M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Judah Fights the Canaanites
1 After Joshua died, the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] asked the ·Lord [or Yahweh; C the translation “Lord” (all caps) represents the divine name YHWH, usually pronounced “Yahweh”], “Who will ·be first to go and [lead the] fight for us against the Canaanites?”
2 The Lord said to them, “·The tribe of Judah [L Judah] will go. [L Look; T Behold] I have ·handed the land over to them [L given the land into his hand].”
3 ·The men of Judah [L Judah] said to ·the men of Simeon, their relatives [L his brother Simeon], “Come and help us fight the Canaanites for our ·land [allotment]. If you do, we will go and help you fight for your ·land [allotment].” So ·the men of Simeon [L Simeon] went with them [C Simeon’s land lay within Judah; Josh. 19:1].
4 When Judah attacked, the Lord handed over the Canaanites and the Perizzites to them, and they defeated ten thousand men at the city of Bezek. 5 ·There [L At Bezek] they found Adoni-Bezek [C the ruler of the city], and fought him. The men of Judah defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites, 6 but Adoni-Bezek ran away. The men of Judah chased him, and when they caught him, they cut off his thumbs and big toes [C such mutilation was common in the ancient Near East, rendering a king unfit for military service or priestly functions; Lev. 8:23–24].
7 Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings whose thumbs and big toes had been cut off used to eat scraps that fell from my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” The men of Judah took Adoni-Bezek to Jerusalem, and he died there.
8 Then the ·men [L sons] of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it. They ·attacked with their swords [L struck it with the edge of the sword] and burned the city [C a temporary conquest; David later captured the city; 2 Sam. 5:7].
9 Later, they went down to fight the Canaanites who lived in the mountains, in the ·dry [or hill] country ·to the south [L in the Negev], and in the ·western hills [or lowland]. 10 ·The men of Judah [L Judah] went to fight against the Canaanites in the city of Hebron (which used to be called Kiriath Arba [Gen. 13:18; 23:2; Josh. 14:15]). And they defeated Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai [Num. 13:22; Josh. 15:14].
Caleb and His Daughter
11 Then they left there and went to fight against the people living in Debir. (In the past Debir had been called Kiriath Sepher.) 12 Before attacking the city, Caleb said, “I will give Acsah, my daughter, as a wife to the man who attacks and captures the city of Kiriath Sepher.” 13 Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured the city, so Caleb gave his daughter Acsah to Othniel to be his wife. 14 When Acsah came to ·Othniel [L him; C could be Othniel or Caleb], she ·told him to ask [or asked] her father for a field. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you want?” [Josh. 15:16–18]
15 Acsah answered him, “·Do me a special favor [L Give me a blessing]. Since you have given me land in ·southern Canaan [L the Negev], also give me springs of water.” So Caleb gave her the upper and lower springs [Josh. 15:19].
Fights with the Canaanites
16 The ·Kenite people, who were from the family of [L sons/descendants of the Kenite] Moses’ father-in-law [Ex. 2:16], left the city of palm trees [C Jericho]. They went with the men of Judah to the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Judah to live with them there in ·southern Judah [L the Negev] near the city of Arad.
17 The men of Judah and the men of Simeon [1:3], their ·relatives [brothers], defeated the Canaanites who lived in Zephath. They ·completely destroyed the city [devoted it to the Lord for destruction; see Josh. 2:10; 6:17–19], so they called it Hormah [C sounds like Hebrew for “total destruction”]. 18 The men of Judah captured Gaza, Ashkelon, Ekron [C Philistine cities along the coast], and the lands around them.
19 The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took the land in the ·mountains [hill country], but they could not force out the people living on the plain, because they had iron chariots [C wooden chariots with iron fittings]. 20 As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, and Caleb forced out the three sons of Anak [Num. 14:24; Deut. 1:36; Josh. 14:9–14]. 21 But the people of Benjamin could not ·make the Jebusite people leave [L drive out the Jebusites from] Jerusalem. Since that time the Jebusites have lived with the ·Benjaminites [L sons of Benjamin] in Jerusalem.
