M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Descendants of Adam
5 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him (A)in the likeness of God. 2 He created them (B)male and female, and He (C)blessed them and named them [a]Man in the day when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he [b]became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
6 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and became the father of Enosh. 7 Then Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
9 Enosh lived ninety years, and became the father of Kenan. 10 Then Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
12 Kenan lived seventy years, and became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Then Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Jared. 16 Then Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and became the father of Enoch. 19 Then Jared lived eight hundred years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch (D)walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 (E)Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God (F)took him.
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and became the father of Lamech. 26 Then Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. 29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will [c]give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from (G)the ground which the Lord has cursed.” 30 Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
32 Noah was (H)five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes
5 (A)When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on (B)the [a]mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 (C)He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “[b](D)Blessed are the [c]poor in spirit, for (E)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are (F)those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are (G)the [d]gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are (H)those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are (I)the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are (J)the pure in heart, for (K)they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for (L)they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been (M)persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for (N)theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people (O)insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for (P)in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Disciples and the World
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but (Q)if the salt has become tasteless, how [e]can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
14 “You are (R)the light of the world. A city set on a [f]hill cannot be hidden; 15 (S)nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a [g]basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may (T)see your good works, and (U)glorify your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the (V)Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I say to you, (W)until heaven and earth pass away, not [h]the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches [i]others to do the same, shall be called least (X)in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever [j]keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your (Y)righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Personal Relationships
21 “(Z)You have heard that [k]the ancients were told, ‘(AA)You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be [l]liable to (AB)the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be [m]guilty before (AC)the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘[n]You good-for-nothing,’ shall be [o]guilty before [p](AD)the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be [q]guilty enough to go into the [r](AE)fiery hell. 23 Therefore if you are (AF)presenting your [s]offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your [t]offering there before the altar and go; first be (AG)reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your [u]offering. 25 (AH)Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I say to you, (AI)you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last [v]cent.
27 “(AJ)You have heard that it was said, ‘(AK)You shall not commit adultery’; 28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman (AL)with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 (AM)If your right eye makes you [w]stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you [x]to lose one of the parts of your body, [y]than for your whole body to be thrown into [z](AN)hell. 30 (AO)If your right hand makes you [aa]stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you [ab]to lose one of the parts of your body, [ac]than for your whole body to go into [ad](AP)hell.
31 “It was said, ‘(AQ)Whoever sends his wife away, let him give her a certificate of divorce’; 32 (AR)but I say to you that everyone who [ae]divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a [af]divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again, (AS)you have heard that [ag]the ancients were told, ‘[ah](AT)You shall not [ai]make false vows, but shall fulfill your [aj]vows to the Lord.’ 34 But I say to you, (AU)make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is (AV)the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is the (AW)footstool of His feet, or [ak]by Jerusalem, for it is (AX)the city of the great King. 36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is [al]of (AY)evil.
38 “(AZ)You have heard that it was said, ‘(BA)An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but (BB)whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your [am]shirt, let him have your [an]coat also. 41 Whoever [ao]forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 (BC)Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
43 “(BD)You have heard that it was said, ‘(BE)You shall love your neighbor (BF)and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, (BG)love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [ap]be (BH)sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For (BI)if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Therefore [aq](BJ)you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Temple Work Resumed
5 When the prophets, (A)Haggai the prophet and (B)Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them, 2 then (C)Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak arose and began to rebuild the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and (D)the prophets of God were with them supporting them.
3 At that time (E)Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the [a]River, and Shethar-bozenai and their colleagues came to them and spoke to them thus, “(F)Who issued you a decree to rebuild this [b]temple and to finish this structure?” 4 (G)Then we told them accordingly what the names of the men were who were reconstructing this building. 5 But (H)the eye of their God was on the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report could come to Darius, and then a written reply be returned concerning it.
