M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He spoke to the people of Israel there and said: “I brought you up from Egypt. I led you to the land I promised to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my agreement with you. 2 But in return, you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You must destroy their altars.’ But you did not obey me. How could you do this? 3 Now I will tell you this: ‘I will not force out the people in this land. They will become your enemies. Their gods will become a trap for you.’”
4 After the angel gave Israel this message from the Lord, they cried loudly. 5 So they named the place Bokim.[a] There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
Joshua Dies
6 Then Joshua told the people they could go home. So each one went to take his own share of the land. 7 The people of Israel served the Lord as long as Joshua was alive. They continued serving the Lord during the lifetimes of the elders who lived on after Joshua. These men had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel. 8 Joshua son of Nun was the servant of the Lord. Joshua died at the age of 110. 9 So the Israelites buried him in the land he had been given. That land was at Timnath Heres. It was in the mountains of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
The People Disobey
10 After those people had died, their children grew up. They did not know the Lord or what he had done for Israel. 11 So they did evil and worshiped the Baal idols. They did what the Lord said was wrong. 12 The Lord had brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. And the ancestors of these people had worshiped the Lord. But the Israelites quit following the Lord. They began to worship the gods of the people who lived around them. That made the Lord angry. 13 The Israelites quit following the Lord and worshiped Baal and Ashtoreth. 14 The Lord was angry with the people of Israel. So he let robbers attack them and take their possessions. He let their enemies who lived around them defeat them. They could not protect themselves from their enemies. 15 When the Israelites went out to fight, they always lost. They lost because the Lord was not on their side. The Lord had sworn to them this would happen. So the Israelites suffered very much.
God Chooses Judges
16 Then the Lord chose leaders called judges.[b] These leaders saved the people of Israel from the robbers. 17 But the Israelites did not listen to their judges. They were not faithful to God. They followed other gods instead. In the past the people of Israel obeyed the Lord’s commands. But now the Israelites stopped obeying the Lord. 18 Many times the enemies of Israel hurt the Israelites. So the Israelites would cry for help. And each time the Lord felt sorry for them. Each time he sent a judge to save them from their enemies. The Lord was with those judges. 19 But when each judge died, the Israelites again sinned and worshiped the false gods. They became worse than their ancestors. The Israelites were very stubborn; they refused to change their evil ways.
20 So the Lord became angry with the Israelites. He said, “These people have broken the agreement I made with their ancestors. They have not listened to me. 21 So I will no longer defeat the nations who were left when Joshua died. 22 I will use those nations to test Israel. I will see if Israel keeps the Lord’s commands as their ancestors did.” 23 In the past the Lord had permitted those nations to stay in the land. He did not quickly force them out. He did not help Joshua’s army defeat them.
Seven Men Are Chosen
6 More and more people were becoming followers of Jesus. But during this same time, the Greek-speaking followers had an argument with the other Jewish followers. The Greek-speaking Jews said that their widows were not getting their share of the food that was given out every day. 2 The 12 apostles called the whole group of followers together. They said, “It is not right for us to stop our work of teaching God’s word in order to serve tables. 3 So, brothers, choose seven of your own men. They must be men who are good. They must be full of wisdom and full of the Spirit. We will put them in charge of this work. 4 Then we can use all our time to pray and to teach the word of God.”
5 The whole group liked the idea. So they chose these seven men: Stephen (a man with great faith and full of the Holy Spirit), Philip,[a] Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (a man from Antioch who had become a Jew). 6 Then they put these men before the apostles. The apostles prayed and laid their hands on[b] the men.
7 The word of God was reaching more and more people. The group of followers in Jerusalem became larger and larger. A great number of the Jewish priests believed and obeyed.
Stephen Is Arrested
8 Stephen was richly blessed by God. God gave him the power to do great miracles and signs among the people. 9 But some Jews were against him. They belonged to a synagogue of Free Men[c] (as it was called). (This synagogue was also for Jews from Cyrene and from Alexandria.) Jews from Cilicia and Asia were also with them. They all came and argued with Stephen.