22 The ·men [L house] of Joseph went to fight against the city of Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 They sent some spies to Bethel (which used to be called Luz). 24 The spies saw a man coming out of the city and said to him, “Show us a way into the city, and we will ·be kind to [have mercy on; or reward] you.” 25 So the man showed them the way into the city. The men of Joseph ·attacked with swords the people in Bethel [L struck the city with the edge of the sword], but they let the man and his family go free. 26 He went to the land where the Hittites lived [C in Syria, north of Israel] and built a city. He named it Luz, which it is called even today.
27 The people of Manasseh did not ·force [drive] out the inhabitants of the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, nor the small towns around them, because the Canaanites were determined to stay there. 28 Later, the Israelites grew strong and forced the Canaanites ·to work as slaves [into forced labor], but they did not ·make all the Canaanites leave their land [L drive them out completely]. 29 The people of Ephraim did not ·force [drive] out all of the Canaanites living in Gezer. So the Canaanites continued to live in Gezer with the people of Ephraim. 30 The people of Zebulun did not force out the Canaanites living in the cities of Kitron and Nahalol. They stayed and lived with the people of Zebulun, but Zebulun ·made them work as slaves [forced them into hard labor].
31 The people of Asher did not ·force [drive out] the Canaanites from the cities of Acco, Sidon, Ahlab, Aczib, Helbah, Aphek, and Rehob [C cities on the Mediterranean Sea north of Carmel and inland from the coast]. 32 Since the people of Asher did not ·force [drive] them out, the Canaanites continued to live with them. 33 The people of Naphtali did not ·force [drive] out the people of the cities of Beth Shemesh and Beth Anath [C the region east of Asher]. So they continued to live with the Canaanites in those cities, and the Canaanites ·worked as slaves [did forced labor]. 34 The Amorites forced the Danites back into the ·mountains [hill country] and would not let them come down to live in the plain [Josh. 19:47–48; Judg. 18]. 35 The Amorites were determined to stay in Mount Heres, Aijalon, and Shaalbim. But when the Israelites grew stronger, they made the Amorites ·work as slaves [do forced labor]. 36 The land of the Amorites was from ·Scorpion [or Akrabbim; C Hebrew for “scorpion”] ·Pass [or Ascent; C south of the Dead Sea] to Sela and beyond.
Ananias and Sapphira Die
5 But a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold ·some land [a piece of property]. 2 He ·kept back [pilfered; skimmed off] part of the ·money [proceeds; price] for himself; his wife knew about this and agreed to it. But he brought the rest of the money and ·gave it to [L laid it at the feet of] the apostles. 3 Peter said, “Ananias, why did you let Satan ·rule your thoughts [L fill your heart] to lie to the Holy Spirit and to ·keep [pilfer; skim off] for yourself part of the ·money [proceeds] you received for the land? 4 Before you sold the land, it belonged to you. And even after you sold it, you could have used the ·money [proceeds] any way you wanted. Why did you think of doing this? You lied to God, not to us!”
7 About three hours later his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me, was the ·money [payment] you got for your field this much?”
Sapphira answered, “Yes, that was the price.”
9 Peter said to her, “Why did you and your husband ·agree [conspire] to test the Spirit of the Lord [Gal. 6:7–8]? Look! The ·men [L feet of those] who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 ·At that moment [Instantly] Sapphira fell down by his feet and died. When the young men came in and ·saw [discovered; found] that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 The whole church and all the others who heard about these things were filled with ·fear [terror; awe].
The Apostles Heal Many
12 The apostles did many ·signs [miracles] and ·miracles [wonders] among the people. And they would all meet together on Solomon’s Porch [see 3:11]. 13 None of the others dared to join them, ·but [or even though] all the people ·respected [praised; highly regarded] them. 14 More and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to the ·group [crowd; multitude] of believers. 15 [As a result] The people placed their sick on ·beds [cots] and mats in the streets, hoping that when Peter passed by at least his shadow might fall on [L some of] them. 16 Crowds came from all the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those who were ·bothered [tormented] by ·evil [L unclean; C demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings] spirits, and all of them were healed.
