M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

⁶ Joshua called the priests together and said, “Take the chest and tell seven priests to carry trumpets and march ahead of it.”

^7-10 Next, he gave the army their orders: “March slowly around Jericho. A few of you will go ahead of the chest to guard it, but most of you will follow it. Don't shout the battle cry or yell or even talk until the day I tell you to. Then let out a shout!”

As soon as Joshua finished giving the orders, the army started marching. One group of soldiers led the way, with seven priests marching behind them and blowing trumpets. Then came the priests carrying the chest, followed by the rest of the soldiers. ¹¹ They obeyed Joshua's orders and carried the chest once around the town before returning to camp for the night.

^12-14 Early the next morning, Joshua and everyone else started marching around Jericho in the same order as the day before. One group of soldiers was in front, followed by the seven priests with trumpets and the priests who carried the chest. The rest of the army came next. The seven priests blew their trumpets while everyone marched slowly around Jericho and back to camp. They did this once a day for six days.

¹⁵ On the seventh day, the army got up at daybreak. They marched slowly around Jericho the same as they had done for the past six days, except on this day they went around seven times. ¹⁶ Then the priests blew the trumpets, and Joshua yelled:

Get ready to shout! The Lord will let you capture this town. ¹⁷ But you must destroy it and everything in it, to show that it now belongs to the Lord.^[a] The woman Rahab helped the spies we sent,^[b] so protect her and the others who are inside her house. But kill everyone else in the town. ^18-19 The silver and gold and everything made of bronze and iron belong to the Lord and must be put in his treasury. Be careful to follow these instructions, because if you see something you want and take it, the Lord will destroy Israel. And it will be all your fault.^[c]

^20 (A) The priests blew their trumpets again, and the soldiers shouted as loud as they could. The walls of Jericho fell flat. Then the soldiers rushed up the hill, went straight into the town, and captured it. ^21-25 (B) They killed everyone, men and women, young and old, everyone except Rahab and the others in her house. They even killed every cow, sheep, and donkey.

Joshua said to the two men who had been spies, “Rahab kept you safe when I sent you to Jericho. We promised to protect her and her family, and we will keep that promise. Now go into her house and bring them out.”

The two men went into Rahab's house and brought her out, along with her father and mother, her brothers, and her other relatives. Rahab and her family had to stay in a place just outside the Israelite army camp.^[d] But later they were allowed to live among the Israelites, and her descendants still do.

The Israelites took the silver and gold and the things made of bronze and iron and put them with the rest of the treasure that was kept at the Lord's house.^[e] Finally, they set fire to Jericho and everything in it.

^26 (C) After Jericho was destroyed, Joshua warned the people, “Someday a man will rebuild Jericho, but the Lord will put a curse on him, and the man's oldest son will die when he starts to build the town wall. And by the time he finishes the wall and puts gates in it, all his children will be dead.”^[f]

²⁷ The Lord helped Joshua in everything he did, and Joshua was famous everywhere in Canaan.

In Praise of the Lord's Kindness

God's Love Never Fails

True Worship

The Lord Will Help Jerusalem

A Threat and a Promise

¹⁷ Some of you get yourselves ready and go to a garden to worship a foreign goddess.^[e] You eat the meat of pigs, lizards, and mice. But I, the Lord, will destroy you for this.

¹⁸ I know everything you do and think! The time has now come^[f] to bring together the people of every language and nation and to show them my glory ¹⁹ by proving what I can do.^[g] I will send the survivors to Tarshish, Pul,^[h] Lud, Meshech,^[i] Tubal, Javan,^[j] and to the distant islands. I will send them to announce my wonderful glory to nations that have never heard about me.

²⁰ They will bring your relatives from the nations as an offering to me, the Lord. They will come to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, on horses, chariots, wagons, mules, and camels.^[k] It will be like the people of Israel bringing the right offering to my temple. ²¹ I promise that some of them will be priests and others will be helpers in my temple. I, the Lord, have spoken.

^22 (D) I also promise that you will always have descendants and will never be forgotten, just as the new heavens and the new earth that I create will last forever. ²³ On the first day of each month and on each Sabbath, everyone will worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.

^24 (E) My people will go out and look at the dead bodies of those who turned against me. The worms there never die, the fire never stops burning, and the sight of those bodies will be disgusting to everyone.

The Death of John the Baptist

(Mark 6.14-29; Luke 9.7-9)

14 About this time Herod the ruler^[a] heard the news about Jesus ² and told his officials, “This is John the Baptist! He has come back from death, and that's why he has the power to work these miracles.”

^3-4 (A) Herod had earlier arrested John and had him chained and put in prison. He did this because John had told him, “It isn't right for you to take Herodias, the wife of your brother Philip.” ⁵ Herod wanted to kill John. But the people thought John was a prophet, and Herod was afraid of what they might do.

⁶ When Herod's birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced for the guests. She pleased Herod ⁷ so much he swore to give her whatever she wanted. ⁸ But the girl's mother told her to say, “Here on a serving plate I want the head of John the Baptist!”

⁹ Herod was sorry for what he had said. But he did not want to break the promise he had made in front of his guests. So he ordered a guard ¹⁰ to go to the prison and cut off John's head. ¹¹ It was taken on a serving plate to the girl, and she gave it to her mother. ¹² John's followers took his body and buried it. Then they told Jesus what had happened.

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand

(Mark 6.30-44; Luke 9.10-17; John 6.1-14)

¹³ After Jesus heard about John, he crossed Lake Galilee^[b] to go to some place where he could be alone. But the crowds found out and followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus got out of the boat, he saw the large crowd. He felt sorry for them and healed everyone who was sick.

¹⁵ That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, “This place is like a desert, and it's already late. Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the villages and buy some food.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They don't have to leave. Why don't you give them something to eat?”

¹⁷ But they said, “We have only five small loaves of bread^[c] and two fish.” ¹⁸ Jesus asked his disciples to bring the food to him, ¹⁹ and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people.

²⁰ After everyone had eaten all they wanted, Jesus' disciples picked up twelve large baskets of leftovers.

²¹ There were about 5,000 men who ate, not counting the women and children.

Jesus Walks on the Water

(Mark 6.45-52; John 6.15-21)

²² At once, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake.^[d] But he stayed until he had sent the crowds away. ²³ Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray. Later in the evening, he was still there.

²⁴ By this time the boat was a long way from the shore. It was going against the wind and was being tossed around by the waves. ²⁵ A little while before morning, Jesus came walking on the water toward his disciples. ²⁶ When they saw him, they thought he was a ghost. They were terrified and started screaming.

²⁷ At once, Jesus said to them, “Don't worry! I am Jesus. Don't be afraid.”

²⁸ Peter replied, “Lord, if it really is you, tell me to come to you on the water.”

²⁹ “Come on!” Jesus said. Peter then got out of the boat and started walking on the water toward him.

³⁰ But when Peter saw how strong the wind was, he was afraid and started sinking. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

³¹ At once, Jesus reached out his hand. He helped Peter up and said, “You surely don't have much faith. Why do you doubt?”

³² When Jesus and Peter got into the boat, the wind died down. ³³ The men in the boat worshiped Jesus and said, “You really are the Son of God!”

Jesus Heals Sick People in Gennesaret

(Mark 6.53-56)

³⁴ Jesus and his disciples crossed the lake and came to shore near the town of Gennesaret. ³⁵ The people found out he was there, and they sent word to everyone who lived in this part of the country. So they brought all the sick people to Jesus. ³⁶ They begged him just to let them touch his clothes, and everyone who did was healed.