M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

3 Joshua got up early in the morning. He and all the people of Israel left Shittim and came to the Jordan. And they stayed there before they crossed. ² After three days the leaders went among the tents. ³ They told the people, “When you see the special box of the agreement of the Lord your God with the religious leaders carrying it, leave your places and follow it. ⁴ Then you may know the way to go, for you have not passed this way before. But stay about 1,000 long steps away from it. Do not come near it.”

⁵ Then Joshua said to the people, “Make yourselves holy. For tomorrow the Lord will do powerful works among you.” ⁶ Joshua said to the religious leaders, “Take up the special box of the agreement and cross over in front of the people.” So they took up the special box of the agreement and went in front of the people.

⁷ The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to give you honor in the eyes of all Israel. Then they may know that I will be with you just as I have been with Moses. ⁸ Tell the religious leaders who are carrying the special box of the agreement, ‘When you come to the water of the Jordan River, stand still in it.’” ⁹ Then Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here. Listen to the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ And Joshua said, “You will know that the living God is among you because He will be sure to drive away from in front of you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite and the Jebusite. ¹¹ See, the special box of the agreement of the Lord of All the earth is crossing over in front of you in the Jordan. ¹² Now choose twelve men from the families of Israel, one man for each family. ¹³ The religious leaders who carry the special box of the agreement of the Lord of All the earth, will rest their feet in the water of the Jordan. Then the water of the Jordan will be cut off. The water flowing down from above will gather together in one place.”

¹⁴ So the people left their tents to cross the Jordan. The religious leaders carried the special box of the agreement in front of the people. ¹⁵ They carried it to the Jordan and put their feet in the water. (For the Jordan water floods during the time of gathering grain.) ¹⁶ Then the water flowing down from above stood and rose up in one place far away at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The water flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, was all cut off. So the people crossed beside Jericho. ¹⁷ The religious leaders who carried the special box of the agreement of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan. And all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had crossed the Jordan.

A Prayer for Help

126 It was like a dream when the Lord brought back to Zion those who had been held in another land. ² Then we laughed with our mouths, and we sang with our tongues. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” ³ The Lord has done great things for us and we are glad.

⁴ Bring back our people, O Lord, like the rivers in the South. ⁵ Those who plant with tears will gather fruit with songs of joy. ⁶ He who goes out crying as he carries his bag of seed will return with songs of joy as he brings much grain with him.

God Is Good to His People

127 Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders work for nothing. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the men who watch over it stay awake for nothing. ² You rise up early, and go to bed late, and work hard for your food, all for nothing. For the Lord gives to His loved ones even while they sleep.

³ See, children are a gift from the Lord. The children born to us are our special reward. ⁴ The children of a young man are like arrows in the hand of a soldier. ⁵ Happy is the man who has many of them. They will not be put to shame when they speak in the gate with those who hate them.

The Joy of Obeying

128 Happy are all who honor the Lord with fear, and who walk in His ways. ² For you will eat the fruit of your hands. You will be happy and it will be well with you. ³ Your wife will be like a vine with much fruit within your house. Your children will be like olive plants around your table. ⁴ This is the good that will come to the man who honors the Lord with fear.

⁵ May the Lord do good things for you from Zion. And may you see good come to Jerusalem all the days of your life. ⁶ Yes, may you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel.

The Lord Wins over the Nations

63 Who is this Who comes from Edom, with dark red clothing from Bozrah? Who is this One Who is beautiful in His clothing, walking in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, Who speaks what is right and good, powerful to save.” ² Why is Your clothing red? Why is Your clothing like his who crushes the grapes? ³ “I have crushed the grapes alone. From the people there was no man with Me. I crushed them in My anger. I was angry as I stepped on them. And their life blood is on My clothing, and all My clothing is red. ⁴ For the day of punishment was in My heart. And My year to save My people and make them free has come. ⁵ I looked, and there was no one to help. I wondered that there was no one to help. So My own arm brought saving power to Me, and My anger helped Me. ⁶ I crushed the nations in My anger and I made them drunk in My anger. I poured out their life blood on the earth.”

