M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
2 The ·angel [messenger] of the Lord [C an angelic spokesperson for God, sometimes identified with the Lord himself; Gen. 16:7; Ex. 14:19; 23:20] went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up from Egypt and led you to the land I promised to give your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my ·agreement [covenant] with you [Gen. 17:7; Ex. 6:4]. 2 But you must not make an ·agreement [covenant] with the people who live in this land [Ex. 23:32]. You must ·destroy [tear down] their altars [Deut. 7:2].’ But you did not obey me. How could you do this [L What is this you have done]? 3 ·Now I tell you [or Then I told you; Num. 33:55; Josh. 23:12–13], ‘I will not ·force [drive] out the people in this land. They will ·be your enemies [or ensnare you; or be thorns in your side], and their gods will be a ·trap [snare] for you.’”
4 After the angel gave ·Israel [L the sons/T children of Israel] this message from the Lord, they ·cried loudly [L lifted up their voices and wept]. 5 So they named the place Bokim [C “weeping ones”]. There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Joshua Dies
6 After Joshua ·dismissed [sent away] the people, the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] went to take possession of the land that they had been given. 7 The people ·served [worshiped; remained faithful to] the Lord during the lifetime of Joshua and during the lifetimes of the elders who ·lived after [outlived] Joshua and who had seen what great things the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred ten. 9 They buried him in ·his own land [the territory of his inheritance] at Timnath Heres [C also known as Timnath Serah; Josh. 19:50; 24:30] in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
The People Disobey
10 After ·those people [L the whole generation] ·had died [L were gathered to their fathers/ancestors], ·their children [L another generation] grew up and did not know the Lord or what he had done for Israel. 11 So ·they [L the sons/T children of Israel] did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], and they worshiped the ·Baal idols [L Baals; C Baal was the main god of the Canaanites, but had many local manifestations]. 12 They ·quit following [abandoned] the Lord, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt. They began to worship the gods of the people who lived around them, and that made the Lord angry. 13 The Israelites ·quit following [abandoned] the Lord and worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth. 14 The Lord was angry with the people of Israel, so he ·handed them over to [gave them into the hand of] ·robbers [raiders; plunderers] who took their possessions. He ·let their enemies who lived around them defeat them [L sold them into the hand of their enemies around them]; they could not ·protect themselves [resist/L stand before them]. 15 When the Israelites went out to fight, ·they always lost, because the Lord was not with them [L the hand of the Lord was against them for harm/evil]. The Lord had sworn to them this would happen. So the Israelites ·suffered very much [were in great distress].
God Chooses Judges
16 Then the Lord ·chose leaders called [L raised up] ·judges [leaders; C not courtroom judges, but leaders who guided the nation through difficult times, sometimes as military commanders], ·who saved the Israelites from [L to deliver them from the hand of] the ·robbers [raiders; plunderers]. 17 But the Israelites did not listen to their ·judges [leaders; v. 16]. They ·were not faithful to God but [L prostituted themselves to and] worshiped other gods instead. Their ancestors had ·obeyed [L walked in the way/path of] the Lord’s commands, but they quickly turned away and did not obey. 18 Whenever the Lord sent ·judges [leaders] to save the Israelites from their enemies, he was with that ·judge [leader] and rescued the people during that ·judge’s [leader’s] lifetime. The Lord ·felt sorry for them [took pity on them; or relented] when they cried for help because of those who ·hurt [oppressed and afflicted] them. 19 But when the ·judges [leaders; 2:16] died, the Israelites ·again sinned [returned to their corrupt ways] and worshiped other gods. They became worse than their ancestors. The Israelites were very stubborn and refused to change their evil ways.
20 So the ·Lord became angry with [L anger of the Lord burned against] the Israelites. He said, “These people have ·broken [violated] the ·agreement [covenant] I made with their ancestors. They have not listened to me. 21 I will no longer ·defeat [L drive out before them] the nations who were left when Joshua died. 22 I will use them to test Israel, to see if Israel will keep ·the Lord’s commands [L the way of the Lord to walk in it] as their ancestors did.” 23 In the past the Lord had permitted those nations to stay in the land. He did not quickly ·force [drive] them out or ·help Joshua’s army defeat them [L give them into the hand of Joshua].
