M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 As the people journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top will reach to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men built. 6 The Lord said, “The people are one and they have one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; now nothing that they propose to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. From there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Shem’s Descendants(A)
10 These are the generations of Shem.
Shem was a hundred years old, and two years after the flood he became the father of Arphaxad. 11 Shem lived after the birth of Arphaxad five hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.
12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah. 13 Arphaxad lived after the birth of Shelah four hundred and three years, and had other sons and daughters.
14 Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber. 15 Shelah lived after the birth of Eber four hundred and three years, and had other sons and daughters.
16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg. 17 Eber lived after the birth of Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and had other sons and daughters.
18 Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu. 19 Peleg lived after the birth of Reu two hundred and nine years, and had other sons and daughters.
20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug. 21 Reu lived after the birth of Serug two hundred and seven years, and had other sons and daughters.
22 Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor. 23 Serug lived after the birth of Nahor two hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.
24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah. 25 Nahor lived after the birth of Terah one hundred and nineteen years, and had other sons and daughters.
26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Terah’s Descendants
27 These are the generations of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milkah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milkah and the father of Iskah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31 Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Harran, they settled there.
32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Harran.
The Mission of the Twelve Apostles(A)
10 He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew, his brother; James, the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew, the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus; and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
The Commissioning of the Twelve Apostles(B)
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, and commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans. 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
9 “Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper for your purses, 10 nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor shoes, nor even staffs. For the workman is worthy of his keep.
11 “In whatever city or town you enter, inquire in it who is worthy. And live there until you leave. 12 When you come into a house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 Whoever will not receive you, nor hear your words, when you depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town.
Coming Persecutions(C)
16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought of how or what you will speak. For it will be given you at that time what you will speak. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks through you.
21 “The brother will deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child. And the children will rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 You will be hated by all men for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23 But when they persecute you in this city, escape into another. For truly I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “The disciple is not above his teacher, nor the servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household?
Whom to Fear(D)
26 “Therefore do not fear them. For nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. And what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Therefore do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows.
Confessing and Denying Christ(E)
32 “Whoever will confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever will deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword(F)
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn
‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 a man’s foes will be those of his own household.’[a]
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And He who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Rewards(G)
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42 And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, truly I tell you, he shall in no way lose his reward.”
The People’s Confession of Sin
10 Now while Ezra prayed and confessed, weeping and prostrating himself before the house of God, a very large congregation of men, women, and children gathered around him from Israel, for the people too wept bitterly. 2 Shekaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have acted with vile unfaithfulness against our God and have wedded foreign women from the people of the land, yet there is now hope in Israel concerning this. 3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to sever relations with all the women and their children according to the counsel of my lord and those who tremble at the commandment of our God. May this be done in accordance with the law. 4 Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. But we are standing with you. Be courageous and act!”
5 Then Ezra stood and made the presiding Levitical priests and all Israel to swear an oath to act according to this word. And they swore an oath. 6 Then Ezra stood in front of the house of God and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib. When he arrived there, he ate no bread and drank no water because he was mourning over the vile unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7 They made a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all the children of the exile to assemble in Jerusalem. 8 Whoever would not come within three days would forfeit all his possessions, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, and would himself be excluded from the congregation of the exiles.
9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together to Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. All the people sat on the grounds of the house of God, trembling about this matter and also because of the great rain. 10 Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have acted unfaithfully by bringing home foreign women, adding to the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do what pleases Him: Sever your relationships with the people of the land, especially from the foreign women.”
12 Then all the congregation answered loudly, “As you have said to us, that we will do. 13 But there are many people, and because it is the rainy season we will not be able to set up outside. Moreover, this is not a task for a day or two since we have so grievously transgressed in this matter. 14 Let now our rulers preside over all the congregation so that, in each of our cities, all who have married foreign women, along with the elders and judges of that city, will come at appointed times, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter is turned from us.” 15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, with Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supporting them.
