‘^(BV)What has Yahweh answered?’ or, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’ ³⁶ For you will no longer remember the oracle of Yahweh because every man’s own word will become the oracle, and you have ^(BW)perverted the words of the ^(BX)living God, Yahweh of hosts, our God. ³⁷ Thus you will say to that prophet, ‘What has Yahweh answered you?’ and, ‘What has Yahweh spoken?’ ³⁸ For if you all say, ‘The oracle of Yahweh!’ surely thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you said this word, “The oracle of Yahweh!” I have also sent to you, saying, “You shall not say, ‘The oracle of Yahweh!’”’ ³⁹ Therefore behold, ^(BY)I will surely forget you and abandon you, along with the city which I gave you and your fathers, so that you are out of My presence. ⁴⁰ I will put an everlasting ^(BZ)reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.”

The Transfiguration

9 And Jesus was saying to them, “^(A)Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come in power.”

^2 (B)And six days later, Jesus *took with Him ^(C)Peter and James and John, and *brought them up on a high mountain alone by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; ³ and ^(D)His garments were shining intensely white, as no launderer on earth can whiten them. ⁴ And Elijah appeared to them along with Moses and they were conversing with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter answered and *said to Jesus, “^(E)Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; ^(F)let us make three ^[a]booths, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁶ For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified. ⁷ Then a cloud ^[b]formed, overshadowing them, and ^(G)a voice ^[c]came out of the cloud, “^(H)This is My beloved Son, ^[d]listen to Him!” ⁸ And all at once when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.

^9 (I)And as they were coming down from the mountain, He ^(J)gave them orders not to recount to anyone what they had seen, ^[e]until the Son of Man rose from the dead. ¹⁰ And they ^[f]seized upon ^[g]that statement, arguing with one another ^[h]what rising from the dead meant. ¹¹ And they began asking Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that ^(K)Elijah must come first?” ¹² And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of ^(L)the Son of Man that ^(M)He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? ¹³ But I say to you that Elijah has ^[i]indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”

I Believe, Help My Unbelief

^14 (N)And when they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. ¹⁵ And immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were ^(O)amazed. And as they ran up, they were greeting Him. ¹⁶ And He asked them, “What are you arguing with them?” ¹⁷ And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; ¹⁸ and ^[j]whenever it seizes him, it ^[k]slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and ^[l]becomes rigid. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” ¹⁹ And He *answered them and *said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!” ²⁰ And they brought ^[m]the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around, foaming at the mouth. ²¹ And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. ²² And it has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” ²³ And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ ^(P)All things are possible to him who believes.” ²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father cried out and was saying, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” ²⁵ Now when Jesus saw that ^(Q)a crowd was ^[n]rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, ^[o]I command you, come out of him and do not enter him ^[p]again.” ²⁶ And after crying out and throwing him into terrible convulsions, it came out; and the boy became so much like a corpse that most of them said, “He is dead!” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and raised him; and he stood up. ²⁸ And when He came ^(R)into the house, His disciples began questioning Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” ²⁹ And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

^30 (S)From there they went out and were going through Galilee, and He was not wanting anyone to know about it. ³¹ For He was teaching His disciples and telling them, “^(T)The Son of Man is to be ^[q]delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He has been killed, He will rise again three days later.” ³² But ^(U)they ^[r]did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask Him.

^33 (V)And they came to Capernaum; and when He ^[s]was in ^(W)the house, He began to question them, “What were you discussing on the way?” ³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the way ^(X)they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest. ³⁵ And sitting down, He called the twelve and *said to them, “^(Y)If anyone wants to be first, ^[t]he shall be last of all and servant of all.” ³⁶ And taking a child, He set him ^[u]before them. And taking him in His arms, He said to them, ³⁷ “^(Z)Whoever receives ^[v]one child like this in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me does not receive Me, but Him who sent Me.”

Warnings About Discipleship

^38 (AA)John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and ^(AB)we tried to hinder him because he was not following us.” ³⁹ But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. ^40 (AC)For he who is not against us is ^[w]for us. ⁴¹ For ^(AD)whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name because you are of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.

⁴² “^(AE)And whoever causes one of these ^[x]little ones who believe to stumble, it ^[y]would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he ^[z]had been cast into the sea. ^43 (AF)And if your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into ^[aa](AG)hell, into the ^(AH)unquenchable fire, ^44 [ab][and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into ^[ac](AI)hell, ^46 [ad][and where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.] ^47 (AJ)And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into ^[ae](AK)hell, ^48 (AL)where their worm does not die, and ^(AM)the fire is not quenched.

⁴⁹ “For everyone will be salted with fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good; but ^(AN)if the salt becomes unsalty, with what will you ^[af]make it salty again? ^(AO)Have salt in yourselves, and ^(AP)be at peace with one another.”