M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Cities of Refuge Are Established
20 And Yahweh spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites,[a] saying, ‘Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through the hand of Moses. 3 Anyone who kills a person by accident or unintentionally[b] may flee there; they will be for yourselves a refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 The killer will flee to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and state his case to the elders of that city;[c] and they will take him[d] into the city and give him a place, and he will dwell among them. 5 And if the avenger of blood pursues after him, they will not hand over the killer into his hand, because he killed his neighbor unintentionally, and he did not hate him previously.[e] 6 The killer will stay in that city until he stands before the congregation for the trial, until the death of the one who is the high priest in those days. Then the killer will return[f] to his city and to his house, to the city from which he fled.’”
7 So they set apart[g] Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba[h] (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they appointed Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau, from the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in the Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the cities designated for all the Israelites,[i] and for the foreigners[j] dwelling among them, for anyone that kills a person unintentionally to flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until there is a trial[k] before the congregation.
The Allotment of the Levites
21 Then the heads of the families of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the tribes of the Israelites.[l] 2 And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “Yahweh commanded through the hand of Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So, by command of Yahweh,[m] the Israelites[n] gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands from their inheritance.
4 The allotment fell[o] for the families of the Kohathites.[p] The descendants[q] of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, received[r] by lot thirteen towns from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.
5 The remaining descendants[s] of Kohath received by lot ten cities from the families of the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
6 The descendants[t] of Gershon received by lot thirteen cities from the families of the tribes of Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali and from the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.
7 The descendants[u] of the Merarites[v] according to their families received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.
8 The Israelites[w] gave to the Levites these cities and their pastureland by lot, just as Yahweh commanded through the hand of Moses.
9 They gave these cities, which are here mentioned by name, from the tribe of the families of Judah and from the tribe of the families of Simeon; 10 and they were for the descendants[x] of Aaron, from the families of the Kohathites,[y] from the descendants[z] of Levi, because the first lot was theirs. 11 And they gave to them Kiriath Arba,[aa] Arba being the father of Anak (that is, Hebron), in the hill country of Judah and the pasturelands surrounding it. 12 But the field of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.
13 To the descendants[ab] of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Libnah and its pasturelands, 14 Jattir and its pasturelands, Eshtemoa and its pasturelands, 15 Holon and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands, 16 Ain and its pasturelands, Juttah and its pasturelands, and Beth Shemesh and its pasturelands; nine cities from these two tribes. 17 From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon and its pasturelands, Geba and its pasturelands, 18 Anathoth and its pasturelands, Almon and its pasturelands; four cities. 19 All the cities of the descendants[ac] of Aaron the priests, thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
20 For the families of the descendants[ad] of Kohath, the remaining Levites of the descendants[ae] of Kohath, they received the cities of their lot from the tribe of Ephraim. 21 They gave them Shechem, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer and its pasturelands, 22 Kibzaim and its pasturelands, and Beth-horon and its pasturelands; four cities. 23 From the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh and its pasturelands, Gibbethon and its pasturelands, 24 Aijalon and its pasturelands, and Gath Rimmon and its pasturelands; four cities. 25 From the half-tribe of Manasseh, Taanach and its pasturelands and Gath Rimmon with its pasturelands; two cities. 26 All the cities and their pasturelands for the remaining families of the descendants[af] of Kohath were ten.
27 To the descendants[ag] of Gershon, one of the families of the Levites, from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, and Eshtarah and its pasturelands; two cities. 28 From the tribe of Issachar, Kishion and its pasturelands, Daberath and its pasturelands, 29 Jarmuth and its pasturelands, En Gannim and its pasturelands; four cities. 30 From the tribe of Asher, Mishal and its pasturelands, Abdon and its pasturelands, 31 Helkath and its pasturelands, Rehob and its pasturelands; four cities. 32 From the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Hammoth Dor and its pasturelands, and Kartan and its pasturelands; three cities. 33 All the cities of the Gershonites[ah] according to their families were thirteen cities and their pasturelands.
