M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Tower of Babel
11 The whole world had one language with a common vocabulary. 2 As people moved toward the east,[a] they found a plain in Shinar [Babylonia] and settled there.
3 They said to one another, “Let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used bricks as stones and tar[b] as mortar.
4 Then they said, “Let’s build a city for ourselves and a tower with its top in the sky. Let’s make a name for ourselves so that we won’t become scattered all over the face of the earth.”
5 Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the descendants of Adam were building. 6 Yahweh said, “They are one people with one language. This is only the beginning of what they will do! Now nothing they plan to do will be too difficult for them. 7 Let us go down there and mix up their language so that they won’t understand each other.”
8 So Yahweh scattered them all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 This is why it was named Babel, because there Yahweh turned the language of the whole earth into babble. From that place Yahweh scattered them all over the face of the earth.
The Ten Descendants of Shem—Shem to Terah(A)
10 This is the account of Shem and his descendants. Two years after the flood when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad. 11 After he became the father of Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 Arpachshad was 35 years old when he became the father of Shelah. 13 After he became the father of Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 Shelah was 30 years old when he became the father of Eber. 15 After he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 Eber was 34 years old when he became the father of Peleg. 17 After he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 Peleg was 30 years old when he became the father of Reu. 19 After he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 Reu was 32 years old when he became the father of Serug. 21 After he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 Serug was 30 years old when he became the father of Nahor. 23 After he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 Nahor was 29 years old when he became the father of Terah. 25 After he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 Terah was 70 years old when he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Terah Moves to Haran
27 This is the account of Terah and his descendants. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot. 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, his native land. 29 Both Abram and Nahor married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, daughter of Haran. (Haran was the father of Milcah and Iscah.) 30 Sarai was not able to have children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, wife of his son Abram. They set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. When they came as far as Haran, they stayed there. 32 Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.
Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles(A)
10 Yeshua called his twelve disciples and gave them authority to force evil spirits out of people and to cure every disease and sickness.
2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first and foremost, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James (son of Alphaeus), and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Yeshua.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(B)
5 Yeshua sent these twelve out with the following instructions: “Don’t go among people who are not Jewish or into any Samaritan city. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. 7 As you go, spread this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ 8 Cure the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse those with skin diseases, and force demons out of people. Give these things without charging, since you received them without paying.
9 “Don’t take any gold, silver, or even copper coins in your pockets. 10 Don’t take a traveling bag for the trip, a change of clothes, sandals, or a walking stick. After all, the worker deserves to have his needs met.
11 “When you go into a city or village, look for people who will listen to you there. Stay with them until you leave that place. 12 When you go into a house, greet the family. 13 If it is a family that listens to you, allow your greeting to stand. But if it is not receptive, take back your greeting. 14 If anyone doesn’t welcome you or listen to what you say, leave that house or city, and shake its dust off your feet. 15 I can guarantee this truth: Judgment day will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city.
16 “I’m sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves. 17 Watch out for people who will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. 18 Because of me you will even be brought in front of governors and kings to testify to them and to everyone in the world. 19 When they hand you over to the authorities, don’t worry about what to say or how to say it. When the time comes, you will be given what to say. 20 Indeed, you’re not the ones who will be speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.
21 “Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. 22 Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who patiently endures to the end will be saved. 23 So when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. I can guarantee this truth: Before you have gone through every city in Israel, the Son of Man will come.
24 “A student is not better than his teacher. Nor is a slave better than his owner. 25 It is enough for a student to become like his teacher and a slave like his owner. If they have called the owner of the house Beelzebul,[a] they will certainly call the family members the same name. 26 So don’t be afraid of them. Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. 27 Tell in the daylight what I say to you in the dark. Shout from the housetops what you hear whispered. 28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.
29 “Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s permission. 30 Every hair on your head has been counted. 31 Don’t be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “So I will acknowledge in front of my Father in heaven that person who acknowledges me in front of others. 33 But I will tell my Father in heaven that I don’t know the person who tells others that he doesn’t know me.
34 “Don’t think that I came to bring peace to earth. I didn’t come to bring peace but conflict. 35 I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A person’s enemies will be the members of his own family.
37 “The person who loves his father or mother more than me does not deserve to be my disciple. The person who loves a son or daughter more than me does not deserve to be my disciple. 38 Whoever doesn’t take up his cross and follow me doesn’t deserve to be my disciple. 39 The person who tries to preserve his life will lose it, but the person who loses his life for me will preserve it.
