M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Micah’s Idols
17 There was a man named Micah who lived in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 Micah said to his mother, “Do you remember that someone stole 28 pounds[a] of silver from you? I heard you say a curse about that. Well, I have the silver. I took it.”
His mother said, “The Lord bless you, my son.”
3 Micah gave the 28 pounds of silver back to his mother. Then she said, “I will give this silver as a special gift to the Lord. I will give it to my son so that he can make a statue and cover it with the silver. So now, son, I give the silver back to you.”
4 But Micah gave the silver back to his mother. So she took about 5 pounds[b] of the silver and gave them to a silversmith.[c] He used the silver to make a statue covered with silver. The statue was put in Micah’s house. 5 Micah had a temple for worshiping idols. He made an ephod[d] and some house idols. Then Micah chose one of his sons to be his priest. 6 (At that time the Israelites did not have a king, so everyone did what they thought was right.)
7 There was a young man who was a Levite from the city of Bethlehem in Judah. He had been living among the tribe of Judah. 8 He left Bethlehem to look for another place to live. As he was traveling, he came to Micah’s house in the hill country of the land of Ephraim. 9 Micah asked him, “Where have you come from?”
The young man answered, “I am a Levite from the city of Bethlehem in Judah. I am looking for a place to live.”
10 Then Micah said to him, “Live with me. Be my father and my priest. I will give you 4 ounces[e] of silver each year. I will also give you clothes and food.”
The Levite did what Micah asked. 11 The young Levite agreed to live with Micah. He became like one of Micah’s own sons. 12 Micah chose him to be his priest. So the young man became a priest and lived in Micah’s house. 13 And Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will be good to me. I know this because I have a man from the tribe of Levi to be my priest.”
Paul Goes to Jerusalem
21 After we said goodbye to the elders, we sailed away straight to Cos island. The next day we went to the island of Rhodes, and from there we went to Patara. 2 There we found a ship that was going to the area of Phoenicia. We got on the ship and sailed away.
3 We sailed near the island of Cyprus. We could see it on the north side, but we did not stop. We sailed to the country of Syria. We stopped at Tyre because the ship needed to unload its cargo there. 4 We found the Lord’s followers there and stayed with them for seven days. They warned Paul not to go to Jerusalem because of what the Spirit had told them. 5 But when our time there was up, we returned to the ship to continue our trip. All the followers, even the women and children, came with us to the seashore. We all knelt down on the beach, prayed, 6 and said goodbye. Then we got on the ship, and the followers went home.
7 We continued our trip from Tyre and went to the city of Ptolemais. We greeted the believers there and stayed with them one day. 8 The next day we left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea. We went into the home of Philip and stayed with him. He had the work of telling the Good News. He was one of the seven helpers.[a] 9 He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophesying.
10 After we had been there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came from Judea. 11 He came to us and borrowed Paul’s belt. He used it to tie his own hands and feet. He said, “The Holy Spirit tells me, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will tie up the man who wears this belt.[b] Then they will hand him over to people who don’t know God.’”
12 When we heard this, we and the other followers there begged Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 13 But he said, “Why are you crying and making me feel so sad? I am willing to be put in jail in Jerusalem. I am even ready to die for the name of the Lord Jesus!”
14 We could not persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem. So we stopped begging him and said, “We pray that what the Lord wants will be done.”
15 After this, we got ready and left for Jerusalem. 16 Some of the followers of Jesus from Caesarea went with us. These followers took us to the home of Mnason, a man from Cyprus, who was one of the first people to be a follower of Jesus. They took us to his home so that we could stay with him.
Paul Visits James
17 The brothers and sisters in Jerusalem were very happy to see us. 18 The next day Paul went with us to visit James, and all the elders were there. 19 After greeting them, Paul told them point by point all that God had used him to do among the non-Jewish people.
20 When the leaders heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul, “Brother, you can see that thousands of Jews have become believers, but they think it is very important to obey the Law of Moses. 21 They have been told that you teach the Jews who live in non-Jewish regions to stop following the Law of Moses. They have heard that you tell them not to circumcise their sons or follow our other customs.
22 “What should we do? The Jewish believers here will learn that you have come. 23 So we will tell you what to do: Four of our men have made a vow[c] to God. 24 Take these men with you and share in their cleansing ceremony.[d] Pay their expenses so that they can shave their heads.[e] This will prove to everyone that the things they have heard about you are not true. They will see that you obey the Law of Moses in your own life.
25 “In regard to the non-Jewish believers, we have already sent a letter to them saying what we think they should do:
‘Don’t eat food that has been given to idols.
Don’t eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still has the blood in it.
Don’t be involved in sexual sin.’”
