M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Organizes the Levites
23 Now David was old and full of days. And he made Solomon his son king over Israel. 2 And he assembled all the commanders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 And the Levites thirty years old and above were counted, and their number according to their head count for the men was thirty-eight thousand. 4 Of these, David said, “Twenty-four thousand are to direct the work of the house of Yahweh, along with six thousand judges and officials, 5 four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand offering praise with the instruments that I have made for praise.” 6 And David organized them in divisions according to the sons of Levi: to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
7 For the Gershonites were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief and Zetham and Joel, three. 9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the families[a] of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah; these four were the sons of Shimei. 11 And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons. They were enrolled as one for the house of a father.
12 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. And Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things. He and his sons were to burn offerings forever before Yahweh to serve him and to bless in his name forever. 14 But Moses the man of God and his sons were reckoned among the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief. 17 And the sons of Eliezer were Rehabiah, the head. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish. 22 And Eleazar died, and he did not have sons, but only daughters. And the sons of Kish, their relatives, married them. 23 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
24 These were the sons of Levi according to the house of their fathers, the heads of the families,[b] according to their enrollment, by the number of the names, according to their head count, who were to do the work of the service of the house of Yahweh, from twenty years old and above. 25 For David said, “Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And also, the Levites do not need to carry the tabernacle and all its vessels for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David, they are the number of the sons of Levi, from twenty years old and above. 28 For their station was to assist[c] the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of Yahweh, over the courtyards, over the chambers, and over the cleansing of all the sanctified objects, and with the work of the service of the house of God, 29 and with the rows of bread, the flour, the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and for all the amounts and measurements. 30 And they were to stand every morning,[d] thanking and praising Yahweh, and likewise in the evening, 31 and for every burnt offering offered to Yahweh, on Sabbaths, on new moon festivals, and at the appointed feasts, according to the customary number required of them,[e] regularly before Yahweh. 32 And they shall keep the responsibility of the tent of assembly,[f] the responsibility of the sanctified objects, and the responsibility of the sons of Aaron, their brothers, to serve the house of Yahweh.
The Time for Behaving Like the Gentiles is Past
4 Therefore, because[a] Christ suffered in the flesh, you also equip yourselves with the same way of thinking, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 in order to live the remaining time in the flesh no longer for human desires, but for the will of God. 3 For the time that has passed was sufficient to do what the Gentiles desire to do[b], having lived in licentiousness, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries, 4 with respect to which they are surprised when[c] you do not run with them into the same flood of dissipation, and so they[d] revile you. 5 They[e] will give an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 Because for this reason also the gospel was preached to those who are dead, so that they were judged by human standards[f] in the flesh, but they may live in the spirit by God’s standards[g].
Serving to the Glory of God
7 Now the end of all things draws near. Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for your prayers. 8 Above all, keep[h] your love for one another constant, because love covers a large number of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Just as each one has received a gift, use it for serving one another, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. 11 If anyone speaks, let it be as the oracles of God; if anyone serves, let it be as by the strength that God provides, so that in all things God will be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power forever and ever[i]. Amen.
Sharing the Sufferings of Christ
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, when it[j] takes place to test you, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 But to the degree that you share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, so that also at the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and be glad. 14 If you are reviled on account of the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 By all means do not let anyone of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 But if someone suffers as a Christian, he must not be ashamed, but must glorify God with this name. 17 For it is the time for the judgment to begin out from the household of God. But if it begins out from us first, what will be the outcome for those who are disobedient to the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous are saved with difficulty, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner[k]?[l] 19 So then also those who suffer according to the will of God must entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good.
Woe to the Oppressors of God’s People
2 Woe to those who plan wickedness
and evil deeds upon their beds!
In the light of the morning they did it,
because they have power in their hands.
2 They covet fields and seize them,
and houses, and they take them away.
They oppress a man and his house;
a man and his inheritance.
3 Therefore, thus says Yahweh: Look! I am planning disaster against this family from which you will not be able to remove your necks. You will not walk proudly, for it is a time of disaster.
4 In that day they will raise a proverb against you,
and will wail a bitter wailing, saying,
“We are utterly ruined;
he exchanges the portion of my people.
How he removes it from me;
he apportions our field to an apostate.”
5 Therefore you will have no one casting a line by lot
in the assembly of Yahweh.
6 “Do not preach!” they are preaching.
They should not preach to these;
disgrace will not overtake us.
7 Should this be said, O house of Jacob?
Is the patience[a] of Yahweh shortened?
