M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 7
Issachar. 1 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron. There were four of them in all.
2 The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, all leaders of their ancestral clans. During the reign of David, the descendants of Tola had twenty-two thousand, six hundred brave warriors in their generations.
3 The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five of them were leaders. 4 According to the generations of their ancestral clans, they had thirty-six thousand warriors, for they had many wives and children. 5 There were eighty-seven thousand brave warriors in all of their genealogies from among the brethren who belonged to the clans of Issachar.
Benjamin. 6 The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael. There were three of them in all.
7 The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were the five leaders of the ancestral clans. There were twenty-two thousand and thirty-four brave warriors according to their genealogies.
8 The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All of these were the sons of Becher. 9 These are the genealogies of the leaders of the ancestral clans and their twenty thousand, two hundred brave warriors.
10 The son of Jediael was Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
11 All of the sons of Jediael were leaders of the brave warriors, of whom there were seventeen thousand, two hundred ready for battle.
12 The Shuppites and the Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushim were descendants of Dan.
13 Naphtali and Manasseh. The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum. They were descendants of Bilhah.
14 [a]The descendants of Manasseh included Ashriel who was a descendant of his Aramean concubine. She bore Machir, the father of Gilead.
15 Machir took a wife from among the Huppites and the Shuppites. His sister’s name was Maacah. Another of his descendants was Zelophehad who only had daughters.
16 Maacah, the wife of Machir, gave birth to a son named Peresh. His brother’s name was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.
17 The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18 His sister was Hammolecheth. She gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20 Ephraim. The descendants of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered, his son, Tahath, his son, Eleadah, his son, Tahath, his son, 21 Zabad, his son, and Shuthelah, his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by men born in the land of Gath when they led a raid to take away their cattle. 22 Their father Ephraim mourned for them for a long time, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23 Then he slept with his wife again, and she conceived and bore a son whose name was Beriah because misfortune had visited his family.[b] 24 His daughter was Sheerah. She built upper and lower Beth-horon as well as Uzzen-sheerah.
25 Rephah was his son as well as Resheph. There was Telah, his son, Tahan, his son, 26 Ladan, his son, Ammihud, his son, Elishama, his son, 27 Nun, his son, and Joshua, his son.
28 Now their possessions and their dwelling places included Bethel and the towns dependent upon it, to the east Naaran, to the west Gezer and the towns dependent upon it, Shechem and the towns dependent upon it, Ayyah and the towns dependent upon it.[c] 29 Near the boundary with Manasseh there were Beth-shean and the towns dependent upon it, Taanach and the towns dependent upon it, Megiddo and the towns dependent upon it, and Dor with its towns. The descendants of Joseph, the son of Israel, dwelt in them.
30 Asher. The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
31 The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.
32 Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua.
33 The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the children of Japhlet.
34 The sons of Shomer were Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.
35 The sons of his brother Hotham were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38 The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.
39 The sons of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 These were all the descendants of Asher, the leaders of the ancestral clans, the mighty brave warriors, and the main leaders. In their genealogies there were twenty-six thousand warriors ready for battle.
Chapter 8
Benjamin. 1 Benjamin was the father of Bela, his firstborn, Ashbel, his second, Aharah, his third, 2 Nohah, his fourth, and Rapha, his fifth.
3 The sons of Bela were Addar, Gera, the father of Ehud,[d] 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6 These were the sons of Ehud. They were the leaders of the ancestral clans of those who lived in Geba. They forced them to move to Manahath: 7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who forced them to move. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
8 Shaharaim had children in the land of Moab after he sent away Hushim and Baara, his wives. 9 Through Hodesh, his wife, he was the father of Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10 Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. They were his sons and leaders of the ancestral clans.
11 Through Hushim he was the father of Abitub and Elpaal.
12 The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, Shemed, who built Ono and Lod and the towns dependent upon them, 13 Beriah, and Shema. They were the leaders of the ancestral clans of those who lived in Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.
14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ispah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.
17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.
19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.
22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24 Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah, 25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.
26 Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham. 28 These were the leaders of the ancestral clans by their leader. They dwelt in Jerusalem.
29 Now the father of Gibeon, whose wife’s name was Maacah, lived in Gibeon.[e] 30 His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecheriah, 32 and Mikloth, who became the father of Shimeah. They dwelt near their brethren in Jerusalem, living with them.
