M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Song of Thanksgiving
22 David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:(A)
The Lord is my rock, my fortress,(B) and my deliverer,
3 my God, my mountain[a] where I seek refuge.
My shield, the horn of my salvation,(C) my stronghold,(D) my refuge,(E)
and my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,(F)
and I was saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death engulfed me;(G)
the torrents of destruction terrified me.
6 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(H)
7 I called to the Lord in my distress;
I called to my God.(I)
From His temple He heard my voice,
and my cry for help reached His ears.
8 Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the heavens[b] trembled;(J)
they shook because He burned with anger.(K)
9 Smoke rose from His nostrils,
and consuming fire came from His mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.[c]
10 He parted the heavens and came down,(L)
a dark cloud beneath His feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring[d] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a canopy around Him,
a gathering[e] of water and thick clouds.(M)
13 From the radiance of His presence,
flaming coals were ignited.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High projected His voice.(N)
15 He shot arrows and scattered them;(O)
He hurled lightning bolts and routed them.(P)
16 The depths of the sea became visible,
the foundations of the world were exposed
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of the breath(Q) of His nostrils.(R)
17 He reached down from heaven
and took hold of me;
He pulled me out of deep waters.(S)
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my distress,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out to a spacious place;(T)
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;(U)
He repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.(V)
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord(W)
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.
23 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances(X) in mind[f]
and have not disregarded His statutes.
24 I was blameless before Him
and kept myself from sinning.
25 So the Lord repaid me
according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness[g] in His sight.
26 With the faithful
You prove Yourself faithful;
with the blameless man
You prove Yourself blameless;
27 with the pure
You prove Yourself pure,
but with the crooked
You prove Yourself shrewd.
28 You rescue an afflicted people,(Y)
but Your eyes are set against the proud—
You humble them.(Z)
29 Lord, You are my lamp;
the Lord illuminates my darkness.(AA)
30 With You I can attack a barrier,[h]
and with my God I can leap over a wall.(AB)
31 God—His way is perfect;(AC)
the word of the Lord is pure.(AD)
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is a rock? Only our God.
33 God is my strong refuge;[i]
He makes my way perfect.[j]
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
and sets me securely on the[k] heights.[l]
35 He trains my hands for war;(AE)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of Your salvation;(AF)
Your help[m] exalts me.
37 You widen a place beneath me for my steps,
and my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursue my enemies and destroy them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.
39 I wipe them out and crush them,
and they do not rise;
they fall beneath my feet.
40 You have clothed me with strength for battle;
You subdue my adversaries beneath me.(AG)
41 You have made my enemies retreat before me;[n]
I annihilate those who hate me.
42 They look, but there is no one to save them—
they look to the Lord, but He does not answer them.(AH)
43 I pulverize them like dust of the earth;
I crush them and trample them like mud in the streets.(AI)
44 You have freed me from the feuds among my people;(AJ)
You have appointed me the head of nations;
a people I had not known serve me.(AK)
45 Foreigners submit to me grudgingly;
as soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.(AL)
Paul Defends His Gospel at Jerusalem
2 Then after 14 years I went up again(A) to Jerusalem with Barnabas,(B) taking Titus(C) along also. 2 I went up according to a revelation(D) and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain. 3 But not even Titus who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 This issue arose because of false brothers(E) smuggled in, who came in secretly to spy on the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us. 5 But we did not give up and submit to these people for even an hour, so that the truth(F) of the gospel would be preserved for you.
6 Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me; God does not show favoritism[a](G))—they added nothing to me. 7 On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised,(H) just as Peter(I) was for the circumcised, 8 since the One at work in Peter for an apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in me for the Gentiles. 9 When James,(J) Cephas,(K) and John,(L) recognized as pillars,(M) acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10 They asked only that we would remember the poor,(N) which I made every effort to do.
Freedom from the Law
11 But when Cephas[b] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.[c] 12 For he regularly ate with the Gentiles before certain men came from James. However, when they came, he withdrew and separated himself, because he feared those from the circumcision party. 13 Then the rest of the Jews(O) joined his hypocrisy,(P) so that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that they were deviating from the truth of the gospel, I told Cephas[d] in front of everyone, “If you, who are a Jew, live like a Gentile(Q) and not like a Jew,(R) how can you compel Gentiles to live(S) like Jews?”[e]
15 We who are Jews by birth and not “Gentile sinners” 16 know that no one is justified by the works of the law(T) but by faith in Jesus Christ.[f] And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ[g] and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will[h] be justified. 17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ,(U) is Christ then a promoter[i](V) of sin? Absolutely not!(W) 18 If I rebuild(X) the system[j] I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.(Y) 19 For through the law I have died to the law,(Z) so that I might live for God.(AA) I have been crucified with Christ[k] 20 and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.(AB) The life I now live in the body,[l] I live by faith in the Son of God,(AC) who loved(AD) me(AE) and gave Himself(AF) for me.(AG) 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law,(AH) then Christ died(AI) for nothing.
A Prophecy of Egypt’s Ruin
29 In the tenth year, in the tenth month on the twelfth day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, turn your face toward Pharaoh king of Egypt and prophesy against him and against all of Egypt.(A) 3 Speak to him and say: This is what the Lord God says:
Look, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt,
the great monster[a](B) lying in the middle of his Nile,
who says, ‘My Nile is my own;
I made it for myself.’
