M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Midianites Oppresses Israel
6 The Israelites[a] did evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh gave them into the hand of the Midianites[b] for seven years. 2 The hand of the Midianites[c] prevailed over Israel; because of the presence of the Midianites,[d] the Israelites[e] made for themselves hiding places that were in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3 And whenever Israel sowed seed, the Midianites,[f] Amalekites,[g] and the people of the east would come up against them. 4 They would camp against them and destroy the produce of the land as far as[h] Gaza; they left no produce in Israel, or sheep, ox, or donkey. 5 For they, their livestock, and their tents would come up like a great number of locusts; they and their camels could not be counted; they came into the land and devoured it. 6 Israel was very poor because of the presence of the Midianites,[i] and the Israelites[j] cried out to Yahweh.
7 When the Israelites[k] cried out to Yahweh on account of the Midianites,[l] 8 Yahweh sent a prophet to the Israelites,[m] and he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt; I brought you from the house of slavery.[n] 9 I delivered you from the hand of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors, and drove them out from before you;[o] and I gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am Yahweh your God; do not fear[p] the gods of the Amorites,[q] in whose land you are living.’ But you have not listened to my voice.”
The Angel of Yahweh Calls Gideon
11 The angel of Yahweh came and sat under the oak[r] that was at Ophrah that belonged to Jehoash the Abiezrite; and Gideon his son was threshing wheat in the winepress to hide it[s] from the Midianites.[t] 12 The angel of Yahweh appeared to him and said to him, “Yahweh is with you, you mighty warrior.”[u] 13 Gideon said to him, “Excuse me, my lord. If Yahweh is with us, why then has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors[v] recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not Yahweh bring us up from Egypt?’ But now Yahweh has forsaken us; he has given us into the palm of Midian.” 14 And Yahweh turned to him and said, “Go in this your strength, and you will deliver Israel from the palm of Midian. Did I not send you?” 15 He said to him, “Excuse me, my lord. How will I deliver Israel? Look, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 And Yahweh said to him, “But I will be with you, and you will defeat Midian as if they are one man.”[w] 17 And he[x] said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, show me a sign[y] that you are speaking with me. 18 Please, do not depart from here until I come back to you and bring out my gift and set it out before you.”[z] And he said, “I will stay until you return.”
19 And Gideon went and prepared a young goat[aa] and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; he put meat in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and he brought them to him under the oak[ab] and presented them. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes and put them on this rock; pour the broth over it.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of Yahweh reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and he touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire went up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of Yahweh went from his sight.[ac] 22 And Gideon realized that he was the angel of Yahweh; and Gideon said, “Oh, my lord Yahweh! For now I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.” 23 And Yahweh said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not fear; you will not die.” 24 And Gideon built there an altar to Yahweh, and he called it “Yahweh is peace.” To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.[ad]
25 Now on that same night Yahweh said to him, “Take the bull of the cattle that belongs to your father, and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah[ae] that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to Yahweh your God on the top of this stronghold in the proper arrangement, and take a second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah[af] that you will cut down. 27 Gideon took ten men from his servants, and he did just as Yahweh told him;[ag] and because he was too afraid of his father’s family[ah] and the men of the city to do it during the day, he did it during night.
Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal
28 When the men of the city got up early in the morning, look, the altar of Baal and the Asherah[ai] that was beside it were cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 And they said to one another,[aj] “Who did this thing?” So they searched and inquired, and they said, “Gideon son of Jehoash did this thing.” 30 And the men of the city said to Jehoash, “Bring out your son so that he may die, for he has pulled down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah that was beside it.” 31 But Jehoash said to all who stood against him,[ak] “Will you contend for Baal? Will you rescue him? Whoever contends for him will be put to death by the morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself because his altar has been pulled down.”[al] 32 Thus, on that day he[am] was called Jerub-Baal, which means,[an] “Let Baal contend against him,” because he had pulled down his altar.
33 Then all the Midianites,[ao] Amalekites,[ap] and the people of the east gathered together and crossed the Jordan; and they camped in the valley of Jezreel. 34 So the Spirit of Yahweh took possession of[aq] Gideon, and he blew on the trumpet, and the Abiezrites[ar] were called to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they were also called to follow him; and he sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
Gideon Tests Yahweh With the Fleece
36 Then Gideon said to God, “In order to see that you will deliver Israel by my hand, just as you have said, 37 I will place a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and all of the ground is dry, I will know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, just as you have said.” 38 And it was so. He arose early the next day and squeezed the fleece, and he wrung out dew from the fleece, a full drinking bowl of water. 39 And Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn[as] against me; let me speak once more. Please let me test once more with the fleece; let the fleece be dry, and let there be dew on the ground.” 40 And God did so that night; only the fleece was dry, and dew was on all the ground.
