M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
A Baby for Sarah
21 The Lord ·cared for [visited] Sarah as he had said and did for her what he had promised. 2 Sarah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. Everything happened at the time God had said it would. 3 Abraham named his son Isaac, the son Sarah gave birth to. 4 He circumcised [17:10] Isaac when he was eight days old as God had commanded.
5 Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh [C the name Isaac is related to a Hebrew word meaning “laugh”]. Everyone who hears about this will laugh ·with [or at] me. 7 No one thought that I would ·be able to have Abraham’s child [L suckle/nurse children], but even though Abraham is old I have given him a son.”
Hagar and Ishmael Leave
8 Isaac grew, and when he ·became old enough to eat food [was weaned], Abraham gave a great feast [L on the day of his weaning]. 9 But Sarah saw ·Ishmael [L the son of Hagar the Egyptian] ·making fun of Isaac [laughing; or playing]. 10 So Sarah said to Abraham, “·Throw [Drive] out this slave woman and her son. Her son should not inherit anything; my son Isaac should receive it all [Gal. 4:21—5:1].”
11 This ·troubled [distressed; upset] Abraham very much because Ishmael was also his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, “Don’t be ·troubled [distressed; upset] about the boy and the slave woman. Do ·whatever [all] Sarah tells you. ·The descendants I promised you will be from [L The seed will be named for you through] Isaac. 13 I will also make the ·descendants of Ishmael [L the son of your slave woman] into a great nation because he is your ·son [L seed], too.”
14 Early the next morning Abraham [L got up and] took some food and a ·leather bag full [skin] of water. He gave them to Hagar and sent her away. Carrying these things and her son [L on her shoulder], Hagar went and wandered [C the verb may imply moving aimlessly and without hope] in the ·desert [wilderness] of Beersheba [C an area in the northern part of the Negev, southern Canaan].
15 Later, when all the water was ·gone [finished] from the ·bag [skin], Hagar put her son under a bush. 16 Then she went a good way off, the distance of a bowshot, and sat down across from him. She thought, “My son will die, and I cannot watch this happen.” She sat there across from him and began to cry.
17 God heard the ·boy crying [L sound/voice of the boy], and God’s ·angel [messenger; 16:7] called to Hagar from heaven. He said, “What is wrong, Hagar? Don’t be afraid! God has heard the ·boy crying [L the sound/voice of the boy] there. 18 ·Help [Get up and lift] him up and take him by the hand. I will make ·his descendants [L him] into a great nation.” [C Ishmael is considered the ancestor of the Arab people.]
19 Then God [L opened her eyes and] showed Hagar a well of water. So she went to the well and filled her ·bag [skin] with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. Ishmael lived in the ·desert [wilderness] and became an archer. 21 He lived in the Desert of Paran [C a region in the eastern Sinai peninsula], and his mother found a wife for him in Egypt [C Hagar’s original homeland].
Abraham’s Bargain with Abimelech
22 ·Then [At that time] Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of his army, and said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 So ·make a promise to me here before [swear to me by] God that you will ·be fair [L not deal falsely] with me and my children and my descendants. Be ·kind [loyal] to me and to this land where you have lived as a ·stranger [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien]—as ·kind [loyal] as I have been to you.”
24 And Abraham said, “I ·promise [swear].” 25 Then Abraham ·complained to [reproved; reproached] Abimelech about Abimelech’s servants who had seized a well of water.
26 But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this. You never told me [L and I have not heard] about this before today.”
27 Then Abraham gave Abimelech some sheep and cattle, and they made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty]. 28 Abraham also put seven female lambs ·in front of Abimelech [L apart by themselves].
29 Abimelech asked Abraham, “Why did you put these seven female lambs by themselves?”
30 Abraham answered, “Accept these lambs from ·me [L my hand] to ·prove that you believe [verify/witness that] I dug this well.”
31 So that place was called Beersheba [21:14; C meaning either “well of seven” or “well of promise”] because they ·made a promise to each other [swore an oath] there.
32 After Abraham and Abimelech ·made the agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, went back to the land of the Philistines [C a region on the southern Mediterranean coast of Canaan].
