M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Tribe of Dan Captures Laish
18 At that time Israel did not have a king [17:6]. And at that time the tribe of Dan was still ·looking for a land [L seeking an inheritance] where they could live, a land of their own. The Danites had not yet ·been given their own land [moved into their land; received their allotment] among the tribes of Israel. 2 So, from their family groups, they chose five ·soldiers [valiant men; L men, sons of strength] from the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out and explore the land. They were told, “Go, explore the land.”
They came to the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim, to Micah’s house, where they spent the night. 3 When they came near Micah’s house, they recognized the ·voice [or accent] of the young Levite [17:7]. So they stopped there and asked him, “Who brought you here? What are you doing here? ·Why are you here [What is your business here]?”
4 He told them what Micah had done for him, saying, “He hired me. I am his priest.”
5 They said to him, “Please ask God if ·our journey [our mission; L the way we are going] will be successful.”
6 The priest said to them, “Go in peace. The Lord ·is pleased with [approves of; watches over] your journey.”
7 So the five men left. When they came to the city of Laish, they saw that the people there lived in safety, ·like [L according to the custom of] the people of Sidon. They ·thought they were safe [were quiet and secure/unsuspecting] and ·had plenty of everything [or no ruler was humiliating them]. They lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no dealings with anyone else.
8 When the five men returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their ·relatives [brothers] asked them, “What did you find?”
9 They answered, “We have seen the land, and it is very good. ·We should attack [L Arise, let us go up against] them. ·Aren’t you going to do something [Are you just going to sit there]? Don’t ·wait [hesitate; or be lazy]! Let’s go and take that land! 10 When you go, you will see there is ·plenty of [a wide/spacious] land—·plenty of everything [lacking nothing]! The people are not expecting an attack. Surely God has handed that land over to us!”
11 So six hundred Danites left Zorah and Eshtaol ·ready for [armed with weapons of] war. 12 On their way they set up camp near the city of Kiriath Jearim in Judah. That is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is named Mahaneh Dan [C “Camp of Dan”] to this day. 13 From there they traveled on to the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim. Then they came to Micah’s house.
14 The five men who had explored the land around Laish said to their ·relatives [L brothers], “Do you know in one of these houses there are a ·holy vest [ephod; Ex. 28:6–14], household gods [17:5], an ·idol, and a statue [or image overlaid with silver; 17:3]? ·You know [or Decide now] what to do.” 15 So they stopped at the Levite’s house, which was also Micah’s house, and ·greeted the Levite [or asked how he was doing]. 16 The six hundred ·Danites [L men who were of the sons/descendants of Dan] stood at the entrance gate, wearing their weapons of war. 17 The five spies went into the house and took the ·idol [carved image], the ·holy vest [ephod], the household idols, and the ·statue [cast-metal image]. The priest and the six hundred men armed ·for [L with weapons of] war stood by the entrance gate.
18 When the spies went into Micah’s house and took the [carved] image, the ·holy vest [ephod], the household idols, and the ·statue [cast-metal image], the priest asked them, “What are you doing?”
19 They answered, “Be quiet! ·Don’t say a word [L Put your hand over your mouth]. Come with us and be our father [C meaning an advisor or counselor; 17:10; Gen. 45:8] and priest. Is it better for you to be a priest for one man’s house or for a tribe and ·family group [clan] in Israel?” 20 This ·made the priest happy [L pleased the heart of the priest]. So he took the ·holy vest [ephod], the household idols [17:5], and the ·idol [carved image] and went with the ·Danites [people]. 21 They left Micah’s house, putting their little children, their animals, and everything they owned in front of them [C for protection in case of attack; Gen. 33:2–3].
22 When they had gone a little way from Micah’s house, the men who lived near Micah ·were called out [assembled] and caught up with them. 23 The men with Micah shouted at the ·Danites [L sons/descendants of Dan], who turned around and said to Micah, “What’s the matter with you? Why have you ·been called out to [assembled for a] fight?”
24 Micah answered, “You took my gods that I made and my priest. What do I have left? How can you ask me, ‘What’s the matter?’”
25 The ·Danites [L sons/descendants of Dan] answered, “·You should not argue with [or Don’t say another word to; L Don’t let your voice be heard among] us. Some of our ·angry [bitter] men might attack you, ·killing you [and you will lose your life] and your ·family [L household].” 26 Then the ·Danites [L sons/descendants of Dan] went on their way. Micah knew they were too strong for him, so he turned and went back home.
