M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord Sends a Plague against Israel
21 An adversary[a] opposed[b] Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had.[c] 2 David told Joab and the leaders of the army,[d] “Go, count the number of warriors[e] from Beer Sheba to Dan. Then bring back a report to me so I may know how many we have.”[f] 3 Joab replied, “May the Lord make his army[g] a hundred times larger! My master, O king, do not all of them serve my master? Why does my master want to do this? Why bring judgment on Israel?”[h]
4 But the king’s edict stood, despite Joab’s objections.[i] So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem. 5 Joab reported to David the number of warriors.[j] In all Israel there were 1,100,000 sword-wielding[k] soldiers; Judah alone had 470,000 sword-wielding soldiers.[l] 6 Now Joab[m] did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king’s edict disgusted him. 7 God was also offended by it,[n] so he attacked Israel.
8 David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 9 The Lord told Gad, David’s prophet,[o] 10 “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I am offering you three forms of judgment from which to choose. Pick one of them.”’”[p] 11 Gad went to David and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Pick one of these: 12 three[q] years of famine, or three months being chased by your enemies and struck down by their swords,[r] or three days being struck down by the Lord, during which a plague will invade the land and the angel of the Lord will destroy throughout Israel’s territory.’[s] Now, decide what I should tell the one who sent me.” 13 David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!”[t] 14 So the Lord sent a plague through Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died.
15 God sent an angel[u] to ravage[v] Jerusalem. As he was doing so,[w] the Lord watched[x] and relented from[y] his judgment.[z] He told the angel who was destroying, “That’s enough![aa] Stop now!”[ab]
Now the angel of the Lord was standing near the threshing floor of Ornan[ac] the Jebusite. 16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and sky with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.[ad] 17 David said to God, “Was I not the one who decided to number the army? I am the one who sinned and committed this awful deed![ae] As for these sheep—what have they done? O Lord my God, attack me and my family,[af] but remove the plague from your people!”[ag]
18 So the angel of the Lord told Gad to instruct David to go up and build[ah] an altar for the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of the Lord.[ai] 20 While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the messenger, and he and his four sons hid themselves. 21 When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David; he came out from the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face[aj] to the ground. 22 David said to Ornan, “Sell me the threshing floor[ak] so I can build[al] on it an altar for the Lord—I’ll pay top price[am]—so that the plague may be removed[an] from the people.” 23 Ornan told David, “You can have it![ao] My master, the king, may do what he wants.[ap] Look, I am giving you the oxen for burnt sacrifices, the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for an offering. I give it all to you.” 24 King David replied to Ornan, “No, I insist on buying it for top price.[aq] I will not offer to the Lord what belongs to you or offer a burnt sacrifice[ar] that cost me nothing.[as] 25 So David bought the place from Ornan for 600 pieces of gold.[at] 26 David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings.[au] He called out to the Lord, and the Lord[av] responded by sending fire from the sky and consuming the burnt sacrifice on the altar. 27 The Lord ordered the messenger[aw] to put his sword back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the Lord responded to him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29 Now the Lord’s tabernacle (which Moses had made in the wilderness) and the altar for burnt sacrifices were at that time at the worship center[ax] in Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to seek God’s will, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
2 So get rid of[a] all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 And[b] yearn[c] like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk,[d] so that by it you may grow up to[e] salvation,[f] 3 if you have experienced[g] the Lord’s kindness.[h]
A Living Stone, a Chosen People
4 So as you come to him,[i] a living stone rejected by men but[j] chosen and precious[k] in God’s sight, 5 you yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer[l] spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says[m] in scripture, “Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone,[n] and whoever believes[o] in him[p] will never[q] be put to shame.”[r] 7 So you who believe see[s] his value,[t] but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the[u] cornerstone,[v] 8 and a stumbling-stone[w] and a rock to trip over.[x] They stumble[y] because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.[z] 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues[aa] of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 You[ab] once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy,[ac] but now you have received mercy.
11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul, 12 and maintain good conduct[ad] among the non-Christians,[ae] so that though[af] they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears.[ag]
Submission to Authorities
13 Be subject to every human institution[ah] for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as supreme 14 or to governors as those he commissions[ai] to punish wrongdoers and praise[aj] those who do good. 15 For God wants you[ak] to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. 16 Live[al] as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God’s slaves.[am] 17 Honor all people, love the family of believers,[an] fear God, honor the king.
