M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Abraham and Abimelech
20 Abraham traveled from there to the Negev[a] and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was living in Gerar as an outsider, 2 because Abraham kept saying about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister,” King Abimelech of Gerar summoned them and took Sarah into his household.[b]
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night and spoke to him, “Pay attention! You’re about to die, because the woman you have taken is a man’s wife!”
4 Now Abimelech had not yet come near her, so he asked, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Didn’t he say to me, ‘She’s my sister’? And she also said, ‘He’s my brother.’ I did this with pure intentions and clean hands.”
6 Then God replied to him in the dream, “I know that you did this with pure intentions, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me. Therefore, I didn’t allow you to touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife. As a matter of fact, he’s a prophet and can intercede for you so you’ll live. But if you don’t return her, be aware that you and all who are yours will certainly die.”
8 So Abimelech got up early the next morning, summoned all his servants, and told them all these things. The men became terrified.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and asked him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you, that you have brought such great sin against me and my kingdom? You’ve done things to me that ought not to have been done.”
10 Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What could you have been thinking when you did this?”
11 “I thought that there’s no fear of God in this place,” Abraham replied, “and that they would kill me because of my wife. 12 Besides, she really is my sister—she’s my father’s daughter, but not my mother’s daughter—so she could become my wife. 13 When God caused me to journey from my father’s house, I asked her to do me this favor and say,[c] ‘He’s my brother.’”
14 So Abimelech took some sheep and oxen, and some male and female servants, gave them to Abraham, returned his wife Sarah to him, 15 and said, “Look! My land is available to you, so settle wherever you please.”
16 Abimelech also told Sarah, “Look! I am giving your brother 1,000 pieces of silver to vindicate[d] you in the eyes of all who are with you. As a result, you will be completely vindicated.”
17 Then Abraham interceded with God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants so they could bear children, 18 since the Lord had made all the women barren[e] in Abimelech’s household on account of Abraham’s wife Sarah.
Teaching about Divorce(A)
19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,[a] he left Galilee and went to the territory of Judea on the other side[b] of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
3 Some Pharisees came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man[c] to divorce his wife for any reason?”
4 He answered them, “Haven’t you read that the one who made[d] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’[e] 5 and said, ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?[f] 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must never separate.”
7 They asked him, “Why, then, did Moses order us ‘to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her’?”[g]
8 He told them, “It was because of your hardness of heart that Moses allowed you to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not this way. 9 I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”[h]
10 His disciples asked him, “If that is the relationship of a man with his wife, it’s not worth getting married!”
11 “Not everyone can accept this saying,” he replied, “except those to whom celibacy[i] has been granted, 12 because some men are celibate from birth,[j] while some are celibate because they have been made that way by others. Still others are celibate because they have made themselves that way for the sake of the kingdom from[k] heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.”
Jesus Blesses the Little Children(B)
13 Then some little children were brought to him so that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked those who brought[l] them. 14 Jesus, however, said, “Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away, because the kingdom from[m] heaven belongs to people like these.” 15 When he had laid his hands on them, he went on from there.
A Rich Man Comes to Jesus(C)
16 Just then a man came up to Jesus.[n] “Teacher,”[o] he asked, “what good deed should I do to have eternal life?”
17 Jesus[p] asked him, “Why ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good.[q] If you want to get into that life, you must keep the commandments.”
18 The young man[r] asked him, “Which ones?”
Jesus said, “‘You must not murder,[s] you must not commit adultery,[t] you must not steal,[u] you must not give false testimony,[v] 19 honor your father and mother,’[w] and, ‘you must love your neighbor as yourself.’”[x]
20 The young man told him, “I have kept all of these.[y] What do I still lack?”
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money[z] to the destitute, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.” 22 But when the young man heard this statement he went away sad, because he had many possessions.
Salvation and Reward(D)
23 Then Jesus told his disciples, “I tell all of you[aa] with certainty, it will be hard for a rich person to get into the kingdom from[ab] heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were completely astonished. “Who, then, can be saved?” they asked.
26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “For humans this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
27 “Look!” Peter replied. “We have left everything and followed you. So what will we get?”
28 Jesus told them, “I tell all of you[ac] with certainty, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne in the renewed creation, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, governing the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 In fact, everyone who has left his homes, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children, or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times as much[ad] and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
The People Confess Their Sins
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this same month, the Israelis gathered together while fasting, wearing sackcloth, and covering themselves with dust. 2 The remnant[a] of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners. Then they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors. 3 While they stood there, they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for one fourth of the day, and they confessed and worshipped the Lord their God for another[b] fourth of the day.
