M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rehoboam’s Foolish Choices(A)
10 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, because all of Israel went there to install him as king. 2 Nebat’s son Jeroboam heard about it in Egypt, where he had fled to get away from Solomon the king. Jeroboam returned from Egypt 3 after being summoned. When Jeroboam and all of Israel arrived, they spoke to Rehoboam, 4 “Your father made our burdens unbearable.[a] Therefore you must lighten your father’s requirements and his heavy burden that he placed on us, and we’ll serve you.”
5 “Come back again in three days,” Rehoboam[b] told them. So the people left 6 while King Rehoboam conferred with his advisors who had worked with his father Solomon during his administration. He asked them, “What is your advice as to what response I should return to these people?”
7 In reply, they told him, “If you will be kind to this people, please them, and speak appropriately to them with kind words, they’ll serve you forever.”
8 But Rehoboam[c] ignored the counsel that his elder advisors had given him. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him and worked for[d] him. 9 As a result, he asked them, “What’s your advice, so we can give an answer to these people who have asked me, ‘Please lighten the burden that your father put on us’?”
10 “This is what you should tell the people who asked you: ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you must make it lighter for us!’” the young men who had grown up with Rehoboam[e] replied. “Tell them ‘My little finger will be thicker than my father’s whole body![f] 11 Not only that, but since my father loaded you down heavily, I’m going to add to that burden. If my father disciplined you with whips, I’m going to do so[g] with scorpions!’”
12 So Jeroboam and all the people went back to Rehoboam on the third day, just as they had been directed when the king said, “Come back again in three days.” 13 But the king answered them strictly and ignored the counsel of his elders. 14 Instead, Rehoboam[h] spoke to them along the lines of what the younger men suggested. He told them, “My father burdened you heavily, but I will add to that burden. If my father disciplined you with whips, I will, too—with scorpions!”
15 The king would not listen to the people because the turn of events was from God, so that the Lord might fulfill his prediction that he spoke through Nebat’s son Ahijah the Shilonite. 16 All of Israel—since the king wasn’t going to listen to them—the people responded to the king, “What’s the point in following David? We have no inheritance in the descendants of Jesse. Let’s go home,[i] Israel! David, take care of your own household!” So all of Israel left for home.[j] 17 And so Rehoboam ruled over the Israelis who lived in the cities of Judah.
18 King Rehoboam sent Hadoram, who was in charge of conscripted labor, but the Israelis stoned him to death, and King Rehoboam had to jump in his chariot and flee back in a hurry to Jerusalem. 19 That’s how Israel came to be in rebellion against David’s dynasty to this day.
The Revelation of Jesus the Messiah to the Seven Churches
1 This is[a] the revelation of Jesus the Messiah,[b] which God gave him to show his servants the things that must happen soon. He made it known by sending his messenger[c] to his servant John, 2 who testified about this message from God and the testimony about Jesus the Messiah.[d] 3 How blessed is the one who reads aloud and those who hear the words of this prophecy and obey what is written in it, for the time is near!
4 From[e] John to the seven churches in Asia. May grace and peace be yours from the one who is, who was, and who is coming, from the seven spirits who are in front of his throne, 5 and from Jesus the Messiah,[f] the witness, the faithful one,[g] the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has freed[h] us from our sins by his blood 6 and has made us a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.
7 Look! He is coming in the clouds.
Every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him,
and all the tribes of the earth will mourn
because of him.
So be it! Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” declares the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.”
John’s Vision of the Messiah
9 I am John, your brother and partner in the oppression, kingdom, and patience that comes because of Jesus. I was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus. 10 I came to be in the Spirit on the Day of the Lord, when I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet, 11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see who[i] was talking to me, and when I turned I saw seven gold lamp stands. 13 Among the lamp stands there was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash around his chest.[j] 14 His head and his hair were white like wool, in fact, as white as snow. His eyes were like flames of fire, 15 his feet were like glowing bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of raging waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword. His face was like the sun when it shines with full force.
17 When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. But he placed his right hand on me and said, “Stop being afraid! I am the first and the last, 18 the living one. I was dead—but look!—I am alive forever and ever! I have the keys of Death and Hades.[k] 19 Therefore, write down what you have seen, what is, and what is going to happen after this. 20 The secret meaning of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lamp stands is this: the seven stars are the messengers[l] of the seven churches, and the seven lamp stands are the seven churches.”
A Plea for Repentance to the People
2 “Gather together!
Yes, indeed, gather together,
you shameless nation!
2 Before the decree is carried out,
before the day flies away like chaff,
before the fierce anger of the Lord visits you,
before the Day of the Lord’s wrath surprises[a] you,
3 seek the Lord, all you humble people of the land,
who do what he commands.
Seek righteousness!
Seek humility!
Maybe you will be protected in the Day of the Lord’s anger.”
The Coming Destruction of Philistine Cities
4 “For Gaza will be forsaken,[b]
and Ashkelon deserted—
Ashdod will be emptied at high noon;
even Ekron will be uprooted.[c]
5 Woe to those who live along the coast,
the people of Philistia![d]
This message from the Lord is being spoken against you,
Canaan, land of the Philistines:
‘I’ll destroy you until no one lives there!’
