M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
A Reminder to Follow Moses’ Teachings
23 A long time afterward, Yahweh gave the Israelites peace with all their enemies around them. Joshua was old, near the end of his life. 2 So he called all the leaders, chiefs, judges, and officers of Israel together. He said to them, “I am old, near the end of my life. 3 You have seen for yourselves everything Yahweh your Elohim did to all those nations. Yahweh your Elohim fought for you! 4 I have given you the territory of the nations that still remain as an inheritance for your tribes. This includes the territory of all the nations I have already destroyed from the Jordan River westward to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 Yahweh your Elohim will expel them right in front of your eyes and force them out of your way. You will take their land as Yahweh your Elohim told you. 6 Now you must be very strong to keep and to do everything written in the Book of Moses’ Teachings. Don’t turn away from them. 7 Don’t get mixed up with the nations left in your territory. Don’t ever mention the names of their gods or swear an oath to them. Don’t ever serve their gods or bow down to them. 8 But you must be loyal to Yahweh your Elohim, as you have been until now. 9 Yahweh has forced important and powerful nations out of your way. Not one person has ever been able to stand up to you. 10 One of you used to chase a thousand. That was because Yahweh your Elohim was fighting for you, as he had promised you. 11 Be very careful to love Yahweh your Elohim.
12 “But if you turn away and go along with the other nations within your borders, if you intermarry with them or associate with them, 13 then you should know that Yahweh your Elohim will never again force these people out of your way. Instead, they will be a snare and a trap for you, a whip laid to your sides, and thorns in your eyes until none of you are left in this good land that Yahweh your Elohim has given you.
14 “Pay attention, because I will soon die like everyone else. You know with all your heart and soul that not one single promise which Yahweh your Elohim has given you has ever failed to come true. Every single word has come true.
15 “Every good word Yahweh your Elohim has promised you has come true for you. In the same way Yahweh will bring about every evil curse until he has destroyed you from this good land that he has given you. 16 When you ignore the conditions[a] placed on you by Yahweh your Elohim and follow other gods, serve them and bow down to them, Yahweh will be angry with you. Then you will quickly disappear from the good land he has given you.”
A Lame Man Is Healed
3 Peter and John were going to the temple courtyard for the three o’clock prayer. 2 At the same time, a man who had been lame from birth was being carried by some men. Every day these men would put the lame man at a gate in the temple courtyard. The gate was called Beautiful Gate. There he would beg for handouts from people going into the courtyard. 3 When the man saw that Peter and John were about to go into the courtyard, he asked them for a handout.
4 Peter and John stared at him. “Look at us!” Peter said. 5 So the man watched them closely. He expected to receive something from them. 6 However, Peter said to him, “I don’t have any money, but I’ll give you what I do have. Through the power of Yeshua Christ from Nazareth, walk!” 7 Peter took hold of the man’s right hand and began to help him up. Immediately, the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 Springing to his feet, he stood up and started to walk. He went with Peter and John into the temple courtyard. The man was walking, jumping, and praising God.
9 All the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 They knew that he was the man who used to sit and beg at the temple’s Beautiful Gate. The people were amazed and stunned to see what had happened to him. 11 They were excited, and everyone ran to see them at the place called Solomon’s Porch. The man wouldn’t let go of Peter and John.
12 When Peter saw this, he said to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed about this man? Why are you staring at us as though we have made him walk by our own power or godly life? 13 The God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob has glorified his servant Yeshua. You handed Yeshua over to Pilate. You rejected him in Pilate’s presence, even though Pilate had decided to let him go free. 14 You rejected the man who was holy and innocent. You asked to have a murderer given to you, 15 and you killed the source of life. But God brought him back to life, and we are witnesses to that. 16 We believe in the one named Yeshua. Through his power alone this man, whom you know, was healed, as all of you saw.
17 “And now, brothers, I know that like your rulers you didn’t know what you were doing. 18 But in this way God made the sufferings of his Messiah come true. God had predicted these sufferings through all the prophets. 19 So change the way you think and act, and turn to God to have your sins removed. 20 Then times will come when the Lord will refresh you. He will send you Yeshua, whom he has appointed to be the Christ. 21 Heaven must receive Yeshua until the time when everything will be restored as God promised through his holy prophets long ago.
