M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

8 But God showed concern for Noah. He also showed concern for all the wild animals and livestock that were with Noah in the ark. So God sent a wind to sweep over the earth. And the waters began to go down. ² The springs at the bottom of the oceans had been closed. The windows of the sky had also been closed. And the rain had stopped falling from the sky. ³ The water on the earth continued to go down. At the end of the 150 days the water had gone down. ⁴ On the 17th day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. ⁵ The waters continued to go down until the tenth month. On the first day of that month, the tops of the mountains could be seen.

⁶ After 40 days Noah opened a window he had made in the ark. ⁷ He sent out a raven. It kept flying back and forth until the water on the earth had dried up. ⁸ Then Noah sent out a dove. He wanted to see if the water on the surface of the ground had gone down. ⁹ But the dove couldn’t find any place to rest. Water still covered the whole surface of the earth. So the dove returned to Noah in the ark. Noah reached out his hand and took the dove in. He brought it back to himself in the ark. ¹⁰ He waited seven more days. Then he sent out the dove again from the ark. ¹¹ In the evening the dove returned to him. There in its beak was a freshly picked olive leaf! So Noah knew that the water on the earth had gone down. ¹² He waited seven more days. Then he sent out the dove again. But this time it didn’t return to him.

¹³ It was the first day of the first month of Noah’s 601st year. The water on the earth had dried up. Then Noah removed the covering from the ark. He saw that the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴ By the 27th day of the second month the earth was completely dry.

¹⁵ Then God said to Noah, ¹⁶ “Come out of the ark. Bring your wife and your sons and their wives with you. ¹⁷ Bring out every kind of living thing that is with you. Bring the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground. Then they can multiply on the earth. They can have little ones and the number of them can increase.”

¹⁸ So Noah came out of the ark. His sons and his wife and his sons’ wives were with him. ¹⁹ All the animals came out of the ark. The creatures that move along the ground also came out. So did all the birds. Everything that moves on land came out of the ark, one kind after another.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to honor the Lord. He took some of the “clean” animals and birds. He sacrificed them on the altar as burnt offerings. ²¹ The smell of the offerings pleased the Lord. He said to himself, “I will never put a curse on the ground again because of human beings. I will not do it even though their hearts are always directed toward evil. Their thoughts are evil from the time they are young. I will never destroy all living things again, as I have just done.

Jesus Heals a Man Who Had a Skin Disease

8 Jesus came down from the mountainside. Large crowds followed him. ² A man who had a skin disease came and got down on his knees in front of Jesus. He said, “Lord, if you are willing to make me ‘clean,’ you can do it.”

³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing to do it,” he said. “Be ‘clean’!” Right away the man was healed of his skin disease. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “Don’t tell anyone. Go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift Moses commanded. It will be a witness to everyone.”

A Roman Commander Has Faith

⁵ When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman commander came to him. He asked Jesus for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home and can’t move. He is suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The commander replied, “Lord, I am not good enough to have you come into my house. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ I myself am a man under authority. And I have soldiers who obey my orders. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes. I tell that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. He said to those following him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. In Israel I have not found anyone whose faith is so strong. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west. They will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of heaven. They will sit with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. ¹² But those who think they belong in the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness. There they will weep and grind their teeth.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the Roman commander, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

Jesus Heals Many People

¹⁴ When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law. She was lying in bed. She had a fever. ¹⁵ Jesus touched her hand, and the fever left her. She got up and began to serve him.

¹⁶ When evening came, many people controlled by demons were brought to Jesus. He drove out the spirits with a word. He healed all who were sick. ¹⁷ This happened so that what Isaiah the prophet had said would come true. He had said,

The Cost of Following Jesus

¹⁸ Jesus saw the crowd around him. So he gave his disciples orders to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. ¹⁹ Then a teacher of the law came to him. He said, “Teacher, I will follow you no matter where you go.”

²⁰ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

²¹ Another follower said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

²² But Jesus told him, “Follow me. Let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

²³ Jesus got into a boat. His disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a terrible storm came up on the lake. The waves crashed over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵ The disciples went and woke him up. They said, “Lord! Save us! We’re going to drown!”