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba and prayed to the Lord, the ·God who lives forever [eternal God]. 34 And Abraham lived as a ·stranger [wanderer; sojourner; resident alien] in the land of the Philistines for ·a long time [L many days].
A Story About Workers(A)
20 “[L For] The kingdom of heaven is like a ·person who owned some land [landowner; householder]. One morning, he went out very early to hire some people to work in his vineyard. 2 The man agreed to pay the workers ·one coin [L a denarius; C typical pay for a day laborer] for working that day. Then he sent them into the vineyard to work. 3 About ·nine o’clock [L the third hour] the man went to the marketplace and saw some other people standing there, doing nothing. 4 So he said to them, ‘If you go and work in my vineyard, I will pay you ·what your work is worth [L whatever is right].’ 5 So they went to work in the vineyard. The man went out again about ·twelve o’clock and three o’clock [L the sixth and ninth hour] and did the same thing. 6 About ·five o’clock [L the eleventh hour] the man went to the marketplace again and saw others standing there. He asked them, ‘Why did you stand here all day doing nothing?’ 7 They answered, ‘No one ·gave us a job [hired us].’ The man said to them, ‘Then you can go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “·At the end of the day [When evening came], the owner of the vineyard said to the ·boss of all the workers [foreman; supervisor; steward], ‘Call the workers and pay them [L their wage]. Start with the last people I hired and end with those I hired first.’
9 “When the workers who were hired at ·five o’clock [L the eleventh hour] came to get their pay, each received ·one coin [L a denarius; v. 2]. 10 When the workers who were hired first came to get their pay, they ·thought [expected; assumed] they would be paid more than the others. But each one of them also received ·one coin [L a denarius]. 11 When they got their coin, they ·complained to [grumbled at; protested to] the ·man who owned the land [landowner; householder]. 12 They said, ‘Those people were hired last and worked only one hour. But you ·paid them the same as you paid [L made them equal to] us who ·worked hard all day in the hot sun [L bore the burden and heat of the day].’ 13 But the man who owned the vineyard said to one of those workers, ‘Friend, I am ·being fair [L not being unfair] to you. ·You agreed [Did you not agree…?] to work for ·one coin [L a denarius; v. 2]. 14 So take ·your pay [L what is yours] and go. I ·want [choose] to give the man who was hired last the same pay that I gave you. 15 ·I can [L Don’t I have the right to…?] do what I want with ·my own money [L what is mine]. Are you jealous because I am ·good to those people [generous; L good]?’
16 “So those who are last now will someday be first, and those who are first now will someday be last.”
Jesus Talks About His Own Death(B)
17 While Jesus was going [L up] to Jerusalem [C travelers go “up” to Jerusalem because it is built on a hill and because it is God’s holy city], he took his twelve followers aside privately and [as they walked; L on the way] said to them, 18 “Look, we are going [L up] to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be ·turned over [betrayed; delivered over; see 17:22] to the ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes], and they will ·say that he must die [condemn him to death]. 19 They will turn the Son of Man over to the Gentiles [C the Roman authorities] to ·laugh at [mock] him and ·beat him with whips [scourge/flog him] and crucify him. But on the third day, he will be raised to life again.”
A Mother Asks Jesus a Favor(C)
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee [C James and John] came to Jesus with her sons. She ·bowed [knelt] before him and asked ·him to do something for her [a favor of him].
21 Jesus asked, “What do you want?”
She said, “·Promise [Grant; Declare; L Say] that one of my sons will sit at your right ·side [hand] and the other will sit at your left side in your kingdom [C the positions of highest authority beside the king].”
22 But Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. ·Can you [Are you able to] drink the cup [C symbolizing suffering, and perhaps God’s judgment experienced by Jesus on the cross; Jer. 25:15–29] that I am about to drink?”
The sons answered, “Yes, we ·can [are able].”
23 Jesus said to them, “You will drink from my cup. But ·I cannot choose [it is not for me to grant/say] who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom my Father has prepared them.”
24 When the other ten ·followers [disciples] heard this, they were ·angry [indignant] with the two brothers.
25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the ·Gentiles [nations] love to ·show their power [lord it] over the people. And their ·important leaders [high officials; L great ones] love to ·use [exert] their authority [L over them]. 26 But it ·should not be [must not be; is not to be] that way among you. [Instead, L But] Whoever wants to become great among you must ·serve the rest of you like a servant [L be your servant]. 27 Whoever wants to become first among you must ·serve all of you like a slave [L be slave of all]. 28 In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people [Is. 53:12; John 11:49–50].”
