M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
26 ye shall not make to you an idol, and a graven image (nor a carved image), neither ye shall raise up titles, that is, altars for idolatry, neither ye shall set (up) a noble stone in your land, that ye worship it; for I am your Lord God.
2 Keep ye my sabbaths, and dread ye at my saintuary (and honour my sanctuary); I am the Lord.
3 If ye go in my behests, and keep my commandments, and do those,
4 I shall give to you rain in their times, and the earth shall bring forth his fruit, and [the] trees shall be filled with apples; (I shall give you rain at the proper time, and the land shall bring forth its harvest, and the trees shall be filled with fruit;)
5 the threshing of ripe corns shall take (you until) the vintage, and the vintage shall occupy (you until) the seed time, and ye shall eat your bread in fullness, and ye shall dwell in your land without dread (and ye shall live in your land without any fear).
6 I shall give peace in your coasts; ye shall sleep, and none shall be that shall make you afeared; I shall do away evil beasts from you, and a sword shall not pass by your terms.
7 Ye shall pursue your enemies, and they shall fall before you;
8 five of your men shall pursue an hundred aliens, and an hundred of you shall pursue ten thousand; your enemies shall fall by sword in your sight (your enemies shall fall by the sword before you).
9 I shall behold you, and I shall make you to increase; ye shall be multiplied; and I shall make steadfast my covenant with you;
10 ye shall eat the eldest of (the) eld things, and (then) ye shall cast away the eld things, when [the] new things shall come above (when the new things shall come forth);
11 I shall set my tabernacle in the midst of you, and my soul shall not cast you away;
12 I shall go among you, and I shall be your God, and ye shall be a people to me (and ye shall be my people).
13 I am your Lord God, that led you out of the land of Egyptians, that ye should not serve them (any more), and I have broken the chains off your nolls, that ye should go upright. (I am the Lord your God, who led you out of the land of the Egyptians, so that ye would no longer serve them, and I have broken the chains from off your necks, so that ye could walk upright.)
14 That if ye hear not me, neither do all my behests, (But if ye will not listen to me, nor do all my commands,)
15 and if ye forsake my laws, and despise my dooms, that ye do not those things that be ordained of me, and that ye bring follily my covenant to nought, (and if ye forsake my laws, and despise my judgements, so that ye do not do those things that be ordained by me, but ye foolishly break my covenant,)
16 also I shall do these things to you; I shall visit you swiftly in neediness, and in burning, which shall torment your eyes, and waste your lives; in vain ye shall sow seed, that shall be devoured of enemies; (then I shall do these things to you; I shall swiftly visit you with want, or with need, and with burning, which shall torment your eyes, and shall waste your lives; ye shall sow your seed in vain, for it shall be devoured by your enemies;)
17 I shall set my face against you, and ye shall fall before your enemies, and ye shall be subjects to them that hate you (and ye shall be made subject to them who hate you); (and) ye shall flee, while no man pursueth you.
18 But if neither so ye obey to me (And if ye shall still not obey me), I shall increase your chastising sevenfold for your sins;
19 and I shall all-break the pride of your hardness, and I shall give to you heaven above as iron, and the earth as brass; (and I shall break in pieces all of your hard-headed pride; and I shall make the heavens above you like iron, and the earth beneath you like bronze;)
20 your travail shall be wasted in vain, neither the earth shall bring forth fruit, neither [the] trees shall give apples. (all your labour shall be in vain, the land shall not bring forth any harvest, nor shall the trees give forth any fruit.)
21 If ye go contrary to me, neither will hear me (and will not listen to me), I shall increase your wounds, either vengeances, till into sevenfold for your sins;
22 I shall send out into you cruel beasts of the field (I shall send cruel wild beasts among you), that shall waste you, and your beasts, and shall bring all things to fewness, and your (by)ways shall be forsaken.
