M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jephthah and His Successors
12 Then the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they crossed [a]to Zaphon and (A)said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the sons of Ammon without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down on you.” 2 Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were at great strife with the sons of Ammon; when I called you, you did not deliver me from their hand. 3 When I saw that you would not deliver me, I [b](B)took my life in my hands and crossed over against the sons of Ammon, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?” 4 Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim; and the men of Gilead [c]defeated Ephraim, because they said, “You are fugitives of Ephraim, O Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and in the midst of Manasseh.” 5 The Gileadites (C)captured the fords of the Jordan opposite Ephraim. And it happened when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” 6 then they would say to him, “Say now, ‘Shibboleth.’” But he said, “Sibboleth,” for he could not [d]pronounce it correctly. Then they seized him and slew him at the fords of the Jordan. Thus there fell at that time 42,000 of Ephraim.
7 Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.
8 Now Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel after him. 9 He had thirty sons, and thirty daughters whom he [e]gave in marriage outside the family, and he brought in thirty daughters from outside for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.
11 Now Elon the Zebulunite judged Israel after him; and he judged Israel ten years. 12 Then Elon the Zebulunite died and was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.
13 Now Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite judged Israel after him. 14 He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who rode on seventy donkeys; and he judged Israel eight years. 15 Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died and was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.
The Macedonian Vision
16 Paul came also to (A)Derbe and to (B)Lystra. And a disciple was there, named (C)Timothy, the son of a (D)Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by (E)the brethren who were in (F)Lystra and (G)Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to [a]go with him; and he (H)took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering (I)the decrees which had been decided upon by (J)the apostles and (K)elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. 5 So (L)the churches were being strengthened [b]in the faith, and were (M)increasing in number daily.
6 They passed through the [c](N)Phrygian and (O)Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in [d](P)Asia; 7 and after they came to (Q)Mysia, they were trying to go into (R)Bithynia, and the (S)Spirit of Jesus did not permit them; 8 and passing by (T)Mysia, they came down to (U)Troas. 9 (V)A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of (W)Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 When he had seen (X)the vision, immediately (Y)we sought to [e]go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to (Z)preach the gospel to them.
11 So putting out to sea from (AA)Troas, we ran (AB)a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; 12 and from there to (AC)Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of (AD)Macedonia, (AE)a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. 13 And on (AF)the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and we sat down and began speaking to the women who had assembled.
First Convert in Europe
14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of (AG)Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, (AH)a worshiper of God, was listening; [f]and the Lord (AI)opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and (AJ)her household had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
16 It happened that as we were going to (AK)the place of prayer, a slave-girl having (AL)a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-telling. 17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying, “These men are bond-servants of (AM)the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you [g]the way of salvation.” 18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you (AN)in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very [h]moment.
19 But when her masters saw that their hope of (AO)profit was [i]gone, they seized (AP)Paul and Silas and (AQ)dragged them into the market place before the authorities, 20 and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, 21 and (AR)are proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being (AS)Romans.”
Paul and Silas Imprisoned
22 The crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their [j]robes off them and proceeded to order [k]them to be (AT)beaten with rods. 23 When they had struck them with many blows, they threw them into prison, commanding (AU)the jailer to guard them securely; 24 [l]and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in (AV)the [m]stocks.
25 But about midnight (AW)Paul and Silas were praying and (AX)singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly (AY)there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately (AZ)all the doors were opened and everyone’s (BA)chains were unfastened. 27 When (BB)the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about (BC)to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before (BD)Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, (BE)what must I do to be saved?”
The Jailer Converted
31 They said, “(BF)Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and (BG)your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of [n]the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them (BH)that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set [o]food before them, and rejoiced [p]greatly, having believed in God with (BI)his whole household.
35 Now when day came, the chief magistrates sent their policemen, saying, “Release those men.” 36 And (BJ)the jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, “The chief magistrates have sent to release you. Therefore come out now and go (BK)in peace.” 37 But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us in public without trial, (BL)men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison; and now are they sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out.” 38 The policemen reported these words to the chief magistrates. (BM)They were afraid when they heard that they were Romans, 39 and they came and appealed to them, and when they had brought them out, they kept begging them (BN)to leave the city. 40 They went out of the prison and entered the house of (BO)Lydia, and when they saw (BP)the brethren, they [q]encouraged them and departed.
Prophecy of the Captivity
25 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah, in the (A)fourth year of (B)Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah (that was the (C)first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), 2 which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the (D)people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, 3 “From the (E)thirteenth year of (F)Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, even to this day, [a]these (G)twenty-three years the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken to you [b](H)again and again, but you have not listened. 4 And the Lord has sent to you all His (I)servants the prophets [c]again and again, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear, 5 saying, ‘(J)Turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds, and dwell on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefathers (K)forever and ever; 6 and (L)do not go after other gods to [d]serve them and to [e]worship them, and do not provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands, and I will do you no harm.’ 7 Yet you have not listened to Me,” declares the Lord, “in order that you might (M)provoke Me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm.
