M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Entering the Ark
7 Then the Lord told Noah, “Come—you and all your household—into the ark, because I’ve seen that you alone are righteous[a] in this generation. 2 You are to take with you seven pairs[b] of every clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of the unclean animals, a male and its mate; 3 along with seven pairs[c] of the flying birds, male and female, in order to keep their offspring alive on the surface of all the earth. 4 Seven days from now I’ll send rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and I’ll destroy every living creature that I’ve made.”
5 Noah did everything that the Lord commanded.
The Flood Begins
6 Noah was 600 years old when water began to flood the earth. 7 Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the ark with him before the flood waters arrived.[d] 8 From both clean and unclean animals, from birds, and from everything that crawls on the ground, 9 two by two, male and female, they entered the ark to join Noah, just as God had commanded.
10 Seven days later, the flooding started. 11 On the seventeenth day of the second month, when Noah was 600 years old, all the springs of the great deep burst open, the floodgates of the heavens were opened, 12 and it rained throughout the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. 13 On that very day, Noah entered the ark with his[e] sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, his sons’ three wives with them, 14 along with every species of wild animal,[f] livestock, crawling creature, bird, and every creature that has wings. 15 Two of each living creature[g] entered the ark with Noah. 16 The males and females of each living creature[h] entered the ark,[i] just as God had commanded. Then the Lord sealed them inside.
17 The flood continued throughout the earth for 40 days, while the flood waters increased, lifting the ark so that it rose above the surface of the[j] earth. 18 The flood waters continued to surge, increasing throughout the earth, while the ark floated on the surface of the flood water. 19 The flood water surged even higher throughout the earth, until all the highest mountains under the sky were covered. 20 The flood waters rose 15 cubits[k] above the mountains. 21 Every living thing[l] on earth died—flying creatures, livestock, wildlife, all creatures that swarm over the earth, and all human beings. 22 Everything that breathed[m] and everything that had lived on dry land died. 23 All existing creatures that had lived on the surface of the ground were annihilated, from humans to livestock, from crawling creatures to birds of the sky. They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah remained, along with those who were with him in the ark. 24 The flood waters surged over the earth for 150 days.
Judging Others(A)
7 “Stop judging, so that you won’t be judged, 2 because the way that you judge[a] others will be the way that you will be judged, and you will be evaluated by the standard with which you evaluate others.
3 “Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when the beam is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”
Despising the Holy
6 “Never give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs. Otherwise, they will trample them with their feet and then turn around and attack you.”
Ask, Search, Knock(B)
7 “Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door[b] will be opened for you. 8 Because everyone who keeps asking will receive, and the person who keeps searching will find, and the person who keeps knocking will have the door[c] opened.
9 “There isn’t a person among you who would give his son a stone if he asked for bread, is there? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he wouldn’t give him a snake, would he? 11 So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them, because this summarizes the Law and the Prophets.”
The Narrow Gate(C)
13 “Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the road is spacious that leads to destruction, and many people are entering by it. 14 How narrow is the gate and how constricted is the road that leads to life, and there aren’t many people who find it!”
A Tree is Known by Its Fruit(D)
15 “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are savage wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruit. Grapes aren’t gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles, are they? 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire. 20 So by their fruit you will know them.”
I Never Knew You(E)
21 “Not everyone who keeps saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will get into the kingdom from[d] heaven, but only the person who keeps doing the will of my Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name, drove out demons in your name, and performed many miracles in your name, didn’t we?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who practice evil!’”[e]
The Two Foundations(F)
24 “Therefore, everyone who listens to these messages[f] of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. 25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation was on the rock.
26 “Everyone who keeps on hearing these messages[g] of mine and never puts them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the floods came, the winds blew and battered that house, and it collapsed—and its collapse was total.”
28 When Jesus had finished saying all these things,[h] the crowds were utterly amazed at his teaching, 29 because he was teaching them like a person who had authority, and not like their scribes.
