M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Sarah Rescued from Abimelech
20 From there Abraham traveled to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he was staying in Gerar,(A) 2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.”(B) So King Abimelech of Gerar had Sarah brought to him.
3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.”[a]
4 Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “Lord, would you destroy a nation even though it is innocent? 5 Didn’t he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this with a clear conscience[b] and clean[c] hands.”
6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience.[d] I have also kept you from sinning against me. Therefore I have not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet,(C) and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.”
8 Early in the morning Abimelech got up, called all his servants together, and personally[e] told them all these things, and the men were terrified.
9 Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said to him, “What have you done to us? How did I sin against you that you have brought such enormous guilt on me and on my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.”(D) 10 Abimelech also asked Abraham, “What made you do this?”
11 Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘There is absolutely no fear of God in this place.(E) They will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 So when God had me wander from my father’s house,(F) I said to her: Show your loyalty to me wherever we go and say about me, ‘He’s my brother.’”(G)
14 Then Abimelech took flocks and herds and male and female slaves, gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him. 15 Abimelech said, “Look, my land is before you.(H) Settle wherever you want.”[f] 16 And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your brother one thousand pieces of silver. It is a verification of your honor[g] to all who are with you. You are fully vindicated.”
17 Then Abraham prayed to God,(I) and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female slaves so that they could bear children, 18 for the Lord had completely closed all the wombs in Abimelech’s household on account of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.
The Question of Divorce
19 When Jesus had finished saying these things,(A) he departed from Galilee and went to the region of Judea across the Jordan.(B) 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.(C) 3 Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?” (D)
4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created[a] them in the beginning made them male and female,[b](E) 5 and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?[c](F) 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
7 “Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers(G) and to send her away?”
8 He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning. 9 I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”[d](H)
10 His disciples(I) said to him, “If the relationship of a man with his wife is like this, it’s better not to marry.”
11 He responded, “Not everyone can accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given.(J) 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mother’s womb, there are eunuchs who were made by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves that way because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept it should accept it.”
Blessing the Children
13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.(K) 14 Jesus said, “Leave the little children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to me, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”[e](L) 15 After placing his hands on them, he went on from there.
The Rich Young Ruler
16 Just then someone came up and asked him,(M) “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” (N)
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?”[f] he said to him. “There is only one who is good.[g] If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”(O)
18 “Which ones?” he asked him.
Jesus answered: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness;(P) 19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.[h](Q)
20 “I have kept all these,”[i] the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”
21 “If you want to be perfect,”[j] Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor,(R) and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
Possessions and the Kingdom
23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven.(S) 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”(T)
25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”(U)
27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things,(V) when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne,(W) you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[k] or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life.(X) 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.(Y)
National Confession of Sin
9 On the twenty-fourth day of this month(A) the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.(B) 2 Those of Israelite descent separated themselves from all foreigners,(C) and they stood(D) and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their ancestors.(E) 3 While they stood in their places,(F) they read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for a fourth of the day and spent another fourth of the day(G) in confession(H) and worship of the Lord their God. 4 Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stood on the raised platform built for the Levites(I) and cried out loudly to the Lord their God. 5 Then the Levites—Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah(J)—said, “Stand up. Blessed be the Lord your God from everlasting to everlasting.”(K)
Blessed be your glorious name,(L)
and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.
6 You,[a] Lord, are the only God.[b](M)
You created the heavens,
the highest heavens with all their stars,
the earth and all that is on it,
the seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them,(N)
and all the stars of heaven worship you.(O)
7 You, the Lord,
are the God who chose Abram
and brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans,(P)
and changed his name to Abraham.(Q)
8 You found his heart faithful in your sight,(R)
and made a covenant with him
to give the land of the Canaanites,
Hethites, Amorites, Perizzites,
Jebusites, and Girgashites—
to give it to his descendants.(S)
You have fulfilled your promise,
for you are righteous.
9 You saw the oppression of our ancestors in Egypt(T)
and heard their cry at the Red Sea.
10 You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,
all his officials, and all the people of his land,(U)
for you knew how arrogantly they treated our ancestors.
You made a name for yourself
that endures to this day.
11 You divided the sea before them,
and they crossed through it on dry ground.(V)
You hurled their pursuers into the depths
like a stone into raging water.(W)
12 You led them with a pillar of cloud by day,
and with a pillar of fire by night,
to illuminate the way they should go.(X)
13 You came down on Mount Sinai,(Y)
and spoke to them from heaven.
You gave them impartial ordinances, reliable instructions,
and good statutes and commands.
14 You revealed your holy Sabbath to them,
and gave them commands, statutes, and instruction
through your servant Moses.(Z)
15 You provided bread from heaven(AA) for their hunger;
you brought them water from the rock(AB) for their thirst.
You told them to go in and possess the land
you had sworn[c] to give them.(AC)
16 But our ancestors acted arrogantly;
they became stiff-necked and did not listen to your commands.
17 They refused to listen
and did not remember your wonders
you performed among them.(AD)
They became stiff-necked and appointed a leader
to return to their slavery in Egypt.[d](AE)
But you are a forgiving God,
gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love,(AF)
and you did not abandon them.
18 Even after they had cast an image of a calf
for themselves and said,
“This is your god who brought you out of Egypt,”(AG)
and they had committed terrible blasphemies,
19 you did not abandon them in the wilderness
because of your great compassion.