Israel Remembers God’s Loving-Kindness

⁷ I will tell of the loving-kindness of the Lord, and praise Him for all He has done. I will tell of all the Lord has given us, the great goodness He has shown to the family of Israel and given to them because of His loving-pity and His great loving-kindness. ⁸ For He said, “For sure they are My people, sons who will not be false to Me.” So He saved them from the punishment of sin. ⁹ He suffered with them in all their troubles, and the angel of the Lord saved them. In His loving-kindness He paid the price and made them free. He lifted them up and carried them all the days of long ago. ¹⁰ But they turned against Him and made His Holy Spirit have sorrow. So He turned Himself and hated them, and fought against them. ¹¹ Then His people remembered the days long ago, the days of Moses. Where is He Who brought them through the sea with the shepherd of His flock? Where is He Who put His Holy Spirit among them? ¹² Where is He Who caused His great arm to be at the right hand of Moses? Where is He Who divided the waters in front of them to make for Himself a name that lasts forever. ¹³ Who led them through the sea? Like a horse in the desert, they did not lose their step. ¹⁴ Like cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So You led Your people, to make for Yourself a great and honored name.

A Prayer for Help

¹⁵ Look down from heaven, and see from Your holy and beautiful house. Where are Your strong desires and Your powerful works? Your kindness and Your loving-pity are kept from me. ¹⁶ For You are our Father. Even though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not see who we are, You, O Lord, are our Father. The One Who bought us and made us free from long ago is Your name. ¹⁷ O Lord, why do You make us turn aside from Your ways and make our hearts hard so we do not fear You? Return because of Your servants, the families of Your promised land. ¹⁸ Your holy people kept Your holy house for a little while. But those who hate us have broken it under their feet. ¹⁹ We have become like those over whom You have never ruled, like those who were not called by Your name.

John the Baptist Asks about Jesus ^(A)

11 When Jesus finished telling His twelve followers what to do, He went away from there to teach and preach in their towns.

² When John the Baptist was in prison, he heard what Jesus was doing. He sent his followers. ³ They asked, “Are You the One Who was to come, or should we look for another?” ⁴ Jesus said to them, “Go and tell John what you see and hear. ⁵ The blind are made to see. Those who could not walk are walking. Those who have had bad skin diseases are healed. Those who could not hear are hearing. The dead are raised up to life and the Good News is preached to poor people. ⁶ He is happy who is not ashamed of Me and does not turn away because of Me.”

Jesus Tells about John the Baptist ^(B)

⁷ As the followers of John the Baptist went away, Jesus began to tell the people about John. He said, “What did you go out to see in the desert? A small tree shaking in the wind? ⁸ But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in good clothes? Those who are dressed in good clothes are in the houses of kings. ⁹ What did you go out to see? One who speaks for God? Yes, I tell you, he is more than one who speaks for God. ¹⁰ This is the man the Holy Writings spoke of when they said, ‘See! I will send My helper to carry news ahead of You. He will make Your way ready for You!’ ^{(C) 11} For sure, I tell you, of those born of women, there is no one greater than John the Baptist. The least in the holy nation of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the holy nation of heaven has suffered very much. Fighting men try to take it. ¹³ All the early preachers and the Law told about it until the time of John. ¹⁴ And if you will believe it, he is Elijah who was to come. ^{(D) 15} You have ears, then listen!

Jesus Speaks Against Cities in Galilee

¹⁶ “What are the people of this day like? They are like children playing in the center of town where people gather. They call to their friends. ¹⁷ They say, ‘We played music for you, but you did not dance. We showed sorrow in front of you, but you did not show sorrow.’ ¹⁸ John came and did not eat or drink. They said, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ Then the Son of Man came and ate and drank. They said, ‘See! He eats too much and likes wine. He is a friend of men who gather taxes and of sinners!’ But wisdom shows itself to be right by what it does.”

²⁰ Then He began to say strong words against the cities where most of His powerful works were done. He spoke to them because they were not sorry for their sins and did not turn from them. ²¹ “It is bad for you, city of Chorazin! It is bad for you, town of Bethsaida! For if the powerful works which were done in you had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have turned from their sins long ago. They would have shown their sorrow by putting on clothes made from hair and would have sat in ashes. ²² I tell you, it will be better for Tyre and Sidon on the day men stand before God and are told they are guilty, than for you.

²³ “And Capernaum, are you to be lifted up into heaven? You will be taken down to hell. If the powerful works which were done in you had been done in the city of Sodom, it would be here to this day. ²⁴ But I say to you that it will be better for the land of Sodom on the day men stand before God and are told they are guilty, than for you.”

Jesus Prays to His Father

²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “Thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You hid these things from the wise and from those who have much learning. You have shown them to little children. ²⁶ Yes, Father, it was good in Your sight.

²⁷ “Everything has been given to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son but the Father. No one knows the Father but the Son, and those to whom the Son wants to make the Father known.

Jesus Calls People to Follow Him

²⁸ “Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest. ²⁹ Follow My teachings and learn from Me. I am gentle and do not have pride. You will have rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My way of carrying a load is easy and My load is not heavy.”