10 But the Spirit was helping him to speak with wisdom. His words were so strong that they could not argue with him. 11 So they paid some men to say, “We heard him say things against Moses and against God!”
12 This upset the people, the Jewish elders, and the teachers of the law. They came to Stephen, grabbed him and brought him to a meeting of the Jewish leaders. 13 They brought in some men to tell lies about Stephen. They said, “This man is always saying things against this holy place and the law of Moses. 14 We heard him say that Jesus from Nazareth will destroy this place. He also said that Jesus will change the things that Moses told us to do.” 15 All the people in the meeting were watching Stephen closely. His face looked like the face of an angel.
15 The Lord said to me: “I would not feel sorry for the people of Judah even if Moses and Samuel prayed for them. Send the people away from me! Tell them to go! 2 They might ask you, ‘Where will we go?’ You tell them this: ‘This is what the Lord says:
Some people are meant to die.
And they will die.
Some are meant to die in war.
And they will die in war.
Some are meant to die from hunger.
And they will die from hunger.
Some are meant to be taken as slaves to a foreign country.
And they will become slaves in that foreign country.’
3 “I will send four kinds of destroyers against them,” says the Lord. “I will send war to kill. I will send dogs to drag the bodies away. I will send birds of the air and wild animals. They will eat and destroy the bodies. 4 I will make the people of Judah hated by everyone on earth. I will do this because of what Manasseh did in Jerusalem. (Manasseh son of Hezekiah was king of the nation of Judah.)
5 “Who will feel sorry for you, Jerusalem?
Who will be sad and cry for you?
Who will go out of his way to ask how you are?
6 Jerusalem, you have left me,” says the Lord.
“You keep going farther and farther away.
So I will take hold of you and destroy you.
I am tired of holding back my anger.
7 I will separate the people of Judah with my pitchfork.
I will scatter them at the city gates of the land.
My people haven’t changed their ways.
So I will destroy them.
I will take away their children.
8 Many women will lose their husbands.
There will be more widows than the sand of the sea.
I will bring a destroyer at noontime
against the mothers of the young men of Judah.
I will suddenly bring pain and fear
on the people of Judah.
9 The enemy will attack.
I will still hand over to the killers those who are left alive from Judah.
A woman might have seven sons, but they will all die.
She will cry until she becomes weak and unable to breathe.
She will be upset and confused.
Her bright day will become dark from sadness!” says the Lord.
Jeremiah’s Second Complaint
10 Mother, I am sorry that you gave birth to me.
I am the one who must accuse and criticize the whole land.
I have not loaned or borrowed anything.
But everyone curses me.
11 The Lord said,
“I will save you for a good reason.
I will make your enemies beg you
in times of disaster and trouble.
12 No one can smash a piece of iron or bronze.
I mean the kind of iron and bronze that comes from the north.
13 The people of Judah have wealth and treasures.
But I will freely give those riches to others.
This is because the people of Judah have sinned
throughout the country.
14 I will make you slaves to your enemies.
You will be slaves in a land that you have never known.
My anger is like a hot fire.
And it will burn against you.”
15 Lord, you understand.
Remember me and take care of me.
Punish for me the people who are hurting me.
Don’t destroy me while you remain patient with them.
Think about the pain I suffer for you, Lord.
16 Your words came to me, and I listened carefully to them.
Your words made me very happy.
I was happy because I am called by your name.
Your name is the Lord God of heaven’s armies.
17 I never sat with the crowd
as they laughed and had fun.
I sat by myself because you were there.
You filled me with anger at the evil around me.
18 I don’t understand why my pain has no end.
I don’t understand why my injury is not cured or healed!
Lord, will you be like a brook that goes dry?
Will you be like a spring whose water stops flowing?
19 So this is what the Lord says:
“If you change your heart and come back to me, I will take you back.
Then you may serve me.
You must speak things that have worth.
