M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Abraham and Abimelech
20 And Abraham journeyed from there to the land of the Negev, and he settled between Kadesh and Shur. And he dwelled as an alien in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. 3 And God came to Abimelech in a dream at night. And he said to him, “Look, you are a dead man on account of the woman you have taken. For she is a married woman.”[a] 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “my Lord, will you even kill a righteous people?” 5 Did not he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ With integrity of my heart and with cleanness of my hands I did this.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes,[b] I know that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and I also kept you from sinning[c] against me. Therefore, I did not allow you to touch her. 7 So now, return the wife of the man, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you and you will live. And if you do not return her,[d] know that you will certainly die, and all that are yours.”
8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning. And he called all his servants and told them all these things,[e] and the men were very afraid. 9 And Abimelech called for Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you that you brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? You have done things to me that should not be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking[f] that you did this thing?” 11 And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place; they will kill me on account of the matter of my wife. 12 Besides,[g] she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother. And she became my wife. 13 And it happened that as God caused me to wander from the house of my father I said to her, ‘This is your loyal kindness that you must do for me at every place where we come: say concerning me, “He is my brother.”’” 14 And Abimelech took sheep and cattle and male slaves and female slaves, and he gave them to Abraham. And he returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Here is my land before you; settle where it pleases you.”[h] 16 And to Sarah he said, “Look, I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother. It shall be an exoneration.[i] You are vindicated before all who are with you.”[j] 17 And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his female servants so that they could bear children again. 18 For Yahweh had completely closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of the matter of Sarah, the wife of Abraham.
On Divorce
19 And it happened that when Jesus had finished these statements, he went away from Galilee and came into the region of Judea on the other side of the Jordan. 2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there. 3 And Pharisees came up to him in order to[a] test him, and asked[b] if it was permitted for a man to divorce his wife for any cause. 4 And he answered and[c] said, “Have you not read that the one who created them[d] from the beginning made them male and female 5 and said, ‘On account of this a man will leave his[e] father and his[f] mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?[g] 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, man must not separate.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us[h] to give a document—a certificate of divorce—and to divorce her?” 8 He said to them, “Moses, with reference to your hardness of heart, permitted you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not like this. 9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except on the basis of sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”[i]
10 The disciples[j] said to him, “If this is the case of a man with his[k] wife, it would be better not to marry!” 11 But he said to them, “Not everyone can accept this saying but those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born as such from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by people, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs[l] for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this,[m] let him accept it.”[n]
Little Children Brought to Jesus
13 Then children were brought to him so that he could lay his[o] hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, “Allow the children, and do not forbid them to come to me, for to such belongs[p] the kingdom of heaven.” 15 And he laid his[q] hands on them and[r] traveled on from there.
A Rich Young Man
16 And behold, someone came up to him and[s] said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do so that I will have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why are you asking me about what is good? There is one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments!” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “Do not commit murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19 honor your[t] father and your[u] mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have observed. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give the proceeds[v] to the poor—and you will have treasure in heaven—and come, follow me.” 22 But when[w] the young man heard the statement, he went away sorrowful, because he was one who had many possessions.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I say to you that with difficulty a rich person will enter into the kingdom of heaven! 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich person into[x] the kingdom of God.” 25 So when[y] the disciples heard this,[z] they were extremely amazed, saying, “Then who can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them[aa] and[ab] said to them, “With human beings this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter answered and[ac] said to him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us?” 28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that in the renewal of the world,[ad] when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me—you also will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[ae] or children or fields on account of my name will receive a hundred times as much, and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
The Nation Confesses
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites[a] gathered in fasting, in sackcloths, and with soil on them. 2 Those of the seed of Israel separated themselves from all of the foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.[b] 3 They stood up in their place and read from the book of the law[c] of Yahweh their God for a fourth part of the day, and for a fourth they were confessing and worshiping Yahweh their God. 4 Then Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Kenani stood on the platform of the Levites and cried out with a loud voice to Yahweh their God. 5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah said, “Stand up, bless Yahweh your God from everlasting until everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name that is being exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “You alone are Yahweh. You alone have made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, and all of their army, the earth and all that is in it, the waters and all that is in them. You give life to all of them, and the army of the heavens worship you. 7 You are Yahweh, the God who chose Abram and brought him from Ur of the Chaldeans and named him Abraham. 8 You found his heart faithful before you and made a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite and the Girgashite—to give it to his seed. And you have kept your word because you are righteous.
