M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Josiah Observes the Passover
35 Josiah kept[a] the Passover to Yahweh in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 And he set the priests at their posts and encouraged them in the service of the house of Yahweh. 3 And he said to the Levites who were teaching all Israel, who were sanctified to Yahweh, “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. There is no need to carry it on your shoulders. Now serve Yahweh your God and his people Israel. 4 And prepare yourselves according to your families,[b] according to your working groups, according to the decree[c] of David king of Israel and according to the decree[d] of Solomon his son. 5 And stand in the sanctuary according to the clans of your families[e] for your brothers, the lay people,[f] and a part of the family[g] of the Levites. 6 And slaughter the Passover lamb and consecrate yourself and prepare for your brothers to do according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Moses.
7 Then Josiah provided for the lay people[h] sheep, lambs, and young goats, all for the Passover for all who were found there, to the sum of thirty thousand, along with three thousand bulls. These were the possession of the king. 8 And his officials contributed a freewill offering to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, commanders of the house of God, gave to the priests two thousand six hundred Passover lambs and three hundred bulls. 9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jehozabad, commanders of the Levites, contributed to the Levites five thousand Passover lambs and five hundred bulls.
10 And when the work had been completed, the priests stood at their positions and the Levites in their working groups according to the command of the king. 11 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hand, and the Levites flayed the sacrifices. 12 And they set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the clans of the families[i] for the lay people,[j] to offer to Yahweh according to what is written in the scroll of Moses. And thus they did with the bulls. 13 Then they roasted the Passover lamb in the fire according to the ordinance. And they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in kettles, and in dishes and brought it quickly to the lay people.[k] 14 And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants[l] of Aaron, were busy with offering the burnt offerings and the fat until night. So the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the descendants[m] of Aaron. 15 And the singers, the descendants[n] of Asaph, were at their stations according to the decree[o] of David and Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun, the seer of the king. And the gatekeepers were at each gate.[p] They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites had made preparations for them.
16 So all the service of Yahweh was prepared on that day to keep[q] the Passover and to sacrifice burnt offerings on the altar of Yahweh, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And the Israelites who were present kept[r] the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. 18 And there was no Passover like it kept[s] in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. And none of the kings of Israel kept[t] a Passover like that which Josiah and the priests and the Levites, and all of Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, kept.[u] 19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.[v]
The Death of Josiah
20 After all of this that Josiah had prepared for the temple,[w] Neco the king of Egypt went up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went up to meet him. 21 And he[x] sent messengers to him, saying, “What is there between us,[y] O king of Judah? I am not against you yourself this day, but against the house making war against me. And God has commanded me to make haste. Stop opposing God, who is with me that he will not destroy you.” 22 But Josiah did not turn his face from him, but he disguised himself to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and he went out to fight in the plain of Megiddo. 23 And the archers shot King Josiah, and the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and transported him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the burial sites of his ancestors.[z] And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned over Josiah. 25 And Jeremiah uttered a lament for Josiah, and all the male and female singers have spoken in their laments about Josiah to this day. And they made them a requirement in Israel, and behold, they are written in the laments.
26 Now the remainder of the words of Josiah and his loyal love for what is written in the law of Yahweh 27 and his words, from the first to the last, behold, they are written in the scroll of the kings of Israel and Judah.
The New Heaven, New Earth, and New Jerusalem
21 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea did not exist any longer. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, the dwelling of God is with humanity,
and he will take up residence with them,
and they will be his people
and God himself will be with them.[a]
4 And he will wipe away every tear from their eyes,
and death will not exist any longer,
and[b] mourning or wailing or pain will not exist any longer.
The former things[c] have passed away.”
5 And the one seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new!” And he said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am[d] the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water from the spring of the water of life freely.[e] 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God[f] and he will be my son[g]. 8 But as for the cowards and unbelievers and detestable persons and murderers and sexually immoral people and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their share is in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death.
