M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
16 Samson went to Gaza. There he saw a prostitute and slept with her. 2 The people of Gaza were told, “Samson’s here!” So they surrounded the place and waited all night at the city gate to ambush him. They were quiet all night. They thought, “We’ll kill him at dawn.”
3 But Samson was in bed with the prostitute only until midnight. Then he got up, took hold of the doors, door posts, and bar of the city gate and pulled them out. He carried them on his shoulders to the top of the hill facing Hebron.
Samson and Delilah
4 After leaving Gaza, he fell in love with a woman in the Sorek Valley. Her name was Delilah. 5 The Philistine rulers came to her and said, “Trick him, and find out what makes him so strong. Find out how we can overpower him. We want to tie him up in order to torture him. Each of us will give you 1,100 pieces of silver.”
6 So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me what makes you so strong. How can you be tied up so that someone could torture you?”
7 Samson told her, “If someone ties me up with seven new bowstrings that are not dried out, I will be like any other man.”
8 The Philistine rulers brought her seven new bowstrings that were not dried out. She tied Samson up with them. 9 Some men were hiding in the bedroom waiting for her to tie him up. Then she said to him, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!” Samson snapped the bowstrings as a thread snaps when it touches fire. So no one found out why he was so strong.
10 Delilah told Samson, “Look, you’re making fun of me by telling me lies. Now, tell me how you can be tied up.”
11 Samson told her, “If someone ties me up tightly with new ropes that have never been used, I will be like any other man.”
12 So Delilah took some new ropes and tied him up with them. Then she said to him, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!” Some men were in her bedroom waiting to ambush him. But Samson tore the ropes off his arms as though they were strings.
13 Delilah told Samson, “You’re still making fun of me by telling me lies. Tell me how you can be tied up.”
Samson replied, “Just weave the seven braids of my hair with the other threads in the loom.”
14 So Delilah tied his braids to the loom shuttle. Then she said to him, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!” But Samson woke up and tore his braids and the threads out of the loom shuttle.
15 Delilah said to Samson, “How can you say that you love me when your heart isn’t mine? You’ve made fun of me three times now, but you still haven’t told me what makes you so strong.”
16 Every day she made his life miserable with her questions. She pestered him until he wished he were dead. 17 Finally, he told her the truth. He told her, “Because I’m a Nazirite, no one has ever cut the hair on my head. I was dedicated to Elohim before I was born. If my hair is ever shaved off, my strength will leave me. Then I’ll be like any other man.”
18 When Delilah realized that he had told her everything, she sent a message to the Philistine rulers, “Come here once more.” (She did this because Samson had told her everything.) So the Philistine rulers arrived with the money in their hands.
19 Delilah put Samson to sleep on her lap. She called for a man to shave off his seven braids. Then she began to torture him because his strength had left him. 20 She said, “Samson, the Philistines are attacking!” Samson woke up. He thought, “I’ll get out of this as usual and shake myself free.” (He didn’t realize that Yahweh had left him.) 21 The Philistines grabbed him. They poked out his eyes and took him to the prison in Gaza. They tied him up with double chains and made him grind grain in the mill there.
22 But his hair started to grow back as soon as it was shaved off.
23 Now, the Philistine rulers gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon and to celebrate. They said, “Our god handed Samson, our enemy, over to us.” 24 When the people saw him, they praised their god. They said,
“Our god gave our enemy,
destroyer of our land
and killer of so many,
into our very hand!”
25 When all the Philistines were enjoying themselves, they said, “Call Samson in to entertain us.”
Samson was called from the prison, and he made them laugh. They made him stand between two columns. 26 Samson told the young man who was leading him by the hand, “Let me rest. Let me touch the columns on which the building stands so that I can lean against them.” 27 The building was filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there. On the roof there were about three thousand men and women who watched Samson entertain them.
28 Then Samson called to Yahweh, “Adonay Yahweh, please remember me! Elohim, give me strength just one more time! Let me get even with the Philistines for at least one of my two eyes.” 29 Samson felt the two middle columns on which the building stood. With his right hand on one column and his left on the other, he pushed hard against them. 30 “Let me die with the Philistines,” he said. With that, he pushed with all his might, and the building fell on the rulers and everyone in it. So he killed more Philistines when he died than he had when he was alive.
31 Then his relatives and his father’s whole family went to Gaza. They took Samson and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah.
Samson had judged Israel for 20 years.
20 When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, said goodbye, and left for Macedonia. 2 He went through that region and spoke many words of encouragement to the people. Then he went to Greece 3 and stayed there for three months.