Cornelius Has a Vision
10 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea named[a] Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Cohort, 2 devout and fearing God together with all his household, doing many charitable deeds for the people and praying to God continually.[b] 3 About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, “Cornelius.” 4 And he stared at him and became terrified and[c] said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your charitable deeds have gone up for a memorial offering before God. 5 And now, send men to Joppa and summon a certain Simon, who is also called Peter. 6 This man is staying as a guest with a certain Simon, a tanner,[d] whose house is by the sea.” 7 And when the angel who spoke to him departed, he summoned two of the household slaves and a devout soldier from those who attended him, 8 and after he[e] had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Peter Has a Vision
9 And the next day, as[f] they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about the sixth hour. 10 And he became hungry and wanted to eat. But while[g] they were preparing the food,[h] a trance came over him. 11 And he saw heaven opened and an object something like a large sheet coming down, being let down to the earth by its four corners, 12 in which were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of the sky. 13 And a voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common and unclean!” 15 And the voice came again to him for the second time: “The things which God has made clean, you must not consider unclean!” 16 And this happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.
17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed within himself as to what the vision that he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having found the house of Simon by asking around, stood at the gate. 18 And they called out and[i] asked if Simon who was also called Peter was staying there as a guest. 19 And while[j] Peter was reflecting about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, men[k] are looking for you. 20 But get up, go down, and go with them—not hesitating at all, because I have sent them.” 21 So Peter went down to the men and[l] said, “Behold, I am he whom you are looking for! What is the reason for which you have come?” 22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man—and well spoken of by the whole nation of the Jews—was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear words from you.” 23 So he invited them in and[m] entertained them as guests, and on the next day he got up and[n] went away with them. And some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. 24 And on the next day he entered into Caesarea.
Peter Visits Cornelius
Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and[o] had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 So it happened that when Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his[p] feet, and[q] worshiped him.[r] 26 But Peter helped him up, saying, “Get up! I myself am also a man!” 27 And as he[s] conversed with him, he went in and found many people gathered. 28 And he said to them, “You know that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or to approach a foreigner. And to me God has shown that I should call no man common or unclean. 29 Therefore—and without raising any objection—I came when I[t] was sent for. So I ask for what reason you sent for me.”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago at this hour,[u] the ninth, I was praying in my house. And behold, a man in shining clothing stood before me 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your charitable deeds have been remembered before God. 32 Therefore send to Joppa and summon Simon who is also called Peter. This man is staying as a guest in the house of Simon, a tanner,[v] by the sea. 33 Therefore I sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come.[w] So now we all are present before God to hear all the things that have been commanded to you by the Lord.”
34 So Peter opened his[x] mouth and[y] said, “In truth I understand that God is not one who shows partiality, 35 but in every nation the one who fears him and who does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for[z] the message that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—this one is Lord of all— 37 you know the thing that happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all the things that he did both in the land of the Judeans and in Jerusalem, whom they also executed by[aa] hanging him[ab] on a tree. 40 God raised this one up on the third day and granted that he should become visible, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen beforehand by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify solemnly that this one is the one appointed[ac] by God as judge of the living and of the dead. 43 To this one all the prophets testify, that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”
The Holy Spirit Given to Gentiles
44 While[ad] Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message. 45 And those believers from the circumcision who had accompanied Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as we also did!” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.
The Valley of the Slaughter
19 Thus said Yahweh, “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people, and some of the leaders of the priests, 2 and go out to the Valley of Ben Hinnom, which is at the entrance of the Gate of the Potsherd, and proclaim there the words that I speak to you. 3 And you shall say, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: “Look, I am about to bring disaster upon this place so that everyone who hears it,[a] his ears will ring. 4 Because they have forsaken me, and they have defaced this place, and they have made smoke offerings in it to other gods whom they have not known, they, nor their ancestors,[b] nor the kings of Judah, and they have filled up this place with the blood of the innocent, 5 and they have built the high places of Baal, to burn their children in the fire, burnt offerings to Baal, which I commanded not, and I ordered not, and it did not come to my mind.[c]
6 “Therefore[d] look, days are about to come,” declares[e] Yahweh, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the Valley of Ben Hinnom, but[f] the Valley of the Slaughter. 7 And I will lay waste the plans[g] of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will bring them to ruin by the sword before[h] their enemies, and by the hand of those who seek their life, and I will give their dead bodies[i] as food to the birds[j] of heaven and to the animals[k] of the earth. 8 And I will make this city a horror, and an object of hissing, everyone who passes by it will be appalled, and will hiss because of all its wounds. 9 And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons, and the flesh of their daughters, and each one will eat the flesh of his neighbor in the siege and in the distress which their enemies and those who seek their life inflict on them.”’
