M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 4
Benefits of Obedience. 1 Now listen, O Israel, to the statutes and the ordinances that I am teaching you to observe so that you might live and go in and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 [a]You will not add to what I command you, nor will you take away from it, so that you might observe the commandments of the Lord, your God, that I am giving you. 3 Your own eyes have seen what the Lord did because of Baal-peor, for the Lord, your God, wiped out from all of those who followed Baal-peor from your midst. 4 But every one of you who clung to the Lord, your God, is alive today.
5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances just as the Lord, my God, commanded me, so that you might enter into the land into which you are going and take possession of it. 6 Carefully observe them, for the nations will consider this is your wisdom and your understanding. They will hear all these statutes and say, “Truly this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7 For what nation is as great as we are? Who has God as near to them, as the Lord, our God, is whenever we call upon him? 8 What nation is so great that it has statutes and ordinances as righteous as this law that I set before you today?
9 Only be careful and watch yourselves closely lest you ever forget the things that your eyes have seen or you let them slip out of your mind. Teach them to your children and your children’s children, 10 especially about the day that you stood before the Lord, your God, in Horeb, when the Lord said to me, “Assemble the people before me so that I might let them hear my words. They will thus learn to fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and they will be able to teach their children.” 11 You approached and stood at the base of the mountain. The mountain blazed with flames reaching the very heavens, and it was covered with dark clouds and thick darkness. 12 The Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you did not see a form. There was only a voice. 13 He proclaimed his covenant to you which he ordered you to fulfill, the Ten Commandments, that he wrote upon two tablets of stone. 14 The Lord then commanded me to teach you the statutes and ordinances so that you might observe them in the land that you were crossing over to possess.
15 Pitfalls of Idolatry. Therefore, guard yourselves carefully, for you did not see any kind of form when the Lord spoke to you on Horeb from the midst of the fire. 16 Do not become perverse and make an idol for yourselves of any shape or likeness, whether male or female, 17 whether it be a land animal or a bird that flies in the skies, 18 or like something that crawls on the ground or a fish in the waters beneath the earth. 19 When you look up into the skies and you see the sun and the moon and stars, all the hosts of heaven, do not be enticed to worship and serve the things that the Lord, your God, has assigned to every other nation under the heavens. 20 But as for you, the Lord has chosen you and taken you out from the iron furnace,[b] out of Egypt, to be a people who are his own possession, as you are today.
21 The Lord was angry with me because of you and he swore that I would not cross over the Jordan nor enter the fertile land that the Lord, your God, has given to you as an inheritance. 22 I must die in this land; I will not cross over the Jordan. But you will cross over and take possession of this fertile land. 23 Therefore, keep guard over yourselves, lest you forget the covenant that the Lord, your God, has made with you and you make an idol in the form of anything that the Lord, your God, has prohibited. 24 The Lord, your God, is a consuming fire and a jealous God.
25 When you have borne children and grandchildren and have dwelt in the land for a long time, if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing what is evil in the sight of the Lord, your God, and provoking him to anger, 26 I will call upon the heavens and the earth to give witness against you on that day so that you might be utterly obliterated from the land that you are crossing over the Jordan to possess. You will not remain there long, but you will be totally wiped out.
27 The Lord will scatter you among the nations and only a few of you will survive among the foreign peoples where the Lord has led you. 28 There you will serve gods, the work of human hands, made of wood and stone, which cannot see nor hear nor eat nor smell.
The Lord Is God.29 But if you seek the Lord, your God, and you strive with all your heart and your soul, you will find him there. 30 When you are in distress and all of these things happen to you in the future, you are to return to the Lord,[c] your God, and obey his voice, 31 and he will not abandon you, nor destroy you nor forget the covenant that he made with your fathers, confirming it to them by oath, for the Lord, your God, is a merciful God.
32 Ask now about the days of old, the former times. From the day that God created humans upon the earth, inquire from one end of the heavens to the other, has anything so great ever happened or has anything like it been heard of? 33 Has any other people heard the voice of God speak from the midst of the flame, as you heard, and still live? 34 Did God ever go and lead one nation from the midst of another nation by trials, signs, wonders, and battle, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great and wondrous deeds, all things that the Lord, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?
35 You were shown these things so that you might come to know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. 36 He had you hear his voice from out of the heavens so that he might instruct you. He showed you his great fire upon the earth so that you might hear his voice from the midst of the flames. 37 It was because he loved your fathers and had chosen their descendants after them that he brought you out of Egypt before him by his great strength. 38 He drove out greater and more powerful nations before you so that he might bring you into their land to give it to you as an inheritance, just as it is today.
