M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Song of Praise
22 David sang this song to the Lord. He sang it when the Lord had saved him from Saul and all his other enemies. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock, my place of safety, my Savior.
3 My God is my rock.
I can run to him for safety.
He is my shield and my saving strength.
The Lord is my high tower and my place of safety.
The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.
4 I will call to the Lord.
He is worthy of praise.
And I will be saved from my enemies.
5 “The waves of death came around me.
The deadly rivers overwhelmed me.
6 The ropes of death wrapped around me.
The traps of death were before me.
7 In my trouble I called to the Lord.
I cried out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice.
My call for help reached his ears.
8 “The earth trembled and shook.
The foundations of heaven began to shake.
They shook because the Lord was angry.
9 Smoke came out of his nose.
Burning fire came out of his mouth.
Burning coals went before him.
10 He tore open the sky and came down.
Dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He rode a creature with wings and flew.
He flew on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his shelter around him,
surrounded by fog and clouds.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
came flashes of lightning.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven.
The Most High God raised his voice.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies.
His bolts of lightning confused them with fear.
16 The Lord spoke strongly.
The wind blew from his nose.
The valleys of the sea appeared.
The foundations of the earth were seen.
17 “The Lord reached down from above and took me.
He pulled me from the deep water.
18 He saved me from my powerful enemies.
Those who hated me were too strong for me.
19 They attacked me at my time of trouble.
But the Lord supported me.
20 He took me to a safe place.
Because he delights in me, he saved me.
21 “The Lord spared me because I did what was right.
Because I have not done evil, he has rescued me.
22 I have followed the ways of the Lord.
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23 I remember all his laws.
I have not broken his rules.
24 I have kept myself innocent before him.
I have kept myself from doing evil.
25 The Lord rescued me because I did what was right.
I did what the Lord said was right.
26 “Lord, you are loyal to those who are loyal.
You are good to those who are good.
27 You are pure to those who are pure.
But you are against those who are bad.
28 You save those who are not proud.
But you make humble those who are proud.
29 Lord, you give light to my lamp.
The Lord brightens the darkness around me.
30 With your help, I can attack an army.
With God’s help, I can jump over a wall.
31 “The ways of God are without fault.
The Lord’s words are pure.
He is a shield to those who trust him.
32 Who is God? Only the Lord.
Who is the Rock? Only our God.
33 God is my protection.
He makes my way free from fault.
34 He makes me like a deer, which does not stumble.
He helps me stand on the steep mountains.
35 He trains my hands for battle.
So my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You protect me with your saving shield.
You have stooped to make me great.
37 You give me a better way to live.
So I live as you want me to.
38 I chased my enemies and destroyed them.
I did not quit till they were destroyed.
39 I destroyed and crushed them,
so they couldn’t rise up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
40 You gave me strength in battle.
You made my enemies bow before me.
41 You made my enemies turn back.
I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They called for help,
but no one came to save them.
They called to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
43 I beat my enemies into pieces.
They were like dust on the ground.
I pounded them out and walked on them
like mud in the streets.
44 “You saved me when my people attacked me.
You kept me as the leader of nations.
People I never knew serve me.
45 Foreigners obey me.
As soon as they hear me, they obey me.
46 They all become afraid.
They tremble in their hiding places.
47 “The Lord lives!
May my Rock be praised!
Praise God, the Rock, who saves me!
48 God gives me victory over my enemies.
He brings people under my rule.
49 He frees me from my enemies.
“You set me over those who hate me.
You saved me from cruel men.
50 So I will praise you, Lord, among the nations.
I will sing praises to your name.
51 The Lord gives great victories to his king.
He is loyal to his appointed king,
to David and his descendants forever.”
Other Apostles Accepted Paul
2 After 14 years, I went to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas. I also took Titus with me. 2 I went because God showed me that I should go. I met with those men who were the leaders of the believers. When we were alone, I told them the Good News that I preach to the non-Jewish people. I did not want my past work and the work I am now doing to be wasted. 3 Titus was with me. But Titus was not forced to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 We talked about this problem because some false brothers had come into our group secretly. They came in like spies to find out about the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to make us slaves. 5 But we did not agree with anything those false brothers wanted! We wanted the truth of the Good News to continue for you.
