M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah

17 And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. ² And he put troops in all the fortified cities of Judah, and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had taken. ³ And Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the former ways of David his father and did not seek after the Baals, ⁴ but he sought after the God of his ancestors^[a] and walked in his commandments and not according to the works of Israel. ⁵ So Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah gave tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had much wealth and honor. ⁶ And his heart was courageous in the ways of Yahweh. Moreover, he removed the high places and the Asherahs from Judah.

⁷ In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-Hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸ and with them the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-Adonijah; and with them the priests Elisham and Joram. ⁹ And they taught in Judah, and the scroll of the law of Yahweh was with them when they went around in all the cities of Judah, and they taught the people.

¹⁰ And the fear of Yahweh was upon all the kingdoms of the lands surrounding Judah, and they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹ And some of the Philistines brought a gift and silver to Jehoshaphat as tribute. The Arabians also brought him seven thousand seven hundred sheep and seven thousand seven hundred goats.

¹² And Jehoshaphat grew greater and greater,^[b] and he built fortresses and storage cities in Judah. ¹³ And he had many supplies in the cities of Judah and mighty warriors for battle in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Now these were their enrollment by the house of their ancestors:^[c] of Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah, the commander, and with him were three hundred thousand mighty armed warriors; ¹⁵ and at his side,^[d] Jehohanan the commander, and with him were two hundred and eighty thousand; ¹⁶ and at his side,^[e] Amasiah the son of Zicri, who had made a freewill offering to Yahweh, and with him were two hundred thousand mighty armed warriors. ¹⁷ And from Benjamin: Eliada, a powerful mighty warrior, and with him were two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸ and at his side,^[f] Jehozabad, and with him were one hundred and eighty thousand armed for war. ¹⁹ These were serving the king, besides those whom the king had placed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

The Opening of the First Six Seals

6 And I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying like the sound of thunder, “Come!” ² And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and the one seated on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and in order that he might conquer.

³ And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” ⁴ And another horse came out, fiery red, and it was granted to the one seated on it to take peace from the earth, and that they would slaughter one another, and a large sword was given to him.

⁵ And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a black horse, and the one seated on it had a balance scale in his hand. ⁶ And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”

⁷ And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard a voice from the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” ⁸ And I looked, and behold, a pale green horse, and the one seated on it was named^[a] Death, and Hades followed after him. And authority was granted to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill by the sword and by famine and by pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

⁹ And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had, ¹⁰ and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long^[b], holy and true Lord, will you not judge and avenge our blood from those who live on the earth?” ¹¹ And to each one of them a white robe was given, and it was said to them that they should rest yet a short time, until the number of their fellow slaves and their brothers who were about to be killed as they had been were completed also.

¹² And I watched when he opened the sixth seal, and a great earthquake took place, and the sun became black like sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood, ¹³ and the stars of heaven^[c] fell to the earth like a fig tree throws down its unripe figs when^[d] shaken by a great wind. ¹⁴ And the sky was split apart like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved from their place. ¹⁵ And the kings of the earth, and the most important people, and the military leaders, and the rich, and the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

Zechariah’s Third Vision

2 And I looked up^[a] and I saw, and look, a man, and in his hand was a measuring rope! ² And I asked, “Where are you going?” And he answered me, “To measure Jerusalem to see what is its width and what is its length.” ³ And look, the angel who was talking to me was coming forward, and another angel was coming forward to meet him. ⁴ And he said to him, “Run, say to that young man, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited like villages without walls^[b] because of the multitude of people and animals in its midst. ⁵ And I will be for it a wall of fire all around,’ declares^[c] Yahweh, ‘and I will be the glory in its midst.’”