Paul Is Arrested
26 So Paul took the four men with him. The next day he shared in their cleansing ceremony. Then he went to the Temple area and announced the time when the days of the cleansing ceremony would be finished. On the last day an offering would be given for each of the men.
27 When the seven-day period was almost finished, some Jews from Asia saw Paul in the Temple area. They stirred up everyone into an angry mob. They grabbed Paul 28 and shouted, “Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who is teaching things that are against the Law of Moses, against our people, and against this Temple of ours. This is what he teaches people everywhere. And now he has brought some Greeks into the Temple area and has made this holy place unclean!” 29 (The Jews said this because they had seen Trophimus with Paul in Jerusalem. Trophimus was a man from Ephesus. The Jews thought that Paul had taken him into the holy area of the Temple.)
30 An angry reaction spread throughout the city, and everyone came running to the Temple. They grabbed Paul and dragged him out of the holy area, and the gates were closed immediately. 31 While they were trying to kill Paul, the commander of the Roman army in Jerusalem got word that the whole city was in a state of riot. 32 Immediately the commander ran to where the crowd had gathered, taking with him some army officers and soldiers. When the people saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
33 The commander went over to Paul and arrested him. He told his soldiers to tie him up with two chains. Then he asked, “Who is this man? What has he done wrong?” 34 Some people there were shouting one thing, and others were shouting something else. Because of all this confusion and shouting, the commander could not learn the truth about what had happened. So he told the soldiers to take Paul to the army building. 35-36 The whole crowd was following them. When the soldiers came to the steps, they had to carry Paul. They did this to protect him, because the people were ready to hurt him. The people were shouting, “Kill him!”
37 When the soldiers were ready to take Paul into the army building, he asked the commander, “Can I say something to you?”
The commander said, “Oh, you speak Greek? 38 Then you are not the man I thought you were. I thought you were the Egyptian who started some trouble against the government not long ago and led four thousand terrorists out to the desert.”
39 Paul said, “No, I am a Jew from Tarsus in the country of Cilicia. I am a citizen of that important city. Please, let me speak to the people.”
40 The commander told Paul he could speak. So he stood on the steps and waved his hand so that the people would be quiet. The people became quiet and Paul spoke to them in Aramaic.
Promises of Hope
30 This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord. 2 The Lord, the God of the people of Israel, said, “Jeremiah, write in a book the words I have spoken to you. Write this book for yourself. 3 Do this because the days will come”—this message is from the Lord—“when I will bring my people, Israel and Judah, back from exile.” This message is from the Lord. “I will put the people back in the land that I gave to their ancestors. Then my people will own that land again.”
4 The Lord spoke this message about the people of Israel and Judah. 5 This is what the Lord said:
“We hear people crying from fear.
There is fear, not peace.
6 “Ask this question and consider it:
Can a man have a baby? Of course not!
Then why do I see every strong man holding his stomach
like a woman having labor pains?
Why is everyone’s face turning white
like a dead man?
7 “This is a very important time for Jacob.
This is a time of great trouble.
There will never be another time like this,
but Jacob will be saved.
8 “At that time,” says the Lord All-Powerful, “I will break the yoke from the necks of the people of Israel and Judah, and I will break the ropes holding you. People from foreign countries will never again force my people to be slaves. 9 The people of Israel and Judah will not serve foreign countries. No, they will serve the Lord their God. I will send them David their king,[a] and they will serve him.
10 “So Jacob, my servant, don’t be afraid!”
This message is from the Lord.
“Israel, don’t be afraid.
I will save you from that faraway place.
You are captives[b] in that faraway land,
but I will save your descendants.
I will bring them back from that land.
Jacob will have peace again.
People will not bother Jacob.
There will be no enemy to frighten my people.
11 People of Israel and Judah, I am with you.”
This message is from the Lord.
“I will save you.
I sent you to those nations,
but I will completely destroy all of them.
It is true; I will destroy those nations,
but I will not destroy you.
You must be punished for the bad things you did,
but I will discipline you fairly.”
12 This is what the Lord says:
“You people of Israel and Judah have a wound that cannot be cured.
You have an injury that will not heal.
13 There is no one to care for your sores,
so you will not be healed.
14 You became friends with many nations,
but those nations don’t care about you.
Your ‘friends’ have forgotten you.
I hurt you like an enemy.
I punished you very hard.
I did this because of your great guilt.
I did this because of your many sins.
15 Israel and Judah, why are you still crying about your wound?
There is no cure for it.
I did this to you because of your great guilt.
I did this because of your many sins.
16 Those nations destroyed you,
but now they have been destroyed.
Israel and Judah, your enemies will become captives.
They stole things from you,
but others will steal from them.
They took things from you in war,
but others will take things from them in war.
17 And I will bring your health back
and heal your wounds,” says the Lord,
“because other people said you were outcasts.[c]
They said, ‘No one cares about Zion.’”
