M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Cain and Abel
4 Now the man [a]knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and [b]gave birth to [c]Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a [d]man with the help of Yahweh.” 2 And again, she [e]gave birth to his brother Abel. (A)Abel was (B)a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground. 3 So it happened [f]in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground. 4 (C)Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And (D)Yahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but (E)for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So (F)Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 Then Yahweh said to Cain, “(G)Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 (H)If you do well, [g]will not your countenance be lifted up? (I)And if you do not do well, sin is lying at the door; and its desire is for you, (J)but you must rule over it.” 8 Then Cain [h]spoke to Abel his brother; and it happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and (K)killed him.
9 Then Yahweh said to Cain, “(L)Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? (M)The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. 11 And now, (N)cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 (O)When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; (P)you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14 Behold, You have (Q)driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and (R)I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and it will be that (S)whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 So Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him (T)sevenfold.” And Yahweh [i](U)appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one who found him would strike him.
16 Then Cain went out from the presence (V)of Yahweh and [j]settled in the land of [k]Nod, east of Eden.
17 Then Cain [l]knew his wife, and she conceived and [m]gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. 18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad [n]was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael [o]was the father of Methushael, and Methushael [p]was the father of Lamech. 19 And Lamech took for himself (W)two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20 And Adah [q]gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock. 21 And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 As for Zillah, she also [r]gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 And Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah,
Hear my voice,
You wives of Lamech,
Give ear to my word,
(X)For I [s]have killed a man for [t]striking me;
And a boy for wounding me;
24 If Cain is avenged (Y)sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
25 (Z)Then Adam [u]knew his wife again; and she [v]gave birth to a son and named him [w]Seth, for she said, “God [x]has set for me another [y]seed in place of Abel, (AA)for Cain killed him.” 26 And to Seth, to him also, (AB)a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began (AC)to call [z]upon the name of Yahweh.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 (A)Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness (B)to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had (C)fasted forty days and forty nights, He [a]then became hungry. 3 And (D)the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the (E)Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘(F)Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil *took Him into (G)the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘(H)He will command His angels concerning You’;
and
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again, it is written, ‘(I)You shall not put the [b]Lord your God to the test.’”
8 (J)Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “(K)All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [c]worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘(L)You shall worship the [d]Lord your God, and [e]serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, (M)angels came and began to minister to Him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
12 Now when Jesus heard that (N)John had been taken into custody, (O)He departed into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, He came and (P)lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,
15 “(Q)The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
[f]By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the [g]Gentiles—
16 (R)The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light,
And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death,
Upon them a Light dawned.”
17 (S)From that time Jesus began to [h]preach and say, “(T)Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The First Disciples
18 (U)Now as Jesus was walking by (V)the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, (W)Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And He *said to them, “[i]Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 21 And going on from there He saw two other brothers, [j](X)James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and He called them. 22 And immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Ministry in Galilee
23 And Jesus was going (Y)throughout all Galilee, (Z)teaching in their synagogues and (AA)preaching the [k]gospel of the kingdom, and (AB)healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.
24 And the news about Him spread (AC)throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, (AD)demoniacs, [l](AE)epileptics, (AF)paralytics; and He healed them. 25 And large crowds (AG)followed Him from Galilee and (AH)the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from (AI)beyond the Jordan.
Adversaries Discourage the Work
4 Then (A)the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that (B)the people of the exile were building a temple to Yahweh, the God of Israel, 2 so they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ households and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; (C)and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of (D)Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here.” 3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “(E)You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to Yahweh, the God of Israel, (F)as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”
4 So (G)the people of the land [a]discouraged the people of Judah and dismayed them from building, 5 and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 Now in the reign of [b](H)Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of [c]Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of his colleagues wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the [d]text of the letter was written in Aramaic and translated (I)from Aramaic.
The Letter to King Artaxerxes
8 [e]Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes, as follows—
9 then wrote Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe and (J)the rest of their colleagues, the judges and (K)the lesser governors, the officials, the secretaries, the men of Erech, the Babylonians, the men of Susa, that is, the Elamites,
10 and the rest of the nations, which the great and honorable [f]Osnappar took away into exile and settled in the city of Samaria and in the rest of the region beyond the [g]River. (L)And now—
11 this is the copy of the letter which they sent to him:
“To King Artaxerxes: Your servants, the men in the region beyond the River, and now—
12 let it be known to the king that the Jews who came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem; they are rebuilding (M)the rebellious and evil city and (N)are completing the walls and repairing the foundations.