⁶ “Woe! Woe! Flee from the land of the north,” declares^[d] Yahweh, “for I have scattered you like the four winds of the heavens,” declares^[e] Yahweh. ⁷ “Woe, Zion! Escape, you inhabitants of the daughter of Babylon!” ⁸ For thus said Yahweh of hosts, after glory^[f] he sent me against the nations plundering you: Truly, the one touching you is touching the apple^[g] of his eye. ⁹ “Yes, look! I am going to wave my hand against them, and they will become plunder for their servants, and you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me. ¹⁰ Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for look, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares^[h] Yahweh. ¹¹ “Many nations will join themselves to Yahweh on that day, and they will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. And you will know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. ¹² And Yahweh will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land,^[i] and he will again choose Jerusalem. ¹³ Be silent, all people,^[j] before Yahweh, for he is roused from his holy dwelling.”^[k]

A Paralytic Is Healed

5 After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool called in Aramaic Bethzatha,^[a] which has five porticoes. ³ In these were lying a large number of those who were sick, blind, lame, paralyzed.^{[b] 5} And a certain man was there who had been thirty-eight years in his sickness. ⁶ Jesus, when he^[c] saw this one lying there and knew that he had been sick^[d] a long time already, said to him, “Do you want to become well?” ⁷ The one who was sick answered him, “Sir, I do not have anyone that, whenever the water is stirred up, could put me into the pool. But while^[e] I am coming, another goes down before me.” ⁸ Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!” ⁹ And immediately the man became well and picked up his mat and began to walk.^[f] (Now it was the Sabbath on that day.)

¹⁰ So the Jews were saying to the one who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permitted for you to pick up the mat!”^{[g] 11} But he answered them, “The one who made me well—that one said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk!’” ¹² So they asked him,^[h] “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your mat^[i] and walk?’” ¹³ But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn while^[j] a crowd was in the place.

Equal with God

¹⁴ After these things Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “Look, you have become well! Sin no longer, lest something worse happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went and reported to the Jews that Jesus was the one who made him well. ¹⁶ And on account of this the Jews began to persecute^[k] Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. ¹⁷ But he answered^[l] them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” ¹⁸ So on account of this the Jews were seeking even more to kill him, because he not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God his own Father, thus^[m] making himself equal with God.

The Authority of the Son

¹⁹ So Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing from himself except what he sees the Father doing. For whatever that one does, these things also the Son does likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself is doing. And greater works than these he will show him, so that you will be astonished. ²¹ For just as the Father raises the dead and makes them^[n] alive, thus also the Son makes alive whomever he wishes. ²² For the Father does not judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ in order that all people^[o] will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴ Truly, truly I say to you that the one who hears my word and who believes the one who sent me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

²⁵ “Truly, truly I say to you, that an hour is coming—and now is here—when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and the ones who hear will live. ²⁶ For just as the Father has life in himself, thus also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has granted him authority to carry out judgment, because he is the Son of Man.

²⁸ “Do not be astonished at this, because an hour is coming in which all those in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and they will come out—those who have done good things to a resurrection of life, but those who have practiced evil things to a resurrection of judgment. ³⁰ I am able to do nothing from myself. Just as I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of the one who sent me.

Further Testimony About the Son

³¹ “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. ³² There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony which he testifies about me is true. ³³ You have sent to John and he has testified to the truth. ³⁴ (And I do not receive testimony from people, but I say these things in order that you may be saved.) ³⁵ That one was the lamp which was burning and shining, and you wanted to rejoice for an hour in his light.

³⁶ “But I have a testimony greater than John’s, for the works which the Father has given to me that I should complete them—the very works which I am doing—these testify about me, that the Father has sent me. ³⁷ And the Father who sent me, that one has testified about me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form. ³⁸ And you do not have his word residing in yourselves, because the one whom that one sent, in this one you do not believe. ³⁹ You search^[p] the scriptures because you think that you have eternal life in them, and it is these that testify about me. ⁴⁰ And you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

⁴¹ “I do not accept glory^[q] from people, ⁴² but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. ⁴³ I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me. If another should come in his own name, you would accept that one! ⁴⁴ How are you able to believe, if you^[r] accept glory from one another, and do not seek the glory which is from the only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father! The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have put your hope! ⁴⁶ For if you had believed Moses, you would believe me, for that one wrote about me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe that one’s writings, how will you believe my words?”