M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Here comes the power
2 When the day of Pentecost had finally arrived, they were all together in the same place. 2 Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like the sound of a strong, blowing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then tongues, seemingly made of fire, appeared to them, moving apart and coming to rest on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the holy spirit, and began to speak in other languages, as the spirit gave them the words to say.
New words for new news
5 There were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem at that time. 6 When they heard this noise they came together in a crowd. They were deeply puzzled, because every single one of them could hear them speaking in his or her own native language. 7 They were astonished and amazed.
“These men who are doing the speaking are all Galileans, aren’t they?” they said. 8 “So how is it that each of us can hear them in our own mother tongues? 9 There are Parthians here, and Medians, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judaea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya that belong to Cyrene; there are people from Rome, 11 proselytes as well as Jews; there are Cretans and Arabs. We can hear them speaking about the powerful things God has done—in our own languages!”
12 Everyone was astonished and perplexed.
“What does it all mean?” they were asking each other.
13 But some sneered.
“They’re full of new wine!” they said.
It’s all coming true at last!
14 Then Peter got up, with the eleven. He spoke to them in a loud voice.
“People of Judaea!” he began. “All of you staying here in Jerusalem! There’s something you have to know! Listen to what I’m saying! 15 These people aren’t drunk, as you imagine. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 No, this is what the prophet Joel was talking about, when he said,
17 In the last days, declares God, I will pour out my spirit on all people.
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy;
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams;
18 yes, even on slaves, men and women alike, will I pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will give signs in the heavens above, and portents on earth beneath,
blood and fire and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and glorious day.
21 And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
David speaks of Jesus’ resurrection
22 “You people of Israel,” Peter continued, “listen to this. The man Jesus of Nazareth was marked out for you by God through the mighty works, signs and portents which God performed through him right here among you, as you all know. 23 He was handed over in accordance with God’s determined purpose and foreknowledge—and you used people outside the law to nail him up and kill him.
24 “But God raised him from the dead! Death had its painful grip on him; but God released him from it, because it wasn’t possible for him to be mastered by it. 25 This, you see, is how David speaks of him:
I set the Lord before me always;
because he is at my right hand, I won’t be shaken.
26 So my heart was happy, and my tongue rejoiced,
and my flesh, too, will rest in hope.
27 For you will not leave my soul in Hades,
nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.
28 You showed me the path of life,
you filled me with gladness in your presence.
29 “My dear family, I can surely speak freely to you about the patriarch David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is here with us to this day. 30 He was of course a prophet, and he knew that God had sworn an oath to him to set one of his own physical offspring on his throne. 31 He foresaw the Messiah’s resurrection, and spoke about him ‘not being left in Hades,’ and about his flesh ‘not seeing corruption.’ 32 This is the Jesus we’re talking about! God raised him from the dead, and all of us here are witnesses to the fact! 33 Now he’s been exalted to God’s right hand; and what you see and hear is the result of the fact that he is pouring out the holy spirit, which had been promised, and which he has received from the father.
34 “David, after all, did not ascend into the heavens. This is what he says:
The Lord said to my Lord,
sit at my right hand,
35 until I place your enemies
underneath your feet.
36 “So the whole house of Israel must know this for a fact: God has made him Lord and Messiah—this Jesus, the one you crucified.”
God’s rescue plan
37 When they heard this, the people in the crowd were cut to the heart.
“Brothers,” they said to Peter and the other apostles, “what shall we do?”
38 “Turn back!” replied Peter. “Be baptized—every single one of you—in the name of Jesus the Messiah, so that your sins can be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the holy spirit. 39 The promise is for you and for your children, and for everyone who is far away, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
40 He carried on explaining things to them with many other words.
“Let God rescue you,” he was urging them, “from this wicked generation!”
41 Those who welcomed his word were baptized. About three thousand people were added to the community that day.
The new family
42 They all gave full attention to the teaching of the apostles and to the common life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 Great awe fell on everyone, and many remarkable deeds and signs were performed by the apostles.
