M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Altar
27 “You are to make the altar of acacia wood. It is to be five cubits[a] long and five cubits[b] wide; the altar is to be a square, and it is to be three cubits[c] high. 2 You are to make horns[d] on its four corners. Its corners are to be of one piece with it, and you are to overlay it with bronze. 3 You are to make pans for removing its ashes, shovels, bowls, forks, and fire-pans for it, and you are to make all its utensils of bronze. 4 You are to make a lattice, a netting of bronze for it, and you are to make four bronze rings on the netting at its four corners. 5 You are to put it under the ledge of the altar, so that the netting extends halfway up the altar. 6 You are to make poles for the altar, poles of acacia wood, and you are to overlay them with bronze. 7 The poles for it are to be put through the rings, so the poles are on the two sides of the altar when it’s carried. 8 You are to make it hollow out of boards—just as it was shown you on the mountain, that’s how they are to make it.”
The Court of the Tent
9 “You are to make the court of the tent. On the south[e] side there is to be hangings of fine woven linen for the court, 100 cubits[f] long on one side. 10 It is to have 20 pillars, with 20 bronze sockets, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands[g] are to be made of silver. 11 Likewise for the length of the north side there are to be hangings 100 cubits[h] long, and it is to have 20 pillars with 20 bronze sockets, and the hooks of the pillars and their bands[i] are to be made of silver.
12 “The width of the court on the west side is to have hangings 50 cubits[j] long with ten pillars and ten sockets. 13 The width of the court on the east side[k] is to be 50 cubits.[l] 14 The hangings for the one section[m] are to be fifteen cubits long,[n] with their three pillars and three sockets.
15 “For the second section there are to be hangings of fifteen cubits,[o] with their three pillars and three sockets. 16 There is to be a screen of 20 cubits[p] of blue, purple, and scarlet material and fine woven linen, the work of an embroiderer, for the gate of the court, and it is to have four pillars and four sockets. 17 All the pillars around the court are to be banded with silver. Their hooks are to be made of silver and their sockets made of bronze. 18 The length of the court is to be 100 cubits,[q] the width 50 cubits,[r] and the height five cubits,[s] with the hangings[t] of fine woven linen, and the sockets of bronze. 19 All the utensils of the tent for its service, all its pegs, and all the pegs for the court are to be made of bronze.”
The Oil for the Lamp
20 “And you are to command the Israelis to bring you pure olive oil, extracted by hand,[u] for the light in order to keep the lamp burning[v] continuously. 21 In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to maintain[w] the lamp stand[x] from evening until morning in the Lord’s presence. It is to be a perpetual ordinance from generation to generation among the Israelis.”
Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand(A)
6 After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (that is, to Tiberias). 2 A large crowd kept following him because they had seen the signs that he was performing by healing the sick. 3 But Jesus went up on a hillside and sat down there with his disciples.
4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 Jesus[a] said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii[b] worth of bread isn’t enough for each of them to have a little.”
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, told him, 9 “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. But what are these among so many people?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was plenty of grass in that area, so they sat down, numbering about 5,000 men.
11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated. He also distributed[c] as much fish as they wanted. 12 When they were completely satisfied, Jesus[d] told his disciples, “Collect the pieces that are left over so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they collected and filled twelve baskets full of pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw the sign[e] that he had done, they kept saying, “Truly this is the Prophet who was to come into the world!” 15 Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew[f] again to the hillside by himself.
Jesus Walks on the Sea(B)
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. Darkness had already fallen, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 A strong wind was blowing, and the sea was getting rough. 19 After they had rowed about 25 or 30 stadia,[g] they saw Jesus walking on the sea toward their boat. They became terrified. 20 But he told them, “It is I. Stop being afraid!” 21 So they were glad to take him on board, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.
Jesus the Bread of Life
22 The next day, the crowd that had remained on the other side of the sea noticed that only one boat had been there, and no other, and that Jesus had not gotten into that boat with his disciples. Instead, his disciples had gone away by themselves. 23 Other small boats from Tiberias arrived near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.[h] 24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into these boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.
25 When they had found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, “Rabbi,[i] when did you get here?”
26 Jesus replied to them, “Truly, I tell all of you[j] emphatically, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were completely satisfied. 27 Do not work for food that perishes but for food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set his seal on him.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to perform God’s works?”
29 Jesus answered them, “This is God’s work: to believe in the one whom he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign are you going to do so that we may see it and believe in you? What actions are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”[k]
32 Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you[l] emphatically, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they told him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time.”
35 Jesus told them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in me will never become thirsty. 36 I told you that you have seen me,[m] yet you don’t believe. 37 Everything the Father gives me will come to me, and I’ll never turn away the one who comes to me. 38 I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of the one who sent me. 39 And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything that he has given me, but should raise it to life on the last day. 40 This is my Father’s will: That everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him to life on the last day.”
