M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Call to Obedience
4 “Now, Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances(A) I am teaching you to follow, so that you may live,(B) enter, and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors,(C) is giving you. 2 You must not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it,(D) so that you may keep the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you. 3 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal-peor, for the Lord your God destroyed every one of you who followed Baal of Peor.(E) 4 But you who have remained faithful[a] to the Lord your God are all alive today. 5 Look, I have taught you statutes and ordinances as the Lord my God has commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to possess. 6 Carefully follow them, for this will show your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the peoples. When they hear about all these statutes, they will say, ‘This great nation is indeed a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god near to it as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him?(F) 8 And what great nation has righteous statutes and ordinances like this entire law I set before you today?(G)
9 “Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves,(H) so that you don’t forget(I) the things your eyes have seen and so that they don’t slip from your mind[b] as long as you live. Teach them to your children and your grandchildren.(J) 10 The day you stood before the Lord your God(K) at Horeb, the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people before me, and I will let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me(L) all the days they live on the earth and may instruct their children.’ 11 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain,(M) a mountain blazing with fire(N) into the heavens and enveloped in a totally black cloud.(O) 12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the fire.(P) You kept hearing the sound of the words, but didn’t see a form; there was only a voice.(Q) 13 He declared his covenant(R) to you. He commanded you to follow the Ten Commandments,(S) which he wrote on two stone tablets.(T) 14 At that time the Lord commanded me to teach you statutes and ordinances for you to follow in the land you are about to cross into and possess.
Worshiping the True God
15 “Diligently watch yourselves—because you did not see any form on the day the Lord spoke to you out of the fire at Horeb— 16 so you don’t act corruptly and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of any figure: a male or female form, 17 or the form of any animal on the earth, any winged creature that flies in the sky, 18 any creature that crawls on the ground, or any fish in the waters under the earth. 19 When you look to the heavens and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the stars in the sky—do not be led astray to bow in worship to them and serve them.(U) The Lord your God has provided them for all people everywhere under heaven.(V) 20 But the Lord selected you and brought you out of Egypt’s iron furnace(W) to be a people for his inheritance, as you are today.
21 “The Lord was angry with me on your account.(X) He swore that I would not cross the Jordan and enter the good land(Y) the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.(Z) 22 I won’t be crossing the Jordan because I am going to die in this land.(AA) But you are about to cross over and take possession of this good land. 23 Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you, and make an idol for yourselves in the shape of anything he has forbidden you. 24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire,(AB) a jealous God.(AC)
25 “When you have children and grandchildren and have been in the land a long time, and if you act corruptly, make an idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, angering him, 26 I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that you will quickly perish(AD) from the land you are about to cross the Jordan to possess. You will not live long there, but you will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will scatter you among the peoples,(AE) and you will be reduced to a few survivors[c] among the nations where the Lord your God will drive you. 28 There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see, hear, eat, or smell. 29 But from there, you will search for the Lord your God, and you will find him when you seek him with all your heart and all your soul.(AF) 30 When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, in the future you will return to the Lord your God and obey him. 31 He will not leave you, destroy you, or forget the covenant(AG) with your ancestors that he swore to them by oath, because the Lord your God is a compassionate God.(AH)
32 “Indeed, ask about the earlier days that preceded you, from the day God created mankind[d] on the earth and from one end of the heavens to the other: Has anything like this great event ever happened, or has anything like it been heard of? 33 Has a people heard God’s voice speaking from the fire as you have, and lived? 34 Or has a god attempted to go and take a nation as his own out of another nation, by trials, signs, wonders, and war, by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, by great terrors, as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 You were shown these things so that you would know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.(AI) 36 He let you hear his voice from heaven to instruct you.(AJ) He showed you his great fire on earth, and you heard his words from the fire.(AK) 37 Because he loved(AL) your ancestors, he chose their descendants after them and brought you out of Egypt by his presence and great power, 38 to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you in and give you their land as an inheritance,(AM) as is now taking place. 39 Today, recognize and keep in mind that the Lord is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other. 40 Keep his statutes and commands, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper and so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
Cities of Refuge
41 Then Moses set apart three cities across the Jordan to the east. 42 Someone could flee there who committed manslaughter, killing his neighbor accidentally without previously hating him. He could flee to one of these cities and stay alive: 43 Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau land, belonging to the Reubenites; Ramoth in Gilead, belonging to the Gadites; or Golan in Bashan, belonging to the Manassites.(AN)
Introduction to the Law
44 This is the law Moses gave the Israelites. 45 These are the decrees, statutes, and ordinances Moses proclaimed to them after they came out of Egypt, 46 across the Jordan in the valley facing Beth-peor in the land of King Sihon of the Amorites. He lived in Heshbon, and Moses and the Israelites defeated him after they came out of Egypt. 47 They took possession of his land and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two Amorite kings who were across the Jordan to the east, 48 from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley as far as Mount Sion (that is, Hermon) 49 and all the Arabah on the east side of the Jordan as far as the Dead Sea below the slopes of Pisgah.
Psalm 86
Lament and Petition
A prayer of David.
1 Listen, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.(A)
2 Protect my life, for I am faithful.(B)
You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you.(C)
3 Be gracious to me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.(D)
4 Bring joy to your servant’s life,
because I appeal to you, Lord.(E)
5 For you, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive,(F)
abounding in faithful love to all who call on you.(G)
6 Lord, hear my prayer;
listen to my cries for mercy.(H)
7 I call on you in the day of my distress,
for you will answer me.(I)
8 Lord, there is no one like you among the gods,
and there are no works like yours.(J)
9 All the nations you have made
will come and bow down before you, Lord,
and will honor your name.(K)
10 For you are great and perform wonders;
you alone are God.(L)
11 Teach me your way, Lord,
and I will live by your truth.