23 That if neither so ye will receive doctrine, either chastising, but go contrary to me, (And if ye will still not receive chastising, or discipline, but continue to go contrary to me,)
24 also I shall go adversary against you, and I shall smite you seven times for your sins; (then I shall also be your adversary/then I shall also go contrary to you, and I shall strike you seven times for your sins;)
25 and I shall bring in on you the sword, venger of my bond of peace (the avenger of my covenant); and when ye flee into [your] cities, I shall send pestilence in[to] the midst of you, and ye shall be betaken in(to) the hands of [your] enemies,
26 after that I have broken the staff of your bread, so that ten women shall bake their loaves in one oven, and (they shall) yield, or deliver, those loaves at weight; and ye shall eat (them), and (yet) ye shall not be fulfilled.
27 But if neither by these things ye will hear me, but go against me, (And if, in spite of all these things, ye still will not listen to me, but continue to go against me,)
28 and I shall go against you in contrary strong vengeance, and I shall chastise you by seven vengeances for your sins, (then I also shall be contrary, and go against you with strong vengeance, and I shall chastise you seven times for your sins,)
29 so that ye (shall) eat the flesh of your sons, and of your daughters;
30 I shall destroy your high things, and I shall break your simulacra (I shall destroy your high places, or your hill shrines, and I shall break your idols); ye shall fall betwixt the fallings of your idols, and my soul shall have you abominable,
31 in so much that I shall turn your cities into wilderness, and make your saintuaries forsaken, neither I shall receive more the sweetest odour; (in so much that I shall turn your cities into wilderness, and make your sanctuaries forsaken, nor shall I receive from you any more the sweetest aroma;)
32 and I shall destroy your land, and your enemies shall be astonished thereon, when they shall be dwellers thereof; (and I shall destroy your land, and your enemies, when they become its inhabitants, shall be astonished at what hath happened there;)
33 forsooth I shall scatter you into folks, or into heathen men, and I shall draw out of the sheath the sword after you (yea, I shall scatter you among the heathen, and I shall draw the sword out of its sheath, and come after you), and your land shall be forsaken, and your cities shall be cast down.
34 Then his sabbaths shall please the earth, in all the days of his wilderness; when ye be in the land of (your) enemies, it shall keep sabbath, (Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths, in all the days of its wilderness; while ye be in the land of your enemies, it shall keep the sabbaths, that is, the land shall take rest,)
35 and it shall rest in the sabbaths of his wilderness, for it rested not in your sabbaths, when ye dwelled therein. (yea, it shall rest on its sabbaths in its time of wilderness, for it did not rest on your sabbaths, when ye still lived there.)
36 And I shall give dread in their hearts, that shall abide of you, in the countries of your enemies; the sound of a leaf flying shall make them afeared, and so they shall flee it as a sword; they shall fall, while none pursueth, (And I shall put fear in the hearts of those who be left of you, in the countries of your enemies; the sound of a leaf flying in the wind shall make them afraid, and they shall flee it like a sword; they shall fall, when no one pursueth them,)
37 and all they shall fall upon their brethren, as men fleeing battles (out of fear); no man of you shall be hardy to against-stand (your) enemies; (and they all shall fall upon their brothers, like men fearfully fleeing from battle; not one of you shall be hardy to stand against your enemies;)
38 ye shall perish among heathen men, and the land of (your) enemies shall waste you.
39 That if some of these Jews dwell (And those Jews who shall still remain), they shall fail in their wickednesses, in the land of their enemies; and they shall be tormented for the sins of their fathers, and for their own sins,
40 till they acknowledge their wickednesses, and have mind of their evils (and remember their evil-doing), by which they trespassed against me, and went contrary to me.
