M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Micah’s Idolatry
17 Now there was a man of the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. 2 He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver which were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse [a]in my hearing, behold, the silver is with me; I took it.” And his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the Lord.” 3 He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son (A)to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return [b]them to you.” 4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made [c]them into a graven image and a molten image, and [d]they were in the house of Micah. 5 And the man Micah had a [e](B)shrine and he made an (C)ephod and [f](D)household idols and [g]consecrated one of his sons, (E)that he might become his priest. 6 In those days (F)there was no king in Israel; (G)every man did what was right in his own eyes.
7 Now there was a young man from (H)Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite; and he was [h]staying there. 8 Then the man departed from the city, from Bethlehem in Judah, to [i]stay wherever he might find a place; and as he made his journey, he came to the (I)hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah. 9 Micah said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I am a Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to [j]stay wherever I may find a place.” 10 Micah then said to him, “Dwell with me and be (J)a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year, a suit of clothes, and your maintenance.” So the Levite went in. 11 The Levite agreed to live with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. 12 So Micah [k]consecrated the Levite, and the young man (K)became his priest and [l]lived in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the Lord will prosper me, seeing I have a Levite as priest.”
Paul Sails from Miletus
21 When (A)we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran (B)a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; 2 and having found a ship crossing over to (C)Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. 3 When we came in sight of (D)Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to (E)Syria and landed at (F)Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 After looking up (G)the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul [a](H)through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. 5 When [b]our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, (I)escorted us until we were out of the city. After (J)kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. 6 Then we went on board the ship, and they returned (K)home again.
7 When we had finished the voyage from (L)Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting (M)the brethren, we stayed with them for a day. 8 On the next day we left and came to (N)Caesarea, and entering the house of (O)Philip the (P)evangelist, who was (Q)one of the seven, we stayed with him. 9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were (R)prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named (S)Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he (T)took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This (U)is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will (V)bind the man who owns this belt and (W)deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’” 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him (X)not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For (Y)I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for (Z)the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “(AA)The will of the Lord be done!”
Paul at Jerusalem
15 After these days we got ready and (AB)started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of (AC)the disciples from (AD)Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of (AE)Cyprus, a (AF)disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.
17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, (AG)the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to [c](AH)James, and all (AI)the elders were present. 19 After he had greeted them, he (AJ)began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his (AK)ministry. 20 And when they heard it they began (AL)glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many [d]thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all (AM)zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are (AN)teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them (AO)not to circumcise their children nor to [e]walk according to (AP)the customs. 22 What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who [f](AQ)are under a vow; 24 take them and (AR)purify yourself along with them, and [g]pay their expenses so that they may (AS)shave their [h]heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. 25 But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, (AT)having decided that they should abstain from [i]meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication.” 26 Then Paul [j]took the men, and the next day, (AU)purifying himself along with them, (AV)went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.
Paul Seized in the Temple
27 When (AW)the seven days were almost over, (AX)the Jews from [k](AY)Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! (AZ)This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has (BA)defiled this holy place.” 29 For they had previously seen (BB)Trophimus the (BC)Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then all the city was provoked, and [l]the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they (BD)dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the [m]commander of the (BE)Roman [n]cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 At once he (BF)took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the [o]commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the [p]commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be (BG)bound with (BH)two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. 34 But among the crowd (BI)some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the [q]facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into (BJ)the barracks. 35 When he got to (BK)the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the [r]mob; 36 for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, “(BL)Away with him!”
37 As Paul was about to be brought into (BM)the barracks, he said to the [s]commander, “May I say something to you?” And he *said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not (BN)the Egyptian who some [t]time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out (BO)into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “(BP)I am a Jew of Tarsus in (BQ)Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on (BR)the stairs, (BS)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there [u]was a great hush, he spoke to them in the [v](BT)Hebrew dialect, saying,
Deliverance from Captivity Promised
30 The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘(A)Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book. 3 For behold, (B)days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will (C)restore the [a]fortunes of My people (D)Israel and Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘I will also (E)bring them back to the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’”
4 Now these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah:
5 “For thus says the Lord,
‘[b]I have heard a sound of (F)terror,
Of dread, and there is no peace.
6 ‘Ask now, and see
If a male can give birth.
Why do I see every man
With his hands on his loins, (G)as a woman in childbirth?
And why have all faces turned pale?
7 ‘Alas! for that (H)day is great,
There is (I)none like it;
And it is the time of Jacob’s (J)distress,
But he will be (K)saved from it.
