M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid. Take all the men of war with you and go up to Ai. See, I have given the king of Ai into your hand, his people, his city, and his land. 2 Do the same to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Take only its riches and its cattle for yourselves. Hide men behind the city to fight against it.”
3 So Joshua and all the men of war got ready to go up to Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 strong soldiers, and sent them out during the night. 4 He told them, “See, you are going to fight the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. 5 I and all the people will come near the city. When they come out to meet us as they did before, we will run from them. 6 They will come out after us until we have taken them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are running from us as they did before.’ So we will run from them. 7 Then you will come out of your hiding place and take the city. The Lord will give it to you. 8 When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord says. See, I have told you.” 9 When Joshua sent them away, they went to the hiding place. They waited between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Joshua stayed that night among the people.
10 Joshua got up early in the morning and gathered the people. Then he went up with the leaders of Israel in front of the people to Ai. 11 All the men of war who were with him went up and came to the front of the city. They stayed on the north side of Ai. There was a valley between him and Ai. 12 Then he took about 5,000 men and hid them between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13 So they put the men in their places. There was the army on the north side of the city, and the secret army on the west side of the city. But Joshua stayed that night in the center of the valley. 14 The king of Ai saw this. So the men of the city were quick to get up early and go out to meet Israel in battle at the chosen place near the desert plain. But he did not know that there was an army hiding behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten in front of them. And they ran away into the desert. 16 All the people in the city were called together to go after them. They went after Joshua, and were taken away from the city. 17 So not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel. They left the city open and ran after Israel.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai. For I will give the city to you.” So Joshua held out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. 19 The men who were hiding got up in a hurry from their place and ran when he held out his hand. They went into the city and took it, and were quick to set it on fire. 20 When the men of Ai looked back, they saw the smoke of the city going up to the sky. They had no place to run. Then the people of Israel who had been running away in the desert turned against those who went after them. 21 Joshua and all Israel saw that the men who had been hiding had taken the city. They saw the smoke from the city, so they turned around and killed the men of Ai. 22 The others came out from the city to meet them. The men of Ai were caught in the center of Israel. There were some on one side and some on the other side. They killed until no one was left alive. No one got away. 23 But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 Israel killed all the men of Ai in the field and in the desert where they had run after them. All of them were killed with the sword until they were destroyed. Then all Israel returned to Ai and destroyed it with the sword. 25 All the men and women of Ai died that day, 12,000 in all. 26 Joshua did not put down his hand he used to hold out the spear until he had destroyed all the people of Ai. 27 Israel took only the cattle and the riches of that city for themselves, as the Lord had told Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and destroyed it forever, as it is to this day. 29 He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. When the sun went down, Joshua had them take his body down from the tree and throw it down at the gate of the city. They put many stones over it, and they are there to this day.
30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, at Mount Ebal. 31 It was built just as the Lord’s servant Moses had told the people of Israel, as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses. It was an altar made of stones which had not been cut. No one had used an iron object on them. On the altar they gave burnt gifts in worship to the Lord. And there they gave peace gifts in worship. 32 There Joshua wrote on the stones the Law of Moses in front of the people of Israel. 33 All Israel stood on both sides of the special box, in front of the Levite religious leaders who carried the special box of the agreement of the Lord. Strangers stood there as well as those born among the people, with their leaders and heads and men who judge between what is right or wrong. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim. The other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. They did just as the Lord’s servant Moses had told them before. They prayed for good to come to the people of Israel. 34 After this Joshua read all the words of the Law, the good and the bad that will happen. He read all that is written in the book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had said which Joshua did not read. He read it in front of all the people of Israel, with the women and children and strangers who were living among them.
God Cares for His People
139 O Lord, You have looked through me and have known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I get up. You understand my thoughts from far away. 3 You look over my path and my lying down. You know all my ways very well. 4 Even before I speak a word, O Lord, You know it all. 5 You have closed me in from behind and in front. And You have laid Your hand upon me. 6 All You know is too great for me. It is too much for me to understand.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I run away from where You are? 8 If I go up to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in the place of the dead, You are there! 9 If I take the wings of the morning or live in the farthest part of the sea, 10 even there Your hand will lead me and Your right hand will hold me. 11 If I say, “For sure the darkness will cover me and the light around me will be night,” 12 even the darkness is not dark to You. And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to You.
