M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
1 God created the first person, our forefather, Adam. His lineage descended nine generations until the flood: Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. 4 Our ancestor Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. From these, three distinct nations arose.
The history of Israel begins with the creation of the world.
5 The sons of Japheth fathered the nations north of Israel. They were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. 6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Diphath, and Togarmah. 7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
8 Three sons of Ham fathered the nations south of Israel. They were Cush (the Ethiopians), Mizraim (the Egyptians), and Put (the northern Africans). Noah condemned Ham’s fourth son, Canaan, whose descendants we conquered. 9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca; the sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan. 10 Cush fathered Nimrod (the first hero on earth). 11 Mizraim fathered the people of Lud, Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh, 12 Pathrus, Casluh (from whom the Philistines descended), and Caphtor. 13 Canaan was the forefather of our eastern neighbors: Sidon (his first son), Heth, 14 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
17 Shem fathered the Semitic nations. His sons were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. Aram fathered Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. 18 Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. 19 Eber had two sons, Peleg (whose name means “divided” because the earth was divided during his life) and his brother, Joktan. 20 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab.
24 Our ancestry descended nine generations directly from Shem: Arpachshad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, and finally 27 Abram (whom God renamed Abraham). 28 Our ancestor Abraham, who formed our people’s initial covenant with God, fathered two sons: Isaac and Ishmael.
29 Ishmael fathered Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
32 Abraham also fathered sons by a concubine, Keturah: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan’s sons were Sheba and Dedan. 33 Midian’s sons were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
34 Abraham’s second son, Isaac, fathered two sons: Esau (the ancestor of Edom) and Israel (our ancestor).
35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 36 Eliphaz fathered Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, and by Timna, Amalek. 37 Reuel fathered Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38 Seir fathered Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39 Lotan (whose sister was Timna) fathered Hori and Homam. 40 Shobal fathered Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. Zibeon fathered Aiah and Anah. 41 Anah’s son was Dishon, who fathered Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. 42 Ezer fathered Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. Dishan (son of Seir) fathered Uz and Aran.
43 These men were kings in Edom long before our ancestors reigned in Israel. Bela (the son of Beor) ruled the city of Dinhabah. 44 When Bela died, Jobab (the son of Zerah of Bozrah) succeeded him. 45 When Jobab died, Husham (a Temanite) became king. 46 When Husham died, Hadad (the son of Bedad who crushed Midian in the field of Moab) succeeded Husham and renamed the city Avith. 47 When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah succeeded him. 48 When Samlah died, Shaul of Rehoboth by the Euphrates River succeeded him. 49 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan (the son of Achbor) became king. 50 When Baal-hanan died, Hadad ascended to the throne. Hadad named his city Pai. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab. 51 When Hadad died, the monarchy crumbled and Edom was ruled by chiefs: Timna, Aliah, Jetheth, 52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 54 Magdiel, and Iram.
2 The sons of our ancestor Israel (the brother of Esau) were the forefathers of the twelve tribes: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 The sons of Judah (Er, Onan, and Shelah) were born to his wife Bath-shua of Canaan. Er (Judah’s firstborn) was wicked in the eyes of the Eternal One, so He put him to death. Er’s widow (and Judah’s own daughter-in-law), 4 Tamar, gave birth to Judah’s youngest children, Perez and Zerah, giving Judah a total of five sons. 5 Perez fathered Hezron and Hamul. 6 Zerah fathered five sons: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara. 7 The son of Carmi (the grandson of Zimri) was Achar, the troublemaker in Israel who violated the ban against taking the spoils of Jericho. 8 The son of Ethan was Azariah.
9 King David descended from Perez’s first son. Hezron fathered Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. 10 Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, the leader of the tribe of Judah. 11 Nahshon’s son was Salma, who fathered Boaz. 12 Boaz fathered Obed, and Obed’s son was Jesse. Jesse had seven sons: 13 Eliab (his firstborn), Abinadab (the second), Shimea (the third), 14 Nethanel (the fourth), Raddai (the fifth), 15 Ozem (the sixth), and David (the seventh). 16 David had two sisters: Zeruiah and Abigail. The three sons of Zeruiah were Abshai, Joab, and Asahel. 17 Abigail married Jether the Ishmaelite and gave birth to Amasa.
18 Hezron’s son Caleb had sons by his wife, Azubah, and by Jerioth. Jerioth’s sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who gave birth to Hur. 20 Hur fathered Uri, and Uri’s son was Bezalel.
21 After that Hezron married the daughter of Machir (the father of Gilead) when he was 60 years old. She gave birth to Segub. 22 Segub fathered Jair, who had 23 cities in the land of Gilead. 23 But Geshur and Aram conquered the 23 cities of Jair and the villages of Kenath—60 cities total. The conquerors were the sons of Machir (the father of Gilead). 24 After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, Abijah (Hezron’s wife) gave birth to Ashhur, the leader of Tekoa.