Paul in Troas
When Paul was going to board a ship for Syria, he found out that the Jews were plotting to kill him. So he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 Sopater (son of Pyrrhus) from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia accompanied Paul. 5 All these men went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas. 6 After the Festival of Unleavened Bread, we boarded a ship at Philippi. Five days later we joined them in Troas and stayed there for seven days.
7 On Sunday we met to break bread. Paul was discussing Scripture with the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8 (Many lamps were lit in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)
9 A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. As Paul was talking on and on, Eutychus was gradually falling asleep. Finally, overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was dead when they picked him up. 10 Paul went to him, took him into his arms, and said, “Don’t worry! He’s alive!” 11 Then Eutychus went upstairs again, broke the bread, and ate. Paul talked with the people for a long time, until sunrise, and then left.
12 The people took the boy home. They were greatly relieved that he was alive.
Paul’s Trip to Miletus
13 We went ahead to the ship and sailed for the city of Assos. At Assos, we were going to pick up Paul. He had made these arrangements, since he had planned to walk overland to Assos. 14 When Paul met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to the city of Mitylene. 15 We sailed from there. On the following day we approached the island of Chios. The next day we went by the island of Samos, and on the next day we arrived at the city of Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if that was possible.
Paul Meets with the Spiritual Leaders from Ephesus
17 From Miletus Paul sent messengers to the city of Ephesus and called the spiritual leaders[a] of the church to meet with him in Miletus. 18 When they were with him, he said to them, “You know how I spent all my time with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. 19 I humbly served the Lord, often with tears in my eyes. I served the Lord during the difficult times I went through when the Jews plotted against me. 20 I didn’t avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn’t avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house. 21 I warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Yeshua.
22 “I am determined to go to Jerusalem now. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23 However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me. 24 But I don’t place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Yeshua—the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness.[b]
25 “Now I know that none of you whom I told about the kingdom of God will see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am not responsible for the spiritual death of any of you. 27 I didn’t avoid telling you the whole plan of God. 28 Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops[c] to be shepherds for God’s church which he acquired with his own blood. 29 I know that fierce wolves will come to you after I leave, and they won’t spare the flock. 30 Some of your own men will come forward and say things that distort the truth. They will do this to lure disciples into following them. 31 So be alert! Remember that I instructed each of you for three years, day and night, at times with tears in my eyes.
32 “I am now entrusting you to God and to his message that tells how kind he is. That message can help you grow and can give you the inheritance that is shared by all of God’s holy people.
33 “I never wanted anyone’s silver, gold, or clothes. 34 You know that I worked to support myself and those who were with me. 35 I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Yeshua said, ‘Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them.’”
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. 37 Everyone cried a lot as they put their arms around Paul and kissed him. 38 The thought of not seeing Paul again hurt them most of all. Then they took Paul to the ship.
Jeremiah Writes to the Captives in Babylon
29 The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter from Jerusalem to the rest of the leaders among the captives. He also sent it to the priests, the prophets, and all the people that Nebuchadnezzar took away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This was after King Jehoiakin[a] and his mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and metal workers left Jerusalem.) 3 He sent the letter with Shaphan’s son Elasah and Hilkiah’s son Gemariah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah had sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. The letter said:
4 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says to all those who were taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat what they produce. 6 Get married, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons, and let your daughters get married so that they can have sons and daughters. Grow in number there; don’t decrease. 7 Work for the good of the city where I’ve taken you as captives, and pray to Yahweh for that city. When it prospers, you will also prosper.
8 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says: Don’t let the prophets or the mediums who are among you trick you. Don’t even listen to your own dreams. 9 These people are prophesying lies to you in my name. I didn’t send them, declares Yahweh.
10 This is what Yahweh says: When Babylon’s 70 years are over, I will come to you. I will keep my promise to you and bring you back to this place. 11 I know the plans that I have for you, declares Yahweh. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me, 14 I will let you find me, declares Yahweh. I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I’ve scattered you, declares Yahweh. I will bring you back from the place where you are being held captive.
15 You’ve said that Yahweh has given you prophets in Babylon. 16 But this is what Yahweh says about the king who sits on David’s throne and about all the people who live in this city, the people who are your relatives and who weren’t taken away as captives: 17 Yahweh Tsebaoth says: I’m going to send them wars, famines, and plagues. These people are like rotten figs to me, figs that are so bad that they can’t be eaten. 18 I will chase them with wars, famines, and plagues. I will make them a horrifying sight to all the kingdoms on the earth. They will become something cursed, ridiculed, and hissed at, and they will be a disgrace among all the nations where I scatter them. 19 They didn’t listen to me, declares Yahweh. I sent them my servants the prophets again and again, but they refused to listen, declares Yahweh.
