M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
32 ·Hear [L Give ear], heavens, and I will speak. Listen, earth, to ·what I say [L the words of my mouth].
2 My teaching will drop like rain;
my words will ·fall [distill] like dew.
They will be like showers on the grass;
they will pour down like rain on young plants.
3 I will announce the name of the Lord.
·Praise God because he is great [L Ascribe greatness to our God]!
4 He is like a rock; what he does is perfect,
and ·he is always [L all his ways are] fair.
He is a faithful God who does no wrong,
who is ·right [righteous] and ·fair [virtuous].
5 They ·have done evil against him [are corrupt].
·To their shame [or Their faults show] they are no longer his children [Is. 1:2–4; Hos. 1:9];
they are an ·evil [perverted] and ·lying [crooked] people.
6 This is not the way to repay the Lord,
you foolish and unwise people.
·He is [L Is he not…?] your Father and Maker,
who made you and formed you.
7 Remember the old days.
Think of the years already passed.
Ask your father and he will tell you;
ask your elders and they will inform you.
8 God Most High gave ·the nations their lands [L each nation its inheritance],
dividing up the ·human race [L sons of man].
He set up borders for the people
·and even numbered the Israelites[a] [L according to the number of the sons/T children of Israel].
9 The Lord took his people as his ·share [portion],
the people of Jacob as his ·very own [L special inheritance].
10 He found them in a ·desert [wilderness],
a windy, ·empty [unformed; Gen. 1:2] land.
He surrounded them and brought them up,
guarding them as ·those he loved very much [L the apple/pupil of his eye].
11 He was like an eagle ·building [watching; stirring up] its nest
that ·flutters [hovers] over its young.
It spreads its wings to catch them
and carries them on its feathers.
12 The Lord alone led them,
and there was no foreign god ·helping [L with] him.
13 The Lord ·brought them to [or made them ride over] the heights of the land
and fed them the fruit of the fields.
He ·gave them [suckled them with] honey from the rocks,
bringing oil from the ·solid [flint] rock.
14 There were milk curds from the cows and milk from the flock;
there were fat sheep and goats.
There were sheep and goats from Bashan [C a particularly fertile area east of the Sea of Galilee]
and the best of the wheat.
You drank the ·juice [L fermenting/foaming blood] of grapes [C wine].
15 ·Israel [L Jeshurun; C a name for Israel meaning “virtuous”; perhaps intended ironically; 33:5, 26; Is. 44:2] grew fat and kicked;
they were fat and ·full [bloated] and firm.
They ·left [abandoned] the God who made them
and ·rejected [dishonored] the Rock who saved them.
16 They made God jealous with ·foreign [strange] gods [4:24]
and angry with ·hateful idols [L abominations].
17 They made sacrifices to demons, not God,
to gods they had never known,
new gods from nearby,
gods your ·ancestors [fathers] did not fear.
18 You left God who is the Rock, ·your Father [L who bore you; or who begot you],
and you forgot the God who gave you birth.
19 The Lord saw this and ·rejected [spurned] them;
his sons and daughters had made him angry.
20 He said, “I will turn ·away [L my face away] from them
and see what ·will happen to them [their end will be].
They are ·evil people [L a perverted generation],
·unfaithful [untrustworthy] children.
21 They used things that are not gods to make me jealous [4:24]
and ·worthless idols [vanities; vain idols] to make me angry.
So I will use those who are not a nation to make them jealous;
I will use a nation that ·does not understand [L is foolish] to make them angry.
22 My anger has started a fire
that burns down to ·the place of the dead [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld].
It will ·burn up [consume] the ·ground [or earth] and its ·crops [produce],
and it will set fire to the ·base [foundations] of the mountains.
23 “I will pile ·troubles [disasters] upon them
and shoot my arrows at them.
24 They will be starved and sick,
destroyed by terrible diseases.
I will send them ·vicious [L the teeth of] animals
·and gliding, poisonous snakes [L with the poison/venom of creatures that crawl in the dust].
25 In the streets the sword will ·kill [bereave];
in their ·homes [bedrooms] there will be terror.
Young men and women will die,
and so will ·babies [sucklings] and gray-haired men.
