M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Abraham’s Three Visitors
18 The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre(A) while he was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. 2 He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him.(B) When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them, bowed to the ground, 3 and said, “My lord, if I have found favor with you, please do not go on past your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. Later, you can continue on.”
“Yes,” they replied, “do as you have said.”
6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Knead three measures[a] of fine flour and make bread.”[b] 7 Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then Abraham took curds[c] and milk, as well as the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served[d] them as they ate under the tree.
Sarah Laughs
9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.
“There, in the tent,” he answered.
10 The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” (C) Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him.
11 Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years.[e] Sarah had passed the age of childbearing.(D) 12 So she laughed to herself: “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I have delight?” (E)
13 But the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’ 14 Is anything impossible for the Lord?(F) At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.”
15 Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said, because she was afraid.
But he replied, “No, you did laugh.”
Abraham’s Plea for Sodom
16 The men got up from there and looked out over Sodom, and Abraham was walking with them to see them off. 17 Then the Lord said, “Should I hide what I am about to do from Abraham?(G) 18 Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.(H) 19 For I have chosen[f] him so that he will command his children and his house after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. This is how the Lord will fulfill to Abraham what he promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is immense, and their sin is extremely serious. 21 I will go down(I) to see if what they have done justifies the cry that has come up to me. If not, I will find out.”
22 The men turned from there and went toward Sodom(J) while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[g] 23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?(K) 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away instead of sparing the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people who are in it? 25 You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?” (L)
26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”(M)
27 Then Abraham answered, “Since I have ventured to speak to my lord—even though I am dust and ashes— 28 suppose the fifty righteous lack five. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”
He replied, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
29 Then he spoke to him again, “Suppose forty are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it on account of forty.”
30 Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak further. Suppose thirty are found there?”
He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”
31 Then he said, “Since I have ventured to speak to my lord, suppose twenty are found there?”
He replied, “I will not destroy it on account of twenty.”
32 Then he said, “Let my lord not be angry, and I will speak one more time.(N) Suppose ten are found there?”
He answered, “I will not destroy it on account of ten.” 33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
The Transfiguration
17 After six days(A) Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.(B) 2 He was transfigured in front of them, and his face shone like the sun; his clothes became as white as the light.(C) 3 Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it’s good for us to be here. If you want, I will set up[a] three shelters here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”(D)
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered[b] them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!” (E) 6 When the disciples(F) heard this, they fell facedown and were terrified.
7 Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.”(G) 8 When they looked up they saw no one except Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them,(H) “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised[c] from the dead.”
10 So the disciples asked him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” (I)
11 “Elijah is coming[d] and will restore everything,” he replied.[e](J) 12 “But I tell you: Elijah has already come, and they didn’t recognize him. On the contrary, they did whatever they pleased to him. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”(K) 13 Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
The Power of Jesus over a Demon
14 When they reached the crowd,(L) a man approached and knelt down before him. 15 “Lord,” he said, “have mercy on my son, because he has seizures[f] and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.”(M)
17 Jesus replied, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.”(N) 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon,[g] and it[h] came out of him,(O) and from that moment[i] the boy was healed.
19 Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
20 “Because of your little faith,” he[j] told them. “For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of [k] a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.(P) Nothing will be impossible for you.”[l](Q)
The Second Prediction of His Death
22 As(R) they were gathering together[m] in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised up.” And they were deeply distressed.
Paying the Temple Tax
24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the temple tax approached Peter and said, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?” (S)
25 “Yes,” he said.
When he went into the house, Jesus spoke to him first,[n] “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tariffs or taxes? From their sons or from strangers?”[o](T)
26 “From strangers,” he said.[p]
“Then the sons are free,” Jesus told him. 27 “But, so we won’t offend them, go to the sea, cast in a fishhook, and take the first fish that you catch. When you open its mouth you’ll find a coin.[q] Take it and give it to them for me and you.”(U)
The Exiles Return
7 When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed,(A) the gatekeepers,(B) singers, and Levites were appointed. 2 Then I put my brother Hanani(C) in charge of Jerusalem,(D) along with Hananiah,(E) commander of the fortress,(F) because he was a faithful man who feared God(G) more than most. 3 I said to them, “Do not open the gates of Jerusalem until the sun is hot, and let the doors be shut and securely fastened while the guards are on duty. Station the citizens of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some at their homes.”(H)
4 The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it, and no houses had been built yet.(I) 5 Then my God put it into my mind(J) to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. I found the genealogical record of those who came back first, and I found the following written in it:(K)
6 These are the people of the province who went up among the captive exiles deported by King Nebuchadnezzar(L) of Babylon. Each of them returned to Jerusalem and Judah, to his own town.(M) 7 They came with Zerubbabel,(N) Jeshua,(O) Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah.