Leaders Try to Stop the Apostles
17 The high priest and all his friends (a ·group [sect; religious party] called the Sadducees [4:1]) became very ·jealous [indignant; or zealous; C perhaps referring to their religious zeal]. 18 They ·took [seized; arrested; L put hands on] the apostles and put them in [public] ·jail [custody]. 19 But during the night, an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the ·jail [prison] and led the apostles outside. The angel said, 20 “Go stand in the Temple [C courts; 2:46] and tell the people ·everything [or the full message; L all the words] about this new life.” 21 When the apostles heard this, they obeyed and went into the Temple [C courts; 2:46] early in the morning and ·continued [or began] teaching.
When the high priest and his friends arrived, they called a meeting of the ·leaders [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] ·and [or that is,] ·all the important elders [L the whole senate/council of the sons of Israel]. They sent some men to the ·jail [prison] to bring the apostles to them. 22 But, upon arriving, the ·officers [temple police] could not find the apostles. So they went back and reported to the leaders. 23 They said, “·The jail was [L We found the jail] closed and locked, and the guards were standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors, ·the jail was empty [L we found no one inside]!” 24 Hearing this, the captain of the Temple guards and the ·leading [T chief] priests were ·confused [puzzled; confounded] and wondered what ·was happening [or this might lead to].
25 Then someone came and told them, “Listen [L Look]! The men you put in ·jail [prison] are standing in the Temple [courts] teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain and ·his men [the officers/attendants; C the temple police] went out and brought the apostles back. But they did not use force, because they were afraid the people would stone them to death.
27 They brought the apostles to the ·meeting [L Sanhedrin; 4:15] and made them stand before the leaders. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in that name [C of Jesus]. But look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are ·trying [wishing; intending] to make us responsible for this man’s ·death [L blood].”
29 Peter and the other apostles answered, “We must obey God, not ·human authority [L people]! 30 You ·killed [murdered] Jesus by hanging him on a ·cross [L tree]. But God, the God of our ancestors, raised Jesus up from the dead! 31 Jesus is the One whom God ·raised [exalted] to be on his right ·side [L hand], as ·Leader [Prince; Ruler] and Savior. Through him, ·the people of Israel [L Israel] could ·change their hearts and lives [repent] and have their sins forgiven. 32 We ·saw all these things happen [L testify to/are witnesses of these things]. The Holy Spirit, whom God has given to all who obey him, also ·proves [or testifies that] these things are true.”
33 When the leaders heard this, they became ·angry [furious] and wanted to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee [C a member of a religious party that strictly observed OT laws, added traditions, and represented a minority on the Sanhedrin] named Gamaliel [C Paul’s teacher; 22:3] stood up in the ·meeting [L Sanhedrin; 4:15]. He was a teacher of the law, and all the people respected him. He ordered the ·apostles [L men] to leave the meeting for a little while. 35 Then he said, “·People of Israel [L Men, Israelites], be careful what you are planning to do to these men. 36 ·Remember when [or Some time ago] Theudas ·appeared [L rose up]? He ·said [claimed] he was ·a great man [L somebody], and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all his followers were scattered; they ·were able to do nothing [failed; came to nothing]. 37 Later, a man named ·Judas came from Galilee [or Judas the Galilean appeared/arose] at the time of the ·registration [census; C of people and possessions, for tax purposes; Judas led a tax revolt]. He also led a group of followers and ·was killed [perished], and all his followers were scattered. 38 And so now I tell you: Stay away from these men, and leave them alone. If their ·plan [or activity; endeavor] comes from human ·authority [or origin], it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You might even ·be [find yourselves] fighting against God himself!”