9 “You saw the misery of our ancestors[d] in Egypt, and you heard their shout at the Red Sea. 10 You gave signs and wonders against Pharaoh, all of his servants, and all of the people of his land because you knew that they acted arrogantly against them. You made a name for yourself, as it is this day. 11 And you divided the sea before them, and they passed through the sea on dry ground, but their pursuers you threw into the depths like a stone into mighty waters. 12 You led them by day with a column of cloud and with a column of fire by night, to give them light on the way that they were to go. 13 Then you came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven and gave them right judgments and true teachings, good regulations and commandments. 14 You made known your holy Sabbath to them and gave them commandments, regulations, and law[e] by the hand of your servant Moses. 15 You gave them bread from heaven for their starvation, and you caused water to go out from a rock for their thirst. You told them to go in order to take into possession the land that you have sworn by your hand to give to them.
16 “But they and our ancestors[f] acted arrogantly and stiffened their neck and did not listen to your commandments. 17 They refused to listen and did not remember your wonders that you did among them. They stiffened their neck and in their rebellion determined[g] to return to their slavery. But you are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger,[h] abundant in loyal love, so you did not abandon them. 18 Even when they made for themselves a molten idol of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you out from Egypt,’ and committed great blasphemies. 19 But you in your many mercies did not abandon them in the desert. The column of cloud that was over them in the day did not cease to leave them on the way, and the column of fire by night that gave light to them on the way that they went. 20 And you gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the desert—they were not in need. Their clothing did not wear out and their feet did not swell. 22 And you gave them kingdoms and nations and allotted them a portion. They took into possession the land of Sihon king of Heshbon and the land of Og king of Bashan. 23 You made their children[i] numerous like the stars of the heavens and brought them to the land that you told their ancestors[j] to enter in order to take possession. 24 So the children[k] went in and took possession of the land. You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites; you gave them into their hand, and their kings and the nations of the land to do with them according to their pleasure. 25 And they captured fortified cities and a fertile land and took possession of houses filled with every good thing: hewn cisterns, vineyards, olive groves, and many fruit trees. They ate and became full, and they became fat and took delight in your great goodness.
26 “But they rebelled and were rebellious against you and cast your law[l] behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them to turn back to you, and they did great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemy, and they brought trouble to them. Then in the time of their trouble they cried out to you, and you heard from the heavens, and according to your great compassions, you gave them saviors, and you saved them from the hand of their enemies. 28 But when they had rest they returned to doing evil before you, and you abandoned them in the hand of their enemies, and they ruled over them. Then they returned and cried out to you, and from the heavens you heard and many times rescued them according to your compassions. 29 You warned them so that they would return to your law.[m] Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to your commandments but sinned against your judgments that a person must do so that they may live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not listen. 30 You were patient toward them for many years, and you have warned them by your spirit through the hand of your prophets, but they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the nations of the lands. 31 But in your great compassions you did not put an end to them, and you did not abandon them. For you are a gracious and compassionate God.
32 “And now our God, the great, mighty, and awesome God who keeps his covenant and loyal love, do not belittle in your presence all of the hardship that is found in us, our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors,[n] and all of our people, from the days of the kings of Assyria until this day. 33 You are righteous in everything that has come on us, for you dealt faithfully, and we have acted wickedly. 34 Our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors[o] did not keep your law[p] and did not listen to your commandments and statutes that you declared to them. 35 And in their kingdom and in the greatness you gave to them, and in the wide and fertile land that you gave before them, they did not serve you and did not turn from their evil deeds. 36 Behold, we are slaves to this day, and the land that you have given to our ancestors[q] to eat its fruits and enjoy its goodness—behold, we are slaves in it! 37 Its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have given over us because of our sins, and they are ruling over our dead bodies and our livestock at their pleasure. We are in great trouble.