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men(D)
29 When ·Jesus and his followers [L they] were leaving Jericho, a ·great many people [large crowd] followed him. 30 [L And look/T behold] Two blind men sitting by the road heard that Jesus was going by, so they shouted, “Lord, Son of David [C a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; 2 Sam. 7:11–16], ·have mercy [take pity] on us!”
31 The people ·warned [rebuked; scolded] the blind men to be quiet, but they shouted even more, “Lord, Son of David, ·have mercy [take pity] on us!”
32 Jesus stopped and said to the blind men, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 They answered, “Lord, ·we want to see [L let our eyes be opened].”
34 Jesus felt ·sorry [compassion] for the blind men and touched their eyes, and at once they could see. Then they followed Jesus.
10 These are the men who sealed the ·agreement [covenant; treaty]:
Nehemiah the governor, son of Hacaliah.
Zedekiah, 2 Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 3 Pashhur, Amariah, Malkijah, 4 Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 5 Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 6 Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 7 Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 8 Maaziah, Bilgai, and Shemaiah. These are the priests.
9 These are the Levites who sealed it: Jeshua son of Azaniah, Binnui of the sons of Henadad, Kadmiel, 10 and their ·fellow Levites [colleagues; L brothers]: Shebaniah, Hodiah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 11 Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 12 Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 13 Hodiah, Bani, and Beninu.
14 These are the ·leaders [officials] of the people who sealed the ·agreement [covenant]: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zattu, Bani, 15 Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 16 Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 17 Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 18 Hodiah, Hashum, Bezai, 19 Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 20 Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 21 Meshezabel, Zadok, Jaddua, 22 Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 23 Hoshea, Hananiah, Hasshub, 24 Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 25 Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 26 Ahiah, Hanan, Anan, 27 Malluch, Harim, and Baanah.
28 The rest of the people ·took an oath [made a vow; swore]. They were the priests, Levites, gatekeepers, singers, Temple servants, all those who separated themselves from ·foreigners [L the peoples of the lands] to keep the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah] of God, and also their wives and their sons and daughters who ·could [were able to; C were old enough] understand. 29 They joined their ·fellow Israelites [kinsmen] and their ·leading men [nobles] in taking an ·oath with a curse [L curse and an oath/vow; C the curse followed if they broke the oath]. They ·promised to follow [L were to walk in] the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah] of God, which they had been given through Moses the servant of God, and to ·obey [keep; observe] all the commands, ·rules [judgments], and ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] of the Lord our God.
30 They said:
We promise not to ·let [give] our daughters ·marry foreigners [to the peoples of the land] nor to let our sons ·marry [take] their daughters. 31 When ·foreigners [L the peoples of the land] bring goods or grain to sell on the Sabbath, we will not buy on the Sabbath or any holy day. Every seventh year we will not plant, and that year we will ·forget all that people owe us [cancel every debt/loan; Ex. 21:2–6; 23:10–11; Deut. 15:1–2].
32 We ·will be responsible for [accept the obligation of] the commands to pay for the service of the ·Temple [L house] of our God. We will give ·an eighth of an ounce [L one third of a shekel] of silver each year. 33 It is for the ·bread that is set out on the table [Bread of Presence; T showbread; Ex. 25:30; C bread continually on a table in the Temple as an offering to God]; the regular grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [Lev. 2:1] and burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17]; the offerings on the Sabbaths, New Moon festivals, and ·special feasts [appointed festivals]; the ·holy [sacred] offerings; the ·sin [or purification] offerings [Lev. 4:3] to make ·Israel right with God [atonement for Israel]; and for the ·work [duties] of the ·Temple [L house] of our God.
34 We, the priests, the Levites, and the people, have ·thrown [cast] lots to decide at what time of year each family must ·bring [offer; supply] wood to the ·Temple [L house]. The wood is for burning on the altar of the Lord our God, and we will do this as it is written in the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah].
35 We also will bring the firstfruits from our ·crops [L land] and the firstfruits of every tree to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord each year.