The leaders ·agreed with [were convinced by] what Gamaliel said. 40 They called the apostles in, ·beat [flogged; whipped] them, and ·told [commanded] them not to speak in the name of Jesus again. Then they let them go free. 41 The apostles left the ·meeting [L presence of the Sanhedrin/council; 4:15] ·full of joy [rejoicing] because they were ·given the honor [or considered worthy by God] of suffering disgrace for ·Jesus [L the name]. 42 Every day in the Temple [courts] and in people’s homes they continued teaching the people and ·telling [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] —that Jesus is the ·Christ [Messiah].
A Time Without Rain
14 These are the words that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah ·about the time when there was no rain [concerning the drought; C often a punishment from God; Lev. 26:18–20; Deut. 28:22–24; 1 Kin. 17:1]:
2 “The nation of Judah ·cries as if someone has died [mourns],
and her ·cities [L gates] ·are very sad [languish].
They ·are distressed [wail] over the land.
A cry goes up [C to God] from Jerusalem.
3 The ·important men [nobles] send their ·servants [L young/little ones] to get water.
They go to the ·wells [cisterns],
but they find no water.
So they return with empty jars.
They are ·ashamed [humiliated] and embarrassed
and ·cover [veil] their heads [C in shame].
4 The ground is cracked open,
because no rain falls on the land.
The farmers are ·upset and sad [L ashamed],
so they ·cover [veil] their heads.
5 Even the mother deer in the field
·leaves her newborn fawn to die [L gives birth and leaves],
because there is no ·grass [vegetation].
6 Wild donkeys stand on the bare hills
and ·sniff the wind [pant] like ·wild dogs [jackals].
But their eyes go blind,
because there is no ·food [pasture].”
7 We know that we suffer because of our sins.
Lord, ·do something to help us for the good of your name [L act on behalf of your name/reputation].
·We have left you many times [L Many are our apostasies/infidelities];
we have sinned against you.
8 The Hope of Israel [C God],
you have ·saved [rescued] it [C Israel] in times of ·trouble [distress].
Why are you like a ·stranger [alien resident] in the land,
or like a traveler who only stays one night?
9 Why are you like someone who has been attacked by surprise,
like a warrior who is not able to ·save anyone [be victorious]?
But you are among us, Lord,
and we are called by your name
so don’t ·leave us without help [forsake us]!
10 This is what the Lord says about this people [C of Judah]:
“They really love to wander from me;
they don’t ·stop themselves from leaving me [L restrain their feet].
So now the Lord will not ·accept [be pleased with] them.
He will now remember ·the evil they do [their iniquity]
and will punish them for their sins.”
11 Then the Lord said, “Don’t pray for good things to happen to the people [C of Judah]. 12 Even if they fast, I will not listen to their ·prayers [cry; Prov. 1:28]. Even if they offer burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1] to me, I will not ·accept [be pleased with] them. Instead, I will ·destroy [finish] them [C the people of Judah] with ·war [sword], ·hunger [famine], and ·terrible diseases [plagues; pestilence].”
13 But I said, “Oh, Lord God, the prophets keep telling the people, ‘·You will not suffer from an enemy’s [L Do not fear] sword or from ·hunger [famine]. I, the Lord, will give you ·lasting [reliable; true] peace in this land.’”
14 Then the Lord said to me, “Those prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them or ·appoint [command] them or speak to them. They have been prophesying false visions, idolatries, worthless ·magic [divination], and ·their own wishful thinking [L the deceit of their hearts; Deut. 13:1–5; 18:14–22]. 15 So this is what I say about the prophets who are prophesying in my name. I did not send them. They say, ‘·No enemy will attack this country with swords. There will never be hunger [L Sword and famine will not be] in this land.’ So those prophets will ·die from [L be finished off by] ·hunger [famine] and from ·an enemy’s sword [L sword]. 16 And the people to whom the prophets speak will be thrown into the streets of Jerusalem. There they will die from ·hunger [famine] and from ·an enemy’s sword [L sword]. And no one will be there to bury them, or their wives, or their sons, or their daughters. I will ·punish them [L pour out on them harm/disaster/evil].
