M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Gideon Defeats the Midianites
7 Then Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him got up early and set up camp at Harod Spring. There was a camp of Midianites to the north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many people with you for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel glorify themselves over Me, saying, ‘Our own power saved us.’ 3 So now, call out so the people can hear, ‘Whoever is afraid or anxious may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand from among the people turned back, and ten thousand were left.
4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many people. Bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. When I say to you, ‘This one will go with you,’ he will go with you. Everyone about whom I will say, ‘This one will not go with you,’ will not go.”
5 So he brought the people down to the water, and the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall set apart by himself everyone who laps the water with his tongue like dogs; likewise, everyone who kneels down to drink.” 6 The number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was three hundred. The rest of the people had knelt to drink water.
7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With three hundred men who lapped to drink, I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. All the rest of the people should go home.” 8 So the three hundred men took provisions and ram’s horn trumpets in their hands. Gideon sent all the other Israelite men to their tents, but he kept the three hundred men.
Now the Midianite camp was below him in the valley. 9 That night the Lord said to him, “Get up and go down into the camp, for I have given it into your hands. 10 Yet if you are afraid to go down, then go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 Listen to what they say, and afterward you will be emboldened to go down to the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down near the edge of the camp. 12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the Kedemites covered the valley like locusts; and their camels could not be counted, for they were as numerous as grains of sand on the seashore.
13 Gideon came and overheard one man who was telling his dream to another. The man said, “Listen to a dream I had. I saw a dry cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It rolled up to a tent and struck it. It fell, turned upside down, and collapsed.”
14 The other man responded, “This is none other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash the Israelite. God has given Midian and the whole camp into his hands.”
15 When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped, returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Get up, for the Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” 16 He divided the three hundred men into three combat units. He gave all of them ram’s horn trumpets, empty jars, and torches within the jars.
17 He said to them, “Look at me and do likewise. Watch, and when I come to the perimeter of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow the horn, then you will blow the horns all around the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ”
19 So Gideon and a hundred men with him went to the edge of the camp at the start of the middle night watch, just as they were setting the watch. Then they blew the horns and smashed the jars in their hands. 20 The three combat units blew the horns and broke the jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the horns for blowing in their right hands. They called out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place all around the camp, but the men in the camp ran, shouted, and fled.
22 When they blew the three hundred horns, the Lord turned every man’s sword against his fellow man throughout the camp. The Midianite camp fled to Beth Shittah in the direction of Zererah, up to the border of Abel Meholah, near Tabbath. 23 The men of Israel from Naphtali, Asher, and all of Manasseh were summoned, and they chased after the Midianites. 24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to engage Midian in battle. Take control of the water ways as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.”
All the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they took control of the water ways as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They chased after the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
Peter’s Report to the Church in Jerusalem
11 The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised disputed with him, 3 saying, “You went in and ate with uncircumcised men!”
4 Peter began explaining it to them in order, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying. And in a trance I saw a vision: A vessel like a great sheet was descending, let down from heaven by four corners, and it came to me. 6 I considered what I had observed and saw four-footed creatures and wild beasts and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’
8 “I said, ‘Not at all, Lord. For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’
9 “The voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, do not call common.’ 10 This happened three times. And again everything was taken up into heaven.
11 “And immediately three men sent from Caesarea to me came to the house where I was. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. Moreover these six brothers came with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel in his house, who stood and said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter. 14 He will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, as He fell on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’[a] 17 If then God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?”
18 When they heard these things, they were silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then God has granted to the Gentiles also repentance unto life.”
The Church in Antioch
19 Now those who were scattered by the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one except Jews. 20 Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of these things came to the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and exhorted them all to remain with the Lord with a loyal heart. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And many people were added to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
27 In these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and prophesied by the Spirit that there would be a great famine throughout all the world, which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. 29 Then every disciple, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. 30 Indeed they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
Pashhur Strikes Jeremiah
20 Now Pashhur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 On the next day Pashhur brought Jeremiah out of the stocks. Then Jeremiah said to him, The Lord has not called your name Pashhur, but “Magor-missabib.”[a] 4 For thus says the Lord: I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. And they will fall by the sword of their enemies while your eyes will see it. Thus I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive into Babylon and will slay them with the sword. 5 Moreover I will deliver all the wealth of this city, and all its produce, and all the precious things; and all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give into the hand of their enemies who will destroy them, and take them, and carry them to Babylon. 6 You, Pashhur, and all who dwell in your house will go into captivity; and you will come to Babylon, and there you will die and will be buried there, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies.