27 Then the Danites took what Micah had made and his priest and went on to Laish. They attacked those ·peaceful [quiet] and ·unsuspecting [secure] people and killed them with their swords and then burned the city. 28 There was no one to ·save [rescue; T deliver] the people of Laish. They lived too far from Sidon, and they had no dealings with anyone else. Laish was in a valley near Beth Rehob.
The people of Dan rebuilt the city and lived there. 29 They named the city Dan after their ancestor Dan, one of the sons of Israel; the city’s original name was Laish.
30 The ·people [L sons; descendants] of Dan set up the ·idol [carved image] in the city of Dan. Jonathan son of Gershom, Moses’ son, and his sons served as priests for the tribe of Dan until the ·land was captured [captivity of the land; time of the exile]. 31 The people of Dan set up the ·idols [carved images] Micah had made as long as the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle; L House] of God was in Shiloh.
Paul Speaks to the People
22 Paul said, “[L Men,] Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense to you.” 2 When they heard him ·speaking [addressing them in] the Hebrew [or Aramaic; 21:40] language, they became ·very [even more] quiet. Paul said, 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus [9:11] in the ·country [province] of Cilicia [6:9], but I ·grew up [was brought up; or was educated] in this city [C Jerusalem]. I was ·a student of [L instructed at the feet of; C idiom indicating the role of a disciple] Gamaliel [C a famous teacher of the Pharisees; 5:34], who ·carefully [or strictly] taught me everything about the law of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers]. I was ·very serious about serving [L zealous/passionate for] God, just as are all of you here today. 4 I persecuted the people who followed ·the Way of Jesus [L this Way; C another name for the Christian movement; 9:2; 18:25; 19:23], ·and some of them were even killed [L up to the point of death; 7:60]. I ·arrested [L bound] men and women and put them in jail. 5 The high priest and the whole council of elders can ·tell you this is true [testify about me]. They gave me letters to the brothers [C their fellow Jewish leaders] in Damascus. So I was going there to ·arrest [L bind] these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “About noon when I came near Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly ·flashed [shone] all around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ·The voice [L He] said, ‘I am Jesus ·of Nazareth [or the Nazarene] whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Those who were with me did not ·understand [or hear; C the word can mean either “hear” or “understand,” but 9:7 suggests the latter] the voice [L that was speaking to me], but they saw the light. 10 I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things ·I have planned [or assigned; appointed] for you to do.’ 11 I could not see, because ·the bright light had made me blind [L of the glory/brilliance of that light]. So ·my companions [L those with me] led me [L by the hand] into Damascus.
12 “There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a ·religious [devout; God-fearing] man; ·he obeyed the law of Moses [L …according to the law], and all the Jews who lived there ·respected [spoke well of] him. 13 He [L came to me and] stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, ·see again [L look up; C an idiom for regaining sight]!’ ·Immediately [L At that hour] I ·was able to see [L looked up at] him. 14 He said, ‘The God of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] ·chose [appointed] you long ago to know his ·plan [will; purpose], to see the Righteous One [C Jesus], and to hear ·words [a divine message; L a voice] from ·him [L his mouth]. 15 You will be his witness to all people, telling them about what you have seen and heard. 16 Now, ·why wait any longer [what are you waiting for]? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, ·trusting in him to save you [L calling on his name].’
17 “Later, when I returned to Jerusalem, I was praying in the Temple, and I ·saw a vision [or fell into a trance]. 18 I saw ·the Lord [L him] saying to me, ‘Hurry! Leave Jerusalem ·now [or quickly]! The people here will not accept ·the truth [L your testimony/witness] about me.’ 19 But I said, ‘Lord, they [L themselves; very well] know that in every synagogue I put ·the believers [L those who believe in you] in jail and beat them. 20 They also know I was there when Stephen, your ·witness [or martyr], ·was killed [L had his blood shed]. I [myself; indeed] stood there agreeing and ·holding [guarding; keeping] the coats of those who were killing him!’ 21 But the Lord said to me, ‘·Leave now [Go!]. I will send you far away to the ·other nations [Gentiles].’”