22 “Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me. Listen to everything he tells you. 23 Those who won’t listen to that prophet will be excluded from the people.’ 24 Samuel and all the prophets who followed him spoke about these days. 25 You are the descendants of the prophets and the heirs of the promise[a] that God made to our ancestors when he said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendant all people on earth will be blessed.’ 26 God has brought his servant back to life and has sent him to you first. God did this to bless you by turning every one of you from your evil ways.”
Jeremiah’s Question
12 O Yahweh, even if I would argue my case with you,
you would always be right.
Yet, I want to talk to you about your justice.
Why do wicked people succeed?
Why do treacherous people have peace and quiet?
2 You plant them, and they take root.
They grow, and they produce fruit.
They speak well of you with their lips,
but their hearts are far from you.
3 You know me, O Yahweh.
You see me and test my devotion to you.
Drag them away like sheep to be slaughtered.
Prepare them for the day of slaughter.
4 How long will the land mourn?
How long will the plants in every field remain dried up?
The animals and the birds are dying,
because people are wicked.
They think that Elohim[a] doesn’t know what they are doing.
The Lord’s Reply
5 “If you have raced against others on foot, and they have tired you out,
how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in open country,
how can you live in the jungle along the Jordan River?
6 Even your relatives and members of your father’s household betray you.
They have also formed a mob to find you.
Don’t trust them when they say good things about you.
7 “I have abandoned my nation.
I have left my own people.
I have handed the people I love over to their enemies.
8 My people have turned on me like a lion in the forest.
They roar at me, so I hate them.
9 My people are like a colorful bird of prey.
Other birds of prey surround it.
Go, gather all the animals in the field,
and bring them to devour it.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard.
They’ve trampled my property.
They’ve turned my pleasant property into a wasteland.
11 They’ve left it a wasteland.
Devastated, it mourns in my presence.
The whole land is destroyed,
but no one takes this to heart.
12 Looters swarm all over the bare hills in the desert.
Yahweh’s sword destroys them
from one end of the land to the other.
No one will be safe.
13 My people planted wheat, but they harvested thorns.
They worked until they became sick, but they gained nothing by it.
They were disappointed by their harvests
because of the burning anger of Yahweh.
14 “This is what I, Yahweh, say about all my evil neighbors who take the inheritance that I gave my people Israel: I am going to uproot those neighbors from their lands. I will also uproot the people of Judah from among them. 15 After I’ve uprooted them, I will have compassion on them again. I will return them to their inheritance and to their lands. 16 Suppose they learn carefully the ways of my people. Suppose they take an oath in my name, ‘As Yahweh lives . . .’ as they taught my people to take an oath in the name of Baal. Then they will build homes among my people. 17 But suppose they don’t listen. Then I will uproot that nation and destroy it,” declares Yahweh.
The Plot to Kill Jesus(A)
26 When Yeshua finished saying all these things, he told his disciples, 2 “You know that the Passover will take place in two days. At that time the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the leaders of the people gathered in the palace of the chief priest Caiaphas. 4 They made plans to arrest Yeshua in an underhanded way and to kill him. 5 But they said, “We shouldn’t arrest him during the festival, or else there may be a riot among the people.”
A Woman Prepares Jesus’ Body for the Tomb(B)
6 Yeshua was in Bethany in the home of Simon, a man who had suffered from a skin disease. 7 While Yeshua was sitting there, a woman went to him with a bottle of very expensive perfume and poured it on his head.
8 The disciples were irritated when they saw this. They asked, “Why did she waste it like this? 9 It could have been sold for a high price, and the money could have been given to the poor.”
10 Since Yeshua knew what was going on, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 11 You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you. 12 She poured this perfume on my body before it is placed in a tomb. 13 I can guarantee this truth: Wherever this Good News is spoken in the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Judas Plans to Betray Jesus(C)
14 Then one of the twelve apostles, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests. 15 He asked, “What will you pay me if I hand him over to you?”
They offered him 30 silver coins. 16 From then on, he looked for a chance to betray Yeshua.
Preparations for the Passover(D)
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples went to Yeshua. They asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
18 He said, “Go to a certain man in the city, and tell him that the teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”
19 The disciples did as Yeshua had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, Yeshua was at the table with the twelve apostles.
Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him(E)
21 While they were eating, he said, “I can guarantee this truth: One of you is going to betray me.”
22 Feeling deeply hurt, they asked him one by one, “You don’t mean me, do you, Lord?”
23 Yeshua answered, “Someone who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man is going to die as the Scriptures say he will. But how horrible it will be for that person who betrays the Son of Man. It would have been better for that person if he had never been born.”
