M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Ark Placed in the Tent

16 And they brought in the ark of God, and set it inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. ² And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord, ³ and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat,^[a] and a cake of raisins.

⁴ Moreover he appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁵ Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechari′ah, Je-i′el, Shemi′ramoth, Jehi′el, Mattithi′ah, Eli′ab, Benai′ah, O′bed-e′dom, and Je-i′el, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, ⁶ and Benai′ah and Jaha′ziel the priests were to blow trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God.

David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving

⁷ Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brethren.

Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

Regular Worship Maintained

³⁷ So David left Asaph and his brethren there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister continually before the ark as each day required, ³⁸ and also O′bed-e′dom and his^[b] sixty-eight brethren; while O′bed-e′dom, the son of Jedu′thun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. ³⁹ And he left Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord upon the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of the Lord which he commanded Israel. ⁴¹ With them were Heman and Jedu′thun, and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures for ever. ⁴² Heman and Jedu′thun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jedu′thun were appointed to the gate.

⁴³ Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.

Taming the Tongue

3 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, for you know that we who teach shall be judged with greater strictness. ² For we all make many mistakes, and if any one makes no mistakes in what he says he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. ³ If we put bits into the mouths of horses that they may obey us, we guide their whole bodies. ⁴ Look at the ships also; though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. ⁵ So the tongue is a little member and boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!

⁶ And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature,^[a] and set on fire by hell.^{[b] 7} For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind, ⁸ but no human being can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God. ¹⁰ From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brethren, this ought not to be so. ¹¹ Does a spring pour forth from the same opening fresh water and brackish? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

Two Kinds of Wisdom

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity. ¹⁸ And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Proud Edom Will Be Brought Low

¹ The vision of Obadi′ah.

Pillage and Slaughter Will Repay Edom’s Cruelty

Edom Mistreated His Brother

Israel’s Final Triumph

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

5 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes′aret. ² And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³ Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. ⁴ And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” ⁵ And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” ⁶ And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, ⁷ they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” ⁹ For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰ and so also were James and John, sons of Zeb′edee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” ¹¹ And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

¹² While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and besought him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” ¹³ And he stretched out his hand, and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴ And he charged him to tell no one; but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.”^{[a] 15} But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and to be healed of their infirmities. ¹⁶ But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.

Jesus Heals a Paralytic

¹⁷ On one of those days, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him to heal.^{[b] 18} And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus;^{[c] 19} but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰ And when he saw their faith he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” ²¹ And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?” ²² When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? ²⁴ But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home.” ²⁵ And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay, and went home, glorifying God. ²⁶ And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.”

Jesus Calls Levi

²⁷ After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸ And he left everything, and rose and followed him.

²⁹ And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table^[d] with them. ³⁰ And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹ And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

The Question about Fasting

³³ And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” ³⁴ And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵ The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” ³⁶ He told them a parable also: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. ³⁷ And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. ³⁸ But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. ³⁹ And no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, ‘The old is good.’”^[e]