25 Jerahmeel (the firstborn of Hezron) had five sons: Ram (the firstborn), Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife, Atarah, who gave birth to Onam. 27 Ram fathered Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. 28 Onam fathered Shammai and Jada. Shammai’s sons were Nadab and Abishur. 29 Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she gave birth to Ahban and Molid. 30 Nadab’s sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled died without sons, 31 but Appaim fathered Ishi. The son of Ishi was Sheshan, who fathered Ahlai. 32 Shammai’s brother, Jada, fathered Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without sons, but 33 Jonathan fathered Peleth and Zaza. They were the generation of Jerahmeel.[a] 34 Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, and he had a servant named Jarha, who was Egyptian.
Although many of the Jews’ female ancestors are influential in the development of the nation of Israel—women such as Rahab, Jael, and Deborah who perform feats even men are too faint of heart to accomplish—the men are the ones who build wealth and power over the generations. Because of the way inheritances work, only a son can continue his family’s lineage. When a father dies, his property is divided among his sons, with the first son inheriting a double portion of the assets. Daughters are typically married off and take on the identities of their husbands’ families; so when a man dies without any sons, his family line ends and his assets are disbursed to the nearest male relatives.
35 Sheshan married one daughter to Jarha (his Egyptian servant), and she gave birth to Attai. 36 Attai fathered Nathan, and here are the 11 generations that descended from Nathan: Zabad, 37 Ephlal, Obed, 38 Jehu, Azariah, 39 Helez, Eleasah, 40 Sismai, Shallum, 41 Jekamiah, and Elishama.
42 Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel and son of Hezron, fathered Mesha (his firstborn and the father of Ziph) and Mareshah (the father of Hebron). 43 Hebron fathered Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. 44 Shema’s son, Raham, fathered Jorkeam, and his brother Rekem fathered Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon fathered Bethzur. 46 Ephah (Caleb’s concubine) gave birth to Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran fathered Gazez. 47 The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. 48 Maacah (another of Caleb’s concubines) bore Sheber, Tirhanah, 49 Shaaph (the father of Madmannah), Sheva (the father of Machbena and Gibea), and a daughter, Achsah.
50 These were the generations of Caleb through Hur (the firstborn of Caleb’s second wife Ephrathah) were Shobal (the father of Kiriath-jearim), 51 Salma (the father of Bethlehem), and Hareph (the father of Beth-gader). 52 Shobal, the father of Kiriath-jearim governed Haroeh (half of the Manahathites) 53 and the families of Kiriath-jearim (the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites). From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. 54 Salma governed Bethlehem and the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, and the Zorites (half of the Manahathites). 55 Families of scribes lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. Those are the Kenites who came from Hammath (the father of Rechab).
8 So let me sum up what we’ve covered so far, for there is much we have said: we have a High Priest, a perfect Priest who sits in the place of honor in the highest heavens, at the right hand of the throne of the Majestic One, 2 a Minister within the heavenly sanctuary set up by the Lord, not by human hands.
3 As I have said, it is the role of every high priest to offer gifts and sacrifices to God, so clearly this Priest of ours must have something to offer as well. 4 If He were on earth, then He would not be a priest at all because there are already priests who can offer gifts according to the law of Moses 5 in a sanctuary that is only a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary. We know this because God admonished Moses as he set up the tent for the Lord’s sanctuary: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But now Jesus has taken on a new and improved priestly ministry; and in that respect, He has been made the Mediator of a better covenant established on better promises. 7 Remember, if the first covenant had been able to reconcile everyone to God, there would be no reason for a second covenant. 8 God found fault with the priests when He said through the prophet Jeremiah,
“Look! The time is coming,” the Eternal Lord says,
“when I will bring about a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
and led them out of slavery in the land of Egypt.
They did not remain faithful to that covenant,
so,” the Eternal One says, “I turned away from them.
10 But when those days are over,” the Eternal One says, “I will make
this kind of covenant with the people of Israel:
I will put My laws on their minds
and write them upon their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be My people.
11 In those days, they won’t need to teach each other My ways
or to say to each other, ‘Know the Eternal.’
In those days, all will know Me,
from the least to the greatest.
12 I will be merciful when they fail,
and I will erase their sins and wicked acts out of My memory
as though they had never existed.”[b]
13 With the words “a new covenant,” God made the first covenant old, and what is old and no longer effective will soon fade away completely.
2 Here is what the Eternal says about Moab, Ammon’s brother nation east of the Jordan:
Eternal One: For three crimes of Moab,
no for four, I have laid down My sentence and will not revoke it
Because they burned to ash the bones of the king of Edom,
believing this would prevent his resurrection.