26 I will ·scatter them [or dash them to pieces] as I said,
and ·no one will remember them [L I will cause their memory to cease from among humans].
27 But I didn’t want ·their enemy to brag [or to provoke the enemy];
their enemy might misunderstand
and say, ‘·We have won [L Our hand is lifted up]!
The Lord has done none of this.’”
28 ·Israel [L They are a nation that] has no sense;
they do not understand.
29 I wish they were wise and understood this;
I wish they could see ·what will happen to them [their end].
30 ·One person cannot [L How can one person…?] chase a thousand people,
and ·two people cannot [L two…?] fight ten thousand
unless their Rock has sold them,
unless the Lord has ·given them up [surrendered them; 28:25–27].
31 The rock of these people is not like our Rock;
our enemies ·agree to that [L are judges].
32 Their vine comes from Sodom,
and their fields are like Gomorrah [Gen. 19].
Their grapes are full of poison;
their bunches of grapes are bitter.
33 Their wine is like ·snake poison [the venom of serpents],
like the ·deadly [cruel] poison of cobras.
34 “·I have been saving this [L Is this not stored up with me…?],
and I have it ·locked [sealed] in my ·storehouses [treasuries].
35 ·I will punish those who do wrong [L Vengeance is mine; Rom. 12:9]; I will repay them.
Soon their foot will slip,
because their day of ·trouble [disaster] is near,
and their ·punishment [doom] will come quickly.”
36 The Lord will ·defend [vindicate; judge] his people
and have mercy on his servants.
He will see that their ·strength [power; control; L hand] is gone,
that nobody is left, slaves or free.
37 Then he will say, “Where are their gods?
Where is the rock they ·trusted [took refuge in]?
38 Who ate the fat from their sacrifices [Lev. 3:17],
and who drank the wine of their drink offerings?
Let those gods come to help you!
Let them protect you!
39 “Now you will see that I am ·the one God [L he]!
There is no god but me.
I ·send death and life [kill and make alive];
I ·can hurt [wound], and I can heal.
No one can escape from ·me [L my hand].
40 I raise my hand toward heaven [C to make a promise]:
As surely as I live forever,
41 I will sharpen my flashing sword,
and I will take it in my hand to judge [Ps. 7:12–13].
I will ·punish [bring vengeance on] my enemies
and pay back those who hate me.
42 My arrows will be ·covered [L drunk] with their blood;
my sword will eat their flesh.
The blood will flow from those who are killed and the captives.
The ·heads of the enemy leaders [or long-haired enemy] will be cut off.”
43 ·Be happy [Rejoice], nations, with his people,
because he will repay you for the blood of his servants.
He will ·punish [work vengeance on] his enemies,
and he will ·remove the sin of [provide atonement for] his land and people.
44 Moses came with Joshua son of Nun, and they spoke all the words of this song ·for the people to hear [L in the ears of his people]. 45 When Moses finished speaking these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them: “·Pay careful attention to [L Set your heart on] all the words I ·have said [testify; give witness] to you today, and command your children to obey carefully everything in these ·teachings [laws; instructions]. 47 These should not be unimportant words for you, but rather they mean life for you! By these words you will live a long time in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take as your ·own [possession].”
Moses Goes Up to Mount Nebo
48 The Lord spoke to Moses again that same day and said, 49 “Go up the Abarim Mountains, to Mount Nebo in the country of Moab, across from Jericho. Look at the land of Canaan that I am giving to the Israelites as their ·own [possession; C one can look far into the Promised Land from Nebo]. 50 On that mountain that you climb, you will die and ·join [be gathered to] your ·ancestors [fathers], just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and joined his ·ancestors [fathers; Num. 20:22–29]. 51 You both sinned against me at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the Desert of Zin, and you did not honor me as holy there among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel; Num. 20:1–13]. 52 So now you will only look at the land from far away. You will not enter the land I am giving the ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel.”
121 I have done what is ·fair [just] and ·right [righteous].
Don’t leave me to ·those who wrong me [my oppressors/exploiters].
122 ·Promise that you will help me, [L Stand as security for/Guarantee good for] your servant.
