M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Flood

7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat, you and all your family. For I have seen that you only are right and good at this time. ² Take with you seven of every clean animal of each sex, and one of each sex of the animals that are unclean. ³ And take with you seven of every kind of bird of the sky of each sex, to keep their kind alive over all the earth. ⁴ In seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy from the land every living thing that I have made.” ⁵ And Noah did all that the Lord told him to do.

⁶ Noah was 600 years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. ⁷ Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives all went into the large boat because of the water of the flood. ⁸ Clean animals and animals that were unclean and birds and every thing that moved on the ground ⁹ went into the large boat with Noah. They went two by two, male and female, just as God had told Noah. ¹⁰ After seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth. ¹¹ In the year 600 of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, all the wells of water under the earth broke open. The windows of the heavens were opened. ¹² And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

¹³ On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, all went into the large boat. ¹⁴ With them went every kind of animal, and all the cattle, and every thing that moved on the earth, and every kind of bird. ¹⁵ They went into the large boat with Noah, two of every living thing.

¹⁶ Male and female of all flesh went in as God had told Noah. Then the Lord shut him in.

¹⁷ The flood came upon the earth for forty days. The water got deeper and raised up the large boat so that it was lifted above the earth. ¹⁸ The water was very deep upon the earth. And the boat stayed upon the top of the water. ¹⁹ The water got higher and higher upon the earth until all the high mountains under heaven were covered. ²⁰ But the water went about four times taller than a man above the tops of the mountains. ²¹ All flesh that moved on the earth was destroyed, birds and cattle and wild animals, and every man. ²² Every thing that had the breath of life and lived on dry land died. ²³ God destroyed every living thing upon the land, from man to animals, from things that moved upon the ground to birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the large boat. ²⁴ And the water covered the earth for 150 days.

Jesus Teaches on the Mountain about Saying What Is Wrong in Others

7 “Do not say what is wrong in other people’s lives. Then other people will not say what is wrong in your life. ² You will be guilty of the same things you find in others. When you say what is wrong in others, your words will be used to say what is wrong in you. ³ Why do you look at the small piece of wood in your brother’s eye, and do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that small piece of wood out of your eye,’ when there is a big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁵ You who pretend to be someone you are not, first take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you can see better to take the small piece of wood out of your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give that which belongs to God to dogs. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs. They will break them under their feet. Then they will turn and tear you to pieces.

Jesus Teaches about Prayer

⁷ “Ask, and what you are asking for will be given to you. Look, and what you are looking for you will find. Knock, and the door you are knocking on will be opened to you. ⁸ Everyone who asks receives what he asks for. Everyone who looks finds what he is looking for. Everyone who knocks has the door opened to him. ⁹ What man among you would give his son a stone if he should ask for bread? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, would he give him a snake? ¹¹ You are bad and you know how to give good things to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?

Jesus Teaches about Others

¹² “Do for other people whatever you would like to have them do for you. This is what the Jewish Law and the early preachers said.

Jesus Teaches about Two Roads

¹³ “Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. ¹⁴ But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it.

Jesus Teaches about False Teachers

¹⁵ “Watch out for false teachers. They come to you dressed as if they were sheep. On the inside they are hungry wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruit. Do men pick grapes from thorns? Do men pick figs from thistles? ¹⁷ It is true, every good tree has good fruit. Every bad tree has bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot have bad fruit. A bad tree cannot have good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So you will know them by their fruit. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will go into the holy nation of heaven. The one who does the things My Father in heaven wants him to do will go into the holy nation of heaven. ²² Many people will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not preach in Your Name? Did we not put out demons in Your Name? Did we not do many powerful works in Your Name?’ ²³ Then I will say to them in plain words, ‘I never knew you. Go away from Me, you who do wrong!’

Jesus Teaches about Houses Built on Rock or Sand

²⁴ “Whoever hears these words of Mine and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ The rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house did not fall because it was built on rock. ²⁶ Whoever hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house fell and broke apart.” ²⁸ Then Jesus finished talking. The people were surprised and wondered about His teaching. ²⁹ He was teaching them as One Who has the right and the power to teach. He did not teach as the teachers of the Law.

Ezra Comes to Jerusalem

7 Now after this, during the rule of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Ezra went up from Babylon. Ezra was the son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, ² son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, ³ son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, ⁴ son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, ⁵ son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the head religious leader. ⁶ This Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a writer who knew well the Law of Moses which the Lord God of Israel had given. The king gave him everything he asked for, because the Lord his God was good to him. ⁷ Some of the sons of Israel and some of the religious leaders, the Levites, the singers, the gate-keepers and the servants of the house of God went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes. ⁸ Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month in the seventh year of the king. ⁹ He left Babylon on the first day of the first month, and came to Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month, because the good hand of his God was upon him. ¹⁰ For Ezra had set his heart to learn the Law of the Lord, to live by it, and to teach His Laws in Israel.

