M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Kings of the Valley Take Lot
14 And it happened in the days of Amraphel king of (A)Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of (B)Elam, and Tidal king of [a]Goiim, 2 that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of (C)Admah, and Shemeber king of (D)Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, (E)Zoar). 3 All these [b]came as allies to (F)the valley of Siddim (that is, (G)the Salt Sea). 4 Now for twelve years they had served Chedorlaomer, but the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 So in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, came and struck the (H)Rephaim in (I)Ashteroth-karnaim and the Zuzim in Ham and the Emim in [c](J)Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the (K)Horites in their Mount Seir, as far as (L)El-paran, which is by the wilderness. 7 Then they turned back and came to En-mishpat (that is, (M)Kadesh). And they struck all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, who were living in (N)Hazazon-tamar. 8 And the king of Sodom and the king of Gomorrah and the king of Admah and the king of Zeboiim and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) came out; and they arranged themselves for battle against them in (O)the valley of Siddim, 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of [d]Goiim and Amraphel king of Shinar and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five— 10 now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits—and (P)the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell [e]into them; but those who remained behind fled to the (Q)hill country. 11 Then they took all the possessions of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food supply and departed. 12 They also took Lot, (R)Abram’s nephew, and his possessions and departed; (S)now he was living in Sodom.
13 Then [f]a fugitive came and told Abram the (T)Hebrew. Now he was dwelling by the [g](U)oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner, and these were [h](V)in a covenant with Abram. 14 So Abram heard that (W)his [i]relative had been taken captive, and he [j]led out his trained men, (X)born in his house, 318 in number, and went in pursuit as far as (Y)Dan. 15 (Z)And he divided [k]his men against them by night, he and his servants, and struck them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is [l]north of (AA)Damascus. 16 And he (AB)brought back all the possessions, and he also brought back (AC)his [m]relative Lot with his possessions and also the women and the people.
Melchizedek Blesses Abram
17 Then after he came back from striking down Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, (AD)the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh (that is, (AE)the King’s Valley). 18 And (AF)Melchizedek king of Salem brought out (AG)bread and wine; now he was a (AH)priest of [n]God Most High. 19 Then he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram of [o]God Most High,
[p](AI)Possessor of heaven and earth;
20 And blessed be [q]God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
(AJ)Then he gave him a tenth of all. 21 And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give the [r]people to me, but take the possessions for yourself.” 22 Then Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have [s]raised my hand to Yahweh [t](AK)God Most High, [u](AL)possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that (AM)I will not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, so that you would not say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 24 [v]I will take nothing except what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me, (AN)Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share.”
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day Jesus went out of (A)the house and was sitting (B)by the sea. 2 And [a]large crowds gathered to Him, so (C)He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.
3 And He spoke many things to them in (D)parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And others fell [b]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and were yielding [c]a crop, some a (E)hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 (F)He who has ears, [d]let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 And [e]Jesus answered and said to them, “(G)To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 (H)For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while (I)seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘[f](J)You will keep on hearing, [g]but will not understand;
[h]You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 (K)For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Lest they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’
16 (L)But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that (M)many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “(N)Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears (O)the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, (P)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he [i](Q)falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of (R)the [j]world and the (S)deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some (T)a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
The Parable of Tares Among Wheat
24 He presented another parable to them, saying, “(U)The kingdom of heaven [k]may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [l]tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the [m]wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [n]How then does it have tares?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An [o]enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but (V)gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven
31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “(W)The kingdom of heaven is like (X)a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is the [p]smallest of all seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is the [q]largest of the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that (Y)the birds of the [r]air come and nest in its branches.”
33 He spoke another parable to them, “(Z)The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in [s](AA)three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He was not speaking to them (AB)without a parable 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
“(AC)I will open My mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
The Parable of Tares Explained
36 Then He left the crowds and went into (AD)the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “(AE)Explain to us the parable of the [t]tares of the field.” 37 And He answered and said, “The one who sows the good seed is (AF)the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are (AG)the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are (AH)the sons of (AI)the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is (AJ)the [u]end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at (AK)the [v]end of the age. 41 (AL)The Son of Man (AM)will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom [w]all (AN)stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and (AO)will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place (AP)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 (AQ)Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (AR)He who has ears, [x]let him hear.
A Hidden Treasure
44 “(AS)The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and (AT)sells all that he has and buys that field.