40 “The person who welcomes you welcomes me, and the person who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 The person who welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. The person who welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 I can guarantee this truth: Whoever gives any of my humble followers a cup of cold water because that person is my disciple will certainly never lose his reward.”
The People Take Action
10 While Ezra was praying, confessing these sins, crying, and throwing himself down in front of Elohim’s temple, a large crowd of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him. They also began to cry bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah, son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, interrupted by saying to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our Elohim by marrying foreign women who came from the people around us. However, there is still hope for Israel. 3 So we must now make a promise to our Elohim to get rid of all foreign women and the children born from them, as my lord Ezra and the others who tremble at the commandments of our Elohim have advised us to do. We must do what Moses’ Teachings tell us. 4 Get up! It’s your duty to take action. We are with you, so be strong and take action.”
5 Then Ezra got up and made the leaders, priests, Levites, and all the rest of Israel swear to do what they had said. So they took an oath. 6 Then Ezra left the front of Elohim’s temple and went to the room of Jehohanan, son of Eliashib. Ezra didn’t eat any food or drink any water while he was there. He was mourning because these former exiles had been so unfaithful.
7 Then he sent a proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem that all the former exiles must gather in Jerusalem. 8 If any of them didn’t come within three days as the leaders and the older men had advised, then they would lose all their property and be excluded from the community of former exiles. 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered within three days in Jerusalem. On the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people sat in the courtyard of Elohim’s temple. They were trembling because of this matter and shivering because of the heavy rain.
10 Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful by marrying foreign women, and now you have added to Israel’s guilt. 11 Confess to Yahweh Elohim of your ancestors what you have done, and do what he wants. Separate yourselves from the people of this land and from your foreign wives.”
12 Then the whole assembly shouted in reply, “Yes! We will do as you say. 13 But the crowd is too large, and it’s the rainy season. We can’t take care of this outside. Besides, there are so many of us who are involved in this sin that it can’t be taken care of in a day or two. 14 Let our leaders represent the whole community. At a set time, everyone who has married a foreign woman must meet with the leaders and judges of each city until our Elohim’s burning anger has turned away from us in this matter.”
15 (Only Jonathan, Asahel’s son, and Jahzeiah, Tikvah’s son, opposed this. Meshullam and Shabbethai, the Levite, supported Jonathan and Jahzeiah.)
16 The former exiles did this. Ezra the priest chose men who were heads of families. He chose one from each family division. (They were all listed by name.) They sat down on the first day of the tenth month to investigate the matter. 17 By the first day of the first month, they had finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.
18 Among the descendants of the priests, the following were married to foreign women: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib, and Gedaliah, a descendant of Jeshua (who was Jozadak’s son) and his brothers. 19 They shook hands as a pledge that they would get rid of their wives. They sacrificed a ram from their flock as an offering for guilt because they were guilty.
Those Who Were Guilty of Marrying Foreign Women
20 From the descendants of Immer:
Hanani and Zebadiah
21 From the descendants of Harim:
Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah
22 From the descendants of Pashhur:
Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad, and Elasah
23 From the Levites:
Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah (that is, Kelita), Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer
24 From the singers:
Eliashib
From the gatekeepers:
Shallum, Telem, and Uri
25 From the other Israelites:
From the descendants of Parosh:
Ramiah, Izziah, Malchiah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchiah, and Benaiah
26 From the descendants of Elam:
Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah
27 From the descendants of Zattu:
Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza
28 From the descendants of Bebai:
Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai, and Athlai
29 From the descendants of Bani:
Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal, and Jeremoth
30 From the descendants of Pahath Moab:
Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui, and Manasseh
31 From the descendants of Harim:
Eliezer, Isshiah, Malchiah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch, and Shemariah
33 From the descendants of Hashum:
Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei
34 From the descendants of Bani:
Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhi, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasau
38 From the descendants of Binnui:
Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah, and Joseph
43 From the descendants of Nebo:
Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel, and Benaiah
44 All of these men had married foreign women. Some of these women had given birth to children.[a]
Cornelius Has a Vision
10 A man named Cornelius lived in the city of Caesarea. He was a Roman army officer in the Italian Regiment. 2 He and everyone in his home were devout and respected God. Cornelius gave many gifts to poor Jewish people and always prayed to God.