You must not speak useless words.
Then you may speak for me.
Let the people of Judah turn to you.
But you must not change and be like them.
20 I will make you as strong as a wall to this people.
You will be as strong as a wall of bronze.
They will fight against you.
But they will not defeat you.
This is because I am with you.
I will rescue you and save you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will save you from these evil people.
I will save you from these cruel people.”
John Prepares for Jesus
1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God,[a] 2 as the prophet Isaiah wrote:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you.
He will prepare your way.” Malachi 3:1
3 “There is a voice of a man who
calls out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
Make the road straight for him.’” Isaiah 40:3
4 John was baptizing people in the desert. He preached a baptism of changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins. 5 All the people from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to John. They told about the sins they had done. Then they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7 This is what John preached to the people: “There is one coming later who is greater than I. I am not good enough even to kneel down and untie his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water. But the one who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus Is Baptized
9 At that time Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place where John was. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. 10 When Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven open. The Holy Spirit came down on him like a dove. 11 A voice came from heaven and said: “You are my Son and I love you. I am very pleased with you.”
12 Then the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert alone. 13 He was in the desert 40 days and was there with the wild animals. While he was in the desert, he was tempted by Satan. Then angels came and took care of Jesus.
Jesus Chooses Some Followers
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee and preached the Good News from God. 15 Jesus said, “The right time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Change your hearts and lives and believe the Good News!”
16 When Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee, he saw Simon[b] and Simon’s brother, Andrew. They were fishermen and were throwing a net into the lake to catch fish. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come and follow me. I will make you fishermen for men.” 18 So Simon and Andrew immediately left their nets and followed him.
19 Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two more brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat, preparing their nets to catch fish. 20 Their father Zebedee and the men who worked for him were in the boat with the brothers. When Jesus saw the brothers, he called them to come with him. They left their father and followed Jesus.
Jesus Removes an Evil Spirit
21 Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. On the Sabbath day Jesus went to the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people there were amazed at his teaching. He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like a person who had authority. 23 While he was in the synagogue, a man was there who had an evil spirit in him. The man shouted, 24 “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”
25 Jesus said strongly, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” 26 The evil spirit made the man shake violently. Then the spirit gave a loud cry and came out of him.
27 The people were amazed. They asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new. And he teaches with authority. He even gives commands to evil spirits, and they obey him.” 28 And the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many People
29 Jesus and his followers left the synagogue. They all went at once with James and John to the home of Simon[c] and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. The people there told Jesus about her. 31 So Jesus went to her bed, took her hand, and helped her up. Immediately the fever left her, and she was healed. Then she began serving them.
32 That night, after the sun went down, the people brought to Jesus all who were sick. They also brought those who had demons in them. 33 The whole town gathered at the door of the house. 34 Jesus healed many who had different kinds of sicknesses. He also forced many demons to leave people. But he would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.
35 Early the next morning, Jesus woke and left the house while it was still dark. He went to a place to be alone and pray. 36 Later, Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. 37 They found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus answered, “We should go somewhere else, to other towns around here. Then I can preach there too. That is the reason I came.” 39 So he traveled everywhere in Galilee. He preached in the synagogues and forced demons to leave people.
Jesus Heals a Sick Man
40 A man who had a harmful skin disease came to Jesus. The man fell to his knees and begged Jesus, “I know that you can heal me if you will.”
41 Jesus felt sorry for the man. So he touched him and said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” 42 At once the disease left the man, and he was healed.
43 Jesus told the man to go at once. But Jesus warned him strongly, 44 “Don’t tell anyone about what I did for you. But go and show yourself to the priest. And offer a gift to God because you have been healed. Offer the gift that Moses commanded.[d] This will show the people that you are healed.” 45 The man left there, but he told everyone he saw that Jesus had healed him. So the news about Jesus spread. That is the reason Jesus could not enter a town if people saw him. He stayed in places where nobody lived. But people came from all the towns to wherever he was.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.