M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Other Tribal Allotments
18 After this, the entire assembly of the Israelis gathered together at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there, where the land lay conquered before them. 2 Seven tribes remained among the Israelis for whom their inheritances had not yet been allocated.
3 So Joshua told the Israelis, “How long will you delay invading and taking possession of the land that the Lord God of your ancestors has given you? 4 Appoint three men from each tribe and I’ll send them. They’ll begin to go through the land and record a description of it, categorized according to their inheritance, and then they’ll report[a] back to me. 5 They’ll divide it seven ways. Judah will stay in its territory on the south and the house of Joseph will remain in its territory on the north. 6 Lay out the land in seven divisions, then bring your report[b] here to me. I will then cast lots in the presence of the Lord our God. 7 The descendants of Levi have no allotment among you, since the priesthood of the Lord is their inheritance. Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh received their inheritance to the east, beyond the Jordan River given to them by Moses the servant of the Lord.”
8 So the men started out, following Joshua’s command to those who went to scout the land, “Go through the land and record a description of it, and then return to me. I will then cast lots in the presence of the Lord your God in Shiloh.” 9 Then the men left camp and went throughout the land, describing its cities in a book with seven divisions. Then they returned to Joshua at the camp at Shiloh. 10 Joshua threw lots in Shiloh in the Lord’s presence and divided the land accordingly among the Israelis according to their divisions.
Benjamin’s Allocation
11 The allotment of the tribe of the descendants of Benjamin came up according to their families, and their territorial allotment fell between the descendants of Judah and the descendants of Joseph. 12 Their border started on the north side at the Jordan River, proceeded to the slope of Jericho on the north, then westward through the hill country, and terminated at the wilderness of Beth-aven. 13 From there the boundary proceeded south in the direction of Luz to the slope of Luz (also known as Bethel), then proceeded to Ataroth-addar, on the mountain that lies south of Lower Beth-horon. 14 From there the boundary changed direction, turning southward on the western side opposite Beth-horon, terminating at Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim), which belongs to Judah. This formed the western boundary.
15 The southern boundary began at the edge of Kiriath-jearim, proceeding from there to Ephron and then to the spring at the Nephtoah Waters. 16 From there the boundary proceeded to the border of the mountain that overlooks the Ben-hinnom Valley at the northern end of the Rephaim Valley, where it proceeded down the Hinnom Valley south of the slope of the Jebusites toward En-rogel. 17 Then it turned north toward En-shemesh and proceeded from there to Geliloth opposite the ascent of Adummim, where it turned toward the Stone of Bohan, Reuben’s son, 18 and proceeded north of the slope of Beth-arabah down to the Arabah. 19 From there the boundary proceeded to north of the slope of Beth-hoglah and terminated at the northern bay of the Salt[c] Sea where the Jordan River ends in the south. This was the southern border. 20 The Jordan River formed its boundary on the east. This is the inheritance for the tribe of Benjamin according to its families, boundary by boundary around the entire territory.[d]
21 The towns belonging to the tribe of Benjamin according to their families were Jericho, Beth-hoglah, Emek-keziz, 22 Beth-arabah, Zemaraim, Bethel, 23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah, 24 Chephar-ammoni, Ophni, and Geba, for a total of twelve towns and villages. 25 Also included were[e] Gibeon, Ramah, Beeroth, 26 Mizpeh, Chephirah, Mozah, 27 Rekem, Irpeel, Taralah, 28 Zela, Haeleph, Jebus (also known as Jerusalem), Gibeah, and Kiriath-jearim, for a total of fourteen towns and villages. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin according to their families.
