M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Issachar’s Children
7 Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
2 Tola’s sons were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel, and they were leaders of their families. In the family history of Tola’s descendants, twenty-two thousand six hundred men were listed as fighting men during the time David was king.
3 Uzzi’s son was Izrahiah.
Izrahiah’s sons were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five of them were leaders. 4 Their family history shows they had thirty-six thousand men ready to serve in the army, because they had many wives and children.
5 The records of the family groups of Issachar show there were eighty-seven thousand fighting men.
Benjamin’s Children
6 Benjamin had three sons: Bela, Beker, and Jediael.
7 Bela had five sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, and they were leaders of their families. Their family history shows they had twenty-two thousand thirty-four fighting men.
8 Beker’s sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. They all were Beker’s sons. 9 Their family history listed the family leaders and twenty thousand two hundred fighting men.
10 Jediael’s son was Bilhan.
Bilhan’s sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11 All these sons of Jediael were leaders of their families. They had seventeen thousand two hundred fighting men ready to serve in the army.
12 The Shuppites and Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushites were descendants of Aher.
Naphtali’s Children
13 Naphtali’s sons were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. They were Bilhah’s grandsons.
Manasseh’s Children
14 These are Manasseh’s descendants. Manasseh had an Aramean slave woman, who was the mother of Asriel and Makir. Makir was Gilead’s father. 15 Makir took a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites. His sister was named Maacah. His second son was named Zelophehad, and he had only daughters. 16 Makir’s wife Maacah had a son whom she named Peresh. Peresh’s brother was named Sheresh. Sheresh’s sons were Ulam and Rakem.
17 Ulam’s son was Bedan.
These were the sons of Gilead, who was the son of Makir. Makir was Manasseh’s son. 18 Makir’s sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
Ephraim’s Children
20 These are the names of Ephraim’s descendants. Ephraim’s son was Shuthelah. Shuthelah’s son was Bered. Bered’s son was Tahath. Tahath’s son was Eleadah. Eleadah’s son was Tahath. 21 Tahath’s son was Zabad. Zabad’s son was Shuthelah.
Ezer and Elead went to Gath to steal cows and sheep and were killed by some men who grew up in that city. 22 Their father Ephraim cried for them many days, and his family came to comfort him. 23 Then he had sexual relations with his wife again. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom Ephraim named Beriah[a] because of the trouble that had happened to his family. 24 Ephraim’s daughter was Sheerah. She built Lower Beth Horon, Upper Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.
25 Rephah was Ephraim’s son. Resheph was Rephah’s son. Telah was Resheph’s son. Tahan was Telah’s son. 26 Ladan was Tahan’s son. Ammihud was Ladan’s son. Elishama was Ammihud’s son. 27 Nun was Elishama’s son, and Joshua was the son of Nun.
28 Ephraim’s descendants lived in these lands and towns: Bethel and the villages near it, Naaran on the east, Gezer and the villages near it on the west, and Shechem and the villages near it. These villages went all the way to Ayyah and its villages. 29 Along the borders of Manasseh’s land were the towns of Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the villages near them. The descendants of Joseph son of Israel lived in these towns.
Asher’s Children
30 Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.
31 Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malkiel. Malkiel was Birzaith’s father.
32 Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua.
33 Japhlet’s sons were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. They were Japhlet’s children.
34 Japhlet’s brother was Shomer. Shomer’s sons were Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram.
35 Shomer’s brother was Hotham. Hotham’s sons were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 Zophah’s sons were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38 Jether’s sons were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara.
39 Ulla’s sons were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 All these men were descendants of Asher and leaders of their families. They were powerful warriors and outstanding leaders. Their family history lists that they had twenty-six thousand soldiers ready to serve in the army.
The Family History of King Saul
8 Benjamin was the father of Bela, his first son. Ashbel was his second son, Aharah was his third, 2 Nohah was his fourth, and Rapha was his fifth son.
3 Bela’s sons were Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6 These were the descendants of Ehud and leaders of their families in Geba. They were forced to move to Manahath. 7 Ehud’s descendants were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. Gera forced them to leave. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
8-11 Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had sons named Abitub and Elpaal. In Moab, Shaharaim divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. Shaharaim and his wife Hodesh had these sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sakia, and Mirmah. They were leaders of their families.
12-13 Elpaal’s sons were Eber, Misham, Shemed, Beriah, and Shema. Shemed built the towns of Ono and Lod and the villages around them. Beriah and Shema were leaders of the families living in Aijalon, and they forced out the people who lived in Gath.
14 Beriah’s sons were Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ishpah, and Joha.
17 Elpaal’s sons were Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab.
19 Shimei’s sons were Jakim, Zicri, Zabdi, 20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath.
22 Shashak’s sons were Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23 Abdon, Zicri, Hanan, 24 Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, 25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel.
26 Jeroham’s sons were Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zicri.
28 The family histories show that all these men were leaders of their families and lived in Jerusalem.
29 Jeiel lived in the town of Gibeon, where he was the leader. His wife was named Maacah. 30 Jeiel’s first son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zeker, 32 and Mikloth. Mikloth was the father of Shimeah. These sons also lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
33 Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal.
