M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The False Gods of Micah

17 There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. ² He said to his mother, “There were 1,100 pieces of silver taken from you. And I heard you pray that the robber would be cursed. See, the silver is with me. I took it.” His mother said, “May the Lord bring good to you, my son.” ³ He returned the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And she said, “I set apart all the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son. It is to be used in making an object to look like a god. So I will return the silver to you.” ⁴ When he returned the silver to his mother, she gave 200 pieces to the man who works with silver. He made them into an object to look like a god for Micah’s house. ⁵ The man Micah had a special building where gods were worshiped. He made a holy vest and gods for the house. And he set apart one of his sons to be his religious leader. ⁶ There was no king in Israel in those days. Each man did what he thought was right.

⁷ Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah. He was a Levite, of the family of Judah, and he was staying there. ⁸ He left the city of Bethlehem in Judah to find a place to live. As he traveled he came to the house of Micah in the hill country of Ephraim. ⁹ Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” He answered, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah. I am going to stay where I may find a place.” ¹⁰ Then Micah said to him, “Live with me. Be a father and a religious leader to me. I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, new clothes, and your living.” So the Levite went in. ¹¹ The Levite agreed to live with the man. And the young man was like a son to Micah. ¹² So Micah set apart the Levite. The young man became his religious leader and lived in Micah’s house. ¹³ Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will bring good to me because I have a Levite as my religious leader.”

Paul Goes from Miletus to Tyre

21 After we left them, we got on a ship and came straight down to the island of Cos. The next day we came to the island of Rhodes and from there to the city of Patara. ² There we found a ship that was going over to the country of Phoenicia. We got on it and went along. ³ We saw the island of Cyprus to our left but went on to the country of Syria. We came to land at the city of Tyre. The ship was to leave its load of freight there.

⁴ We looked for the Christians and stayed with them seven days. The Christians had been told by the Holy Spirit to tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem. ⁵ When our time was up, we left there and went on our way. All of them with their wives and children went with us out of town. They got down on their knees on the shore and prayed. ⁶ After we said good-bye, we got on the ship and they went back to their houses.

Paul Goes from Tyre to Jerusalem

⁷ The same ship took us from Tyre to the city of Ptolemais. We stayed with the Christians there one day. ⁸ The next day we left and came to the city of Caesarea. We went to the house of Philip and stayed with him. He was a preacher who goes from town to town and was one of the seven church leaders. ⁹ Philip had four daughters who were not married. They spoke the Word of God.

¹⁰ While we were there a few days, a man who speaks for God named Agabus came down from the country of Judea. ¹¹ He came to see us. Then he took Paul’s belt and used it to tie his own feet and hands. He said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says, ‘The Jews at Jerusalem will tie the man who owns this belt. Then they will hand him over to the people who are not Jews.’”

¹² When we heard this, we and all the people living there begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul said, “What do you mean by crying and breaking my heart? I am ready to be put in chains in Jerusalem. I am also ready to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ Paul would not listen to us. So we stopped begging him and said, “May whatever God wants be done.”

Paul Is in Jerusalem

¹⁵ After this, we got ready and started up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the followers in Caesarea went with us. They took us to Mnason’s house. He was one of the first followers from Cyprus. We stayed with him.

¹⁷ When we got to Jerusalem, the Christians were glad to see us. ¹⁸ The next day we went with Paul to see James. All the church leaders came also. ¹⁹ After saying hello to them, Paul told of what God had done through his work for the people who were not Jews.

²⁰ When they heard this, they thanked the Lord. Then they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Christians there are among the Jews. They all obey the Law of Moses. ²¹ They have heard about you. They have heard you teach the Jews who live among people who are not Jews. They have heard you teach them to break away from the Law of Moses. They say you are telling them not to do the religious act of becoming a Jew and not to follow old religious ways of worship. ²² What should we do about it? They will hear that you have come. ²³ You must do what we tell you. We have four men with us who have made a promise to God. ²⁴ Take these four men and go through the religious worship of washing with them. You pay to have their hair cut off. Then everybody will know what they have heard about you is not true. They will know you are careful to obey the Law of Moses. ²⁵ As for the people who are not Jews, we wrote to them. We said that they must keep away from everything that has been given to gods. They must not eat blood or meat from animals that have been killed in ways against the Law. They must keep away from sex sins.”

