M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
2 On the day of Pentecost these people were all in one place.
2 Then, suddenly, a sound came from heaven. It was like a very strong wind blowing. It went all through the house where they were sitting.
3 And then they saw tongues like fire. These were divided and came on each one of the people there.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak the words of God in other languages as the Spirit spoke through them.
5 Crowds of Jews were staying in Jerusalem. They had come from every country in the world. They were good men who believed in God.
6 Many people came together when they heard the apostles speaking. They did not know what to think. Everyone heard someone speaking in his own language.
7 They were all very much surprised and said to each other, `These men who are speaking, are they not all from Galilee?
8 How is it then that each one of us hears the language of our own country?
9-11 We people from the countries of Parthia and Media and Elam all hear the wonderful things God has done. So also do the people who live in the countries of Mesopotamia, and in Judea in Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, in Phrygia, and Pamphylia, and in Egypt, and in some parts of Lybia around Cyrene, people from the city of Rome who are now living in Jerusalem, both Jews and those who joined themselves to the Jews, the people from Crete and Arabia. These men from Galilee are speaking in our own languages.'
12 They were all very much surprised and could hardly believe it. `What does this mean?' they asked each other.
13 Other people laughed about it and said, `These men have been drinking too much new wine.'
14 Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. He shouted, `You men of Judea and all who stay in Jerusalem, listen to me! I will tell you the truth.
15 You think that these men are drunk. That is not so. It is only nine o'clock in the morning.
16 The thing that has happened is what the prophet Joel told about.
17 He said, "God says, `In the last days I will send my Spirit on all people. I will speak through your sons and daughters. Your young men will see visions and your old men will have dreams.
18 In those days I will send my Spirit on the men and women who serve me and I will speak through them.
19 In the sky above and on the earth below I will show wonderful signs with blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be dark and the moon will be like blood. These things will happen before the day of the Lord comes. It will be a great day that will be remembered always.
21 And anyone who calls out to the Lord will be saved.' "
22 `You men of Israel, listen to this. God showed you that he was pleased with this man, Jesus of Nazareth. He proved it by the big works and the wonderful signs which he did by Jesus right here among you people. And you yourselves know it.
23-24 This same Jesus was given up. You let bad men take him. You let them nail him to a cross and kill him. This is just the way God had planned it. He knew how it would happen. But God raised him back to life. He set him free from the pain of death. Death could not hold him.
25 `King David spoke about Jesus long ago. He said, "I saw the Lord before me always. He is at my right hand so that I may not be shaken.
26-27 That made my heart very happy. It made my tongue sing for joy. And even my body also will rest in peace because you will not leave my body in the grave. You will not let your Holy One die and be spoiled.
28 You have shown me the ways of life. You will make me very happy when I am with you."
29 `My brothers, I can talk very plainly to you about your father, David. He died and was buried. His grave is still here today.
30 He was a prophet. He knew that God had promised him that someone born of his family would sit on his chair to rule. That one was Christ.
31 David knew what would happen. So he said that Christ would be raised from death. Christ was not left in the grave. His body was not spoiled. David said all this before it ever happened.
32 And now we all saw it. We are telling people that God raised this Jesus back to life.
33 `God made him great by making him sit at his right side. God gave him the Holy Spirit as he had promised. So he sent this which you now see and hear.
34-35 avid himself has not gone up into the heavens. What he said was, "The Lord God said to my Lord, `Sit at my right hand till I bring your enemies down and put your feet on them.' "
36 `So let all the people of Israel know this: God has made Jesus to be Lord and Christ. This is the same Jesus whom you nailed to the cross.'
37 What Peter said cut the people's hearts when they heard it. They knew they had done wrong. They said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, `Brothers, what shall we do?'
38 `Stop your wrong ways and turn back to God,' answered Peter. `And then everyone of you can be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. Your wrong ways will be forgiven you, and you will receive the Holy Spirit.
39 This promise is for you and your children and for all those whom the Lord our God calls, even though they are far away.'
40 Peter went on talking and teaching the people. `Do not follow the wrong ways of people today,' he begged.
41 Then those who gladly received his words and believed were baptised. That same day about three thousand new believers joined them.
42 They kept on being taught by the apostles. And they kept on being with them. They ate bread together and talked with God.
43 All the people were very much surprised. Many wonderful things and signs were done by the apostles.
44 All the believers were together; and everything they had was for the use of all.
45 They sold their things and divided the money among the believers. They gave each person what he needed. 46,
46-47 nd every day the believers kept on gathering in the temple. They ate bread in each other's homes. They ate their food gladly and with open hearts. They praised God. All the people respected them. Day by day, the Lord added to the church those who were saved.
