M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joshua Defeats the Northern Kings
11 King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened. So he sent messengers to King Jobab of Madon and to the kings of Shimron and Achshaph. 2 He also sent messengers to the northern kings in the mountains, the plains south of Chinneroth, the foothills, and Naphoth Dor in the west, 3 the Canaanites from east and west, the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, the Jebusites in the mountains, and the Hivites at the foot of Mount Hermon in Mizpah. 4 They came out with all their armies. Their troops were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore. They also had horses and chariots. 5 All these kings camped together by the Springs of Merom in order to fight Israel.
6 Yahweh told Joshua, “Don’t be afraid of them because I am going to give them to Israel. About this time tomorrow they will all be dead. You must disable their horses so that they cannot be used in battle. You must burn their chariots.” 7 Joshua and all his troops arrived suddenly at the Springs of Merom and attacked the Canaanite armies. 8 Yahweh handed them over to Israel, and the Israelites defeated them. The Israelites chased them as far as Great Sidon, Misrephoth Maim, and the valley of Mizpah in the east. There were no survivors. 9 Joshua disabled their horses and burned their chariots, as Yahweh had told him.
10 Then Joshua turned back and captured Hazor. He killed its king with a sword. (Hazor was formerly the head of all these kingdoms.) 11 They claimed everyone for the Lord by destroying them with swords. Not one person survived. Joshua also burned Hazor.
12 So Joshua captured all these cities and their kings. He claimed them for the Lord by destroying them, as Yahweh’s servant Moses had commanded him. 13 Israel did not burn cities built on mounds. However, Joshua made an exception and burned Hazor. 14 The people of Israel took all the loot and livestock from these cities. But they put everyone to death until they were all destroyed. Not one person survived. 15 So Joshua carried out what Yahweh had commanded his servant Moses and what Moses had commanded him. He did not leave out anything Yahweh had commanded Moses.
16 Joshua took all this land, the mountains, all the Negev, all the land of Goshen, the foothills, the plains, and the mountains and foothills of Israel. 17 The land extended from Mount Halak which ascends to Seir as far as Baal Gad in the Lebanon Valley at the foot of Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and killed them. 18 Joshua waged war with all these kings for a long time. 19 Not one city had made a peace treaty with the people of Israel except Gibeon, where the Hivites lived. Israel captured everything in battle. 20 Yahweh made their enemies stubborn enough to continue fighting against Israel so that he could claim them all for destruction without mercy, as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
21 At that time Joshua also wiped out the people of Anak in the mountains, in Hebron, Debir, and Anab, and in all the hills of Judah and Israel. Joshua claimed them for the Lord by destroying them and their cities. 22 None of the people of Anak remained in Israel. Some of them were left in Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. 23 Joshua captured the whole land as Yahweh had promised Moses. He gave it to Israel as a possession, dividing it among the tribes. So the land had peace.
Psalm 144
By David.
1 Thank Yahweh, my Tsur,
who trained my hands to fight
and my fingers to do battle,
2 my merciful one, my Metsuda,
my stronghold, and my savior,
my Magen, the one in whom I take refuge,
and the one who brings people under my authority.
3 O Yahweh, what are humans that you should care about them?
What are mere mortals that you should think about them?
4 Humans are like a breath of air.
Their life span is like a fleeting shadow.
5 O Yahweh, bend your heaven low, and come down.
Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
6 Hurl bolts of lightning, and scatter them.
Shoot your arrows, and throw them into confusion.
7 Stretch out your hands from above.
Snatch me, and rescue me from raging waters
and from foreigners’ hands.
8 Their mouths speak lies.
Their right hands take false pledges.
9 O Elohim, I will sing a new song to you.
I will sing a psalm to you on a ten-stringed harp.
10 You are the one who gives victory to kings.
You are the one who snatches your servant David
away from a deadly sword.
11 Snatch me, and rescue me from foreigners’ hands.
Their mouths speak lies.
Their right hands take false pledges.
12 May our sons be like full-grown, young plants.
May our daughters be like stately columns
that adorn the corners of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled with all kinds of crops.
May our sheep give birth to thousands of lambs,
tens of thousands in our fields.
14 May our cattle have many calves.[a]
May no one break in, and may no one be dragged out.
May there be no cries of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people who have these blessings!
Blessed are the people whose Elohim is Yahweh!
Judah’s Complete Rejection of the Lord
5 Walk around the streets of Jerusalem.
Look around, and think about these things.
Search the city squares.
See if you can find anyone
who does what is right and seeks the truth.
Then I will forgive Jerusalem.
2 People say, “As Yahweh lives . . .”
Yet, they lie when they take this oath.
3 Yahweh, your eyes look for the truth.
You strike these people, but they don’t feel it.
You crush them, but they refuse to be corrected.
They are more stubborn than rocks.
They refuse to turn back.
4 I thought, “These are poor, foolish people.
They don’t know the way of Yahweh
and the justice that Elohim demands.
5 Let me go to important people and speak to them.
They know the way of Yahweh
and the justice that Elohim demands.”
But they, too, had broken off their yokes[a]
and torn off their chains.
6 That is why a lion from the forest will attack them.
A wolf from the wilderness will destroy them.
A leopard will lie in ambush outside their cities.
All who leave the cities will be torn to pieces,
because they rebel so often
and they become more and more unfaithful.
7 “Why should I forgive you?
Your children abandoned me.
They took godless oaths.
