M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Tower of Babel
11 Now the entire earth had the same language with the same vocabulary. 2 When they traveled eastward, they found a valley-plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come! Let’s make bricks and bake them until they’re hard.” So they used bricks for stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, “Come! Let’s build ourselves a city, with a tower whose top reaches into heaven. So let’s make a name for ourselves, or else we will be scattered over the face of the whole land.”
5 Then Adonai came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. 6 Adonai said, “Look, the people are one and all of them have the same language. So this is what they have begun to do. Now, nothing they plan to do will be impossible. 7 Come! Let Us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand each other’s language.”
8 So Adonai scattered them from there over the face of the entire land, and they stopped building the city. 9 This is why it is named Babel, because Adonai confused the languages of the entire world there, and from there Adonai scattered them over the face of the entire world.
From Shem to Abram
10 These are the genealogical records of Shem: Shem was 100 years old when he fathered Arpachshad—two years after the flood. 11 Shem lived 500 years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered sons and daughters. 12 Arpachshad lived 35 years when he fathered Shelah. 13 Arpachshad lived 403 years after he fathered Shelah, and fathered sons and daughters. 14 Shelah lived 30 years and he fathered Eber. 15 Shelah lived 403 years after he fathered Eber, and fathered sons and daughters. 16 Eber lived 34 years and he fathered Peleg. 17 Eber lived 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered sons and daughters. 18 Peleg lived 30 years and he fathered Reu. 19 Peleg lived 209 years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered sons and daughters. 20 Reu lived 32 years and he fathered Serug. 21 Reu lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered sons and daughters. 22 Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nahor. 23 Serug lived 200 years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered sons and daughters. 24 Nahor lived 27 years and he fathered Terah. 25 Nahor lived 119 years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered sons and daughters. 26 Terah lived 70 years when he fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 These are Terah’s genealogies: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died before Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah—the daughter of Haran, father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was barren; she did not have a child.
31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot, Haran’s son, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and he took them out of Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32 Terah’s days were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
Instructions to the Twelve
10 Yeshua summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, so they could drive them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2 Now these are the names of the twelve emissaries: first, Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; Jacob the son of Zebedee and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; Jacob, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot,[a] and Judah the man from Kriot,[b] the one who also betrayed Him.
5 Yeshua sent out these twelve and ordered them, “Do not go to the Gentiles, and do not enter into any Samaritan town. 6 But go instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near!’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with tzara’at, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 9 Do not get gold or silver or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for the journey, or two shirts,[c] or sandals, or a walking stick; for the worker is entitled to his food.
11 “Whatever town or village you shall enter, find out who in it is worthy and stay there until you leave. 12 As you come into the house, greet it. 13 If the household is worthy, let your shalom come upon it. But if it’s not worthy, let your shalom return to you. 14 And whoever will not receive you or listen to your words, as you leave that house or that town, shake the dust off your feet. 15 Amen, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah[d] on the Day of Judgment than for that town.
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and flog[e] you in their synagogues. 18 You will be brought before governors and kings because of Me, as a witness to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you should say, for it shall be given to you in that hour what you should say. 20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end shall be saved. 23 Whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next. Amen, I tell you, you will never finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
26 “So do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear in your ear, proclaim from the housetops! 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.[f]
29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?[g] Yet not one of them shall fall to the ground apart from your Father’s consent. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So do not fear; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32 “Therefore whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.
34 “Do not think that I came to bring shalom on the earth; I did not come to bring shalom, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set
‘a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother, and
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.’[h]
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me isn’t worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me isn’t worthy of Me. 38 And whoever does not take up his cross and follow after Me isn’t worthy of Me. 39 He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me. 41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward, and he who receives a tzaddik in the name of a tzaddik shall receive a tzaddik’s reward. 42 And whoever gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, amen I tell you, he shall never lose his reward.”
Putting Away Pagan Wives
10 While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and prostrating himself before the House of God, a very large assembly of Israelites—men, women and children—gathered around him. The people also wept very bitterly. 2 Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. 3 So now let us make a covenant with our God to send away all these women and their offspring, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Torah. 4 Arise! For this matter concerns you. We are with you, so be strong and do it!”
5 So Ezra rose up and made the leading kohanim, the Levites, and all Israel take an oath to do according to this word; and they took the oath. 6 Then Ezra got up from before the House of God and went into the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no bread and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
7 A proclamation was then circulated throughout Judah and Jerusalem for all of the exiles to assemble in Jerusalem. 8 Everyone who did not come within three days, would forfeit all his property according to the counsel of the officials and the elders, and would himself be excluded from the assembly of the exiles.
9 So within three days all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled in Jerusalem. On the twentieth day of the ninth month, all the people were sitting in the plaza before the House of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the rain. 10 Then Ezra the kohen stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful and taken foreign wives, increasing the guilt of Israel. 11 So now, give praise to Adonai, the God of your fathers, and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from your foreign wives.”
12 The entire assembly answered and said with a loud voice, “Yes, we will do just as you have said. [a] 13 However, there are many people here and it is the rainy season, and we are not able to stand outside. Besides, this task cannot be resolved in one or two days, for we have transgressed greatly in this matter. 14 Let our leaders stand for the whole assembly. Let everyone in our cities who has married a foreign woman come at an appointed time, and with them the elders of each city and its judges, until the burning wrath of our God is turned back from us in this matter.” 15 Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah stood against this, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite. 16 So the exiles did as proposed. Ezra the kohen, set apart men who were patriarchal leaders of their fathers’ households each designated by name. So they sat down on the first day of the tenth month to consider the matter, 17 and they were finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women on the first day of the first month.
