M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Sarah’s Death and Burial
23 And Sarah lived[a] one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. 2 And Sarah died in Kiriath Arba; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 3 And Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. And Abraham rose up from his dead, and he spoke to the Hittites[b] and said, 4 “I am a stranger and an alien among you; give to me my own burial site[c] among you so that I may bury my dead from before me.” 5 And the Hittites[d] answered Abraham and said to him, 6 “Hear us, my lord, you are a mighty prince[e] in our midst. Bury your dead in the choicest of our burial sites. None of us will withhold his burial site[f] from you for burying your dead.” 7 And Abraham rose up and bowed to the people of the land, to the Hittites.[g] 8 And he spoke with them, saying, “If you are willing[h] that I bury my dead from before me, hear me and intercede for me with Ephron the son of Zohar, 9 that he may sell[i] to me the cave of Machpelah which belongs to him,[j] which is at the end of his field. At full value let him sell[k] it to me in your midst as a burial site.”[l] 10 Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites.[m] And Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites[n] with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city, and said, 11 “No, my lord, hear me. I give you the field and the cave which is in it, I also give it to you in the sight of the children of my people I give it to you. Bury your dead.” 12 And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. 13 And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If only you will hear me[o]—I give the price of the field. Take it from me that I may bury my dead there.” 14 And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, 15 “My lord, hear me. A piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver—what is that between me and you? Bury your dead.” 16 Then Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed for Ephron the silver that he had named[p] in the hearing of the Hittites:[q] four hundred shekels of silver at the merchants’ current rate.[r] 17 So the field of Ephron which was in the Machpelah, which was near Mamre—the field and the cave which was in it, with all the trees that were in the field, which were within all its surrounding boundaries—passed[s] 18 to Abraham as a property in the presence of the Hittites,[t] with respect to all who were entering the gate of his city. 19 And thus afterward Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah near Mamre; that is Hebron, in the land of Canaan. 20 And the field and the cave which was in it passed[u] to Abraham as a burial site[v] from the Hittites.[w]
The Parable of the Wedding Celebration
22 And continuing, Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who gave a wedding celebration for his son. 3 And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding celebration, and they did not want to come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding celebration!”’ 5 But they paid no attention and[a] went away—this one to his own field, that one to his business. 6 And the others, seizing his slaves, mistreated them[b] and killed them.[c] 7 And the king was angry and sent his troops and[d] destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore, go out to the places where the roads exit the city and invite to the wedding celebration as many people as you find.’ 10 And those slaves went out into the roads and[e] gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled with dinner guests.[f] 11 But when[g] the king came in to see the dinner guests,[h] he saw a man there not dressed in wedding clothes. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?’ But he could say nothing.[i] 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot[j] and[k] throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ 14 For many are called but few are chosen.”
Paying Taxes to Caesar
15 Then the Pharisees went and consulted[l] so that they could entrap him with a statement. 16 And they sent their disciples to him with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care what anyone thinks,[m] because you do not regard the opinion of people.[n] 17 Therefore tell us what you think. Is it permitted to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 18 But because he[o] knew their maliciousness, Jesus said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? 19 Show me the coin for the tax!” So they brought him a denarius. 20 And he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” 21 They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!” 22 And when they[p] heard this,[q] they were astonished, and they left him and[r] went away.
A Question About Marriage and the Resurrection
23 On that day Sadducees—who say there is no resurrection—came up to him and asked him, 24 saying, “Teacher, Moses said if someone dies without having children, his brother is to marry his wife and father[s] descendants for his brother. 25 Now there were seven brothers with us. And the first died after[t] getting married, and because he[u] did not have descendants, he left his wife to his brother. 26 So also the second and the third, up to the seventh. 27 And last of all the woman died. 28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her as wife.”[v] 29 But Jesus answered and[w] said to them, “You are mistaken, because[x] you do not know the scriptures or the power of God! 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God[y] in heaven. 31 Now concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, who said, 32 “I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”?[z] He is not the God of the dead, but of the living!” 33 And when[aa] the crowds heard this,[ab] they were amazed at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
34 Now when[ac] the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled at the same place.[ad] 35 And one of them, a legal expert, put a question to him[ae] to test him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment is greatest in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[af] 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[ag] 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
David’s Son and Lord
41 Now while[ah] the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “David’s.” 43 He said to them, “How then does David, by the Spirit, call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet”’?[ai]
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?” 46 And no one was able to answer him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask him any more questions.[aj]
The Leaders and Servants in Jerusalem
12 These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 2 Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 3 Shecaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 4 Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 5 Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 6 Shemaiah, Jehoiarib, Jedaiah, 7 Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, Jedaiah. These are the heads of the priests and their brothers in the days of Jeshua.
8 And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, and Mattaniah and his brothers who were in charge of the songs of thanksgiving. 9 And Bakbukiah, Unno, their brothers stood opposite them during service. 10 Jeshua fathered Jehoiakim; Jehoiakim fathered Eliashib; Eliashib fathered Jehoiada; 11 Jehoiada fathered Jehonathan; Jehonathan fathered Jaddua.
12 Now in the days of Jehoiakim the priests and the heads of the families[a] were: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 13 of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 14 of Melichu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 15 of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 16 of Adaia, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 17 of Abijah, Zicri; of Miniamin; of Moadiah, Piltai; 18 of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 19 of Jehoiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 20 of Sallu, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 21 of Hilkiah, Hashabiah; and of Jedaiah, Nethanel.