25 Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women took their lamps and went to meet a man who was being married.
2 Five of them were foolish and five of them were wise.
3 The five foolish women took their lamps but took no oil with them.
4 The wise ones took bottles of oil with their lamps.
5 `It was a long time before the man came, so they all went to sleep.
6 At midnight there was a call, "Here comes the man who is to be married! Come out to meet him."
7 Then all the young women woke up. They cleaned their lamps.
8 The foolish ones said to the wise ones, "Give us some of your oil. The light in our lamps is dying."
9 But the wise ones answered, "There may not be enough oil for us all. Go to the market and buy some for yourselves."
10 `While they went away to buy oil, the man came. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast. Then the door was shut.
11 After that, the other women also came. They called, "Sir, sir, open the door for us."
12 But he said, "I tell you the truth. I do not know you."
13 So watch! You do not know the day or the hour.'
14 `The kingdom of heaven will be like the time a man went to a country far away. He called his servants and put them in charge of his money.
15 He gave five bags of money to one servant. He gave two bags of money to another servant. He gave one bag of money to another servant. He gave to each one what he was able to be in charge of. Then he went away.
16 `Right away the servant who had five bags of money began to buy and sell things with it. He made five bags of money more than he had at first.
17 `The servant who had two bags of money did the same thing as the one who had five bags. He also made two bags of money more than he had at first.
18 But the man who had only one bag of money dug a hole in the ground. And he hid his master's money in the ground.
19 `After a long time, the master of those servants came home. He asked what they had done with his money.
20 The servant who had been given five bags of money brought five bags more to his master. He said, "Sir, you gave me five bags of money. See, I have made five bags more money."
21 `His master said, "You have done well. You are a good servant. I can trust you. You have taken good care of a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come, have a good time with your master."
22 `The servant who had been given two bags of money came and said to his master, "Sir, you gave me two bags of money. I have made two bags more money."
23 His master said, "You have done well. You are a good servant. I can trust you. You have taken good care of a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come, have a good time with your master."
24 `The servant who had been given one bag of money came and said, "Sir, I knew that you were a hard man. You cut grain where you did not plant. You pick fruit where you put nothing in.
25 I was afraid. So I went and hid your money in the ground. Here is your money."
26 `His master answered him, "You are a bad and lazy servant. You knew that I cut grain where I did not plant. You knew that I pick fruit where I put nothing in.
27 You should have put my money in the bank. Then when I came home, I would have had my money with interest on it.
28 So take the money away from him. Give it to the one who has ten bags.
29 Anyone who has some will get more, and he will have plenty. But he who does not get anything, even the little that he has will be taken away from him.
30 Take this good-for-nothing servant! Put him out in the dark place outside. People there will cry and make a noise with their teeth." '
31 `The Son of Man will be great and will come with all his holy angels. Then he will sit on his throne like a king.
32 All the nations will be gathered in front of him. He will put them in two groups like a man who takes care of sheep. He puts the sheep on one side of him and he puts the goats on the other side of him.
33 The Son of Man will put people who are like the sheep at his right side. He will put people who are like the goats at his left side.
34 Then the King will say to those who are at his right side, "Come! My Father has blessed you. The kingdom was made ready for you when the world was first made. Come into it now.
35 I was hungry. You gave me food. I was thirsty. You gave me a drink. I was a stranger. You took me in.
36 I needed clothes. You gave me clothes. I was sick. You came to visit me. I was in prison. You came to see me."
37 `Then the good people will ask him, "Lord when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you a drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in? When did we see you needing clothes and give you clothes?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and come to see you?"
40 `The King will answer them, "I tell you the truth. What you did for even the smallest of these people you did for me. They are my brothers."
41 `Then he will say to those at the left side "Go away from me. You are cursed. Go into the fire that burns for ever. That fire has been made ready for the devil and his angels.
42 I was hungry. You did not give me food. I was thirsty. You did not give me a drink.
43 I was a stranger. You did not take me in. I needed clothes. You did not give me any clothes. I was sick and in prison. You did not come to see me."
44 `Then they will also ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or needing clothes, or sick, or in prison, and did not help you?"
45 `Then the King will answer them, "I tell you the truth. What you did not do for even the smallest of these, you did not do for me."
46 And they will go away to be punished for ever. But the good people will go away to live for ever.'
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