18 This is what the Lord says:
“Jacob’s people are now in captivity,
but they will come back.
And I will have pity on Jacob’s houses.
The city[d] is now only an empty hill covered with ruined buildings,
but the city will be rebuilt on its hill.
And the king’s palace will be rebuilt where it should be.
19 People in those places will sing songs of praise,
and there will be the sound of laughter.
I will give them many children.
Israel and Judah will not be small.
I will bring honor to them.
No one will look down on them.
20 Jacob’s family will be like the family of Israel long ago.
I will make Israel and Judah strong,
and I will punish those who hurt them.”
21 The Lord says,
“One of their own people will lead them.
That ruler will come from my people.
People can come close to me only if I ask them to.
So I will ask that leader to come to me,
and he will be close to me.
22 You will be my people,
and I will be your God.”
23 The Lord was very angry!
He punished the people.
The punishment came like a storm.
It came like a tornado against those wicked people.
24 The Lord will be angry until he is through punishing them.
He will be angry until he finishes the punishment he planned.
When that day comes,
you people of Judah will understand.
The New Israel
31 This is what the Lord said, “At that time I will be the God of all the tribes of Israel. And they will be my people.”
2 This is what the Lord says:
“The people who escaped the enemy’s sword will find comfort in the desert.
Israel will go there looking for rest.”
3 From far away, the Lord
will appear to his people.
The Lord says, “I love you people with a love that continues forever.
That is why I have continued showing you kindness.
4 Israel, my bride, I will rebuild you.
You will be a country again.
You will pick up your tambourines again.
You will dance with all the other people who are having fun.
5 You farmers of Israel will plant vineyards again.
You will plant the vineyards on the hills around the city of Samaria.
The farmers will enjoy the fruit from the vineyards.
6 There will be a time when watchmen[e] shout this message:
‘Come, let’s go up to Zion to worship the Lord our God!’
Even the watchmen in the hill country of Ephraim[f] will shout that message.”
7 This is what the Lord says:
“Be happy and sing for Jacob!
Shout for Israel, the greatest of the nations!
Sing your praises and shout:
‘Lord, save your people![g]
Save those who are left alive from the nation of Israel.’
8 Remember, I will bring Israel
from that country in the north.
I will gather the people of Israel
from the faraway places on earth.
Some of the people will be blind and crippled.
Some of the women will be pregnant and ready to give birth.
But many people will come back.
9 They will come back crying,
but I will lead them and comfort them.
I will lead them by streams of water.
I will lead them on an easy road,
where they will not stumble.
I will lead them in that way because I am Israel’s father.
And Ephraim is my firstborn son.
10 “Nations, listen to this message from the Lord!
Tell this message in the faraway lands by the sea:
‘God scattered the people of Israel,
but he will bring them back together.
And he will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11 The Lord will bring Jacob back.
He will save his people from those who are stronger.
12 The people of Israel will come to the top of Zion,
and they will shout with joy.
Their faces will shine with happiness about the good things the Lord gives them.
He will give them grain, new wine, olive oil, young sheep and cattle.
They will be like a garden that has plenty of water.
And the people of Israel will not be troubled anymore.
13 Then the young women of Israel will be happy and dance.
And the men, young and old, will join in the dancing.
I will change their sadness into happiness.
I will comfort my people, making them happy instead of sad.
14 I will give the priests plenty of food.
And my people will be filled and satisfied with the good things I give them.”
This message is from the Lord.
15 This is what the Lord says:
“A sound is heard in Ramah—
bitter crying and great sadness.
Rachel[h] cries for her children,
and she refuses to be comforted,
because her children are gone.”
16 But the Lord says, “Stop crying.
Don’t fill your eyes with tears.
You will be rewarded for your work.”
This message is from the Lord.
“The people of Israel will come back from their enemy’s land.
17 Israel, there is hope for you.”
This message is from the Lord.
“Your children will come back to their own land.
18 I have heard Ephraim crying:
‘Lord, you punished me, and I learned my lesson.
I was like a calf that was never trained.
Please stop punishing me,
and I will come back to you.
You really are the Lord my God.
19 I wandered away from you.
But I finally realized how wrong I was.
So I changed my heart and life.
I am ashamed and embarrassed
about the foolish things I did when I was young.’”
20 The Lord says,
“You know that Ephraim is my dear son.
I love that child.
Yes, I often criticized Ephraim,
but I still think about him.
I love him very much,
and I really do want to comfort him.
21 “People of Israel, repair the road signs.
Put up signs that show the way home.
Watch the road.
Remember the road you are leaving on.
Israel, my bride, come home.
Come back to your towns.
22 Unfaithful daughter,
how long will you wander around?