6 The Philistine[e] coast will become meadows
for shepherds and sheep pens.
7 The survivors of Judah will find pasture on it;
at twilight they will lie down in the houses of Ashkelon,
for the Lord their God will visit them,
restoring their prosperity.”[f]
The Lord’s Rebuke to Moab and Ammon
8 “I’ve heard Moab’s insults
and the curses from those Ammonites[g]
by which they defame my people
and boast about their territory.
9 Therefore as I’m alive and living,” declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel,
“Moab will surely become like Sodom,
and the Ammonites[h] like Gomorrah,
a place overrun by weeds and salty marshes,
unpopulated forever.
The survivors of my people will confiscate their property,
and those who remain of my nation will inherit what was theirs.[i]
10 This they[j] will have in lieu of their pride,
because they have insulted and mocked the people of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
11 The Lord will incite them to terror,
because he will cause all the gods of the earth to waste away.
They will worship him,
every person in his own home,
including even the coastlands of the nations.”
The Lord’s Rebuke to Cush and Nineveh
13 “And the Lord[m] will attack[n] the north, destroying Assyria.
He will turn Nineveh into a desolate ruin,
as dry as a desert wilderness.
14 Flocks will lie down in her midst,
along with animals of every kind.
Desert owls and screeching owls will nest at the top of the pillars,
hooting through the vacant[o] windows,
‘Ruin sits at these doorsills,’
for he will expose even the cedar framework.
15 This is that carefree city that lived irresponsibly,
that told herself, ‘Me first!’[p]
and, ‘There will be no one else!’
How ruined she has become—
a habitat for wild animals!
Everyone who passes by her will sneer at her
and make obscene gestures!”[q]
Jesus is Raised from the Dead(A)
24 But at early dawn on the first day of the week,[a] they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus.[b] 4 While they were puzzling over this, two men in dazzling robes suddenly stood beside them. 5 While the women remained terrified, bowing their faces to the ground, the men[c] asked them, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is living? 6 He is not here, but has been raised.[d] Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day.’”
8 Then the women[e] remembered Jesus’[f] words. 9 They returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven disciples[g] and all the others. 10 The women who told the apostles about it were Mary Magdalene,[h] Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some[i] others. 11 But what they said seemed nonsense to them, so they did not believe them. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. He stooped down and saw only the linen cloths. Then he went home, wondering about what had happened.[j]
Jesus Meets Two Disciples(B)
13 On the same day, two of Jesus’ followers[k] were walking to a village called Emmaus, about 60 stadia[l] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about all these things that had taken place. 15 While they were discussing and analyzing what had happened,[m] Jesus himself approached and began to walk with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing with each other as you’re walking along?” They stood still and looked gloomy.
18 The one whose name was Cleopas answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who doesn’t know what happened there in the past few days?”
19 He asked them, “What things?”
They answered him, “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,[n] who was a prophet, mighty in what he said and did before God and all the people, 20 and how our high priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and had him crucified. 21 But we kept hoping that he would be the one to redeem[o] Israel. What is more, this is now the third day since these things occurred. 22 Even some of our women have startled us by what they told us.[p] They were at the tomb early this morning 23 and didn’t find his body there, so they came back and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who were saying that he was alive. 24 Then some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. However, they didn’t see him.”
25 Then Jesus[q] told them, “O, how foolish you are! How slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 The Messiah[r] had to suffer these things and then enter his glory, didn’t he?” 27 Then, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them all the passages of Scripture about himself.
28 As they came near the village where the two men[s] were headed, Jesus[t] acted as though he were going farther. 29 But they strongly urged him, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the daylight is nearly gone.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 While he was at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it in pieces, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they knew who he was. And he vanished from them.
32 Then they asked each other, “Our hearts kept burning within us[u] as he was talking to us on the road and explaining the Scriptures to us, didn’t they?”
33 They got up right away, went back to Jerusalem, and found the eleven disciples[v] and their companions all together. 34 They kept saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then the two men[w] began to tell what had happened on the road and how they had recognized him when he broke the bread in pieces.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples(C)
36 While they were all talking about this, Jesus[x] himself stood among them and told them, “Peace be with you.”[y]
37 They were startled and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost. 38 But Jesus[z] told them, “What’s frightening you? And why are you doubting? 39 Look at my hands and my feet, because it’s really me. Touch me and look at me, because a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 After he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.[aa] 41 Even though they were still skeptical due to their joy and astonishment, Jesus[ab] asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 Then he told them, “These are the words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms had to be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds so that they might understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is how it is written: the Messiah[ac] was to suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and then repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am sending to you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus is Taken up to Heaven(D)
50 Later, he led them out as far as Bethany, lifted up his hands, and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.[ad] 52 They worshipped him and[ae] returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 They were continually in the Temple, blessing[af] God.[ag]
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