44 All of those who believed came together, and held everything in common. 45 They sold their possessions and belongings and divided them up to everyone in proportion to their various needs. 46 Day by day they were all together attending the Temple. They broke bread in their various houses, and ate their food with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and standing in favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being rescued.
The wise and foolish girls
25 “Then,” continued Jesus, “the kingdom of heaven will be like ten girls who each took their own torches and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were silly, and five were sensible. 3 The silly ones took their torches, but didn’t take oil with them. 4 The sensible ones took oil, in flasks, along with their torches.
5 “The bridegroom took his time coming, and they all nodded off and went to sleep. 6 In the middle of the night a shout went up: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come on and meet him!’ 7 Then all the girls got up and trimmed the wicks of their torches.
8 “The silly ones said to the sensible ones, ‘Give us some of your oil! Our torches are going out!’
9 “But the sensible ones answered, ‘No! If we do that, there won’t be enough for all of us together! You’d better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “So off they went to buy oil. But, while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived. The ones who were ready went in with him to the wedding party, and the door was shut.
11 “Later on the other girls came back. ‘Master, Master!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’
12 “ ‘I’m telling you the truth,’ he said, ‘I don’t know you.’
13 “So keep awake! You don’t know the day or the hour.”
The parable of the talents
14 “This is what it will be like,” Jesus went on. “It will be like a man who was going off on a journey. He summoned his slaves, and handed over control of his property to them. 15 He gave five talents to the first, two to the next, and one to the last—each according to his ability. Then he left.
“Straight away 16 the man who had been given the five talents went out and traded with them, and made five more. 17 Similarly, the one who had received two talents went and made another two. 18 But the one who received a single talent went and dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long time, the master of those slaves came back and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five talents came forward and gave him the other five talents. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you gave me five talents. Look: I’ve made another five!’ 21 ‘Well done indeed,’ said his master. ‘You’re an excellent slave, and loyal too! You’ve been trustworthy with small things, and now I’m going to put you in charge of bigger ones. Come and join your master’s celebration!’
22 “Then the man who had had the two talents came forward. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you gave me two talents. Look: I’ve made another two!’ 23 ‘Well done indeed,’ said his master. ‘You’re an excellent slave, and loyal too! You’ve been trustworthy with small things, and now I’m going to put you in charge of bigger ones. Come and join your master’s celebration!’
24 “Then the man who had had the one talent came forward. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you were a hard man. You reap where you didn’t sow, and you profit from things you never invested in. 25 So I was scared! I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is: it’s yours, you can have it back.’
26 “ ‘You’re a wicked and lazy slave!’ answered his master. ‘So! You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and profit from investments I never made? 27 Then you should have put my money with the bankers, and when I returned I would have received back what I had with interest!’
28 “ ‘So take the talent from him,’ he went on, ‘and give it to the man who has ten talents.’ 29 (If someone already has something, you see, they will be given more, and they’ll have plenty. But if someone has nothing, even what they have will be taken away from them.) 30 ‘But as for this useless slave, throw him outside in the dark, where people weep and grind their teeth.’ ”
The sheep and the goats
31 “When the son of man comes in his glory,” Jesus went on, “and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be assembled in front of him, and he will separate them from one another, like a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. 33 He will stand the sheep at his right hand, and the goats at his left.
34 “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come here, you people who my father has blessed. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! 35 Why? Because I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you made me welcome. 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you looked after me; I was in prison and you came to me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Master, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and come to see you?’
40 “Then the king will answer them, ‘I’m telling you the truth: when you did it to one of the least significant of my brothers and sisters here, you did it to me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left hand, ‘Get away from me! You’re accursed! Go to the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels! 42 Why? Because I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat! I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink! 43 I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me; I was naked and you didn’t clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you didn’t look after me!’
44 “Then they too will answer, ‘Master, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t do anything for you?’
45 “Then he will answer them, ‘I’m telling you the truth: when you didn’t do it for one of the least significant of my brothers and sisters here, you didn’t do it for me.’
46 “And they will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous will go into everlasting life.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.