M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Ten Commandments
5 Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, “Israel, listen to the statutes and ordinances I am proclaiming as you hear them today. Learn and follow them carefully. 2 The Lord our God made a covenant(A) with us at Horeb. 3 He did not make this covenant with our ancestors,(B) but with all of us who are alive here today. 4 The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain. 5 At that time I was standing between the Lord and you to report the word[a] of the Lord to you, because you were afraid of the fire and did not go up the mountain. And he said:
6 I am the Lord your God,(C) who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.(D)
7 Do not have other gods besides me.
8 Do not make an idol for yourself in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 9 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them, because I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me,(E) 10 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.
11 Do not misuse the name(F) of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.
12 Be careful to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. Do not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your ox or donkey, any of your livestock, or the resident alien who lives within your city gates, so that your male and female slaves may rest as you do.
15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out of there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
16 Honor your father and your mother,(G) as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and so that you may prosper in the land the Lord your God is giving you.(H)
17 Do not murder.(I)
18 Do not commit adultery.(J)
19 Do not steal.
20 Do not give dishonest testimony against your neighbor.(K)
21 Do not covet your neighbor’s wife or desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.(L)
The People’s Response
22 “The Lord spoke these commands in a loud voice to your entire assembly from the fire, cloud, and total darkness on the mountain; he added nothing more. He wrote them on two stone tablets and gave them to me. 23 All of you approached me with your tribal leaders and elders when you heard the voice from the darkness and while the mountain was blazing with fire. 24 You said, ‘Look, the Lord our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice from the fire. Today we have seen that God speaks with a person, yet he still lives. 25 But now, why should we die? This great fire will consume us and we will die if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer. 26 For who out of all humanity has heard the voice of the living God speaking from the fire, as we have, and lived? 27 Go near and listen to everything the Lord our God says. Then you can tell us everything the Lord our God tells you; we will listen and obey.’(M)
28 “The Lord heard your[b] words when you spoke to me. He said to me, ‘I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. Everything they have said is right. 29 If only they had such a heart to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that they and their children would prosper forever. 30 Go and tell them: Return to your tents. 31 But you stand here with me, and I will tell you every command—the statutes and ordinances—you are to teach them, so that they may follow them in the land I am giving them to possess.’
32 “Be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or the left. 33 Follow the whole instruction the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have a long life in the land you will possess.
Psalm 88
A Cry of Desperation
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.(A)
1 Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out before you day and night.(B)
2 May my prayer reach your presence;
listen to my cry.(C)
3 For I have had enough troubles,
and my life is near Sheol.(D)
4 I am counted among those going down to the Pit.(E)
I am like a man without strength,(F)
5 abandoned[a] among the dead.
I am like the slain lying in the grave,(G)
whom you no longer remember,
and who are cut off from your care.[b](H)
6 You have put me in the lowest part of the Pit,
in the darkest places, in the depths.(I)
7 Your wrath weighs heavily on me;(J)
you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.(K)Selah
8 You have distanced my friends from me;
you have made me repulsive to them.(L)
I am shut in and cannot go out.
9 My eyes are worn out from crying.(M)
Lord, I cry out to you all day long;(N)
I spread out my hands to you.(O)
10 Do you work wonders for the dead?
Do departed spirits rise up to praise you?(P)Selah
11 Will your faithful love be declared in the grave,
your faithfulness in Abaddon?(Q)
12 Will your wonders be known in the darkness
or your righteousness in the land of oblivion?(R)
13 But I call to you for help, Lord;
in the morning my prayer meets you.(S)
14 Lord, why do you reject me?(T)
Why do you hide your face from me?(U)
15 From my youth,
I have been suffering and near death.
I suffer your horrors; I am desperate.(V)
16 Your wrath sweeps over me;
your terrors destroy me.(W)
17 They surround me like water all day long;
they close in on me from every side.(X)
18 You have distanced loved one and neighbor from me;
darkness is my only friend.[c](Y)
The Lord Rises Up
33 Woe, you destroyer never destroyed,
you traitor never betrayed!
When you have finished destroying,
you will be destroyed.
When you have finished betraying,
they will betray you.(A)
2 Lord, be gracious to us! We wait for you.(B)
Be our strength every morning
and our salvation in time of trouble.(C)
3 The peoples flee at the thunderous noise;(D)
the nations scatter when you rise in your majesty.