34 To the families of the descendants[ai] of Merarite, the remaining Levites, from the tribe of Zebulun, Jokneam and its pasturelands, Kartah and its pasturelands, 35 Dimnah and its pasturelands, and Nahalal and its pasturelands; four cities. 36 From the tribe of Reuben, Bezer and its pasturelands, Jahaz and its pasturelands, 37 Kedemoth and its pasturelands, and Mephaath and its pasturelands; four cities. 38 From the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead, the city of refuge for the killer, and its pasturelands, Mahanaim and its pasturelands, 39 Heshbon and its pasturelands, and Jazer and its pasturelands; four cities in all. 40 All these were the cities of the descendants[aj] of Merarite according to their families, the remaining families of the Levites; their allotment was twelve cities.
41 All the cities of the Levites among the property of the Israelites[ak] were forty-eight cities and their pasturelands. 42 Each of these cities had pasturelands surrounding them; so it was for all of these cities. 43 And Yahweh gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their ancestors,[al] and they took possession of it and settled in it.[am] 44 Yahweh gave them rest on every side, according to all that he had sworn to their ancestors,[an] and nobody from all their enemies withstood them, for Yahweh had given all their enemies into their hand. 45 And nothing failed from[ao] all the good things[ap] that Yahweh promised to the house of Israel; everything came to pass.[aq]
The Preface
1 I produced the former account, O Theophilus, about all that[a] Jesus began to do and to teach, 2 until the day he was taken up, after he[b] had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen, 3 to whom he also presented himself alive after he suffered, with many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking the things about the kingdom of God. 4 And while he[c] was with[d] them,[e] he commanded them, “Do not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for what was promised by the Father, which you heard about from me. 5 For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”[f]
The Ascension
6 So when[g] they had come together, they began asking[h] him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 But he said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when[i] the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth.” 9 And after he[j] had said these things, while[k] they were watching, he was taken up, and a cloud received him from their sight. 10 And as they were staring into the sky while[l] he was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood by them 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee,[m] why do you stand there looking[n] into the sky? This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven like this will come back in the same way you saw him departing into heaven!”
Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain that is called Olive Grove[o] which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.[p] 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upstairs room where they were staying—Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James. 14 All these were busily engaged with one mind in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with[q] his brothers.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (and it was a crowd of persons of about one hundred twenty at the same place) and[r] said, 16 “Men and brothers, it was necessary that the scripture be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit proclaimed beforehand through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus, 17 because he was counted among us and received a share in this ministry.” 18 (Now this man acquired a field for the wages of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines spilled out. 19 And it became known to all who live in Jerusalem, so that that field was called in their own language[s] “Akeldama,” that is, “Field of Blood.”) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘Let his residence become deserted,
and let there be no one to live in it,’[t]
and,
‘Let another person take his position.’[u]
21 Therefore it is necessary for one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken up from us—one of these men must become a witness of his resurrection together with us.” 23 And they proposed two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was called Justus) and Matthias. 24 And they prayed and[v] said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show clearly which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to depart to his own place.” 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to serve[w] with the eleven apostles.
10 Hear the word that Yahweh speaks to you, O house of Israel. 2 Thus says Yahweh:
“You must not learn the way of the nations,
and you must not be dismayed by the signs of the heavens,
for the nations are dismayed by them.
3 For the statutes of the peoples are vanity,
for it is a tree cut down from the forest,
the work of the hands of a craftsman with the tool.
4 He decorates it with silver and gold,
they strengthen it with nails and hammers,
so that it does not stagger.
5 They are like scarecrows[a] in a cucumber field,
they cannot speak.
Indeed, they must be carried,
for they cannot march.
You must not be afraid of them,
for they cannot do evil;
furthermore, to do good is not in them.”
6 There is none like you, O Yahweh,
you are great and your name is great in might.
7 Who would not revere you, O king of the nations?
For you it is fitting.
For among all the wise men of the nations,
and in all their kingdoms,[b]
there is none like you.
8 At the same time[c] they are stupid and foolish,
in the instruction of idols, it is wood.
9 Silver beaten from Tarshish is brought,
and gold from Uphaz,
the work of the craftsman and the hands of the goldsmith.