Ezra’s Return to Jerusalem(A)
7 After all of this, during the reign of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Seraiah’s son Ezra (who was the grandson of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest) 6 left[a] Babylon. He was a skillful scribe of the Law of Moses that the Lord God of Israel had given. And the king granted him everything he had requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him. 7 Some of the descendants of Israel also left for Jerusalem, including the priests, the descendants of Levi, the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Temple Servants, during the seventh year of king Artaxerxes.
8 He arrived in Jerusalem during the fifth month of the seventh year of the king’s reign.[b] 9 On the first day[c] of the first month he left Babylon and he arrived in Jerusalem on the first day[d] of the fifth month, since the beneficent hand of his God was upon him. 10 For Ezra had set his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, to obey it, and to teach God’s[e] statutes and judgments in Israel.
The Letter from King Artaxerxes
11 Here is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra, the priest-scribe, a scholar[f] in matters concerning the commandments of the Lord and concerning his statutes pertaining to Israel:
12 From:[g] Artaxerxes, King of Kings
To: Ezra, the Priest, a scholar[h] in matters concerning the laws of the God of Heaven
Greetings![i]
13 I hereby decree that all of the people of Israel—along with their priests and descendants of Levi in my kingdom—who are determined to return to Jerusalem with you may do so. 14 You have authority to act for the king and for his Council of Seven to conduct an inquiry concerning Judah and Jerusalem in accordance with the Law of your God, which is in your possession. 15 You are carrying silver and gold that the King and his advisors have freely given to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem, 16 together with all of the silver and gold that you can raise in the province of Babylon, plus the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests, contributed for the Temple of their God, which is in Jerusalem.
17 Accordingly, you are to exercise due diligence to utilize this money to purchase bulls, rams, lambs, grain offerings, and drink offerings, and to offer them upon the altar of the Temple of your God, which is in Jerusalem.
18 Furthermore, the balance remaining of the silver and gold may be used for whatever other purpose you and your people desire, as long as such use is consistent with the will of your God.
19 Furthermore, you are to deliver to the God of Jerusalem the vessels for the service of the Temple of your God that have been given to you.
20 Furthermore, provide from the royal treasury whatever else may be needed for the Temple of your God.
21 I, Artaxerxes, in my capacity as king,[j] hereby decree to all royal treasuries beyond the Euphrates[k] River that whatever Ezra the priest-scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, may require of you are to be performed with all due diligence, 22 up to 100 silver talents,[l] 100 measures of wheat, 100 measures of wine, 100 measures of oil, and salt without limitation. 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of Heaven is to be done with all due diligence for the Temple of the God of Heaven, or wrath will come against the king’s realm and his sons.
24 Furthermore, we decree that with respect to any of the priests, descendants of Levi, singers, gatekeepers, Temple Servants, or other servants of this Temple of God, it is not to be lawful to impose any tribute, tax, or toll on them.
25 And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom given to you by your God, are to appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people beyond the Euphrates[m] River. All of them are to know the laws of your God, and you are to instruct those who do not know them. 26 Whoever refuses to practice the law of your God and the law of the king is to see judgment executed quickly, whether to death, banishment, confiscation of goods, or imprisonment.
Ezra’s Response to the Letter
27 Blessed be the Lord God of our ancestors,
who placed this decree[n] into the king’s heart
to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem
28 and who showed gracious love to me before the king,
before his advisors,
and before all of the king’s mighty officials.
And I was strengthened because the hand of the Lord my God was upon me. So I gathered together the leaders of Israel to go with me.
Stephen Defends Himself
7 Then the high priest asked, “Is this true?”
2 Stephen replied:
“Listen, brothers and fathers!
“The glorious God appeared to our ancestor Abraham while he was in Mesopotamia before he settled in Haran. 3 God[a] told him, ‘Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land I’ll show you.’[b] 4 So he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. Then after the death of his father, God had him move to this country where you now live. 5 God[c] gave him no property here,[d] not even a foot of land,[e] yet he promised to give it to him and to his descendants[f] after him as a permanent possession, even though he had no child.
