M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Asa’s Agreement with Syria
16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s rule, King Baasha of Israel came to fight against Judah. He began building a wall around Ramah to stop anyone from going out or coming in to King Asa of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the store-rooms of the house of the Lord and the king’s house. He sent them to King Ben-hadad of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “Let there be an agreement between you and me, as between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold. Go and break your agreement with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me.” 4 Ben-hadad listened to King Asa. He sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They destroyed Ijon, Dan, Abelmaim, and all the store-cities of Naphtali. 5 When Baasha heard about it, he stopped building the wall around Ramah. 6 Then King Asa brought all the people of Judah. And they carried away the stones and wood of the wall which Baasha had been building around Ramah. Asa used them to build Geba and Mizpah.
Hanani’s Words to Asa
7 At that time Hanani the man of God came to King Asa of Judah and said to him, “You have put your trust in the king of Syria and not in the Lord your God. So the army of the king of Syria got away from you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a very large army with war-wagons? But because you trusted in the Lord, He gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the Lord move over all the earth so that He may give strength to those whose whole heart is given to Him. You have done a foolish thing. So from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the man of God. He put him in prison because he was angry at him for this. And Asa made it hard for some of the people at the same time.
The End of Asa’s Rule
11 Now the acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 A disease came into Asa’s feet in the thirty-ninth year of his rule. His disease was bad. But even in his disease, he did not trust in the Lord, but in the doctors. 13 So Asa slept with his fathers. He died in the forty-first year of his rule. 14 They buried him in his own grave which he had cut out for himself in the city of David. They laid him in the place of rest which he had filled with different kinds of spices mixed by those who work with perfumes. And they made a very big fire in his honor.
The Book in Heaven
5 I saw a book in the right hand of the One Who sat on the a throne. It had writing on the inside and on the back side. It was locked with seven locks. 2 I saw a powerful angel calling with a loud voice, “Who is able to open the book and to break its locks?” 3 No one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look in it. 4 Then I began to cry with loud cries. I cried because no one was good enough to open the book or to look in it.
5 One of the leaders said to me, “Stop crying. See! The Lion from the family group of Judah has power and has won. He can open the book and break its seven locks. He is of the family of David.”
6 I saw a Lamb standing in front of the twenty-four leaders. He was before the throne and in front of the four living beings. He looked as if He had been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes. These are the seven Spirits of God. They have been sent out into all the world. 7 The Lamb came and took the book from the right hand of the One Who sat on the throne. 8 When the Lamb had taken the book, the four living beings and the twenty-four leaders got down before Him. Each one had a harp. They all had pots made of gold, full of special perfume, which are the prayers of the people who belong to God. 9 They sang a new song, saying, “It is right for You to take the book and break its locks. It is because You were killed. Your blood has bought men for God from every family and from every language and from every kind of people and from every nation. 10 You have made them to be a holy nation of religious leaders to work for our God. They will be the leaders on the earth.”
11 I looked again. I heard the voices of many thousands of angels. They stood around the throne and around the four living beings and the leaders. 12 They said with a loud voice, “The Lamb Who was killed has the right to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and shining-greatness and thanks.”
13 Then I heard every living thing in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea and all that are in them. They were saying, “Thanks and honor and shining-greatness and all power are to the One Who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever.” 14 The four living beings kept saying, “Let it be so!” And the twenty-four leaders fell down and worshiped.
The Lord Calls His People to Turn from Sin
1 In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah the man of God, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, 2 “The Lord was very angry with your fathers. 3 So tell them, ‘The Lord of All says, “Return to Me, that I may return to you. 4 Do not be like your fathers. The men who spoke for Me in the past told them, ‘The Lord of All says, “Return from your sinful ways and from your sinful works.”’ But they did not listen to Me,” says the Lord. 5 “Where are your fathers now? And the men who spoke for Me, do they live forever? 6 I gave My Words and My Laws to your fathers through My servants who spoke for Me. But they would not listen and so they were punished. Then they were sorry for their sins and said, ‘The Lord of All has punished us for our ways and our works, as He said He would.’”’”
Zechariah Sees Horses during the Night
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the Word of the Lord came to Zechariah the man of God, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo. 8 During the night while I was sleeping I saw a man traveling on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the narrow valley, with red, brown, and white horses behind him. 9 I asked, “My lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said, “I will show you what these are.” 10 So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to travel all over the earth to keep watch.” 11 And they said to the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, “We have looked over all the earth, and saw that the whole earth is at rest and in peace.”
The Lord Comforts Jerusalem
12 Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of All, how long will You have no loving-pity for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah? You have been angry with them for seventy years now.” 13 And the Lord spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who was speaking with me. 14 So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “Make this known: ‘The Lord of All says, “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15 But I am very angry with the nations who take it easy. When I was only a little angry, they added to the trouble.” 16 So the Lord says, “I will return to Jerusalem with loving-pity. My house will be built in it and all Jerusalem will be built again,” says the Lord of All. 17 Also make this known: ‘The Lord of All says, “My cities will again be filled with riches. The Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.”’”