Seven Leaders Are Chosen
6 The number of ·followers [disciples] was ·growing [multiplying]. But during ·this same time [those days], the ·Greek-speaking followers [L Hellenists; C Jewish Christians who spoke primarily Greek and had returned to Israel after living abroad] ·had an argument with [began grumbling/complaining against] the ·other followers [L Hebrews; C Aramaic speaking Jewish Christians born in Israel]. The Greek-speaking widows were ·not getting their share [being neglected/overlooked in the distribution] of the food that was given out every day. 2 The ·twelve apostles [Twelve] called the whole group of ·followers [L disciples] together and said, “It is not right for us to ·stop our work of teaching God’s word [L leave/abandon the word of God] in order to serve tables. 3 So, ·brothers and sisters [or brothers; C uncertain whether women would have been included in that culture], choose seven of your own men who ·are good [have a good reputation], full of the Spirit and full of wisdom. We will ·put [appoint] them in charge of this ·work [responsibility; L need]. 4 Then we [apostles] can ·continue [devote ourselves] to pray and to ·teach [L the ministry/service of] the word of God.”
5 The whole group ·liked [was pleased with] the idea, so they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man ·with great [L full of] faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip [C not the apostle of the same name], Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a man from Antioch [C a major city in Syria] who ·had become a follower of the Jewish religion [L was a prosylete; C a Gentile convert to Judaism]. 6 Then they ·put [presented] these men before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands [C a ritual of blessing and/or conferring of authority] on them.
7 The word of God was continuing to spread. The ·group [number] of ·followers [disciples] in Jerusalem [quickly; or greatly] ·increased [multiplied], and a great number of the Jewish priests ·believed and obeyed [L become obedient to the faith].
Stephen Is Accused
8 Stephen was ·richly blessed by God who gave him the power [L full of grace and power] to do great ·miracles [wonders] and signs among the people. 9 But some people ·were [rose up] against him. They belonged to the synagogue of Free Men [C Jews who were freed slaves] (as it was called), which included people from Cyrene, Alexandria [C both in North Africa], Cilicia, and Asia [C both in Asia Minor, present-day Turkey]. They all ·came [rose up; came forward] and ·argued [debated; disputed] with Stephen.
10 But ·the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom, and his words were so strong that they could not argue with him [L they could not resist the wisdom and Spirit/spirit by which he spoke]. 11 So they ·secretly urged [or bribed] some men to say, “We heard Stephen ·speak [L speaking blasphemous words] against Moses and against God.”
12 They ·stirred up [roused; incited] the people, the elders, and the teachers of the law. They ·came [or confronted] and grabbed Stephen and brought him to ·a meeting of the leaders [L the Sanhedrin; 4:15]. 13 They brought in some ·people to tell lies about Stephen [L false witnesses], saying, “This man is always speaking against this holy place [C the Temple] and the law of Moses. 14 We heard him say that Jesus ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene] will destroy this place and that Jesus will change the customs Moses gave us [C for a similar charge leveled against Jesus see Matt. 26:61; Mark 14:58].” 15 All the people [who sat] in the ·meeting [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] ·were watching Stephen closely [or stared intently at Stephen] ·and [or because they] saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.
15 Then the Lord said to me: “Even if Moses and Samuel ·prayed for them [L stood before me], ·I [L my soul] would not ·feel sorry for the people of Judah [L turn toward this people; C Moses and Samuel interceded on behalf of their sinful generations; Ex. 32:11–14, 30–34; Num. 14:13–19; 1 Sam. 7:5–11; 12:17–23]. Send them away from me! Tell them to go! 2 When they ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ tell them: ‘This is what the Lord says:
Those who are ·meant to die [L for death]
·will die [L to death].
Those who are meant ·to die in war [L for the sword]
·will die in war [L to the sword].
Those who are meant ·to die from hunger [L for famine]
·will die from hunger [L to famine].
Those who are meant ·to be taken captive [L for exile]
·will be taken captive [L to exile].’
3 “I will ·send [appoint] four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send ·war [L the sword] to kill, dogs to drag the bodies away, and the birds of the ·air [sky; heavens] and ·wild animals [L beasts of the land] to eat and destroy the bodies. 4 I will make them [C the people of Judah] ·hated by [a horror to] everyone on earth because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. (Manasseh son of Hezekiah was king of the nation of Judah [C from 698–642 bc; he was a particularly wicked king; 2 Kin. 21:1–18; 23:26–27].)
5 “Who will ·feel sorry for [have pity on] you, Jerusalem?
Who will ·be sad and cry [grieve] for you?
Who will go out of his way to ask how you are [Nah. 3:7]?
6 You [C Jerusalem] have ·left me [cast me off],” says the Lord.
“You keep going ·farther and farther away [backward],
so I have ·taken hold of you [L stretched out my hand] and destroyed you.
I was tired of ·holding back my anger [relenting].
7 I have ·separated [winnowed] them [C the people of Judah] with my ·pitchfork [winnowing fork] in the gates of the land.
My people haven’t changed their ways.
So I have destroyed ·them [L my people]
and ·taken away their children [bereaved them].
8 There are more widows than grains of sand in the sea [C an ironic reference to Gen. 22:17; 32:12; 41:49].
I brought a destroyer at noontime
against the mothers of the young men of Judah.