18 Among the sons of the kohanim it was found that the following had married foreign women: The sons of Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. 19 They all gave their hands in pledge to put away their wives, and for their guilt, they offered a ram of the flock as a guilt offering.
20 Also from the sons of Immer: Hanani and Zebadiah.
21 From the sons of Harim: Maaseiah, Elijah, Shemaiah, Jehiel, and Uzziah.
22 From the sons of Pashhur: Elioenai, Maaseiah, Ishmael, Nethanel, Jozabad and Elasah.
23 From the Levites:
Jozabad, Shimei, Kelaiah—he is Kelita—Pethahiah, Judah and Eliezer.
24 From the singers: Eliashib.
From the gatekeepers: Shallum, Telem, and Uri.
25 Also from Israel:
From the sons of Parosh: Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah.
26 From the sons of Elam: Mattaniah, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.
27 From the sons of Zattu: Elioenai, Eliashib, Mattaniah, Jeremoth, Zabad, and Aziza.
28 From the sons of Bebai: Jehohanan, Hananiah, Zabbai and Athlai.
29 From the sons of Bani: Meshullam, Malluch, Adaiah, Jashub, Sheal and Ramoth.
30 From the sons of Pahath-moab: Adna, Chelal, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattaniah, Bezalel, Binnui and Manasseh.
31 From the sons of Harim: Eliezer, Isshijah, Malchijah, Shemaiah, Shimeon, 32 Benjamin, Malluch and Shemariah.
33 From the sons of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh and Shimei.
34 From the sons of Bani: Maadai, Amram, Uel, 35 Benaiah, Bedeiah, Cheluhu, 36 Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib, 37 Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasai, 38 Bani, Binnui, Shimei, 39 Shelemiah, Nathan, Adaiah, 40 Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai, 41 Azarel, Shelemiah, Shemariah, 42 Shallum, Amariah and Joseph.
43 From the sons of Nebo: Jeiel, Mattithiah, Zabad, Zebina, Jaddai, Joel and Benaiah.
44 All these had taken foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.
The Centurion’s Vision
10 Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Cohort. 2 He was a devout man, revering God with all his household. He gave tzedakah generously to the people and prayed to God continually. 3 About the ninth hour of the day,[a] he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming and saying to him, “Cornelius!”
4 He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?”
The angel said to him, “Your prayers and tzedakah have gone up as a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, also named Peter. 6 He is being entertained as a guest by Simon the tanner, whose house is beside the sea.”
7 When the angel speaking to him had left, he called two of his servants and a soldier from among those attached to his command. 8 After he explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Peter’s Vision
9 The next day, as the soldiers were traveling and approaching the city, Peter went up to the rooftop to pray, at about the sixth hour. [b] 10 Now he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw the heavens opened, and something[c] like a great sheet coming down, lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12 In it were all sorts of four-footed animals and reptiles and birds of the air.
13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”
14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord! For never have I eaten anything unholy or unclean.”[d]
15 Again a voice came to him, a second time: “What God has made clean, you must not consider unholy.” 16 This happened three times, and the sheet was immediately taken up to heaven.
17 Now while Peter was puzzling about what the vision he had seen might mean, behold, the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house and appeared before the gate. 18 They called out and began to ask whether Simon, also called Peter, was staying in this place as a guest.
19 Now while Peter was mulling over the vision, the Ruach said to him, “Look here, three men are looking for you. 20 But get up, go downstairs, and go with them without hesitating, because I Myself have sent them.”
21 Going down to the men, Peter said, “Here, I’m the one you’re looking for. What is the reason for your coming?”
22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well-spoken of by all the Jewish people, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear a message from you.”
23 So Peter invited them in to be his guests. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
Peter Goes to Cornelius
24 The following day he entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends. 25 As Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter pulled him up, saying, “Stand up! I too am just a man.”
27 Talking with him, Peter went inside and found many people gathered. 28 He said to them, “You yourselves know that it is not permitted for a Jewish man to associate with a non-Jew or to visit him. Yet God has shown me that I should call no one unholy or unclean. 29 So I came without objection when I was sent for. I ask, then, what is the reason why you sent for me?”
30 Cornelius declared, “Four days ago at this hour, I was praying minchah[e] in my house. Suddenly, a man stood in front of me in shining clothes. 31 He says, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your tzedakah remembered before God. 32 Therefore send to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying in the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “I truly understand that God is not one to show favoritism, [f] 35 but in every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. 36 You know the message He sent to Bnei-Yisrael, proclaiming shalom through Messiah Yeshua—He is Lord of all. 37 You know the message that has spread throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the immersion that John proclaimed. 38 You know how God anointed Yeshua of Natzeret with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and power—how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him. 39 We are witnesses to all He did, both in the Judean countryside and in Jerusalem. They put Him to death by hanging Him on a tree, 40 but God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be visible— 41 not to all the people, but to us, witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God. We ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to proclaim to the people and to testify that He is the One ordained by God as Judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about Him—that everyone who puts his trust in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
The Ruach Falls on the Gentiles
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Ruach ha-Kodesh fell on all those hearing the message. 45 All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astonished, because the gift of the Ruach ha-Kodesh had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and magnifying God.
Then Peter answered, 47 “Can anyone refuse water for these to be immersed, who have received the Ruach ha-Kodesh just as we did?” 48 So he commanded them to be immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.