Blue and purple are their clothing,
all of them are the work of skillful people.
10 But Yahweh is the true God,
he is the living God,
and an everlasting king.[d]
Because of his wrath the earth quakes,
and the nations cannot endure his anger.
11 “Thus[e] you shall say to them,
‘Gods who did not make the heavens and the earth
will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.
12 He is the maker of the earth by his power,
who created the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding he stretched out heaven.
13 When he utters his voice[f] there is a noise of water in the heavens,
and he causes the mist to rise from the ends[g] of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
and he causes the wind to go out from his storehouses.
14 Everyone[h] is stupid, without knowledge,[i]
every goldsmith is ashamed by his divine image,
for his cast image is an illusion,
and there is no breath in them.
15 They are vanity, a work of mockery,
at the time of their punishment, they will perish.
16 The portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the creator of everything,
and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance,
Yahweh of hosts is his name.
17 Gather your bundle from the ground,
you who live under the siege.’”
18 For thus says Yahweh,
“Look, I am about to sling out the inhabitants of the land at this time,
and I will bring distress to them, so that they may feel it.”
The Nation Accepts Its Judgment
19 Woe to me, because of my wound.
My wound is incurable.
But I said, “Surely this is my sickness,
and I must bear it.”
20 My tent is devastated,
and all my tent cords are torn.
My children have gone out from me,
and they are not.
There is no one who pitches my tent again,
or one who puts up my tent curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid,
they do not seek Yahweh.
Therefore[j] they do not have insight,
and all of their flock are scattered.
22 Listen, news:[k]
Look, it is coming,
a great roar from the land of the north,
to make the cities of Judah a desolation,
a lair of jackals.
23 I know, O Yahweh, that to the human is not his own way,
nor to a person is the walking and the directing of his own step.
24 Chastise[l] me, O Yahweh, but in moderation,
not in your anger, lest you eradicate me.
25 Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you,
and on the peoples that do not call on your name,
for they have devoured Jacob,
they have devoured and consumed him,
and they have caused his settlement to be desolate.
The Destruction of the Temple Predicted
24 And as Jesus went out of the temple courts[a] he was going along, and his disciples came up to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered and[b] said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left here on another stone that will not be thrown down!”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 And as[c] he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and[d] said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you! 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many. 6 And you are going to hear about wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.[e] 8 But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.
Persecution of Disciples Predicted
9 “Then they will hand you over to persecution and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations[f] because of my name. 10 And then many will be led into sin and will betray one another and will hate one another, 11 and many false prophets will appear and will deceive many, 12 and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end—this person will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations,[g] and then the end will come.
The Abomination of Desolation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation[h] spoken about by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place” (let the one who reads understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 The one who is on his[i] housetop must not come down to take things out of his house, 18 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to pick up his cloak. 19 And woe to those who are pregnant[j] and to those who are nursing their babies[k] in those days! 20 But pray that your flight may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will happen. 22 And unless those days had been shortened, no human being would be saved.[l] But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
23 “At that time if anyone should say to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘Here he is,’ do not believe him![m] 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you ahead of time! 26 Therefore if they say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or[n] ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it![o] 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Arrival of the Son of Man
29 “And immediately after the tribulation of those days,
‘the sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of heaven will be shaken.’[p]
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,[q] and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven[r] with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect together from the four winds, from one end of heaven[s] to the other end of it.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch has already become tender and puts forth its[t] leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also you, when you see all these things, know[u] that he is near, at the door. 34 Truly I say to you that this generation will never pass away until all these things take place! 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Unknown Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows—not even the angels of heaven nor the Son—except the Father alone. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For as in the days[v] before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. 39 And they did not know anything[w] until the deluge came and swept them[x] all away. So also the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know what day your Lord is coming! 43 But understand this: that if the master of the house had known what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.[y]
A Faithful Slave and an Unfaithful Slave
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave whom the master has put in charge of his household slaves to give them their[z] food at the right time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find so doing when he[aa] comes back. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave should say to himself,[ab] ‘My master is staying away for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
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