M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Entering the Ark
7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before Me in this generation.(A) 2 You are to take with you seven pairs, a male and its female, of all the clean animals,(B) and two of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female, 3 and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky—in order to keep offspring alive on the face of the whole earth. 4 Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe off from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.” 5 And Noah did everything that the Lord commanded him.(C)
6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood came and water covered the earth. 7 So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 From the clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and every creature that crawls on the ground, 9 two of each, male and female, entered the ark with Noah, just as God had commanded him. 10 Seven days later the waters of the flood came on the earth.
The Flood
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the watery depths burst open,(D) the floodgates of the sky were opened,(E) 12 and the rain fell on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. 13 On that same day Noah along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, and his three sons’ wives entered the ark with him. 14 They entered it with all the wildlife according to their kinds, all livestock according to their kinds, the creatures that crawl on the earth according to their kinds, all birds, every fowl, and everything with wings according to their kinds. 15 Two of all flesh that has the breath of life in it entered the ark with Noah. 16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered just as God had commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.
17 The flood continued for 40 days on the earth; the waters increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth. 18 The waters surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 Then the waters surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered. 20 The mountains were covered as the waters surged above them more than 20 feet.[a] 21 Every creature perished—those that crawl on the earth, birds, livestock, wildlife, and those that swarm[b] on the earth, as well as all mankind. 22 Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils(F)—everything on dry land died. 23 He wiped out every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.(G) 24 And the waters surged on the earth 150 days.
Do Not Judge
7 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.(A) 2 For with the judgment you use,[a] you will be judged, and with the measure you use,[b] it will be measured to you.(B) 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye?(C) 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. 6 Don’t give what is holy to dogs or toss your pearls before pigs,(D) or they will trample them with their feet, turn, and tear you to pieces.
Keep Asking, Searching, Knocking
7 “Keep asking,[c](E) and it will be given to you.(F) Keep searching,[d] and you will find. Keep knocking,[e] and the door[f] will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds,(G) and to the one who knocks, the door[g] will be opened. 9 What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, who are evil,(H) know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them—this is the Law and the Prophets.[h](I)
Entering the Kingdom
13 “Enter through the narrow gate.(J) For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction,(K) and there are many who go through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.
15 “Beware of false prophets(L) who come to you in sheep’s(M) clothing(N) but inwardly are ravaging wolves.(O) 16 You’ll recognize them by their fruit.(P) Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?(Q) 17 In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.(R) 20 So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.(S)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,(T) but only the one who does the will(U) of My Father in heaven.(V) 22 On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in Your name, drive out demons(W) in Your name, and do many miracles in Your name?’(X) 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!’[i](Y)[j]
The Two Foundations
24 “Therefore,(Z) everyone who hears these words(AA) of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!”
28 When Jesus had finished this sermon,[k](AB) the crowds were astonished at His teaching,(AC) 29 because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
Ezra’s Arrival
7 After these events, during the reign of King Artaxerxes(A) of Persia, Ezra—
Seraiah’s(B) son, Azariah’s son,
Hilkiah’s(C) son, 2 Shallum’s son,
Zadok’s(D) son, Ahitub’s son,
3 Amariah’s son, Azariah’s son,
Meraioth’s son, 4 Zerahiah’s son,
Uzzi’s son, Bukki’s son,
5 Abishua’s son, Phinehas’s son,
Eleazar’s son, Aaron the chief priest’s son(E)
6 —came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses,(F) which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requested(G) because the hand of Yahweh his God was on him.(H) 7 Some of the Israelites, priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, and temple servants(I) accompanied him to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.
8 Ezra[a] came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, during the seventh year of the king. 9 He began the journey from Babylon on the first day of the first month(J) and arrived in Jerusalem on the first day of the fifth month(K) since the gracious hand of his God was on him.(L) 10 Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach(M) its statutes and ordinances in Israel.
Letter from Artaxerxes
11 This is the text of the letter King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest and scribe, an expert in matters of the Lord’s commands and statutes for Israel:[b]
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings,(N) to Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of heaven:
Greetings.
13 I issue a decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including their priests and Levites, who want to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.(O) 14 You are sent by the king and his seven counselors(P) to evaluate Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your possession. 15 You are also to bring the silver and gold the king and his counselors have willingly given to the God of Israel,(Q) whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,(R) 16 and all the silver and gold you receive throughout the province of Babylon, together with the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests to the house of their God in Jerusalem.(S) 17 Then you are to buy with this money as many bulls, rams, and lambs as needed, along with their grain and drink offerings, and offer them on the altar at the house of your God in Jerusalem.(T) 18 You may do whatever seems best to you and your brothers with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God. 19 You must deliver to the God of Jerusalem all the articles given to you for the service of the house of your God.(U) 20 You may use the royal treasury to pay for anything else needed for the house of your God.(V)
21 I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers in the region west of the Euphrates River:(W)
Whatever Ezra the priest, an expert in the law of the God of heaven, asks of you must be provided promptly,(X) 22 up to 7,500 pounds[c] of silver, 500 bushels[d] of wheat, 550 gallons[e] of wine, 550 gallons[f] of oil, and salt without limit.[g] 23 Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven must be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven, so that wrath will not fall on the realm of the king and his sons.(Y) 24 Be advised that tribute, duty, and land tax must not be imposed on any priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.
25 And you, Ezra, according to[h] God’s wisdom that you possess, appoint magistrates and judges to judge all the people in the region west of the Euphrates who know the laws of your God and to teach anyone who does not know them.(Z) 26 Anyone who does not keep the law of your God and the law of the king, let a fair judgment be executed against him, whether death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.(AA)
27 Praise Yahweh the God of our fathers, who has put it into the king’s mind(AB) to glorify the house of the Lord in Jerusalem,(AC) 28 and who has shown favor to me before the king,(AD) his counselors, and all his powerful officers. So I took courage because I was strengthened by Yahweh my God,[i](AE) and I gathered Israelite leaders to return with me.(AF)
Stephen’s Sermon
7 “Is this true?”[a] the high priest asked.