13 For You made the parts inside me. You put me together inside my mother. 14 I will give thanks to You, for the greatness of the way I was made brings fear. Your works are great and my soul knows it very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and put together with care in the deep part of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me before I was put together. And all the days of my life were written in Your book before any of them came to be.
17 Your thoughts are of great worth to me, O God. How many there are! 18 If I could number them, there would be more than the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.
19 If only You would kill the sinful, O God, and the men of blood would go away from me! 20 For they speak against You in sin. Those who hate You use Your name in a wrong way. 21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not hate those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the strongest hate. They have become men who hate me.
23 Look through me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts. 24 See if there is any sinful way in me and lead me in the way that lasts forever.
Israel Turns Away from God
2 The Word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Go and speak so those in Jerusalem will hear, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I remember how you loved Me when you were young. Your love was as a bride. I remember how you followed Me in the desert, through a land that had not been planted. 3 Israel was holy to the Lord, the first-fruits of His gathering. All who ate of it (Israel) were guilty, and trouble came upon them,” says the Lord.’”
The Sin of Israel’s Early Families
4 Hear the Word of the Lord, O family of Jacob, and all the families of the people of Israel. 5 The Lord says, “What wrong did your fathers find in Me, that they turned so far from Me and followed false gods? 6 They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord Who brought us up from the land of Egypt? Where is He Who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and deep holes, through a land without water and with much trouble, through a land that no one traveled and where no man lived?’ 7 And I brought you into a rich land to eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and made My land unclean. You made the land I gave you sinful and hated. 8 The religious leaders did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ And those who worked with the Law did not know Me. The rulers sinned against Me. And the men of God spoke by the false god of Baal, and went after things that did not help.
The Lord Speaks against His People
9 “So I will still fight with you,” says the Lord. “And I will fight your children’s children. 10 Go over to the land of Cyprus and see. Or send men to Kedar to watch with care. And see if there has been such a thing as this! 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even when they are not gods? But My people have changed their greatness for that which does not help them. 12 Be full of wonder at this, O heavens. Shake with fear and waste away,” says the Lord. 13 “For My people have done two sinful things: They have turned away from Me, the well of living waters. And they have cut out of the rock wells for water for themselves. They are broken wells that cannot hold water.
What Happens When Israel Is Not Faithful
14 “Is Israel a servant? Is he born as a servant? Why can he be taken away? 15 The young lions have made noise against him. They have made a loud noise. And they have made his land a waste. His cities have been destroyed, and have no people. 16 The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have broken the crown of your head. 17 Have you not brought this upon yourself, by turning away from the Lord your God, when He led you in the way? 18 Now why are you going to Egypt to drink water from the Nile? Or why are you going to Assyria to drink water from the Euphrates? 19 Your own sin will punish you. Your turning away from the Lord will punish you. So know and see that it is sinful and bitter for you to leave the Lord your God. You have no fear of Me,” says the Lord God of All.
Israel Turns Its Back on God
20 “Long ago I broke the load from your neck and tore off your chains. But you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill and under every green tree you have lain down as a woman who sells the use of her body. 21 Yet I planted you as a vine of much worth, in every way a true seed. How then have you turned away from Me and become a wild vine? 22 Even when you wash yourself with much strong soap, the mark of your sin is still before Me,” says the Lord God. 23 “How can you say, ‘I am clean. I have not gone after the false gods of Baal’? Look at what you did in the valley! Know what you have done! You are like a wild young camel wanting to mate. 24 You are a wild donkey used to the desert, that smells the wind in her desire. In the time of her mating who can turn her away? All who look for her will not become tired. In her month of mating they will find her. 25 Do not run until your shoes wear out or until your mouth is dry. But you said, ‘It is of no use, for I love strange gods, and I will go after them.’
Israel Should Be Punished
26 “As a robber is put to shame when he is caught, so the family of Israel is put to shame: they, their kings, their rulers, their religious leaders, and their men of God. 27 They say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Rise up and save us.’ 28 But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble. For you have as many gods as cities, O Judah.
