M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
6 So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark of the Lord.” 7 To the people he said, “Go forward and march around the city; have the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.”(A)
8 As Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. 9 And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets; the rear guard came after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually.(B) 10 To the people Joshua gave this command: “You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” 11 So the ark of the Lord went around the city, circling it once, and they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.
12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord passed on, blowing the trumpets continually. The armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually.(C) 14 On the second day they marched around the city once and then returned to the camp. They did this for six days.
15 On the seventh day they rose early, at dawn, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent.(D) 18 As for you, keep away from the things devoted to destruction, so as not to covet[a] and take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel an object for destruction, bringing trouble upon it.(E) 19 But all silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” 20 So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so the people charged straight ahead into the city and captured it.(F) 21 Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.(G)
22 But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman out of it and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.”(H) 23 So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her—they brought all her kindred out—and set them outside the camp of Israel.(I) 24 They burned down the city and everything in it; only the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord.(J) 25 But Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family[b] has lived in Israel ever since. For she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.(K)
26 Joshua then pronounced this oath, saying,
“Cursed before the Lord be anyone who tries
to build this city, Jericho!
At the cost of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation,
and at the cost of his youngest he shall set up its gates!”(L)
27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.(M)
Psalm 135
Praise for God’s Goodness and Might
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
give praise, O servants of the Lord,
2 you who stand in the house of the Lord,
in the courts of the house of our God.(A)
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
sing to his name, for he is gracious.(B)
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
Israel as his own possession.(C)
5 For I know that the Lord is great;
our Lord is above all gods.(D)
6 Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.(E)
7 He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
he makes lightnings for the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.(F)
8 He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
both humans and animals;(G)
9 he sent signs and wonders
into your midst, O Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.(H)
10 He struck down many nations
and killed mighty kings—(I)
11 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
and all the kingdoms of Canaan—(J)
12 and gave their land as a heritage,
a heritage to his people Israel.(K)
13 Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.(L)
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people
and have compassion on his servants.(M)
15 The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.(N)
16 They have mouths, but they do not speak;
they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear,
a nose, but there is no breath in their mouths.
18 Those who make them
and all who trust them
shall become like them.
19 O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!(O)
20 O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!(P)
21 Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!(Q)
Psalm 136
God’s Work in Creation and in History
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(R)
2 O give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(S)
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(T)
5 who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(U)
6 who spread out the earth on the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(V)
7 who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(W)
8 the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(X)
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(Y)
11 and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(Z)
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AA)
13 who divided the Red Sea[a] in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AB)
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AC)
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,[b]
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AD)
16 who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AE)
who made water flow from the rock,
for his steadfast love endures forever;[c]
17 who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AF)
18 and killed famous kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20 and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21 and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AG)
22 a heritage to his servant Israel,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AH)
24 and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;(AI)
25 who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.(AJ)
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
The Worship God Demands
66 Thus says the Lord:
Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
so what kind of house could you build for me,
what sort of place for me to rest?(A)
2 All these things my hand has made,
so all these things are mine,[a]
says the Lord.
But this is the one to whom I will look,
to the humble and contrite in spirit
who trembles at my word.(B)
3 Whoever slaughters an ox is like one who kills a human,
whoever sacrifices a lamb like one who breaks a dog’s neck,
whoever presents a grain offering like one who offers pig’s blood,
whoever makes a memorial offering of frankincense like one who blesses an idol.
Just as these have chosen their own ways
and in their abominations they take delight,(C)
4 so I will choose their punishments
and bring upon them what they fear,
because, when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, they did not listen,
but they did what was evil in my sight
and chose what did not please me.(D)
The Lord Vindicates Zion
5 Hear the word of the Lord,
you who tremble at his word:
Your own people who hate you
and reject you for my name’s sake
have said, “Let the Lord be glorified,
so that we may see your joy,”
but it is they who shall be put to shame.(E)
6 Listen, a roar from the city!
A voice from the temple!
The voice of the Lord,
dealing retribution to his enemies!(F)
7 Before she was in labor
she gave birth;
before her pain came upon her
she delivered a son.(G)
8 Who has heard of such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall a land be born in one day?
Shall a nation be delivered in one moment?
Yet as soon as Zion was in labor
she delivered her children.(H)
9 Shall I open the womb and not deliver?
says the Lord;
shall I, the one who delivers, shut the womb?
says your God.
10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her—(I)
11 that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast,
that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious bosom.(J)
12 For thus says the Lord:
I will extend prosperity to her like a river
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream,
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm
and bounced on her knees.(K)
13 As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.(L)
The Reign and Indignation of God
14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bodies[b] shall flourish like the grass,
and it shall be known that the power of the Lord is with his servants,
and his indignation is against his enemies.(M)
15 For the Lord will come in fire
and his chariots in a whirlwind,[c]
to vent his anger in fury
and his rebuke in flames of fire.(N)
16 For by fire will the Lord execute judgment,
and by his sword on all flesh;
and those slain by the Lord shall be many.(O)
17 Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the center, eating the flesh of pigs, vermin, and rodents, shall come to an end together, says the Lord,(P) 18 for I know[d] their works and their thoughts.
I am[e] coming to gather all nations and tongues, and they shall come and shall see my glory,(Q) 19 and I will set a sign among them. From them I will send survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Put,[f] and Lud, to Meshech,[g] Tubal, and Javan, to the coastlands far away that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory, and they shall declare my glory among the nations.(R) 20 They shall bring all your kindred from all the nations as an offering to the Lord, on horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and on dromedaries, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, says the Lord, just as the Israelites bring a grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the Lord.(S) 21 And I will also take some of them as priests and as Levites, says the Lord.(T)
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make,
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your descendants and your name remain.(U)
23 From new moon to new moon
and from Sabbath to Sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
says the Lord.(V)
24 And they shall go out and look at the dead bodies of the people who have rebelled against me, for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.(W)
The Death of John the Baptist
14 At that time Herod the ruler heard reports about Jesus,(A) 2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has been raised from the dead, and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” 3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,(B) 4 because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”(C) 5 Though Herod[a] wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded him as a prophet.(D) 6 But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company, and she pleased Herod 7 so much that he promised on oath to grant her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 The king was grieved, yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he commanded it to be given; 10 he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 11 His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, who brought it to her mother. 12 His disciples came and took the body and buried him; then they went and told Jesus.
Feeding the Five Thousand
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.(E) 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 16 Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”(F) 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.(G) 20 And all ate and were filled, and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Jesus Walks on the Water
22 Immediately he made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,(H) 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,[b] for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.(I) 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”(J)
28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind,[c] he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”(K) 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”(L)
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret
34 When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 After the people of that place recognized him, they sent word to that whole surrounding region, and people brought all who were sick to him 36 and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.(M)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.