M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
19 The two angels entered Sodom(A) in the evening as Lot was sitting in Sodom’s gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them. He bowed with his face to the ground 2 and said, “My lords, turn aside to your servant’s house, wash your feet, and spend the night. Then you can get up early and go on your way.”
“No,” they said. “We would rather spend the night in the square.” 3 But he urged them so strongly that they followed him and went into his house. He prepared a feast and baked unleavened bread for them, and they ate.
4 Before they went to bed, the men of the city of Sodom, both young and old, the whole population, surrounded the house. 5 They called out to Lot and said, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Send them out to us so we can have sex with them!” (B)
6 Lot went out to them at the entrance and shut the door behind him. 7 He said, “Don’t do this evil, my brothers. 8 Look, I’ve got two daughters who haven’t been intimate with a man.(C) I’ll bring them out to you, and you can do whatever you want[a] to them. However, don’t do anything to these men, because they have come under the protection of my roof.”
9 “Get out of the way!” they said, adding, “This one came here as an alien, but he’s acting like a judge!(D) Now we’ll do more harm to you than to them.” They put pressure on Lot and came up to break down the door. 10 But the angels[b] reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 They struck the men who were at the entrance of the house, both young and old, with blindness[c] so that they were unable to find the entrance.(E)
12 Then the angels said to Lot, “Do you have anyone else here: a son-in-law, your sons and daughters, or anyone else in the city who belongs to you? Get them out of this place, 13 for we are about to destroy this place because the outcry against its people is so great before the Lord, that the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”(F)
14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. “Get up,” he said. “Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!” (G) But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.
15 At daybreak the angels urged Lot on: “Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment[d] of the city.” 16 But he hesitated. Because of the Lord’s compassion for him, the men grabbed his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters. They brought him out and left him outside the city.
17 As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them[e] said, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back and don’t stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”
18 But Lot said to them, “No, my lords[f]—please. 19 Your servant has indeed found favor with you, and you have shown me great kindness by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains; the disaster will overtake me, and I will die. 20 Look, this town is close enough for me to flee to. It is a small place. Please let me run to it—it’s only a small place, isn’t it?—so that I can survive.”
21 And he said to him, “All right,[g] I’ll grant your request[h] about this matter too and will not demolish the town you mentioned. 22 Hurry up! Run to it, for I cannot do anything until you get there.” Therefore the name of the city is Zoar.[i](H)
23 The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar. 24 Then out of the sky the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah burning sulfur from the Lord.(I) 25 He demolished these cities, the entire plain, all the inhabitants of the cities, and whatever grew on the ground. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.(J)
27 Early in the morning Abraham went to the place where he had stood before the Lord.(K) 28 He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up from the land like the smoke of a furnace. 29 So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the middle of the upheaval when he demolished the cities where Lot had lived.
The Origin of Moab and Ammon
30 Lot departed from Zoar and lived in the mountains along with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. Instead, he and his two daughters lived in a cave. 31 Then the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us as is the custom of all the land. 32 Come, let’s get our father to drink wine so that we can sleep with him and preserve our father’s line.” 33 So they got their father to drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
34 The next day the firstborn said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight so you can go sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.” 35 That night they again got their father to drink wine, and the younger went and slept with him; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.
36 So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. 37 The firstborn gave birth to a son and named him Moab.[j] He is the father of the Moabites of today.(L) 38 The younger also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi.[k] He is the father of the Ammonites of today.(M)
Who Is the Greatest?
18 At that time[a](A) the disciples(B) came to Jesus and asked, “So who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (C) 2 He called a small child and had him stand among them. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children,(D) you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.(E) 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes[b] one child like this in my name welcomes me.
6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea.(F) 7 Woe to the world because of offenses. For offenses will inevitably come, but woe to that person by whom the offense comes.(G) 8 If your hand or your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.(H) 9 And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire.[c](I)
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
10 “See to it that you don’t despise one of these little ones,(J) because I tell you that in heaven their angels(K) continually view the face of my Father in heaven.[d](L) 12 What do you think?(M) If someone has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go and search for the stray?(N) 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over that sheep[e] more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 In the same way, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones perish.