The Descendants of Levi’s Prayer of Blessing
4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the rostrum assigned for use by the descendants of Levi and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. 5 Then the descendants of Levi—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah—said,
“Stand up and bless the Lord your God
from eternity to eternity!
Blessed be your glorious name!
May it be exalted above all blessing and praise!
6 “You are the Lord;
you alone crafted the heavens,
the highest heavens
with all of their armies;
the earth, and everything in it;
the seas, and everything in them;
you keep giving all of them life,
and the army of heaven continuously worships you.
7 You are the Lord,
the God who chose Abram,
whom you brought from Ur of the Chaldeans
and to whom you gave the name Abraham.
8 You found him[c] faithful in your sight;
you made a covenant with him
and you gave the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites,
and the Girgashites to his descendants.
And you have kept your word,
because you are righteous.
9 “You took note of the affliction of our ancestors in Egypt,
and listened to their cry at the Red Sea.
10 You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
against all of his officials,
and against all the people of his land,
because you knew they acted arrogantly against your people.[d]
So you established your name with them,
as it remains to this day.
11 You divided the sea in front of them,
and they traveled through the midst of the sea on dry ground.
You hurled their pursuers into the depths,
as one throws[e] a stone into turbulent waters.
12 You led them during the day by a pillar of cloud,
and by a pillar of fire at night
to provide light for them
on the path they took.
13 “You also came down to Mount Sinai,
spoke with them from heaven,
and gave them impartial regulations, true laws,
statutes, and good commands.
14 You revealed to them your holy Sabbath,
and you mandated precepts, statutes, and laws
through Moses your servant.
15 You gave them food from heaven for their hunger
and water from the rock for their thirst.
You directed them to enter and possess the land
that you had promised to give them.
16 “But they—our ancestors—became arrogant and stubborn,
refusing to listen[f] to your commands.
17 They would not listen,[g]
and did not remember the miracles you did among them.
Instead, they became stubborn
and appointed a leader
to return them to their slavery.
“But you are a God of forgiveness,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger,
and rich in gracious love;
therefore you did not abandon them.
18 Moreover, after they had cast a golden calf for themselves, they said,
“This is your god who brought you out of Egypt!”
and committed terrible[h] blasphemies.
19 You, in your great compassion,
did not abandon them in the wilderness.
The pillar of cloud did not leave them in daylight,
in order to provide light for them on the path they took.
Nor did the pillar of fire abandon them[i] at night,
in order to provide light for them
and lead them on the path they took.
20 “You gave your good Spirit to instruct them,
not withholding manna from them,[j]
and providing water to quench[k] their thirst.
21 You sustained them in the wilderness for 40 years.
They lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.
22 You gave them kingdoms and nations,
apportioning them as frontier boundaries.
They took possession of the land of Sihon,
the land of the king of Heshbon,
and the land of Og, king of Bashan.
23 “You multiplied their descendants like the stars in heaven
and brought them to the land
about which you told their ancestors
to enter and possess.
24 So their descendants entered
and took possession of the land.
Before their eyes you subdued those living in the land—the Canaanites—
putting them under their control,
along with their kings and the peoples of the land,
so they could do with them as they pleased.
25 They conquered fortified cities and fertile ground,
possessing houses filled with all kinds of good things,
wells already dug, with vineyards,
olive orchards, and fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate, were satiated, and were well nourished,
delighting themselves in your great goodness.
26 “Then they disobeyed, rebelled against you,
and threw your Law behind their backs.
They murdered your prophets
who had admonished the people[l] to return to you,
committing terrible blasphemies.
27 So you delivered them into the control of their enemies,
who oppressed them.
But when they were oppressed,
they cried out to you,
and you heard from heaven.
In your great compassion
you gave them deliverers who rescued them
from the control of their enemies.
28 “But after they had gained relief,
they returned to doing evil before you.
Therefore you abandoned them to the control of their enemies,
who continued to oppress them.
But when they came back and cried out to you,
you listened from heaven
and delivered them in your compassion on many occasions.
29 You admonished them to return to your Law,
but they acted arrogantly,
and would not listen[m] to your commands.
They sinned against your regulations,
which if anyone obeys,
he will live by them.
They turned away,
being stubborn and stiff-necked,
and they did not listen.[n]
30 You were patient with them for many years,
warning them by your Spirit
through[o] your prophets.
But they would not listen,
so you turned them over
to the control of people in other[p] lands.
31 Nevertheless, in your great compassion
you did not completely destroy them
or abandon them,
because you are a God of grace
and you are merciful.
