M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Kingdoms on the east side of the Jordan River
12 The Israelites killed these kings who ruled on the east side of the Jordan River. They destroyed them and they took their land. Their land went from the Arnon valley to Hermon mountain. It included all the land on the east side of the Jordan Valley.
2 They killed Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon. He ruled half of the Gilead region. That is from Aroer that was on the edge of the Arnon valley, as far as the Jabbok river. The Ammonites had the land on the other side of the river. 3 King Sihon's land also went along the east side of the Jordan Valley from the sea of Galilee to the Salt Sea. His land went south to Beth Jeshimoth and as far as Pisgah mountain.
4 They killed Og, king of Bashan. He was one of the last Rephaites. He lived in Ashtaroth and in Edrei. 5 He ruled the land from Hermon mountain and Salecah in the north, and all of the Bashan region in the east. His land went as far as the borders of the kingdoms of Geshur and Maakah. He ruled half of the Gilead region, as far as the border of King Sihon of Heshbon.
6 The Lord's servant, Moses, and the Israelites won against these kings. Moses gave their land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh to live in.[a]
Kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan River
7 Joshua and the Israelites killed these kings who ruled on the west side of the Jordan River. Joshua gave these kings' land to the Israelite tribes for them to live in. He gave a different piece of land to each tribe. Their land went from Baal Gad in the Lebanon valley to Halak mountain, which is near Seir. 8 This included the hill country, the low hills in the west, the Jordan Valley, the mountains, the wilderness and the Negev. That was the land that belonged to the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 Joshua took the land of these kings:
king of Jericho,
king of Ai (near Bethel),
10 king of Jerusalem,
king of Hebron,
11 king of Jarmuth,
king of Lachish,
12 king of Eglon,
king of Gezer,
13 king of Debir,
king of Geder,
14 king of Hormah,
king of Arad,
15 king of Libnah,
king of Adullam,
16 king of Makkedah,
king of Bethel,
17 king of Tappuah,
king of Hepher,
18 king of Aphek,
king of Lasharon,
19 king of Madon,
king of Hazor,
20 king of Shimron Meron,
king of Acshaph,
21 king of Taanach,
king of Megiddo,
22 king of Kedesh,
king of Jokneam in Carmel,
23 king of Dor in Naphoth Dor,
king of Goyim in Gilgal,
24 king of Tirzah.
Joshua and the Israelites took the land of these 31 kings.[b]
The land that remained for Israel to take
13 Joshua had become a very old man.[c] The Lord said to him, ‘You are now very old. There is still a lot of land that you have not yet taken. 2 This is the land left for you to take: All the land of the Philistines and the Geshurites. 3 Their land goes from the Shihor river on the east side of Egypt, to the border of Ekron's land. That part belongs to the Canaanites. The land of the Philistine rulers in Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron. There is also the land of the Avvites in the south.[d] 4 You must take all the land of the Canaanites, which goes from Arah in Sidon region, and continues to Aphek, as far as the border of the Amorites. 5 There is also the land of the Gebalites, and all of Lebanon in the east. That land goes from Baal Gad at the side of Hermon mountain, to Lebo-Hamath.
6 I myself will chase out all the people of Sidon in front of the Israelites. I will chase them out of the hill country, from Lebanon as far as Misrephoth Maim. You must give this land to the tribes of Israel, as I have already told you. 7 Each of the nine tribes, and the half tribe of Manasseh, must receive its own part of the land.’[e]
How Moses had given land to some tribes
8 Moses had already given land to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the other half of Manasseh. Their land was on the east side of the Jordan River. Moses, the Lord's servant, had given a piece of land to each tribe.
9 Their land went from Aroer, on the edge of the Arnon valley and the town in the middle of the valley. It included all the flat land of Medeba, as far as Dibon. 10 It included all the towns of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon. It went to the border of the Amorites' land. 11 It included the land of Gilead, and the land of the Geshurites and Maakathites. It included all of Hermon mountain, and Bashan as far as Salecah. 12 (That was the kingdom of King Og in Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth and Edrei. He was one of the last of the Rephaites.) Moses had won a fight against them and he had taken their land. 13 But the Israelites did not chase out the Geshurites and the Maakathites, so they still live there among the Israelites.
14 Moses had given no land to the tribe of Levi. This was because God had made the Levites a promise. He had made a rule that they would receive their food from the sacrifices and offerings that the other tribes gave to the Lord God of Israel. The Levites received that, instead of land for themselves.