17 “Speak [C addressed to Jeremiah] this ·message [word] to them [C the people of Judah]:
‘Let my eyes ·be filled [flow] with tears
night and day, without stopping.
·My people [L The virgin daughter of my people] have received a ·terrible blow [L great fracture];
they have been ·hurt [wounded] badly.
18 If I go into the ·country [L field],
I see people killed by swords.
If I go into the city,
I see ·much sickness, because the people have no food [L the sickness of famine].
Both the priests and the prophets
·have been taken to a foreign land [L wander/or ply their trade in a land they do not know].’”
19 Lord, have you completely rejected the nation of Judah?
Do you ·hate [L abhor] ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]?
Why have you ·hurt us so badly [L struck us]
·that we cannot be made well again [L and not healed us]?
We hoped for peace,
but nothing good has come.
We looked for a time of healing,
but only terror came.
20 Lord, we ·admit that we are wicked [L know our wickedness]
and ·that our ancestors did evil things [L the iniquity of our fathers].
We have sinned against you.
21 For ·your sake [L the sake of your name/fame/reputation], do not ·hate [despise] us [Lev. 26:11, 30, 44].
Do not ·take away the honor from [L treat disdainfully] your glorious throne.
Remember your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with us,
and do not break it.
22 Do ·foreign idols [L futile/useless/meaningless things] have the power to bring rain?
Does the ·sky [heaven] itself have the power to send down showers?
·No, it is you [L Is it not you…?], Lord our God.
You are our only hope,
because you are the one who made all these things.
Jesus Rises from the Dead(A)
28 After the Sabbath day, at dawn on the first day the week, Mary Magdalene and ·another woman named Mary [L the other Mary; 27:56] went to look at the tomb.
2 ·At that time [Suddenly; T And behold] there was a strong earthquake. [L For] An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Then he sat on the stone. 3 ·He was shining as bright as [L His appearance was like] lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The soldiers guarding the tomb shook with fear because of the angel, and they ·became like dead men [C perhaps they were paralyzed by fear, or they fainted].
5 The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. 6 He is not here. He has ·risen [been raised] from the dead as he said he would. Come and see the place where ·his body was [he lay]. 7 And go quickly and tell his ·followers [disciples], ‘Jesus has risen from the dead. He is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there.’” Then the angel said, “·Now [L Look; T Behold] I have told you.”
8 The women left the tomb quickly. They were afraid, but they were also ·very happy [filled with great joy]. They ran to tell Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] what had happened. 9 ·Suddenly [L And look/T behold], Jesus met them and said, “Greetings.” The women came up to him, ·took hold of [clasped] his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my ·followers [disciples] to go on to Galilee, and they will see me there.”
The Soldiers Report to the Leaders
11 While the women ·went to tell Jesus’ followers [were on their way], some of the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city to tell the ·leading [T chief] priests everything that had happened. 12 Then the priests met with the elders and made a plan. They paid the soldiers a ·large amount of money [substantial bribe] 13 and said to them, “Tell the people that Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] came during the night and stole ·the body [him away] while you were asleep. 14 If the governor hears about this, we will satisfy him and save you from trouble.” 15 So the soldiers kept the money and did as they were ·told [instructed]. And that story is still spread among the ·people [L Jews] even ·today [to this day].
Jesus Talks to His Followers
16 The eleven ·followers [disciples] went to Galilee to the mountain where Jesus had ·told [designated; arranged for] them to go. 17 When they saw Jesus, they worshiped him, but some of them ·did not believe it was really Jesus [doubted]. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All ·power [authority] in heaven and on earth ·is [has been] given to me. 19 So go and make ·followers [disciples] of all ·people in the world [the nations]. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have ·taught [commanded] you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of ·this age [the world; time].
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