3 One day, about three in the afternoon, he had a vision. He clearly saw an angel from God come to him and say, “Cornelius!”
4 He stared at the angel and was terrified. Cornelius asked the angel, “What do you want, sir?”
The angel answered him, “God is aware of your prayers and your gifts to the poor, and he has remembered you. 5 Send messengers now to the city of Joppa, and summon a man whose name is Simon Peter. 6 He is a guest of Simon, a leatherworker, whose house is by the sea.”
7 After saying this, the angel left. Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of those who served him regularly. 8 Cornelius explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa.
Peter Has a Vision
9 Around noon the next day, while Cornelius’ men were on their way and coming close to Joppa, Peter went on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted to eat. While the food was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the sky open and something like a large linen sheet being lowered by its four corners to the ground. 12 In the sheet were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds.
13 A voice told him, “Get up, Peter! Kill these animals, and eat them.”
14 Peter answered, “I can’t do that, Lord! I’ve never eaten anything that is impure or unclean.”[a]
15 A voice spoke to him a second time, “Don’t say that the things which God has made clean[b] are impure.”
16 This happened three times. Then the sheet was quickly taken into the sky.
17 While Peter was puzzled by the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and went to the gate. 18 They asked if Simon Peter was staying there. 19 Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit said to him, “Three men are looking for you. 20 Get up, and go downstairs. Don’t hesitate to go with these men. I have sent them.”
21 So Peter went to the men. He said, “I’m the man you’re looking for. Why are you here?”
22 The men replied, “Cornelius, a Roman army officer, sent us. He’s a man who has God’s approval and who respects God. Also, the Jewish people respect him. A holy angel told him to summon you to his home to hear what you have to say.”
23 Peter asked the men to come into the house and had them stay overnight.
Peter Speaks with Cornelius
The next day Peter left with them. Some disciples from Joppa went along. 24 The following day they arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called his relatives and close friends together.
25 When Peter was about to enter Cornelius’ house, Cornelius met him, bowed down, and worshiped Peter. 26 But Peter made him get up. He told him, “Stand up! I’m only a man.”
27 As Peter talked, he entered Cornelius’ house and found that many people had gathered. 28 He said to them, “You understand how wrong it is for a Jewish man to associate or visit with anyone of another race. But God has shown me that I should no longer call anyone impure or unclean. 29 That is why I didn’t object to coming here when you sent for me. I want to know why you sent for me.”
30 Cornelius answered, “Four days ago I was praying at home. It was at this same time, three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly, a man dressed in radiant clothes stood in front of me. 31 He said to me, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and has remembered your gifts to the poor. 32 So send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man whose name is Simon Peter. He’s a guest in the home of Simon, a leatherworker who lives by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately. Thank you for coming. All of us are here now in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has ordered you to say.”
34 Then Peter said, “Now I understand that God doesn’t play favorites. 35 Rather, whoever respects God and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation. 36 God sent his word to the people of Israel and brought them the Good News of peace through Yeshua Christ. This Yeshua Christ is everyone’s Lord. 37 You know what happened throughout Judea. Everything began in Galilee after John spread the news about baptism. 38 You know that God anointed Yeshua from Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Yeshua went everywhere and did good things, such as healing everyone who was under the devil’s power. Yeshua did these things because God was with him. 39 We can testify to everything Yeshua did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. People hung him on a cross and killed him, 40 but God brought him back to life on the third day. God didn’t show him 41 to all the people. He showed Yeshua to witnesses, apostles he had already chosen. We apostles are those men who ate and drank with Yeshua after he came back to life. 42 He ordered us to warn the people, ‘God has appointed Yeshua to judge the living and the dead.’ 43 In addition, all the prophets testify that people who believe in the one named Yeshua receive forgiveness for their sins through him.”
44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came to everyone who heard his message. 45 All the believers who were circumcised and who had come with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured on people who were not Jewish. 46 They heard these non-Jewish people speaking in other languages and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “No one can refuse to baptize these people with water. They have received the Holy Spirit in the same way that we did.” 48 So Peter ordered that they should be baptized in the name of Yeshua Christ.
Then they asked Peter to stay with them for several days.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.