²⁶ He replied, “Your faith is so small! Why are you so afraid?” Then Jesus got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop. It became completely calm.

²⁷ The disciples were amazed. They asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Heals Two Men Controlled by Demons

²⁸ Jesus arrived at the other side of the lake in the area of the Gadarenes. Two men controlled by demons met him. They came from the tombs. The men were so wild that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ “Son of God, what do you want with us?” they shouted. “Have you come here to punish us before the time for us to be judged?”

³⁰ Not very far away, a large herd of pigs was feeding. ³¹ The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

³² Jesus said to them, “Go!” So the demons came out of the men and went into the pigs. The whole herd rushed down the steep bank. They ran into the lake and drowned in the water. ³³ Those who were tending the pigs ran off. They went into the town and reported all this. They told the people what had happened to the men who had been controlled by demons. ³⁴ Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged him to leave their area.

The Family Leaders Who Returned to Jerusalem With Ezra

8 Many family leaders came up to Jerusalem with me from Babylon. So did others who were listed with them. It was during the time when Artaxerxes was king. Here is a list of those who came.

Ezra Leads Many Jews Back to Jerusalem

¹⁵ I gathered the people together at the canal that flows toward Ahava. We camped there for three days. I looked for Levites among the people and priests. But I didn’t find any. ¹⁶ So I sent for Eliezer, Ariel, Shemaiah, Elnathan and Jarib. I also sent for Elnathan, Nathan, Zechariah and Meshullam. All of them were leaders. And I sent for Joiarib and Elnathan. They were very well educated. ¹⁷ I ordered all those men to go to Iddo. He was the leader in Kasiphia. He and his Levite relatives were temple servants there. I told my men what to say to them. I wanted Iddo and his Levite relatives to bring some attendants to us for the house of our God. ¹⁸ God was gracious to us and helped us. So they brought us Sherebiah, a very capable man. He came from the family line of Mahli. Mahli was the son of Levi. Levi was a son of Israel. They also brought us Sherebiah’s sons and brothers. The total number of men was 18. ¹⁹ And they brought Hashabiah and his brothers and nephews. They brought them together with Jeshaiah. He came from the family line of Merari. The total number of men was 20. ²⁰ They also brought 220 of the temple servants. That was a special group David and his officials had established. They were supposed to help the Levites. All of them were listed by name.

²¹ By the canal that flows toward Ahava, I announced a fast. I told the people not to eat any food. In that way, we made ourselves humble in God’s sight. We prayed that he would give us and our children a safe journey. We asked him to keep safe everything we owned. ²² I was ashamed to ask King Artaxerxes for soldiers and horsemen. They could have kept us safe from enemies on the road. But we had told the king that our God would keep us safe. We had said, “Our God is gracious and helps everyone who looks to him. But he becomes very angry with anyone who deserts him.” ²³ So we didn’t eat anything. We prayed to our God about all these matters. And he answered our prayers.

²⁴ Then I set apart 12 of the leading priests. They were Sherebiah, Hashabiah and ten of their relatives. ²⁵ I weighed out to them the offering of silver and gold and other things. They had been given for the house of our God. The king, his advisers and officials, and all the Israelites who were there had given them. ²⁶ I weighed out 24 tons of silver and gave it to those men. I weighed out almost four tons of silver things. I weighed out almost four tons of gold. ²⁷ I weighed out 20 gold bowls. They weighed 19 pounds. I also weighed out two fine objects. The bronze they were made out of was highly polished. They were as priceless as gold.

²⁸ I said to those men, “You are set apart to the Lord. So are these things. The silver and gold were offered to the Lord by those who chose to give them. He is the God of your people. ²⁹ Guard all these things carefully until you weigh them out. Weigh them in the special rooms of the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem. Do this in front of the leading priests and the Levites. Make sure the family leaders of Israel are watching.” ³⁰ Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred objects. All of them had been weighed out. They were going to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

³¹ On the 12th day of the first month we started out. We left the canal that flows toward Ahava. And we headed for Jerusalem. Our God helped us. He kept us safe from enemies and robbers along the way. ³² So we arrived in Jerusalem. There we rested for three days.