8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, 9 behold, I will (N)send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, (O)My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will [f]utterly destroy them and (P)make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10 Moreover, I will [g](Q)take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the (R)sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 (S)This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon (T)seventy years.
Babylon Will Be Judged
12 ‘Then it will be (U)when seventy years are completed I will (V)punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the Lord, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and (W)I will make it an everlasting desolation. 13 I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in (X)this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against (Y)all the nations. 14 ([h]For (Z)many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will (AA)recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)’”
15 For thus the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this (AB)cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and cause all the nations to whom I send you to drink it. 16 They will (AC)drink and stagger and go mad because of the sword that I will send among them.”
17 Then I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and (AD)made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: 18 (AE)Jerusalem and the cities of Judah and its kings and its princes, to make them a ruin, a horror, a hissing and a curse, as it is this day; 19 (AF)Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his princes and all his people; 20 and all the [i](AG)foreign people, all the kings of the (AH)land of Uz, all the kings of the land of the (AI)Philistines (even Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron and the remnant of (AJ)Ashdod); 21 (AK)Edom, (AL)Moab and the sons of (AM)Ammon; 22 and all the kings of (AN)Tyre, all the kings of Sidon and the kings of (AO)the coastlands which are beyond the sea; 23 and (AP)Dedan, Tema, (AQ)Buz and all who (AR)cut the corners of their hair; 24 and all the kings of (AS)Arabia and all the kings of the [j](AT)foreign people who dwell in the desert; 25 and all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of (AU)Elam and all the kings of (AV)Media; 26 and all the kings of the north, near and far, one with another; and (AW)all the kingdoms of the earth which are upon the face of the ground, and the king of [k](AX)Sheshach shall drink after them.
27 “You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “(AY)Drink, be drunk, vomit, fall and rise no more because of the (AZ)sword which I will send among you.”’ 28 And it will be, if they (BA)refuse to take the cup from your hand to drink, then you will say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “(BB)You shall surely drink! 29 For behold, I am (BC)beginning to work calamity in this city which is (BD)called by My name, and shall you be completely free from punishment? You will not be free from punishment; for (BE)I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth,” declares the Lord of hosts.’
30 “Therefore you shall prophesy against them all these words, and you shall say to them,
‘The (BF)Lord will (BG)roar from on high
And utter His voice from His holy habitation;
He will roar mightily against His [l]fold.
He will shout like those who tread the grapes,
Against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31 ‘A clamor has come to the end of the earth,
Because the Lord has (BH)a controversy with the nations.
He is entering into (BI)judgment with all flesh;
As for the wicked, He has given them to the sword,’ declares the Lord.”
32 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“Behold, evil is going forth
From (BJ)nation to nation,
And a great (BK)storm is being stirred up
From the remotest parts of the earth.
33 “Those (BL)slain by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth to the [m]other. They will (BM)not be lamented, gathered or buried; they will be like (BN)dung on the face of the ground.
34 “Wail, you shepherds, and cry;
And (BO)wallow in ashes, you masters of the flock;
For the days of your (BP)slaughter and your dispersions [n]have come,
And you will fall like a choice vessel.
35 “(BQ)Flight will perish from the shepherds,
And escape from the masters of the flock.
36 “Hear the sound of the cry of the shepherds,
And the wailing of the masters of the flock!
For the Lord is destroying their pasture,
37 “And the peaceful [o](BR)folds are made silent
Because of the (BS)fierce anger of the Lord.
38 “He has left His hiding place (BT)like the lion;
For their land has become a horror
Because of the fierceness of the [p]oppressing sword
And because of His fierce anger.”
The Triumphal Entry
11 (A)As they *approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and (B)Bethany, near (C)the Mount of Olives, He *sent two of His disciples, 2 and *said to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one yet has ever sat; untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ you say, ‘The Lord has need of it’; and immediately he [a]will send it back here.” 4 They went away and found a colt tied at the door, outside in the street; and they *untied it. 5 Some of the bystanders were saying to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 They spoke to them just as Jesus had told them, and they gave them permission. 7 (D)They *brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it; and He sat on it. 8 And many spread their coats in the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields. 9 Those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:
“Hosanna!
(E)Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna (F)in the highest!”
11 (G)Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, (H)He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.
12 (I)On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
Jesus Drives Money Changers from the Temple
15 (J)Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling [b]doves; 16 and He would not permit anyone to carry [c]merchandise through the temple. 17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘(K)My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? (L)But you have made it a robbers’ [d]den.” 18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and (M)began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for (N)the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.
19 (O)When evening came, [e]they would go out of the city.
20 (P)As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “(Q)Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, “(R)Have faith in God. 23 (S)Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, (T)all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 Whenever you (U)stand praying, (V)forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [[f](W)But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]
Jesus’ Authority Questioned
27 They *came again to Jerusalem. (X)And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders *came to Him, 28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.” 31 They began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But [g]shall we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the people, for everyone considered John to have been a real prophet. 33 Answering Jesus, they *said, “We do not know.” And Jesus *said to them, “Nor [h]will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.