8 ‘It shall come about on that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘that I will (L)break his yoke from off [c]their neck and will tear off [d]their (M)bonds; and strangers will no longer (N)make [e]them their slaves. 9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and (O)David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
10 ‘(P)Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,
‘And do not be dismayed, O Israel;
For behold, I will save you (Q)from afar
And your [f]offspring from the land of their captivity.
And Jacob will return and will be (R)quiet and at ease,
And (S)no one will make him afraid.
11 ‘For (T)I am with you,’ declares the Lord, ‘to save you;
For I will (U)destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you,
Only I will (V)not destroy you completely.
But I will (W)chasten you justly
And will by no means leave you unpunished.’
12 “For thus says the Lord,
‘Your wound is incurable
And your (X)injury is serious.
13 ‘There is no one to plead your cause;
No healing for your sore,
(Y)No recovery for you.
14 ‘All your (Z)lovers have forgotten you,
They do not seek you;
For I have (AA)wounded you with the wound of an enemy,
With the (AB)punishment of a (AC)cruel one,
Because your (AD)iniquity is great
And your (AE)sins are numerous.
15 ‘Why do you cry out over your injury?
Your pain is incurable.
Because your iniquity is great
And your sins are numerous,
I have done these things to you.
16 ‘Therefore all who (AF)devour you will be devoured;
And all your adversaries, every one of them, (AG)will go into captivity;
And those who plunder you will be for plunder,
And all who prey upon you I will give for prey.
17 ‘For I will [g]restore you to [h](AH)health
And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord,
‘Because they have called you an (AI)outcast, saying:
“It is Zion; no one [i]cares for her.”’
Restoration of Jacob
18 “Thus says the Lord,
‘Behold, I will (AJ)restore the [j]fortunes of the tents of Jacob
And (AK)have compassion on his dwelling places;
And the (AL)city will be rebuilt on its ruin,
And the (AM)palace will stand on its rightful place.
19 ‘From them will proceed (AN)thanksgiving
And the voice of those who [k](AO)celebrate;
And I will (AP)multiply them and they will not be diminished;
I will also (AQ)honor them and they will not be insignificant.
20 ‘[l]Their children also will be as formerly,
And [m]their congregation shall be (AR)established before Me;
And I will punish all [n]their oppressors.
21 ‘[o]Their (AS)leader shall be one of them,
And [p]their ruler shall come forth from [q]their midst;
And I will (AT)bring him near and he shall approach Me;
For [r]who would dare to risk his life to (AU)approach Me?’ declares the Lord.
22 ‘You shall be (AV)My people,
And I will be your God.’”
23 Behold, the (AW)tempest of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
A [s]sweeping tempest;
It will burst on the head of the wicked.
24 The (AX)fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
Until He has performed and until He has accomplished
The intent of His heart;
In the (AY)latter days you will understand this.
Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy
31 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the (AZ)God of all the (BA)families of Israel, and they shall be My people.”
2 Thus says the Lord,
“The people who survived the sword
(BB)Found grace in the wilderness—
Israel, when it went to (BC)find its rest.”
3 The Lord appeared to [t]him from afar, saying,
“I have (BD)loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with (BE)lovingkindness.
4 “(BF)Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt,
O virgin of Israel!
Again you will [u]take up your (BG)tambourines,
And go forth to the dances of the (BH)merrymakers.
5 “Again you will (BI)plant vineyards
On the [v]hills of Samaria;
The planters will plant
And will [w]enjoy them.
6 “For there will be a day when watchmen
On the hills of Ephraim call out,
‘Arise, and (BJ)let us go up to Zion,
To the Lord our God.’”
7 For thus says the Lord,
“(BK)Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
And shout among the [x](BL)chief of the nations;
Proclaim, give praise and say,
‘O Lord, (BM)save Your people,
The (BN)remnant of Israel.’
8 “Behold, I am (BO)bringing them from the north country,
And I will (BP)gather them from the remote parts of the earth,
Among them the (BQ)blind and the (BR)lame,
The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together;
A great [y]company, they will return here.
9 “(BS)With weeping they will come,
And by supplication I will lead them;
I will make them walk by (BT)streams of waters,
On a straight path in which they will (BU)not stumble;
For I am a (BV)father to Israel,
And Ephraim is (BW)My firstborn.”
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations,
And declare in the (BX)coastlands afar off,
And say, “He who scattered Israel will (BY)gather him
And keep him as a (BZ)shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For the Lord has (CA)ransomed Jacob
And redeemed him from the hand of him who was (CB)stronger than he.