13 Now let it be known to the king, that if that city is rebuilt and the walls are completed, (O)they will not give tribute, custom, or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the kings.
14 Now because we [h]are in the service of the palace, and it is not fitting for us to see the king’s [i]dishonor, therefore we have sent and made known to the king,
15 that a search be made in the record books of your fathers. And you will find in the record books and come to know that that city is a rebellious city and damaging to kings and provinces, and that they have incited revolt within it in past days; therefore that city was laid waste.
16 We make known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and the walls completed, as a result you will have no portion in the province beyond the River.”
A Decree Makes the Men Stop Rebuilding
17 Then the king sent an edict to Rehum the commander, to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their colleagues who live in Samaria and in the rest of the provinces beyond the River: “Peace. And now— 18 the document which you sent to us has been (P)plainly read before me.
19 So a decree has been [j]issued by me, and a search has been made and it has been found that that city has lifted itself up against the kings in past days, that rebellion and revolt have been perpetrated in it,
20 (Q)that strong kings have been over Jerusalem, even rulers in all the provinces (R)beyond the River, and that (S)tribute, custom, and toll were given to them.
21 Now issue a decree to make those men stop, that this city may not be rebuilt until a decree is issued by me.
22 And beware of being negligent in doing this matter; why should harm increase to damage the kings?”
23 Then as soon as the copy of King Artaxerxes’ document was read before Rehum and Shimshai the scribe and their colleagues, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews and stopped them by force and military.
24 Then the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped, and it was stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Peter and John Arrested
4 Now as they were speaking to the people, the priests and (A)the captain of the temple guard and (B)the Sadducees (C)came up to them, 2 being greatly agitated because they were teaching the people and proclaiming [a](D)in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they laid hands on them and (E)put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the [b]message believed, and (F)the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
5 Now it happened that on the next day, their (G)rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; 6 and (H)Annas the high priest was there, and (I)Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. 7 And when they had placed them in their midst, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” 8 Then Peter, [c](J)filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “[d](K)Rulers and elders of the people, 9 if we are [e]being examined today for (L)a good deed done to a sick man, [f]as to how this man has been [g]saved from his sickness, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that [h](M)by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom (N)God raised from the dead—[i]by [j]this name this man stands here before you in good health. 11 [k](O)He is the (P)stone which was (Q)rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. 12 And there is salvation in (R)no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Peter and John Threatened and Released
13 Now as they observed the (S)confidence of (T)Peter and John and comprehended that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were marveling, and (U)began to recognize them [l]as having been with Jesus. 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply. 15 But when they had ordered them to leave the [m](V)Sanhedrin, they began to confer with one another, 16 saying, “(W)What should we do with these men? For the fact that a (X)noteworthy [n]sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But lest it spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man (Y)in this name.” 18 And when they had summoned them, they (Z)commanded them not to speak or teach at all [o]in the name of Jesus. 19 But (AA)Peter and John answered and said to them, “(AB)Whether it is right in the sight of God to hear you rather than God, you be the judge; 20 for (AC)we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) (AD)on account of the people, because they were all (AE)glorifying God for what had happened; 22 for the man was more than forty years old on whom this sign of healing had occurred.
23 So when they were released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Master, it is You who (AF)made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who (AG)by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said,
‘(AH)Why did the [p]Gentiles rage,
And the peoples devise vain things?
26 (AI)The kings of the earth [q]took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His [r](AJ)Christ.’
27 For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy [s](AK)Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both (AL)Herod and (AM)Pontius Pilate, along with (AN)the [t]Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Your hand and (AO)Your purpose predestined to occur. 29 And [u]now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may (AP)speak Your word with all (AQ)confidence, 30 while You extend Your hand to heal, and [v](AR)signs and wonders happen through the name of Your holy [w](AS)Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed earnestly, the (AT)place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all (AU)filled with the Holy Spirit and began to (AV)speak the word of God with (AW)confidence.
Distribution Among Needy Believers
32 And the [x]congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one was saying that any of his possessions was his own, but, for them, (AX)everything was common. 33 And (AY)with great power the apostles were bearing (AZ)witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses (BA)would sell them and bring the [y]proceeds of the sales 35 and (BB)lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be (BC)distributed to each as any had need.
36 Now Joseph, a Levite of (BD)Cyprian birth, who was also called (BE)Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of [z](BF)Encouragement), 37 and who owned a field, sold it and brought the money and (BG)laid it at the apostles’ feet.
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