M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord Instructs Joshua
1 After the death of the Lord’s servant Moses, the Lord said to Moses’ assistant Joshua, son of Nun, 2 “My servant Moses is dead. Now you and all these people must cross the Jordan River into the land that I am going to give the people of Israel. 3 I will give you every place on which you set foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your borders will be the desert ⌞on the south⌟, nearby Lebanon to the Euphrates River (the country of the Hittites) ⌞on the north⌟, and the Mediterranean Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to oppose you successfully as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never neglect you or abandon you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will help these people take possession of the land I swore to give their ancestors.
7 “Only be strong and very courageous, faithfully doing everything in the teachings that my servant Moses commanded you. Don’t turn away from them. Then you will succeed wherever you go. 8 Never stop reciting these teachings. You must think about them night and day so that you will faithfully do everything written in them. Only then will you prosper and succeed.
9 “I have commanded you, ‘Be strong and courageous! Don’t tremble or be terrified, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’ ”
The People Promise to Obey Joshua
10 Then Joshua ordered the officers of the people, 11 “Go through the camp. Tell the people, ‘Get your supplies ready. In three days you will cross the Jordan River to take possession of the land the Lord your God is going to give you.’ ”
12 Next, Joshua said to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh, 13 “Remember what the Lord’s servant Moses commanded you. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will give you this land—a place to rest.’ 14 Your wives, children, and livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan River. However, all your best soldiers must march in battle formation ahead of your relatives. You must help your relatives 15 take possession of the land the Lord your God is going to give them. Then they will have a place to rest like you do. After that, you may go back and take possession of the land east of the Jordan River which the Lord’s servant Moses gave you.”
16 The people responded to Joshua, “We’ll do everything you tell us and go wherever you send us. 17 We will obey you as we obeyed Moses. May the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your authority or does not obey your orders will be put to death. Just be strong and courageous!”
A song for going up to worship.
120 When I was in trouble, I cried out to the Lord,
and he answered me.
2 O Lord, rescue me from lying lips
and from a deceitful tongue.
3 You deceitful tongue, what can the Lord give you?
What more can he do for you?
4 He will give you a warrior’s sharpened arrows and red-hot coals.
5 How horrible it is to live as a foreigner in Meshech
or to stay in the tents of Kedar.
6 I have lived too long with those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace, but when I talk about it,
they only talk about war.
A song for going up to worship.
121 I look up toward the mountains.
Where can I find help?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let you fall.
Your guardian will not fall asleep.
4 Indeed, the Guardian of Israel never rests or sleeps.
5 The Lord is your guardian.
The Lord is the shade over your right hand.
6 The sun will not beat down on you during the day,
nor will the moon at night.
7 The Lord guards you from every evil.
He guards your life.
8 The Lord guards you as you come and go,
now and forever.
A song by David for going up to worship.
122 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let’s go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet are standing inside your gates, Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built to be a city
where the people are united.
4 All of the Lord’s tribes go to that city
because it is a law in Israel
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.
5 The court of justice sits there.
It consists of ⌞princes who are⌟ David’s descendants.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper.
7 May there be peace inside your walls
and prosperity in your palaces.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends, let me say,
“May it go well for you!”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek what is good for you.
The Lord Will Anoint His Servant with His Spirit
61 The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is with me
because the Lord has anointed me
to deliver good news to humble people.
He has sent me
to heal those who are brokenhearted,
to announce that captives will be set free
and prisoners will be released.
2 ⌞He has sent me⌟
to announce the year of the Lord’s good will
and the day of our God’s vengeance,
to comfort all those who grieve.
3 ⌞He has sent me⌟
to provide for all those who grieve in Zion,
to give them crowns instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of ⌞tears of⌟ grief,
and clothes of praise instead of a spirit of weakness.
They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
the Plantings of the Lord,
so that he might display his glory.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins.
They will restore the places destroyed long ago.
They will renew the ruined cities, the places destroyed generations ago.
5 Foreigners will come forward and become shepherds for your flocks,
and children of foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called the priests of the Lord.
You will be called the servants of our God.
You will consume the wealth of the nations.
You will boast in their splendor.
7 You will receive a double measure of wealth instead of your shame.
You will sing about your wealth instead of being disgraced.
That is why you will have a double measure of wealth in your land.
You will have everlasting joy.
8 I, the Lord, love justice.
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully reward my people’s work.
I will make an everlasting promise [a] to them.
9 Then their offspring will be known among the nations
and their descendants among the people.
Everyone who sees them will recognize
that they are the descendants whom the Lord has blessed.
10 I will find joy in the Lord.
I will delight in my God.
He has dressed me in the clothes of salvation.
He has wrapped me in the robe of righteousness
like a bridegroom with a priest’s turban,
like a bride with her jewels.
11 Like the ground that brings forth its crops
and like a garden that makes the seed in it grow,
so the Almighty Lord will make righteousness and praise
spring up in front of all nations.
Jesus Forgives Sins(A)
9 Jesus got into a boat, crossed the sea, and came to his own city. 2 Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Cheer up, friend! Your sins are forgiven.”
3 Then some of the experts in Moses’ Teachings thought, “He’s dishonoring God.”
4 Jesus knew what they were thinking. He asked them, “Why are you thinking evil things? 5 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
7 So the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe and praised God for giving such authority to humans.
Jesus Chooses Matthew to Be a Disciple(B)
9 When Jesus was leaving that place, he saw a man sitting in a tax office. The man’s name was Matthew. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” So Matthew got up and followed him.
10 Later Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. 13 Learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices.’ I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.”
Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting(C)
14 Then John’s disciples came to Jesus. They said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples never do?”
15 Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests be sad while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
16 “No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. When the patch shrinks, it will rip away from the coat, and the tear will become worse. 17 Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, people pour new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved.”
A Synagogue Leader’s Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding(D)
18 A ⌞synagogue⌟ leader came to Jesus while he was talking to John’s disciples. He bowed down in front of Jesus and said, “My daughter just died. Come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.”
19 Jesus and his disciples got up and followed the man.
20 Then a woman came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his clothes. She had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. 21 She thought, “If I only touch his clothes, I’ll get well.”
22 When Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Cheer up, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” At that very moment the woman became well.
23 Jesus came to the ⌞synagogue⌟ leader’s house. He saw flute players and a noisy crowd. 24 He said to them, “Leave! The girl is not dead. She’s sleeping.” But they laughed at him.
25 When the crowd had been put outside, Jesus went in, took her hand, and the girl came back to life.
26 The news about this spread throughout that region.
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
27 When Jesus left that place, two blind men followed him. They shouted, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”
28 Jesus went into a house, and the blind men followed him. He said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they answered.
29 He touched their eyes and said, “What you have believed will be done for you!” 30 Then they could see.
He warned them, “Don’t let anyone know about this!” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that region.
Jesus Forces a Demon out of a Man Who Couldn’t Talk
32 As they were leaving, some people brought a man to Jesus. The man was unable to talk because he was possessed by a demon. 33 But as soon as the demon was forced out, the man began to speak.
The crowds were amazed and said, “We have never seen anything like this in Israel!”
34 But the Pharisees said, “He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons.”
Jesus’ Compassion for People
35 Jesus went to all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues and spread the Good News of the kingdom. He also cured every disease and sickness.
36 When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were troubled and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is large, but the workers are few. 38 So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops.”
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