12 “They will (CC)come and shout for joy on the (CD)height of Zion,
And they will be (CE)radiant over the [z]bounty of the Lord—
Over the (CF)grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the (CG)flock and the herd;
And their life will be like a (CH)watered garden,
And they will (CI)never languish again.
13 “Then the virgin will rejoice in the (CJ)dance,
And the young men and the old, together,
For I will (CK)turn their mourning into joy
And will comfort them and give them (CL)joy for their sorrow.
14 “I will [aa]fill the soul of the priests with [ab]abundance,
And My people will be (CM)satisfied with My goodness,” declares the Lord.
15 Thus says the Lord,
“(CN)A voice is heard in (CO)Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping.
Rachel is weeping for her children;
She (CP)refuses to be comforted for her children,
Because (CQ)they are no more.”
16 Thus says the Lord,
“(CR)Restrain your voice from weeping
And your eyes from tears;
For your (CS)work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord,
“And they will (CT)return from the land of the enemy.
17 “There is (CU)hope for your future,” declares the Lord,
“And your children will return to their own territory.
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim (CV)grieving,
‘You have (CW)chastised me, and I was chastised,
Like an untrained (CX)calf;
(CY)Bring me back that I may be restored,
For You are the Lord my God.
19 ‘For after I turned back, I (CZ)repented;
And after I was instructed, I (DA)smote on my thigh;
I was (DB)ashamed and also humiliated
Because I bore the reproach of my youth.’
20 “Is (DC)Ephraim My dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him;
Therefore My [ac](DD)heart yearns for him;
I will surely (DE)have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.
21 “Set up for yourself roadmarks,
Place for yourself guideposts;
(DF)Direct your [ad]mind to the highway,
The way by which you went.
(DG)Return, O virgin of Israel,
Return to these your cities.
22 “How long will you go here and there,
O (DH)faithless daughter?
For the Lord has created a new thing in the earth—
A woman will encompass a man.”
23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities when I (DI)restore their [ae]fortunes,
24 Judah and all its cities will (DL)dwell together in it, the farmer and they who go about with flocks. 25 (DM)For I satisfy the weary ones and [af]refresh everyone who languishes.” 26 At this I (DN)awoke and looked, and my (DO)sleep was pleasant to me.
A New Covenant
27 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will (DP)sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast. 28 As I have (DQ)watched over them to (DR)pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to (DS)build and to plant,” declares the Lord.
29 “In those days they will not say again,
‘(DT)The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children’s teeth are [ag]set on edge.’
30 But (DU)everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be [ah]set on edge.
31 “(DV)Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a (DW)new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the (DX)covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I (DY)took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My (DZ)covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But (EA)this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “(EB)I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and (EC)I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will (ED)not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all (EE)know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will (EF)forgive their iniquity, and their (EG)sin I will remember no more.”
35 Thus says the Lord,
Who (EH)gives the sun for light by day
And the [ai]fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night,
Who (EI)stirs up the sea so that its waves roar;
(EJ)The Lord of hosts is His name:
36 “(EK)If [aj]this fixed order departs
From before Me,” declares the Lord,
“Then the offspring of Israel also will (EL)cease
From being a nation before Me [ak]forever.”
37 Thus says the Lord,
“(EM)If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the earth searched out below,
Then I will also (EN)cast off all the offspring of Israel
For all that they have done,” declares the Lord.
38 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the (EO)city will be rebuilt for the Lord from the (EP)Tower of Hananel to the (EQ)Corner Gate. 39 The (ER)measuring line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to Goah. 40 And (ES)the whole valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook (ET)Kidron, to the corner of the (EU)Horse Gate toward the east, shall be (EV)holy to the Lord; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.”
The Resurrection
16 (A)When the Sabbath was over, (B)Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of [a]James, and Salome, (C)bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they *came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away (D)the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 Looking up, they *saw that the stone had been rolled away, [b]although it was extremely large. 5 (E)Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they (F)were amazed. 6 And he *said to them, “(G)Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the (H)Nazarene, who has been crucified. (I)He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘(J)He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” 8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
9 [[c]Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to (K)Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 (L)She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, (M)they refused to believe it.
12 After that, (N)He appeared in a different form (O)to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they (P)did not believe them either.
The Disciples Commissioned
14 Afterward (Q)He appeared (R)to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their (S)unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. 15 And He said to them, “(T)Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16 (U)He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. 17 These [d]signs will accompany those who have believed: (V)in My name they will cast out demons, they will (W)speak with new tongues; 18 they will (X)pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will (Y)lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then, when the Lord Jesus had (Z)spoken to them, He (AA)was received up into heaven and (AB)sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the [e]signs that followed.]
[[f]And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.]
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.