39 So today acknowledge it and take it to heart that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on the earth below. There is no other. 40 You shall obey his statutes and the commandments that I give you today, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, and that you may live long in the land that the Lord, your God, has given you for all time.
41 Cities of Refuge. Then Moses set aside three cities on the east of the Jordan 42 to which anyone who unintentionally killed another person with whom he had not previously been at enmity might flee. He could flee to one of these cities and save his life. 43 They were Bezer,[d] on the desert plateau, for the Reubenites, and Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the men of Manasseh.
Moses’ Second Address
The Covenant with Israel[e]
44 Introduction. This is the law that Moses set before the Israelites. 45 These are the stipulations, the statutes, and the judgments that Moses declared to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt 46 and they were dwelling in the valley near Beth-peor on the east of the Jordan, in the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and who was defeated by Moses and the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. 47 They took possession of his land and also the land of Og, the king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites who reigned on the east side of the Jordan. 48 This land extended from Aroer, that is on the bank of the Arnon River, up to Mount Sion (that is Hermon). 49 It included all of the plain on the east side of the Jordan up to the Sea in the Arabah, at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.
Psalm 86[a]
Prayer in Suffering and Distress
1 A prayer of David.
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.[b]
2 Preserve my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 You are my God;[c] have pity on me, O Lord,
for to you I cry out all day long.
4 Give joy to the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord,
I lift up my soul.[d]
5 O Lord, you are kind and forgiving,
filled with kindness[e] for all who cry to you.
6 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
and listen to my voice in supplication.
7 In the time of trouble I call to you,
for you will answer me.
8 There is no one among the gods like you, O Lord,
nor can any deeds compare with yours.
9 All the nations[f] you have made
will come and bow down before you, O Lord,
and glorify your name.
10 For you are great and you do marvelous deeds;[g]
you alone are God.
11 Teach me your ways, O Lord,
so that I may walk in your truth;
let me worship your name
with an undivided heart.[h]
12 I will praise you with all my heart,[i]
O Lord, my God,
and I will glorify your name forever.
13 Your kindness[j] toward me is great;
you have rescued me from the depths of the netherworld.
14 Arrogant men are rising up against me, O God;
a violent mob seeks my life;
they do not keep you before their eyes.[k]
15 But you, O Lord, are a merciful and compassionate God,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness and faithfulness.[l]
16 Turn to me and grant me your gracious favor;
endow your servant with strength
and rescue the child of your handmaid.[m]
17 Grant me a sign of your favor,[n]
so that those who hate me
may see it and be put to shame,
because you, O Lord,
have helped and comforted me.
Psalm 87[o]
Zion, Home of All Nations
1 A psalm of the sons of Korah.[p] A song.
The Lord has founded a city[q]
on the holy mountains.
2 He loves the gates of Zion
more than[r] any dwelling in Jacob.
3 Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God. Selah
4 [s]“I number Rahab and Babylon
among those who acknowledge the Lord,
as well as Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia;
concerning them it can be said,
‘This one was born there.’ ”[t] Selah
5 However, of Zion it will be said,
“They were all born there,
for the Most High himself establishes her.”[u]
6 The Lord records in the register[v] of the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 And as they play, they all sing,[w]
“In you are all my fountains.”
Chapter 32
A Righteous King
1 Behold, a king will reign with righteousness
and princes will rule with justice.
2 Each of them will be like a shelter from the wind
and a refuge from the storm,
like streams of water in arid land,
like the shade of a great rock in a desolate area.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen attentively.
4 The minds of the rash will show good judgment,
and those who stutter will speak promptly and clearly.
5 No longer will a fool be called noble,
nor will a villain be considered to be honorable.
6 For the fool speaks foolishly
while his heart is planning evil.
He practices ungodliness
and spreads malicious untruths about the Lord.
He starves the hungry by withholding their food
and deprives the thirsty of anything to drink.
7 The methods of the scoundrel are wicked,
and he devises infamous schemes
to destroy the poor with his lies
even when the pleas of the needy are just.
8 But the man who is noble plans noble deeds,
and in that respect he stands firm.
The Restoration of Jerusalem
9 Listen carefully to what I have to say,
you women who are so complacent.
Pay attention to my words,
you who feel so secure.