4 Your spoil will be gathered as locusts are gathered;
people will swarm over it like an infestation of locusts.
5 The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high;
he has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6 There will be times of security for you—
a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.(E)
7 Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets;
the messengers of peace weep bitterly.(F)
8 The highways are deserted;
travel has ceased.
An agreement has been broken,(G)
cities[a] despised,
and human life disregarded.
9 The land mourns and withers;(H)
Lebanon is ashamed and wilted.
Sharon is like a desert;
Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
10 “Now I will rise up,”(I) says the Lord.
“Now I will lift myself up.
Now I will be exalted.
11 You will conceive chaff;(J)
you will give birth to stubble.
Your breath is fire that will consume you.
12 The peoples will be burned to ashes,
like thorns cut down and burned in a fire.
13 You who are far off, hear what I have done;
you who are near,(K) know my strength.”
14 The sinners in Zion are afraid;
trembling seizes the ungodly:
“Who among us can dwell with a consuming fire?(L)
Who among us can dwell with ever-burning flames?”(M)
15 The one who lives righteously
and speaks rightly,(N)
who refuses profit from extortion,
whose hand never takes a bribe,
who stops his ears from listening to murderous plots
and shuts his eyes against evil schemes(O)—
16 he will dwell on the heights;
his refuge will be the rocky fortresses,
his food provided, his water assured.
17 Your eyes will see the King in his beauty;(P)
you will see a vast land.(Q)
18 Your mind will meditate on the past terror:
“Where is the accountant?[b]
Where is the tribute collector?[c]
Where is the one who spied out our defenses?” [d]
19 You will no longer see the barbarians,
a people whose speech is difficult to comprehend—
who stammer in a language that is not understood.(R)
20 Look at Zion, the city of our festival times.
Your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful pasture,(S) a tent that does not wander;
its tent pegs will not be pulled up
nor will any of its cords be loosened.(T)
21 For the majestic one, our Lord, will be there,(U)
a place of rivers and broad streams
where ships that are rowed will not go,
and majestic vessels will not pass.(V)
22 For the Lord is our Judge,
the Lord is our Lawgiver,(W)
the Lord is our King.
He will save us.(X)
23 Your ropes are slack;
they cannot hold the base of the mast
or spread out the flag.
Then abundant spoil will be divided,
the lame will plunder it,
24 and none there will say, “I am sick.”
The people who dwell there
will be forgiven(Y) their iniquity.(Z)
The Letter to Sardis
3 “Write to the angel[a] of the church in Sardis: Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God(A) and the seven stars:(B) I know your works; (C) you have a reputation[b] for being alive, but you are dead.(D) 2 Be alert(E) and strengthen[c] what remains, which is about to die,[d] for I have not found your works complete before my God. 3 Remember, then, what you have received and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come[e] like a thief, and you have no idea at what hour I will come upon you.(F) 4 But you have a few people[f] in Sardis who have not defiled[g] their clothes,(G) and they will walk with me in white, because they are worthy.
5 “In the same way, the one who conquers(H) will be dressed in white clothes,(I) and I will never erase his name from the book of life(J) but will acknowledge his name before my Father and before his angels.(K)
6 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen(L) to what the Spirit says(M) to the churches.
The Letter to Philadelphia
7 “Write to the angel of the church in Philadelphia: Thus says the Holy One, the true one,(N) the one who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens: (O) 8 I know your works. Look, I have placed before you an open door that no one can close because you have but little power; yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.(P) 9 Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down at your feet,(Q) and they will know that I have loved you.(R) 10 Because you have kept my command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing(S) that is going to come on the whole world to test those who live on the earth.(T) 11 I am coming soon.(U) Hold on to what you have,(V) so that no one takes your crown.(W)
12 “The one who conquers I will make a pillar(X) in the temple of my God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God—the new Jerusalem,(Y) which comes down out of heaven from my God—and my new name.(Z)
13 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
The Letter to Laodicea
14 “Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus says the Amen, (AA) the faithful and true witness, the originator[h](AB) of God’s creation: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit[i] you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’(AC) and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich,(AD) white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed,(AE) and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline.(AF) So be zealous and repent. 20 See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.(AG)
21 “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on my throne,(AH) just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.”
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