M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Jephthah and Ephraim

12 Then the men of Ephraim got ready for war. They crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight the men of Ammon without calling us to go with you? With fire we will burn down your house with you in it.” ² Jephthah said to them, “I and my people were having much trouble with the people of Ammon. I did call you, but you did not take me away from them. ³ I saw that you would not help me, so I took my life in my hands. I crossed over to fight the people of Ammon. And the Lord gave them into my hand. So why have you come today to fight against me?” ⁴ Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought Ephraim. The men of Gilead won the war against Ephraim, because Ephraim said, “You people of Gilead are not respected among Ephraim and Manasseh.” ⁵ The people of Gilead took the crossing places of the Jordan beside Ephraim. When any of the Ephraimite men ran away and said, “Let me cross over,” the men of Gilead would say to him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he said, “No,” ⁶ they would say to him, “Then say ‘Shibboleth.’” But he would say, “Sibboleth,” for he could not say it right. So they would take hold of him and kill him at the crossing places of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 men of Ephraim were killed. ⁷ Jephthah ruled Israel for six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died. He was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon

⁸ Ibzan of Bethlehem ruled Israel after him. ⁹ He had thirty sons and thirty daughters whom he gave in marriage outside the family. And he brought in thirty daughters from outside the family for his sons. He ruled Israel for seven years. ¹⁰ Then Ibzan died and was buried in Bethlehem.

¹¹ Elon the Zebulunite ruled Israel after him. He ruled Israel for ten years. ¹² Then Elon the Zebulunite died. He was buried at Aijalon in the land of Zebulun.

¹³ Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite ruled Israel after him. ¹⁴ He had forty sons and thirty grandsons who traveled on seventy donkeys. He ruled Israel for eight years. ¹⁵ Then Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died. He was buried at Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the hill country of the Amalekites.

Timothy Starts to Work with Paul

16 Paul went down to the cities of Derbe and Lystra. There was a follower there named Timothy. His mother was a Jewish Christian and his father was a Greek. ² The Christians in the city of Lystra and Iconium respected Timothy. ³ Paul wanted Timothy to go with him as a missionary. He took him and had Timothy go through the religious act of becoming a Jew because of the Jews who were in those places. Everyone knew his father was a Greek.

⁴ They went from city to city and told the Christians what the missionaries and the church leaders in Jerusalem had written for the Christians to do. ⁵ The churches were made stronger in the faith. More people were added each day.

Paul Is Called to Macedonia in a Dream

⁶ They went through the countries of Phrygia and Galatia. The Holy Spirit kept them from preaching the Word of God in the countries of Asia. ⁷ When they came to the city of Mysia, they tried to go on to the city of Bithynia but the Holy Spirit would not let them go. ⁸ From Mysia they went down to the city of Troas.

⁹ That night Paul had a dream. A man was standing in front of him crying out, “Come over to the country of Macedonia and help us!” ¹⁰ After he had seen this, we agreed that God told us to go to Macedonia to tell them the Good News.

Lydia, the First Christian in Europe

¹¹ We took a ship from the city of Troas to the city of Samothracia. The next day we went to the city of Neapolis. ¹² From there we went to the city of Philippi. This was an important city in Macedonia. It was ruled by the leaders of the country of Rome. We stayed here for some days. ¹³ On the Day of Rest we went outside the city to a place down by the river. We thought people would be gathering there for prayer. Some women came and we sat down and talked to them. ¹⁴ One of the women who listened sold purple cloth. She was from the city of Thyatira. Her name was Lydia and she was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to hear what Paul said. ¹⁵ When she and her family had been baptized, she said to us, “If you think I am faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my house.” She kept on asking. Then we went with her.

Paul Heals a Girl with a Demon

¹⁶ One day as we were going to the place to pray, we met a servant-girl who could tell what was going to happen in the future by a demon she had. Her owner made much money from her power. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and us crying out, “These are servants of the Highest God. They are telling you how to be saved from the punishment of sin.” ¹⁸ She did this many days. Paul was troubled. Then he turned and said to the demon in her, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I speak to you. Come out of her!” At once it left her.

Paul and Silas in Jail

¹⁹ The girl’s owners saw that they could not make money with her anymore. Then they took hold of Paul and Silas and dragged them to the leaders. This happened in the center of town where people gather. ²⁰ After they brought them in front of the leaders, they said, “These men are Jews and are making a lot of trouble in our city. ²¹ They are teaching a religion that we Romans are not allowed to follow.”