Simeon’s Allocation
19 The second lottery went to the tribe of Simeon according to its families. Its inheritance was enclosed within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah. 2 Its inheritance included Beer-sheba (also known as[f] Shebah), Moladah, 3 Hazar-shual, Balah, Ezem, 4 Eltolad, Bethul, Hormah, 5 Ziklag, Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susah, 6 Beth-lebaoth, and Sharuhen, for a total of thirteen towns and villages. 7 Also included were[g] Ain, Rimmon, Ether, and Ashan, for a total of four towns and villages. 8 Also included were[h] all the surrounding villages as far as Baalath-beer, in Ramah of the Negev.[i] This was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, according to its families. 9 The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon was contained in part of the territory of Judah; that is, because the portion allotted to the tribe of Judah was large enough for both tribes, the tribe of Simeon obtained an inheritance within that of Judah.[j]
Zebulun’s Allocation
10 The third lottery went to the tribe of Zebulun according to its families. The boundary of its inheritance extended to Sarid, 11 then turned westward toward Maralah, proceeding to Dabbesheth, and then to the valley that is east of Jokneam. 12 From Sarid it proceeded back eastward, creating a sunrise boundary at Chisloth-tabor, and proceeded from there to Daberath, then to Japhia, 13 from which it proceeded toward the east to Gath-hepher, then to Eth-kazin, then going to Rimmon, where it turned toward Neah. 14 On the north of Neah, the boundary turned toward Hannathon, terminating at Iphtah-el Valley 15 and Kattath, Nahalal, Shimron, Idalah, and Bethlehem, for a total of twelve towns and villages. 16 These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun according to its families.
Issachar’s Allocation
17 The fourth lottery went to the tribe of Issachar according to its families. 18 The territorial allotment included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem, 19 Hapharaim, Shion, Anaharath, 20 Rabbith, Kishion, Ebez, 21 Remeth, En-gannim, En-haddah, Beth-pazzez, 22 with the boundary including Tabor, Shahazumah, and Beth-shemesh. The boundary terminated at the Jordan River, for a total of sixteen towns and villages. 23 These towns and villages comprise the inheritance of the tribe of Issachar, according to its families.
Asher’s Allocation
24 The fifth lottery went to the tribe of Asher according to its families. 25 The territorial boundary included Helkath, Hali, Beten, Achshaph, 26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal, and on the west Carmel and Shihor-libnath, 27 then proceeded east to Beth-dagon. It proceeded to Zebulun and the Iphtah-el Valley, turned north to Beth-emek and Neiel, then proceeded north to Cabul, 28 Ebron, Rehob, Hammon, and Kanah as far as Great Sidon. 29 There the boundary turned toward Ramah, reaching to the fortress city of Tyre and turned to Hosah, where it terminated at the Mediterranean[k] Sea. Also included were[l] Mahalab, Achzib, 30 Ummah, Aphek, and Rehob, for a total of 22 towns and villages. 31 These towns and villages are the inheritance of the tribe of Asher according to its families.
Naphtali’s Allocation
32 The sixth lottery went to the tribe of Naphtali according to its families. 33 The territorial boundary proceeded from Heleph, the oak in Zaanannim, and Adami-nekeb, and Jabneel as far as Lakkum, terminating at the Jordan River. 34 There the boundary proceeded west to Aznoth-tabor and then to Hukkok, reaching Zebulun at the south, Asher on the west, and Judah on the east at the Jordan River. 35 Also included were[m] the fortress towns of Ziddim, Zer, Hammath, Rakkath, Chinnereth, 36 Adamah, Ramah, Hazor, 37 Kedesh, Edrei, En-hazor, 38 Iron, Migdal-el, Horem, Beth-anath, and Beth-shemesh, for a total of nineteen towns and their villages. 39 These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Naphtali according to its families.
Dan’s Allocation
40 The seventh lottery went to the tribe of Dan according to its families. 41 The territorial allotment included Zorah, Eshtaol, Ir-shemesh, 42 Shaalabbin, Aijalon, Ithlah, 43 Elon, Timnah, Ekron, 44 Eltekeh, Gibbethon, Baalath, 45 Jehud, Bene-berak, Gath-rimmon, 46 Me-jarkon, and Rakkon at the border near Joppa. 47 Later, when the descendants of Dan lost their territory, they went up and attacked Leshem. After they captured it and executed its inhabitants, they took possession of it and settled there, renaming the city of Leshem to Dan in memory of their ancestor Dan. 48 These towns and villages comprised the inheritance of the tribe of Dan according to their families.