41 Therefore and I shall go against them (And so I shall go against them), and I shall bring them into the land of their enemies, till the uncircumcised soul of them be ashamed; then they shall pray for (the forgiveness of) their wickedness,
42 and I shall have mind of my bond of peace, that I covenanted with Jacob, Isaac, and with Abraham; also I shall be mindful of the land, (and I shall remember my covenant, which I made with Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham; and I shall remember the land,)
43 which, when it is left of them, shall please to itself in his sabbaths, and shall suffer wilderness for them; forsooth they shall pray for their sins, for they casted away my dooms, and despised my laws; (which, when it is rid of them, shall enjoy its sabbaths, and shall become a wilderness without them; and they shall pray for the forgiveness of their sins, for they threw away my judgements, and despised my laws;)
44 nevertheless, yea, when they were in the land of (their) enemies, I casted not them away utterly (I did not utterly throw them away), neither I despised them, so that they were wasted, and that I made void my covenant with them; for I am the Lord God of them.
45 And I shall have mind of my former bond of peace (And I shall remember my covenant with their ancestors), when I led them out of the land of Egypt, in the sight of heathen men, that I should be their God; I am the Lord God.
46 These be the behests, and dooms, and laws, which the Lord gave betwixt himself and the sons of Israel, in the hill of Sinai, by the hand of Moses. (These be the commands, and judgements, and laws, which the Lord gave between himself and the Israelites, on Mount Sinai, through Moses.)
33 Ye just men, have fully joy in the Lord; praising (al)together becometh rightful men. (Ye who be righteous, have full out joy, or rejoice, in the Lord; praising him becometh those who be upright, or obedient.)
2 Acknowledge ye to the Lord in an harp; sing ye to him in a psaltery of ten strings. (Praise ye the Lord on a harp; sing ye to him on a ten-stringed lute.)
3 Sing ye to him a new song; say ye well psalm to him in crying [out]. (Sing ye to him a new song; boldly say ye a psalm to him, and shout out loud.)
4 For the word of the Lord is rightful (For the word of the Lord is true); and all his works be (done) in faithfulness.
5 He loveth mercy and doom; the earth is full of the mercy of the Lord. (He loveth righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the love of the Lord.)
6 Heavens be made steadfast by the word of the Lord; and all the virtue of those by the spirit of his mouth. (The heavens were made by the word of the Lord; yea, all the host of them, by the breath from his mouth.)
7 And he gathered together the waters of the sea as in a bouget/as in a bottle; and he setteth deep waters in treasures. (And he gathered the waters of the sea together, like in a bottle; and he put the deep waters in his treasuries, or in his storehouses.)
8 All earth dread the Lord; soothly all men inhabiting the world be moved of him. (Let all the earth fear the Lord/Let all the earth revere the Lord; let all those who inhabit the world be in awe of him.)
9 For he said, and things were made; he commanded, and things were made of nought (he commanded, and everything was made out of nothing!).
10 The Lord destroyeth the counsels of folks, forsooth he reproveth the thoughts of peoples; and he reproveth the counsels of princes. (The Lord destroyeth the plans of the nations; he thwarteth the plans of the rulers of the peoples.)
11 But the counsel of the Lord dwelleth (into) without end; the thoughts of his heart dwell in generation and into generation. (But the plans of the Lord shall stand forever; the thoughts of his heart shall remain for all generations.)
12 Blessed is the folk, whose Lord is his God; the people which he chose into heritage to himself. (Happy is the nation, whose God is the Lord; the people whom he chose for his own inheritance.)
13 The Lord beheld from heaven; he saw all the sons of men. (The Lord looked down from heaven; he saw all the sons and daughters of men.)
14 From his dwelling place made ready before; he beheld on all men, that inhabit the earth (he looketh on all those who inhabit the earth).
15 Which made singularly, either each by himself, the souls of them; which understandeth all the works of them. (Who made each one of them individually; and who understandeth all their works, or their deeds.)
16 A king is not saved by much virtue, that is, strength; and a giant shall not be saved in the muchliness of his virtue. (A king is not saved by his large host, or his army; and a mighty man shall not be saved by his great strength.)