¹¹ This is what was written in the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the religious leader, the writer, who had much learning in the Laws of the Lord and His Laws for Israel: ¹² “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the religious leader, the writer who knows the Law of the God of heaven: Peace. And now ¹³ I let it be known that if there are any people of Israel, religious leaders or Levites in my nation who are willing to go to Jerusalem, they may go with you. ¹⁴ For you are sent by the king and his seven men of wisdom to see if the Law of your God which is in your hand is being obeyed in Judah and Jerusalem. ¹⁵ Take the silver and gold which the king and his men of wisdom have given because they wanted to give to the God of Israel, Whose house is in Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Take this with all the silver and gold you will find in the whole land of Babylon. And take the gifts of the people and of the religious leaders, who have given because they have wanted to for the house of their God in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ With this money, buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain gifts and their drink gifts. And give them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Whatever you and your brothers think is best to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do, if it is the will of your God. ¹⁹ Also take to the God of Jerusalem all the objects given to you for the work of the house of your God. ²⁰ Whatever else is needed for the house of your God, you may take it from the king’s store-house. ²¹ I, King Artaxerxes, here make this known to all those who take care of the money in the lands on the other side of the River. You should be ready and willing to give Ezra, the religious leader and writer who knows the Law of the God of heaven, whatever he needs. ²² Give silver weighing up to as much as 100 men, and as much as 1,000 baskets of grain, 1,100 jars of wine, 1,100 jars of oil, and as much salt as is needed. ²³ Whatever is wanted by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven. Or else He might be angry with the nation of the king and his sons. ²⁴ We also let you know that it is not allowed to take any taxes from any of the religious leaders, Levites, singers, door-keepers, or servants of this house of God. ²⁵ And you, Ezra, use the wisdom of your God which is in your hand to choose leaders and judges. They are to judge all the people in the land on the other side of the River, all those who know the Laws of your God. You may teach anyone who does not know them. ²⁶ Whoever will not obey the Law of your God and the law of the king, let his punishment be hard. Put him to death, or send him out of the land, or take what he has, or put him in prison.”

Ezra Gives Praise to God

²⁷ Honor and thanks be to the Lord, the God of our fathers, Who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to make the house of the Lord in Jerusalem beautiful. ²⁸ He has shown loving-kindness to me in front of the king and his wise men, and in front of all the king’s powerful leaders. I was given strength, because the hand of the Lord my God was upon me. And I gathered leaders from Israel to go up with me.

Stephen Speaks about the God of Abraham

7 The head religious leader asked Stephen, “Are these things true?” ² Stephen said, “My brothers and fathers, listen to me. The great God showed Himself to our early father Abraham while he lived in the country of Mesopotamia. This was before he moved to the country of Haran. ³ God said to him, ‘Leave your family and this land where you were born. Go to a land that I will show you.’ ⁴ He went from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. After his father died, he came to this country where you now live. ⁵ God did not give him any land to own, not even enough to put his feet on. But He promised that the land would be his and his children’s after him. At that time he had no children. ⁶ This is what God said, ‘Your children’s children will be living in a strange land. They will live there 400 years. They will be made to work without pay and will suffer many hard things. ⁷ I will say to that nation that it is guilty for holding them and making them work without pay. After that they will go free. They will leave that country and worship Me in this place.’

⁸ “He made a promise with Abraham. It was kept by a religious act of becoming a Jew. Abraham had a son, Isaac. On the eighth day Abraham took Isaac and had this religious act done to him. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of our twelve early fathers.

⁹ “The sons of Jacob sold Joseph to people from the country of Egypt because they were jealous of him. But God was with Joseph. ¹⁰ He helped him in all his troubles. He gave him wisdom and favor with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. This king made Joseph leader over Egypt and over all the king’s house.

¹¹ “The time came when there was no food to eat in all the land of Egypt and Canaan. The people suffered much. Our early fathers were not able to get food. ¹² Then Jacob heard there was food in Egypt. He sent our early fathers there the first time.

¹³ “The second time they went to the country of Egypt, Joseph made himself known to his brothers. The family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴ Joseph asked his father Jacob and all his family to come. There were seventy-five people in the family. ¹⁵ Jacob moved down to Egypt and died there. Our early fathers died there also. ¹⁶ They were brought back to the city of Shechem where they were buried. Abraham paid money for the grave from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

Stephen Speaks about the God of Moses

¹⁷ “The promise God had given Abraham was about to happen. At this time many more of our people were in the country of Egypt. ¹⁸ Then another man became king in Egypt. He was a king who did not know Joseph. ¹⁹ He was hard on our people and nation. He worked against our early fathers. He made them put their babies outside so they would die.

