M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Noah and the Flood
7 Then Yahweh said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be (A)righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take [a]with you of every (B)clean animal [b]by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean, two, a male and his female; 3 also of the birds of the [c]sky, [d]by sevens, male and female, to keep their seed alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after (C)seven more days, I will send rain on the earth (D)forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land (E)every living thing that I have made.” 5 (F)And Noah did according to all that Yahweh had commanded him.
6 Now Noah was (G)six hundred years old when the flood of water [e]came upon the earth. 7 Then (H)Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. 8 (I)Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, 9 [f]by twos they came to Noah into the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 Now it happened after (J)the seven days, that the water of the flood [g]came upon the earth. 11 In the (K)six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all (L)the fountains of the great deep split open, and the [h]floodgates of the sky were opened. 12 (M)Then the rain [i]came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 On this very day (N)Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, 14 they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after [j]their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind—every [k]fowl, every winged creature. 15 So they came to Noah into the ark, (O)by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and Yahweh closed it behind him.
17 Then the flood [l]came upon the earth for (P)forty days, and the water multiplied and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. 18 And the water prevailed and multiplied greatly upon the earth, and the ark went on the [m]surface of the water. 19 And the water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered. 20 The water prevailed [n]fifteen cubits higher, (Q)and the mountains were covered. 21 (R)And all flesh that [o]moved on the earth breathed its last, that is birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, as well as all mankind. 22 All (S)in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life—of all that was on the dry land—died. 23 Thus He blotted out [p]every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the [q]sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only (T)Noah remained, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 (U)And the water prevailed upon the earth 150 days.
Judging Others
7 “(A)Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and (B)with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you. 3 And why do you (C)look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 (D)Or how [a]can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
6 “(E)Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Ask, and It Will Be Given
7 “[b](F)Ask, and (G)it will be given to you; [c]seek, and you will find; [d]knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you [e]who, when his son asks for a loaf, [f]will give him a stone? 10 Or [g]if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, (H)how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
12 “(I)Therefore, in all things, whatever you want people to do for you, so do for them, for (J)this is the Law and the Prophets.
The Narrow Gate
13 “(K)Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
15 “Beware of the (L)false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are (M)ravenous wolves. 16 You will [h](N)know them by their fruits. [i]Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, (O)every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 (P)Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will [j]know them (Q)by their fruits.
21 “(R)Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 (S)Many will say to Me on (T)that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many [k]miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; (U)depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Build Your House on the Rock
24 “Therefore (V)everyone who hears these words of Mine and does them, [l]may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and fell against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone hearing these words of Mine and not doing them, may be compared to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”
28 [m](W)Now it happened that when Jesus had finished these words, (X)the crowds were astonished at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
Ezra Goes Up from Babylon to Jerusalem
7 (A)Now after these things, in the reign of (B)Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. 6 This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a (C)scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all [a]he requested (D)because the hand of Yahweh his God was upon him. 7 (E)And some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9 For on the first of the first month [b]he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, (F)because the good hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to [c]study the law of Yahweh and to practice it, and (G)to teach His statute and judgment in Israel.
The King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra
11 Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, [d]learned in the words of the commandments of Yahweh and His statutes to Israel:
12 “[e]Artaxerxes, (H)king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now—
13 (I)I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who freely offer to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.
14 Forasmuch as you are sent from before the king and his (J)seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,
15 and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, (K)whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,
16 and (L)all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along (M)with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who (N)offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;
17 with this money, therefore, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, (O)with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and (P)bring them near to the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
18 And whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God.
19 Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.
20 The rest of the needs for the house of your God, which may fall upon you to provide, (Q)provide for it from the royal treasury.
21 “So I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the [f]River, that whatever Ezra the priest, (R)the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may ask of you, it shall be done with all diligence,
22 even up to [g]100 talents of silver, [h]100 kors of wheat, [i]100 baths of wine, [j]100 baths of oil, and salt without written order.
23 Whatever is [k]decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, (S)so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.
24 We also make known to you that (T)it is not allowed to [l]impose tribute, custom, or toll (U)on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
25 “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, (V)appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and to anyone who does not know the laws, you shall (W)make them known.
26 (X)Whoever will not do the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be done to him with all diligence, whether for death or for [m]banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”
Yahweh Put This in the King’s Heart
27 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of our fathers, (Y)who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem, 28 and (Z)has extended lovingkindness to me before the king and his counselors and before all the king’s mighty princes. Thus I was strengthened according to (AA)the hand of Yahweh my God upon me, and I gathered [n]chief men from Israel to go up with me.
Stephen’s Defense
7 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”
2 And he said, “Hear me, (A)brothers and fathers! (B)The God of glory (C)appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in [a]Haran, 3 and said to him, ‘(D)Leave your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ 4 (E)Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in [b]Haran. (F)From there, after his father died, God had him move to this country in which you are now living. 5 But He gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, and (G)He promised that He would give it to him as a possession, and to his seed after him, even when he had no child. 6 But (H)God spoke in this way, that his seed would be sojourners in a foreign land, and that they would [c]be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. 7 ‘And I Myself will judge the nation to which they will be enslaved,’ said God, ‘and (I)after that they will come out and [d]serve Me in this place.’ 8 And He (J)gave him [e]the covenant of circumcision; and so (K)Abraham was the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and (L)Isaac was the father of Jacob, and (M)Jacob of the twelve (N)patriarchs.