4 I will put hooks in your jaws(C)
and make the fish of your streams
cling to your scales.
I will haul you up
from the middle of your Nile,
and all the fish of your streams
will cling to your scales.
5 I will leave you in the desert,(D)
you and all the fish of your streams.
You will fall on the open ground
and will not be taken away
or gathered for burial.(E)
I have given you
to the beasts of the earth
and the birds of the sky as food.(F)
6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt
will know that I am Yahweh,
for they[b] have been a staff made of reed
to the house of Israel.
7 When Israel grasped you by the hand,
you splintered,(G) tearing all their shoulders;
when they leaned on you,
you shattered and made all their hips unsteady.[c]
8 “Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to bring a sword(H) against you and wipe out man and animal from you. 9 The land of Egypt will be a desolate ruin.(I) Then they will know that I am Yahweh. Because you[d] said, ‘The Nile is my own; I made it,’ 10 therefore, I am against you and your Nile. I will turn the land of Egypt into ruins, a desolate waste from Migdol to Syene, as far as the border of Cush. 11 No human foot will pass through it, and no animal foot will pass through it.(J) It will be uninhabited for 40 years. 12 I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among[e] desolate lands, and its cities will be a desolation among[f] ruined cities(K) for 40 years. I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them across the countries.(L)
13 “For this is what the Lord God says: At the end of 40 years I will gather the Egyptians from the nations where they were dispersed.(M) 14 I will restore the fortunes of Egypt and bring them back to the land of Pathros, the land of their origin. There they will be a lowly kingdom. 15 Egypt will be the lowliest of kingdoms and will never again exalt itself over the nations. I will make them so small they cannot rule over the nations. 16 It will never again be an object of trust(N) for the house of Israel, drawing attention to their sin of turning to the Egyptians. Then they will know that I am the Lord Yahweh.”
Babylon Receives Egypt as Compensation
17 In the twenty-seventh year in the first month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me: 18 “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made his army labor strenuously against Tyre.(O) Every head was made bald and every shoulder chafed, but he and his army received no compensation from Tyre for the labor he expended against it. 19 Therefore this is what the Lord God says: I am going to give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,(P) who will carry off its wealth, seizing its spoil and taking its plunder. This will be his army’s compensation. 20 I have given him the land of Egypt as the pay he labored for, since they worked for Me.” This is the declaration of the Lord God. 21 “In that day I will cause a horn to sprout(Q) for the house of Israel, and I will enable you to speak out(R) among them. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.”
Psalm 78
Lessons from Israel’s Past
A Maskil of Asaph.(A)
1 My people, hear my instruction;
listen to what I say.(B)
2 I will declare wise sayings;
I will speak mysteries from the past(C)—
3 things we have heard and known
and that our fathers have passed down to us.(D)
4 We must not hide them from their children,
but must tell a future generation
the praises of the Lord,
His might, and the wonderful works
He has performed.(E)
5 He established a testimony in Jacob
and set up a law in Israel,
which He commanded our fathers
to teach to their children(F)
6 so that a future generation—
children yet to be born—might know.
They were to rise and tell their children(G)
7 so that they might put their confidence in God
and not forget God’s works,
but keep His commands.(H)
8 Then they would not be like their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not loyal
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.(I)
9 The Ephraimite archers turned back
on the day of battle.(J)
10 They did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by His law.(K)
11 They forgot what He had done,
the wonderful works He had shown them.(L)
12 He worked wonders in the sight of their fathers
in the land of Egypt, the region of Zoan.(M)
13 He split the sea and brought them across;
the water stood firm like a wall.(N)
14 He led them with a cloud by day
and with a fiery light throughout the night.(O)
15 He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the depths.(P)
16 He brought streams out of the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.(Q)
17 But they continued to sin against Him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.(R)
18 They deliberately[a] tested God,
demanding the food they craved.(S)
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Is God able to provide food in the wilderness?
20 Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out;
torrents overflowed.(T)
But can He also provide bread
or furnish meat for His people?”(U)
21 Therefore, the Lord heard and became furious;
then fire broke out against Jacob,
and anger flared up against Israel(V)
22 because they did not believe God
or rely on His salvation.(W)
23 He gave a command to the clouds above
and opened the doors of heaven.(X)
24 He rained manna for them to eat;
He gave them grain from heaven.(Y)
25 People[b] ate the bread of angels.[c]
He sent them an abundant supply of food.(Z)
26 He made the east wind blow in the skies
and drove the south wind by His might.(AA)
27 He rained meat on them like dust,
and winged birds like the sand of the seas.
28 He made them fall in His camp,
all around His tent.[d][e](AB)
29 They ate and were completely satisfied,
for He gave them what they craved.(AC)
30 Before they had satisfied their desire,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger flared up against them,
and He killed some of their best men.
He struck down Israel’s choice young men.(AD)
32 Despite all this, they kept sinning
and did not believe His wonderful works.(AE)
33 He made their days end in futility,
their years in sudden disaster.(AF)
34 When He killed some of them,
the rest began to seek Him;
they repented and searched for God.(AG)
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God, their Redeemer.(AH)
36 But they deceived Him with their mouths,
they lied to Him with their tongues,(AI)
37 their hearts were insincere toward Him,
and they were unfaithful to His covenant.(AJ)
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