6 “This is what God promised: His descendants would be strangers in a foreign country, and its people[g] would enslave them and oppress them for 400 years. 7 ‘But I will punish the nation they serve,’ said God, ‘and afterwards they will leave and worship me in this place.’[h]
8 Later, God[i] gave Abraham[j] the covenant of circumcision. Later, he fathered Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. Then Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered[k] the twelve patriarchs.
9 “Joseph’s brothers[l] became jealous of him and sold Joseph as a slave[m] in Egypt. However, God was with him 10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler of Egypt and of his whole household.
11 “But a famine spread throughout Egypt and Canaan, and with it great suffering, and our ancestors couldn’t find any food. 12 But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors on their first trip. 13 On their second trip, Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph introduced his family[n] to Pharaoh. 14 Then Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him in Egypt[o]—75 persons in all. 15 So Jacob went down to Egypt. Then he and our ancestors died. 16 They were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought at a high price[p] from Hamor’s descendants in Shechem.
17 “Now as the time approached for the fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people’s population increased a great deal in Egypt. 18 Eventually, a different king who had not known Joseph became ruler of Egypt.[q] 19 By shrewdly scheming against our people, he oppressed our ancestors and forced them to abandon their infants to the elements, so that they wouldn’t live.
20 “At this time Moses was born. He was beautiful in the sight of God, and for three months he was cared for in his father’s house. 21 When he was placed outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and brought him up as her own son. 22 So Moses learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians and became a great man, both in words and in deeds.
23 “When he was 40 years old, he decided[r] to visit his brothers, the descendants of Israel. 24 When he saw one of them being mistreated, he defended him[s] and avenged the man who was being mistreated by killing the Egyptian. 25 He supposed that his brothers would understand that God was using him to rescue them, but they didn’t understand. 26 The next day, he presented himself to some of them while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them. He said, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why should you be hurting another?’
27 “But the man who was harming his neighbor pushed Moses[t] away and said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us? 28 You don’t want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday, do you?’[u] 29 Because of this, Moses fled and lived as a foreigner in the land of Midian. There he had two sons.
30 “After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight, and when he approached the bush[v] to look at it, the voice of the Lord said,[w] 32 ‘I am the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’[x] Moses became terrified and didn’t dare to look. 33 Then the Lord told him, ‘Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, I’ve heard their groans, and I’ve come down to rescue them. Now come, I’ll send you to Egypt.’[y]
35 “This same Moses—whom they rejected by saying, ‘Who made you ruler and judge?’[z]—was the man whom God sent to be both their ruler and deliverer with the help of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush. 36 It was he who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness for 40 years. 37 It was this Moses who told the Israelis, ‘God will raise up a prophet for you from among your own brothers, just as he did[aa] me.’[ab] 38 This Moses[ac] is the one who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai and to our ancestors. He received living truths to give to us,[ad] 39 but our ancestors refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and wished to return to Egypt. 40 They told Aaron, ‘Make gods for us who will lead us. This Moses who led us out of the land of Egypt—we don’t know what happened to him!’[ae]
41 “At that time they even made a calf to be their idol, offered a sacrifice to it, and delighted in what they had made with their hands. 42 So God turned away from them and gave them over to worship the heavenly bodies. As it is written in the book of the Prophets:
‘O house of Israel,
you didn’t offer me slaughtered animals and
sacrifices those 40 years in the wilderness, did you?
43 You even took along the tent of Moloch,
the star of your god Rephan,
and the images you made in order to worship them.
So I will take you into exile as far as Babylon.’[af]
44 “Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony[ag] in the wilderness constructed,[ah] just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. 45 Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. 46 He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house[ai] of Jacob, 47 but it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human[aj] hands. As the prophet says,
49 “‘Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house can you build for me,’ declares the Lord,[ak]
“or what place is there in which I can rest?
50 It was my hand that made all these things, wasn’t it?’”[al]
51 “You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. 52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. 53 You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven’t obeyed it!”
Stephen is Stoned to Death
54 While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen,[am] filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 He said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57 But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at him, 58 ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” After he had said this, he died.[an]
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