I suddenly ·brought pain and fear
on the people of Judah [L made anguish and fear fall on them].
9 A woman with seven sons ·felt faint [languishes; C because they would all die].
She ·became weak and unable to breathe [L swoons].
Her ·bright day became dark from sadness [L sun went down while it was still day].
She felt ·shame [humiliation] and disgrace.
And ·everyone else left alive in Judah [L the rest of them]
I will hand over to the sword of their enemies, too!” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Second Complaint
10 Mother, ·I am sorry [woe to me] that you gave birth to me
·since I must accuse and criticize [L a man of strife and contention to] the whole land.
I have not loaned or borrowed anything,
but everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said,
“·I have [L Have I not…?] ·saved [or intervened for] you for a good reason.
·I have made your enemies beg you [or Will I not bring the enemy against you…?]
in times of ·disaster [harm; evil] and ·trouble [distress].
12 ·No one can smash a piece of iron or bronze
that comes from the north [L Can iron break the iron of the north and the bronze?; C the iron is Babylon (1:13–15; 4:6) and the bronze is Jeremiah (15:20)].
13 Your wealth and treasures
I will give ·to others free of charge [L as plunder without price/charge],
because of all your [C the people of Judah] sins
throughout the country.
14 I will make you ·slaves to [serve] your enemies
in a land you have never known.
My anger ·is [L kindles] like a hot fire,
and it will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you ·understand [L know].
Remember me and take care of me.
·Punish for me [Avenge me on] those who are ·hurting [persecuting; pursuing] me.
Don’t ·destroy [snatch] me while you remain patient with them.
Think about the ·shame [reproaches] I ·suffer [endure] for you.
16 Your words ·came to me [L were found], and I ·listened carefully to [L ate] them.
Your words made me very happy
and were the delight of my heart,
because I am called by your name,
Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
17 I never sat with the ·crowd
as they laughed [L crowd of merrymakers/revelers] and ·had fun [L I did not rejoice].
I sat by ·myself [alone], ·because you were there [L from before your hand/power],
and you filled me with anger [C at the evil people around him].
18 ·I don’t understand why my pain has [L Why does my pain have…?] no end.
·I don’t understand why my injury is not cured or healed [L My wound is uncurable and refuses to be healed].
Will you be like a ·brook that goes dry [L deceitful brook]?
Will you be like a ·spring that stops flowing [L unreliable spring]?
19 So this is what the Lord says:
“If you ·change your heart and return to me [L return/repent], I will ·take you back [L return to you].
Then you may ·serve me [L stand before me].
And if you [C Jeremiah] speak things that ·have worth [are precious],
not useless words,
then you may ·speak for me [L be like my mouth].
Let them [C the people of Judah] turn to you,
but you must not ·change and be like them [L turn to them].
20 I will make you as strong as a wall to this people,
·as strong [fortified] as a wall of bronze [v. 12].
They will fight against you,
but they will not ·defeat [prevail over] you,
because I am with you.
I will ·save [have victory for] you and ·rescue [protect] you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will ·rescue [protect] you from ·these wicked people [L the hand/control of evil people]
and redeem you from ·these cruel people [L the hand of the violent].”
John Prepares for Jesus(A)
1 This is the beginning of the ·Good News [Gospel] ·about [of] Jesus Christ, the Son of God,[a] 2 as the prophet Isaiah wrote:
“[Look; T Behold,] I ·will send [am sending] my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way [Mal. 3:1].”
3 “This is a voice of one
who ·calls out [shouts; cries out] in the ·desert [wilderness]:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for him [Is. 40:3].’”
4 John [C the Baptist] was baptizing people in the ·desert [wilderness] and preaching a baptism of ·changed hearts and lives [turning from sin; repentance] for the ·forgiveness [remission] of sins. 5 All the people from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to him. They confessed their sins and were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothes made from camel’s hair, had a leather belt around his waist [C reminiscent of the prophet Elijah; 2 Kin. 1:8], and ate locusts and wild honey [C signifies living off the land]. 7 This is what John preached to the people: “There is one coming after me who is ·greater [mightier; more powerful] than I; I am not ·good enough [fit; qualified] even to kneel down and untie [L the thong/strap of] his sandals [C a task of a servant or slave]. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus Is Baptized and Tested(B)
9 ·At that time [In those days] Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10 Immediately, as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw ·heaven [the sky] ·open [split open]. The ·Holy Spirit [L Spirit] ·came down [descended] on him like a dove [C either in the form of a dove, or in bird-like descent], 11 and a voice came from heaven: “You are my ·Son, whom I love [dearly beloved Son; Ps. 2:7; Gen. 22:2], ·and I am very pleased with you [in whom I take great delight; Is. 42:1].”
