M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Census of Israel and Judah(A)
21 Now Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 Then David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”
3 But Joab said, “May the Lord increase the number of His people one hundred times more. My lord the king, are not all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it bring guilt on Israel?”
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab, so Joab departed and went throughout all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. 5 Joab gave the results of the census of the people to David: All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah four hundred and seventy thousand men drew the sword.
6 However, he did not include the Levites and Benjamin because the word of the king was abhorrent to Joab. 7 Now this thing was evil in the sight of God, and He struck Israel.
8 So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in doing this thing. Now, please, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, 10 “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Three things I offer you; choose one of these for yourself that I may do to you.’ ”
11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Select for yourself, 12 either three years of famine, or three months of being swept away before your foes while the sword of your enemy overtakes you, or three days of the sword of the Lord, even pestilence in the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now then consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.”
13 David replied to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercies are very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
14 So the Lord sent a plague throughout Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he prepared to destroy it, the Lord looked and relented from the calamity. And He said to the angel bringing the destruction, “It is enough. Remove your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven with his sword drawn in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, covered in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
17 David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the command to number the people? I am the one who has sinned and surely done evil. But these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, I pray, let Your hand be against me and my father’s house, but do not let Your people be plagued.”
David Builds an Altar
18 Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up at the word of Gad which he delivered in the name of the Lord.
20 Now Ornan turned and saw the angel, but his four sons who were with him hid themselves as Ornan threshed the wheat. 21 As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor so that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. Sell it to me at full price so the plague on the people may be restrained.”
23 So Ornan replied to David, “Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do whatever seems good in his eyes. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing wagons for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all.”
24 Then King David said to Ornan, “No, for I will surely acquire it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels[a] of gold by weight for the site, 26 and David built there an altar to the Lord and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him by fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 So the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put away his sword in its sheath. 28 At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29 For the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of burnt offering that Moses had made in the wilderness were in the high place in Gibeon at that time. 30 But David was unable to go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the Lord.
The Living Stone and the Holy Nation
2 Therefore put away all wickedness, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking. 2 As newborn babies, desire the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow, 3 if it is true that you have experienced that the Lord is good.
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone who is rejected by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For also it is contained in the Scripture,
“Look! I lay in Zion
a chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
and he who believes in Him
shall never be put to shame.”[a]
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious. But to those who are disobedient,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”[b]
8 and,
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”[c]
They stumble because they are disobedient to the word, to which also they were appointed.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may declare the goodness of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 In times past, you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Live as Servants of God
11 Dearly beloved, I implore you as aliens and refugees, abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. 12 Live your lives honorably among the Gentiles, so that though they speak against you as evildoers, they shall see your good works and thereby glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Submit yourselves to every human authority for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king, as supreme, 14 or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is the will of God that by doing right you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 As free people, do not use your liberty as a covering for evil, but live as servants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
The Example of Christ’s Suffering
18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God a person endures grief, suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if when you are being beaten for your sins you patiently endure? But if when doing good and suffering for it, you patiently endure, this is favorable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “He committed no sin,
nor was deceit found in His mouth.”[d]
23 When He was reviled, He did not revile back; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but He entrusted Himself to Him who judges righteously. 24 He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness. “By His wounds you were healed.”[e] 25 For you were as sheep going astray, but now have been returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.
Jonah’s Anger and the Lord’s Compassion
4 Now this greatly displeased Jonah, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is this not what I said while I was still in my own land? This is the reason that I fled before to Tarshish, because I knew that You are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in faithfulness, and ready to relent from punishment. 3 Therefore, Lord, take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
4 Then the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city and made for himself a booth there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would happen to the city. 6 Then the Lord God appointed a plant, and it grew up over Jonah to provide shade over his head, to provide comfort from his grief. And Jonah was very happy about the plant. 7 But at dawn the next day, God appointed a worm to attack the plant so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah so that he became faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”
9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”
And Jonah replied, “It is right for me to be angry, even to death.”
10 The Lord said, “You are troubled about the plant for which you did not labor and did not grow. It came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 Should I not, therefore, be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people, who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”
The Mission of the Twelve Apostles(A)
9 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. 2 And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey: no staff, no bag, no bread, no money. And do not take two tunics apiece. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 Whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Herod’s Anxiety(B)
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him. And he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, 8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen. 9 But Herod said, “I have beheaded John. But who is this of whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see Him.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand(C)
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the crowds knew it, they followed Him. And He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.
12 When the day began to end, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowds away, so they can go into the towns and surrounding countryside and lodge and get food. For we are in a deserted place here.”
13 He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” 14 There were about five thousand men.
But He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” 15 They did so, and made them all sit down. 16 Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 They all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of broken pieces that remained were collected.
Peter’s Declaration About Jesus(D)
18 As He was alone praying, His disciples were with Him. And He asked them, “Who do the people say that I am?”
19 They answered, “John the Baptist. But some say Elijah. And others say that one of the old prophets has risen.”
20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection(E)
21 Jesus strictly commanded them to tell no one of this, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever will save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in His own glory and in the glory of His Father and of the holy angels.
27 “But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death before they see the kingdom of God.”
The Transfiguration(F)
28 About eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and John and James and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His countenance was altered, and His clothing was white and glistening. 30 And suddenly two men were talking with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of His departure which He was to accomplish in Jerusalem. 32 Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep. But waking thoroughly, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. 33 As they departed from Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three sanctuaries: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said.
34 While he was speaking, a cloud came and overshadowed them. And they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Listen to Him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They kept silent and told no one in those days anything they had seen.
The Healing of a Boy With an Unclean Spirit(G)
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a great crowd met Him. 38 Suddenly a man cried out from the crowd, saying, “Teacher, I beg You, look upon my son, for he is my only child. 39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth, and bruises him, and scarcely leaves him. 40 I begged Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
41 Jesus said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.”
42 While he was coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and returned him to his father. 43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.
Jesus Foretells His Death a Second Time(H)
But while everyone marveled at all the things Jesus did, He said to His disciples, 44 “Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” 45 But they did not understand this statement, and it was hidden from them, so that they did not perceive it. And they were afraid to ask Him about this statement.
Who Is the Greatest?(I)
46 A dispute arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. 47 Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child and put him by Him, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in My name receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”
He Who Is Not Against You Is for You(J)
49 John answered, “Master, we saw a man casting out demons in Your name and we forbade him, because he does not follow with us.”
50 Jesus said, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against you is for you.”
A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus
51 When the time came for Him to be received up, He was steadfastly set to go to Jerusalem, 52 and sent messengers ahead of Him. They went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make things ready for Him, 53 but they did not receive Him, because He was set to go to Jerusalem. 54 When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, even as Elijah did?” 55 But He turned and rebuked them and said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.
The Would-Be Followers of Jesus(K)
57 As they went along the way, a man said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”
58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
59 He said to another man, “Follow Me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
60 Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
61 Yet another said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go bid farewell to those at my house.”
62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back at things is fit for the kingdom of God.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.