M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Waters Recede
8 God kept Noah in mind, along with all the wildlife[a] and livestock that were with him in the ark. God’s Spirit[b] moved throughout the earth, causing the flood waters to subside. 2 The water sources from the ocean depths were blocked and the floodgates of the heavens were closed. 3 Then the flood waters steadily receded,[c] diminishing completely by the end of the 150 days. 4 The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat[d] on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. 5 The flood water continued to recede until the tenth month, when, on the first of that month, the tops of the mountains could be seen.
6 After 40 days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had built 7 and sent out a raven. It went back and forth as the flood water continued to evaporate throughout the earth. 8 Later, he sent a dove out from the ark[e] to see whether the water that covered the land’s surface had completely[f] receded, 9 but the dove could not yet find a place to rest,[g] so it returned to Noah[h] on the ark, since water still covered the land. Noah reached out his hand and took the dove back[i] into the ark with him.
10 Noah[j] waited another seven days and sent the dove out from the ark again. 11 The dove returned to him in the evening, but in its beak there was an olive leaf that it had plucked! So Noah knew that the flood waters had decreased on the land. 12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but it did not return to him anymore.
13 In the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life,[k] during the first month, the flood water began to evaporate from the land. Noah then removed the ark’s cover and saw that the surface of the land was drying. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the ground was dry.
The Lord’s Covenant
15 God spoke to Noah, 16 “It’s time for you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives who are with you to leave the ark. 17 Bring out with you every living creature—including the flying creatures, animals, and everything that crawls on the ground—so they may disperse throughout the land, be fruitful, and multiply throughout the earth.” 18 So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives emerged. 19 Every animal, every crawling thing, every flying creature, and everything that moves on the earth emerged from the ark by groups.[l]
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings on it[m] from every clean animal and every clean bird. 21 When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, he told himself, “I will never again curse the land because of human beings—even though human inclinations remain evil from youth—nor will I destroy every living being ever again, as I’ve done.
22 “Never[n] again, as long as the earth exists,
will sowing and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
and day and night ever cease.”
Jesus Cleanses a Leper(A)
8 When Jesus[a] came down from the hillside, large crowds followed him. 2 Suddenly, a leper[b] came up to him, fell down before him, and said, “Sir,[c] if you want to, you can make me clean.”[d]
3 So Jesus[e] reached out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do want to. Be clean!” And instantly his leprosy was made clean. 4 Then Jesus told him, “See to it that you don’t speak to anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and then offer the sacrifice that Moses commanded[f] as proof to the authorities.”[g]
Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant(B)
5 When Jesus[h] returned to Capernaum, a centurion[i] came up to him and begged him repeatedly, 6 “Sir,[j] my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain.”
7 Jesus[k] told him, “I will come and heal him.”
8 The centurion replied, “Sir,[l] I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed, 9 because I, too, am a man under authority and I have soldiers under me. I say to one of them[m] ‘Go’ and he goes, to another ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my servant ‘Do this’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and told those who were following him, “I tell all of you[n] with certainty, not even[o] in Israel have I found this kind of faith! 11 I tell all of you,[p] many will come from east and west and will feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom from[q] heaven. 12 But the unfaithful heirs[r] of that kingdom will be thrown into the darkness outside. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”[s]
13 “Go,” Jesus told the centurion, “and it will be done for you, just as you have believed.” And his servant was healed that very hour.
Jesus Heals Many People(C)
14 When Jesus went into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s[t] mother-in-law lying in bed, sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she got up and began serving him.
16 When evening came, people[u] brought to him many who were possessed by demons. He drove out the spirits by speaking a command[v] and healed everyone who was sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“It was he who took our illnesses away
and removed our diseases.”[w]
The Would-be Followers of Jesus(D)
18 When Jesus saw the large crowds around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.[x] 19 Just then, a scribe came up and told him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
20 Jesus told him,
21 Then another of his disciples told him, “Lord,[aa] first let me go and bury my father.”
22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Jesus Calms the Sea(E)
23 When Jesus[ab] got into the boat, his disciples went with him. 24 Suddenly, a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat began to be swamped by the waves. Yet Jesus[ac] kept sleeping. 25 They[ad] went to him and woke him up. “Lord!” they cried, “Save us! We’re going to die!”