34 Jonathan’s son was Merib-Baal, who was the father of Micah.
35 Micah’s sons were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza. 37 Moza was the father of Binea. Raphah was Binea’s son. Eleasah was Raphah’s son, and Azel was Eleasah’s son.
38 Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were Azel’s sons.
39 Azel’s brother was Eshek. Eshek’s first son was Ulam, his second was Jeush, and Eliphelet was his third. 40 Ulam’s sons were mighty warriors and good archers. They had many sons and grandsons—one hundred fifty of them in all.
All these men were Benjamin’s descendants.
What Is Faith?
11 Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. 2 Faith is the reason we remember great people who lived in the past.
3 It is by faith we understand that the whole world was made by God’s command so what we see was made by something that cannot be seen.
4 It was by faith that Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. God said he was pleased with the gifts Abel offered and called Abel a good man because of his faith. Abel died, but through his faith he is still speaking.
5 It was by faith that Enoch was taken to heaven so he would not die. He could not be found, because God had taken him away. Before he was taken, the Scripture says that he was a man who truly pleased God. 6 Without faith no one can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is real and that he rewards those who truly want to find him.
7 It was by faith that Noah heard God’s warnings about things he could not yet see. He obeyed God and built a large boat to save his family. By his faith, Noah showed that the world was wrong, and he became one of those who are made right with God through faith.
8 It was by faith Abraham obeyed God’s call to go to another place God promised to give him. He left his own country, not knowing where he was to go. 9 It was by faith that he lived like a foreigner in the country God promised to give him. He lived in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who had received that same promise from God. 10 Abraham was waiting for the city[a] that has real foundations—the city planned and built by God.
11 He was too old to have children, and Sarah could not have children. It was by faith that Abraham was made able to become a father, because he trusted God to do what he had promised.[b] 12 This man was so old he was almost dead, but from him came as many descendants as there are stars in the sky. Like the sand on the seashore, they could not be counted.
13 All these great people died in faith. They did not get the things that God promised his people, but they saw them coming far in the future and were glad. They said they were like visitors and strangers on earth. 14 When people say such things, they show they are looking for a country that will be their own. 15 If they had been thinking about the country they had left, they could have gone back. 16 But they were waiting for a better country—a heavenly country. So God is not ashamed to be called their God, because he has prepared a city for them.
17 It was by faith that Abraham, when God tested him, offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice. God made the promises to Abraham, but Abraham was ready to offer his own son as a sacrifice. 18 God had said, “The descendants I promised you will be from Isaac.”[c] 19 Abraham believed that God could raise the dead, and really, it was as if Abraham got Isaac back from death.
20 It was by faith that Isaac blessed the future of Jacob and Esau. 21 It was by faith that Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each one of Joseph’s sons. Then he worshiped as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.
22 It was by faith that Joseph, while he was dying, spoke about the Israelites leaving Egypt and gave instructions about what to do with his body.
23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born. They saw that Moses was a beautiful baby, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s order.
24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of the king of Egypt’s daughter. 25 He chose to suffer with God’s people instead of enjoying sin for a short time. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the Christ than to have all the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking for God’s reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left Egypt and was not afraid of the king’s anger. Moses continued strong as if he could see the God that no one can see. 28 It was by faith that Moses prepared the Passover and spread the blood on the doors so the one who brings death would not kill the firstborn sons of Israel.
29 It was by faith that the people crossed the Red Sea as if it were dry land. But when the Egyptians tried it, they were drowned.
30 It was by faith that the walls of Jericho fell after the people had marched around them for seven days.
31 It was by faith that Rahab, the prostitute, welcomed the spies and was not killed with those who refused to obey God.
32 Do I need to give more examples? I do not have time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets. 33 Through their faith they defeated kingdoms. They did what was right, received God’s promises, and shut the mouths of lions. 34 They stopped great fires and were saved from being killed with swords. They were weak, and yet were made strong. They were powerful in battle and defeated other armies. 35 Women received their dead relatives raised back to life. Others were tortured and refused to accept their freedom so they could be raised from the dead to a better life. 36 Some were laughed at and beaten. Others were put in chains and thrown into prison. 37 They were stoned to death, they were cut in half,[d] and they were killed with swords. Some wore the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor, abused, and treated badly. 38 The world was not good enough for them! They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and holes in the earth.
39 All these people are known for their faith, but none of them received what God had promised. 40 God planned to give us something better so that they would be made perfect, but only together with us.
Israel Needs to Repent
5 Listen to this funeral song that I sing about you, people of Israel.
2 “The young girl Israel has fallen,
and she will not rise up again.
She was left alone in her own land,
and there is no one to help her up.”
3 This is what the Lord God says:
“If a thousand soldiers leave a city,
only a hundred will return;
if a hundred soldiers leave a city,
only ten will return.”
4 This is what the Lord says to the nation of Israel:
“Come to me and live.
5 But do not look in Bethel
or go to Gilgal,
and do not go down to Beersheba.