17 An horse is false to health; forsooth he shall not be saved in the abundance, either plenty, of his virtue. (A horse is an empty thing for salvation, or deliverance; for it shall not be able to save anyone by the abundance, or the plentifulness, of its strength.)
18 Lo! the eyes of the Lord be on men dreading him; and in them that hope in his mercy. (Lo! the eyes of the Lord be upon those who fear, or who obey, him; and upon those who hope for his mercy./Lo! the eyes of the Lord be upon those who revere him; and upon those who trust in his love.)
19 That he deliver their souls from death; and feed them in hunger. (So that he can save their souls from death; and feed them in times of famine.)
20 Our soul suffereth the Lord, that is, abideth patiently his will (Our souls wait for the Lord, yea, we wait patiently for his will to be done); for he is our helper and defender.
21 For our heart shall be glad in him; and we shall have hope in his holy name. (And our hearts shall be glad in him; for we have trust in his holy name.)
22 Lord, thy mercy be made on us; as we hoped in thee. (Lord, let thy love rest upon us; for we have trusted in thee.)
9 I treated all these things in mine heart, to understand diligently. Just men, and wise men there be, and their works be in the hand of God; and nevertheless a man knoweth not, whether he is worthy of love or of hate. (I treated, or considered, all these things in my mind, to diligently understand them. There be the righteous, and the wise, and all their works be in God’s hands; yet nevertheless a person knoweth not whether he is worthy of love, or of hate.)
2 But all things be kept uncertain into the time to coming; for all things befall evenly to a just man and to a wicked man, to a good man and to an evil man, to a clean man and to an unclean man, to a man offering offerings and sacrifices, and to a man despising sacrifices; as a good man, so and a sinner; as a forsworn man, so and he that greatly sweareth truth (as to a good man, and so to a sinner; as to a forsworn man, and so to him who greatly sweareth truth).
3 This thing is the worst among all things, that be done under the sun, that the same thing befall to all men; wherefore and the hearts of the sons of men be filled with malice and with despising in their life; and after these things, they shall be led down into hells. (This thing is the worst among all things, that be done under the sun, that the same thing befall to all people; yea, the hearts of the sons and daughters of men be filled with malice and despising during their lives; and then after these things, they go down to Sheol, or the land of the dead/they go down to hell.)
4 No man there is, that liveth ever, and that hath trust of this thing; better is a quick dog than a dead lion. (But for everyone who liveth, there is still hope; yea, a living dog is better than a dead lion.)
5 For they that live know that they shall die; but dead men know nothing more, neither have meed further; for their mind is given to forgetting. (For they who live at least know that they shall die; but the dead know nothing, nor have any further reward; even the memory of them is forgotten.)
6 Also the(ir) love, and hatred, and envy, (have) perished (al)together; and they have no part in this world, and in the work that is done under the sun.
7 Therefore go thou, just man, and eat thy bread in gladness, and drink thy wine with joy; for thy works please God. (And so, O righteous person, go thou, and eat thy bread with happiness, and drink thy wine with joy; for thy works please God.)
8 In each time thy clothes be white, and oil fail not from thine head. (At all times let thy clothes be white, and let thy head not lack oil.)
9 Use thou life with the wife which thou lovest, in all the days of the life of thine unstableness, that be given to thee under the sun, in all the time of thy vanity; for this is thy part in thy life and [thy] travail, by which thou travailest under the sun. (Enjoy thou life with the wife whom thou lovest, in all the days of thy unstable, or thy changing, life, that be given to thee under the sun, in all thy empty and futile time; for this is thy portion in thy life, and thy labour in which thou labourest under the sun.)
10 Work thou busily, whatever thing thine hand may do; for neither work, neither reason, nor knowing, nor wisdom, shall be at hells, whither thou hastest. (Busily work thou, at whatever thy hands can do; for neither work, nor reason, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, be in the land of the dead, where thou hastenest.)
