M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Crossing the Jordan
3 Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia. They traveled to the Jordan River and camped there before crossing it. 2 After three days the officers went through the camp 3 and gave orders to the people: “When you see the priests and Levites carrying the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord your God, leave where you are and follow it. 4 That way you will know which way to go since you have never been here before. But do not follow too closely. Stay about a thousand yards behind the Ark.”
5 Then Joshua told the people, “Make yourselves holy, because tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take the Ark of the Agreement and go ahead of the people.” So the priests lifted the Ark and carried it ahead of the people.
7 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to make you great in the opinion of all the Israelites so the people will know I am with you just as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Agreement to go to the edge of the Jordan River and stand in the water.”
9 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 Here is proof that the living God is with you and that he will force out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. 11 The Ark of the Agreement with the Lord of the whole world will go ahead of you into the Jordan River. 12 Now choose twelve men from among you, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Master of the whole world, into the Jordan ahead of you. When they step into the water, it will stop. The river will stop flowing and will stand up in a heap.”
14 So the people left the place where they had camped, and they followed the priests who carried the Ark of the Agreement across the Jordan River. 15 During harvest the Jordan overflows its banks. When the priests carrying the Ark came to the edge of the river and stepped into the water, 16 the water upstream stopped flowing. It stood up in a heap a great distance away at Adam, a town near Zarethan. The water flowing down to the Sea of Arabah (the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed the river near Jericho. 17 The priests carried the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord to the middle of the river and stood there on dry ground. They waited there while all the people of Israel walked across the Jordan River on dry land.
Lord, Bring Your People Back
A song for going up to worship.
126 When the Lord brought the prisoners back to Jerusalem,
it seemed as if we were dreaming.
2 Then we were filled with laughter,
and we sang happy songs.
Then the other nations said,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are very glad.
4 Lord, return our prisoners again,
as you bring streams to the desert.
5 Those who cry as they plant crops
will sing at harvest time.
6 Those who cry
as they carry out the seeds
will return singing
and carrying bundles of grain.
All Good Things Come from God
A song for going up to worship. Of Solomon.
127 If the Lord doesn’t build the house,
the builders are working for nothing.
If the Lord doesn’t guard the city,
the guards are watching for nothing.
2 It is no use for you to get up early
and stay up late,
working for a living.
The Lord gives sleep to those he loves.
3 Children are a gift from the Lord;
babies are a reward.
4 Children who are born to a young man
are like arrows in the hand of a warrior.
5 Happy is the man
who has his bag full of arrows.
They will not be defeated
when they fight their enemies at the city gate.
The Happy Home
A song for going up to worship.
128 Happy are those who respect the Lord and obey him.
2 You will enjoy what you work for,
and you will be blessed with good things.
3 Your wife will give you many children,
like a vine that produces much fruit.
Your children will bring you much good,
like olive branches that produce many olives.
4 This is how the man who respects the Lord
will be blessed.
5 May the Lord bless you from Mount Zion;
may you enjoy the good things of Jerusalem all your life.
6 May you see your grandchildren.
Let there be peace in Israel.
The Lord Judges His People
63 Who is this coming from Edom,
from the city of Bozrah, dressed in red?
Who is this dressed in fine clothes
and marching forward with his great power?
He says, “I, the Lord, speak what is right.
I have the power to save you.”
2 Someone asks, “Why are your clothes bright red
as if you had walked on the grapes to make wine?”
3 The Lord answers, “I have walked in the winepress alone,
and no one among the nations helped me.
I was angry and walked on the nations
and crushed them because of my anger.
Blood splashed on my clothes,
and I stained all my clothing.
4 I chose a time to punish people,
and the time has come for me to save.
5 I looked around, but I saw no one to help me.
I was surprised that no one supported me.
So I used my own power to save my people;
my own anger supported me.
6 While I was angry, I walked on the nations.
In my anger I punished them
and poured their blood on the ground.”
The Lord’s Kindness to His People
7 I will tell about the Lord’s kindness
and praise him for everything he has done.
I will praise the Lord for the many good things he has given us
and for his goodness to the people of Israel.
