M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Israel Crosses the Jordan
3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from (A)Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. 2 (B)At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the (C)ark of the covenant of the Lord your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 [a]cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “(D)Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people.
7 Now the Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to (E)exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. 8 You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that (F)the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly (G)dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of (H)the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. 12 Now then, (I)take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. 13 It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are [b]flowing down from above [c]will (J)stand in one heap.”
14 So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying (K)the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the (L)Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), 16 (M)the waters which were [d]flowing down from above stood and rose up in (N)one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were [e]flowing down toward the sea of the (O)Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. 17 And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm (P)on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
Thanksgiving for Return from Captivity.
A Song of Ascents.
126 When the Lord (A)brought back [a]the captive ones of Zion,
We were (B)like those who dream.
2 Then our (C)mouth was filled with laughter
And our (D)tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has (E)done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
We are (F)glad.
4 Restore our captivity, O Lord,
As the [b](G)streams in the [c]South.
5 Those who sow in (H)tears shall reap with (I)joyful shouting.
6 He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Prosperity Comes from the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of Solomon.
127 Unless the Lord (J)builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord (K)guards the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To [d]retire late,
To (L)eat the bread of [e]painful labors;
For He gives to His (M)beloved (N)even in his sleep.
3 Behold, (O)children are a [f]gift of the Lord,
The (P)fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a (Q)warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How (R)blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
(S)They will not be ashamed
When they (T)speak with their enemies (U)in the gate.
Blessedness of the Fear of the Lord.
A Song of Ascents.
128 (V)How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,
Who (W)walks in His ways.
2 When you shall (X)eat of the [g](Y)fruit of your hands,
You will be happy and (Z)it will be well with you.
3 Your wife shall be like a (AA)fruitful vine
[h]Within your house,
Your children like (AB)olive plants
Around your table.
4 Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
God’s Vengeance on the Nations
63 Who is this who comes from (A)Edom,
With (B)garments of [a]glowing colors from (C)Bozrah,
This One who is majestic in His apparel,
[b]Marching in the greatness of His strength?
“It is I who speak in righteousness, (D)mighty to save.”
2 Why is Your apparel red,
And Your garments like the one who (E)treads in the wine press?
3 “(F)I have trodden the wine trough alone,
And from the peoples there was no man with Me.
I also (G)trod them in My anger
And (H)trampled them in My wrath;
And (I)their [c]lifeblood is sprinkled on My garments,
And I [d]stained all My raiment.
4 “For the (J)day of vengeance was in My heart,
And My year of redemption has come.
5 “I looked, and there was (K)no one to help,
And I was astonished and there was no one to uphold;
So My (L)own arm brought salvation to Me,
And My wrath upheld Me.
6 “I (M)trod down the peoples in My anger
And made them (N)drunk in My wrath,
And I [e]poured out their lifeblood on the earth.”
God’s Ancient Mercies Recalled
7 I shall make mention of the (O)lovingkindnesses of the Lord, the praises of the Lord,
According to all that the Lord has granted us,
And the great (P)goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has granted them according to His (Q)compassion
And according to the abundance of His lovingkindnesses.
8 For He said, “Surely, they are (R)My people,
Sons who will not deal falsely.”
So He became their (S)Savior.
9 In all their affliction [f](T)He was afflicted,
And the (U)angel of His presence saved them;
In His (V)love and in His mercy He (W)redeemed them,
And He (X)lifted them and carried them all the days of old.
10 But they (Y)rebelled
And grieved His (Z)Holy Spirit;
Therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy,
He fought against them.
11 Then (AA)His people remembered the days of old, of Moses.
Where is (AB)He who brought them up out of the sea with the [g]shepherds of His flock?
Where is He who (AC)put His Holy Spirit in the midst of [h]them,
12 Who caused His (AD)glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,
Who (AE)divided the waters before them to make for Himself an everlasting name,
13 Who led them through the depths?
Like the horse in the wilderness, they did not (AF)stumble;
14 As the cattle which go down into the valley,
The Spirit of the (AG)Lord gave [i]them rest.
So You (AH)led Your people,
To make for Yourself a glorious name.
“You Are Our Father”
15 (AI)Look down from heaven and see from Your holy and glorious (AJ)habitation;
Where are Your (AK)zeal and Your mighty deeds?
The (AL)stirrings of Your heart and Your compassion are restrained toward me.
16 For You are our (AM)Father, though (AN)Abraham does not know us
And Israel does not recognize us.
You, O Lord, are our Father,
Our (AO)Redeemer from of old is Your name.
17 Why, O Lord, do You (AP)cause us to stray from Your ways
And (AQ)harden our heart from fearing You?
(AR)Return for the sake of Your servants, the tribes of Your heritage.
18 Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for a little while,
Our adversaries have (AS)trodden it down.
19 We have become like those over whom You have never ruled,
Like those who were not called by Your name.
John’s Questions
11 (A)When Jesus had finished [a]giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there (B)to teach and [b]preach in their cities.
2 (C)Now when (D)John, [c]while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You (E)the [d]Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 (F)the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the (G)poor have the [e]gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he [f]who (H)does not [g]take offense at Me.”
Jesus’ Tribute to John
7 As these men were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out into (I)the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 [h]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ [i]palaces! 9 [j]But what did you go out to see? (J)A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it [k]is written,
11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is [m]least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 (L)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven [n]suffers violence, and violent men [o]take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is (M)Elijah who [p]was to come. 15 (N)He who has ears to hear, [q]let him hear.
16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not [r]mourn.’ 18 For John came neither (O)eating nor (P)drinking, and they say, ‘(Q)He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a [s]drunkard, (R)a friend of tax collectors and [t]sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”
The Unrepenting Cities
20 Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His [u](S)miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 “(T)Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, (U)Bethsaida! For if the [v]miracles had occurred in (V)Tyre and (W)Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in [w](X)sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, (Y)it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in (Z)the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, (AA)Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will (AB)descend to (AC)Hades; for if the [x]miracles had occurred in (AD)Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that (AE)it will be more tolerable for the land of (AF)Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”
Come to Me
25 (AG)At that [y]time Jesus said, “I praise You, (AH)Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that (AI)You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, (AJ)Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 (AK)All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father (AL)except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28 “(AM)Come to Me, all [z]who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and (AN)learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and (AO)you will find rest for your souls. 30 For (AP)My yoke is [aa]easy and My burden is light.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.