6 Those men who seemed to be important did not change the Good News that I preach. (It doesn’t matter to me if they were “important” or not. To God all men are the same.) 7 But these leaders saw that God had given me special work, just as he had to Peter. God gave Peter the work of telling the Good News to the Jews. But God gave me the work of telling the Good News to the non-Jewish people. 8 God gave Peter the power to work as an apostle for the Jewish people. But he also gave me the power to work as an apostle for those who are not Jews. 9 James, Peter, and John, who seemed to be the leaders, saw that God had given me this special grace. So they accepted Barnabas and me. They said, “Paul and Barnabas, we agree that you should go to the people who are not Jews. We will go to the Jews.” 10 They asked us to do only one thing—to remember to help the poor. And this was something that I really wanted to do.
Paul Shows That Peter Was Wrong
11 When Peter came to Antioch, I was against him because he was wrong. 12 This is what happened: When Peter first came to Antioch, he ate with the non-Jewish people. But then some Jewish men were sent from James. When they arrived, Peter stopped eating with the non-Jewish people and separated himself from them. He was afraid of the Jews who believe that all non-Jewish people must be circumcised. 13 So Peter was a hypocrite. The other Jewish believers joined with him and were hypocrites, too. Even Barnabas was influenced by what these Jewish believers did. 14 I saw what they did. They were not following the truth of the Good News. So I spoke to Peter in front of them all. I said: “Peter, you are a Jew, but you are not living like a Jew. You are living like the non-Jewish people. So why do you now try to force the non-Jewish people to live like Jews?”
15 We were not born as non-Jewish “sinners,” but we were born as Jews. 16 Yet we know that a person is not made right with God by following the law. No! It is trusting in Jesus Christ that makes a person right with God. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus, that we might be made right with God. And we are right with God because we trusted in Christ—not because we followed the law. For no one can be made right with God by following the law.
17 We Jews came to Christ to be made right with God. So it is clear that we were sinners too. Does this mean that Christ makes us sinners? No! 18 But I would really be wrong to begin teaching again those things of the Law of Moses that I gave up. 19 I stopped living for the law. It was the law that put me to death. I died to the law so that I can now live for God. I was put to death on the cross with Christ. 20 I do not live anymore—it is Christ living in me. I still live in my body, but I live by faith in the Son of God. He loved me and gave himself to save me. 21 This gift is from God, and it is very important to me. If the law could make us right with God, then Christ did not have to die.
Prophecy Against Egypt
29 It was the tenth year, in the tenth month of our captivity. It was on the twelfth day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 2 “Human being, look toward the king of Egypt. And prophesy against him and all Egypt. 3 Say: ‘This is what the Lord God says:
I am against you, king of Egypt.
You are like a great crocodile that lies in the Nile River.
You say, “The Nile is mine.
I made it for myself.”
4 But I will put hooks in your jaws.
I will make the fish of the Nile stick to your sides.
I will pull you up out of your rivers,
with all the fish sticking to your sides.
5 I will leave you in the desert.
I will leave you and all the fish from your rivers.
You will fall on the open field.
You will not be picked up or buried.
I have given you to the wild animals.
And I have given you to the birds of the sky for food.
6 Then all the people who live in Egypt will know that I am the Lord.
“‘Israel tried to lean on you for help. But you were like a crutch made out of a weak stalk of grass. 7 When their hands grabbed you, you splintered and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, you broke and made all their backs twist.
8 “‘So this is what the Lord God says: I will cause an enemy to attack you. He will kill your men and animals. 9 Then Egypt will become an empty desert. They will know that I am the Lord.
“‘This is because you said, “The Nile River is mine. And I have made it.” 10 So, I am against you. I am against your rivers. I will destroy the land of Egypt. It will be empty desert from Migdol in the north to Aswan in the south. It will be empty all the way to the southern border of Cush. 11 No man or animal will walk through it. No one will live in Egypt for 40 years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt the emptiest country of all. And her cities will be the emptiest of all ruined cities for 40 years. And I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations. And I will spread them among the countries.
