M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

God Chooses Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s family. Go to the land I will show you.

⁴ So Abram went, just as the Lord had told him. Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Harran. ⁵ He took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. They took all the people and possessions they had acquired in Harran. They started out for the land of Canaan. And they arrived there.

⁶ Abram traveled through the land. He went as far as the large tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were living in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram at Shechem. He said, “I will give this land to your family who comes after you.” So Abram built an altar there to honor the Lord, who had appeared to him.

⁸ From there, Abram went on toward the hills east of Bethel. He set up his tent there. Bethel was to the west, and Ai was to the east. Abram built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord.

⁹ Then Abram left and continued south toward the Negev Desert.

Abram Goes to Egypt

¹⁰ At that time there was not enough food in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while. ¹¹ As he was about to enter Egypt, he spoke to his wife Sarai. He said, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. ¹² The people of Egypt will see you and say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me. But they will let you live. ¹³ Tell them you are my sister. Then I’ll be treated well and my life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴ Abram arrived in Egypt. The Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they told Pharaoh how beautiful she was. So she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ Pharaoh treated Abram well because of her. So Abram gained more sheep and cattle and male and female donkeys. He also gained more male and female servants and some camels.

¹⁷ But the Lord sent terrible sicknesses on Pharaoh and everyone in his palace. The Lord did it because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh sent for Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say she was your sister? That’s why I took her to be my wife. Now then, here’s your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders to his men about Abram. They sent him on his way. So he left with his wife and everything he had.

Jesus and John the Baptist

11 Jesus finished teaching his 12 disciples. Then he went on to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.

² John the Baptist was in prison. When he heard about the actions of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to him. ³ They asked Jesus, “Are you the one who is supposed to come? Or should we look for someone else?”

⁴ Jesus replied, “Go back to John. Report to him what you hear and see. ⁵ Blind people receive sight. Disabled people walk. Those who have skin diseases are made ‘clean.’ Deaf people hear. Those who are dead are raised to life. And the good news is preached to those who are poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who does not give up their faith because of me.”

⁷ As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John. He said, “What did you go out into the desert to see? Tall grass waving in the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No. People who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ He is the one written about in Scripture. It says,

¹¹ What I’m about to tell you is true. No one more important than John the Baptist has ever been born. But the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is more important than he is. ¹² Since the days of John the Baptist, the kingdom of heaven has been under attack. And violent people are taking hold of it. ¹³ All the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John came. ¹⁴ If you are willing to accept it, John is the Elijah who was supposed to come. ¹⁵ Whoever has ears should listen.

¹⁶ “What can I compare today’s people to? They are like children sitting in the markets and calling out to others. They say,

¹⁸ When John came, he didn’t eat or drink as you do. And people say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ But when the Son of Man came, he ate and drank as you do. And people say, ‘This fellow is always eating and drinking far too much. He’s a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” ’ By wise actions wisdom is shown to be right.”

Towns That Do Not Turn Away From Sin

²⁰ Jesus began to speak against the towns where he had done most of his miracles. The people there had not turned away from their sins. So he said, ²¹ “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon. They would have turned away from their sins long ago. They would have put on clothes for mourning. They would have sat down in ashes. ²² But I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ²³ And what about you, Capernaum? Will you be lifted to the heavens? No! You will go down to the place of the dead. Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Sodom. It would still be here today. ²⁴ But I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom than for you.”

Rest for All Who Are Tired

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father. This is what you wanted to do.

²⁷ “My Father has given all things to me. The Father is the only one who knows the Son. And the only ones who know the Father are the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to make him known.

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. ²⁹ Become my servants and learn from me. I am gentle and free of pride. You will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ Serving me is easy, and my load is light.”

Nehemiah Prays to the Lord

1 These are the words of Nehemiah. He was the son of Hakaliah.

I was in the fort of Susa. I was there in the 20th year that Artaxerxes was king. It was in the month of Kislev. ² At that time Hanani came from Judah with some other men. He was one of my brothers. I asked him and the other men about the Jews who were left alive in Judah. They had returned from Babylon. I also asked him about Jerusalem.

