M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Abram Rescues Lot
14 In those days King Amraphel of Shinar,(A) King Arioch of Ellasar, King Chedorlaomer of Elam,(B) and King Tidal of Goiim[a] 2 waged war against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, and King Shemeber of Zeboiim,(C) as well as the king of Bela (that is, Zoar(D)). 3 All of these came as allies to the Siddim Valley (that is, the Dead Sea(E)). 4 They were subject to Chedorlaomer for twelve years, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled. 5 In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim(F) in Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim in Ham,(G) the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites(H) in the mountains of Seir, as far as El-paran(I) by the wilderness. 7 Then they came back to invade En-mishpat (that is, Kadesh(J)), and they defeated the whole territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon-tamar.(K)
8 Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out and lined up for battle in the Siddim Valley 9 against King Chedorlaomer of Elam, King Tidal of Goiim, King Amraphel of Shinar, and King Arioch of Ellasar—four kings against five. 10 Now the Siddim Valley contained many asphalt pits, and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them,[b] but the rest fled to the mountains.(L) 11 The four kings took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food and went on. 12 They also took Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, for he was living in Sodom,(M) and they went on.
13 One of the survivors came and told Abram the Hebrew,(N) who lived near the oaks belonging to Mamre the Amorite, the brother of Eshcol and the brother of Aner. They were bound by a treaty with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken prisoner, he assembled[c] his 318 trained men, born in his household,(O) and they went in pursuit as far as Dan.(P) 15 And he and his servants deployed against them by night, defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah to the north of Damascus. 16 He brought back all the goods and also his relative Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the other people.
Melchizedek’s Blessing
17 After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King’s Valley(Q)). 18 Melchizedek, king of Salem,[d](R) brought out bread and wine; he was a priest to God Most High.(S) 19 He blessed him and said:
Abram is blessed by God Most High,
Creator[e] of heaven and earth,
20 and blessed be God Most High
who has handed over your enemies to you.
And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.(T)
21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people, but take the possessions for yourself.”
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand in an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will not take a thread or sandal strap or anything that belongs to you, so you can never say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing except what the servants have eaten. But as for the share of the men who came with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—they can take their share.”
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.(A) 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.(B)
3 Then he told them many things in parables,(C) saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.(D) 9 Let anyone who has ears[a] listen.”(E)
Why Jesus Used Parables
10 Then the disciples(F) came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” (G)
11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,(H) but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.(I) 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see,(J) and hearing they do not listen or understand.(K) 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You will listen and listen,
but never understand;
you will look and look,
but never perceive.(L)
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and
understand with their hearts,
and turn back—
and I would heal them.[b](M)
16 “Blessed are your eyes(N) because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.(O) 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.(P)
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: (Q) 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.(R) 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.(S) 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution(T) comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age(U) and the deceitfulness[c] of wealth(V) choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
24 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.(W) 25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27 The landowner’s servants(X) came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he told them.
“‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him.
29 “‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Leaven
31 He(Y) presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven(Z) is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”(AA)
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven[d] that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds[e] of flour until all of it was leavened.”(AB)
Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable,(AC) 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:
I will open my mouth in parables;
I will declare things kept secret
from the foundation of the world.[f][g](AD)
Jesus Interprets the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”(AE)
37 He replied, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,(AF) 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.(AG) 40 Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.(AH) 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin[h] and those guilty of lawlessness.[i](AI) 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace(AJ) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(AK) 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears[j] listen.(AL)
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Priceless Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field.(AM)
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. 46 When he found one priceless[k] pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.(AN)
The Parable of the Net
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish,(AO) 48 and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,(AP) 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(AQ)
The Storehouse of Truth
51 “Have you understood all these things?”[l]
They answered him, “Yes.”
52 “Therefore,” he said to them, “every teacher of the law[m] who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures new and old.”(AR)
Rejection at Nazareth
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left there. 54 He went to his hometown(AS) and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?(AT) 55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?(AU) Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James,(AV) Joseph,[n] Simon, and Judas?(AW) 56 And his sisters, aren’t they all with us? So where does he get all these things?” 57 And they were offended by him.