Zechariah Sees Horns
18 Then I looked up and saw four horns. 19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said, “These are the horns which have divided the people of Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then the Lord showed me four workmen. 21 I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the horns which have sent the people of Judah everywhere, so that no man raised his head. But these workmen have come to make them afraid and to throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah so the people would be sent everywhere.”
A Woman of Samaria at the Well
4 Jesus knew the proud religious law-keepers had heard He was making and baptizing more followers than John. 2 Jesus did not baptize anyone Himself but His followers did. 3 Then Jesus went from the country of Judea to the country of Galilee. 4 He had to go through the country of Samaria. 5 So He came to a town in Samaria called Sycar. It was near the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from traveling so He sat down just as He was by the well. It was about noon.
7 A woman of Samaria came to get water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 His followers had gone to the town to buy food. 9 The woman of Samaria said to Him, “You are a Jew. I am of Samaria. Why do You ask me for a drink when the Jews have nothing to do with the people of Samaria?”
10 Jesus said to her, “You do not know what God has to give. You do not know Who said to you, ‘Give Me a drink.’ If you knew, you would have asked Him. He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, the well is deep. You have nothing to get water with. Where will You get the living water? 12 Are You greater than our early father Jacob? He gave us the well. He and his children and his cattle drank from it.”
Jesus Tells of the Living Water
13 Jesus said to her, “Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again. 14 Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty. The water that I will give him will become in him a well of life that lasts forever.”
15 The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I will never be thirsty. Then I will not have to come all this way for water.”
The True Kind of Worship
16 Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” 17 The woman said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said, “You told the truth when you said, ‘I have no husband.’ 18 You have had five husbands. The one you have now is not your husband. You told the truth.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I think You are a person Who speaks for God. 20 Our early fathers worshiped on this mountain. You Jews say Jerusalem is the place where men should worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me. The time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You people do not know what you worship. We Jews know what we worship. It is through the Jews that men are saved from the punishment of their sins. 23 The time is coming, yes, it is here now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father wants that kind of worshipers. 24 God is Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Jesus Is the One the Jews Are Looking For
25 The woman said to Him, “I know the Jews are looking for One Who is coming. He is called the Christ. When He comes, He will tell us everything.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I am the Christ, the One talking with you!”
27 Right then the followers came back and were surprised and wondered about finding Him talking with a woman. But no one said, “What do You want?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman left her water jar and went into the town. She said to the men, 29 “Come and see a Man Who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of town and came to Him.
Jesus Tells Them of a New Kind of Food
31 During this time His followers were saying to Him, “Teacher, eat something.” 32 He said, “I have food to eat that you do not know of.” 33 The followers said to each other, “Has someone taken food to Him?” 34 Jesus said, “My food is to do what God wants Me to do and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘It is four months yet until the time to gather grain’? Listen! I say to you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are white now and waiting for the grain to be gathered in. 36 The one who gathers gets his pay. He gathers fruit that lasts forever. The one who plants and the one who gathers will have joy together. 37 These words are true, ‘One man plants and another man gathers.’ 38 I sent you to gather where you have not planted. Others have planted and you have come along to gather in their fruit.”
The People of Samaria Believe in Jesus
39 Many people in that town of Samaria believed in Jesus because of what the woman said about Him. She said, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So the people of Samaria came to Him. They asked Him to stay with them. Jesus stayed there two days. 41 Many more people believed because of what He said. 42 They said to the woman, “Now we believe! It is no longer because of what you said about Jesus but we have heard Him ourselves. We know, for sure, that He is the Christ, the One Who saves men of this world from the punishment of their sins.”
Jesus Goes to Galilee
43 Two days later He went from there and came to the country of Galilee. 44 Jesus Himself said that no one who speaks for God is respected in his own country. 45 When He came to Galilee, the people there were glad. They had seen all the things He did in Jerusalem. It was at the time of the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. They had been there also.
Jesus Heals the Dying Boy in Capernaum
46 Jesus came again to the town of Cana of Galilee where He had made water into wine. A man who worked with the king had a son who was sick in the city of Capernaum. 47 This man went to Jesus. He had heard that Jesus had come from the country of Judea to Galilee. The man asked Jesus if He would go to Capernaum and heal his son who was dying. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see special things and powerful works done, you will not believe.” 49 The man said to Him, “Sir, come with me before my son dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son will live.” The man put his trust in what Jesus said and left.
51 As he was on his way home, his servants met him. They said to him, “Your son is living!” 52 He asked them what time his boy began to get well. They said to him, “Yesterday at one o’clock the sickness left.” 53 The father knew it was the time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” He and everyone in his house put their trust in Jesus. 54 This was the second powerful work that Jesus did after He came from the country of Judea to the country of Galilee.
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