Give me an undivided mind to fear your name.(M)
12 I will praise you with all my heart, Lord my God,
and will honor your name forever.(N)
13 For your faithful love for me is great,
and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol.(O)
14 God, arrogant people have attacked me;
a gang of ruthless men intends to kill me.
They do not let you guide them.[a](P)
15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.(Q)
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me.
Give your strength to your servant;
save the son of your female servant.(R)
17 Show me a sign of your goodness;
my enemies will see and be put to shame
because you, Lord, have helped and comforted me.(S)
Psalm 87
Zion, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.
1 The city he founded[b] is on the holy mountains.(T)
2 The Lord loves Zion’s city gates
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.(U)
3 Glorious things are said about you,
city of God.(V)Selah
4 “I will make a record of those who know me:
Rahab, Babylon, Philistia, Tyre, and Cush—
each one was born there.”(W)
5 And it will be said of Zion,
“This one and that one were born in her.”
The Most High himself will establish her.(X)
6 When he registers the peoples,
the Lord will record,
“This one was born there.”(Y)Selah
7 Singers and dancers[c] alike will say,[d]
“My whole source of joy is[e] in you.”(Z)
The Righteous Kingdom Announced
32 Indeed, a king will reign righteously,
and rulers will rule justly.(A)
2 Each will be like a shelter from the wind,
a refuge from the rain,(B)
like flowing streams(C) in a dry land
and the shade of a massive rock in an arid land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.(D)
4 The reckless mind will gain knowledge,
and the stammering tongue(E) will speak clearly and fluently.
5 A fool will no longer be called a noble,(F)
nor a scoundrel said to be important.
6 For a fool speaks foolishness
and his mind plots iniquity.
He lives in a godless way
and speaks falsely about the Lord.
He leaves the hungry empty
and deprives the thirsty of drink.(G)
7 The scoundrel’s weapons are destructive;
he hatches plots to destroy the needy with lies,
even when the poor person says what is right.
8 But a noble person plans noble things;
he stands up for noble causes.
9 Stand up, you complacent women;(H)
listen to me.
Pay attention to what I say,
you overconfident daughters.
10 In a little more than a year
you overconfident ones will shudder,
for the grapes will fail
and the harvest will not come.
11 Shudder, you complacent ones;
tremble, you overconfident ones!
Strip yourselves bare(I)
and put sackcloth around your waists.
12 Beat your breasts in mourning(J)
for the delightful fields and the fruitful vines,(K)
13 for the ground of my people
growing thorns and briers,(L)
indeed, for every joyous house in the jubilant city.
14 For the palace will be deserted,
the busy city abandoned.
The hill and the watchtower will become
barren places forever,
the joy of wild donkeys,
and a pasture for flocks,
15 until the Spirit[a] from on high is poured out on us.(M)
Then the desert will become an orchard,
and the orchard will seem like a forest.(N)
16 Then justice will inhabit the wilderness,
and righteousness will dwell in the orchard.
17 The result of righteousness will be peace;(O)
the effect of righteousness
will be quiet confidence forever.
18 Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place,
in safe and secure dwellings.
19 But hail will level the forest,[b](P)
and the city will sink into the depths.(Q)
20 You will be happy as you sow seed
beside abundant water,(R)
and as you let oxen and donkeys range freely.(S)
The Letters to the Seven Churches
The Letter to Ephesus
2 “Write to the angel[a] of the church in Ephesus: Thus says the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands:(A) 2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance,(B) and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not,(C) and you have found them to be liars.(D) 3 I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name,(E) and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.(F) 5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.(G) Otherwise, I will come to you[b] and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give(H) the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in[c] the paradise of God.(I)
The Letter to Smyrna
8 “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last,(J) the one who was dead and came to life: 9 I know your[d] affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.(K) 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil(L) is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days.(M) Be faithful to the point of death,(N) and I will give you the crown[e] of life.(O)
11 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will never be harmed by the second death.(P)
The Letter to Pergamum
12 “Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum: Thus says the one who has the sharp, double-edged sword: (Q) 13 I know[f] where you live—where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me,[g](R) even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness(S) who was put to death among you, where Satan lives. 14 But I have a few things against you. You have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam,(T) who taught Balak to place a stumbling block[h] in front of the Israelites: to eat meat sacrificed to idols(U) and to commit sexual immorality.(V) 15 In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans.[i] 16 So repent! Otherwise, I will come to you quickly(W) and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.(X)
17 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna.[j](Y) I will also give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name(Z) is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it.
The Letter to Thyatira
18 “Write to the angel of the church in Thyatira: Thus says the Son of God,(AA) the one whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like fine bronze:(AB) 19 I know your works—your love, faithfulness,[k] service, and endurance.(AC) I know that your last works are greater than the first. 20 But I have this against you: You tolerate the woman Jezebel,(AD) who calls herself a prophetess and teaches and deceives my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat meat sacrificed to idols.(AE) 21 I gave her time to repent,(AF) but she does not want to repent of her sexual immorality.(AG) 22 Look, I will throw her into a sickbed(AH) and those who commit adultery with her(AI) into great affliction.(AJ) Unless they repent of her[l] works, 23 I will strike her children dead.[m](AK) Then all the churches will know that I am the one who examines minds and hearts,(AL) and I will give to each of you according to your works.(AM) 24 I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who haven’t known “the so-called secrets[n](AN) of Satan”(AO) —as they say—I am not putting any other burden on you.(AP) 25 Only hold on to what you have until I come.(AQ) 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations—
28 just as I have received this from my Father. I will also give him the morning star.(AT)
29 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
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