18 Slaves,[ao] be subject[ap] to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. 19 For this finds God’s favor,[aq] if because of conscience toward God[ar] someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with God.[as] 21 For to this you were called, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. 22 He[at] committed no sin nor was deceit found in his mouth.[au] 23 When he was maligned, he[av] did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened[aw] no retaliation,[ax] but committed himself to God[ay] who judges justly. 24 He[az] himself bore our sins[ba] in his body on the tree, that we may cease from sinning[bb] and live for righteousness. By his[bc] wounds[bd] you were healed.[be] 25 For you were going astray like sheep[bf] but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Jonah Responds to God’s Kindness
4 This displeased Jonah terribly[a] and he became very angry.[b] 2 He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought[c] would happen[d] when I was in my own country.[e] This is what I tried to prevent[f] by attempting to escape to Tarshish,[g] because I knew[h] that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger[i] and abounding[j] in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment.[k] 3 So now, Lord, kill me instead,[l] because I would rather die than live!”[m] 4 The Lord said, “Are you really so very[n] angry?”[o]
5 Jonah left the city and sat down east[p] of it.[q] He made a shelter for himself there and sat down under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city.[r] 6 The Lord God appointed[s] a little plant[t] and caused it to grow up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to rescue[u] him from his misery.[v] Now Jonah was very delighted[w] about the little plant.
7 So God sent[x] a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up. 8 When the sun began to shine, God sent[y] a hot[z] east wind. So the sun beat down[aa] on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life[ab] and said, “I would rather die than live!”[ac]
9 God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry[ad] about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry[ae] as I could possibly be!”[af] 10 The Lord said, “You were upset[ag] about this little[ah] plant, something for which you did not work, nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day.[ai] 11 Should I[aj] not be more[ak] concerned[al] about Nineveh, this enormous city?[am] There are more than 120,000 people in it who do not know right from wrong,[an] as well as many animals.”[ao]
The Sending of the Twelve Apostles
9 After[a] Jesus[b] called[c] the twelve[d] together, he gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure[e] diseases, 2 and he sent[f] them out to proclaim[g] the kingdom of God[h] and to heal the sick.[i] 3 He[j] said to them, “Take nothing for your[k] journey—no staff,[l] no bag,[m] no bread, no money, and do not take an extra tunic.[n] 4 Whatever[o] house you enter, stay there[p] until you leave the area.[q] 5 Wherever[r] they do not receive you,[s] as you leave that town,[t] shake the dust off[u] your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 Then[v] they departed and went throughout[w] the villages, proclaiming the good news[x] and healing people everywhere.
Herod’s Confusion about Jesus
7 Now Herod[y] the tetrarch[z] heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed,[aa] because some people were saying that John[ab] had been raised from the dead, 8 while others were saying that Elijah[ac] had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen.[ad] 9 Herod said, “I had John[ae] beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus.[af]
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
10 When[ag] the apostles returned,[ah] they told Jesus[ai] everything they had done. Then[aj] he took them with him and they withdrew privately to a town[ak] called Bethsaida.[al] 11 But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He[am] welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God,[an] and cured those who needed healing.[ao] 12 Now the day began to draw to a close,[ap] so[aq] the twelve came and said to Jesus,[ar] “Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging[as] and food, because we are in an isolated place.”[at] 13 But he said to them, “You[au] give them something to eat.” They[av] replied,[aw] “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless[ax] we go[ay] and buy food[az] for all these people.” 14 (Now about 5,000 men[ba] were there.)[bb] Then[bc] he said to his disciples, “Have[bd] them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 So they did as Jesus directed,[be] and the people[bf] all sat down.