38 [r] “Now because of all of this we make a binding written agreement and are writing on the sealed documents the names of our commanders, our Levites, and our priests.”
Paul Finds Disciples of John the Baptist in Ephesus
19 And it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the inland regions and[a] came[b] to Ephesus and found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you[c] believed?” And they said to him, “But we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into the baptism of John.” 4 And Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the one who was to come after him—that is, in Jesus.” 5 And when they[d] heard this,[e] they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when[f] Paul laid hands[g] on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they began to speak[h] in tongues and to prophesy. 7 (Now the total number of men was about twelve.)
8 So he entered into the synagogue and[i] was speaking boldly for three months, discussing and attempting to convince[j] them[k] concerning[l] the kingdom of God. 9 But when some became hardened and were disobedient, reviling the Way before the congregation, he departed from them and[m] took away the disciples, leading discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 And this took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia[n] heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
Would-be Exorcists
11 And God was performing extraordinary[o] miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or work aprons that had touched his skin[p] were carried away to those who were sick, and their[q] diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.[r] 13 But some itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches!” 14 (Now seven sons of a certain Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.) 15 But the evil spirit answered and[s] said to them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with, but who are you?” 16 And the man who had the evil spirit[t] leaped on them, subdued all of them, and[u] prevailed against them, so that they ran away from that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, and fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was exalted. 18 And many of those who had believed came, confessing and disclosing their practices, 19 and many of those who practiced magic brought together their[v] books and[w] burned them[x] up in the sight of everyone. And they counted up their value and found it was fifty thousand silver coins.[y] 20 In this way the word of the Lord was growing in power and was prevailing.
A Major Riot in Ephesus
21 Now when these things were completed, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, it is necessary for me to see Rome also.” 22 So after[z] sending two of those who were assisting him, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he himself stayed some time in Asia.[aa]
23 Now there happened at that time no little disturbance concerning the Way. 24 For someone named[ab] Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver replicas of the temple of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen. 25 These[ac] he gathered together, and the workers occupied with such things, and[ad] said, “Men, you know that from this business we get our prosperity,[ae] 26 and you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia[af] this man Paul has persuaded and[ag] turned away a large crowd by[ah] saying that the gods made by hands are not gods. 27 So not only is there a danger this line of business of ours will come into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be regarded as nothing—and she is about to be brought down even from her grandeur, she whom the whole of Asia[ai] and the entire world worship!”
28 And when they[aj] heard this[ak] and became full of rage, they began to shout,[al] saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 And the city was filled with the tumult, and with one purpose they rushed into the theater, seizing Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were traveling companions of Paul. 30 But when[am] Paul wanted to enter into the popular assembly, the disciples would not let him. 31 And even some of the Asiarchs[an] who were his friends sent word[ao] to him and[ap] were urging him[aq] not to risk himself by going into the theater. 32 So some were shouting one thing[ar] and some another, for the assembly was in confusion, and the majority did not know why[as] they had assembled. 33 And some of the crowd advised[at] Alexander, when[au] the Jews put him forward. But Alexander, motioning with his[av] hand, was wanting to defend himself to the popular assembly. 34 But when they[aw] recognized that he was a Jew, they were shouting with one voice from all of them for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 And when[ax] the city secretary had quieted the crowd, he said, “Ephesian men, for who is there among men who does not know the Ephesian city is honorary temple keeper of the great Artemis and of her[ay] image fallen from heaven? 36 Therefore because[az] these things are undeniable, it is necessary that you be quiet and do nothing rash! 37 For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. 38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the court days are observed and there are proconsuls—let them bring charges against one another! 39 But if you desire anything further, it will be settled in the lawful assembly. 40 For indeed we are in danger of being accused of rioting concerning today, since there[ba] is no cause in relation to which we will be able to give an account concerning this disorderly gathering!” And when he[bb] had said these things, he dismissed the assembly.[bc]
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