A Description of the New Jerusalem
9 And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, 11 that has the glory of God. Its radiance is like a precious stone, something like a jasper stone, shining like crystal. 12 It has[h] a great and high wall that has twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on the gates which are[i] of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel— 13 on the east, three gates, and on the north, three gates, and on the south, three gates, and on the west, three gates. 14 And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me was holding a golden measuring rod in order that he could measure the city and its gates and its wall. 16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is the same as its width. And he measured the city with the measuring rod at twelve thousand stadia;[j] the length and the width and the height of it are equal. 17 And he measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits[k] according to human measure[l], which is the angel’s. 18 And the material of its wall is jasper, and the city is pure gold, similar in appearance to pure glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city are adorned with every kind of precious stone: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, each one of the gates was from a single pearl. And the street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God All-Powerful is its temple, and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon, that they shine on it, for the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 And the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 And its gates will never be shut by day (for there will be no night there), 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 And every unclean thing and one who practices[m] detestable things and falsehood will never enter into it, except those who are written in the book of life of the Lamb.
Yahweh’s Messenger is Coming
3 “Look! I am going to send my messenger,[a] and he will prepare[b] the way before me.[c] And the Lord whom you are seeking will come suddenly to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you are taking pleasure—look!—he is about to come,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 And who can endure the day of his coming? And who is the one who can stand when he appears?[d] For he is like a refiner’s fire, like launderers’ alkali.[e] 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the children of Levi, and he will refine them like gold and like silver, and they will present to Yahweh offerings[f] in righteousness. 4 And the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to Yahweh, like in the days of old and like in former years.
5 “Then I will approach you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers, and against those who swear falsely,[g] and against the oppressors of the hired worker with his wages, the widow and the orphan, and the abusers of[h] the alien,[i] and yet do not fear me,” says Yahweh of hosts.
An Overflowing Blessing
6 “For I, Yahweh, have not changed,[j] and you, O children of Jacob, have not perished.[k] 7 From the days of your ancestors[l] you have turned aside from my rules, and have not kept[m] them! Return to me and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts, “but you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8 Will a human dare to rob God? Yet you are robbing me! And you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In the tithes and the contributions! 9 You are being cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you! 10 Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse,[n] so that there will be food in my house, and test me please in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour forth for you an overflowing blessing.[o] 11 I will rebuke the devourer[p] for you; it will not destroy the fruit of your soil; your vine in the field will not be unfruitful,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “And all the nations will call you blessed, because you will be a land in which one takes joy,”[q] says Yahweh of hosts. 13 “Your words have been harsh[r] against me,” says Yahweh. “But you say, ‘How have we spoken together against you?’ 14 You have said, ‘It is useless[s] to serve God! What is the gain if we keep[t] his requirements, and if we walk as mourners before[u] Yahweh of hosts? 15 And now we are calling the arrogant blessed! Not only do those who do wickedness prosper; they also test God and they escape!’”
A Book of Remembrance is Written
16 Then those who revered[v] Yahweh spoke with one another.[w] And Yahweh listened attentively[x] and heard, and a scroll of remembrance was written before him[y] of those who revere[z] Yahweh and ponder his name. 17 “They will be mine,” says Yahweh of hosts, “on the day that I am acting, my treasured possession. I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. 18 You will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.
Jesus Is Raised
20 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it[a] was still dark, and saw the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord from the tomb and we do not know where they have put him!” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple went out and were going to the tomb. 4 And the two were running together, and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first. 5 And bending over to look, he saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, though he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter also came following him, and he went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, 7 and the facecloth that was on his head—not lying with the strips of linen cloth, but folded up separately in one place. 8 So then the other disciple who had come to the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed. 9 (For they did not yet know the scripture that it was necessary for him to rise from the dead.)
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.[b] 11 But Mary stood outside at the tomb, weeping. Then, while she was weeping, she bent over to look into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white, seated one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have put him!” 14 When she[c] had said these things, she turned around[d] and saw Jesus standing there, and she did not know that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” She thought that it was the gardener, and[e] said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will take him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned around and[f] said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came and[g] announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
19 Now when it[h] was evening on that day—the first day of the week—and the doors had been shut where the disciples were because of fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace to you.” 20 And when he[i] had said this, he showed his[j] hands and his[k] side to them. Then the disciples rejoiced when they[l] saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 And when he[m] had said this, he breathed on them[n] and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins[o] of any, they are retained.”
Thomas Doubts But Later Believes
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called Didymus,[p] was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe!”
26 And after eight days his disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Although[q] the doors had been shut, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace to you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Place your finger here and see my hands, and place your hand and put it[r] into my side. And do not be unbelieving, but believing!” 28 Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Why This Book Was Written
30 Now Jesus also performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples[s] which are not recorded in this book, 31 but these things are recorded in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by[t] believing you may have life in his name.
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