M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
7 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose up early and camped beside En-harod, while the camp of Midian was north of them, by Gibeath-moreh, in the valley.
2 But Adonai said to Gideon, “Too many are the people who are with you, for Me to give the Midianites into their hand. Otherwise Israel would glorify itself against Me saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ [a] 3 So now, make proclamation in the ears of the people saying, ‘Whoever is afraid or anxious may turn back and leave from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people turned back, while ten thousand remained.
4 But Adonai said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Now it will be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This will go with you,’ he will go with you, but anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one will not go with you,’ he will not go.” 5 So he brought the troops down to the water, and Adonai said to Gideon, “You are to set apart everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, and everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.” 6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then Adonai said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will deliver you and give the Midianites into your hand. So let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the 300 took provisions and their shofarot in their hands. He sent all the other men of Israel each to his tent, but he kept the 300 men.
Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley. 9 It came to pass the same night that Adonai said to him, “Arise, get down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, first go down to the camp with your attendant Purah. 11 Then you will hear what they are saying, and after that your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went down with his attendant Purah to an outpost of the army that was in camp.
12 Now the Midianites, the Amalekites and all the people of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were countless, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 13 Yet when Gideon came, behold, there was a man relating a dream to his fellow, saying, “Listen, I just now had a dream: there was a loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into the camp of Midian, came up to a tent and struck it so it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
14 His companion answered and said, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel—God has delivered Midian and all the camp into his hand!”
15 Now when Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise! For Adonai has given into your hand the camp of Midian.” 16 Then he divided the 300 men into three columns, and he put into the hands of all of them shofarot and empty pitchers, with torches inside the pitchers. 17 Then he said to them, “Watch me and do likewise. So behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do just as I do. 18 When I and all that are with me blow the shofar, then you also blow the shofarot all around the camp, and say, ‘For Adonai and for Gideon!’”
19 So Gideon and the 300 men who were with him came up to the outermost part of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch. Then they blew the shofarot and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 When the three columns blew the shofarot and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the shofarot in their right hands to blow, and they shouted, “A sword for Adonai and for Gideon!” 21 Each one stood in his place around the camp, and then the entire army ran, shouting as they fled. 22 Now when they blew the 300 shofarot, Adonai set every man’s sword against his fellow throughout the entire army. So the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
23 Then men of Israel were summoned from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian. 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim saying, “Come down against Midian and seize the waters down to Beth-barah, all along the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were summoned and took control of the waterside as far as Beth-barah by the Jordan. 25 Then they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; they slew Oreb at the Rock of Oreb and they slew Zeeb at the Winepress of Zeeb. They kept pursuing Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from across the Jordan.
Peter’s Report to Jerusalem
11 Now the emissaries and brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision took issue with him, 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”
4 So Peter began explaining to them point by point, saying, 5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision—something like a great sheet coming down, being lowered from heaven by its four corners, and it came right to me. 6 I looked inside, considering it carefully, and saw four-footed creatures of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’
8 “But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! For never has anything unholy or unclean entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider unholy.’ 10 This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven.
11 “At that very moment, three men arrived at the house where we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 The Ruach told me to go with them without hesitating. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He reported to us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon called Peter. 14 He will speak words to you by which you will be saved—you and all your household.’
15 “As I began to speak, the Ruach ha-Kodesh fell on them, just as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John immersed with water, but you will be immersed in the Ruach ha-Kodesh.’ 17 Therefore if God gave them the same gift as also to us after we put our trust in the Lord Messiah Yeshua, who was I to stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard this they became quiet, and they glorified God, saying, “Then even to the Gentiles God has granted repentance leading to life!”
Discipling in Diaspora
19 Now those scattered because of the persecution that happened in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Judeans. 20 However, there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Yeshua. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
22 News about these things reached the ears of the community in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was thrilled. He encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with heartfelt devotion. 24 For Barnabas was a good man, full of the Ruach ha-Kodesh and faith. And a large number was added to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met together with Messiah’s community and taught a large number. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christianoi.”[a]
27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted through the Ruach that there was going to be a great famine over all the world. (This took place during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the disciples decided to send relief to those brothers and sisters living in Judea, each according to his ability. 30 This they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
Confronting a False Prophet
20 When Pashhur son of Immer the kohen, who was chief officer in the House of Adonai, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks[a] at the Upper Benjamin Gate by the House of Adonai. 3 The following morning, Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks.
Then Jeremiah said to him, “Adonai no longer calls your name Pashhur, but Magormissabib[b]. 4 For thus says Adonai: ‘Behold, I will make you a terror both to yourself and to everyone you love. They will fall by the sword of their enemies, while your eyes look on. So I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them captive to Babylon and will slay them with the sword.
5 “Moreover I will give away all the wealth of this city, and all its produce and its precious things, even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the hand of their enemies, who will plunder them, take them away, and bring them to Babylon.
6 “As for you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house, you will go into captivity, and you will go to Babylon. So there you will die, and there you will be buried—you and all your friends—to whom you have prophesied falsely.”
Fire Burning in My Bones
7 Adonai, You enticed me, so I was enticed.
You overpowered me, and prevailed.
I am a laughingstock all day long.
Everyone mocks me.
8 For whenever I speak, I cry out,
I proclaim, “Violence and ruin!”
For the word of Adonai is scorn
and ridicule to me all day long.