Land for Reuben's tribe
15 This is the part of the land that Moses gave to the clans of Reuben's tribe.
16 He gave them the land from Aroer by the edge of the Arnon valley and the town in the middle of the valley. 17 And he gave them all the flat land past Medeba in Heshbon. It included Dibon, Bamoth Baal, Beth Baal Meon, 18 Jahaz and Kedemoth. It also included Mephaath, 19 Kiriathaim, Sibmah and Zereth Shahar. Zereth was on a hill in the middle of the valley. 20 Their land included Beth Peor, and the sides of Pisgah mountain, and Beth Jeshimoth town. 21 Moses gave them all the towns on the flat land. He gave them all the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites. Sihon had ruled from Hebron. But Moses had won the fight against him and the Midianite kings, Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. These kings had ruled with Sihon and they lived in his land. 22 The Israelites had killed the prophet Balaam, son of Beor, when they killed soldiers in the battle.[f] He had used magic to help Balak fight against Israel. 23 The border of Reuben's land was the Jordan River.
Moses gave these towns and their villages to the tribe of Reuben, family by family.
Land for Gad's tribe
24 This is the part of the land that Moses gave to the clans of Gad's tribe.
25 He gave them the land of Jazer, the towns of Gilead and half the land of the Ammonites. Their land went as far as Aroer, a town which was near Rabbah. 26 It went from Heshbon to Ramath Mizpah and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the land of Debir. 27 Moses gave Gad these towns in the valley: Beth Haram, Beth Nimrah, Succoth and Zaphon. He gave them the rest of the land of Sihon, king of Heshbon. This was on the east side of the Jordan River, up to the edge of the sea of Galilee.
28 Moses gave these towns and their villages to the tribe of Gad, family by family.
Land for half of Manasseh's tribe
29 This is the land that Moses gave to half the tribe of Manasseh, clan by clan.
30 He gave them the land from Mahanaim, the land of Bashan, all the land ruled by Og, king of Bashan. It included all the 60 towns of Jair in Bashan. 31 It included half of Gilead, Ashtaroth and Edrei. (These were the cities that belonged to King Og in Bashan.) This land was for half the descendants of Makir, Manasseh's son, to live in, family by family.
32 Moses gave all that land to those tribes, while they were still on the east side of the Jordan River. They were in Moab, on the flat land near Jericho. 33 Moses gave no part of the land to Levi's tribe. The Lord himself, Israel's God, would be their part, as he had promised them.
This is a song that David wrote to praise God.
An alphabet of praise[a]
145 Always I will praise you, my God and my king,
and I will say how great you are!
2 Because you are good, I will praise you every day.
Yes, I will always praise your name.
3 Clearly the Lord is great!
He is so great that we cannot understand it.
4 Down from father to son, people will praise you.
They will tell each other about the powerful things that you have done.
5 Everyone will speak about your glory and authority.
I also will think carefully about your great miracles.
6 Famous are the powerful things that you have done.
People will talk about them.
I also will speak about the great things that you do.
7 Good things are what everybody will remember about you.
They will sing about your justice.
8 How very kind the Lord is!
He is very patient and his faithful love continues.
9 It is the Lord who takes care of everybody.
He is kind to everything that he has made.
10 Join together to thank the Lord!
Everything that he has made will praise him.
Your own people will praise you, Lord!
11 King is who you are and your kingdom is great!
People will speak about your royal authority.
12 Let everyone agree that you do great things!
Let them say that you rule with great authority.
13 Many years your kingdom will remain, even for ever.
You will always rule your people and their descendants.
Nothing that the Lord promises is false.
He is kind in everything that he does.[b]
14 Often people fall, but the Lord lifts them up.
He helps everyone who has trouble.
15 People look to you for help.
You give them food when they need it.
16 Ready to help, you open your hand.
You give to every living thing the good things that they want.
17 So the Lord is fair in all that he does.
He always shows how much he loves us.
18 The Lord is ready to help everyone who asks him.
He is near to everyone who prays honestly.
19 Very kindly he gives his own people the things that they need.
He saves them when they call to him for help.
20 Whoever loves the Lord, he keeps safe.
But he destroys wicked people.
21 Yes, I will praise the Lord!
Everyone who lives should praise his holy name for ever!
Jeremiah warns the people of Jerusalem
6 You descendants of Benjamin,
you must run away to be safe!
Escape from Jerusalem!
Make a noise with a trumpet in Tekoa!
Light a fire to warn people in Beth-Hakkerem!
A great army is coming from the north.
It will come to destroy everything!