10 In little more than a year from now
you complacent ones will be shaken.
For the vintage will fail
and there will be no harvest.
11 Tremble, you complacent women;
shudder, you who feel secure.
Strip yourselves bare,
with only a loincloth to cover you.
12 Beat your breasts in mourning
for the pleasant fields and the fruitful vines,
13 for the soil of my people
overgrown with thorns and briars,
and for all the joyful houses
in this city of revelry.
14 The citadel[a] will be abandoned
and the crowded streets will be deserted;
the hill and the watchtower will become wasteland forever,
in which wild asses may frolic and flocks may pasture,
15 until a spirit from on high
is poured out upon us,
and the wilderness becomes an orchard
and the fruitful field becomes a forest.
16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness,
and righteousness will abide in the orchard.
17 The effect of righteousness will be peace,
and its result will be quiet and security forever.
18 My people will abide in a peaceful land,
in secure dwellings and peaceful resting places.
19 Even if the forest were to be totally destroyed
and the city were to be completely leveled,
20 how blessed you will be
to sow your seed beside every stream
and to have your cattle and your donkeys roam freely.
Letters to the Churches[a]
Chapter 2
To Ephesus.[b]1 “To the angel of the Church in Ephesus,[c] write:
“ ‘These are the words of the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks in the midst of the seven lampstands:
2 “ ‘ “I know your deeds, your hard work, and your endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, and how you have put to the test those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be impostors. 3 I am also aware of your perseverance and how you have toiled for my name without becoming weary.
4 “ ‘ “However, I have this complaint against you: you have lost the love you had at first. 5 Remember from where you have fallen. Repent and do as you did originally. Otherwise, unless you repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 Nonetheless, this may be said in your favor: you detest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 “ ‘ “Whoever has ears should listen to what the Spirit says[d] to the Churches. To anyone who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.” ’
To Smyrna.[e] 8 “To the angel of the Church in Smyrna,[f] write:
“ ‘These are the words of the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life again:
9 “ ‘ “I know of your hardships and your poverty, but in reality you are rich. I am aware of the slander of those who claim to be Jews but are actually members of the synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not be frightened when thinking about the sufferings that you will have to endure. The devil will throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and you will endure affliction for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
11 “ ‘ “Whoever has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches. Anyone who is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.” ’
12 To Pergamum.[g]“To the angel of the Church in Pergamum,[h] write:
“ ‘These are the words of the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:
13 “ ‘ “I know that you live in the place where Satan is enthroned. Yet you have remained firm in support of my name, and you did not deny your faith in me even at the time when Antipas,[i] my faithful witness, was put to death among you, where Satan lives.
14 “ ‘ “Nevertheless, I have a few things against you. Some of you are holding to the teaching of Balaam,[j] who instructed Balak to place temptations in the path of the Israelites, encouraging them to eat food sacrificed to idols and to engage in fornication. 15 Likewise, there are some of you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore, repent. If you do not do so, I will come to you quickly and attack them with the sword of my mouth.
17 “ ‘ “Whoever has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches. To anyone who is victorious I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone, upon which will be inscribed a new name, known only to the person who receives it.” ’
18 To Thyatira.[k]“To the angel of the Church in Thyatira,[l] write:
“ ‘These are the words of the Son of God who has eyes like a burning flame and feet like burnished bronze:
19 “ ‘ “I know your deeds—your love, your faithfulness, your service, and your endurance—and that you are doing greater works than you did at first. 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and who by her teaching is luring my servants into acts of fornication and encouraging them to eat food that has been sacrificed to idols.
21 “ ‘ “I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her fornication. 22 So I will cast her onto a bed of pain, and all those who commit adultery with her will suffer intensely unless they renounce her practices. 23 I will also strike her children dead. Thereby all the Churches will be shown that I am the one who searches minds and hearts and I will give to each of you what your works deserve.
24 “ ‘ “And I say to the rest of you in Thyatira who have not accepted this teaching and who have no knowledge of what are designated as the deep secrets of Satan,[m] I shall not impose any further burden on you, 25 but hold firmly to what you have until I come.
26 “ ‘ “To anyone who is victorious
and perseveres in doing my works until the end,
I will give authority over the nations,
27 the same authority that I received from my Father,
to rule them with an iron rod
and shatter them like clay pots.
28 And to such a person I will also give the morning star.
29 “ ‘ “Whoever has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the Churches.” ’
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