²² Many people had gathered around Paul and Silas. They were calling out things against them. The leaders had the clothes of Paul and Silas taken off and had them beaten with sticks. ²³ After they had hit them many times, they put Paul and Silas in prison. The soldiers told the man who watched the prison to be sure to keep them from getting away. ²⁴ Because of this, they were put in the inside room of the prison and their feet were put in pieces of wood that held them.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs of thanks to God. The other men in prison were listening to them. ²⁶ All at once the earth started to shake. The stones under the prison shook and the doors opened. The chains fell off from everyone.

²⁷ The man who watched the prison woke up. He saw the prison doors wide open and thought the men in prison had gotten away. At once he pulled out his sword to kill himself. ²⁸ But Paul called to him, “Do not hurt yourself. We are all here!” ²⁹ The man who watched the prison called for a light. Then he ran in and got down in front of Paul and Silas. He was shaking with fear. ³⁰ As he took them outside, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

³¹ They said, “Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your family will be saved from the punishment of sin.”

³² Then Paul spoke the Word of God to him and his family. ³³ It was late at night, but the man who watched the prison took Paul and Silas in and washed the places on their bodies where they were hurt. Right then he and his family were baptized. ³⁴ He took Paul and Silas to his house and gave them food. He and all his family were full of joy for having put their trust in God.

Paul and Silas Are Allowed to Go Free

³⁵ When it was day, the leaders sent a soldier to say, “Let these men go free.” ³⁶ The man who watched the prison told this to Paul. He said, “The leaders have sent word to let you go free. Come out now and go without any trouble.”

³⁷ Paul said, “No! They have beaten us in front of many people without a trial. We are Roman citizens and they have put us in prison. Now do they think they can send us away without anyone knowing? No! They must come themselves and take us out.” ³⁸ The soldiers told this to the leaders. Then the leaders were afraid when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. ³⁹ They went themselves and told Paul and Silas they were sorry. Then they took them out and asked them to leave their city. ⁴⁰ Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s house after they left the prison. They met with the Christians and gave them comfort. Then they went away from the city.

Seventy Years of Not Being Free

25 This is the word that came to Jeremiah about all the people of Judah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah. (That was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.) ² Jeremiah the man of God spoke this word to all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, saying, ³ “These twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, until this day, the Word of the Lord has come to me. And I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. ⁴ The Lord has sent to you all his servants who have spoken for Him again and again, but you have not listened or turned your ear to hear. ⁵ They have said, ‘Every one of you turn now from your sinful way and the sinful things you do, and live on the land which the Lord has given to you and your fathers forever and ever. ⁶ Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them. Do not make Me angry with the work you do, and I will not hurt you.’ ⁷ Yet you have not listened to Me,” says the Lord. “You have made Me angry with the work of your hands to your own hurt. ⁸ “So the Lord of All says, ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, ⁹ I will send for all the families of the north. And I will send for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its people, and against all these nations around you. I will make a complete end of them. I will destroy them all and make them an object of fear and hate, and a waste place forever. ¹⁰ I will also take from them the voice of joy, the voice of happiness, the voice of the man to be married and the voice of the bride. I will take from them the sound of the grinding stones and the light of the lamp. ¹¹ This whole land will be a waste and a cause of fear. And these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.

¹² ‘Then when seventy years have past, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, and the land of the Babylonians, for their sin,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will make that land a waste forever. ¹³ I will bring upon that land all My words which I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has spoken against all the nations. ¹⁴ They themselves will be made to serve many nations and great kings. I will pay them for what they have done, and for the work of their hands.’”

The Cup of God’s Anger

¹⁵ For the Lord, the God of Israel, says to me, “Take this cup of the wine of anger from My hand. And make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. ¹⁶ They will drink and have trouble walking and become crazy because of the sword that I will send among them.” ¹⁷ So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it. ¹⁸ I was sent to Jerusalem and to the cities of Judah, to its kings and its leaders, to make them a waste, an object of fear and hate, and a curse, as it is this day. ¹⁹ I was sent to Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his sons, and to all his people. ²⁰ I was sent to all the people from different countries, all the kings of the land of Uz, and to all the kings of the land of the Philistines (Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and those left of Ashdod). ²¹ I was sent to Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, ²² and to all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and to the kings of the lands across the sea. ²³ I was sent to Dedan, Tema, Buz, to all who are far away in their lands, ²⁴ to the kings of Arabia, and to all the kings of the different people who live in the desert. ²⁵ I was sent to all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, all the kings of Media, ²⁶ and to all the kings of the north, near and far, one after another. I was sent to all the nations on the earth. And after them the king of Sheshach will drink.

²⁷ “Then you will say to them, ‘The Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “Drink, be drunk, throw up, fall, and get up no more, because of the sword which I will send among you.”’ ²⁸ And if they will not take the cup from your hand to drink, then say to them, ‘The Lord of All says, “You must drink! ²⁹ See, I am beginning to make trouble in this city which is called by My name. And will you not be punished? You will not be free from punishment, for I am bringing a sword against all the people of the earth,” says the Lord of All.’