Joshua’s Allocation
49 When the Israelis had completed distribution of the various territories of the land as inheritances, they provided an inheritance to Nun’s son Joshua. 50 By a command from the Lord, they allocated the town that he requested, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. He rebuilt the town and settled there. 51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest, Nun’s son Joshua, and the heads of the families of the Israeli tribes distributed by lot in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So they finished dividing the land.
A Song About Rejoicing in God
149 Hallelujah!
Sing a new song to the Lord,
praising him where the godly gather together.
2 May Israel rejoice in its Maker,
and Zion’s descendants in their King!
3 May they praise his name with dancing,
chanting songs to him with tambourines and lyres.
4 For the Lord is pleased with his people;
he beautifies the afflicted with salvation.
5 May those he loves be exalted,
singing for joy on their couches.
6 Let high praises to God be heard[a] in their throats,
while they wield two-edged swords in their hands
7 as they bring retribution to nations
and punishment to peoples,
8 binding their kings with chains,
their officials with iron bands,
9 and executing the judgment written against them.
This is honor for all the ones he loves.
Hallelujah!
A Psalm of Praise
150 Hallelujah!
Praise God in his Holy Place.
Praise him in his great expanse.
2 Praise him for his mighty works.
Praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with trumpet sounding.
Praise him with stringed instrument and harp.
4 Praise him with tambourine and dancing.
Praise him with stringed and wind instruments.
5 Praise him with loud cymbals.
Praise him with reverberating cymbals.
6 Let everyone who breathes praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!
The Lord’s Sorrow for His People
9 [a]“Oh, that my head were a spring of water,[b]
and my eyes a fountain of tears,
for then I would cry day and night for those
of my people[c] who have been killed.
2 Oh, that I had a lodging place for travelers in the desert,
so that I could leave my people
and go away from them.
For all of them are adulterers,
a band of traitors.
3 They use their tongues like a bow.
Lies rather than truth fly throughout[d] the land.
They progress from one evil to another,
and they don’t know me,”
declares the Lord.
4 “Beware of your neighbors, and don’t trust
any of your relatives.
For all of your relatives act deceitfully,
and every friend goes around as a slanderer.
5 People deceive their friends,
and they don’t tell the truth.
They have taught their tongues to tell lies.
They exhaust themselves practicing evil.[e]
6 You yourself live in the midst of deception,
and because they are deceived they do not know me,”
declares the Lord.
7 Therefore, this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Look, I’m about to refine and test them.
Because they’re my people, what else can I do?[f]
8 Their tongue is a deadly arrow
that speaks deceit.
With his mouth a person says, ‘Peace,’ to his friend,
but inwardly he sets a trap for him.
9 Should I not punish them for these things?”[g]
asks the Lord,
“and should I not avenge myself on a nation like this?”
10 I’ll weep and mourn for the mountains,
and lament for the desert pastures,
because they are desolate and no one passes through them.
They don’t hear the lowing of the cattle.
Both the birds of the sky and the animals have fled.
They’re gone!
11 “I’ll make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a refuge for jackals.
I’ll make the towns of Judah desolate,
without inhabitants.”
The Reason for Judgment
12 Who is the wise person who understands this, and to whom has the Lord[h] spoken so that he may declare it? Why is the land destroyed, ruined like the desert, without anyone passing through it? 13 The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my Law that I gave them. They didn’t obey me and didn’t live according to it. 14 Instead, they followed their rebellious hearts and the Baals,[i] as their ancestors taught them.”
15 Therefore, this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Look, I’ll make these people eat wormwood[j] and drink poisoned water. 16 I’ll scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I’ll pursue them with the sword until I’ve finished them off.”