22 ·The crowd [L They] listened to ·Paul [him] until he said ·this [L this word]. Then they ·began shouting [L raised their voice saying], “·Get rid of him [Kill him; L Remove this one from the earth]! He doesn’t deserve to live!” 23 They ·shouted [yelled; screamed], threw off their coats, and threw dust into the air [C demonstrations of anger and disgust].
24 Then the ·commander [tribune] ordered the soldiers to take ·Paul [L him] into the ·army building [barracks] and ·beat him [L question him by whipping/flogging]. ·He wanted [L …in order] to make Paul tell why the people were shouting against him like this [C flogging was commonly used to gain information]. 25 But as the soldiers were ·tying him up [or stretching him out (on the posts)], preparing to ·beat [whip; flog] him, Paul said to an officer nearby, “Do you have the right to ·beat [whip; flog] a Roman citizen who ·has not been proven guilty [L is uncondemned; C this was against Roman law]?”
26 When the ·officer [L centurion; 21:32] heard this, he went to the ·commander [tribune] and reported it. The officer said, “·Do you know what you are doing [or What are you about to do]? This man is a Roman citizen.”
27 The ·commander [tribune] came to ·Paul [L him] and said, “Tell me, are you really a Roman citizen?”
He answered, “Yes.”
28 The ·commander [tribune] ·said [L responded], “I paid a lot of money to become a Roman citizen.”
But Paul said, “I was born a citizen.”
29 [L Therefore] The men who were preparing to question Paul ·moved away from him [withdrew] immediately. The ·commander [tribune] was frightened because he had already ·tied [bound] ·Paul [L him], and Paul was a Roman citizen.
Paul Speaks to the Jewish Council
30 The next day ·the commander [L he] ·decided [desired] to learn [with certainty; the true reason] why the Jews were accusing ·Paul [L him]. So he ordered the ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·council [Sanhedrin; C Jewish high court comprised of 70 Jewish leaders; 4:15] to meet. ·The commander [L He] ·took Paul’s chains off [L released him]. Then he brought Paul out and stood him before their meeting.
Jeremiah Buys a Field
32 This is the word the Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the tenth year Zedekiah was king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar [C 587 bc; 52:4–5]. 2 At that time the army of the king of Babylon was ·surrounding [besieging] Jerusalem. Jeremiah the prophet was ·under arrest [imprisoned; confined] in the courtyard of the guard, which was at the ·palace [L house] of the king of Judah.
3 Zedekiah king of Judah had ·put Jeremiah in prison there [confined; imprisoned him]. Zedekiah had asked, “Why have you prophesied the things you have?” (Jeremiah had said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I will soon hand this city [C Jerusalem] over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not ·escape [be rescued] from the ·Babylonian [L Chaldean] army, but he will surely be handed over to the king of Babylon. And he will speak to him [C the king of Babylon] face to face and see him with his own eyes. 5 The king will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I have punished him,’ says the Lord. ‘If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”)
6 Jeremiah said [C while still in prison], “The Lord spoke this word to me: 7 Hanamel, son of your uncle Shallum, will come to you soon. Hanamel will say to you, ‘Buy my field near the town of Anathoth [C Jeremiah’s hometown; 1:1]. It is your right and your duty to buy that field [C because he is a near relative; Lev. 25:23–25].’
8 “Then it happened just as the Lord had said. ·My cousin [L The son of my uncle] Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said to me, ‘Buy for yourself my field near Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. It is your right and duty to buy it and own it.’ So I knew this was a ·message [L word] from the Lord.
9 “I bought the field at Anathoth from ·my cousin [L the son of my uncle] Hanamel, weighing out ·seven ounces [L seventeen shekels] of silver for him. 10 I ·signed the record [L wrote in a scroll] and sealed it and had some people witness it. I also weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 Then I took both copies of the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase]—the one that was sealed that had the demands and ·limits of ownership [terms], and the one that was ·not sealed [L exposed]. 12 And I gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah [36; 43:3, 6; 45:1–2]. My cousin Hanamel, the other witnesses who signed the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase], and many ·Jews [L Judeans] sitting in the courtyard of the guard saw me give the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase] to Baruch.
13 “·With all the people watching [L Before their eyes], I ·told [L commanded] Baruch, 14 ‘This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: Take both copies of the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase]—the sealed copy and the copy that was ·not sealed [L exposed]—and put them in a clay jar so they will ·last [endure; stand] ·a long time [L for many days]. 15 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, says: In the future my people will once again buy houses and fields and vineyards in this land [C Israel].’