³ He and the men with him said to me, “Some of the people who returned are still alive. They are back in the land of Judah. But they are having a hard time. They are ashamed. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down. Its gates have been burned with fire.”

⁴ When I heard about these things, I sat down and wept. For several days I was very sad. I didn’t eat any food. And I prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵ I said,

“Lord, you are the God of heaven. You are a great and wonderful God. You keep the covenant you made with those who love you and obey your commandments. You show them your love. ⁶ Please pay careful attention to my prayer. See how your people are suffering. Please listen to me. I’m praying to you day and night. I’m praying for the people of Israel. We Israelites have committed sins against you. All of us admit it. I and my family have also sinned against you. ⁷ We’ve done some very evil things. We haven’t obeyed the commands, rules and laws you gave your servant Moses.

⁸ “Remember what you told him. You said, ‘If you people are not faithful, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁹ But if you return to me, I will bring you back. If you obey my commands, I will gather you together again. I will bring you back from the farthest places on earth. I will bring you to the special place where I have chosen to put my Name.’

¹⁰ “Lord, they are your people. They serve you. You used your great strength and mighty hand to set them free from Egypt. ¹¹ Lord, please pay careful attention to my prayer. Listen to the prayers of all of us. We take delight in bringing honor to your name. Give me success today when I bring my request to King Artaxerxes.”

I was the king’s wine taster.

Peter Explains His Actions

11 The apostles and the believers all through Judea heard that Gentiles had also received God’s word. ² Peter went up to Jerusalem. There the Jewish believers found fault with him. ³ They said, “You went into the house of Gentiles. You ate with them.”

⁴ Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story. ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying,” he said. “There I had a vision. I saw something that looked like a large sheet. It was being let down from heaven by its four corners. It came down to where I was. ⁶ I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth. There were also wild animals, reptiles and birds. ⁷ Then I heard a voice speaking to me. ‘Get up, Peter,’ the voice said. ‘Kill and eat.’

⁸ “I replied, ‘No, Lord! I will not! Nothing that is not pure and “clean” has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹ “A second time the voice spoke from heaven. The voice said, ‘Do not say anything is not pure that God has made “clean.” ’ ¹⁰ This happened three times. Then the sheet was pulled up into heaven.

¹¹ “Just then three men stopped at the house where I was staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² The Holy Spirit told me not to let anything keep me from going with them. These six brothers here went with me. We entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house. The angel said, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon Peter. ¹⁴ He has a message to bring to you. You and your whole family will be saved through it.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them. He came just as he had come on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered the Lord’s words. ‘John baptized with water,’ he had said. ‘But you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ God gave them the same gift he gave those of us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. So who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

¹⁸ When they heard this, they didn’t object anymore. They praised God. They said, “So then, God has allowed even Gentiles to turn away from their sins. He did this so that they could live.”

The Believers in Antioch

¹⁹ Some believers had been scattered by the suffering that unbelievers had caused them. They were scattered after Stephen was killed. Those believers traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. But they spread the word only among Jews. ²⁰ Some believers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch. There they began to speak to Greeks also. They told them the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹ The Lord’s power was with them. Large numbers of people believed and turned to the Lord.

²² The church in Jerusalem heard about this. So they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ²³ When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad. He told them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ²⁴ Barnabas was a good man. He was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Large numbers of people came to know the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. ²⁶ He found him there. Then he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church. They taught large numbers of people. At Antioch the believers were called Christians for the first time.

²⁷ In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ One of them was named Agabus. He stood up and spoke through the Spirit. He said there would not be nearly enough food anywhere in the Roman world. This happened while Claudius was the emperor. ²⁹ The believers decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. All of them helped as much as they could. ³⁰ They sent their gift to the elders through Barnabas and Saul.