A Call to Lament
17 This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Think about what I’m saying![k]
Indeed, call out the professional mourners![l]
Send for the best of them to come.
18 Let them hurry and lament for us.
Let tears run down from our eyes,
and let our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a sound of mourning is heard from Zion:
‘How we’re ruined!
Our shame is very great,
because we have left the land,
because our houses are torn down.’”
20 “Now, you women, hear the message from the Lord;
listen to what he has to say!
Teach your daughters how to mourn,
let every woman teach[m] her friend how to lament.
21 For death comes up through our windows;
it has come into our palaces
to eliminate children from the streets
and young men from the town squares.
22 Speak! ‘This is what the Lord says:
“The corpses of people will fall like dung
on the surface of the field,
and like a row of cut grain behind
the harvester when there is no one to gather it.”’”
True Wisdom and the Coming Judgment
23 This is what the Lord says: “The wise man is not to boast in his wisdom; the strong man is not to boast in his strength; and the rich man is not to boast in his riches. 24 Rather, let the one who boasts, boast in this: that he understands and knows me, for I am the Lord who acts with gracious love, justice, and righteousness in the land. I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
25 “Look, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I’ll punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh:[n] 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, all those who live in the desert and shave the corners of their beard;[o] indeed all the other[p] nations that are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel that is uncircumcised of heart.”
Jesus Denounces the Scribes and the Pharisees(A)
23 Then Jesus told the crowds and his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees administer the authority of Moses,[a] 3 so do whatever they tell you and follow it, but stop doing what they do, because they don’t do what they say. 4 They tie up burdens that are heavy and unbearable and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they refuse to lift a finger to remove them.
5 “They do everything to be seen by people. They increase the size of their phylacteries[b] and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 They love to have the places of honor at festivals, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 to be greeted in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi’[c] by people.
8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’[d] because you have only one teacher, and all of you are brothers. 9 And don’t call anyone on earth ‘Father,’ because you have only one Father, the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called ‘Teachers,’ because you have only one teacher, the Messiah![e] 11 The person who is greatest among you must be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
13 “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door to the kingdom from[f] heaven in people’s faces. You don’t go in yourselves, and you don’t allow those who are trying to enter to go in.
14 “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You devour widows’ houses and say long prayers to cover it up. Therefore, you will receive greater condemnation![g]
15 “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make a single convert, and when this happens you make him twice as fit for[h] hell[i] as you are.
16 “How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, ‘Whoever swears an oath by the sanctuary is excused,[j] but whoever swears an oath by the gold of the sanctuary must keep his oath.’[k] 17 You blind fools! What is more important, the gold or the sanctuary that made the gold holy? 18 Again you say,[l] ‘Whoever swears an oath by the altar is excused,[m] but whoever swears by the gift that is on it must keep his oath.’[n] 19 You blind men![o] Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? 20 Therefore, the one who swears an oath by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 The one who swears an oath by the sanctuary swears by it and by the one who lives there. 22 And the one who swears an oath by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.
23 “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your mint, dill, and cummin, but have neglected the more important matters of the Law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness.[p] These are the things you should have practiced, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You filter out a gnat, yet swallow a camel!
25 “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but on the inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup,[q] so that its outside may also be clean.
27 “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and every kind of impurity. 28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. 30 Then you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our ancestors, we would have had no part with them in shedding[r] the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Therefore, you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Then finish what your ancestors started![s] 33 You snakes, you children of serpents! How can you escape being condemned to hell?[t]
34 “That is why I am sending you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. 35 As a result, you will be held accountable for[u] all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of the righteous Abel[v] to the blood of Berechiah’s son Zechariah,[w] whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 I tell all of you[x] with certainty, all these things will happen to those living today.”[y]
Jesus Rebukes Jerusalem(B)
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones to death those who have been sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! 38 Look! Your house is left abandoned! 39 I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘How blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”[z]
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