16 “After I gave the ·record [scroll] of ·ownership [purchase] to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, 17 Oh, Lord God, you made the ·skies [heavens] and the earth with your very great power [Gen. 1] and ·strength [L outstretched arm]. There is nothing too hard for you to do [Ex. 3:20; Job 9:10; 37:5; Mic. 7:15]. 18 You show ·love and kindness [loyalty] to thousands of people, but you also ·bring punishment to children for their parents’ sins [L repay the iniquities of the fathers to the laps of their children after them; Ex. 34:7; Deut. 5:9–10]. Great and powerful God, your name is the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 19 You ·plan [are great in counsel] and ·do great things [mighty in deeds]. ·You see everything that people do [L Your eyes are open to all the ways/paths of people], and you ·reward people for the way they live and for what they do [L give to each according to his way and according to the fruit of his deeds]. 20 You did ·miracles [signs] and wonderful things in the land of Egypt [Ex. 7–15]. You have continued doing them in Israel and among the other nations even until today. So you have ·become well known [L made yourself a name]. 21 You brought your people, the Israelites, out of Egypt using signs and miracles and your ·great power [L strong hand] and ·strength [L outstretched arm]. You brought great terror on everyone. 22 You gave them this land that you promised to their ·ancestors [fathers] long ago, a ·fertile land [land flowing with milk and honey; Gen. 12:1–3]. 23 They came into this land and ·took it for their own [possessed it], but they did not ·obey you [L listen to your voice] or follow your ·teachings [laws; instructions]. They did not do everything you commanded. So you made all these terrible things happen to them.
24 “Look! The ·enemy has surrounded the city and has built roads to the top of the walls [L siege ramps have come to the city] to capture it. Because of ·war [L sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence], the city will be handed over to the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans] who are attacking it. You said this would happen, and now you see it is happening. 25 But now, Lord God, you tell me, ‘Buy the field with silver and call in witnesses.’ You tell me this while the ·Babylonian army is ready to capture the city [L city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans].”
26 Then the Lord spoke this word to Jeremiah: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of ·every person on the earth [L all flesh]. ·Nothing is impossible [L Is anything too hard…?] for me. 28 So this is what the Lord says: I ·will soon hand over the city of Jerusalem to [L am giving this city into the hand of] the ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] and ·to [L into the hand of] Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who will capture it. 29 The ·Babylonian army [L Chaldeans] is already attacking this city [C Jerusalem]. They will soon enter it and start a fire to burn down the city and its houses. The people of Jerusalem ·offered sacrifices [or burned incense] to Baal [C the chief God of the Canaanites] on the roofs [C flat roofs were living space] of those same houses and poured out drink offerings to other idols to make me angry. 30 From their youth, the ·people [L sons] of Israel and Judah have done only ·the things I said were wrong [L evil] in my eyes. They have made me angry by ·worshiping idols made with [L the works of] their own hands,” says the Lord. 31 “From the day this city was built until now, this city has made me angry, so angry that I must remove it from ·my sight [before me]. 32 I will destroy it, because of all the evil the ·people [L sons] of Israel and Judah have done. The people, their kings and officers, their priests and prophets, all the people of Judah, and the people of Jerusalem have made me angry. 33 They turned their backs to me, not their faces. I tried to teach them again and again, but they wouldn’t listen or ·learn [L receive instruction/discipline]. 34 They put their ·hateful idols [abominations] in the ·place where I have chosen to be worshiped [L house called by my name], so they made it unclean [C in a ritual sense]. 35 In the Valley of Ben Hinnom they built ·places to worship [L high places of; C sites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God] Baal so they could ·burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices [L make their sons and daughters pass through (the fire)] to Molech. But I never commanded them to do such a ·hateful thing [abomination]. It never entered my ·mind [heart] that they would do such a thing and cause Judah to sin [7:30–34; 19:1–6].