22 In the days of Eliashib, Jehoiada, Jehohanan, and Jaddua the Levites were recorded as heads of the families.[b] So these were the priests during the reign of Darius the Persian. 23 The descendants[c] of Levi and the heads of the families[d] were recorded in the scroll of the Annals until the days of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. 24 And the heads of the Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, Jeshua son of Kadmiel, and their brothers opposite them, to praise and to give thanks by the command of David the man of God, section alongside section. 25 Mattaniah, Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, and Akkub were gatekeepers standing guard at the storerooms of the gates. 26 These were in the days of Jehoiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.
Dedication of the Wall of Jerusalem
27 At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites from all of their places in order to bring them to Jerusalem to do the dedication with joy, thanksgivings, song and cymbals, stringed instruments and lyres. 28 The singers[e] were gathered from the circuit all around Jerusalem and from the villages of Netophathite, 29 from Beth Gilgal, from the field of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers built for themselves villages all around Jerusalem. 30 And the priests and the Levites purified themselves and purified the people, the gates, and the wall.
31 Then I brought the commanders of Judah up on to the wall. I appointed two great choirs; one went in a procession to the right on the wall to the Dung Gate. 32 After them went Hoshaiah, half of the commanders of Judah, 33 Azariah, Ezra, Meshullam, 34 Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah, 35 and the priests[f] with trumpets; Zechariah son of Jehonathan, son of Shemaiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Micaiah, son of Zaccur, son of Asaph; 36 and his brothers Shemaiah, Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, Judah, and Hanani with the instruments of the songs of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe went before them. 37 At the Fountain Gate opposite them they went up the steps of the city of David, at the assent to the wall, over the house of David, and up to the Water Gate to the east.
38 Then the second choir went the opposite way. I followed after them with half of the people on the wall, from over the Tower of the Ovens up to the Wide Wall 39 and over the Gate of Ephraim, at the Old Gate, at the Fish Gate, the Tower of Hananel and the Tower of the Hundred, and to the Sheep Gate. And they stopped and stood at the Gate of the Guard. 40 So the two choirs stood in the house of God, and I and half of the prefects with me; 41 and the priests Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah with the trumpets; 42 Maaseiah, Shemaiah, Eleazar, Uzzi, Jehohanan, Malkijah, Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang with Jizrahiah the chief officer. 43 They offered on that day great sacrifices and rejoiced because God brought great joy to them. And the women and children also rejoiced. The joy of Jerusalem was heard from afar.
Celebration at the Temple
44 On that day men were appointed for the storehouse rooms, the offerings, the first fruits, and the tithes, in order to gather in them from the fields of the cities the requirements of the law[g] for the priests and Levites; for the joy of Judah was upon the priests and Levites standing there. 45 They kept the responsibility of their God and the responsibility of cleansing, and the singers and gatekeepers, according to the command of David and his son Solomon. 46 For in the days of David and Asaph from ancient times there was the head of the singers and a song of praise and thanksgiving to God. 47 So all of Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily food portions of the singers and gatekeepers. And they set apart that which was for the Levites, and the Levites set apart that which was for the descendants[h] of Aaron.
22 “Men—brothers and fathers—listen to my defense to you now!” 2 And when they[a] heard that he was addressing them in the Aramaic language, they became even more silent.[b] And he said, 3 “I am a Jewish man born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to the exactness of the law received from our fathers, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today. 4 I[c] persecuted this Way to the death, tying up and delivering to prison both men and women, 5 as indeed the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me, from whom also I received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and[d] was traveling there[e] to lead away those who were there also tied up to Jerusalem so that they could be punished.
Paul Tells of His Conversion on the Damascus Road
6 “And it happened that as[f] I was traveling and approaching Damascus around noon, suddenly a very bright light from heaven flashed around me, 7 and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting.’ 9 (Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.) 10 So I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and[g] proceed to Damascus, and there it will be told to you about all the things that have been appointed for you to do.’ 11 And as I could not see as a result of the brightness of that light, I arrived in Damascus led by the hand of those who were with me. 12 And a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, 13 came to me and stood by me[h] and[i] said to me, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ And at that same time I looked up at him and saw him.[j] 14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth, 15 because you will be a witness for him[k] to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name!’
17 “And it happened that when[l] I returned to Jerusalem and I was praying in the temple courts,[m] I was in a trance, 18 and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and depart quickly[n] from Jerusalem, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that from synagogue to synagogue I was imprisoning and beating those who believed in you. 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself also was standing near and was approving, and was guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him.’ 21 And he said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”
Paul Questioned by the Military Tribune
22 Now they were listening to him until this word, and they raised their voices, saying, “Away with such a man from the earth! For it is not fitting for him to live!” 23 And while[o] they were screaming and throwing off their[p] cloaks and throwing dust into the air, 24 the military tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks,[q] saying he was to be examined with a lash so that he could find out for what reason they were crying out against him in this way. 25 But when they had stretched him out for the lash,[r] Paul said to the centurion standing there, “Is it permitted for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?” 26 And when[s] the centurion heard this,[t] he went to the military tribune and[u] reported it,[v] saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen!” 27 So the military tribune came and[w] said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 And the military tribune replied, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I indeed was born a citizen.[x] 29 Then immediately those who were about to examine him kept away from him, and the military tribune also was afraid when he[y] realized that he was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.[z] 30 But on the next day, because he[aa] wanted to know the true reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to assemble, and he brought down Paul and[ab] had him[ac] stand before them.
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