M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Elijah and the ravens

17 Elijah from Tishbe, who was one of the settlers in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the Lord lives, Israel’s God, the one I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain these years unless I say so.”

² Then the Lord’s word came to Elijah: ³ Go from here and turn east. Hide by the Cherith Brook that faces the Jordan River. ⁴ You can drink from the brook. I have also ordered the ravens to provide for you there. ⁵ Elijah went and did just what the Lord said. He stayed by the Cherith Brook that faced the Jordan River. ⁶ The ravens brought bread and meat in the mornings and evenings. He drank from the Cherith Brook. ⁷ After a while the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land.

Elijah and the widow from Zarephath

⁸ The Lord’s word came to Elijah: ⁹ Get up and go to Zarephath near Sidon and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to take care of you. ¹⁰ Elijah left and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town gate, he saw a widow collecting sticks. He called out to her, “Please get a little water for me in this cup so I can drink.” ¹¹ She went to get some water. He then said to her, “Please get me a piece of bread.”

¹² “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any food; only a handful of flour in a jar and a bit of oil in a bottle. Look at me. I’m collecting two sticks so that I can make some food for myself and my son. We’ll eat the last of the food and then die.”

¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go and do what you said. Only make a little loaf of bread for me first. Then bring it to me. You can make something for yourself and your son after that. ¹⁴ This is what Israel’s God, the Lord, says: The jar of flour won’t decrease and the bottle of oil won’t run out until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.” ¹⁵ The widow went and did what Elijah said. So the widow, Elijah, and the widow’s household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The jar of flour didn’t decrease nor did the bottle of oil run out, just as the Lord spoke through Elijah.

¹⁷ After these things, the son of the widow, who was the matriarch of the household, became ill. His sickness got steadily worse until he wasn’t breathing anymore. ¹⁸ She said to Elijah, “What’s gone wrong between us, man of God? Have you come to me to call attention to my sin and kill my son?”

¹⁹ Elijah replied, “Give your son to me.” He took her son from her and carried him to the upper room where he was staying. Elijah laid him on his bed. ²⁰ Elijah cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, why is it that you have brought such evil upon the widow that I am staying with by killing her son?” ²¹ Then he stretched himself over the boy three times and cried out to the Lord, “Lord my God, please give this boy’s life back to him.” ²² The Lord listened to Elijah’s voice and gave the boy his life back. And he lived. ²³ Elijah brought the boy down from the upper room of the house and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “Look, your son is alive!”

²⁴ “Now I know that you really are a man of God,” the woman said to Elijah, “and that the Lord’s word is truly in your mouth.”

4 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves, knowing that you yourselves have a master in heaven.

² Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving. ³ At the same time, pray for us also. Pray that God would open a door for the word so we can preach the secret plan^[a] of Christ—which is why I’m in chains. ⁴ Pray that I might be able to make it as clear as I ought to when I preach. ⁵ Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. ⁶ Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person.

Final greeting

⁷ Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will inform you about everything that has happened to me. ⁸ This is why I sent him to you, so that you’ll know all about us and so he can encourage your hearts. ⁹ I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.

¹⁰ Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, says hello to you. So does Mark, Barnabas’ cousin (you received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him). ¹¹ Jesus, called Justus, also says hello. These are my only fellow workers for God’s kingdom who are Jewish converts. They have been an encouragement to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. He’s a slave of Christ Jesus who always wrestles for you in prayers so that you will stand firm and be fully mature and complete in the entire will of God. ¹³ I can vouch for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas say hello.

¹⁵ Say hello to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, along with Nympha and the church that meets in her house. ¹⁶ After this letter has been read to you publicly, make sure that the church in Laodicea reads it and that you read the one from Laodicea. ¹⁷ And tell Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry that you received in the Lord.”

¹⁸ I, Paul, am writing this greeting personally. Remember that I’m in prison. Grace be with you.

The river

47 When he brought me back to the temple’s entrance, I noticed that water was flowing toward the east from under the temple’s threshold (the temple faced east). The water was going out from under the temple’s facade toward the south, south of the altar. ² He led me out through the north gate and around the outside to the outer east gate, where the water flowed out under the facade on the south side. ³ With the line in his hand, the man went out toward the east. When he measured off fifteen hundred feet, he made me cross the water; it was ankle-deep. ⁴ He measured off another fifteen hundred feet and made me cross the water; it was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet and made me cross the water, and it was waist-high. ⁵ When he measured off another fifteen hundred feet, it had become a river that I couldn’t cross. The water was high, deep enough for swimming but too high to cross. ⁶ He said to me, “Human one, do you see?” Then he led me back to the edge of the river. ⁷ When I went back, I saw very many trees on both banks of the river. ⁸ He said to me, “These waters go out to the eastern region, flow down the steep slopes,^[a] and go into the Dead Sea.^[b] When the flowing waters enter the sea, its water becomes fresh. ⁹ Wherever the river flows, every living thing that moves will thrive. There will be great schools of fish, because when these waters enter the sea, it will be fresh. Wherever the river flows, everything will live. ¹⁰ People will stand fishing beside it, from En-gedi to En-eglayim, and it will become a place for spreading nets. It will be like the Mediterranean Sea,^[c] having all kinds of fish in it. ¹¹ Its marshes and swamps won’t be made fresh (they are left for salt), ¹² but on both banks of the river will grow up all kinds of fruit-bearing trees. Their leaves won’t wither, and their fruitfulness won’t wane. They will produce fruit in every month, because their water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for eating, their leaves for healing.”

¹³ The Lord God proclaims: These^[d] are the boundaries of the portions of land that will be distributed as an inheritance to the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph will receive two portions. ¹⁴ What I swore to give to your ancestors, you will distribute as an inheritance equally. This land is given to you as an inheritance. ¹⁵ This is the boundary of the land. The northern limit begins at the Mediterranean Sea and goes in the direction of Hethlon toward Lebo-hamath, Zedad,^{[e] 16} Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the boundary of Damascus and the boundary of Hamath), and Hazer-hatticon (that is on the boundary of Hauran). ¹⁷ So the boundary from the Mediterranean Sea^[f] to Hazar-enon will run north of the boundary of Damascus, with the boundary of Hamath to the north. This is the northern limit. ¹⁸ For the eastern limit, you will measure continuously between Hauran and Damascus and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan River as far as the Dead Sea.^[g] This is the eastern limit. ¹⁹ The southern limit runs from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh and from there along the border^[h] of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. This is the southern limit. ²⁰ For the western limit, the Mediterranean Sea is the boundary up to Lebo-hamath. This is the western limit. ²¹ You will apportion this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ²² When you distribute the land as an inheritance, the immigrants who reside with you and raise families among you are considered full citizens along with the Israelites. They will receive an inheritance along with you among the tribes of Israel. ²³ You will assign the immigrants’ inheritance with the tribe with whom they reside. This is what the Lord God says.

Psalm 103

Of David.