The number of the Israelite men included[a]
| 8 Parosh’s descendants(P) | 2,172 |
| 9 Shephatiah’s descendants | 372 |
| 10 Arah’s descendants | 652 |
| 11 Pahath-moab’s descendants: | |
| Jeshua’s and Joab’s descendants | 2,818 |
| 12 Elam’s descendants | 1,254 |
| 13 Zattu’s descendants | 845 |
| 14 Zaccai’s descendants | 760 |
| 15 Binnui’s descendants | 648 |
| 16 Bebai’s descendants | 628 |
| 17 Azgad’s descendants | 2,322 |
| 18 Adonikam’s descendants(Q) | 667 |
| 19 Bigvai’s descendants | 2,067 |
| 20 Adin’s descendants(R) | 655 |
| 21 Ater’s descendants: of Hezekiah | 98 |
| 22 Hashum’s descendants | 328 |
| 23 Bezai’s descendants | 324 |
| 24 Hariph’s descendants | 112 |
| 25 Gibeon’s[b] descendants | 95 |
| 26 Bethlehem’s(S) and Netophah’s(T) men | 188 |
| 27 Anathoth’s(U) men | 128 |
| 28 Beth-azmaveth’s men | 42 |
| 29 Kiriath-jearim’s, Chephirah’s, and Beeroth’s men | 743 |
| 30 Ramah’s and Geba’s men | 621 |
| 31 Michmas’s men | 122 |
| 32 Bethel’s and Ai’s men(V) | 123 |
| 33 the other Nebo’s men | 52 |
| 34 the other Elam’s people | 1,254 |
| 35 Harim’s people | 320 |
| 36 Jericho’s people(W) | 345 |
| 37 Lod’s,(X) Hadid’s, and Ono’s people | 721 |
| 38 Senaah’s people | 3,930. |
39 The priests included
| Jedaiah’s(Y) descendants of the house of Jeshua | 973 |
| 40 Immer’s descendants | 1,052 |
| 41 Pashhur’s descendants | 1,247 |
| 42 Harim’s descendants | 1,017. |
43 The Levites(Z) included
| Jeshua’s descendants: of Kadmiel | |
| Hodevah’s descendants | 74. |
44 The singers(AA) included
| Asaph’s descendants | 148. |
45 The gatekeepers(AB) included
| Shallum’s descendants, Ater’s descendants, | |
| Talmon’s descendants, Akkub’s descendants, | |
| Hatita’s descendants, Shobai’s descendants | 138. |
46 The temple servants(AC) included
Ziha’s descendants, Hasupha’s descendants,
Tabbaoth’s descendants, 47 Keros’s descendants,
Sia’s descendants, Padon’s descendants,
48 Lebanah’s descendants, Hagabah’s descendants,
Shalmai’s descendants, 49 Hanan’s descendants,
Giddel’s descendants, Gahar’s descendants,
50 Reaiah’s descendants, Rezin’s descendants,
Nekoda’s descendants, 51 Gazzam’s descendants,
Uzza’s descendants, Paseah’s descendants,
52 Besai’s descendants, Meunim’s descendants,
Nephishesim’s[c] descendants, 53 Bakbuk’s descendants,
Hakupha’s descendants, Harhur’s descendants,
54 Bazlith’s descendants, Mehida’s descendants,
Harsha’s descendants, 55 Barkos’s descendants,
Sisera’s descendants, Temah’s descendants,
56 Neziah’s descendants, Hatipha’s descendants.
57 The descendants of Solomon’s servants(AD) included
Sotai’s descendants, Sophereth’s descendants,
Perida’s descendants, 58 Jaala’s descendants,
Darkon’s descendants, Giddel’s descendants,
59 Shephatiah’s descendants, Hattil’s descendants,
Pochereth-hazzebaim’s descendants, Amon’s descendants.
| 60 All the temple servants | |
| and the descendants of Solomon’s servants(AE) | 392. |
61 The following(AF) are those who came from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer, but were unable to prove that their ancestral families[d] and their lineage were Israelite:
| 62 Delaiah’s descendants, | |
| Tobiah’s descendants, | |
| and Nekoda’s descendants | 642 |
63 and from the priests: the descendants of Hobaiah, the descendants of Hakkoz, and the descendants of Barzillai—who had taken a wife from the daughters of Barzillai the Gileadite and who bore their name. 64 These searched for their entries in the genealogical records, but they could not be found, so they were disqualified from the priesthood. 65 The governor(AG) ordered them not to eat the most holy things until there was a priest who could consult the Urim and Thummim.(AH)
| 66 The whole combined assembly numbered | 42,360 |
| 67 not including their 7,337 male and female servants, | |
| as well as their 245 male and female singers. | |
| 68 They had 736 horses, 245 mules,[e] | |
| 69 435 camels, and 6,720 donkeys.(AI) |
70 Some of the family heads contributed to the project. The governor gave 1,000 gold coins,[f] 50 bowls, and 530 priestly garments to the treasury. 71 Some of the family heads gave 20,000 gold coins and 2,200 silver minas to the treasury for the project. 72 The rest of the people gave 20,000 gold coins, 2,000 silver minas, and 67 priestly garments. 73 The priests, Levites, gatekeepers, temple singers, some of the people, temple servants, and all Israel settled in their towns.(AJ)
Public Reading of the Law
When the seventh month(AK) came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,
A Short Ministry in Thessalonica
17 After they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,(A) where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,(B) 3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.”(C) 4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.(D)
Riot in the City
5 But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.(E) 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, 7 and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees,(F) saying that there is another king—Jesus.”(G) 8 The crowd and city officials who heard these things were upset. 9 After taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.
The Bereans Search the Scriptures
10 As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea.(H) Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined[a] the Scriptures(I) daily to see if these things were so. 12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting[b] the crowds. 14 Then the brothers and sisters immediately sent Paul away to go to the coast, but Silas and Timothy(J) stayed on there. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.(K)
Paul in Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.(L) 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also debated with him. Some said, “What is this ignorant show-off[c] trying to say?”
Others replied, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities”—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.(M)
19 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus,[d] and said, “May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting?(N) 20 Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
The Areopagus Address
22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it(O)—he is Lord of heaven and earth(P)—does not live in shrines made by hands.(Q) 25 Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything,(R) since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.(S) 26 From one man[e] he has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.(T) 27 He did this so that they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.(U) 28 For in him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’(V) 29 Since, then, we are God’s offspring, we shouldn’t think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.(W)
30 “Therefore, having overlooked(X) the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”(Y)
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him, but others said, “We’d like to hear from you again about this.” 33 So Paul left their presence. 34 However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
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