The people of Gilgal will be taken away as captives,
and Bethel will become nothing.”
6 Come to the Lord and live,
or he will move like fire against the descendants of Joseph.
The fire will burn Bethel,
and there will be no one to put it out.
7 You turn justice upside down,
and you throw on the ground what is right.
8 God is the one who made the star groups Pleiades and Orion;
he changes darkness into the morning light,
and the day into dark night.
He calls for the waters of the sea
to pour out on the earth.
The Lord is his name.
9 He destroys the protected city;
he ruins the strong, walled city.
10 You hate those who speak in court against evil,
and you can’t stand those who tell the truth.
11 You walk on poor people,
forcing them to give you grain.
You have built fancy houses of cut stone,
but you will not live in them.
You have planted beautiful vineyards,
but you will not drink the wine from them.
12 I know your many crimes,
your terrible sins.
You hurt people who do right,
you take money to do wrong,
and you keep the poor from getting justice in court.
13 In such times the wise person will keep quiet,
because it is a bad time.
14 Try to do good, not evil,
so that you will live,
and the Lord God All-Powerful will be with you
just as you say he is.
15 Hate evil and love good;
be fair in the courts.
Maybe the Lord God All-Powerful will be kind
to the people of Joseph who are left alive.
16 This is what the Lord, the Lord God All-Powerful, says:
“People will be crying in all the streets;
they will be saying, ‘Oh, no!’ in the public places.
They will call the farmers to come and weep
and will pay people to cry out loud for them.
17 People will be crying in all the vineyards,
because I will pass among you to punish you,” says the Lord.
The Lord’s Day of Judging
18 How terrible it will be for you who want
the Lord’s day of judging to come.
Why do you want that day to come?
It will bring darkness for you, not light.
19 It will be like someone who runs from a lion
and meets a bear,
or like someone who goes into his house
and puts his hand on the wall,
and then is bitten by a snake.
20 So the Lord’s day of judging will bring darkness, not light;
it will be very dark, not light at all.
21 The Lord says, “I hate and reject your feasts;
I cannot stand your religious meetings.
22 If you offer me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I won’t accept them.
You bring your best fellowship offerings of fattened cattle,
but I will ignore them.
23 Take the noise of your songs away from me!
I won’t listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice flow like a river,
and let goodness flow like a never-ending stream.
25 “People of Israel, you did not bring me sacrifices and offerings
while you traveled in the desert for forty years.
26 You have carried with you
your king, the god Sakkuth,
and Kaiwan your idol,
and the star gods you have made.
27 So I will send you away as captives beyond Damascus,”
says the Lord, whose name is the God All-Powerful.
Luke Writes About Jesus’ Life
1 Many have tried to report on the things that happened among us. 2 They have written the same things that we learned from others—the people who saw those things from the beginning and served God by telling people his message. 3 Since I myself have studied everything carefully from the beginning, most excellent[a] Theophilus, it seemed good for me to write it out for you. I arranged it in order, 4 to help you know that what you have been taught is true.
Zechariah and Elizabeth
5 During the time Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah who belonged to Abijah’s group.[b] Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, came from the family of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth truly did what God said was good. They did everything the Lord commanded and were without fault in keeping his law. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth could not have a baby, and both of them were very old.
8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, because his group was on duty. 9 According to the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to go into the Temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 There were a great many people outside praying at the time the incense was offered. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing on the right side of the incense table. 12 When he saw the angel, Zechariah was startled and frightened. 13 But the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son, and you will name him John. 14 He will bring you joy and gladness, and many people will be happy because of his birth. 15 John will be a great man for the Lord. He will never drink wine or beer, and even from birth, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. 16 He will help many people of Israel return to the Lord their God. 17 He will go before the Lord in spirit and power like Elijah. He will make peace between parents and their children and will bring those who are not obeying God back to the right way of thinking, to make a people ready for the coming of the Lord.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I know that what you say is true? I am an old man, and my wife is old, too.”
19 The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand before God, who sent me to talk to you and to tell you this good news. 20 Now, listen! You will not be able to speak until the day these things happen, because you did not believe what I told you. But they will really happen.”
21 Outside, the people were still waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he was staying so long in the Temple. 22 When Zechariah came outside, he could not speak to them, and they knew he had seen a vision in the Temple. He could only make signs to them and remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service at the Temple was finished, he went home.
24 Later, Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and did not go out of her house for five months. Elizabeth said, 25 “Look what the Lord has done for me! My people were ashamed[c] of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame.”
An Angel Appears to Mary
26 During Elizabeth’s sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. 28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you.”
29 But Mary was very startled by what the angel said and wondered what this greeting might mean.
30 The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; God has shown you his grace. 31 Listen! You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of King David, his ancestor. 33 He will rule over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”
34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will cover you. For this reason the baby will be holy and will be called the Son of God. 36 Now Elizabeth, your relative, is also pregnant with a son though she is very old. Everyone thought she could not have a baby, but she has been pregnant for six months. 37 God can do anything!”
38 Mary said, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let this happen to me as you say!” Then the angel went away.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.