A Costly Pearl
45 “Again, (AU)the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
A Dragnet
47 “Again, (AV)the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at (AW)the [y]end of the age; the angels will come forth and [z]take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and (AX)will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place (AY)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53 [aa](AZ)Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54 (BA)And He came to [ab]His hometown and (BB)began teaching them in their synagogue, so that (BC)they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these [ac]miraculous powers? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not (BD)His mother called Mary, and His (BE)brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And (BF)His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they were taking (BG)offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “(BH)A prophet is not without honor except in his [ad]hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many [ae]miracles there because of their unbelief.
Building and Repairing the Wall
3 Then (A)Eliashib the high priest arose with his brothers the priests and built (B)the Sheep Gate; they set it apart as holy and (C)made its doors stand. And they set apart as holy [a]the wall to (D)the Tower of the Hundred and (E)the Tower of Hananel. 2 Next to him (F)the men of Jericho built, and next to [b]them Zaccur the son of Imri built.
3 Now the sons of Hassenaah built (G)the Fish Gate; they laid its beams and made its doors stand with its bolts and bars. 4 Next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz made repairs. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah the son of Meshezabel made repairs. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana also made repairs. 5 Moreover, next to them the Tekoites made repairs, but their nobles did not [c]support the service of their masters.
6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired (H)the Old Gate; they laid its beams and made its doors stand with its bolts and its bars. 7 Next to them Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, [d]also made repairs for the official seat of the (I)governor of the province beyond the River. 8 Next to him Uzziel the son of Harhaiah of the (J)goldsmiths made repairs. And next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, made repairs, and they restored Jerusalem as far as (K)the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, (L)the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired [e]another section and (M)the Tower of Furnaces. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, (N)the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired (O)the Valley Gate. They built it and made its doors stand with its bolts and its bars, and [f]one thousand cubits of the wall to the [g]Dung Gate.
14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, the official of the district of (P)Beth-haccherem, repaired the [h](Q)Dung Gate. He built it and made its doors stand with its bolts and its bars.
15 Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, the official of the district of Mizpah, (R)repaired the Spring Gate. He built it, covered it and made its doors stand with its bolts and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah at (S)the king’s garden as far as (T)the steps that descend from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, (U)official of half the district of Beth-zur, made repairs as far as a point opposite the tombs of David, and as far as (V)the artificial pool and the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites made repairs under Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, the official of half the district of Keilah, made repairs for his district. 18 After him their brothers made repairs under Bavvai the son of Henadad, the official of the other half of the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, (W)the official of Mizpah, repaired another section in front of the ascent of the armory (X)at the Angle. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai zealously repaired another section, from the Angle to the doorway of the house of (Y)Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah the son of Hakkoz repaired another section, from the doorway of Eliashib’s house even as far as the end of Eliashib’s house. 22 After him the priests, (Z)the men of the [i]valley, made repairs. 23 After [j]them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house. After [k]them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah as far as (AA)the Angle and as far as the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai made repairs in front of the Angle and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king, which is by (AB)the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh made repairs. 26 (AC)The temple servants living in (AD)Ophel made repairs as far as the front of (AE)the Water Gate toward the east and the projecting tower. 27 After [l]them (AF)the Tekoites repaired another section in front of the great projecting tower and as far as the wall of Ophel.
28 Above (AG)the Horse Gate the priests made repairs, each in front of his house. 29 After [m]them Zadok the son of Immer made repairs in front of his house. And after him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, made repairs. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah, and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph, repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah made repairs in front of his own [n]quarters. 31 After him Malchijah, [o]one of (AH)the goldsmiths, made repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, in front of the [p]Inspection Gate, and as far as the upper room of the corner. 32 Between the upper room of the corner and (AI)the Sheep Gate, the goldsmiths and the merchants made repairs.
Barnabas and Saul Sent from Antioch by the Holy Spirit
13 Now there were at (A)Antioch, in the (B)church that was there, (C)prophets and (D)teachers: (E)Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of (F)Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with (G)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, (H)the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me (I)Barnabas and Saul for (J)the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, when they had fasted and (K)prayed and (L)laid their hands on them, (M)they sent them away.
