M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Migration of Dan
18 In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking for itself a territory to live in, for until then no territory among the tribes of Israel had been allotted to them.(A) 2 So the Danites sent five valiant men from the whole number of their clan, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to explore it, and they said to them, “Go, explore the land.” When they came to the hill country of Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they stayed there.(B) 3 While they were at Micah’s house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite, so they went over and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? What is your business here?” 4 He said to them, “Micah did such and such for me, and he hired me, and I have become his priest.”(C) 5 Then they said to him, “Inquire of God that we may know whether the mission we are undertaking will succeed.”(D) 6 The priest replied, “Go in peace. The mission you are on is under the eye of the Lord.”(E)
7 The five men went on, and when they came to Laish, they observed the people who were there living securely, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting, lacking[a] nothing on earth, and possessing wealth.[b] Furthermore, they were far from the Sidonians and had no dealings with Aram.[c](F) 8 When they came to their kinsfolk at Zorah and Eshtaol, they said to them, “What do you report?”(G) 9 They said, “Come, let us go up against them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Will you do nothing? Do not be slow to go, but enter in and possess the land.(H) 10 When you go, you will come to an unsuspecting people. The land is broad—God has indeed given it into your hands—a place where there is no lack of anything on earth.”(I)
11 Six hundred men of the Danite clan, armed with weapons of war, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol 12 and went up and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in Judah. On this account that place is called Mahaneh-dan[d] to this day; it is west of Kiriath-jearim.(J) 13 From there they passed on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah.(K)
14 Then the five men who had gone to spy out the land (that is, Laish) said to their comrades, “Do you know that in these buildings there are an ephod, teraphim, and an idol of cast metal? Now, therefore, consider what you will do.”(L) 15 So they turned in that direction and came to the house of the young Levite at the home of Micah and greeted him. 16 While the six hundred men of the Danites, armed with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate,(M) 17 the five men who had gone to spy out the land proceeded to enter and take the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim.[e] The priest was standing by the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men armed with weapons of war.(N) 18 When the men went into Micah’s house and took the idol of cast metal, the ephod, and the teraphim, the priest said to them, “What are you doing?” 19 They said to him, “Keep quiet! Put your hand over your mouth, and come with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one person or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?”(O) 20 Then the priest accepted the offer. He took the ephod, the teraphim, and the idol and went along with the people.
21 So they resumed their journey, putting the little ones, the livestock, and the goods in front of them. 22 When they were some distance from the home of Micah, the men who were in the houses near Micah’s house were called out, and they overtook the Danites. 23 They shouted to the Danites, who turned around and said to Micah, “What is the matter that you come with such a company?” 24 He replied, “You take my gods that I made and the priest and go away, and what have I left? How then can you ask me, ‘What is the matter?’ ”(P) 25 And the Danites said to him, “You had better not let your voice be heard among us, or else hot-tempered fellows will attack you, and you will lose your life and the lives of your household.” 26 Then the Danites went their way. When Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his home.
The Danites Settle in Laish
27 The Danites, having taken what Micah had made and the priest who belonged to him, came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, put them to the sword, and burned down the city.(Q) 28 There was no deliverer because it was far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with Aram.[f] It was in the valley that belongs to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.(R) 29 They named the city Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel, but the name of the city was formerly Laish.(S) 30 Then the Danites set up the idol for themselves. Jonathan son of Gershom son of Moses[g] and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the time the land went into captivity.(T) 31 So they maintained as their own Micah’s idol that he had made, as long as the house of God was at Shiloh.(U)
22 “Brothers[a] and fathers, listen to the defense that I now make before you.”(A)
2 When they heard him addressing them in Hebrew,[b] they became even more quiet. Then he said:(B)
3 “I am a Jew born in Tarsus in Cilicia but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of you are today.(C) 4 I persecuted this Way up to the point of death by binding both men and women and putting them in prison,(D) 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. From them I also received letters to the brothers in Damascus, and I went there in order to bind those who were there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for punishment.(E)
Paul Tells of His Conversion
6 “While I was on my way and approaching Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven suddenly shone about me.(F) 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Then he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth[c] 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.(G) 10 I asked, ‘What am I to do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go to Damascus; there you will be told everything that has been assigned to you to do.’(H) 11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, those who were with me took my hand and led me to Damascus.(I)
12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man according to the law and well spoken of by all the Jews living there,(J) 13 came to me, and standing beside me, he said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight!’ In that very hour I regained my sight and saw him. 14 Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,(K) 15 for you will be his witness to all the world of what you have seen and heard.(L) 16 And now why do you delay? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away, calling on his name.’(M)
Paul Sent to the Gentiles
17 “After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance(N) 18 and saw Jesus[d] saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you.(O) 20 And while the blood of your witness Stephen was shed, I myself was standing by, approving and keeping the coats of those who killed him.’(P) 21 Then he said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the gentiles.’ ”(Q)
Paul and the Roman Tribune
22 Up to this point they listened to him, but then they shouted, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.” 23 And while they were shouting, throwing off their cloaks, and tossing dust into the air,(R) 24 the tribune directed that he was to be brought into the barracks and ordered him to be examined by flogging, to find out the reason for this outcry against him. 25 But when they had tied him up with straps,[e] Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to flog a Roman person who is uncondemned?”(S) 26 When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, “What are you about to do? This man is a Roman.” 27 The tribune came and asked Paul,[f] “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The tribune answered, “It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.” 29 Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman and that he had bound him.
