M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
24 Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel together at Shechem. He called the elders, heads of families, judges, and officers of Israel to stand before God.
2 Then Joshua said to all the people, “Here’s what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you: ‘A long time ago your ancestors lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, worshiped other gods. 3 But I, the Lord, took your ancestor Abraham from the other side of the river and led him through the land of Canaan. And I gave him many children, including his son Isaac. 4 I gave Isaac two sons named Jacob and Esau. I gave the land around the mountains of Edom to Esau, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron to Egypt, where I brought many disasters on the Egyptians. Afterwards I brought you out. 6 When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, they came to the Red Sea, and the Egyptians chased them with chariots and men on horses. 7 So the people called out to the Lord. And I brought darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea to cover them. You yourselves saw what I did to the army of Egypt. After that, you lived in the desert for a long time.
8 “‘Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, east of the Jordan River. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. I destroyed them before you, and you took control of that land. 9 But the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, prepared to fight against the Israelites. The king sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10 but I refused to listen to Balaam. So he asked for good things to happen to you! I saved you and brought you out of his power.
11 “‘Then you crossed the Jordan River and came to Jericho, where the people of Jericho fought against you. Also, the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites fought against you. But I handed them over to you. 12 I sent terror ahead of you to force out two Amorite kings. You took the land without using swords and bows. 13 I gave you that land where you did not have to work. I gave you cities that you did not have to build. And now you live in that land and in those cities, and you eat from vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant.’”
14 Then Joshua said to the people, “Now respect the Lord and serve him fully and sincerely. Throw away the gods that your ancestors worshiped on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord. 15 But if you don’t want to serve the Lord, you must choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. You may serve the gods that your ancestors worshiped when they lived on the other side of the Euphrates River, or you may serve the gods of the Amorites who lived in this land. As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”
16 Then the people answered, “We will never stop following the Lord to serve other gods! 17 It was the Lord our God who brought our ancestors out of Egypt. We were slaves in that land, but the Lord did great things for us there. He brought us out and protected us while we traveled through other lands. 18 Then he forced out all the people living in these lands, even the Amorites. So we will serve the Lord, because he is our God.”
19 Then Joshua said, “You are not able to serve the Lord, because he is a holy God and a jealous God. If you turn against him and sin, he will not forgive you. 20 If you leave the Lord and serve other gods, he will send you great trouble. The Lord may have been good to you, but if you turn against him, he will destroy you.”
21 But the people said to Joshua, “No! We will serve the Lord.”
22 Then Joshua said, “You are your own witnesses that you have chosen to serve the Lord.”
The people said, “Yes, we are.”
23 Then Joshua said, “Now throw away the gods that you have. Love the Lord, the God of Israel, with all your heart.”
24 Then the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God, and we will obey him.”
25 On that day at Shechem Joshua made an agreement for the people. He made rules and laws for them to follow. 26 Joshua wrote these things in the Book of the Teachings of God. Then he took a large stone and set it up under the oak tree near the Lord’s Holy Tent.
27 Joshua said to all the people, “See this stone! It will remind you of what we did today. It was here the Lord spoke to us today. It will remind you of what happened so you will not turn against your God.”
Joshua Dies
28 Then Joshua sent the people back to their land.
29 After that, Joshua son of Nun died at the age of one hundred ten. 30 They buried him in his own land at Timnath Serah, in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
31 The Israelites served the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who lived after Joshua who had seen what the Lord had done for Israel.
Joseph Comes Home
32 When the Israelites left Egypt, they carried the bones of Joseph with them. They buried them at Shechem, in the land Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor (Hamor was the father of Shechem). This land now belonged to Joseph’s children.
33 And Eleazar son of Aaron died and was buried at Gibeah in the mountains of Ephraim, which had been given to Eleazar’s son Phinehas.
Peter and John at the Council
4 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, priests, the captain of the soldiers that guarded the Temple, and Sadducees came up to them. 2 They were upset because the two apostles were teaching the people and were preaching that people will rise from the dead through the power of Jesus. 3 The older leaders grabbed Peter and John and put them in jail. Since it was already night, they kept them in jail until the next day. 4 But many of those who had heard Peter and John preach believed the things they said. There were now about five thousand in the group of believers.