36 We will bring to the ·Temple [L house] of our God our firstborn sons and cattle and the firstborn of our herds and flocks, as it is written in the ·Teachings [Laws; Instructions; L Torah; Ex. 13:1–3]. We will bring them to the priests who ·are serving [minister] in the ·Temple [L house] of our God.
37 We will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the ·Temple [L house] of our God the first of our ·ground meal [flour; or dough], our ·offerings [contributions], the fruit from all our trees, and our new wine and oil. And we will bring a ·tenth [tithe] of our ·crops [L ground] to the Levites, who will collect these things in all the rural towns where we work. 38 A priest of Aaron’s ·family [line] must be with the Levites when they receive the ·tenth of the people’s crops [tithe]. The Levites must bring a ·tenth [tithe] of ·all they receive [the tithes] to the ·Temple [L house] of our God to put in the storerooms of the treasury. 39 The people of Israel and the Levites are to bring to the storerooms the ·gifts [contributions; offerings] of grain, new wine, and oil. That is where the ·utensils [vessels] for the ·Temple [sanctuary] are kept and where the priests who are ·serving [ministering], the gatekeepers, and singers stay.
We will not ·ignore [neglect] the ·Temple [L house] of our God.
Paul in Macedonia and Greece
20 When the ·trouble stopped [uproar ended], Paul sent for the ·followers [disciples] to come to him. After he encouraged them and then told them good-bye, he left and went to Macedonia [C northern Greece; 16:9]. 2 He ·said many things to strengthen the followers [L encouraged them with many words] in the different places on his way through Macedonia. Then he ·went to [arrived in] Greece [probably Achaia (southern Greece)], 3 where he stayed for three months [C probably in Corinth; at this time he wrote his letter to the Romans]. He was ready to sail for Syria, but some of the Jews were ·planning [plotting] something against him. So Paul decided to go back through Macedonia to Syria. 4 The men who went with him were Sopater [Rom. 16:21] son of Pyrrhus, from the city of Berea [17:10–15]; Aristarchus [19:29; Col. 4:10; Philem. 24] and Secundus, from the city of Thessalonica [17:1–9]; Gaius [19:29], from Derbe [14:20–21]; Timothy [Rom. 16:21]; and Tychicus [Eph. 6:21; Col. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:12] and Trophimus [21:29; 2 Tim. 4:20], two men from Asia [C all representatives of the Gentile churches delivering a financial gift to the church in Jerusalem]. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas [C here begins the second “we” section in Acts, indicating that the author, Luke, has rejoined Paul (16:10–17; 20:5—21:18; 27:1—28:16)]. 6 We sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread [C another name for Passover; Ex. 12:14–20]. Five days later we met them in Troas [16:8], where we stayed for seven days.
Eutychus Raised from the Dead at Troas
7 On the first day of the week [C Sunday; or perhaps Saturday night since the Jewish day began in the evening (Greeks reckoned from the morning)], we all met together to break bread [C probably a reference to the Lord’s Supper; Luke 22:14–20], and Paul ·spoke to [or was having a discussion with] the group. Because he was planning to leave the next day, he kept on talking until midnight. 8 We were all together in a room upstairs, and there were many lamps in the room [C using up oxygen and causing drowsiness]. 9 A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul continued talking, Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep. Finally, he went sound asleep and fell to the ground from the third floor. When they picked him up, he was dead. 10 Paul went down to Eutychus, ·knelt down [or threw himself on him; C like Elisha; 2 Kin. 4:32–35], and ·put his arms around [embraced] him. He said, “Don’t ·worry [fear]. ·He is alive now [L For his life/soul is in him].” 11 Then Paul went upstairs again, broke bread, and ate. He spoke to them a long time, until ·it was early morning [dawn], and then he left. 12 They took the young man home alive and were ·greatly [L not in a small measure] comforted.