²⁶ The next day Paul took the men. He went through the religious worship of washing with them. They went into the house of God to tell when their religious worship of washing would be finished. Then the gift for each one of them would be given as an act of worship.

²⁷ The seven days were almost finished. Jews from the countries of Asia saw Paul in the house of God. They made the people turn against him. Then they took hold of him. ²⁸ They cried out, “You who are Jews, help us! This is the man who is teaching against our people and our Law and this house of God. Also he has brought Greek people into the house of God. This has made this holy place unclean.” ²⁹ They had seen him before in the city with Trophimus who was from the city of Ephesus. They thought Paul had brought him into the house of God also.

³⁰ All the people in the city were crying out with loud voices. The people pushed and moved together. They took Paul and dragged him out of the house of God. Then the doors were shut. ³¹ They were getting ready to kill him. The captain of the soldiers heard there was trouble over all Jerusalem. ³² At once the captain called his soldiers and they ran down to the people. When the people saw the captain and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

Paul Is Tied with Chains

³³ The captain came and took hold of Paul. He told his soldiers to tie Paul with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done. ³⁴ Some of the people called out one thing and some another. The captain was not able to find out what had happened. He told his men to take Paul into the soldiers’ building. ³⁵ The people cried out so loud and pushed so hard that Paul had to be carried up the steps by the soldiers. ³⁶ All the people kept pushing and calling out, “Kill him!”

³⁷ Paul was brought into the soldiers’ building. He said to the captain, “May I say something to you?” The captain said, “Can you speak the Greek language? ³⁸ Are you not the man from the country of Egypt who made trouble against our country? That man led 4,000 fighting men into the desert.” ³⁹ Paul said, “No! I am a Jew and a citizen of a large city. I am from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I ask you to let me speak to the people.” ⁴⁰ The captain told Paul to speak. So Paul stood on the steps and held up his hand. When there was no more noise, he spoke to them in the language of the Jews.

Israel and Judah to Be Free Again

30 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ² “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Write in a book all the words which I have spoken to you. ³ For the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will bring back My people Israel and Judah from where they are held.’ The Lord says, ‘I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their fathers before them, and it will be theirs.’”

⁴ These are the words which the Lord spoke about Israel and Judah: ⁵ “The Lord says, ‘I have heard cries of much trouble, of being afraid, and there is no peace. ⁶ Ask now and see, can a man give birth to a child? Why do I see every man with his hands on his body like a woman giving birth? Why have all faces turned white? ⁷ That day will be very bad! There is none like it. It is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he will be saved out of it. ⁸ On that day,’ says the Lord of All, ‘I will break the cross-bar off from their neck, and will tear off their chains. Strangers will no longer make them their servants. ⁹ But they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them. ¹⁰ So do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant,’ says the Lord, ‘and do not be troubled, O Israel, for see, from far away I will save you and your children from the land where they are being held. Jacob will return and have quiet rest, and no one will make him afraid. ¹¹ For I am with you to save you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will make a complete end of all the nations where I have sent you. I will not make a complete end of you, but I will give you the right punishment. I will not let you go without being punished.’

¹² “For the Lord says, ‘Your hurt cannot be healed. Your hurt is very bad. ¹³ There is no one to ask for you in your cause, no help for your hurt, no healing for you. ¹⁴ All your lovers have forgotten you. They do not care about you. For I have hurt you as if you were hurt by one who hates you. You have been punished without pity, because you have much guilt. You have done many sins. ¹⁵ Why do you cry out because of your hurt? Your pain cannot be healed. Because you have much guilt and have done many sins, I have done these things to you. ¹⁶ But all who destroy you will be destroyed. Every one of those who hate you will be taken away against their will. Those who rob you will be robbed, and all who hurt you will be hurt. ¹⁷ For I will heal you. I will heal you where you have been hurt,’ says the Lord, ‘because they have said that you are not wanted. They have said, “It is Zion. No one cares for her.”’