32 “Now therefore, our God,
the great, mighty, and awesome God,
who keeps the covenant and gracious love,
don’t let all of the difficulties seem trifling to you,
all of hardships that have come upon us, upon our kings,
upon our leaders, upon our priests,
upon our prophets, upon our ancestors,
and upon all of your people
from the time of the kings of Assyria until this day.
33 You are righteous in all that is happening to us,
because you have acted faithfully
while we have practiced evil.
34 Furthermore, neither our kings,
nor our leaders, nor our priests
nor our ancestors have practiced your Law
or paid attention to your commands and warnings
by which you admonished them.
35 But they in their kingdom—
in the midst of your great goodness that you gave them
and in the large and fertile land
that you provided them—
did not serve you
or turn away from their evil deeds.
36 “Look! Today we are your servants,
along with the land that you gave to our ancestors,
so they could enjoy its fruit and its value—
behold, in it we are your servants!
37 But now its abundant produce belongs to the kings
whom you placed over us
because of our sin.
They also have power over our bodies and our herds
at their pleasure,
and we are in great distress.
38 “Because of all this, we are making a binding agreement,
putting it in writing,
and our leaders, our descendants of Levi, and our priests
hereby set their seals upon it.”[q]
Paul in Ephesus
19 It was while Apollos was in Corinth that Paul passed through the inland districts and came to Ephesus. He found a few disciples there 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
They answered him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 He then asked, “Then into what were you baptized?”
They answered, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 Then Paul said, “John baptized when they repented, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in foreign languages[a] and to prophesy. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 He went into the synagogue and spoke there boldly for three months, holding discussions and persuading those who heard him[b] about the kingdom of God. 9 But when some people became stubborn, refused to believe, and slandered the Way in front of the people, Paul[c] left them, taking his disciples away with him, and held daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.[d] 10 This went on for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, Jews and Greeks alike, heard the word of the Lord. 11 God continued to do extraordinary miracles through Paul.[e] 12 When handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched his skin were taken to the sick, their diseases left them and evil spirits went out of them.
13 Then some Jews who went around trying to drive out demons attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus on those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by that Jesus whom Paul preaches!” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this.
15 But the evil spirit told them, “Jesus I know, and I am getting acquainted with Paul, but who are you?”
16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them, got the better of them, and so violently overpowered all of them that they fled out of the house naked and bruised. 17 When this became known to everyone living in Ephesus, Jews and Greeks alike, they all became terrified, and the name of the Lord Jesus began to be held in high honor. 18 Many who became believers kept coming to confess and talk about what they had been doing. 19 Moreover, many people who had practiced occult arts gathered their books and burned them in front of everybody. They estimated their value and found them to have been worth 50,000 silver coins.[f] 20 In that way the word of the Lord kept spreading and triumphing.
21 After these things had happened, Paul decided[g] to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to go on to Jerusalem. “After I have gone there,” he told them, “I must also see Rome.” 22 Then he sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he himself stayed in Asia a while longer.
A Riot in Ephesus
23 Now about that time a great commotion broke out concerning the Way. 24 By making silver shrines of Artemis, a silversmith named Demetrius provided a large income for skilled workers. 25 He called a meeting of these men and others who were engaged in similar trades and said, “Men, you well know that we get a good income from this business. 26 You also see and hear that, not only in Ephesus, but almost all over Asia, this man Paul has won over and taken away a large crowd by telling them that gods made by human[h] hands are not gods at all. 27 There is a danger not only that our business will lose its reputation but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be brought into disrepute and that she will be robbed of her majesty that brought all Asia and the world to worship her.”
28 When they heard this, they became furious and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 The city was filled with confusion, and the people[i] rushed into the theater together, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s fellow travelers from Macedonia. 30 Paul wanted to go into the crowd, but the disciples wouldn’t let him. 31 Even some officials of the province of Asia who were his friends sent him a message urging him not to risk his life in the theater.
32 Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing and some another, since the crowd was confused, and most of them didn’t know why they were meeting. 33 Some of the crowd concluded it was because of Alexander, since the Jews had pushed him to the front. So Alexander motioned for silence and tried to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they found out that he was a Jew, they all started to shout in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 When the city recorder had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who in the world[j] doesn’t know that this city of Ephesus is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of the statue that fell down from heaven?[k] 36 Since these things cannot be denied, you must be quiet and not do anything reckless. 37 For you have brought these men here, although they neither rob temples nor blaspheme our[l] goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and his workers have a charge against anyone, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They should accuse one another there. 39 But if you want anything else, it must be settled in the regular assembly, 40 because we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, and there is no good reason we can give to justify this commotion.” 41 After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.
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