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household.”(AX) 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Rebuilding the Walls
3 The high priest Eliashib(A) and his fellow priests began rebuilding the Sheep Gate.(B) They dedicated it and installed its doors. After building the wall to the Tower of the Hundred and the Tower of Hananel,(C) they dedicated it. 2 The men of Jericho(D) built next to Eliashib,(E) and next to them Zaccur son of Imri built.
Fish Gate
3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate.(F) They built it with beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.(G) 4 Next to them Meremoth(H) son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs. Beside them Meshullam(I) son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel, made repairs. Next to them Zadok son of Baana made repairs. 5 Beside them the Tekoites(J) made repairs, but their nobles did not lift a finger to help[a] their supervisors.
Old Gate, Broad Wall, and Tower of the Ovens
6 Joiada son of Paseah and Meshullam son of Besodeiah repaired the Old[b] Gate.(K) They built it with beams and installed its doors, bolts, and bars. 7 Next to them the repairs were done by Melatiah the Gibeonite, Jadon the Meronothite, and the men of Gibeon(L) and Mizpah, who were under the authority[c](M) of the governor(N) of the region west of the Euphrates River.(O) 8 After him Uzziel son of Harhaiah, the goldsmith,(P) made repairs, and next to him Hananiah son of the perfumer made repairs. They restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.(Q)
9 Next to them Rephaiah son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs. 10 After them Jedaiah son of Harumaph made repairs across from his house.(R) Next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah made repairs. 11 Malchijah son of Harim and Hasshub son of Pahath-moab made repairs to another section, as well as to the Tower of the Ovens.(S) 12 Beside him Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs—he and his daughters.
Valley Gate, Dung Gate, and Fountain Gate
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars, and repaired five hundred yards[d] of the wall to the Dung Gate.(T) 14 Malchijah son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem,(U) repaired the Dung Gate.(V) He rebuilt it and installed its doors, bolts, and bars.
15 Shallun[e] son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate.(W) He rebuilt it and roofed it. Then he installed its doors, bolts, and bars. He also made repairs to the wall of the Pool of Shelah(X) near the king’s garden,(Y) as far as the stairs that descend from the city of David.(Z)
16 After him Nehemiah son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur,(AA) made repairs up to a point opposite the tombs of David,(AB) as far as the artificial pool(AC) and the House of the Warriors.(AD) 17 Next to him the Levites(AE) made repairs under Rehum son of Bani. Beside him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah,(AF) made repairs for his district. 18 After him their fellow Levites made repairs under Binnui[f] son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, made repairs to another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the Angle.(AG)
The Angle, Water Gate, and Tower on Ophel
20 After him Baruch son of Zabbai[g] diligently repaired another section, from the Angle to the door of the house of the high priest Eliashib.(AH) 21 Beside him Meremoth(AI) son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz, made repairs to another section, from the door of Eliashib’s(AJ) house to the end of his house. 22 And next to him the priests from the surrounding area made repairs.
23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs opposite their house. Beside them Azariah son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house. 24 After him Binnui(AK) son of Henadad made repairs to another section, from the house of Azariah to the Angle and the corner. 25 Palal son of Uzai made repairs opposite the Angle and tower that juts out from the king’s upper palace,[h](AL) by the courtyard of the guard.(AM) Beside him Pedaiah son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants(AN) living on Ophel(AO) made repairs opposite the Water Gate(AP) toward the east and the tower that juts out. 27 Next to him the Tekoites(AQ) made repairs to another section from a point opposite the great tower that juts out, as far as the wall of Ophel.(AR)
Horse Gate, Inspection Gate, and Sheep Gate
28 Each of the priests made repairs above the Horse Gate,(AS) each opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok son of Immer made repairs opposite his house. And beside him Shemaiah son of Shecaniah, guard of the East Gate, made repairs. 30 Next to him Hananiah son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph made repairs to another section.