Jeremiah Dejected
7 O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived;
You are stronger than I and have prevailed.
I am held in derision daily;
everyone mocks me.
8 For each time I speak, I cry out;
I cry out, “Violence and devastation,”
because to me the word of the Lord has resulted
in reproach and derision daily.
9 But if I say, “I will not make mention of Him
nor speak any more in His name,”
then His word was in my heart
as a burning fire shut up in my bones;
and I was weary of forbearing it,
and I could not endure it.
10 For I heard the defaming of many,
“Terror on every side!
Denounce him. Yes, denounce him!”
All my familiar friends
who watch for my fall, say,
“Perhaps he will be enticed
so that we can prevail against him,
and we will take our revenge on him.”
11 But the Lord is with me as a dread mighty One.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail.
They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper.
Their everlasting shame will never be forgotten.
12 But, O Lord of Hosts, who tests the righteous
and sees the mind and the heart,
let me see Your vengeance on them,
for to You I have presented my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord,
praise the Lord.
For He has delivered the soul of the poor
from the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the day in which I was born.
Let not the day be blessed in which my mother bore me.
15 Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father,
saying, “A baby boy has been born to you!”
and made him very glad.
16 Let that man be as the cities
which the Lord overthrew and did not relent,
and let him hear the cry in the morning
and the shout of alarm at noon,
17 because he did not kill me from the womb,
so that my mother might have been my grave,
and her womb be always pregnant.
18 Why did I come forth from the womb
to see trouble and sorrow,
so that my days are spent in shame?
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth(A)
6 He went away from there and came into His own country. And His disciples followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, “Where did this Man get this? What is this wisdom that is given Him, that even miracles are done by His hands? 3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him.
4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He was amazed because of their unbelief.
The Mission of the Twelve(B)
Then He went to the surrounding villages, teaching. 7 He called to Him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
8 He commanded them to take nothing for their journey except a staff: no bag, no bread, and no money in their purse, 9 but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics. 10 He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, remain there until you depart from that place. 11 And whoever will not receive you or hear you, when you depart from there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that city.”
12 So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
The Death of John the Baptist(C)
14 King Herod heard of Him, for His name was spread publicly. He said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and therefore these miracles are at work in him.”
15 But others said, “He is Elijah.”
And yet others said, “He is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.”
16 But when Herod heard of it, he said, “It is John, whom I beheaded. He has been raised from the dead!”
17 Herod had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her. 18 For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias had a grudge against him and would have killed him, but she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, but heard him gladly.
21 But a convenient day came when Herod on his birthday prepared a ceremonial dinner for his lords and commanding officers and leading men of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you desire, and I will give it to you.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
24 She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?”
She said, “The head of John the Baptist.”
25 She came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, “I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter at once.”
26 The king was extremely sorrowful. Yet for the sake of his oath and those who sat with him, he would not reject her. 27 So the king immediately sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. And the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took up his corpse and laid it in a tomb.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand(D)
30 The apostles met with Jesus and told him everything, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 Then He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest a while,” for many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
32 So they went into a remote place privately by boat. 33 But the people saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot out of every city. They arrived first and came together to Him. 34 When Jesus came out and saw many people, He was moved with compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And He began to teach them many things.
35 When the day was now getting late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is a remote place, and now the time is passing. 36 Send them away into the surrounding country and villages to buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat.”
37 But He answered, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to Him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii[a] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”
38 He said to them, “How many loaves have you? Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
39 Then He commanded them to make everyone sit down by companies on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. 41 When He had taken the five loaves and the two fish, He looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them. And He divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were filled. 43 And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments and of the fish. 44 Those who ate of the loaves were about five thousand men.
Walking on the Water(E)
45 Immediately He compelled His disciples to get into the boat and to go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the crowd away. 46 When He had sent them away, He departed to a mountain to pray.
47 When evening came, the boat was in the midst of the sea. And He was alone on the land. 48 He saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea and would have passed by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried out. 50 For they all saw Him and were troubled.
Immediately He spoke to them and said, “Be of good cheer, it is I. Do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up to them in the boat and the wind ceased. They were greatly astonished in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. 52 For they had not comprehended the miracle of the loaves, for their hearts were hardened.
The Healing of the Sick in Gennesaret(F)
53 When they had crossed over, they came to the land of Gennesaret and anchored on the shore. 54 When they had come out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 and ran throughout the surrounding region, and began to carry the sick on beds to wherever they heard He was. 56 And wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and pleaded with Him that they might touch even the fringe of His garment. And as many as touched Him were healed.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.