5 The next day the rulers, the elders, and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander were there, as well as everyone from the high priest’s family. 7 They made Peter and John stand before them and then asked them, “By what power or authority did you do this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and you elders, 9 are you questioning us about a good thing that was done to a crippled man? Are you asking us who made him well? 10 We want all of you and all the people to know that this man was made well by the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth. You crucified him, but God raised him from the dead. This man was crippled, but he is now well and able to stand here before you because of the power of Jesus. 11 Jesus is
‘the stone[a] that you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’ Psalm 118:22
12 Jesus is the only One who can save people. No one else in the world is able to save us.”
13 The leaders saw that Peter and John were not afraid to speak, and they understood that these men had no special training or education. So they were amazed. Then they realized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. 14 Because they saw the healed man standing there beside the two apostles, they could say nothing against them. 15 After the leaders ordered them to leave the meeting, they began to talk to each other. 16 They said, “What shall we do with these men? Everyone in Jerusalem knows they have done a great miracle, and we cannot say it is not true. 17 But to keep it from spreading among the people, we must warn them not to talk to people anymore using that name.”
18 So they called Peter and John in again and told them not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “You decide what God would want. Should we obey you or God? 20 We cannot keep quiet. We must speak about what we have seen and heard.” 21 The leaders warned the apostles again and let them go free. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had been done. 22 The man who received the miracle of healing was more than forty years old.
The Believers Pray
23 After Peter and John left the meeting of leaders, they went to their own group and told them everything the leading priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When the believers heard this, they prayed to God together, “Lord, you are the One who made the sky, the earth, the sea, and everything in them. 25 By the Holy Spirit, through our father David your servant, you said:
‘Why are the nations so angry?
Why are the people making useless plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepare to fight,
and their leaders make plans together
against the Lord
and his Christ.’ Psalm 2:1–2
27 These things really happened when Herod, Pontius Pilate, and some Jews and non-Jews all came together against Jesus here in Jerusalem. Jesus is your holy servant, the One you made to be the Christ. 28 These people made your plan happen because of your power and your will. 29 And now, Lord, listen to their threats. Lord, help us, your servants, to speak your word without fear. 30 Show us your power to heal. Give proofs and make miracles happen by the power of Jesus, your holy servant.”
31 After they had prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke God’s word without fear.
The Believers Share
32 The group of believers were united in their hearts and spirit. All those in the group acted as though their private property belonged to everyone in the group. In fact, they shared everything. 33 With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from the dead. And God blessed all the believers very much. 34 There were no needy people among them. From time to time those who owned fields or houses sold them, brought the money, 35 and gave it to the apostles. Then the money was given to anyone who needed it.
36 One of the believers was named Joseph, a Levite born in Cyprus. The apostles called him Barnabas (which means “one who encourages”). 37 Joseph owned a field, sold it, brought the money, and gave it to the apostles.
Jeremiah’s Linen Belt
13 This is what the Lord said to me: “Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist. Don’t let the belt get wet.”
2 So I bought a linen belt, just as the Lord told me, and put it around my waist. 3 Then the Lord spoke his word to me a second time: 4 “Take the belt you bought and are wearing, and go to Perath. Hide the belt there in a crack in the rocks.” 5 So I went to Perath and hid the belt there, just as the Lord told me.
6 Many days later the Lord said to me, “Now go to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there.” 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from where I had hidden it. But now it was ruined; it was good for nothing.
8 Then the Lord spoke his word to me. 9 This is what the Lord said: “In the same way I will ruin the pride of the people of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 These evil people refuse to listen to my warnings. They stubbornly do only what they want to do, and they follow other gods to serve and worship them. So they will become like this linen belt—good for nothing. 11 As a belt is wrapped tightly around a person’s waist, I wrapped the families of Israel and Judah around me,” says the Lord. “I did that so they would be my people and bring fame, praise, and honor to me. But my people would not listen.
Warnings About Leather Wine Bags
12 “Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: All leather bags for holding wine should be filled with wine.’ People will say to you: ‘Of course, we know all wine bags should be filled with wine.’ 13 Then you will say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will make everyone in this land like a drunken person—the kings who sit on David’s throne, the priests and the prophets, and all the people who live in Jerusalem. 14 I will make them smash against one another, fathers and sons alike, says the Lord. I will not feel sorry or have pity on them or show mercy that would stop me from destroying them.’”
Threat of Slavery
15 Listen and pay attention.
Don’t be too proud,
because the Lord has spoken to you.
16 Give glory to the Lord your God
before he brings darkness
and before you slip and fall
on the dark hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it into thick darkness;
he will change it into deep gloom.