Paul before the Council
30 Since he wanted to find out what Paul[g] was being accused of by the Jews, the next day he released him and ordered the chief priests and the entire council to meet. He brought Paul down and had him stand before them.(T)
Jeremiah Buys a Field During the Siege
32 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah,(A) 3 where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;(B) 4 King Zedekiah of Judah shall not escape out of the hands of the Chaldeans but shall surely be given into the hands of the king of Babylon and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye,(C) 5 and he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I attend to him, says the Lord; though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed?”(D)
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ ”(E) 8 Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
9 And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out the silver to him, seventeen shekels of silver.(F) 10 I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the silver on scales.(G) 11 Then I took the sealed deed of purchase containing the terms and conditions and the open copy,(H) 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin[a] Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard.(I) 13 In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 14 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 15 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.”(J)
Jeremiah Prays for Understanding
16 After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: 17 “Ah Lord God! It is you who made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.(K) 18 You show steadfast love to the thousandth generation[b] but repay the guilt of parents into the laps of their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the Lord of hosts,(L) 19 great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of mortals, rewarding all according to their ways and according to the fruit of their doings.(M) 20 You showed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and to this day in Israel and among all humankind and have made yourself a name that continues to this very day.(N) 21 You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror,(O) 22 and you gave them this land, which you swore to their ancestors to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey,(P) 23 and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey your voice or follow your laws; of all you commanded them to do, they did nothing. Therefore you have made all these disasters come upon them.(Q) 24 See, the siege ramps have been cast up against the city to take it, and the city, faced with sword, famine, and pestilence, has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has happened, as you yourself can see.(R) 25 Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for silver and get witnesses,’ though the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.”
God’s Assurance of the People’s Return
26 The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 See, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me?(S) 28 Therefore, thus says the Lord: I am going to give this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of King Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon, and he shall take it.(T) 29 The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come, set this city on fire, and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and libations have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger.(U) 30 For the people of Israel and the people of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth; the people of Israel have done nothing but provoke me to anger by the work of their hands, says the Lord.(V) 31 This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built until this day, so that I will remove it from my sight(W) 32 because of all the evil of the people of Israel and the people of Judah that they did to provoke me to anger—they, their kings and their officials, their priests and their prophets, the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.(X) 33 They have turned their backs to me, not their faces; though I have taught them persistently, they would not listen and accept correction.(Y) 34 They set up their abominations in the house that bears my name and defiled it.(Z) 35 They built the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech, though I did not command them, nor did it enter my mind that they should do this abomination, causing Judah to sin.(AA)
36 Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, “It is being given into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence”: 37 See, I am going to gather them from all the lands to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation; I will bring them back to this place, and I will settle them in safety.(AB) 38 They shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for all time, for their own good and the good of their children after them.(AC) 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to draw back from doing good to them, and I will put the fear of me in their hearts, so that they may not turn from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing good to them, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.(AD)
42 For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good fortune that I now promise them.(AE) 43 Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, “It is a desolation, without humans or animals; it has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” 44 Fields shall be bought for silver, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, of the hill country, of the Shephelah, and of the Negeb, for I will restore their fortunes, says the Lord.(AF)
Book I
(Psalms 1–41)
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked
or take the path that sinners tread
or sit in the seat of scoffers,(A)
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.(B)
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.(C)
4 The wicked are not so
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.(D)
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous,(E)
6 for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.(F)
Psalm 2
God’s Promise to His Anointed
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?(G)
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and his anointed, saying,(H)
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord has them in derision.(I)
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath
and terrify them in his fury, saying,(J)
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”(K)
7 I will tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have begotten you.(L)
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage
and the ends of the earth your possession.(M)
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”(N)
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear;
with trembling(O) 12 kiss his feet,[a]
or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Happy are all who take refuge in him.(P)
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.