Don’t let ·proud [arrogant] people ·wrong [oppress; exploit] me.
123 My eyes ·are tired from looking [fail; grow weak] for your ·salvation [victory]
and for your good promise.
124 ·Show your love to me, your servant [Deal with your servant according to your love/loyalty],
and teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
125 I am your servant. ·Give me wisdom [Make me understand]
so I can ·understand [know] your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
126 Lord, it is time for you to do something,
because ·people have disobeyed your teachings [L your teachings/instructions/laws have been broken].
127 I love your commands
more than ·the purest gold [L gold, the finest gold].
128 I ·respect [or follow] all your ·orders [precepts],
so I hate ·lying [false] ways.
129 Your ·rules [decrees; testimonies] are wonderful.
That is why I ·keep [protect] them.
130 ·Learning [L Opening] your words ·gives wisdom [illuminates; gives light]
and understanding for the ·foolish [immature; simpleminded].
131 ·I am nearly out of breath [L I crack/open my mouth and pant].
I ·really want to learn [L long for] your commands.
132 ·Look at [L Turn to] me and have ·mercy [compassion] on me
·as you do [L as is your custom] for those who love ·you [L your name].
133 ·Guide my steps [L Steady my feet] as you promised;
don’t let any ·sin [guilt] ·control [dominate] me.
134 ·Save [Redeem] me from ·harmful [L oppressive; exploitative] people
so I can ·obey [keep; guard] your ·orders [precepts].
135 ·Show your kindness to [L Make your face shine on] me, your servant [Num. 6:24–26].
Teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
136 ·Tears stream [L Streams of water come down] from my eyes,
because people do not ·obey [keep; guard] your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
137 Lord, you ·do what is right [are righteous],
and your ·laws [judgments] are ·fair [virtuous; upright].
138 ·The rules [L Your decrees/testimonies] you commanded are ·right [righteous]
and completely ·trustworthy [true; faithful].
139 ·I am so upset I am worn out [L My passion/zeal consumes; or silences me],
because my ·enemies [foes] have forgotten your words.
140 Your promises are ·proven [refined],
so I, your servant, love them.
141 I am ·unimportant [small] and ·hated [despised],
but I have not forgotten your ·orders [precepts].
142 Your ·goodness continues forever [righteousness is an everlasting righteousness],
and your ·teachings [instructions; laws] are ·true [faithful].
143 ·I have had troubles and misery [L Distress and pressure have found me],
but I ·love [delight in] your commands.
144 Your ·rules [decrees; testimonies] are always ·good [righteous].
·Help [Make] me understand so I can live.
The Evil That People Do
59 Surely the Lord’s ·power [L hand] is ·enough [L not too short] to save you.
·He can hear you when you ask him for help [L …nor his ear too heavy to hear].
2 It is your ·evil [iniquity] that has separated
you from your God.
Your sins cause him to ·turn away [L hide his face] from you,
so he does not hear you.
3 ·With your hands you have killed others [L For your hands are defiled with blood],
and ·with your fingers you have done wrong [L your fingers with sin/iniquity].
With your lips you have lied,
and with your tongue you ·say [utter; mutter] evil things.
4 ·People take each other to court unfairly [L No one sues with cause; or No one calls for justice],
and no one tells the truth in ·arguing [setting forth; pleading] his case.
They ·accuse each other falsely [or rely on empty arguments] and tell lies.
They ·cause [L conceive] trouble and ·create more [L give birth to] evil.
5 They hatch ·evil like eggs [L eggs] from ·poisonous snakes [vipers].
If you eat one of those eggs, you will die,
and if you break one open, a poisonous snake comes out.
People ·tell lies as they would spin [L spin] a spider’s web.
6 The webs they make cannot be used for clothes;
you can’t cover yourself with ·those webs [L what they make].
The things they do are evil,
and ·they use their hands to hurt others [L a deed of violence is in their hands].
7 ·They eagerly [L Their feet] run to do evil [Prov. 1:16; Rom. 3:15–17],
and they are always ready to ·kill innocent people [L shed innocent blood].
They ·think evil thoughts [or devise evil schemes].