Adversaries Write to Darius
6 This is the copy of the letter which (I)Tattenai, the governor of the province beyond the River, and Shethar-bozenai and his colleagues (J)the officials, who were beyond the River, sent to Darius the king. 7 They sent a report to him in which it was written thus: “To Darius the king, all peace. 8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God, which is being built with huge stones, and [c]beams are being laid in the walls; and this work is going on with great care and is succeeding in their hands. 9 Then we asked those elders and said to them thus, ‘Who issued you a decree to rebuild this temple and to finish this structure?’ 10 We also asked them their names so as to inform you, and that we might write down the names of the men who were at their head. 11 Thus they [d]answered us, saying, ‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth and are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, (K)which a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But (L)because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, (M)He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. 13 However, (N)in the first year of Cyrus king of Babylon, King Cyrus (O)issued a decree to rebuild this house of God. 14 Also (P)the gold and silver utensils of the house of God which Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple [e]in Jerusalem, and brought them to the temple of Babylon, these King Cyrus took from the temple of Babylon and they were given to one (Q)whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had appointed governor. 15 He said to him, “Take these utensils, go and deposit them in the temple [f]in Jerusalem and let the house of God be rebuilt in its place.” 16 Then that Sheshbazzar came and (R)laid the foundations of the house of God [g]in Jerusalem; and from then until now it has been under construction and it is (S)not yet completed.’ 17 “Now if it pleases the king, (T)let a search be conducted in the king’s treasure house, which is there in Babylon, if it be that a decree was issued by King Cyrus to rebuild this house of God at Jerusalem; and let the king send to us his decision concerning this matter.”
Fate of Ananias and Sapphira
5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and (A)kept back some of the price for himself, with his wife’s [a]full knowledge, and bringing a portion of it, he (B)laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has (C)Satan filled your heart to lie (D)to the Holy Spirit and to (E)keep back some of the price of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not [b]under your control? Why is it that you have [c]conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but (F)to God.” 5 And as he heard these words, Ananias (G)fell down and breathed his last; and (H)great fear came over all who heard of it. 6 The young men got up and (I)covered him up, and after carrying him out, they buried him.
7 Now there elapsed an interval of about three hours, and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land [d](J)for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, [e]that was the price.” 9 Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to (K)put (L)the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.” 10 And immediately she (M)fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And (N)great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.
12 [f]At the hands of the apostles many (O)signs and wonders were taking place among the people; and they were all with one accord in (P)Solomon’s portico. 13 But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, (Q)the people held them in high esteem. 14 And all the more (R)believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly (S)added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by (T)at least his shadow might fall on any one of them. 16 Also the [g]people from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick [h]or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
Imprisonment and Release
17 But the high priest rose up, along with all his associates (that is (U)the sect of (V)the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. 18 They laid hands on the apostles and (W)put them in a public jail. 19 But during the night (X)an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said, 20 “Go, stand and [i]speak to the people in the temple [j](Y)the whole message of this Life.” 21 Upon hearing this, they entered into the temple (Z)about daybreak and began to teach.
Now when (AA)the high priest and his associates came, they called (AB)the [k]Council together, even all the Senate of the sons of Israel, and sent orders to the prison house for them to be brought. 22 But (AC)the officers who came did not find them in the prison; and they returned and reported back, 23 saying, “We found the prison house locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors; but when we had opened up, we found no one inside.” 24 Now when (AD)the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them as to what [l]would come of this. 25 But someone came and reported to them, “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” 26 Then (AE)the captain went along with (AF)the officers and proceeded to bring them back without violence (for (AG)they were afraid of the people, that they might be stoned).
27 When they had brought them, they stood them [m]before (AH)the Council. The high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you (AI)strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and [n]yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and (AJ)intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “(AK)We must obey God rather than men. 30 (AL)The God of our fathers (AM)raised up Jesus, [o]whom you had (AN)put to death by hanging Him on a [p]cross. 31 (AO)He is the one whom God exalted [q]to His right hand as a [r](AP)Prince and a (AQ)Savior, to grant (AR)repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are (AS)witnesses [s]of these things; and (AT)so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Gamaliel’s Counsel
33 But when they heard this, they were (AU)cut [t]to the quick and intended to kill them. 34 But a Pharisee named (AV)Gamaliel, a (AW)teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in (AX)the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. 35 And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, (AY)claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. [u]But he was killed, and all who [v]followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of (AZ)the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who [w]followed him were scattered. 38 So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or [x]action (BA)is of men, it will be overthrown; 39 but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found (BB)fighting against God.”
40 They [y]took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they (BC)flogged them and ordered them not to [z]speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the [aa](BD)Council, (BE)rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame (BF)for His name. 42 (BG)And every day, in the temple and [ab]from house to house, they [ac]kept right on teaching and [ad](BH)preaching Jesus as the [ae]Christ.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.