10 “Then you shall break the jar before the eyes of the men who go with you. 11 And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts: “So I will break this people and this city as one breaks the vessel of the potter, so that it is not able to be repaired again. And in Topheth they will bury until there is no room to bury.[l] 12 Thus will I do to this place,” declares[m] Yahweh, “and to its inhabitants, to make this city like Topheth. 13 And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be unclean like the place of Topheth, all the houses where they made smoke offerings upon their roofs to all the host of heaven, and where they poured out libations to other gods.”’”
14 Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where Yahweh had sent him to prophesy, and he stood in the courtyard of the house of Yahweh and said to all the people, 15 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Look, I am about to bring to this city and upon all its towns all the disaster that I have pronounced against it, because they have hardened their neck to not hear my words.’”
A Demon-possessed Gerasene Healed
5 And they came to the other side of the sea,[a] to the region of the Gerasenes.[b] 2 And as[c] he was getting out of the boat, immediately from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit went to meet him, 3 who lived[d] among the tombs. And no one was able to bind him any longer, not even with a chain, 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the shackles had been shattered. And no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 And during every night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was crying out and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he[e] saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and knelt down before him. 7 And crying out with a loud voice he said, “What have I to do with you[f], Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you by God, do not torment me!” 8 (For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!”) 9 And he was asking him “What is your name?”[g] And he said to him, “My name is Legion, because we are many.” 10 And he was imploring him many times that he would not send them out of the region. 11 Now a large herd of pigs was there at the hill feeding, 12 and they implored him, saying, “Send us to the pigs so that we may enter into them.” 13 And he permitted them. And the unclean spirits came out and[h] entered into the pigs, and the herd—about two thousand—rushed headlong down the steep slope into the sea and were drowned in the sea. 14 And their herdsmen fled and reported it[i] in the town and in the countryside, and they came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there clothed and in his right mind—the one who had had the legion—and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it[j] described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man, and about the pigs. 17 And they began to urge him to depart from their region. 18 And as[k] he was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed began to implore[l] him that he could go with him. 19 And he did not permit him, but said to him, “Go to your home to your people and tell them all that the Lord has done for you, and that he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him, and they were all astonished.
A Woman Healed and a Daughter Raised
21 And after[m] Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered to him, and he was beside the sea. 22 And one of the rulers of the synagogue came—Jairus by name—and when he[n] saw him, he fell down at his feet. 23 And he was imploring him many times, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death![o] Come, lay your[p] hands on her, so that she will get well and will live.” 24 And he went with him, and a large crowd was following him and pressing around him.
25 And there was a woman who was suffering from hemorrhages[q] twelve years. 26 And she had endured many things under many physicians, and had spent all that she had[r] and had received no help at all, but instead became worse.[s] 27 When she[t] heard about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind him and[u] touched his cloak, 28 for she was saying, “If I touch just his clothing, I will be healed!” 29 And immediately her hemorrhage stopped[v] and she realized in her[w] body that she was healed of her[x] suffering. 30 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from himself, turned around in the crowd and[y] said, “Who touched my clothing?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing upon you, and you say ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he was looking around to see the one who had done this. 33 So the woman, frightened and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 But he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be well from your suffering.”
35 While[z] he was still speaking, they came from the synagogue ruler’s house[aa] saying, “Your daughter has died. Why trouble the Teacher further?” 36 But Jesus, ignoring[ab] what was said,[ac] told the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid—only believe!” 37 And he did not allow anyone to follow along with him except Peter and James and John, the brother of James. 38 And they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue and saw a commotion, and people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 And when he[ad] entered, he said to them, “Why are you agitated and weeping? The child is not dead, but is sleeping.” 40 And they began laughing[ae] at him. But he sent them all out and[af] took along the father and mother of the child, and those who were with him, and went in to where the child was. 41 And taking hold of the child’s hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”), 42 and immediately the girl stood up and began walking around[ag] (for she was twelve years old). And immediately they were utterly and completely astonished.[ah] 43 And he commanded them strictly that no one should learn of this, and said to give her something[ai] to eat.
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