20 So listen to the word of Yahweh, all you captives who were sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says about Kolaiah’s son Ahab and about Maaseiah’s son Zedekiah, who prophesy lies to you in my name: I’m going to hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I will kill them as you watch. 22 Because of them, all the captives from Judah who are in Babylon will use this curse: May Yahweh curse you as he cursed Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon burned to death. 23 They have done shameful things in Israel. They committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and spoke lies in my name. I didn’t command them to do this. I know what they have done. I’m a witness, declares Yahweh.
24 The Lord says, “Say to Shemaiah from Nehelam, 25 ‘This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says: You sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests. These letters said: 26 Yahweh made you priest instead of Jehoiada so that there would be officials for Yahweh’s temple. You should put any lunatic who acts like a prophet in prison and in shackles. 27 Now, why haven’t you arrested Jeremiah from Anathoth? After all, he acts like a prophet among you. 28 That’s why Jeremiah sent this message to us in Babylon: You will be captives a long time. Build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat what they produce.’”
29 The priest Zephaniah read this letter to the prophet Jeremiah.
30 Then Yahweh spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, 31 “Send this message to all the captives: ‘This is what Yahweh says about Shemaiah from Nehelam: Shemaiah prophesied to you, but I didn’t send him. He has made you believe a lie. 32 Yahweh says: I will punish Shemaiah from Nehelam. I will also punish his descendants. No one from his family will be left alive. He will not see the blessings that I’m going to send my people, declares Yahweh, because he has encouraged rebellion against Yahweh.’”
Pilate Questions Jesus(A)
15 Early in the morning the chief priests immediately came to a decision with the leaders and the experts in Moses’ Teachings. The whole Jewish council decided to tie Yeshua up, lead him away, and hand him over to Pilate.
2 Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, I am,” Yeshua answered him.
3 The chief priests were accusing him of many things.
4 So Pilate asked him again, “Don’t you have any answer? Look how many accusations they’re bringing against you!”
5 But Yeshua no longer answered anything, so Pilate was surprised.
The Crowd Rejects Jesus(B)
6 At every Passover festival, Pilate would free one prisoner whom the people asked for. 7 There was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was with some rebels who had committed murder during a riot. 8 The crowd asked Pilate to do for them what he always did. 9 Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews for you?” 10 Pilate knew that the chief priests had handed Yeshua over to him because they were jealous.
11 The chief priests stirred up the crowd so that Pilate would free Barabbas for them instead.
12 So Pilate again asked them, “Then what should I do with the king of the Jews?”
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted back.
14 Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the people, so he freed Barabbas for them. But he had Yeshua whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus(C)
16 The soldiers led Yeshua into the courtyard of the palace and called together the whole troop. 17 They dressed him in purple, twisted some thorns into a crown, and placed it on his head. 18 Then they began to greet him, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 19 They kept hitting him on the head with a stick, spitting on him, and kneeling in front of him with false humility.
The Crucifixion(D)
20 After the soldiers finished making fun of Yeshua, they took off the purple cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 21 A man named Simon from the city of Cyrene was coming into Jerusalem from his home in the country. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. As he was about to pass by, the soldiers forced him to carry Yeshua’s cross.
22 They took Yeshua to Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 23 They tried to give him wine mixed with a drug called myrrh, but he wouldn’t take it. 24 Next they crucified him. Then they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice to see what each one would get. 25 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. 26 There was a written notice of the accusation against him. It read, “The king of the Jews.”
27 They crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.[a]
29 Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads and said, “What a joke! You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days. 30 Come down from the cross, and save yourself!” 31 The chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings made fun of him among themselves in the same way. They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. 32 Let the Messiah, the king of Israel, come down from the cross now so that we may see and believe.” Even those who were crucified with him were insulting him.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(E)
33 At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 At three o’clock Yeshua cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35 When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “Listen! He’s calling Elijah.” 36 Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Yeshua a drink. The man said, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37 Then Yeshua cried out in a loud voice and died. 38 The curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom.
39 When the officer who stood facing Yeshua saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, “Certainly, this man was the Son of God!”
40 Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of young James and Joseph), and Salome. 41 They had followed him and supported him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come to Jerusalem with him were there too.
Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb(F)
42 It was Friday evening, before the day of worship, 43 when Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and was an important member of the Jewish council. He, too, was waiting for the kingdom of God. Joseph boldly went to Pilate’s quarters to ask for the body of Yeshua.
44 Pilate wondered if Yeshua had already died. So he summoned the officer to ask him if Yeshua was, in fact, dead. 45 When the officer had assured him that Yeshua was dead, Pilate let Joseph have the corpse.
46 Joseph had purchased some linen cloth. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in the cloth. Then he laid the body in a tomb, which had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 Mary from Magdala and Mary (the mother of Joses) watched where Yeshua was laid.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.