11 I turned me to another thing, and I saw under [the] sun, that running is not of swift men, neither battle is of strong men, neither bread is of wise men, neither riches be of teachers, nor grace is of craftsmen; but time and hap is in all things[a]. (I turned me to another thing, and I saw under the sun, that the race is not always to the swift, or the battle to the strong, or bread to the wise, or riches to those who teach, or favour to the skilled, but timing and happenstance be to everything.)
12 A man knoweth not his end; but as fishes be taken with an hook, and as birds be taken with a snare, so men be taken in (an) evil time, when it cometh suddenly [up]on them.
13 Also I saw this wisdom under the sun, and I proved it the most.
14 A little city, and few men therein; a great king came against it, and compassed it with pales, and he builded strongholds, either engines, by compass; and [the] besieging was made perfect. (There was a small city, with only a few people in it; a great king came against it, and surrounded it with posts, and he built strongholds, or bulwarks, all around it; and so the siege was made perfect.)
15 And a poor man and a wise was found therein; and he delivered the city by his wisdom, and no man bethought afterward on that poor man. (And a poor but wise man was found there; and he saved the city by his wisdom, but afterward no one thought much about that poor man.)
16 And I said, that wisdom is better than strength; how therefore is the wisdom of a poor man despised, and his words be not heard? (And I have always said, that wisdom is better than strength; and so why is the wisdom of a poor man despised, and his words not listened to?)
17 The words of wise men be heard in silence, more than the cry of a prince among fools. (The words of the wise should be heard in silence, much more than the loud cry of a leader of a group of fools.)
18 Better is wisdom than armours of battle; and he that sinneth in one thing, shall lose many goods. (Better is wisdom than the arms, or the weapons, of battle; and he who sinneth in one thing, shall lose much that is good.)
1 Paul, the servant of God, and apostle of Jesus Christ, by the faith of the chosen of God, and by the knowing of the truth [after the faith of the chosen of God, and knowing of the truth], which is after piety,
2 into the hope of everlasting life [in hope of everlasting life], which life God that lieth not, promised before times of the world [before worldly times];
3 but he hath showed in his times his word in preaching, that is betaken to me by the commandment of God, our Saviour [after the commandment of our Saviour God],
4 to Titus, most dear-worthy son by the common faith [to Titus, beloved son after the common faith], grace and peace of God the Father, and of Christ Jesus, our Saviour.
5 For cause of this thing I left thee at Crete, that thou amend those things that fail, and ordain priests by cities, as also I assigned to thee [as and I disposed to thee].
6 If any man is without crime, an husband of one wife, and hath faithful sons [If any man is without crime, or great sin, husband of one wife, having faithful sons], not in accusation of lechery, or not subject.
7 For it behooveth a bishop to be without crime, [as] a dispenser of God, not proud, not wrathful, not given to drunkenness [not vinolent, that is, much given to wine], not [a] smiter, not covetous of foul winning;
8 but holding hospitality, benign, prudent, sober, just, holy, continent,
9 taking that true word, that is after doctrine; that he be mighty to admonish in wholesome teaching, and to reprove them that gainsay.[a]
10 For there be many unobedient, and vain speakers, and deceivers, most they that be of circumcision,
11 which it behooveth to be reproved [whom it behooveth to be reproved]; which subvert all houses, teaching which things it behooveth not, for [the] love of foul winning.
12 And one of them, their proper prophet said [Some one of them, the proper prophet of them, said], said, Men of Crete be evermore liars, evil beasts, of slow womb [slow of womb].
13 This witnessing is true. For which cause blame them sore, that they be whole in faith,
14 not giving attention to fables of Jews, and to commandments of men, that turn away them from truth [turning them away from truth].
15 And all things be clean to clean men; but to unclean men and to unfaithful nothing is clean, for the soul and conscience of them be made unclean [but and the soul, or reason, and conscience of them be made unclean].
16 They acknowledge that they know God, but by deeds they deny [him]; when they be abominable, and unbelieveful, and reprovable to all good work [to all good works].
2001 by Terence P. Noble