26 He asked them, “Why are you afraid, you who have little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
27 The men were amazed. “What kind of man is this?” they asked. “Even the winds and the sea obey him!”
Jesus Heals Two Demon-Possessed Men(F)
28 When Jesus[ae] arrived on the other side in the region of the Gerasenes,[af] two demon-possessed men met him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could travel on that road. 29 Suddenly, they screamed, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before the proper time?”
30 Now a large herd of pigs was grazing some distance away from them. 31 So the demons began to plead with Jesus,[ag] saying, “If you drive us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
32 He told them, “Go,” and they came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down a steep slope into the sea and drowned in the water.
33 Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs ran away, they came into the city and reported everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole city went out to meet Jesus, and as soon as they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
Ezra’s List of Family Leaders
8 These are the leaders of the families listed among those who left Babylon with me during the reign of King Artaxerxes: 2 From Phinehas’s descendants: Gershom. From Ithamar’s descendants: Daniel. From David’s descendants: Hattush. 3 From Shecaniah’s descendants and[a] from Parosh’s descendants: Zechariah, along with 150 men whose genealogies had been certified. 4 From Pahath-moab’s descendants: Zerahiah’s son Eliehoenai and 200 men with him. 5 From Zattu’s descendants: Jahaziel’s son Shecaniah and 300 men with him. 6 From Adin’s descendants: Jonathan’s son Ebed and 50 men with him. 7 From Elam’s descendants: Athaliah’s son Jeshaiah and 70 men with him. 8 From Shephatiah’s descendants: Michael’s son Zebadiah and 80 men with him. 9 From Joab’s descendants: Jehiel’s son Obadiah and 218 men with him. 10 From Bani’s descendants:[b] Josiphiah’s son Shelomith and 160 men with him. 11 From Bebai’s descendants: Bebai’s son Zechariah and 28 men with him. 12 From Azgad’s descendants: Hakkatan’s son Johanan and 110 men with him. 13 From Adonikam’s later descendants: Eliphelet, Jeuel, Shemaiah, and 60 men with him. 14 From Bigvai’s descendants: Uthai, Zabbud,[c] and 70 men with him.
Ezra Calls the Leaders to Fast
15 I gathered them together at the river that flows toward Ahava,[d] where we camped three days. Afterwards, I examined the people and the priests, but found no descendants of Levi there. 16 So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan, Jarib, Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam, who were senior leaders, as well as for Joiarib and Elnathan, who were men of discernment. 17 I told them to go see Iddo, a leader of Casiphia, and tell him and his relatives (administrators of Casiphia) to bring us men who could serve in the Temple of our God. 18 By the grace[e] of our God they brought back a discerning man from the descendants of Mahli, a descendant of Israel’s son Levi, along with Sherebiah and eighteen of his sons and brothers; 19 Hashabiah and Jeshaiah from the descendants of Merari and 20 of his brothers and their sons; 20 220 descendants of the Temple Servants whom David and the leaders had appointed to serve the descendants of Levi, listed by name.
21 Then I called for a fast there at the Ahava River so we could humble ourselves before our God and seek from him an appropriate way for us and our little ones to live, and how we should guard our personal wealth,[f] 22 because I was ashamed to ask the king for a contingent of soldiers and cavalry to protect us from enemies we might encounter[g] on the way. After all, we had told the king, “The hand of our God seeks the good of all who seek him,[h] but his power and anger are against everyone who forsakes him.” 23 So we fasted and asked our God about this, and he listened to us.
Ezra Delegates Responsibilities
24 Next I selected twelve of the chief priests—Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their brothers with them— 25 and divided between them the silver, the gold, the vessels, and the offering for the Temple of our God which the king had offered, along with his advisors, his senior officials, and all of Israel assembled there. 26 I divided among them[i] 650 silver talents,[j] silver utensils weighing 100 talents,[k] 100 talents[l] of gold, 27 20 gold basins weighing 1,000 darics[m] each, and two vessels made of polished brass, as valuable as gold.