16 Then[bg] he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks[bh] and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over[bi] was picked up—twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Peter’s Confession
18 Once[bj] when Jesus[bk] was praying[bl] by himself, and his disciples were nearby, he asked them,[bm] “Who do the crowds say that I am?”[bn] 19 They[bo] answered,[bp] “John the Baptist; others say Elijah;[bq] and still others that one of the prophets of long ago has risen.”[br] 20 Then[bs] he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter[bt] answered,[bu] “The Christ[bv] of God.” 21 But he forcefully commanded[bw] them not to tell this to anyone,[bx] 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer[by] many things and be rejected by the elders,[bz] chief priests, and experts in the law,[ca] and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”[cb]
A Call to Discipleship
23 Then[cc] he said to them all,[cd] “If anyone wants to become my follower,[ce] he must deny[cf] himself, take up his cross daily,[cg] and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life[ch] will lose it,[ci] but whoever loses his life because of me[cj] will save it. 25 For what does it benefit a person[ck] if he gains the whole world but loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed[cl] of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person[cm] when he comes in his glory and in the glory[cn] of the Father and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you most certainly,[co] there are some standing here who will not[cp] experience[cq] death before they see the kingdom of God.”[cr]
The Transfiguration
28 Now[cs] about eight days[ct] after these sayings, Jesus[cu] took with him Peter, John, and James, and went up the mountain to pray. 29 As[cv] he was praying,[cw] the appearance of his face was transformed,[cx] and his clothes became very bright, a brilliant white.[cy] 30 Then[cz] two men, Moses and Elijah,[da] began talking with him.[db] 31 They appeared in glorious splendor and spoke about his departure[dc] that he was about to carry out[dd] at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those with him were quite sleepy,[de] but as they became fully awake,[df] they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 Then[dg] as the men[dh] were starting to leave,[di] Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three shelters,[dj] one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he was saying. 34 As[dk] he was saying this, a cloud[dl] came[dm] and overshadowed[dn] them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 Then[do] a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One.[dp] Listen to him!”[dq] 36 After[dr] the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. So[ds] they kept silent and told no one[dt] at that time[du] anything of what they had seen.
Healing a Boy with an Unclean Spirit
37 Now on[dv] the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 Then[dw] a man from the crowd cried out,[dx] “Teacher, I beg you to look at[dy] my son—he is my only child! 39 A[dz] spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams;[ea] it throws him into convulsions[eb] and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing[ec] him severely. 40 I[ed] begged[ee] your disciples to cast it out, but[ef] they could not do so.”[eg] 41 Jesus answered,[eh] “You[ei] unbelieving[ej] and perverse generation! How much longer[ek] must I be with you and endure[el] you?[em] Bring your son here.” 42 As[en] the boy[eo] was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground[ep] and shook him with convulsions.[eq] But Jesus rebuked[er] the unclean[es] spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 Then[et] they were all astonished at the mighty power[eu] of God.
Another Prediction of Jesus’ Suffering
But while the entire crowd[ev] was amazed at everything Jesus[ew] was doing, he said to his disciples, 44 “Take these words to heart,[ex] for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.”[ey] 45 But they did not understand this statement; its meaning[ez] had been concealed[fa] from them, so that they could not grasp it. Yet[fb] they were afraid to ask him about this statement.
Concerning the Greatest
46 Now an argument started among the disciples[fc] as to which of them might be[fd] the greatest. 47 But when Jesus discerned their innermost thoughts,[fe] he took a child, had him stand by[ff] his side, 48 and said to them, “Whoever welcomes[fg] this child[fh] in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.”[fi]
On the Right Side
49 John answered,[fj] “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop[fk] him because he is not a disciple[fl] along with us.” 50 But Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
Rejection in Samaria
51 Now when[fm] the days drew near[fn] for him to be taken up,[fo] Jesus[fp] set out resolutely[fq] to go to Jerusalem. 52 He[fr] sent messengers on ahead of him.[fs] As they went along,[ft] they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance[fu] for him, 53 but the villagers[fv] refused to welcome[fw] him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem.[fx] 54 Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume[fy] them?”[fz] 55 But Jesus[ga] turned and rebuked them,[gb] 56 and they went on to another village.
Challenging Professed Followers
57 As[gc] they were walking[gd] along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”[ge] 58 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky[gf] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”[gg] 59 Jesus[gh] said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied,[gi] “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus[gj] said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead,[gk] but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”[gl] 61 Yet[gm] another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.”[gn] 62 Jesus[go] said to him, “No one who puts his[gp] hand to the plow and looks back[gq] is fit for the kingdom of God.”[gr]
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