25 Then Judas, who betrayed him, asked, “You don’t mean me, do you, Rabbi?”
“Yes, I do,” Yeshua replied.
The Lord’s Supper(F)
26 While they were eating, Yeshua took bread and blessed it. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take this, and eat it. This is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup and spoke a prayer of thanksgiving. He gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood, the blood of the promise.[a] It is poured out for many people so that sins are forgiven.
29 “I can guarantee that I won’t drink this wine again until that day when I drink new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 After they sang a hymn, they went to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(G)
31 Then Yeshua said to them, “All of you will abandon me tonight. Scripture says,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep in the flock will be scattered.’
32 “But after I am brought back to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”
33 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone else abandons you, I never will.”
34 Yeshua replied to Peter, “I can guarantee this truth: Before a rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”
35 Peter told him, “Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never say that I don’t know you!” All the other disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane(H)
36 Then Yeshua went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.”
37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons with him. He was beginning to feel deep anguish. 38 Then he said to them, “My anguish is so great that I feel as if I’m dying. Wait here, and stay awake with me.”
39 After walking a little farther, he quickly bowed with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.”
40 When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Stay awake, and pray that you won’t be tempted. You want to do what’s right, but you’re weak.”
42 Then he went away a second time and prayed, “Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, let your will be done.”
43 He found them asleep again because they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 After leaving them again, he went away and prayed the same prayer a third time. 45 Then he came back to the disciples and said to them, “You might as well sleep now. The time is near for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! The one who is betraying me is near.”
Jesus Is Arrested(I)
47 Just then, while Yeshua was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, arrived. A large crowd carrying swords and clubs was with him. They were from the chief priests and leaders of the people. 48 Now, the traitor had given them a signal. He said, “The one I kiss is the man you want. Arrest him!”
49 Then Judas quickly stepped up to Yeshua and said, “Hello, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Yeshua said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”
Then some men came forward, took hold of Yeshua, and arrested him. 51 Suddenly, one of the men with Yeshua pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the chief priest’s servant. 52 Then Yeshua said to him, “Put your sword away! All who use a sword will be killed by a sword. 53 Don’t you think that I could call on my Father to send more than twelve legions of angels to help me now? 54 How, then, are the Scriptures to be fulfilled that say this must happen?”
55 At that time Yeshua said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a criminal? I used to sit teaching in the temple courtyard every day. But you didn’t arrest me then. 56 All of this has happened so that what the prophets have written would come true.”
Then all the disciples abandoned him and ran away.
The Trial in Front of the Jewish Council(J)
57 Those who had arrested Yeshua took him to Caiaphas, the chief priest, where the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders had gathered together. 58 Peter followed at a distance until he came to the chief priest’s courtyard. He went inside and sat with the guards to see how this would turn out.
59 The chief priests and the whole council were searching for false testimony to use against Yeshua in order to execute him. 60 But they did not find any, although many came forward with false testimony. At last two men came forward. 61 They stated, “This man said, ‘I can tear down God’s temple and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 The chief priest stood up and said to Yeshua, “Don’t you have any answer to what these men testify against you?”
63 But Yeshua was silent.
Then the chief priest said to him, “Swear an oath in front of the living God and tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”
64 Yeshua answered him, “Yes, I am. But I can guarantee that from now on you will see the Son of Man in the highest position in heaven. He will be coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the chief priest tore his robes in horror and said, “He has dishonored God! Why do we need any more witnesses? You’ve just heard him dishonor God! 66 What’s your verdict?”
They answered, “He deserves the death penalty!”
67 Then they spit in his face, hit him with their fists, and some of them slapped him. 68 They said, “You Christ, if you’re a prophet, tell us who hit you.”
Peter Denies Jesus(K)
69 Peter was sitting in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You, too, were with Yeshua the Galilean.”
70 But Peter denied it in front of them all by saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
71 As he went to the entrance, another female servant saw him. She told those who were there, “This man was with Yeshua from Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it and swore with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while the men standing there approached Peter and said, “It’s obvious you’re also one of them. Your accent gives you away!”
74 Then Peter began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Just then a rooster crowed. 75 Peter remembered what Yeshua had said: “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter went outside and cried bitterly.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.