M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 17
Jehoshaphat’s Zeal for the Law. 1 His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king and strengthened his position against Israel.(A) 2 He placed armed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim which Asa his father had taken. 3 The Lord was with Jehoshaphat,[a] for he walked in the earlier ways of David his father, and did not seek the Baals. 4 Rather, he sought the God of his father and walked in his commands, and not the practices of Israel. 5 Through him, the Lord made the kingdom secure, and all Judah gave Jehoshaphat gifts, so that great wealth and glory was his. 6 Thus he was encouraged[b] to follow the Lord’s ways, and once again he removed the high places and the asherahs from Judah.(B)
7 In the third year of his reign he sent his officials, Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah. 8 With them he sent the Levites Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, and Tobijah, together with Elishama and Jehoram the priests.(C) 9 They taught in Judah, having with them the book of the law of the Lord; they traveled through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people.(D)
His Power. 10 Now the fear of the Lord was upon all the kingdoms of the countries surrounding Judah, so that they did not war against Jehoshaphat. 11 Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat gifts and a tribute of silver; the Arabians also brought him a flock of seven thousand seven hundred rams and seven thousand seven hundred he-goats.
12 Jehoshaphat grew ever greater. He built strongholds and store cities in Judah. 13 He carried out many works in the cities of Judah, and he had soldiers, valiant warriors, in Jerusalem. 14 This was their mustering according to their ancestral houses. From Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him three hundred thousand valiant warriors. 15 Next to him, Jehohanan the commander, and with him two hundred eighty thousand. 16 Next to him, Amasiah, son of Zichri, who offered himself to the Lord, and with him two hundred thousand valiant warriors. 17 From Benjamin: Eliada, a valiant warrior, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and buckler. 18 Next to him, Jehozabad, and with him one hundred and eighty thousand equipped for war. 19 These attended the king; in addition to those whom the king had stationed in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
IV. The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Plagues, with Interludes[a]
Chapter 6[b]
The First Six Seals. 1 [c]Then I watched while the Lamb broke open the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures cry out in a voice like thunder, “Come forward.” 2 I looked, and there was a white horse, and its rider had a bow.[d] He was given a crown, and he rode forth victorious to further his victories.(A)
3 When he broke open the second seal, I heard the second living creature cry out, “Come forward.” 4 [e](B)Another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take peace away from the earth, so that people would slaughter one another. And he was given a huge sword.
5 When he broke open the third seal, I heard the third living creature cry out, “Come forward.” I looked, and there was a black horse,[f] and its rider held a scale in his hand. 6 I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures. It said, “A ration of wheat costs a day’s pay,[g] and three rations of barley cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil or the wine.”(C)
7 When he broke open the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature cry out, “Come forward.” 8 I looked, and there was a pale green[h] horse. Its rider was named Death, and Hades accompanied him. They were given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill with sword, famine, and plague, and by means of the beasts of the earth.(D)
9 When he broke open the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar[i] the souls of those who had been slaughtered because of the witness they bore to the word of God. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, “How long will it be, holy and true master,[j] before you sit in judgment and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?” 11 Each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to be patient a little while longer until the number was filled of their fellow servants and brothers who were going to be killed as they had been.
12 [k]Then I watched while he broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; the sun turned as black as dark sackcloth[l] and the whole moon became like blood.(E) 13 The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs[m] shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind. 14 Then the sky was divided[n] like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.(F) 15 The kings of the earth, the nobles,[o] the military officers, the rich, the powerful, and every slave and free person hid themselves in caves and among mountain crags. 16 They cried out to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb,(G) 17 because the great day of their[p] wrath has come and who can withstand it?”
Chapter 2
Second Vision: The Four Horns and the Four Smiths. 1 I raised my eyes and looked and there were four horns.[a] 2 Then I asked the angel who spoke with me, “What are those?” He answered, “Those are the horns that scattered[b] Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.”(A)
3 Then the Lord showed me four workmen.[c] 4 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And the Lord said, “Those are the horns that scattered Judah, so that none could raise their heads any more;(B) and these have come to terrify them—to cut down the horns of the nations that raised their horns to scatter the land of Judah.”
Third Vision: The Man with the Measuring Cord. 5 I raised my eyes and looked, and there was a man with a measuring cord[d] in his hand.(C) 6 I asked, “Where are you going?” And he said, “To measure Jerusalem—to see how great its width is and how great its length.”
7 Then the angel who spoke with me advanced as another angel came out to meet him 8 and he said to the latter, “Run, speak to that official:[e] Jerusalem will be unwalled, because of the abundance of people and beasts in its midst.(D) 9 I will be an encircling wall of fire[f] for it—oracle of the Lord—and I will be the glory in its midst.”(E)
Expansion on the Themes of the First Three Visions. 10 Up! Up! Flee from the land of the north[g]—oracle of the Lord;—For like the four winds of heaven I have dispersed you—oracle of the Lord.(F) 11 Up, Zion! Escape, you who dwell in daughter Babylon! 12 For thus says the Lord of hosts after the Lord’s glory had sent me, concerning the nations that have plundered you: Whoever strikes you strikes me directly in the eye.(G) 13 Now I wave my hand over them, and they become plunder for their own servants.(H) Thus you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me. 14 Sing and rejoice, daughter Zion! Now, I am coming to dwell in your midst—oracle of the Lord. 15 Many nations will bind themselves to the Lord on that day.(I) They will be my people,[h] and I will dwell in your midst. Then you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. 16 The Lord will inherit Judah(J) as his portion of the holy land,[i] and the Lord will again choose Jerusalem. 17 Silence, all people, in the presence of the Lord, who stirs forth from his holy dwelling.(K)
Chapter 5[a]
Cure on a Sabbath. 1 After this, there was a feast[b] of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.(A) 2 Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep [Gate][c] a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.(B) 3 In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.[d] [4 ][e] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”(C) 9 Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.(D)
Now that day was a sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.”(E) 11 He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” 13 The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.(F) 14 [f]After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,(G) “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. 16 Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.(H) 17 [g]But Jesus answered them,(I) “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” 18 For this reason the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.(J)
The Work of the Son. 19 [h]Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his father doing;(K) for what he does, his son will do also. 20 For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.(L) 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,[i] so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.(M) 22 Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment[j] to his Son,(N) 23 so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life.(O) 25 Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.(P) 26 For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to his Son the possession of life in himself.(Q) 27 And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man.(R) 28 [k]Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice(S) 29 and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.(T)
30 “I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.(U)
Witnesses to Jesus. 31 (V)“If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony cannot be verified. 32 But there is another[l] who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. 33 You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth.(W) 34 I do not accept testimony from a human being, but I say this so that you may be saved.(X) 35 He was a burning and shining lamp,[m] and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light.(Y) 36 But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me.(Z) 37 Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form,(AA) 38 and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent.(AB) 39 You search[n] the scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf.(AC) 40 But you do not want to come to me to have life.
Unbelief of Jesus’ Hearers. 41 “I do not accept human praise;[o] 42 moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you.(AD) 43 I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him.(AE) 44 How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?(AF) 45 Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope.(AG) 46 For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me.(AH) 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.