·They cause ruin and destruction everywhere they go [Ruin and destruction are in their paths/roads].
8 They don’t know ·how to live in [L the path/way of] peace,
and there is no ·fairness [justice] in their ·lives [paths].
They ·are dishonest [act deceitfully; L have made their paths/ways crooked].
Anyone who ·lives as they live [walks on them] will never ·have [know] peace.
Israel’s Sin Brings Trouble
9 ·Fairness [Justice] has gone far away;
·goodness [righteousness] ·is nowhere to be found [L does not reach/overtake us].
We ·wait [hope] for the light, but ·there is only darkness now [L look/T behold, darkness].
We ·hope [wait] for a bright light, but ·all we have is darkness [L we walk in gloom/shadows/darkness].
10 We are like the blind ·feeling our way [groping] along a wall.
We ·feel our way [grope] as if we had no eyes.
·In the brightness of day [At midday/noon] we ·trip [stumble] as if it were ·night [evening; twilight].
We are like dead men ·among the strong [or in desolate places].
11 All of us growl like the bears.
We ·call out sadly [moan/coo mournfully] like the doves.
We ·look [hope; wait] for justice, but there isn’t any.
We ·want to be saved [hope/wait for salvation], but salvation is far away.
12 ·We have done many wrong things [L For our sins/transgressions are many] ·against our God [L before you];
our sins ·show we are wrong [L testify against us].
·We know we have turned against God [L Our transgressions are with us];
we know the ·evil things [iniquities] we have done:
13 ·sinning [transgressing; rebelling] and ·rejecting [L lying against] the Lord,
turning ·away from [our backs to] our God,
·planning to hurt others and to disobey God [L speaking oppression and revolt],
·planning [conceiving] and speaking lies.
14 So we have driven away justice,
and ·we have kept away from what is right [L righteousness stands far off].
Truth ·is not spoken [stumbles] in the ·streets [public squares];
what is honest ·is not allowed to enter the city [L cannot enter].
15 Truth ·cannot be found anywhere [is lost/gone; or fails],
and people who refuse to do evil ·are attacked [become prey].
The Lord looked and could not find any justice,
and he was displeased.
16 He ·could not find anyone to help the people [L saw there was no one],
and he was ·surprised [shocked; appalled] that there was no one to ·help [intervene].
So ·he used his own power to save the people [L his own arm brought him salvation];
his own ·goodness [righteousness] gave him strength.
17 He ·covered himself with goodness [put on righteousness] like ·armor [a breastplate].
He put the helmet of salvation on his head [1 Thess. 5:8; Eph. 6:13–17].
He put on ·his clothes for punishing [garments of vengeance]
and wrapped himself in ·the coat of his strong love [zeal/jealousy as a cloak].
18 The Lord will ·pay back his enemies [L repay] ·for what they have done [according to their deeds].
He will show his ·anger [wrath] to ·those who were against him [his adversaries]
and will ·punish [repay] his ·enemies [foes];
he will ·punish [repay] the ·people in faraway places [or islands; or coastlands] as they deserve.
19 Then people from the west will fear the [L name of the] Lord,
and people from the ·east [rising of the sun] will fear his glory.
·The Lord [L For he] will come quickly like a ·fast-flowing [or pent up] river,
driven by the ·breath [or wind; or Spirit] of the Lord.
20 “Then a Savior will come to ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]
and to the people of Jacob who have turned from ·sin [transgressions],”
says the Lord [Rom. 11:26–27].
21 The Lord says, “This is my ·agreement [promise; covenant] with these people: My Spirit and my words that I ·give you [have put in your mouth] will ·never leave you [not depart from your mouth] or [L the mouth of] your ·children [descendants; seed] or [L the mouth of] your ·grandchildren [descendants’ descendants; L seed’s seed], now and forever [Jer. 31:31; Heb. 8:10; 10:16].”
Be Careful About Judging Others(A)
7 “Don’t judge others, ·or you will [so that you will not] be judged. 2 You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and ·the amount you give to others will be given to you [or the standard you use for others will be the standard used for you; L with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you].