³⁰ “So you should speak all these words against them. Tell them, ‘The Lord will sound from on high. His voice will be heard from His holy place. He will call out in a loud voice against his flock. He will call out like those who crush the grapes, against all the people of the earth. ³¹ The noise will go to the ends of the earth, because the Lord has something against the nations. He is deciding what should be done with all flesh. As for the sinful, He has given them to the sword,’” says the Lord.

³² The Lord of All says, “See, sinful ways are spreading from nation to nation. A powerful storm is moving from the farthest parts of the earth. ³³ Those killed by the Lord on that day will be from one end of the earth to the other. No one will cry for them or gather up the bodies and bury them. They will be like animal waste on the ground. ³⁴ Cry in a loud voice, you shepherds. And roll in ashes, you leaders of the flock. For the days for you to be killed and sent everywhere have come, and you will fall and be broken like a fine pot. ³⁵ The shepherds will have no place to run. And the leaders of the flock will have no place to get away. ³⁶ Listen to the cry of the shepherds and the loud cry of the leaders of the flock! For the Lord is destroying their field. ³⁷ The fields of peace are laid waste because of the burning anger of the Lord. ³⁸ He has left His hiding place like a lion. For their land has become a cause of much fear because of the sword of the one who makes it hard for them, and because of the Lord’s burning anger.”

The Last Time Jesus Goes to Jerusalem ^(A)

11 Jesus and His followers were near Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives. They were in the towns of Bethphage and Bethany. Jesus sent two of His followers on ahead. ² He said to them, “Go into the town over there. As soon as you get there, you will find a young donkey tied. No man has ever sat on it. Let the donkey loose and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing that?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it. He will send it back again soon.’”

⁴ The two followers went on their way. They found the young donkey tied by the door where two streets crossed. They took the rope off its neck. ⁵ Some men were standing there. They said to the two followers, “Why are you taking the rope off that young donkey?” ⁶ The two followers told them what Jesus had said and the men let them take the donkey. ⁷ They brought it to Jesus and put their coats over it. Jesus sat on the donkey. ⁸ Many people put their clothes down on the road. Others cut branches off the trees and put them down on the road. ⁹ Those who went in front and those who followed spoke with loud voices, “Greatest One! Great and honored is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! ¹⁰ Great is the coming holy nation of our father David. It will come in the name of the Lord, Greatest One in the highest heaven.”

¹¹ Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the house of God. He looked around at everything. Then He went with the twelve followers to the town of Bethany because it was late.

The Fig Tree with No Fruit

¹² They came from Bethany the next morning. Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Along the road He saw a fig tree with leaves on it. He went over to see if it had any fruit. He saw nothing but leaves. It was not the right time for figs. ¹⁴ Jesus said to the tree, “Let no one ever again eat fruit from you.” His followers heard Him say it.

Jesus Stops the Buying and the Selling in the House of God ^(B)

¹⁵ Then they came to Jerusalem. Jesus went into the house of God. He began to make the people leave who were selling and buying in the house of God. He turned over the tables of the men who changed money. He turned over the seats of those who sold doves. ¹⁶ He would not allow anyone to carry a pot or pan through the house of God. ¹⁷ He taught them saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? You have made it a place of robbers.”

¹⁸ The teachers of the Law and the religious leaders of the Jews heard it. They tried to find some way to put Jesus to death. But they were afraid of Him because all the people were surprised and wondered about His teaching. ¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and His followers went out of the city.

The Fig Tree Dries Up ^(C)

²⁰ In the morning they passed by the fig tree. They saw it was dried up from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered what had happened the day before and said to Jesus, “Teacher, see! The fig tree which You spoke to has dried up!” ²² Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³ For sure, I tell you, a person may say to this mountain, ‘Move from here into the sea.’ And if he does not doubt, but believes that what he says will be done, it will happen. ²⁴ Because of this, I say to you, whatever you ask for when you pray, have faith that you will receive it. Then you will get it. ²⁵ When you stand to pray, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him. Then your Father in heaven will forgive your sins also. ²⁶ *If you do not forgive them their sins, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.”

²⁷ They came again to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking around in the house of God. The religious leaders and the teachers of the Law and other leaders came to Him. ²⁸ They asked, “How do You have the right and the power to do these things? Who gave You the right and the power to do them?” ²⁹ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing also. If you tell Me, then I will tell you by what right and power I do these things. ³⁰ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Tell Me.” ³¹ They talked among themselves. They said, “If we say from heaven, He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ ³² But how can we say, ‘From men’?” They were afraid of the people because everyone believed that John was one who spoke for God. ³³ So they said, “We do not know.” Then Jesus said, “Then I will not tell you by what right and power I do these things.”