³³ On the fourth day we weighed out the silver and gold. We also weighed out the sacred objects. We weighed everything in the house of our God. We handed all of it over to Meremoth the priest. He was the son of Uriah. Eleazar, Jozabad and Noadiah were with him. Eleazar was the son of Phinehas. Jozabad was the son of Jeshua. Noadiah was the son of Binnui. Jozabad and Noadiah were Levites. ³⁴ Everything was listed by number and weight. And the total weight was recorded at that time.

³⁵ Then the people sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel. They had returned from Babylon. They offered 12 bulls for the whole nation of Israel. They offered 96 rams and 77 male lambs. All of that was a burnt offering to the Lord. They sacrificed 12 male goats as a sin offering. ³⁶ They also handed over the king’s orders. They gave them to the royal officials and governors who ruled over the land west of the Euphrates River. Then those men helped the people. They also did many things for the house of God.

8 And Saul had agreed with the Sanhedrin that Stephen should die.

The Church Is Treated Badly and Scattered

On that day the church in Jerusalem began to be attacked and treated badly. All except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. ² Godly Jews buried Stephen. They mourned deeply for him. ³ But Saul began to destroy the church. He went from house to house. He dragged away men and women and put them in prison.

Philip Goes to Samaria

⁴ The believers who had been scattered preached the word everywhere they went. ⁵ Philip went down to a city in Samaria. There he preached about the Messiah. ⁶ The crowds listened to Philip and saw the signs he did. All of them paid close attention to what he said. ⁷ Evil spirits screamed and came out of many people. Many people who were disabled or who couldn’t walk were healed. ⁸ So there was great joy in that city.

Simon the Evil Magician

⁹ A man named Simon lived in the city. For quite a while he had practiced evil magic there. He amazed all the people of Samaria. He claimed to be someone great. ¹⁰ And all the people listened to him, from the least important of them to the most important. They exclaimed, “It is right to call this man the Great Power of God!” ¹¹ He had amazed them for a long time with his evil magic. So they followed him. ¹² But Philip announced the good news of God’s kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ. So men and women believed and were baptized. ¹³ Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip everywhere. He was amazed by the great signs and miracles he saw.

¹⁴ The apostles in Jerusalem heard that people in Samaria had accepted God’s word. So they sent Peter and John to Samaria. ¹⁵ When they arrived there, they prayed for the new believers. They prayed that they would receive the Holy Spirit. ¹⁶ The Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John placed their hands on them. And they received the Holy Spirit.

¹⁸ Simon watched as the apostles placed their hands on them. He saw that the Spirit was given to them. So he offered money to Peter and John. ¹⁹ He said, “Give me this power too. Then everyone I place my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.”

²⁰ Peter answered, “May your money be destroyed with you! Do you think you can buy God’s gift with money? ²¹ You have no part or share in this holy work. Your heart is not right with God. ²² Turn away from this evil sin of yours. Pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. ²³ I see that you are very bitter. You are a prisoner of sin.”

²⁴ Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me. Pray that nothing you have said will happen to me.”

²⁵ Peter and John continued to preach the word of the Lord and tell people about Jesus. Then they returned to Jerusalem. On the way they preached the good news in many villages in Samaria.

Philip and the Man From Ethiopia

²⁶ An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip. “Go south to the desert road,” he said. “It’s the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So Philip started out. On his way he met an Ethiopian official. The man had an important position in charge of all the wealth of the Kandake. Kandake means queen of Ethiopia. This official had gone to Jerusalem to worship. ²⁸ On his way home he was sitting in his chariot. He was reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Holy Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot. Stay near it.”

³⁰ So Philip ran up to the chariot. He heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you’re reading?” Philip asked.

³¹ “How can I?” he said. “I need someone to explain it to me.” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³² Here is the part of Scripture the official was reading. It says,

³⁴ The official said to Philip, “Tell me, please. Who is the prophet talking about? Himself, or someone else?” ³⁵ Then Philip began with that same part of Scripture. He told him the good news about Jesus.

^36-37 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water. The official said, “Look! Here is water! What can stop me from being baptized?” ³⁸ He gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the official went down into the water. Philip baptized him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away. The official did not see him again. He went on his way full of joy. ⁴⁰ Philip was seen next at Azotus. From there he traveled all around. He preached the good news in all the towns. Finally he arrived in Caesarea.