After them Meshullam son of Berechiah made repairs opposite his room. 31 Next to him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths,(AT) made repairs to the house of the temple servants(AU) and the merchants, opposite the Inspection[i] Gate, and as far as the upstairs room on the corner. 32 The goldsmiths(AV) and merchants made repairs between the upstairs room on the corner and the Sheep Gate.(AW)
Preparing for the Mission Field
13 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch,(A) and Saul.
2 As they were worshiping[a] the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”(B) 3 Then after they had fasted, prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them off.(C)
The Mission to Cyprus
4 So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They also had John as their assistant.(D) 6 When they had traveled the whole island as far as Paphos, they came across a sorcerer, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.(E) 7 He was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God.(F) 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (that is the meaning of his name) opposed(G) them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith.(H)
9 But Saul—also called Paul—filled with the Holy Spirit, stared straight at Elymas 10 and said, “You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery, you son of the devil(I) and enemy of all that is right. Won’t you ever stop perverting the straight paths(J) of the Lord? 11 Now, look, the Lord’s hand is against you.(K) You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time.” Immediately a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
12 Then, when he saw what happened, the proconsul believed, because he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord.(L)
Paul’s Sermon in Antioch of Pisidia
13 Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John left them and went back to Jerusalem.(M) 14 They continued their journey from Perga and reached Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.(N) 15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the leaders of the synagogue sent word to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, you can speak.”(O)
16 Paul stood up and motioned with his hand and said, “Fellow Israelites, and you who fear God, listen!(P) 17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, made the people prosper during their stay in the land of Egypt, and led them out of it with a mighty[b] arm.(Q) 18 And for about forty years he put up with them[c] in the wilderness;(R) 19 and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan,(S) he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 This all took about 450 years. After this, he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.(T) 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.(U) 22 After removing him,(V) he raised up David as their king and testified about him, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart,[d](W) who will carry out all my will.’
23 “From this man’s descendants, as he promised, God brought to Israel(X) the Savior, Jesus.[e] 24 Before his coming to public attention, John had previously proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.(Y) 25 Now as John was completing his mission, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I am not the one. But one is coming after me, and I am not worthy to untie the sandals on his feet.’(Z)
26 “Brothers and sisters, children of Abraham’s race, and those among you who fear God, it is to us that the word of this salvation has been sent.(AA) 27 Since the residents of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize him or the sayings of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, they have fulfilled their words by condemning him.(AB) 28 Though they found no grounds for the death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him killed.(AC) 29 When they had carried out all that had been written about him, they took him down from the tree and put him in a tomb.(AD) 30 But God raised him from the dead,(AE) 31 and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.(AF) 32 And we ourselves proclaim to you the good news of the promise that was made to our ancestors.(AG) 33 God has fulfilled this for us, their children, by raising up Jesus, as it is written in the second Psalm:
34 As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David.[h](AI) 35 Therefore he also says in another passage, You will not let your Holy One see decay.[i](AJ) 36 For David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep,(AK) was buried with his fathers, and decayed,(AL) 37 but the one God raised up did not decay. 38 Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.(AM) 39 Everyone who believes is justified[j] through him from everything that you could not be justified from through the law of Moses.(AN) 40 So beware that what is said in the prophets does not happen to you:
41 Look, you scoffers,
marvel and vanish away,
because I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will never believe,
even if someone were to explain it to you.”[k](AO)
Paul and Barnabas in Antioch
42 As they were leaving, the people[l] urged them to speak about these matters the following Sabbath. 43 After the synagogue had been dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking with them and urging them to continue in the grace of God.(AP)
44 The following Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of the Lord.[m] 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what Paul was saying, insulting him.(AQ)
46 Paul and Barnabas boldly replied, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first. Since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we are turning to the Gentiles.(AR) 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and honored the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the prominent God-fearing women and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district.(AT) 51 But Paul and Barnabas shook the dust off their feet(AU) against them(AV) and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.(AW)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.