During the day the pillar of cloud
never turned away from them,
guiding them on their journey.
And during the night the pillar of fire
illuminated the way they should go.(AH)
20 You sent your good Spirit(AI) to instruct them.
You did not withhold your manna(AJ) from their mouths,
and you gave them water for their thirst.(AK)
21 You provided for them in the wilderness forty years,(AL)
and they lacked nothing.
Their clothes did not wear out,
and their feet did not swell.(AM)
22 You gave them kingdoms and peoples
and established boundaries for them.
They took possession
of the land of King Sihon[e] of Heshbon
and of the land of King Og of Bashan.(AN)
23 You multiplied their descendants
like the stars of the sky(AO)
and brought them to the land
you told their ancestors to go in and possess.
24 So their descendants went in and possessed the land:
You subdued the Canaanites who inhabited the land before them
and handed their kings and the surrounding peoples over to them,(AP)
to do as they pleased with them.
25 They captured fortified cities and fertile land
and took possession of well-supplied houses,
cisterns cut out of rock, vineyards,
olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance.(AQ)
They ate, were filled,
became prosperous, and delighted in your great goodness.
26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against you.
They flung your law behind their backs(AR)
and killed your prophets(AS)
who warned them
in order to turn them back to you.
They committed terrible blasphemies.
27 So you handed them over to their enemies,
who oppressed them.
In their time of distress, they cried out to you,
and you heard from heaven.
In your abundant compassion
you gave them deliverers, who rescued them
from the power of their enemies.
28 But as soon as they had relief,
they again did what was evil in your sight.
So you abandoned them to the power of their enemies,
who dominated them.
When they cried out to you again,
you heard from heaven and rescued them
many times in your compassion.(AT)
29 You warned them to turn back to your law,
but they acted arrogantly
and would not obey your commands.
They sinned against your ordinances,
which a person will live by if he does them.(AU)
They stubbornly resisted,[f]
stiffened their necks, and would not obey.
30 You were patient with them for many years,
and your Spirit warned them through your prophets,(AV)
but they would not listen.
Therefore, you handed them over to the surrounding peoples.(AW)
31 However, in your abundant compassion,
you did not destroy them or abandon them,(AX)
for you are a gracious and compassionate God.(AY)
32 So now, our God—the great, mighty,
and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant(AZ)—
do not view lightly all the hardships that have afflicted us,
our kings and leaders,
our priests and prophets,
our ancestors and all your people,
from the days of the Assyrian kings(BA) until today.
33 You are righteous concerning all that has happened to us,
because you have acted faithfully,
while we have acted wickedly.(BB)
34 Our kings, leaders, priests, and ancestors
did not obey your law
or listen to your commands
and warnings you gave them.
35 When they were in their kingdom,
with your abundant goodness that you gave them,
and in the spacious and fertile land you set before them,(BC)
they would not serve you or turn from their wicked ways.
36 Here we are today,
slaves in the land you gave our ancestors
so that they could enjoy its fruit and its goodness.
Here we are—slaves in it!(BD)
37 Its abundant harvest goes to the kings
you have set over us,
because of our sins.
They rule over our bodies
and our livestock as they please.(BE)
We are in great distress.
Israel’s Vow of Faithfulness
38 In view of all this, we are making a binding agreement(BF) in writing on a sealed document containing the names of our leaders, Levites, and priests.(BG)
Twelve Disciples of John the Baptist
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples(A) 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (B)
“No,” they told him, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”(C)
3 “Into what then were you baptized?” he asked them.
“Into John’s baptism,” they replied.(D)
4 Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,(E) telling the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus.”(F)
5 When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on(G) them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in tongues[a] and to prophesy.(H) 7 Now there were about twelve men in all.
In the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus
8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly over a period of three months, arguing and persuading them about the kingdom of God.(I) 9 But when some became hardened and would not believe, slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he withdrew from them, taking the disciples, and conducted discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.(J) 10 This went on for two years, so that all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks,(K) heard the word of the Lord.(L)
Demonism Defeated at Ephesus
11 God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, 12 so that even facecloths or aprons[b] that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, and the diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.(M)
13 Now some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists also attempted to pronounce the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I command you by the Jesus that Paul preaches!” (N) 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this. 15 The evil spirit answered them, “I know Jesus, and I recognize Paul—but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them all, and prevailed against them, so that they ran out of that house naked and wounded. 17 When this became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks, they became afraid, and the name of the Lord Jesus(O) was held in high esteem.(P)
18 And many who had become believers came confessing and disclosing their practices, 19 while many of those who had practiced magic(Q) collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. So they calculated their value and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread and prevailed.(R)
The Riot in Ephesus
21 After these events, Paul resolved by the Spirit[c] to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “It is necessary for me to see Rome as well.”(S) 22 After sending to Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus,(T) he himself stayed in Asia for a while.(U)
23 About that time there was a major disturbance about the Way.(V) 24 For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen. 25 When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.(W) 27 Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”
28 When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius(X) and Aristarchus,(Y) Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 30 Although Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him. 31 Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to venture[d] into the amphitheater. 32 Some were shouting one thing and some another,(Z) because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some Jews in the crowd gave instructions to Alexander[e] after they pushed him to the front. Motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.(AA) 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great[f] Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our[g] goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.(AB) 39 But if you seek anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly. 40 In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting(AC) for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disturbance.” 41 After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.
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