16 Then the descendants of the captivity did so. Ezra the priest selected men, heads of the fathers’ households, according to their families, each of them by name. They sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter, 17 and finished dealing with every man who had married foreign women by the first day of the first month.
Those Guilty of Intermarriage
18 Some of the sons of the priests were discovered to have wedded foreign women,
namely the sons of Joshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah. 19 They committed to sever their relations with their women, and, being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their guilt.
20 Likewise, of the sons of Immer,
there were Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 Of the sons of Harim,
there were Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 Of the sons of Pashhur,
there were Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah.
23 Also, from the Levites,
there were Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah, (the same is Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.
24 Among the singers,
there was Eliashib,
and from the porters,
there were Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 Further from Israel,
of the sons of Parosh,
there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malkijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malkijah, and Benaiah.
26 Of the sons of Elam,
there were Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 Of the sons of Zattu,
there were Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 Of the sons of Bebai,
there were Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai.
29 Of the sons of Bani,
there were Meshullam, Malluk, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth.
30 Of the sons of Pahath-Moab,
there were Adna, Kelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh.
31 Of the sons of Harim,
there were Eliezer, Ishijah, Malkijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluk, and Shemariah.
33 Of the sons of Hashum,
there were Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.
34 Of the sons of Bani,
there were Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Keluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
38 Of the sons of Binnui,
there were Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Maknadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph.
43 Of the sons of Nebo,
there were Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah.
44 All these married foreign women, and some of them had wives that had children.
Peter and Cornelius
10 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, the centurion[a] of a band of soldiers called the Italian Detachment, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave many alms to the people and continually prayed to God. 3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.”
4 When he looked at him he was afraid, and said, “What is it, Lord?”
He said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up as a memorial before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa, and bring back Simon whose surname is Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”
7 When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who continually waited on him. 8 When he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 The next day as they went on their journey and drew near the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray about the sixth hour. 10 He became very hungry and desired to eat. But while they prepared a meal, he fell into a trance 11 and saw heaven opened, and a vessel like a great sheet, tied at the four corners, descending to him, and let down to the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth and wild beasts and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 Then a voice came to him, “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”
14 Peter said, “Not at all, Lord. For I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.”
15 The voice spoke to him a second time: “What God has cleansed, do not call common.”
16 This happened three times. And again the vessel was taken up into heaven.
17 Now while Peter wondered what this vision which he had seen might mean, the men who were sent by Cornelius had inquired for Simon’s house and stood at the gate, 18 and called and asked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, was lodging there.
19 While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Three men are looking for you. 20 So rise and go down, and go with them, doubting nothing. For I have sent them.”
21 Then Peter went down to the men who were sent to him by Cornelius and said, “Here I am, the one you are seeking. Why have you come?”
22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a man who is righteous and fears God and is of good report throughout the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house to hear your words.” 23 Then he invited them in and gave them lodging.
The next day Peter went with them, and some brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And the next day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. 26 But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up. I myself am a man.”
27 As he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together. 28 He said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jew to visit or approach a foreigner. But God has shown me not to call any man common or unclean. 29 So when I was sent for, I came without question. Therefore I ask why you have sent for me.”
30 Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour. At the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and suddenly a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered before God. 32 Therefore send to Joppa for Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you.’ 33 So immediately I sent for you, and you have done well to come. Now therefore we are all here, present before God, to hear everything the Lord has commanded you.”
Peter Speaks in Cornelius’ House
34 Then Peter began to speak, saying, “Truthfully, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. 35 But in every nation he who fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. 36 The word which He sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, 37 the word, which you know, that was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
39 “We are witnesses of all that He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. 40 But God raised Him on the third day and presented Him publicly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses previously chosen by God, to us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets bear witness that whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins through His name.”
Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. 45 All the believers of the circumcision who had come with Peter were astonished, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in other tongues and magnifying God.
Then Peter continued, 47 “Can anyone forbid water for baptizing these, who have received the Holy Spirit as we have?” 48 So he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.