Are these his deeds?
Are my words not pleasing
to him who walks upright?
8 But recently[b] my people have risen up as an enemy;
from before the cloak you strip off the robe
from those passing by in confidence,
returning from war.
9 You have driven out the women of my people
from the houses of their[c] pleasure.
From their[d] children you have taken away
my glory forever.
10 Arise and go,
for this is no resting place,
on account of uncleanness that destroys
with painful destruction.
11 If a man walks about in a spirit of deception and lies,
saying “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,”
then he would be a preacher for this people!
12 I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;
I will surely gather together the remainder of Israel.
I will set them like sheep of Bozrah.
Like a herd in the midst of their pasture
they will be in tumult from people.
13 The one who breaks out before them goes up;
they break through and pass the gate,
going out through it.
Their king passes before them,
Yahweh at their head.
How to Pray
11 And it happened that while he was in a certain place praying, when he stopped a certain one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say,
“Father,
may your name be treated as holy.
May your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation.”
Ask, Seek, Knock
5 And he said to them, “Who of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 because a friend of mine has come to me on a journey, and I do not have anything to set before him.’ 7 And that one will answer from inside and[a] say, ‘Do not cause me trouble! The door has already been shut and my children are with me in bed! I am not able to get up to give you anything.’[b] 8 I tell you, even if he does not give him anything[c] after he[d] gets up because he is his friend, at any rate because of his impudence[e] he will get up and[f] give him whatever he needs.
9 And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 But what father from among you, if his[g] son will ask for a fish, instead of a fish will give him a snake? 12 Or also, if he will ask for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 Therefore if you, although you[h] are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father from heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
A House Divided Cannot Stand
14 And he was expelling a mute demon.[i] Now it happened that when[j] the demon came out, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were astonished. 15 But some of them said, “By Beelzebul the ruler of demons he expels demons!” 16 And others, in order to[k] test him,[l] were demanding from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household[m] falls. 18 So if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I expel demons by Beelzebul. 19 But if I expel demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons expel them?[n] For this reason they will be your judges! 20 But if I expel demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you! 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his possessions are safe.[o] 22 But when a stronger man attacks him and[p] conquers him, he takes away his full armor in which he trusted and distributes his plunder. 23 The one who is not with me is against me, and the one who does not gather with me scatters.
An Unclean Spirit Returns
24 “Whenever an unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it travels through waterless places searching for rest, and does not find it.[q] It says,[r] ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ 25 And when it[s] arrives it finds the house[t] swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and[u] live there. And the last state of that person becomes worse than the first!”
27 Now it happened that as he said these things, a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and[v] said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and follow it!”[w]
The Sign of Jonah
29 And as[x] the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation! It demands a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah! 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something[y] greater than Solomon is here! 32 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and behold, something[z] greater than Jonah is here!
Light and Darkness
33 “No one after[aa] lighting a lamp puts it[ab] in a cellar or under a bushel basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is sincere, your whole body is full of light also. But when it is evil, your body is dark also. 35 Therefore pay careful attention that the light in you is not darkness! 36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, not having any part dark, it will be completely full of light, as when the lamp with its light gives light to you.”
Pharisees and Legal Experts Denounced
37 And as he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to have a meal[ac] with him, and he went in and[ad] reclined at table. 38 And the Pharisee, when he[ae] saw it,[af] was astonished that he did not first wash before the meal. 39 But the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but your inside is full of greediness and wickedness. 40 Fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But give as charitable giving the things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.
42 “But woe to you, Pharisees, because you pay a tenth of mint and rue and every garden herb, and neglect justice and love for God! But it was necessary to do these things without neglecting those things also. 43 Woe to you, Pharisees, because you love the best seat in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces! 44 Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, and the people who walk over them[ag] do not know it![ah]
45 And one of the legal experts answered and[ai] said to him, “Teacher, when you[aj] say these things, you insult us also!” 46 So he said, “Woe to you also, legal experts, because you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers! 47 Woe to you, because you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them! 48 As a result you are witnesses, and you approve of the deeds of your fathers, because they killed them and you build their tombs![ak] 49 For this reason also the wisdom of God said, ‘I will send to them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ 50 so that the blood of all the prophets that has been shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the temple building.[al] Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation! 52 Woe to you, legal experts, because you have taken away the key to knowledge! You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering!”
53 And when[am] he departed from there, the scribes and the Pharisees began to be terribly hostile, and to question him closely about many things, 54 plotting to catch him with reference to something he might say.[an]
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