They committed adultery, even though I satisfied their needs.
They traveled in crowds to the houses of prostitutes.
8 They are like well-fed stallions that are wild with desire.
They neigh for their neighbors’ wives.
9 I will punish them for these things,” declares Yahweh.
“I will punish this nation.
10 “Go among Jerusalem’s rows of grapevines and destroy them,
but don’t destroy all of them.
Cut off the branches because they don’t belong to Yahweh.
11 The nations of Israel and Judah are unfaithful to me,”
declares Yahweh.
12 They lie about Yahweh and say,
“He doesn’t exist!
Nothing bad will happen to us.
We won’t experience war or famine.
13 The prophets are nothing but windbags.
Yahweh hasn’t spoken through them,
so let what they say happen to them.”
14 This is what Yahweh Elohim Tsebaoth says:
Because you’ve talked like this,
I’m going to put my words in your mouth like a fire.
These people will be like wood.
My words will burn them up.
15 Nation of Israel, I’m going to bring a nation from far away
to attack you, declares Yahweh.
It is a nation that has lasted a long time.
It is an ancient nation.
You don’t know the language of this nation.
You can’t understand what its people say.
16 Their arrow quivers are like open graves.
They are all mighty warriors.
17 They will devour your harvest and your food.
They will devour your sons and your daughters.
They will devour your flocks and your cattle.
They will devour your grapevines and your fig trees.
With their swords they will destroy
the fortified cities you trust.
18 Yet, even in those days, declares Yahweh,
I won’t destroy all of you.
19 They will ask, “Why has Yahweh our Elohim done all this to us?” Answer them, “You have abandoned me and served foreign gods in your land. So you will serve foreigners in a land that isn’t yours.”
20 “Tell this to the descendants of Jacob, and make this heard in Judah:
21 Hear this, you stupid and senseless people!
You have eyes, but you cannot see.
You have ears, but you cannot hear.
22 Don’t you fear me?” asks Yahweh.
“Don’t you tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
a permanent barrier that it cannot cross.
Although the waves toss continuously,
they can’t break through.
Although they roar, they can’t cross it.
23 But these people are stubborn and rebellious.
They have turned aside and wandered away from me.
24 They don’t say to themselves,
‘We should fear Yahweh our Elohim.
He sends rain at the right time,
the autumn rain and the spring rain.
He makes sure that we have harvest seasons.’
25 Your wickedness has turned these things away.
Your sins have kept good things away from you.
26 “Wicked people are found among my people.
They lie in ambush like bird catchers.
They set traps and catch people.
27 Like cages filled with birds, their houses are filled with deceit.
That is why they become powerful and rich.
28 They grow big and fat.
Their evil deeds have no limits.
They have no respect for the rights of others.
They have no respect for the rights of orphans.
But they still prosper.
They don’t defend the rights of the poor.
29 I will punish them for these things,” declares Yahweh.
“I will punish this nation.
30 “Something horrible and disgusting is happening in the land:
31 Prophets prophesy lies.
Priests rule under the prophets’ directions,
and my people love this.
But what will you do in the end?”
A Discussion about Divorce and Celibacy(A)
19 When Yeshua finished speaking, he left Galilee and traveled along the other side of the Jordan River to the territory of Judea. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Can a man divorce his wife for any reason?”
4 Yeshua answered, “Haven’t you read that the Creator made them male and female in the beginning 5 and that he said, ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and will remain united with his wife, and the two will be one’? 6 So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, don’t let anyone separate what God has joined together.”
7 The Pharisees asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order a man to give his wife a written notice to divorce her?”
8 Yeshua answered them, “Moses allowed you to divorce your wives because you’re heartless. It was never this way in the beginning. 9 I can guarantee that whoever divorces his wife for any reason other than her unfaithfulness is committing adultery if he marries another woman.”
10 The disciples said to him, “If that is the only reason a man can use to divorce his wife, it’s better not to get married.”
11 He answered them, “Not everyone can do what you suggest. Only those who have that gift can. 12 For example, some men are celibate because they were born that way. Others are celibate because they were castrated. Still others have decided to be celibate because of the kingdom of heaven. If anyone can do what you’ve suggested, then he should do it.”
Jesus Blesses Children(B)
13 Then some people brought little children to Yeshua to have him bless them and pray for them. But the disciples told the people not to do that.
14 Yeshua said, “Don’t stop children from coming to me! Children like these are part of the kingdom of God.” 15 After Yeshua blessed them, he went away from there.
Eternal Life in the Kingdom(C)
16 Then a man came to Yeshua and said, “Teacher, what good deed should I do to gain eternal life?”
17 Yeshua said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, obey the commandments.”
18 “Which commandments?” the man asked.
Yeshua said, “Never murder. Never commit adultery. Never steal. Never give false testimony. 19 Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”
20 The young man replied, “I have obeyed all these commandments. What else do I need to do?”
21 Yeshua said to him, “If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he owned a lot of property.
23 Yeshua said to his disciples, “I can guarantee this truth: It will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 I can guarantee again that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 He amazed his disciples more than ever when they heard this. “Then who can be saved?” they asked.
26 Yeshua looked at them and said, “It is impossible for people to save themselves, but everything is possible for God.”
27 Then Peter replied to him, “Look, we’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?”
28 Yeshua said to them, “I can guarantee this truth: When the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the world to come, you, my followers, will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who gave up homes, brothers or sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. 30 However, many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.