33 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul.
Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
34 The son of Jonathan was Meri-baal, and Meri-baal was the father of Micah.
35 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri.
Zimri was the father of Moza.
37 Moza was the father of Binea, Raphah was his son, Eleasah was his son, and Azel was his son.
38 Azel had six sons whose names were Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All of these were sons of Azel.
39 The sons of Eshek, his brother, were Ulam, his firstborn, Jeush, his second, and Eliphelet, his third.
40 The sons of Ulam were brave warriors, archers. They had many sons and grandsons, one hundred and fifty in all. These were all of the descendants of Benjamin.
The People of Faith[a]
Chapter 11
What Faith Is. 1 Faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the conviction about things that cannot be seen.[b] 2 Indeed, it was because of it that our ancestors were commended.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen came into being from the invisible.
The Faith of the Early Patriarchs.[c] 4 By faith Abel[d] offered to God a better sacrifice than that of Cain. Because of this he was attested as righteous, God himself bearing witness to his gifts. Although he is dead, he continues to speak through it.
5 By faith Enoch[e] was taken up so that he did not see death. He was found no more, because God had taken him, and before he was taken up he was attested to have pleased God. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
7 By faith Noah,[f] having been warned by God about things not yet seen, took heed and built an ark to save his household. Through his faith he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that derives from faith.
The Faith of Abraham and His Descendants. 8 By faith Abraham[g] obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. He went forth without knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to a city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
11 By faith Abraham also received the power of procreation, even though he was well past the age—and Sarah herself was barren[h]—because he believed that the one who had made the promise would be faithful in fulfilling it. 12 Therefore, from one man, himself as good as dead, came forth descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand on the seashore.
13 All these died in faith without having received what had been promised, but from a distance they saw far ahead how those promises would be fulfilled and welcomed them, and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and foreigners on the earth. 14 People who speak in this way make it clear that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had the opportunity to return. 16 But in fact they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, 18 of whom he had been told, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” 19 For he reasoned that God was able even to raise someone from the dead, and in a sense he was given back Isaac from the dead.[i] 20 By faith Isaac[j] gave his blessings to Jacob and Esau for the future.
21 By faith Jacob,[k] as he was dying, blessed each one of the sons of Joseph and bowed in worship, leaning on his staff.
22 By faith Joseph,[l] near the end of his life, mentioned the Exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.
23 By faith Moses[m] was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that he was a beautiful child, and they did not fear the king’s edict.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He preferred to be ill-treated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered that abuse suffered for the sake of the Messiah was a more precious gift than all the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the final reward.
27 By faith Moses departed from Egypt, unafraid of the wrath of the king; he persevered as if he could see the one who is invisible.
28 By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood so that the Destroyer would not harm the firstborn of Israel.
29 The Faith of the Israelites and Rahab. By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as though it were dry land. However, when the Egyptians attempted to do so, they were drowned.
30 By faith the walls of Jericho[n] fell when the people had marched around them for seven days.
31 By faith Rahab[o] the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, for she had received the spies in peace.
32 The Faith of the Judges and Prophets. What more shall I say? Time is too short for me to speak of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the Prophets,[p] 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and obtained the promises. They closed the mouths of lions,[q] 34 quenched raging fires,[r] and escaped the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned into strength as they became mighty in battle and put foreign armies to flight.
35 Women received their dead[s] back through resurrection. Others who were tortured refused to accept release in order to obtain a better resurrection. 36 Still others were mocked and scourged, even to the point of enduring chains and imprisonment.
37 They were stoned,[t] or sawed in two, or put to death by the sword. They went about in skins of sheep or goats—destitute, persecuted, and tormented. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered about in desert areas and on mountains, and they lived in dens and caves of the earth.
39 Yet all these, even though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised. 40 For God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to achieve perfection except with us.[u]
Chapter 5
Funereal Chant
1 Listen to these words that I utter against you in lamentation, O house of Israel:
2 She has fallen, to rise no more,
the virgin Israel.
She lies forsaken on her own soil,
with no one to raise her up.
3 For thus says the Lord God:
The city that marched out to war with a thousand
will be left with a hundred;
and the one that marched out with a hundred
will have only ten left.
4 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
If you seek me, you will survive,
5 but do not go to Bethel.
Do not journey to Gilgal,
and do not cross over to Beer-sheba.