²⁰ “At that time Moses was born. He was beautiful in God’s sight. He was fed in his father’s house for three months. ²¹ Then he was put outside. Pharaoh’s daughter took him and cared for him as her own son. ²² Moses was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He became a powerful man in words and in the things he did. ²³ When he was forty years old, he thought he should visit his brothers, the Jews. ²⁴ He saw one of the Jews being hurt. Moses helped the Jew and killed the man from Egypt. ²⁵ He thought his people would understand. He thought they knew God would let them go free by his help. But the people did not understand.

²⁶ “The next day Moses came to some Jews who were fighting. He tried to get them to stop. Moses said to the Jews, ‘Sirs, you are brothers. Why do you hurt each other?’ ²⁷ One was beating his neighbor. He pushed Moses away and said, ‘Who made you a leader over us? Who said you could say who is guilty? ²⁸ Do you want to kill me as you killed the man from Egypt yesterday?’ ²⁹ When Moses heard that, he went as fast as he could to the country of Midian where he was a stranger. While he was there, he became the father of two sons. ³⁰ Forty years passed and Moses was near Mount Sinai where no people live. There he saw an angel in the fire of a burning bush. ³¹ He was surprised and wondered when he saw it. He went up close to see it better. Then he heard the voice of the Lord speak to him. ³² ‘I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.’ Moses shook! He was so afraid he did not look at the bush.

³³ “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Take your shoes off your feet! The place where you are standing is holy ground. ³⁴ I have seen My people suffer in the country of Egypt and I have heard their cries. I have come down to let them go free. So come now, I will send you back to Egypt.’

³⁵ “The people had put Moses aside. They said, ‘Who made you a leader over us? Who said you are the one to say what is right or wrong?’ But God made this man a leader. Moses was the one who brought them out of the country of Egypt. This was done by the help of the angel who was in the burning bush. ³⁶ This man led them. He did powerful works in Egypt and at the Red Sea. For forty years he led them in the desert.

³⁷ “Moses said to the Jews, ‘God will give you one who speaks for Him like me from among your brothers.’ ³⁸ This is the man who was with the Jewish nation in the desert. The angel talked to him on Mount Sinai. Moses told it to our early fathers. He also received the living Words of God to give to us.

³⁹ “Our early fathers would not listen to him. They did not obey him. In their hearts they wanted to go back to the country of Egypt. ⁴⁰ They said to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us. We do not know what has happened to this Moses who led us out of Egypt.’

⁴¹ “In those days they made a calf of gold. They put gifts down in front of their god in worship. They were happy with what they had made with their hands. ⁴² But God turned from them and let them worship the stars of heaven. This is written in the book of the early preachers, ‘Nation of Jews, was it to Me you gave gifts of sheep and cattle on the altar for forty years in the desert? ⁴³ No, you set up the tent to worship the god of Molock and the star of your god Rompha. You made gods to worship them. I will carry you away to the other side of the country of Babylon.’ ^(A)

The Place of Worship and the House of God

⁴⁴ “Our early fathers had the tent to worship in. They used it in the desert. God told Moses to make it like the plan which he had seen. ⁴⁵ This was received by our early fathers. They brought it here when they won the wars with the people who were not Jews. It was when Joshua was our leader. God made those people leave as our early fathers took the land. The tent was here until the time of David. ⁴⁶ David pleased God and wanted to build a house for worship for the God of Jacob. ⁴⁷ But Solomon was the one who built the house of God for Him. ⁴⁸ But the Most High does not live in buildings made by hands. The early preacher said, ⁴⁹ ’Heaven is the place where I sit and the earth is the place where I rest My feet. What house will you build Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Or what is My place of rest? ⁵⁰ Did not My hands make all these things?’ ^(B)

The Jews Are Hurt

⁵¹ “You have hard hearts and ears that will not listen to me! You are always working against the Holy Spirit. Your early fathers did. You do too. ⁵² Which of the early preachers was not beaten and hurt by your early fathers? They killed those who told of the coming of the One Right with God. Now you have handed Him over and killed Him. ⁵³ You had the Law given to you by angels. Yet you have not kept it.”

Stephen Is Killed

⁵⁴ The Jews and religious leaders listened to Stephen. Then they became angry and began to grind their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ He was filled with the Holy Spirit. As he looked up to heaven, he saw the shining-greatness of God and Jesus standing at the right side of God. ⁵⁶ He said, “See! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!” ⁵⁷ They cried out with loud voices. They put their hands over their ears and they all pushed on him. ⁵⁸ Then they took him out of the city and threw stones at him. The men who were throwing the stones laid their coats down in front of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ While they threw stones at Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ After that he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.