¹⁸ “The Lord says, ‘I will bring the tents of Jacob back from Babylon, and will have pity on his houses. The city will be built up again on its broken walls. And the king’s house will stand where it used to be. ¹⁹ The people who live there will give much thanks and happy voices will be heard. And I will add to their numbers. They will not be made less. I will honor them, and they will be important. ²⁰ Their children will be as they were before. They will be a strong people before Me. And I will punish all those who make it hard for them. ²¹ Their leader will be one of them. Their ruler will come from among them. I will bring him near, and he will come close to Me. For who would have the strength of heart to come near Me on his own?’ says the Lord. ²² ‘And you will be My people, and I will be your God.’”

²³ See the storm of the Lord! Anger has gone out, a very bad storm. It will break upon the heads of the sinful. ²⁴ The burning anger of the Lord will not turn back until He has done what He has planned in His heart to do. In days to come you will understand this.

Israel Returns Home

31 “At that time,” says the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people.” ² The Lord says, “The people who were not killed by the sword found loving-favor in the desert, when Israel looked for rest.” ³ The Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness. ⁴ Again I will build you, and you will be built, O pure Israel! Again you will take up your brass noise-makers and go to the dances of the happy people. ⁵ Again you will plant grape-fields on the hills of Samaria. The planters will plant and find joy in the fruit. ⁶ For there will be a day when watchmen on the hills of Ephraim will call out, ‘Get up, and let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God.’”

⁷ For the Lord says, “Sing loud with joy for Jacob, and call out among the heads of the nations. Make it known, give praise, and say, ‘O Lord, save Your people. Save those who are left of Israel.’ ⁸ See, I am bringing them from the north country. And I will gather them from the farthest parts of the earth. Among them will be the blind and those who cannot walk, the woman with child and she who is giving birth, together. Many people will return here. ⁹ They will come crying, and in answer to their prayers, I will lead them. I will make them walk by rivers of waters on a straight path where they will not fall. For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born.”

¹⁰ Hear the Word of the Lord, O nations, and make it known in the lands far across the sea. Say, “He Who sent Israel everywhere will gather them, and will watch over His flock like a shepherd.” ¹¹ For the Lord has paid the price to make Jacob free. He has made him free from the one who was stronger than he. ¹² And they will come and call out for joy on the height of Zion. They will shine with joy over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the cattle. Their life will be like a well-watered garden. They will never have sorrow again. ¹³ Then the young women who have never had a man will dance for joy, and the young men and old as well. For I will change their sorrow to joy, and will comfort them. I will give them joy for their sorrow. ¹⁴ I will fill the soul of the religious leaders with more than they need. My people will be filled with My goodness,” says the Lord.

The Lord Shows His Loving-Kindness on Israel

¹⁵ The Lord says, “The sound of crying and much sorrow is heard in Ramah. Rachel is crying for her children. She will not be comforted because they are dead.” ¹⁶ The Lord says, “Keep your voice from crying and your eyes from tears. For you will receive pay for your work,” says the Lord. “They will return from the land of those who hate them. ¹⁷ There is hope for your future,” says the Lord, “and your children will return to their own land. ¹⁸ I have heard Ephraim crying in sorrow, ‘You have punished me, and I was punished, like a calf that has not learned. Bring me back that I may return to my place, for You are the Lord my God. ¹⁹ For after I turned back, I was sorry for my sins. And after I was taught, I hit my upper leg in sorrow. I was ashamed and troubled, because I suffered the shame from what I did when I was young.’ ²⁰ Is Ephraim My loved son? Is he the child of My joy? Yes, as many times as I have spoken against him, I still remember him. So My heart has a desire for him. For sure I will have loving-pity on him,” says the Lord.

²¹ “Set up marks on the road for yourself. Set up marks to lead you the right way. Remember the way you went, and return, O pure Israel. Return to your cities. ²² How long will you go here and there, O daughter without faith? For the Lord has made a new thing on the earth: A woman will keep a man safe.”