28 I told them, “You are consecrated[n] to the Lord, and the vessels are also consecrated.[o] The silver and the gold are a freely given offering to the Lord God of your ancestors. 29 Guard and protect them until you disperse them to the chief priests, the descendants of Levi, and to the family leaders of Israel at Jerusalem in the chambers of the Temple of the Lord.”
30 So the priests and descendants of Levi took possession of the silver, the gold, and the vessels in order to bring them to Jerusalem, to the Temple of our God.
31 Then we left the Ahava River for Jerusalem on the twelfth day[p] of the first month. Our God’s protection[q] was with us, and he delivered us from the enemy’s power[r] and from ambush along the way.
Ezra’s Delegation Arrives in Jerusalem
32 We arrived in Jerusalem and remained there three days. 33 On the fourth day the silver, the gold, and the vessels were distributed at the Temple of our God into the care[s] of Uriah’s son Meremoth the priest, Phinehas’ son Eleazar, Jeshua’s son Jozabad, and Binnui’s son Noadiah, the descendants of Levi. 34 Distribution was according to inventory[t] and weight, with all weights being recorded at that time.
35 The descendants of those who had been taken into captivity and who had returned from captivity offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls for all of Israel, 96 rams, 77 lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering—all of them burnt offerings to the Lord. 36 Then they delivered copies of[u] the king’s orders to the king’s officers, and governors on this side of the Euphrates[v] River. The orders were in support of the people and God’s Temple.
The Church is Scattered
8 Now Saul heartily approved of putting Stephen[a] to death. That day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except for the apostles was scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria. 2 Devout men buried Stephen as they mourned loudly for him. 3 But Saul kept trying to destroy the church. Going into one house after another, he began dragging off men and women and throwing them in prison.
Some Samaritans Become Believers
4 Now those who were scattered went from place to place preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the[b] city of Samaria and began to preach the Messiah[c] to the people.[d] 6 The crowds, hearing his message[e] and seeing the signs that he was doing, paid close attention to what was said by Philip. 7 Unclean spirits screamed with a loud voice as they came out of the many people they had possessed, and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. 8 As a result, there was great rejoicing in that city.
9 Now in that city there was a man named Simon. He was practicing occult arts and thrilling the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great. 10 Everyone from the least to the greatest paid close attention to him, saying, “This is what we call[f] the great power of God!” 11 They paid careful attention to him because he had thrilled them for a long time with his occult performances. 12 But when Philip proclaimed the good news about the kingdom of God and about the name of Jesus the Messiah,[g] men and women believed and were baptized. 13 Even Simon believed, and after he was baptized he became devoted to Philip. He was amazed to see the signs and great miracles that were happening.
14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaritans had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 They went down and prayed for them to receive the Holy Spirit. 16 Before this, he had not come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John[h] laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money 19 and said, “Give me this power too, so that when I lay my hands on someone, he will receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter told him, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s free gift with money! 21 You have no part or share in what we’re saying, because your heart isn’t right with God. 22 So repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your heart’s intent may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you’re being poisoned by bitterness and you’re a prisoner of wickedness!”
24 Simon answered, “Both of you pray[i] to the Lord for me that none of the things you have said will happen to me.”
25 After they had given their testimony and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, continuing to proclaim the good news in many Samaritan villages.
Philip Tells an Ethiopian about Jesus
26 Now an angel of the Lord told Philip, “Get up and go south on the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a deserted road.” 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, who was a member of the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was in charge of all her treasures and had come up to Jerusalem to worship. 28 Now he was returning home, seated in his chariot, and reading from the prophet Isaiah.
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Approach that chariot and stay near it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah out loud.
Philip[j] asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
31 The man[k] replied, “How can I unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. 32 This was the passage of Scripture he was reading:
“Like a sheep he was led away to be slaughtered,
and like a lamb is silent before its shearer,
so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation, justice was denied him.
Who can describe his descendants?[l]
For his life is taken away from the earth.”[m]
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “I ask you, who is the prophet talking about? Himself? Or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and, starting from this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, “Look, there’s some water. What keeps me from being baptized?”[n] 38 So he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and Philip[o] baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch went on his way rejoicing and did not see Philip[p] again. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus. As he was passing through that region,[q] he kept proclaiming the good news in all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
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