“The Lord has created something new in the land:
A woman surrounding a man.[i]”
23 This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: “I will again do good things for the people of Judah. I will bring back those who were taken away as prisoners. At that time the people in the land of Judah and in its towns will once again use these words: ‘May the Lord bless you, good home and holy mountain[j]!’
24 “People in all the towns of Judah will live together in peace. Farmers and those who move around with their flocks will live peacefully together in Judah. 25 I will give rest and strength to those who are weak and tired.”
26 After hearing that, I, Jeremiah, woke up and looked around. My sleep was very pleasant.
27 “The days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will help the family of Israel and Judah to grow. I will help their children and animals to grow too. It will be like planting and caring for a plant. 28 In the past I watched over Israel and Judah, but I watched for the time to pull them up. I tore them down. I destroyed them. I gave many troubles to them. But now I will watch over them to build them up and make them strong.” This message is from the Lord.
29 “People will not use this saying anymore:
‘The parents ate the sour grapes,
but the children got the sour taste.’[k]
30 No, people will die for their own sins. Those who eat sour grapes will get the sour taste.”
The New Agreement
31 This is what the Lord said, “The time is coming when I will make a new agreement with the family of Israel and with the family of Judah. 32 It will not be like the agreement I made with their ancestors. I made that agreement when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. I was their master, but they broke that agreement.” This message is from the Lord.
33 “In the future I will make this agreement with the people of Israel.” This message is from the Lord. “I will put my teachings in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 People will not have to teach their neighbors and relatives to know the Lord, because all people, from the least important to the most important, will know me.” This message is from the Lord. “I will forgive them for the evil things they did. I will not remember their sins.”
The Lord Will Never Leave Israel
35 He makes the sun shine in the day,
and he makes the moon and the stars shine at night.
He stirs up the sea so that its waves crash on the shore.
The Lord All-Powerful is his name.
This is what the Lord says:
36 “The descendants of Israel will never stop being a nation.
That would happen only if I lost control of the sun, moon, stars, and sea.”
37 The Lord says, “I will never reject the descendants of Israel.
That would happen only if people could measure the sky above,
and learn all the secrets of the earth below.
Only then would I reject them for the bad things they have done.”
This message is from the Lord.
The New Jerusalem
38 This message is from the Lord, “The days are coming when the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt for the Lord. The whole city will be rebuilt—from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. 39 The measuring line[l] will stretch from the Corner Gate straight to the hill of Gareb and then turn to the place named Goah. 40 The whole valley where dead bodies and ashes are thrown and all the terraces down to the bottom of Kidron Valley all the way to the corner of Horse Gate will be holy to the Lord. The city of Jerusalem will never again be torn down or destroyed.”
News That Jesus Has Risen From Death(A)
16 The next day after the Sabbath day, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James bought some sweet-smelling spices to put on Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on that day, the first day of the week, the women were going to the tomb. It was very early after sunrise. 3 The women said to each other, “There is a large stone covering the entrance of the tomb. Who will move the stone for us?”
4 Then the women looked and saw that the stone was moved. The stone was very large, but it was moved away from the entrance. 5 The women walked into the tomb and saw a young man there wearing a white robe. He was sitting on the right side of the tomb. The women were afraid.
6 But the man said, “Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, the one who was killed on a cross. He has risen from death! He is not here. Look, here is the place they put him when he was dead. 7 Now go and tell his followers. And be sure to tell Peter. Tell them, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee and will be there before you come. You will see him there, as he told you before.’”
8 The women were very afraid and confused. They left the tomb and ran away. They did not tell about what happened, because they were afraid.[a]
Some Followers See Jesus(B)
9 Jesus rose from death early on the first day of the week. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. One time in the past Jesus had forced seven demons out of Mary. 10 After Mary saw Jesus, she went and told his followers. They were very sad and were crying. 11 But Mary told them that Jesus was alive. She said that she had seen Jesus, but they did not believe her.
12 Later, Jesus appeared to two followers while they were walking in the country. But Jesus did not look the same as before he was killed. 13 These followers went back to the other followers and told them what happened. Again, the followers did not believe them.
Jesus Talks to His Followers(C)
14 Later, Jesus appeared to the eleven followers while they were eating. He criticized them because they had so little faith. They were stubborn and refused to believe the people who said Jesus had risen from death.
15 He said to them, “Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But those who do not believe will be judged guilty. 17 And the people who believe will be able to do these things as proof: They will use my name to force demons out of people. They will speak in languages they never learned. 18 If they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be hurt. They will lay their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
Jesus Goes Back to Heaven(D)
19 After the Lord Jesus said these things to his followers, he was carried up into heaven. There, Jesus sat at the right side of God. 20 The followers went everywhere in the world telling people the Good News, and the Lord helped them. By giving them power to do miracles the Lord proved that their message was true.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International