Good Will Come to God’s People

²³ The Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “When I bring them back to their own land, once again the people in the land of Judah and in its cities will speak these words: ‘May the Lord bring good to you, O place that is right with God, O holy hill!’ ²⁴ The people of Judah and all its cities will live there together, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. ²⁵ For I will help the tired ones and give strength to everyone who is weak.” ²⁶ At this I woke up and looked, and my sleep was pleasing to me.

²⁷ “See, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will plant the people of Israel and the people of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of animal. ²⁸ And as I have watched over them to pull up, to break down, to take power away, to destroy, and to bring trouble, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,” says the Lord. ²⁹ “In those days they will no longer say, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children got the sour taste.’ ³⁰ But every one will die for his own sin. Each man who eats the sour grapes will get the sour taste. ³¹ The days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a New Way of Worship for the Jews and those of the family group of Judah. ³² The New Way of Worship will not be like the Old Way of Worship I gave to their early fathers. That was when I took them by the hand and led them out of Egypt. But they did not follow the Old Way of Worship, even when I was a husband to them,” says the Lord. ³³ “This is the New Way of Worship that I will give to the Jews. When that day comes,” says the Lord, “I will put My Law into their minds. And I will write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people. ³⁴ No one will need to teach his neighbor or his brother to know the Lord. All of them will already know Me from the least to the greatest,” says the Lord. “I will forgive their sins. I will remember their sins no more.”

³⁵ The Lord, the Lord of All is His name, Who gives the sun for light during the day, and put the moon and the stars in place to give light during the night, Who causes the waves of the sea to make a loud noise, says, ³⁶ “If these laws change before Me, then the children of Israel will stop being a nation before Me forever.” ³⁷ The Lord says, “If one can find out how wide the heavens are, and look through the deepest places of the earth, then I will send all the children of Israel away from Me for all that they have done,” says the Lord.

³⁸ “See, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when the city will be built again for the Lord from the tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. ³⁹ And its wall will go out farther, straight on to the hill of Gareb. Then it will turn to Goah. ⁴⁰ The whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the river Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, will be holy to the Lord. It will never again be pulled up by the roots or destroyed.”

Jesus Is Raised from the Dead ^(A)

16 The Day of Rest was over. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices. They wanted to put the spices on Jesus’ body. ² Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the grave. The sun had come up. ³ They said to themselves, “Who will roll the stone away from the door of the grave for us?” ⁴ But when they looked, they saw the very large stone had been rolled away.

⁵ They went into the grave. There they saw a young man with a long white coat sitting on the right side. They were afraid. ⁶ He said, “Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth Who was nailed to a cross. He is risen! He is not here! See, here is the place where they laid Him. ⁷ Go and tell His followers and Peter that He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see Him there as He told you.” ⁸ They ran from the grave shaking and were surprised. They did not say anything to anyone because they were afraid.

The Followers of Jesus Do Not Believe He Was Raised from the Dead ^(B)

⁹ (*It was early on the first day of the week when Jesus was raised from the dead. Mary Magdalene saw Him first. He had put seven demons out of her. ¹⁰ She went and told His followers. They were crying because of much sorrow. ¹¹ But they did not believe her when she said she had seen Him alive.

¹² After that He was seen again by two of His followers as they walked into the country. He did not look like He had looked before to these two people. ¹³ They went and told it to the others. The others did not believe them.

¹⁴ Later He was seen by the eleven followers as they were eating. He spoke to them with sharp words because they did not believe and their hearts were hard. And they did not believe the others who had seen Him since He had been raised from the dead.

Jesus Sends His Followers to Preach ^(C)

¹⁵ He said to them, “You are to go to all the world and preach the Good News to every person. ¹⁶ He who puts his trust in Me and is baptized will be saved from the punishment of sin. But he who does not put his trust in Me is guilty and will be punished forever. ¹⁷ These special powerful works will be done by those who have put their trust in Me. In My name they will put out demons. They will speak with languages they have never learned. ¹⁸ They will pick up snakes. If they drink any poison, it will not hurt them. They will put their hands on the sick and they will be healed.”

¹⁹ After Jesus had talked to them, He was taken up into heaven. He sat down on the right side of God.

²⁰ The followers went from there and preached everywhere. The Lord worked with them. The Lord showed that the Word of God was true by the special works they had power to do.)