41 Then the Jewish leaders[n] began grumbling about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
42 They kept saying, “This is Jesus, the son of Joseph, isn’t it, whose father and mother we know? So how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
43 Jesus answered them, “Stop grumbling among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him to life on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And all of them will be taught by God.’[o] Everyone who has listened to the Father and has learned anything comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who comes from God. This one has seen the Father. 47 Truly, I tell all of you[p] emphatically, the one who believes in me[q] has eternal life. 48 I’m the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness and died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die. 51 I’m the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he’ll live forever. And the bread I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 Then the Jewish leaders[r] debated angrily with each other, asking, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 So Jesus told them, “Truly, I tell all of you[s] emphatically, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don’t have life in yourselves. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I’ll raise him to life on the last day, 55 because my flesh is real[t] food, and my blood is real[u] drink. 56 The person who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will also live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not the kind that your ancestors ate. They died, but the one who eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
The Words of Eternal Life
60 When many of his disciples heard this, they said, “This is a difficult statement. Who can accept[v] it?”
61 But Jesus, knowing within himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, asked them, “Does this offend you? 62 What if you saw the Son of Man going up to the place where he was before? 63 It’s the Spirit who gives life; the flesh accomplishes nothing. The words that I’ve spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some among you who don’t believe...”—because Jesus knew from the beginning those who weren’t believing, as well as the one who would betray him. 65 So he said, “That’s why I told you that no one can come to me unless it be granted him by the Father.” 66 As a result,[w] many of his disciples turned back and no longer associated[x] with him.
67 So Jesus asked the Twelve, “You don’t want to leave, too, do you?”
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Besides, we have believed and remain convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”[y]
70 Jesus answered them, “I chose you, the Twelve, didn’t I? Yet one of you is a devil.” 71 Now he was speaking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,[z] because this man was going to betray him, even though he was one of the Twelve.
The Blessings of Trusting God
3 My son, don’t forget my instruction,
and keep my commandments carefully in mind.[a]
2 For they will add length to your days, years to your life,
and abundant peace to you.
3 Do not let gracious love and truth leave you.
Bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart,
4 and find favor and a good reputation[b] with God and men.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not depend on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge[c] him,
and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 This will bring healing to your body,
and refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the first[d] of all your produce,
10 so your barns will be filled with abundance,
and your vats will burst open with new wine.
11 My son, do not reject the Lord’s discipline,
and do not despise his correction,
12 because the Lord corrects the person he loves,
just as a father corrects[e] the son he delights in.[f]
Wisdom More Valuable than Riches
13 How joyful is the man who finds wisdom,
and the man who gains understanding,
14 because her profit is better than the profit of silver,
and her yield than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire compares with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand,
and in her left are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peaceful.
18 She is a tree of life for those who embrace her,
and whoever clutches her tightly will be joyful.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
and by understanding he set the heavens in place.
20 By his knowledge the depths broke open,
and the clouds drip with dew.
Benefits of Wisdom
21 My son, do not let wisdom[g] leave your sight.
Carefully observe sound judgment and discernment,
22 and they will be life to you
and a graceful ornament[h] for your neck.
23 Then you will travel safely on your way,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you sit[i] down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.[j]
25 Do not be afraid of sudden disaster,[k]
or the devastation that comes to the wicked.
26 Indeed, the Lord will be your confidence,
and he will keep your foot from being caught.
Wisdom in Action
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come back.
I will pay you[l] tomorrow,”
when you have cash[m] with you.
29 Do not plan to harm your neighbor,
when he is living peacefully[n] beside you.
30 Do not bring a lawsuit against a person for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 Do not envy a violent man,
and do not emulate his lifestyle.[o]
32 Indeed, a perverse man is utterly disgusting[p] to the Lord,
but he takes the upright into his confidence.[q]
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Though God[r] scoffs at scoffers,
he gives grace to the humble.
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but he holds fools up for ridicule.
How Paul Was Accepted by the Apostles in Jerusalem
2 Then fourteen years later, I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus with me. 2 I went in response to a revelation, and in a private meeting with the reputed leaders, I explained to them the gospel that I’m proclaiming to the gentiles. I did this because I was afraid that[a] I was running or had run my life’s race[b] for nothing. 3 But not even Titus, who was with me, was forced to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 However, false brothers were secretly brought in. They slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in the Messiah[c] Jesus so that they might enslave us. 5 But we did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.
6 Now those who were reputed to be important added nothing to my message.[d] (What sort of people they were makes no difference to me, since God pays no attention to outward appearances.) 7 In fact, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised. 8 For the one who worked through Peter by making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me by sending me to the gentiles. 9 So when James, Cephas,[e] and John (who were reputed to be leaders)[f] recognized the grace that had been given me, they gave Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 The only thing they asked us to do was to remember the destitute, the very thing I was eager to do.
Paul Confronts Cephas in Antioch
11 But when Cephas[g] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly wrong.[h] 12 Until some men arrived from James, he was in the habit of eating with the gentiles, but after those men[i] came, he withdrew from the gentiles[j] and would not associate with them any longer, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. 13 The other Jews also joined him in this hypocritical behavior, to the extent that even Barnabas was caught up in their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas[k] in front of everyone, “Though you are a Jew, you have been living like a gentile and not like a Jew. So how can you insist that the gentiles must live like Jews?”
Jews, Like Gentiles, are Saved by Faith
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth, and not gentile sinners, 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by doing what the Law requires,[l] but rather by the faithfulness of Jesus[m] the Messiah.[n] We, too, have believed in the Messiah[o] Jesus so that we might be justified by the faithfulness of[p] the Messiah[q] and not by doing what the Law requires, for no human being[r] will be justified by doing what the Law requires. 17 Now if we, while trying to be justified by the Messiah,[s] have been found to be sinners, does that mean that the Messiah[t] is serving the interests of sin? Of course not! 18 For if I rebuild something that I tore down, I demonstrate that I am a wrongdoer. 19 For through the Law I died to the Law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with the Messiah.[u] 20 I no longer live, but the Messiah[v] lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God,[w] who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not misapply God’s grace, for if righteousness comes about by doing what the Law requires, then the Messiah[x] died for nothing.
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