2 “Brothers and fathers,” he said, “listen: The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Haran,(A) 3 and said to him:
4 “Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Haran. From there, after his father died, God had him move to this land you now live in.(C) 5 He didn’t give him an inheritance in it, not even a foot of ground, but He promised to give it to him as a possession, and to his descendants after him,(D) even though he was childless. 6 God spoke in this way:
His descendants would be strangers
in a foreign country,
and they would enslave
and oppress them 400 years.
7 I will judge the nation
that they will serve as slaves, God said.
After this, they will come out
and worship Me in this place.(E)[c]
8 Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision. After this, he fathered Isaac and circumcised(F) him on the eighth day; Isaac did the same with Jacob, and Jacob with the 12 patriarchs.(G)
The Patriarchs in Egypt
9 “The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God was with him(H) 10 and rescued him out of all his troubles. He gave him favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over his whole household.(I) 11 Then a famine and great suffering came over all of Egypt and Canaan,(J) and our ancestors could find no food. 12 When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors the first time. 13 The second time, Joseph was revealed to his brothers, and Joseph’s family became known to Pharaoh. 14 Joseph then invited his father Jacob and all his relatives, 75 people in all,(K) 15 and Jacob went down to Egypt. He and our ancestors died there,(L) 16 were carried back to Shechem, and were placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.(M)
Moses, a Rejected Savior
17 “As the time was drawing near to fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham, the people flourished and multiplied in Egypt(N) 18 until a different king who did not know Joseph ruled over Egypt.[d] 19 He dealt deceitfully with our race and oppressed our ancestors by making them leave their infants outside, so they wouldn’t survive.[e](O) 20 At this time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in God’s sight. He was cared for in his father’s home three months, 21 and when he was left outside, Pharaoh’s daughter adopted and raised him as her own son.(P) 22 So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in his speech and actions.(Q)
23 “As he was approaching the age of 40, he decided[f] to visit his brothers, the Israelites. 24 When he saw one of them being mistreated, he came to his rescue and avenged the oppressed man by striking down the Egyptian. 25 He assumed his brothers would understand that God would give them deliverance through him, but they did not understand. 26 The next day he showed up while they were fighting and tried to reconcile them peacefully, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers. Why are you mistreating each other?’(R)
27 “But the one who was mistreating his neighbor pushed him[g] away, saying:
Who appointed you a ruler and a judge over us? 28 Do you want to kill me, the same way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?(S)[h]
29 “At this disclosure, Moses fled and became an exile in the land of Midian, where he fathered two sons.(T) 30 After 40 years had passed, an angel[i] appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he was amazed at the sight. As he was approaching to look at it, the voice of the Lord came: 32 I am the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.(U)[j] So Moses began to tremble and did not dare to look.
33 “Then the Lord said to him:
Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground. 34 I have observed the oppression of My people in Egypt; I have heard their groaning and have come down to rescue them. And now, come, I will send you to Egypt.(V)[k]
35 “This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge?[l]—this one God sent as a ruler and a redeemer by means of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.(W) 36 This man led them out and performed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt,(X) at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness 40 years.(Y)
Israel’s Rebellion against God
37 “This is the Moses who said to the Israelites, God[m] will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your brothers.(Z)[n] 38 He is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors.(AA) He received living oracles to give to us.(AB) 39 Our ancestors were unwilling to obey him, but pushed him away, and in their hearts turned back to Egypt.(AC) 40 They told Aaron:
Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what’s happened to him.(AD)[o]
41 They even made a calf in those days, offered sacrifice to the idol, and were celebrating what their hands had made.(AE) 42 Then God turned away(AF) and gave them up to worship(AG) the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets:
House of Israel, did you bring Me offerings and sacrifices
40 years in the wilderness?
43 No, you took up the tent of Moloch[p]
and the star of your god Rephan,[q]
the images that you made to worship.
So I will deport you beyond Babylon!(AH)[r]
God’s Real Tabernacle
44 “Our ancestors had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, just as He who spoke to Moses commanded him to make it according to the pattern he had seen.(AI) 45 Our ancestors in turn received it and with Joshua brought it in when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers,(AJ) until the days of David. 46 He found favor in God’s sight and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God[s] of Jacob.(AK) 47 But it was Solomon who built Him a house.(AL) 48 However, the Most High does not dwell in sanctuaries made with hands, as the prophet says:(AM)
49 Heaven is My throne,
and earth My footstool.
What sort of house will you build for Me?
says the Lord,
or what is My resting place?
50 Did not My hand make all these things?(AN)[t]
Resisting the Holy Spirit
51 “You stiff-necked(AO) people with uncircumcised hearts and ears!(AP) You are always resisting the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute?(AQ) They even killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whose betrayers and murderers(AR) you have now become. 53 You received the law under the direction of angels(AS) and yet have not kept it.”
The First Christian Martyr
54 When they heard these things, they were enraged in their hearts[u] and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, filled by the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw God’s glory, with[v] Jesus standing at the right hand of God,(AT) and he said, 56 “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”(AU)
57 Then they screamed at the top of their voices, covered their ears, and together rushed against him. 58 They threw him out of the city and began to stone(AV) him. And the witnesses laid their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.(AW) 59 They were stoning Stephen as he called out: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”(AX) 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice,(AY) “Lord, do not charge them with this sin!” And saying this, he fell asleep.(AZ)
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