2 Jerusalem is a beautiful city,
like a daughter that I love.
She cannot protect herself,
and I will destroy her.
3 Kings will come to attack the city.
They will bring their armies,
like shepherds with their sheep.
They will make their camps all around the city.
Each of them will take their own piece of land.
4 They will say to their soldiers,
‘Get ready to attack the city!
We will attack at noon!’
But if the day is almost finished, they will say,
‘It is already evening and it will soon be dark.
5 So we should attack them in the night.
We will destroy all their strong buildings!’
6 This will happen because Lord Almighty has said,
‘Cut down the trees around Jerusalem.
Use them to build towers to the top of the city's walls.
I must punish Jerusalem.
It is full of cruel people.
7 They never stop doing wicked things,
like water that pours out from a spring.
It is full of the noise of violence and fights.
Everywhere I see people who have disease and wounds.
8 Listen to me as I warn you, Jerusalem.
If not, I will turn away from you.
I will destroy you completely.
Nobody will live on your land any more.’
9 The Lord Almighty said this:
‘I will let the enemy take all the people from Israel,
like a farmer who picks all the grapes from his vine.
So check the vines carefully,
to see if there are some grapes that you can save.’
10 I replied,
‘If I speak to people and I warn them,
nobody will listen to me.
They have shut their ears so that they cannot hear.
They hate the Lord's message.
They do not want to hear it.
11 I am as angry with them as you are, Lord.
I can no longer control my anger.’
The Lord replied,
‘Tell everyone how angry you are!
Tell the children who play in the streets,
Tell the young men who meet together.
Include all the men and their wives,
as well as the old people, and those who are near to death.
12 I will give their houses to other people to live in.
Other people will take their fields and their wives.
Yes, I will punish the people who live in this land.’
That is what the Lord says.
13 ‘They all cheat other people to get what they want.
Important people and ordinary people do that.
Prophets and priests do that.
They love to deceive people.
14 They tell my people that their wounds are not bad.
They say to them,
“No problem! You will have peace!”
But there will be no peace for my people.
15 They are not ashamed of the disgusting things that they do.
They do not even know what shame is.
They have forgotten how to be ashamed.
So they will fall to the ground,
as other people have fallen.
When I decide to punish them,
that will be the end of them.’
That is what the Lord says.
16 The Lord said to his people,
‘Stand at the place where the roads cross,
and look carefully.
Ask where the ways of your ancestors are.[a]
Find the good way, and go along that way.
Then you will live in peace.’
But the people said, ‘No, we will not go that way. ’
17 The Lord said,
‘I sent my prophets to warn you of danger.
They said, “Listen for the noise of the trumpet!
That will tell you when danger is near.”
But you said, “We do not want to listen.”
18 So listen to me, all you nations.
Look carefully!
See what will happen to my people.
19 Hear me, all people on the earth.
I will cause great trouble for my people.
I will punish them as a result of their wrong thoughts.
They have not listened to my messages.
They have turned against my law.
20 They may offer to me sweet incense that comes from Sheba.
But that does not please me.
The spices that they bring from lands far away
do not please me either.
I will not accept the burnt offerings or other sacrifices
that they offer to me.’
21 So this is what the Lord says:
‘I will send troubles to make these people fall down.
Fathers and their children will all fall to the ground.
Their friends and their neighbours will die.’
22 This is what the Lord says:
‘Look! An army is coming from the north.
A great nation is preparing to attack you
from a place that is far away.
23 Its soldiers carry bows and spears as their weapons.
They are always cruel and they are never kind.
They ride into the battle on their horses,
and it sounds like the noise of the sea.
They are ready to attack you,
people of Jerusalem.’
24 The people say,
‘We have heard news about them,
and we are very frightened.
We feel too weak to fight.
We are afraid and in pain,
like a woman who is giving birth.
25 Do not go out into the fields.
Do not travel on the roads.
Our enemies are everywhere.
They have their swords ready to attack us.
Danger is all around us.’
26 So I say, ‘My dear people, show that you are sorry.
Wear sackcloth and sit in ashes.
Weep and cry aloud,
as if your only child had died.
Realize that the enemy's army will soon be here
and they are ready to destroy us.’
27 The Lord said to me,
‘I have sent you to test my people.
Test them like someone tests metal.
Watch them carefully,
to see how they live.
28 They have completely turned against God.
They refuse to change their minds.
They tell lies against people,
and they cheat them.
29 A very hot fire can remove the dirt from silver
and make it pure.
I punish my people to make them pure,
but it is useless.
