M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
New Stone Tablets
10 At that time the Lord said to me, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to me on the mountain. Also make a wooden Ark. 2 I will write on the tablets the same words that were on the first tablets, which you broke, and you will put the new tablets in the Ark.”
3 So I made the Ark out of acacia wood, and I cut out two stone tablets like the first ones. Then I went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hands. 4 The Lord wrote the same things on these tablets he had written before —the Ten Commandments that he had told you on the mountain from the fire, on the day you were gathered there. And the Lord gave them to me. 5 Then I turned and came down the mountain; I put the tablets in the Ark I had made, as the Lord had commanded, and they are still there.
6 (The people of Israel went from the wells of the Jaakanites to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried; his son Eleazar became priest in his place. 7 From Moserah they went to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah they went to Jotbathah, a place with streams of water. 8 At that time the Lord chose the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord. They were to serve the Lord and to bless the people in his name, which they still do today. 9 That is why the Levites did not receive any land of their own; instead, they received the Lord himself as their gift, as the Lord your God told them.)
10 I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights just like the first time, and the Lord listened to me this time also. He did not want to destroy you. 11 The Lord said to me, “Go and lead the people so that they will go in and take the land I promised their ancestors.”
What the Lord Wants You to Do
12 Now, Israel, this is what the Lord your God wants you to do: Respect the Lord your God, and do what he has told you to do. Love him. Serve the Lord your God with your whole being, 13 and obey the Lord’s commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good.
14 The Lord owns the world and everything in it—the heavens, even the highest heavens, are his. 15 But the Lord cared for and loved your ancestors, and he chose you, their descendants, over all the other nations, just as it is today. 16 Give yourselves completely to serving him, and do not be stubborn any longer. 17 The Lord your God is God of all gods and Lord of all lords. He is the great God, who is strong and wonderful. He does not take sides, and he will not be talked into doing evil. 18 He helps orphans and widows, and he loves foreigners and gives them food and clothes. 19 You also must love foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt. 20 Respect the Lord your God and serve him. Be loyal to him and make your promises in his name. 21 He is the one you should praise; he is your God, who has done great and wonderful things for you, which you have seen with your own eyes. 22 There were only seventy of your ancestors when they went down to Egypt, and now the Lord your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky.
God Will Pay Back His Enemies
94 The Lord is a God who punishes.
God, show your greatness and punish!
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth,
and give the proud what they deserve.
3 How long will the wicked be happy?
How long, Lord?
4 They are full of proud words;
those who do evil brag about what they have done.
5 Lord, they crush your people
and make your children suffer.
6 They kill widows and foreigners
and murder orphans.
7 They say, “The Lord doesn’t see;
the God of Jacob doesn’t notice.”
8 You stupid ones among the people, pay attention.
You fools, when will you understand?
9 Can’t the creator of ears hear?
Can’t the maker of eyes see?
10 Won’t the one who corrects nations punish you?
Doesn’t the teacher of people know everything?
11 The Lord knows what people think.
He knows their thoughts are just a puff of wind.
12 Lord, those you correct are happy;
you teach them from your law.
13 You give them rest from times of trouble
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 The Lord won’t leave his people
nor give up his children.
15 Judgment will again be fair,
and all who are honest will follow it.
16 Who will help me fight against the wicked?
Who will stand with me against those who do evil?
17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have died in a minute.
18 I said, “I am about to fall,”
but, Lord, your love kept me safe.
19 I was very worried,
but you comforted me and made me happy.
20 Crooked leaders cannot be your friends.
They use the law to cause suffering.
21 They join forces against people who do right
and sentence to death the innocent.
22 But the Lord is my defender;
my God is the rock of my protection.
23 God will pay them back for their sins
and will destroy them for their evil.
The Lord our God will destroy them.
Hezekiah’s Illness
38 At that time Hezekiah became very sick; he was almost dead. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and told him, “This is what the Lord says: Make arrangements, because you are not going to live, but die.”
2 Hezekiah turned toward the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Lord, please remember that I have always obeyed you. I have given myself completely to you and have done what you said was right.” Then Hezekiah cried loudly.
4 Then the Lord spoke his word to Isaiah: 5 “Go to Hezekiah and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. So I will add fifteen years to your life. 6 I will save you and this city from the king of Assyria; I will defend this city.
7 “‘The Lord will do what he says. This is the sign from the Lord to show you: 8 The sun has made a shadow go down the stairway of Ahaz, but I will make it go back ten steps.’” So the shadow made by the sun went back up the ten steps it had gone down.
9 After Hezekiah king of Judah got well, he wrote this song:
10 I said, “I am in the middle of my life.
Do I have to go through the gates of death?
Will I have the rest of my life taken away from me?”
11 I said, “I will not see the Lord
in the land of the living again.
I will not again see the people
who live on the earth.
12 Like a shepherd’s tent,
my home has been pulled down and taken from me.
I am finished
like the cloth a weaver rolls up and cuts from the loom.[a]
In one day you brought me to this end.
13 All night I cried loudly.
Like a lion, he crushed all my bones.
In one day you brought me to this end.
14 I cried like a bird
and moaned like a dove.
My eyes became tired as I looked to the heavens.
Lord, I have troubles. Please help me.”
15 What can I say?
The Lord told me what would happen and then made it happen.
I have had these troubles in my soul,
so now I will be humble all my life.
16 Lord, because of you, people live.
Because of you, my spirit also lives;
you made me well and let me live.
17 It was for my own good
that I had such troubles.
Because you love me very much,
you did not let me die
but threw my sins
far away.
18 People in the place of the dead cannot praise you;
those who have died cannot sing praises to you;
those who die don’t trust you
to help them.
19 The people who are alive are the ones who praise you.
They praise you as I praise you today.
A father should tell his children
that you provide help.
20 The Lord saved me,
so we will play songs on stringed instruments
in the Temple of the Lord
all the days of our lives.
21 Then Isaiah said, “Make a paste from figs and put it on Hezekiah’s boil. Then he will get well.” 22 Hezekiah then asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign? What will show that I will go up to the Temple of the Lord?”
The Seventh Seal
8 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God and to whom were given seven trumpets.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden pan for incense. He was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all God’s holy people. The angel put this offering on the golden altar before the throne. 4 The smoke from the incense went up from the angel’s hand to God with the prayers of God’s people. 5 Then the angel filled the incense pan with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were flashes of lightning, thunder and loud noises, and an earthquake.
The Seven Angels and Trumpets
6 Then the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them.
7 The first angel blew his trumpet, and hail and fire mixed with blood were poured down on the earth. And a third of the earth, and all the green grass, and a third of the trees were burned up.
8 Then the second angel blew his trumpet, and something that looked like a big mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea. And a third of the sea became blood, 9 a third of the living things in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
10 Then the third angel blew his trumpet, and a large star, burning like a torch, fell from the sky. It fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood.[a] And a third of all the water became bitter, and many people died from drinking the water that was bitter.
12 Then the fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars were struck. So a third of them became dark, and a third of the day was without light, and also the night.
13 While I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying high in the air cry out in a loud voice, “Trouble! Trouble! Trouble for those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets that the other three angels are about to blow!”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.