2 So I will send down fire on Moab and burn down the fortresses of Kerioth,
where the people worship Chemosh.
Moab will be destroyed in an uproar,
with warriors screaming and war horns blaring,
3 And I will destroy their ruler,
along with all the officials who counsel him.
4 Here is what the Eternal says about Judah:
Eternal One: For three crimes of Judah,
no for four, I have laid down My sentence and will not revoke it
Because they have rejected the teachings of the Eternal One
and have not kept His commandments,
But they have walked away to follow the same lying idols
their ancestors pursued.
5 So I will send down fire on Judah
and burn down all the fortresses of Jerusalem.
6 Here, Israel, is what the Eternal says about your past and present behavior:
Eternal One: For three crimes of Israel,
no for four, I have laid down My sentence and will not revoke it
Because they have sold the right-living for silver
and the poor and their property for a pair of sandals.
7 They have trampled the heads of the weak into the dirt
and pushed the oppressed even further down.
A father and his son sleep with the same girl,
trampling My holy name in the process.
8 And the religious lie beside every altar
on garments taken as collateral from their debtors;
And in the house of their pagan god, they drink
wine bought with the fines they have imposed on others.
9 Still I destroyed all of Canaan’s Amorites before them,
those Canaanites who were as tall as the towering cedars,
as strong as the mighty oaks.
As entrenched as they were, I still destroyed their fruit above
and their roots underneath My promised land.
10 And I brought you up out of the land of Egypt
and led you safely through 40 years of wilderness wandering
to take possession of the land of the Amorites.
11 I took some of your children and raised them up as prophets,
and I called some of your youth to be Nazirites, set aside to My service.
Isn’t this true, people of Israel?
God’s very own people are forcing those who have dedicated their service to Him to abandon their calling. Here He renders His judgment on them.
So says the Eternal.
12 Eternal One: But you made the Nazirites break their vows and drink wine.
You told the prophets, “Don’t you dare prophesy!”
13 I will press you down beneath your enemies, just as a wagon full of fresh grain creaks
and groans beneath its own weight.
14 The swift will lose their speed; there will be no escape;
the strong will lose his strength; the warrior will not survive the battle;
15 The archer will not be able to stand his ground and aim his arrows.
Even the fastest runner will not escape, nor will the one who rides on horseback.
16 The bravest and strongest soldiers will throw down their weapons
and run naked for cover on that day.
So says the Eternal One.
Psalm 145[a]
A song of praise by David.
1 I will lift my praise above everything to You, my God and King!
I will continually bless Your name forever and always.
2 My praise will never cease—
I will praise You every day;
I will lift up Your name forever.
3 The Eternal is great and deserves endless praise;
His greatness knows no limit, recognizes no boundary.
No one can measure or comprehend His magnificence.
4 One generation after another will celebrate Your great works;
they will pass on the story of Your powerful acts to their children.
5 Your majesty and glorious splendor have captivated me;
I will meditate on Your wonders, sing songs of Your worth.
6 We confess—there is nothing greater than You, God, nothing mightier than Your awesome works.
I will tell of Your greatness as long as I have breath.
7 The news of Your rich goodness is no secret—
Your people love to recall it
and sing songs of joy to celebrate Your righteousness.
8 The Eternal is gracious.
He shows mercy to His people.
For Him anger does not come easily, but faithful love does—and it is rich and abundant.
9 But the Eternal’s goodness is not exclusive—it is offered freely to all.
His mercy extends to all His creation.
10 All creation will stand in awe of You, O Eternal One.
Thanks will pour from the mouths of every one of Your creatures;
Your holy people will bless You.
11 They will not be silent; they will talk of the grandeur of Your kingdom
and celebrate the wonder of Your power
12 Until everyone on earth who has ears to hear knows Your valiant acts
and the splendor of Your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom will never end;
Your rule will endure forever.
[You are faithful to Your promise,
and Your acts are marked with grace.][b]
14 The Eternal sustains all who stumble on their way.
For those who are broken down, God is near. He raises them up in hope.
15 All eyes have turned toward You, waiting in expectation;
when they are hungry, You feed them right on time.
16 The desires of every living thing
are met by Your open hand.
17 The Eternal is right in all His ways,
and He is kind in all His acts.
18 The Eternal stays close to those who call on Him,
those who pray sincerely.
19 All of you who revere Him—
God will satisfy your desires.
He hears the cries for help, and He brings salvation.
20 All of you who love God—
He will watch out for you,
but total destruction is around the corner for all the wicked.
21 My lips will sing the praise of the Eternal.
Let every creature join me and praise the holy name of God—forever and always!
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.