36 “You are saying, ‘Because of ·war [L sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plague; pestilence], the city will be handed over to the king of Babylon.’ But the Lord, the God of Israel, says about this city [C Jerusalem]: 37 I ·forced them [drove them out] from their land, because I was furious and very angry with them. But soon I will gather them from all the lands where I ·forced them to go [drove them out], and I will ·bring them back [restore them] to this place, where they may live in ·safety [confidence]. 38 They [C people of Israel and Judah] will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will ·make them truly want to be one people with one goal [L give them one heart and one way/path]. They will truly want to ·worship [L fear] me all their ·lives [L days], for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
40 “I will ·make [L cut] an ·agreement with them that will last forever [L eternal covenant with them; 31:31–34; Is. 55:3; 61:8; Ezek. 16:60; 37:27]. I will never turn away from them; I will always do good to them. I will ·make them want to respect me [L place my fear in their hearts] so they will never ·turn away [depart] from me. 41 I will enjoy doing good to them. And with ·my whole being [L all my heart and all my soul] I will ·surely [L in faithfulness] plant them in this land.”
42 This is what the Lord says: “I have brought this great ·disaster [harm; trouble] to this people [C the people of Israel and Judah]. In the same way I will bring the good things that I promise to do for them. 43 You are saying, ‘This land is an ·empty desert [desolation], without people or animals. It has been handed over to the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans].’ But in the future, people will again buy fields in this land. 44 They will use their ·money [silver] to buy fields. They will ·sign [L write] and seal their ·agreements [scrolls] and call in witnesses. They will again buy fields in the land of Benjamin, in the area around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the mountains, in the ·western hills [L Shephelah], and in ·southern Judah [L the Negev]. I will ·make everything as good for them as it once was [restore their fortunes],” says the Lord.
Book 1: Psalms 1–41
Two Ways to Live
1 ·Happy [Blessed] are those who don’t ·listen to [L walk in the counsel of] the wicked,
who don’t ·go where sinners go [L stand in the way of sinners],
who don’t ·do what evil people do [L sit in the seat of mockers].
2 They ·love [delight in] the Lord’s ·teachings [laws; instructions],
and they ·think about [meditate on] those ·teachings [laws; instructions] day and night.
3 They are like a tree planted by ·a river [L streams of water; C full of life, strong, vibrant].
The tree produces fruit in season,
and its leaves don’t ·die [wither].
Everything they do will ·succeed [prosper].
4 But wicked people are not like that.
They are like chaff that the wind blows away [C dead, unstable].
5 So the wicked will not ·escape God’s punishment [L stand in the judgment].
Sinners will not ·worship with God’s people [L be in the assembly of the righteous].
6 This is because the Lord ·takes care of his people [L knows the way of the righteous],
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
The Lord’s Chosen King
2 Why ·are the nations so angry [do the nations rage/or conspire]?
Why ·are the people making useless plans [do the people plot in vain]?
2 The kings of the earth ·prepare to fight [L take their stand],
and their leaders ·make plans [plot] together
against the Lord
and his ·appointed one [anointed; Messiah; C the king, ultimately Jesus; Acts 4:25–28].
3 They say, “Let’s break ·the chains that hold us back [L their chains/bonds]
and throw off ·the ropes that tie us down [L their ropes/cords from us].”
4 But the one who sits in heaven [C God] laughs;
the Lord ·makes fun of [ridicules; derides] them.
5 Then the Lord ·warns them [L speaks to them in anger]
and frightens them with his ·anger [fury].
6 He says, “I have ·appointed [installed; set] my own king
over my holy mountain, Zion [C the location of the Temple in Jerusalem; 9:11; 48:2, 11; 50:2; 1 Kin. 8:1].”
7 Now I will ·tell [recount to] you what the Lord has ·declared [decreed]:
He said to me, “You are my son.
Today I have become your father [2 Sam. 7:14; Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; Acts 13:32–33; Heb. 1:5].
8 ·If you ask me [L Ask of me], I will give you the nations as your inheritance;
all the ·people on [L ends of the] earth will be ·yours [L your possession].
9 You will rule over them with an iron ·rod [scepter; C a symbol of royal authority; Rev. 12:5; 19:15].
You will ·break [dash] them into pieces like pottery.”
10 ·So [Now], kings, be wise;
·rulers [L rulers/judges of the earth], ·learn this lesson [be warned].
11 ·Obey [Serve] the Lord with great fear.
·Be happy [Rejoice], ·but tremble [L with trembling].
12 ·Show that you are loyal to his [L Kiss the] son,
or ·you will be destroyed by his anger [L he will be angry and you will perish on the way],
because he can quickly become angry.
But ·happy [blessed] are those who ·trust him for protection [find refuge in him].
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