M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Sarai and Hagar
16 Now (A)Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had (B)an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. (C)Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will [a]obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 After Abram had [b]lived (D)ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “(E)May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your [c]arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her [d]sight. (F)May the Lord judge between [e]you and me.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your [f]power; do to her what is good in your [g]sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and (G)she fled from her presence.
7 Now (H)the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to (I)Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, (J)where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself [h]to her authority.” 10 Moreover, the (K)angel of the Lord said to her, “(L)I will greatly multiply your [i]descendants so that [j]they will be too many to count.” 11 The angel of the Lord said to her further,
“Behold, you are with child,
And you will bear a son;
And you shall call his name [k]Ishmael,
Because (M)the Lord [l]has given heed to your affliction.
12 “He will be a (N)wild donkey of a man,
His hand will be against everyone,
And everyone’s hand will be against him;
And he will [m]live [n](O)to the east of all his brothers.”
13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “[o]You are [p]a God who sees”; for she said, “(P)Have I even [q]remained alive here after seeing Him?” 14 Therefore the well was called [r]Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between (Q)Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was (R)eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to [s]him.
Tradition and Commandment
15 (A)Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus (B)from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they (C)do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘(D)Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘(E)He who speaks evil of father or mother is to [a]be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been [b]given to God,” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother[c].’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:
8 ‘(F)This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
9 ‘But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as (G)doctrines the precepts of men.’”
10 After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. 11 (H)It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”
12 Then the disciples *came and *said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were [d]offended when they heard this statement?” 13 But He answered and said, “(I)Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; (J)they are blind guides [e]of the blind. And (K)if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
The Heart of Man
15 Peter [f]said to Him, “(L)Explain the parable to us.” 16 [g]Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? 17 Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is [h]eliminated? 18 But (M)the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19 (N)For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, [i]fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20 These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”
The Syrophoenician Woman
21 (O)Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of (P)Tyre and (Q)Sidon. 22 And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, (R)Son of David; my daughter is cruelly (S)demon-possessed.” 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting [j]at us.” 24 But He answered and said, “I was sent only to (T)the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and (U)began [k]to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He answered and said, “It is not [l]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; [m]but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, (V)your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed [n]at once.
Healing Crowds
29 (W)Departing from there, Jesus went along by (X)the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30 And [o]large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and (Y)He healed them. 31 So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled [p]restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they (Z)glorified the God of Israel.
Four Thousand Fed
32 (AA)And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “(AB)I feel compassion for the [q]people, because they [r]have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33 The disciples *said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the [s]people to [t]sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and (AC)giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large (AD)baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into (AE)the boat and came to the region of (AF)Magadan.
Usury Abolished
5 Now (A)there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their (B)Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us (C)get grain that we may eat and live.” 3 There were others who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine.” 4 Also there were those who said, “We have borrowed money (D)for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 Now (E)our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, (F)we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and [a]we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 Then I was very (G)angry when I had heard their outcry and these words. 7 I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, “(H)You are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them. 8 I said to them, “We according to our ability (I)have [b]redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. 9 Again I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of (J)the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10 And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. 11 Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.” 12 Then they said, “We (K)will give it back and (L)will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and (M)took an oath from them that they would do according to this [c]promise. 13 I (N)also shook out the [d]front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this [e]promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And (O)all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this [f]promise.
Nehemiah’s Example
14 Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from (P)the twentieth year to the (Q)thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my [g]kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. 15 But the former governors who were before me [h]laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so (R)because of the fear of God. 16 I also [i]applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, (S)there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 Now (T)that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this (U)I did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people. 19 (V)Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
The Council at Jerusalem
15 (A)Some men came down from Judea and began teaching (B)the brethren, “Unless you are (C)circumcised according to (D)the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had [a]great dissension and (E)debate with them, (F)the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the (G)apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being (H)sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both (I)Phoenicia and Samaria, (J)describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all (K)the brethren. 4 When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and (L)the apostles and the elders, and they (M)reported all that God had done with them. 5 But some of (N)the sect of the (O)Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to (P)circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”
6 (Q)The apostles and the elders came together to [b]look into this [c]matter. 7 After there had been much (R)debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that [d]in the early days (S)God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of (T)the gospel and believe. 8 And God, (U)who knows the heart, testified to them (V)giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and (W)He made no distinction between us and them, (X)cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore why do you (Y)put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which (Z)neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 But we believe that we are saved through (AA)the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”
12 All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were (AB)relating what (AC)signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.
James’s Judgment
13 After they had stopped speaking, [e](AD)James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. 14 (AE)Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 With this the words of (AF)the Prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 ‘(AG)After these things (AH)I will return,
And I will rebuild the [f]tabernacle of David which has fallen,
And I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will restore it,
17 (AI)So that the rest of [g]mankind may seek the Lord,
And all the Gentiles [h](AJ)who are called by My name,’
18 (AK)Says the Lord, who [i](AL)makes these things known from long ago.
19 Therefore it is (AM)my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from [j](AN)things contaminated by idols and from (AO)fornication and from (AP)what is strangled and from blood. 21 For (AQ)Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since [k]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
22 Then it seemed good to (AR)the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to (AS)Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and (AT)Silas, leading men among (AU)the brethren, 23 and they [l]sent this letter by them,
“(AV)The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to (AW)the brethren in (AX)Antioch and (AY)Syria and (AZ)Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, (BA)greetings.
24 “Since we have heard that (BB)some [m]of our number to whom we gave no instruction have (BC)disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, 25 (BD)it seemed good to us, having [n]become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have [o](BE)risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 “Therefore we have sent (BF)Judas and (BG)Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. 28 “For (BH)it seemed good to (BI)the Holy Spirit and to (BJ)us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: 29 that you abstain from (BK)things sacrificed to idols and from (BL)blood and from (BM)things strangled and from (BN)fornication; [p]if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent away, (BO)they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the [q]congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its [r]encouragement. 32 (BP)Judas and (BQ)Silas, also being (BR)prophets themselves, [s]encouraged and strengthened (BS)the brethren with a lengthy message. 33 After they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren (BT)in peace to those who had (BU)sent them out. 34 [[t]But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] 35 But (BV)Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and (BW)preaching with many others also, (BX)the word of the Lord.
Second Missionary Journey
36 After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in (BY)every city in which we proclaimed (BZ)the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take (CA)John, called Mark, along with them also. 38 But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had (CB)deserted them [u]in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took (CC)Mark with him and sailed away to (CD)Cyprus. 40 But Paul chose (CE)Silas and left, being (CF)committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he was traveling through (CG)Syria and (CH)Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
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