17 If you don’t listen to him,
I will cry secretly
because of your pride.
I will cry painfully,
and my eyes will overflow with tears,
because the Lord’s people will be captured.
18 Tell this to the king and the queen mother:
“Come down from your thrones,
because your beautiful crowns
have fallen from your heads.”
19 The cities of southern Judah are locked up,
and no one can open them.
All Judah will be taken as captives to a foreign land;
they will be carried away completely.
20 Jerusalem, look up and see
the people coming from the north.
Where is the flock God gave you to care for,
the flock you bragged about?
21 What will you say when they appoint as your heads
those you had thought were your friends?
Won’t you have much pain and trouble,
like a woman giving birth to a baby?
22 You might ask yourself,
“Why has this happened to me?”
It happened because of your many sins.
Because of your sins, your skirt was torn off
and your body has been treated badly.
23 Can a person from Cush change the color of his skin?
Can a leopard change his spots?
In the same way, Jerusalem, you cannot change and do good,
because you are accustomed to doing evil.
24 “I will scatter you like chaff that is blown away by the desert wind.
25 This is what will happen to you;
this is your part in my plans,” says the Lord.
“Because you forgot me
and trusted in false gods,
26 I will pull your skirts up over your face
so everyone will see your shame.
27 I have seen the terrible things you have done:
your acts of adultery and your snorting,
your prostitution,
your hateful acts
on the hills and in the fields.
How terrible it will be for you, Jerusalem.
How long will you continue being unclean?”
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
27 Early the next morning, all the leading priests and elders of the people decided that Jesus should die. 2 They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
3 Judas, the one who had given Jesus to his enemies, saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. Then he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the thirty silver coins back to the priests and the leaders, 4 saying, “I sinned; I handed over to you an innocent man.”
The leaders answered, “What is that to us? That’s your problem, not ours.”
5 So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off and hanged himself.
6 The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple and said, “Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because it has paid for a man’s death.” 7 So they decided to use the coins to buy Potter’s Field as a place to bury strangers who died in Jerusalem. 8 That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9 So what Jeremiah the prophet had said came true: “They took thirty silver coins. That is how little the Israelites thought he was worth. 10 They used those thirty silver coins to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”[a]
Pilate Questions Jesus
11 Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Those are your words.”
12 When the leading priests and the elders accused Jesus, he said nothing.
13 So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear them accusing you of all these things?”
14 But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate, and Pilate was very surprised at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
15 Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose. 16 At that time there was a man in prison, named Barabbas,[b] who was known to be very bad. 17 When the people gathered at Pilate’s house, Pilate said, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas[c] or Jesus who is called the Christ?” 18 Pilate knew that they turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous.
19 While Pilate was sitting there on the judge’s seat, his wife sent this message to him: “Don’t do anything to that man, because he is innocent. Today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”
20 But the leading priests and elders convinced the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.
21 Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas.”
22 Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this and that a riot was starting, he took some water and washed his hands[d] in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are causing it!”
25 All the people answered, “We and our children will be responsible for his death.”
26 Then he set Barabbas free. But Jesus was beaten with whips and handed over to the soldiers to be crucified.
27 The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace, and they all gathered around him. 28 They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. 29 Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Jesus. Then they took his stick and began to beat him on the head. 31 After they finished, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified
32 As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus, they forced a man from Cyrene, named Simon, to carry the cross for Jesus. 33 They all came to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull. 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with gall[e] to drink. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. 35 When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.[f] 36 The soldiers sat there and continued watching him. 37 They put a sign above Jesus’ head with a charge against him. It said: this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 Two robbers were crucified beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left. 39 People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads, 40 saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the Son of God!”
41 The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also making fun of Jesus. 42 They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God, so let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And in the same way, the robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
45 At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours. 46 About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47 Some of the people standing there who heard this said, “He is calling Elijah.”
48 Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink. 49 But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50 But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.
51 Then the curtain in the Temple[g] was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. 52 The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from the dead. 53 They came out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city, where they appeared to many people.
54 When the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything else that happened, they were very frightened and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to help him were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. 56 Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.
Jesus Is Buried
57 That evening a rich man named Joseph, a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea, came to Jerusalem. 58 Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. So Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give it to Joseph. 59 Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had cut out of a wall of rock, and he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.
The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded
62 The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. Otherwise, his followers might come and steal the body and tell people that he has risen from the dead. That lie would be even worse than the first one.”
65 Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” 66 So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.