12 ·Then [Immediately] the Spirit ·sent [drove; compelled] Jesus into the ·desert [wilderness]. 13 He was in the ·desert [wilderness] forty days [C analogous to Israel’s forty years] and was ·tempted [or tested] by Satan [C as both Adam and Eve and the nation Israel in the wilderness were tempted, but failed]. He was with the wild animals [C dangerous or perhaps Eden-like conditions], and the angels came and ·took care of [served; ministered to] him.
Jesus Announces the Good News(C)
14 After John was put in prison [C by Herod Antipas; cf. 6:14–29], Jesus went into Galilee, preaching the ·Good News [Gospel] ·from [about] God. 15 He said, “The ·right time has come [L time is fulfilled]. ·The kingdom of God [God’s sovereign rule] is ·near [at hand]. ·Change your hearts and lives [Turn from your sins; Repent] and believe the ·Good News [Gospel]!”
Jesus Chooses His First Followers(D)
16 When Jesus was walking by ·Lake Galilee [T the Sea of Galilee], he saw Simon [C Peter; cf. 3:16] and his brother Andrew ·throwing [casting] a net into the lake because they were fishermen. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come ·follow me [be my disciples], and I will ·make you [teach you how to] fish for people.” 18 So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.
19 Going a little farther, Jesus saw two more brothers, ·James and John, the sons of Zebedee [L James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John]. They were in a boat, ·mending [preparing] their nets. 20 Jesus immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers and followed Jesus.
Jesus Forces Out an Evil Spirit(E)
21 Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to Capernaum [C a town on the northwest shore of Lake Galilee; it became Jesus’ home base]. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught ·like [as] a person who had authority, not ·like [as] ·their teachers of the law [the scribes; C experts in the law of Moses]. 23 Just then, a man was there in the synagogue who had an ·evil [defiling; L unclean] spirit in him. [C Demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings.] He shouted, 24 “Jesus ·of Nazareth [the Nazarene]! ·What do you want with us? [Let us alone!; What business do we have with each other? L What to us and to you?] Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”
25 Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the evil spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” 26 The ·evil [defiling; L unclean] spirit ·shook the man violently [threw him into convulsions], gave a ·loud cry [shriek], and then came out of him.
27 The people were [L all] so amazed they asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new, and with authority. He even gives ·commands [orders] to ·evil [defiling; L unclean; v. 23] spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And the ·news [report; fame] about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many People(F)
29 As soon as Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] left the synagogue, they went to the home of Simon [C Peter; 3:16] and Andrew, together with James and John. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever, and ·the people [L they; C either the people or the disciples] told Jesus about her. 31 So Jesus went to her bed, took her hand, and ·helped [raised] her up. The fever left her, and she began ·serving them [waiting on them; C presumably meal preparation].
32 That evening, after the sun went down, the people brought to Jesus all who were sick and ·had demons in them [were demon-possessed]. 33 The whole town gathered at the door. 34 Jesus healed many who had different kinds of sicknesses, and he ·forced many demons to leave people [L drove/cast out many demons]. But he would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was. [C They knew he was the Messiah; Jesus wanted to avoid premature publicity.]
35 [Very] Early the next morning, while it was still dark, Jesus ·woke [got up] and left the house. He went to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his ·friends [companions] went to look for Jesus. 37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus answered, “·We should [Let us] go to other towns around here so I can preach there too. That is the reason I came.” 39 So he went everywhere in Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and ·forcing [driving; casting] out demons.
Jesus Heals a Sick Man(G)
40 A man with ·a skin disease [T leprosy; C the term does not refer to modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease), but to various skin disorders; Lev. 14] came to Jesus. He fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “You can ·heal me [L make me clean; C leprosy rendered a person ceremonially defiled (“unclean”), and so unable to participate in Israel’s religious life] if you ·will [are willing; want to].”
41 Jesus felt ·sorry[b] [compassion] for the man, so he reached out his hand and touched him and said, “I ·will [am willing; want to]. Be ·healed [L cleansed]!” 42 Immediately the ·disease [T leprosy] left the man, and he was ·healed [L cleansed].
43 Jesus told the man to go away at once, but he warned him strongly, 44 “Don’t tell anyone about this. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer the ·gift [offering; sacrifices] Moses commanded for ·people who are made well [L your cleansing; Lev. 14:1–32]. This will ·show the people [be a public testimony to; be evidence for] what I have done.” 45 The man left there, but he began to tell everyone that Jesus had healed him, and so he spread ·the news about Jesus [L the message/word]. As a result, Jesus could not enter a town ·if people saw him [publicly]. He stayed in ·places where nobody lived [secluded/deserted places], but people ·came [kept coming] to him from everywhere.
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