On Cyprus
4 So, being (N)sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to (O)Cyprus. 5 And when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in (P)the synagogues of the Jews, and they also had (Q)John as their helper. 6 And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a (R)magician, a Jewish (S)false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the (T)proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the (U)magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn the (V)proconsul away from (W)the faith. 9 But Saul, who was also known as Paul, [a](X)filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, 10 and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you (Y)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked (Z)the straight ways of the [b]Lord? 11 Now, behold, (AA)the hand of the [c]Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. 12 Then the (AB)proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being astonished at (AC)the teaching of the Lord.
In Pisidian Antioch
13 Now after Paul and his companions set sail from (AD)Paphos, they came to (AE)Perga in (AF)Pamphylia, but (AG)John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But going on from Perga, they arrived at (AH)Pisidian (AI)Antioch. And on (AJ)the Sabbath day, they went into (AK)the synagogue and sat down. 15 And after (AL)the reading of the Law and (AM)the Prophets (AN)the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and (AO)motioning with his hand said,
“Men of Israel, and (AP)you who fear God, listen: 17 The God of this people Israel (AQ)chose our fathers and [d](AR)lifted up the people during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm (AS)He led them out from it. 18 And for (AT)a period of about forty years (AU)He put up with them in the wilderness. 19 (AV)And when He destroyed (AW)seven nations in the land of Canaan, He (AX)distributed their land as an inheritance—all of which took (AY)about 450 years. 20 After these things He (AZ)gave them judges until (BA)Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they (BB)asked for a king, and God gave them (BC)Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And after He had (BD)removed him, He raised up David to be their king, about whom He also said, bearing witness, ‘(BE)I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My [e]will.’ 23 (BF)From the seed of this man, (BG)according to promise, God has brought to Israel (BH)a Savior, Jesus, 24 after (BI)John had preached before [f]His coming a (BJ)baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John (BK)was fulfilling his course, (BL)he kept saying, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not He. But behold, one is coming after me of whom I am not worthy to untie the sandals of His feet.’
26 “Brothers, sons of Abraham’s family, and those among you who fear God, to us the word of (BM)this salvation was sent. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem, and their (BN)rulers, (BO)recognizing neither Him nor the [g]utterances of (BP)the prophets which are (BQ)read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning Him. 28 And though they found no ground for death, they (BR)asked Pilate that He be [h]executed. 29 And when they had (BS)finished all that was written concerning Him, (BT)they took Him down from (BU)the tree and (BV)laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God (BW)raised Him from the dead; 31 and for many days (BX)He appeared to those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, the very ones who are now (BY)His witnesses to the people. 32 And we (BZ)proclaim to you the good news of (CA)the promise made to the fathers, 33 that God has fulfilled this promise [i]to our children in that He (CB)raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘(CC)You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’ 34 But that He (CD)raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to corruption, He has spoken in this way: ‘(CE)I will give you the holy and [j]faithful lovingkindnesses of David.’ 35 Therefore He also says in another Psalm, ‘(CF)You will not give Your [k]Holy One over to see corruption.’ 36 For (CG)David, after he had [l]served (CH)the purpose of God in his own generation, (CI)fell asleep and was laid among his fathers and saw corruption; 37 but He whom God (CJ)raised did not see corruption. 38 Therefore let it be known to you, brothers, that (CK)through [m]Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and that in Him, (CL)everyone who believes is justified from all things which you could not be justified from [n]through the Law of Moses. 40 Therefore watch out, so that the thing spoken of (CM)in the Prophets may not come upon you:
41 ‘(CN)Look, you scoffers, and marvel, and [o]perish;
For I am accomplishing a work in your days,
A work which you will never believe, though someone should recount it to you.’”
42 And as [p]Paul and Barnabas were leaving, the people kept pleading that these words might be spoken to them the next (CO)Sabbath. 43 Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the (CP)God-fearing [q](CQ)proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in (CR)the grace of God.
Many Gentiles Believe
44 And the next (CS)Sabbath, nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of [r]the [s]Lord. 45 But when (CT)the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, [t]blaspheming. 46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you (CU)first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, (CV)we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the [u]Lord has commanded us,
‘(CW)I have placed You as a (CX)light for the Gentiles,
That You may [v]bring salvation to the end of the earth.’”
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying (CY)the word of [w]the [x]Lord, and as many as (CZ)had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And (DA)the word of the [y]Lord was being spread through the whole region. 50 But (DB)the Jews incited the [z](DC)God-fearing women (DD)of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their [aa]district. 51 But (DE)having shaken off the dust of their feet against them, they went to (DF)Iconium. 52 And the disciples were continually (DG)filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
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