9 But if I say: “I won’t mention Him,
or speak any more in His Name,”
then it is like fire burning in my heart
—shut up in my bones—
I weary myself holding it in,
but I cannot.
10 For I heard the whispering of many:
“‘Terror on every side?’
Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!”
Even all my close friends
are watching for my fall:
“Perhaps he may be deceived,
so we’ll get the better of him,
and we’ll get our revenge on him.”
11 But Adonai is with me like a dreadful warrior.
Therefore my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail.
Since they are not insightful and not wise,
they will be utterly shamed—
an everlasting disgrace, never to be forgotten.
12 Yet, Adonai–Tzva’ot—testing the righteous,
seeing the mind and the heart,
let me see Your vengeance on them!
For to You have I presented my case.
13 Sing to Adonai, praise Adonai!
For He has delivered the soul of the needy one
from the hand of evildoers.
14 Cursed be the day I was born!
The day that my mother bore me—
may it never be blessed!
15 Cursed be the one who brought the news to my father,
saying, “A baby boy is born to you!”
making him so glad.
16 Now let that one be like the cities
which Adonai overturned, with no relenting—
let him hear a cry in the morning
and a shout of alarm at noon,
17 since he did not kill me in the womb,
so my mother might have been my grave—
her womb filled forever.
18 Why did I ever come forth out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow,
and my days end in shame?
Responding to Rejection
6 Now Yeshua went out from there, and He comes to His hometown, and His disciples follow Him. 2 When Shabbat came, He began to teach in the synagogue. Many listeners were amazed, saying, “Where did this fellow get these things? What’s this wisdom given to Him? Such miracles are done by His hands! 3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Miriam, and the brother of Jacob and Joseph and Judah and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him.
4 Then Yeshua began saying to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” 5 He was not able to do any miracle, except that He laid hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He was astonished because of their unbelief.[a] And He was going around among the villages teaching.
7 Yeshua summoned the Twelve, and He began to send them out two by two. And He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He directed them to take nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bag, no copper coin in their belt— 9 but to wear sandals and not to put on two shirts.[b]
10 He was also telling them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. 11 And whatever place will not receive you or listen to you, as you leave from there, shake the dust off the bottom of your feet as a witness against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent, 13 and they were driving out many demons and anointing with oil many who were sick and healing them.
14 King Herod heard, for Yeshua’s name had become known. Some were saying, “John the Immerser has risen from the dead! Because of this, these powers are at work in Him!” 15 But others were saying, “It’s Elijah!” Still others were saying, “It’s a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”[c]
16 But when Herod heard, he said, “John, the one I beheaded, has been raised!” 17 For Herod himself sent and arrested John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because Herod had married her. 18 For John had been telling Herod, “It is not permitted for you to have your brother’s wife.” [d] 19 Now Herodias had a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she wasn’t able. 20 For Herod was in awe of John and kept him safe, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When he listened to John he was confused, but he still listened gladly.
21 An opportunity came—when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his high officials, military brass, and the leaders of the Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias[e] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and those reclining with him. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you!” 23 He vowed to her, “Whatever you ask of me I’ll give you, up to half of my kingdom!”
24 She left the room and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?”
Her mother said, “The head of John the Immerser!”
25 Immediately she rushed to the king and requested, “I want you to give me, right now, the head of John the Immerser on a platter!”
26 The king became very sorrowful; but because of his oaths and those reclining with him, he didn’t want to refuse her.
27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and gave orders to bring John’s head. And the executioner went out and beheaded John in the prison, 28 brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John’s disciples heard, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.
Feeding 5000 Families
30 The twelve emissaries gathered together with Yeshua, and they reported to Him all they had done and taught. 31 There were many coming and going, and they had no time even to eat. So He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to an isolated place and rest awhile.” 32 So they left privately by boat to an isolated place. 33 However, the people saw them leaving, and many recognized them. They ran on foot from all the towns to get there ahead of them. 34 As Yeshua came ashore, He saw a large crowd and felt compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.[f] So He taught them many things.
35 When it was already late, His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is isolated, and the hour is already late. 36 Send these people away so they can go into the nearby countryside and the villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But He answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat!”
And they said to Him, “Should we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread to give them something to eat?”
38 Then He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.”
39 Then Yeshua made them all sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they reclined in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 And He took the five loaves and the two fish; and looking up to heaven, He offered the bracha. He broke the loaves and kept giving them to the disciples to serve to the people; and He divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and fish. 44 Now there were five thousand men who ate the loaves.
Walking on Water
45 Right away, Yeshua made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After leaving them, He went up on the hillside to pray.
47 And when evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea and He was alone on the land. 48 He saw the disciples struggling to row, for the wind was against them. Around the fourth watch in the night,[g] Yeshua comes to them, walking on the sea; and He wanted to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought He was a ghost and cried out— 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified.
But immediately, He spoke to them. He said, “Take courage! I am. Do not be afraid.” 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped. They were utterly dumbfounded, 52 for they still hadn’t understood about the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.
Miracles Multiply
53 After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and set anchor there. 54 As they got out of the boat, immediately people recognized Yeshua. 55 They ran about the region and began to carry around on their mats all those who were in bad shape, to wherever they heard He was. 56 And wherever He entered villages, towns, or countryside, people were placing the sick in the marketplaces and begging Him to let them touch even the tzitzit of His garment—and all who touched it were being healed.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.