He has shown great mercy to us
and has been very kind to us.
8 He said, “These are my people;
my children will not lie to me.”
So he saved them.
9 When they suffered, he suffered also.
He sent his own angel to save them.
Because of his love and kindness, he saved them.
Since long ago he has picked them up and carried them.
10 But they turned against him
and made his Holy Spirit very sad.
So he became their enemy,
and he fought against them.
11 But then his people remembered what happened long ago,
in the days of Moses and the Israelites with him.
Where is the Lord who brought the people through the sea,
with the leaders of his people?
Where is the one
who put his Holy Spirit among them,
12 who led Moses by the right hand
with his wonderful power,
who divided the water before them
to make his name famous forever,
13 who led the people through the deep waters?
Like a horse walking through a desert,
the people did not stumble.
14 Like cattle that go down to the valley,
the Spirit of the Lord gave the people a place to rest.
Lord, that is the way you led your people,
and by this you won for yourself wonderful fame.
A Prayer for Help
15 Lord, look down from the heavens and see;
look at us from your wonderful and holy home in heaven.
Where is your strong love and power?
Why are you keeping your love and mercy from us?
16 You are our father.
Abraham doesn’t know we are his children,
and Israel doesn’t recognize us.
Lord, you are our father.
You are called “the one who has always saved us.”
17 Lord, why are you making us wander from your ways?
Why do you make us stubborn so that we don’t honor you?
For our sake come back to us,
your servants, who belong to you.
18 Your people had your Temple for a while,
but now our enemies have walked on your holy place and crushed it.
19 We have become like people you never ruled over,
like those who have never worn your name.
Jesus and John the Baptist
11 After Jesus finished telling these things to his twelve followers, he left there and went to the towns in Galilee to teach and preach.
2 John the Baptist was in prison, but he heard about what the Christ was doing. So John sent some of his followers to Jesus. 3 They asked him, “Are you the One who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?”
4 Jesus answered them, “Go tell John what you hear and see: 5 The blind can see, the crippled can walk, and people with skin diseases are healed. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. 6 Those who do not stumble in their faith because of me are blessed.”
7 As John’s followers were leaving, Jesus began talking to the people about John. Jesus said, “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed[a] blown by the wind? 8 What did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes live in kings’ palaces. 9 So why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, and I tell you, John is more than a prophet. 10 This was written about him:
‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare the way for you.’ Malachi 3:1
11 I tell you the truth, John the Baptist is greater than any other person ever born, but even the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. 12 Since the time John the Baptist came until now, the kingdom of heaven has been going forward in strength, and people have been trying to take it by force. 13 All the prophets and the law of Moses told about what would happen until the time John came. 14 And if you will believe what they said, you will believe that John is Elijah, whom they said would come. 15 Let those with ears use them and listen!
16 “What can I say about the people of this time? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, who call out to each other,
17 ‘We played music for you, but you did not dance;
we sang a sad song, but you did not cry.’
18 John came and did not eat or drink like other people. So people say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and people say, ‘Look at him! He eats too much and drinks too much wine, and he is a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved to be right by what she does.”
Jesus Warns Unbelievers
20 Then Jesus criticized the cities where he did most of his miracles, because the people did not change their lives and stop sinning. 21 He said, “How terrible for you, Korazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! If the same miracles I did in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon,[b] those people would have changed their lives a long time ago. They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed. 22 But I tell you, on the Judgment Day it will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum,[c] will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be thrown down to the depths. If the miracles I did in you had happened in Sodom,[d] its people would have stopped sinning, and it would still be a city today. 24 But I tell you, on the Judgment Day it will be better for Sodom than for you.”
Jesus Offers Rest to People
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the people who are wise and smart. But you have shown them to those who are like little children. 26 Yes, Father, this is what you really wanted.
27 “My Father has given me all things. No one knows the Son, except the Father. And no one knows the Father, except the Son and those whom the Son chooses to tell.
28 “Come to me, all of you who are tired and have heavy loads, and I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teachings and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit, and you will find rest for your lives. 30 The burden that I ask you to accept is easy; the load I give you to carry is light.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.