The Trip from Troas to Miletus
13 We went on ahead of Paul and sailed for the city of Assos [C on the east coast of the Aegean in the Gulf of Adramyttium], where we ·intended [planned] to take Paul on board. Paul ·planned [arranged] it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land. 14 When he met us there, we took him aboard and went to Mitylene [C the main city on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean]. 15 We sailed from ·Mitylene [L there] and the next day came to a place ·near [opposite; across from] Kios [C an island five miles off the coast in the Aegean]. The following day we sailed to Samos [C another island off the coast in the Aegean], and the next day we reached Miletus [C a city on the western coast of Asia Minor]. 16 [L For] Paul had already decided ·not to stop at [L to sail past] Ephesus [18:19], because he did not want to stay too long in [C the province of] Asia [C with so many friends in Ephesus (ch. 19), a short stop would be impossible]. He was hurrying to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost [C one of three great Jewish festivals, celebrated 50 days after Passover], if that were possible.
The Elders from Ephesus
17 Now from Miletus [20:15] Paul sent to Ephesus [18:19; 19:1–41] and called for the elders [14:23; 1 Tim. 5:17] of the church. 18 When they came to him, he said, “You know about my life from the first day I came to Asia [18:19]. You know the way I lived all the time I was with you [19:1–41]. 19 ·Some Jewish opponents [L The Jews] ·made plans [plotted] against me, which ·troubled me very much [severely tested/tried me]. But you know I always served the Lord ·unselfishly [L with humility], and ·I often cried [in sorrowful times; L with tears]. 20 You know I preached to you and did not hold back anything that would help you. You know that I taught you in public and ·in your homes [from house to house]. 21 I ·warned [witnessed/testified to] both Jews and Greeks to ·change their lives and turn to God [repent] and believe in our Lord Jesus. 22 But now [L indeed; T behold] ·I must obey the Holy Spirit and [L bound/compelled by the Spirit, I must] go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23 I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit ·tells [warns; testifies to] me that ·troubles and even jail [L chains and persecutions/afflictions] wait for me. 24 [L But] I don’t ·care about my own life [consider my life worth anything]. ·The most important thing [or My only goal] is that I ·complete [finish] my ·mission [task; course; L race; 2 Tim. 4:7; Heb. 12:1], the ·work [ministry; service] that ·the Lord Jesus gave me [L I received from the Lord Jesus]—to ·tell people [testify/witness to] the ·Good News [Gospel] about God’s grace.
25 “And now [L look; T behold], I know that none of you among whom I was ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·kingdom of God [L kingdom] will ever see ·me [L my face] again. 26 So today I ·tell [testify/witness to] you that ·if any of you should be lost, I am not responsible [L I am innocent/clean of the blood of everyone; Ezek. 33:9], 27 because I ·have told [L have not held back from telling] you ·everything God wants you to know [or the whole purpose/plan/will of God]. 28 ·Be careful for [Keep watch over] yourselves and for all the ·people [L flock] the Holy Spirit has ·given to you to oversee [L made you overseers/guardians; John 21:16]. You must be like shepherds to the church of God,[a] which he ·bought [or obtained] with the ·death of his own Son [L with the blood of his own (Son); or with his own blood]. 29 I know that after ·I leave [my departure; I am gone], ·some people will come like wild wolves [L wild/savage wolves will come in among you] and ·try to destroy [will not spare] the flock. 30 ·Also, [or Even] some from your own group will rise up and ·twist the truth [L speak perversions/distortions] and will ·lead away [lure; entice] ·followers [disciples] after them. 31 So ·be careful [keep watch]! Always remember that for three years, day and night, I never stopped warning [admonishing; instructing] each of you, ·and I often cried over you [L with tears].
32 “Now I ·am putting you in the care of [commend/commit/entrust you to] God and the ·message [word] about his grace. It is able to ·give you strength [edify you; build you up], and it will give you the ·blessings God has [L inheritance] ·for [or among] all ·his holy people [those who are sanctified; those set apart for himself]. 33 When I was with you, I never ·wanted [coveted] anyone’s ·money [L silver or gold] or fine clothes [Ex. 20:17; Deut. 5:21; 1 Sam. 12:3]. 34 You [L yourselves] know I always worked [L with my own hands] to take care of my own needs and the needs of those who were with me. 35 I ·showed [provided an example to] you ·in all things [in everything I did] that you should work as I did and help the weak. I taught you to remember the words Jesus said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive [C a saying of Jesus not recorded elsewhere in Scripture].’”
36 ·When [After] Paul had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
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