3 “Why do you notice the ·little piece of dust [speck; tiny splinter] in your ·friend’s [L brother’s (or sister’s)] eye, but you don’t ·notice [consider] the ·big piece of wood [log; plank; beam] in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your ·friend [L brother], ‘Let me take that ·little piece of dust [speck; splinter] out of your eye’? ·Look at yourself [T Behold]! You still have that ·big piece of wood [log; plank; beam] in your own eye. 5 You hypocrite! First, take the ·wood [log; plank; beam] out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly to take the ·dust [speck; splinter] out of your ·friend’s [L brother’s] eye.
6 “Don’t give holy things to dogs, and don’t throw your pearls ·before [to] ·pigs [T swine]. ·Pigs will only trample on them, and dogs will turn to attack you [L They will trample them and turn to attack you; C pigs were ritually unclean and dogs were considered scavengers].
Ask God for What You Need(B)
7 “·Ask [Keep asking], and ·God will give [L it will be given; C the passive verb implies God as subject] to you. ·Search [Seek; Keep seeking], and you will find. ·Knock [Keep knocking], and the door will open for you. 8 ·Yes, [L For; Because] everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who ·searches [seeks] will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
9 “If your children ask for bread, which of you would give them a stone? 10 Or [L which of you] if your ·children ask [or son asks] for a fish, would you give them a snake? 11 ·Even though you are bad, you [If you, being evil,] know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!
The Most Important Rule(C)
12 “[So always; So in everything] ·Do to others what [Treat others as] you want them to ·do to [treat] you. This ·is [sums up; is the essence of] the ·meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets [L Law and the Prophets; C referring to the OT].
The Way to Heaven Is Hard(D)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. [L Because] The gate is wide and the road is ·wide [broad; spacious; or easy] that leads to ·hell [L destruction; ruin], and many people enter through that gate. 14 But the gate is small and the road is ·narrow [or difficult; hard] that leads to true life. ·Only a few people [And there are few who] find that road.
People Know You by Your Actions(E)
15 “·Be careful of [Beware of; Watch out for] false prophets. They come to you ·looking gentle like sheep [disguised like sheep; L in sheep’s clothing], but ·they are really dangerous like wolves [L underneath/inwardly they are ravenous/vicious/ferocious wolves]. 16 You will know these people by ·what they do [L their fruit]. ·Grapes don’t come [L Can you pick grapes…?] from thornbushes, ·and figs don’t come from [L and figs from…?] ·thorny weeds [thistles]. 17 In the same way, every ·good [healthy; sound] tree produces good fruit, but a ·bad [rotten; diseased] tree produces bad fruit. 18 A ·good [healthy; sound] tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a ·bad [rotten; diseased] tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 In the same way, you will know ·these false prophets [L them] by ·what they do [L their fruit].
21 “Not all those who say [L to me] ·‘You are our Lord’ [L ‘Lord! Lord!’] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do ·what my Father in heaven wants [the will of my Father in heaven]. 22 On ·the last day [judgment day; L that day] many people will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, ·we spoke for you [L Did we not prophesy in your name…?], and ·through you we forced out demons [L cast out demons in your name…?] and did many ·miracles [L mighty works in your name…?].’ 23 Then I will ·tell them clearly [declare to them; publicly announce to them], ‘I never knew you. ·Get away [Depart] from me, you who ·do evil [break God’s law; practice lawlessness; Ps. 6:8].’
Two Kinds of People(F)
24 “Everyone who hears my words and ·obeys [acts on; practices] them is like a ·wise [sensible] man who built his house on rock. 25 It rained hard, the ·floods came [rivers rose], and the winds blew and ·hit [beat; slammed against] that house. But it did not ·fall [collapse], because it was built on rock. 26 Everyone who hears my words and does not ·obey [act on; practice] them is like a ·foolish [stupid] man who built his house on sand. 27 It rained hard, the ·floods came [rivers rose], and the winds blew and ·hit [beat; slammed against] that house, and it ·fell [collapsed] with a big crash.”
28 When Jesus finished ·saying these things [L these words; C the end of the first of five major discourses in Matthew, all of which conclude with a similar phrase; see also 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1], the ·people [crowds] were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he did not teach like their ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He taught like a person who had authority.
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