Restoring a Brother
15 “If your brother sins against you,[f] go tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother.(O) 16 But if he won’t listen, take one or two others with you, so that by the testimony[g] of two or three witnesses every fact may be established.[h](P) 17 If he doesn’t pay attention to them, tell the church.[i](Q) If he doesn’t pay attention even to the church, let him be like a Gentile and a tax collector to you.(R) 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound[j] in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed[k] in heaven.(S) 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you on earth agree about any matter that you[l] pray for, it will be done for you[m] by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there among them.”
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter approached him and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? As many as seven times?” (T)
22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.[n]
23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle accounts, one who owed ten thousand talents[o] was brought before him. 25 Since he did not have the money to pay it back, his master commanded that he, his wife, his children, and everything he had be sold to pay the debt.(U)
26 “At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.
28 “That servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[p](V) He grabbed him, started choking him, and said, ‘Pay what you owe!’
29 “At this, his fellow servant fell down[q] and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he wasn’t willing. Instead, he went and threw him into prison until he could pay what was owed. 31 When the other servants saw what had taken place, they were deeply distressed and went and reported to their master everything that had happened. 32 Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’(W) 34 And because he was angry, his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay everything that was owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister[r] from your heart.”(X)
8 all the people gathered together(A) at the square in front of the Water Gate.(B) They asked the scribe Ezra(C) to bring the book of the law of Moses(D) that the Lord had given Israel. 2 On the first day of the seventh month,(E) the priest Ezra(F) brought the law(G) before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. 3 While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate,(H) he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively[a] to the book of the law.(I) 4 The scribe Ezra stood on a high wooden platform(J) made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. 6 Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted(K) all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” (L) Then they knelt low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.(M)
7 Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah,(N) who were Levites,[b](O) explained the law(P) to the people as they stood in their places. 8 They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. 9 Nehemiah the governor,(Q) Ezra the priest and scribe,(R) and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day(S) is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.”(T) For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. 10 Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared,(U) since today(V) is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”[c](W) 11 And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still,(X) since today(Y) is holy. Don’t grieve.” 12 Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration,(Z) because they had understood the words that were explained to them.
Festival of Shelters Observed
13 On the second day, the family heads of all the people, along with the priests and Levites,(AA) assembled before the scribe Ezra(AB) to study the words of the law. 14 They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in shelters during the festival of the seventh month.(AC) 15 So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make shelters, just as it is written.”(AD) 16 The people went out, brought back branches, and made shelters for themselves on each of their rooftops(AE) and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate,(AF) and the square by the Ephraim Gate.(AG) 17 The whole community that had returned from exile(AH) made shelters and lived in them. The Israelites had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day.(AI) And there was tremendous joy.(AJ) 18 Ezra[d] read out of the book of the law of God(AK) every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was a solemn assembly, according to the ordinance.(AL)
Founding the Corinthian Church
18 After this, he[a] left Athens and went to Corinth,(A) 2 where he found a Jew named Aquila,(B) a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, 3 and since they were of the same occupation, tentmakers by trade,(C) he stayed with them and worked. 4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.(D)
5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word[b] and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.(E) 6 When they resisted and blasphemed,(F) he shook out his clothes(G) and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads!(H) I am innocent.[c] From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”(I) 7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household.(J) Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
9 The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”(K) 11 He stayed there a year and a half, teaching the word of God among them.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the tribunal.(L) 13 “This man,” they said, “is persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
14 As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or of a serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. 15 But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”(M) 16 So he drove them from the tribunal. 17 And they all[d] seized Sosthenes,(N) the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal, but none of these things mattered to Gallio.
The Return Trip to Antioch
18 After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.(O) 19 When they reached Ephesus(P) he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, 21 but he said farewell and added,[e] “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.”(Q) Then he set sail from Ephesus.
22 On landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.(R)
23 After spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.(S)
The Eloquent Apollos
24 Now a Jew named Apollos,(T) a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit,[f] he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism.(U) 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside[g] and explained the way of God to him more accurately.(V) 27 When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.(W) 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.(X)
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