For Gilgal will surely be led into exile,
and Bethel shall come to nothing.
6 Seek the Lord and you will live,
or else, like a fire,
he will sweep through the house of Joseph,
with no one able to quench the flames.
Hymn to God the Creator
8 He who made the Pleiades and Orion,
who turns heavy darkness into dawn
and darkens day into night,
who summons the waters of the sea
and pours them out over the surface of the earth,
9 who brings destruction on the strong
and ruin upon the fortress:
the Lord is his name.
7 Woe to those who turn justice to wormwood
and thrust righteousness to the ground.
Because You Crush the Weak
10 They hate the one who preaches justice at the city gate
and abhor the one who speaks the truth.
11 Therefore, because you have trampled upon the poor
and extorted levies on their wheat,
even though you have built houses of hewn stone,
you will never live in them;
although you have planted pleasant vineyards,
you will never drink their wine.
12 For I know how many are your crimes
and how monstrous are your sins.
You oppress the innocent, accept bribes,
and push aside the destitute at the gates.
13 Therefore, the prudent man keeps silent in such a situation,
for it is an evil period.
Seek the Good So That You Will Live
14 Seek good and not evil,
so that you may live.
Then the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you
as you claim he is.
15 Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the city gate.
Then it is possible that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will show mercy to the remnant of Joseph.[a]
16 The Countryside Is Devastated. Therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of hosts, the Almighty, has to say:
In every public square there will be lamentation;
in every street they will cry out, “Alas! Alas!”
They will summon the farmers to wail,
and the professional mourners to lament.
17 There will be wailing in every vineyard,
for I will pass through your midst,
says the Lord.
18 Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord.
What will this day of the Lord mean to you?
It will mean darkness, not light,
19 as if someone fled from a lion
and was met by a bear,
or entered his house
and rested his hand against the wall
and was bitten by a snake.
20 Will not the day of the Lord
be darkness, not light,
day of gloom without any brightness?
I Despise Your Feasts
21 I loathe, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you bring me
your burnt offerings and your grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Nor will I look favorably
upon your stall-fed peace offerings.
23 Spare me the noise of your chanting;
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
24 Rather, let justice flow like a river,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 Did you bring me sacrifices and offerings
during those forty years in the desert,
O house of Israel?
26 You have lifted up Sakuth, your king,
and Kaiwan, your star god,
the images that you have made for yourselves.
27 Therefore, I will drive you into exile beyond Damascus,
says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
Prologue[a]
Chapter 1
1 Since many different individuals have undertaken the task to set down an account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 in accordance with their transmission to us by those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word from the beginning, 3 I too, after researching all the evidence anew with great care, have decided to write an orderly account for you, Theophilus, who are so greatly revered, 4 so that you may learn the unquestioned authenticity of the teachings you have received.
The Infancy Narrative[b]
Announcement of the Birth of John.[c] At the time of the reign of King Herod of Judea,[d] there was a priest named Zechariah, a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the eyes of God, observing blamelessly all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.8 On one occasion, when his division was on duty and he was exercising his priestly office before God, 9 he was designated by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.[e] 10 At the hour of the offering of incense, all the people were outside, praying. 11 Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 When Zechariah beheld him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear for you a son, and you shall name him John. 14 He will be a source of joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
“He will never imbibe wine or any strong drink. Even when he is still in his mother’s womb, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, 16 and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to reconcile fathers with their children and to convert the disobedient to the ways of the righteous, so that a prepared people might be made ready for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be assured of this? For I am an old man and my wife is well past the stage of giving birth.” 19 The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to convey to you this good news. 20 But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their appointed time, you will lose your power of speech and will become mute until the day that these things take place.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was delaying so long in the sanctuary. 22 When he did emerge, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision while he was in the sanctuary. He was only able to make signs to them, but he remained unable to speak.
23 When his term of service was completed, he returned home. 24 Shortly thereafter his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she remained in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “The Lord has granted me this blessing, looking favorably upon me and removing from me the humiliation I have endured among my people.”[f]
26 Announcement of the Birth of Jesus.[g] In the sixth month,[h] the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin[i] betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace![j] The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and wondered in her heart what this salutation could mean.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”[k] 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 [l]And behold, your cousin Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month, 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.”
38 Then Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” After this, the angel departed from her.
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