There are too many wicked people,
so I cannot make them pure.
30 I, the Lord, cannot accept them,
so they are like useless silver.’
Jesus tells a story about some workers in a field
20 Jesus said, ‘I will tell you a story to show what the kingdom of heaven is like. There was an important man who had a field where he grew grapes. He went out early in the morning. He wanted to find some people who would work in his field. 2 The master agreed with the workers that he would pay them one silver coin for a day's work.[a] Then he sent them to work in the field.
3 The master went out again about three hours later. He saw some other men standing in the market place. They had no work to do. 4 So the master said to these men, “You also go and work in my field. I will pay you the right amount of money.” 5 So the workers went to the master's field and started to work.
The master went out again at noon, and he went again three hours after that. Both times he sent men to his field to work. 6 Two hours later, at five o'clock, he went out again. He found more men who were standing there. And they had no work to do. The master asked them, “Why are you standing here all day and you are not working?”
7 The men said to the master, “Nobody has asked us to work for him.”
So the master said to them, “You also go now and work in my field.”
8 Then the evening came. The master of the field spoke to the man who had authority over the workers. He said to him, “Tell the workers to come here. Pay them their money. Begin with the workers who started to work at the end of the day. Finish with the workers who started first.”
9 The workers who had come to work at five o'clock in the evening received one silver coin each. 10 The workers who had come to work first thought that they would receive more than the other workers. But each of them also received one silver coin. 11 When they received their money, they were not happy. They told the master that he had not been fair to them. 12 They said to him, “Some of these other workers came last and only worked for one hour. But you have paid them the same money as you paid us. And we have worked all day in the hot sun.”
13 Then the master said to one of the workers, “My friend, I am being fair to you. You agreed to work for one day and to receive one silver coin. 14 Take your money and go home. I choose to give this last man the same amount of money as I gave to you. 15 It is my money. I can choose what to do with it. I want to be kind to people and give them more than we agreed. Does that make you upset?” ’
16 Jesus then said, ‘So, one day, those people who are not important now will become the most important. Those people who are very important now will become the least important.’
Jesus talks again about how he will die
17 Jesus and his disciples were going towards Jerusalem. As they walked along, Jesus took his 12 disciples away from the other people where he could speak to them alone. 18 ‘Listen!’ he said to them. ‘We are going to Jerusalem. There, someone will deliver the Son of Man to the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law. These Jewish leaders will decide that I must die. 19 Then they will take me and they will deliver me to people who are not Jews. They will laugh at me. They will hit me with whips. Then they will kill me on a cross.[b] But after three days, I will become alive again.’
The mother of James and John asks Jesus for something
20 Then the mother of James and John took them to see Jesus. (Their father was Zebedee.) She went down on her knees in front of Jesus. She asked him to do something good for her.
21 ‘What do you want me to do?’ Jesus asked her.
She said, ‘One day, you will be king. Then I want my two sons to rule with you. One may sit at your right side and the other one at your left side. Please will you do this?’
22 Jesus said to them, ‘You do not understand what you are asking for. I will have much pain and trouble. Are you ready to have the same pain?’
James and John replied, ‘Yes, we can do that.’
23 Jesus said to them, ‘Yes, that is true. You will have pain and trouble like mine. But I cannot promise that you will sit at my right side or at my left side. My Father God has chosen the people who will sit there. He has prepared the places for those people.’
24 When the other ten disciples heard about this, they were angry with the two brothers. 25 Then Jesus told all the 12 disciples to come to him. He said to them, ‘You know the things that rulers of other countries do. They show that they have great power over their people. The leaders of those countries use great authority over their people. 26 But you should not be like that. The person who wants to be great among you must become your servant. 27 The person who wants to be the most important person among you must work hard for everyone else. 28 Even the Son of Man himself came to earth to be a servant to other people. He did not come here to have servants who must work for him. No, he came to die so that many people can be free.’
Jesus causes two men to see near Jericho
29 Later, Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho. A large crowd of people followed him. 30 Two men were sitting at the side of the road. They were blind. But they heard that Jesus was walking past them. So they shouted, ‘Master! Son of David![c] Please be kind to us and help us.’
31 The people who were in the crowd were angry with them. They told them that they should be quiet. But the men shouted even louder, ‘Master! Son of David! Please help us!’
32 Jesus stopped there. He asked the two men, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
33 ‘Sir,’ the men replied, ‘we want to see again.’
34 Jesus felt sorry for the two men. He touched their eyes and immediately the men could see again. So they followed Jesus along the road.
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