13 “‘This is what the Lord God says: After 40 years I will gather Egypt from the nations where they have been scattered. 14 I will bring back the Egyptian captives. I will make the Egyptians return to southern Egypt. They will return to the land that they came from. They will become a weak kingdom there. 15 It will be the weakest kingdom. It will never again rule other nations. I will make it so weak it will never again rule over the nations. 16 The Israelites will never again depend on Egypt. Egypt’s punishment will remind the Israelites of their sin. They turned to Egypt for help and not to God. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.’”
Egypt Is Given to Babylon
17 It was the twenty-seventh year of our captivity, in the first month. It was on the first day of the month. The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 18 “Human being, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army fight hard against Tyre. Every soldier’s head was rubbed bare. Every shoulder was rubbed raw. But Nebuchadnezzar and his army gained nothing from fighting Tyre. 19 So this is what the Lord God says: I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. And Nebuchadnezzar will take away Egypt’s people. He will take Egypt’s wealth and its valuable things as pay for his army. 20 I have given Nebuchadnezzar the land of Egypt. It is a reward for working hard to defeat Egypt for me. That is what the Lord God says.
21 “On that day I will make Israel grow strong again. I will let you, Ezekiel, speak to them. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.”
God Saved Israel from Egypt
A maskil of Asaph.
78 My people, listen to my teaching.
Listen to what I say.
2 I will speak using stories.
I will tell things that have been secret since long ago.
3 We have heard them and know them.
Our fathers told them to us.
4 We will not keep them from our children.
We will tell those who come later
about the praises of the Lord.
We will tell about his power
and the miracles he has done.
5 The Lord made an agreement with Jacob.
He gave the teachings to Israel.
And he commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children.
6 Then their children would know them,
even their children not yet born.
And they would tell their children.
7 So they would all trust God.
They would not forget what God had done.
Instead, they would obey his commands.
8 They would not be like their ancestors
who were stubborn and disobedient.
Their hearts were not loyal to God.
They were not true to him.
9 The men of Ephraim had bows for weapons.
But they ran away on the day of battle.
10 They didn’t keep their agreement with God.
They refused to live by his teachings.
11 They forgot what he had done
and the miracles he had shown them.
12 He did miracles while their ancestors watched,
in the fields of Zoan in Egypt.
13 He divided the Red Sea and led them through.
He made the water stand up like a wall.
14 He led them with a cloud by day.
And he led them at night by the light of a fire.
15 He split the rocks in the desert.
And he gave them much water, as if it were from the deep ocean.
16 He brought streams out of the rock.
The water flowed down like rivers.
17 But the people continued to sin against him.
In the desert they turned against God Most High.
18 They decided to test God
by asking for the food they wanted.
19 Then they spoke against God.
They said, “Can God prepare food in the desert?
20 When he hit the rock, water poured out.
Rivers flowed down.
But can he give us bread also?
Will he provide his people with meat?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was very angry.
His anger was like fire to the people of Jacob.
His anger grew against the people of Israel.
22 They had not believed God.
They had not trusted him to save them.
23 But he gave a command to the clouds above.
The doors of heaven opened.
24 He rained manna down on them to eat.
He gave them grain from heaven.
25 So they ate the bread of angels.
He sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He sent the east wind from heaven.
He led the south wind by his power.
27 He rained meat on them like dust.
The birds were as many as the sand of the sea.
28 He made the birds fall inside the camp,
all around the tents.
29 So the people ate and became very full.
God had given them what they wanted.
30 While they were still eating,
and while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God became angry with them.
He killed some of the healthiest of them.
He struck down the best young men of Israel.
32 But they kept on sinning.
They did not believe even with the miracles.
33 So he ended their days without meaning
and their years in terror.
34 Anytime he killed them, some would look to him for help.
They would come back to God and follow him.
35 They would remember that God was their Rock,
that God Most High had saved them.
36 But their words were false.
Their tongues lied to him.
37 Their hearts were not really loyal to God.
They did not keep his agreement.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.