29 “Why do you complain against Me? You have all sinned against Me,” says the Lord. 30 “I have punished your children for nothing, for they would not learn from it. Your sword has destroyed your men of God like a destroying lion. 31 O people of this day, listen to the Word of the Lord. Have I been a desert to Israel, or a land of much darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are free to go, and we will come to You no more’? 32 Can a young woman forget the beautiful objects she wears? Can a bride forget her clothing? Yet My people have forgotten Me too many days to number. 33 How you dress yourself and go after lovers! You have taught your ways even to the sinful women. 34 On your clothing is found the blood of the poor who could not be blamed. You did not find them breaking in. But even with all these things, 35 you say, ‘I am not guilty. For sure He has turned His anger away from me.’ See, I will punish you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ 36 Why do you go around so much changing your way? You will be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria. 37 From Egypt also you will go out with your hands on your head. For the Lord has turned against those in whom you trust, and as you are with them, it will not go well for you.”
Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keepers (A)
16 The proud religious law-keepers and a religious group of people who believe no one will be raised from the dead came to Jesus. They asked Him to show something special from heaven. They wanted to trap Jesus. 2 (*He said to them, “In the evening you say, ‘The weather will be good tomorrow because the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning you say, ‘We will have a storm today because the sky is red and the clouds are low.’ You understand the things you see in the sky, but you cannot understand the special things you see these days!) 4 The sinful people of this day go after something special to see. There will be nothing special for them to see but the early preacher Jonah.” Then He went away from them.
Jesus Shows That the Teaching of the Proud Religious Law-Keepers Is Wrong (B)
5 The followers came to the other side of the lake. They remembered they had forgotten to bring bread. 6 Jesus said to them, “See! Have nothing to do with the yeast of the proud religious law-keepers and the religious group of people who believe no one will be raised from the dead.” 7 They started to think about it among themselves and said, “He said this because we forgot to bring bread.” 8 Jesus knew this and said, “You have very little faith! Why are you talking among yourselves about not bringing bread? 9 Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of bread that fed five thousand men? And how many baskets full were gathered up? 10 Or do you not even remember the seven loaves of bread that fed the four thousand men? And how many baskets full were gathered up? 11 Why is it that you do not see that I was not talking to you about bread? I was talking to you about keeping away from the yeast of the proud religious law-keepers and the religious group of people who believe no one will be raised from the dead.” 12 Then they understood that it was not the yeast of bread that He was talking about. But He was talking about the teaching of the proud religious law-keepers and of the other religious group of people.
Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ (C)
13 Jesus came into the country of Caesarea Philippi. He asked His followers, “Who do people say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 They said, “Some say You are John the Baptist and some say Elijah and others say Jeremiah or one of the early preachers.”
15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus said to him, “Simon, son of Jonah, you are happy because you did not learn this from man. My Father in heaven has shown you this.
18 “And I tell you that you are Peter. On this rock I will build My church. The powers of hell will not be able to have power over My church. 19 I will give you the keys of the holy nation of heaven. Whatever you do not allow on earth will not have been allowed in heaven. Whatever you allow on earth will have been allowed in heaven.” 20 Then with strong words He told His followers to tell no one that He was the Christ.
Jesus Tells of His Death for the First Time (D)
21 From that time on Jesus began to tell His followers that He had to go to Jerusalem and suffer many things. These hard things would come from the leaders and from the head religious leaders of the Jews and from the teachers of the Law. He told them He would be killed and three days later He would be raised from the dead. 22 Peter took Jesus away from the others and spoke sharp words to Him. He said, “Never, Lord! This must not happen to You!” 23 Then Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are standing in My way. You are not thinking how God thinks. You are thinking how man thinks.”
Giving Up Riches
24 Jesus said to His followers, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must forget about himself. He must take up his cross and follow Me. 25 If anyone wants to keep his life safe, he will lose it. If anyone gives up his life because of Me, he will save it. 26 For what does a man have if he gets all the world and loses his own soul? What can a man give to buy back his soul? 27 The Son of Man will come in the greatness of His Father with His angels. Then He will give to every man his pay as he has worked. 28 For sure, I tell you, there are some standing here that will not die until they see the Son of Man coming as King.”
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