9 “And the patriarchs, (O)becoming jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt. Yet God was with him, 10 and rescued him from all his afflictions, and (P)granted him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he appointed him governor over Egypt and all his household.
11 “Now (Q)a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers [f]could find no food. 12 But (R)when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers there the first time. 13 And on the second visit (S)Joseph [g]made himself known to his brothers, and (T)Joseph’s family was disclosed to Pharaoh. 14 Then (U)Joseph sent word and invited Jacob his father and all his relatives to come to him, (V)seventy-five [h](W)persons in all. 15 And (X)Jacob went down to Egypt and there he and our fathers died. 16 And from there they were removed to [i](Y)Shechem and placed in the tomb which Abraham had purchased for a sum of money from the sons of [j]Hamor in [k]Shechem.
17 “But as the (Z)time of the promise was drawing near which God had assured to Abraham, (AA)the people increased and multiplied in Egypt, 18 until (AB)another king arose over Egypt who did not know about Joseph. 19 It was he who (AC)deceitfully took advantage of our family and mistreated our fathers to [l](AD)set their infants outside so that they would not survive. 20 It was at this time that (AE)Moses was born, and he was lovely [m]in the sight of God, and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. 21 And after he had been set outside, (AF)Pharaoh’s daughter [n]took him away and nurtured him as her own son. 22 And Moses was educated in all (AG)the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and deeds. 23 But when he was approaching the age of forty, (AH)it entered his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. 24 And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took justice for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian. 25 And he supposed that his brothers understood that God was granting them salvation [o]through him, but they did not understand. 26 (AI)On the following day he appeared to them as they were fighting together, and he tried to reconcile them in peace, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers, why are you treating one another unjustly?’ 27 But the one who was treating his neighbor unjustly pushed him away, saying, ‘(AJ)Who made you a ruler and judge over us? 28 (AK)Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?’ 29 At this remark, (AL)Moses fled and became a sojourner in the land of [p]Midian, where he (AM)was the father of two sons.
30 “And after forty years had passed, (AN)an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was marveling at the sight; and as he approached to look more closely, there came the voice of the [q]Lord: 32 ‘(AO)I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.’ Moses trembled with fear and would not dare to look. 33 (AP)But the [r]Lord said to him, ‘(AQ)Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. 34 (AR)I have surely seen the oppression of My people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to deliver them; [s](AS)come now, and I will send you to Egypt.’
35 “This Moses whom they (AT)disowned, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ is the one whom God [t]sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the [u]help of the angel who appeared to him in the bush. 36 (AU)This man led them out, doing (AV)wonders and [v]signs in the land of Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the (AW)wilderness for forty years. 37 This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel, ‘(AX)God will raise up for you a prophet [w]like me from your brothers.’ 38 This is the one who, in (AY)the [x]congregation in the wilderness, was with (AZ)the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers; the one who received (BA)living (BB)oracles to pass on to you. 39 Our fathers were unwilling to be obedient to him, but (BC)rejected him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt, 40 (BD)saying to Aaron, ‘Make for us gods who will go before us; for this Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 [y]At that time (BE)they made a [z]calf and brought a sacrifice to the idol, and were rejoicing in (BF)the works of their hands. 42 But God (BG)turned away and delivered them up to [aa]serve the [ab]host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘(BH)Did you present Me with slain beasts and sacrifices (BI)forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43 (BJ)You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god [ac]Rompha, the images which you made to worship. I also will remove you beyond Babylon.’
44 “Our fathers had (BK)the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, just as He, who spoke to Moses, directed him to make it (BL)according to the pattern which he had seen. 45 And having received it in their turn, our fathers (BM)brought it in with [ad]Joshua when they dispossessed the [ae]nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the time of David. 46 (BN)David found favor in the sight of God, and (BO)asked that he might find a dwelling place for the [af]God of Jacob. 47 But (BP)Solomon built a house for Him. 48 However, (BQ)the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands, as the prophet says:
49 ‘(BR)Heaven is My throne,
And earth is the footstool of My feet.
What kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord,
‘Or what place is there for My rest?
50 (BS)Was it not My hand which made all these things?’
51 “You men—(BT)stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears—are always resisting the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. 52 (BU)And which one of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They killed those who had previously announced the coming of (BV)the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers (BW)you have now become; 53 you who received the Law as (BX)ordained by angels, and yet did not observe it.”
Stephen Is Stoned to Death
54 Now when they heard this, they became (BY)furious in their hearts, and they began gnashing their teeth at him. 55 But being (BZ)full of the Holy Spirit, he (CA)gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing (CB)at the right hand of God; 56 and he said, “Behold, I see the (CC)heavens opened up and (CD)the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” 57 But crying out with a loud voice, they covered their ears and rushed at him with one accord. 58 And when they had (CE)driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and (CF)the witnesses (CG)laid aside their garments at the feet of (CH)a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he (CI)was calling out and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then (CJ)falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, (CK)do not hold this sin against them!” And having said this, he [ag](CL)fell asleep.
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