M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord’s Covenant with David
17 When David(A) had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a cedar house while the ark of the Lord’s covenant is under tent curtains.”(B)
2 So Nathan told David, “Do all that is on your heart, for God is with you.”
3 But that night(C) the word of God came to Nathan: 4 “Go to David My servant and say, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build Me a house to dwell in.(D) 5 From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until today I have not lived in a house; instead, I have moved from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle.(E) 6 In all My travels throughout Israel, have I ever spoken a word to even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, asking: Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’(F)
7 “Now this is what you will say to My servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture and from following the sheep to be ruler over My people Israel.(G) 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a name for you like that of the greatest in the land. 9 I will establish a place for My people Israel and plant them,(H) so that they may live there and not be disturbed again. Evildoers will not continue to oppress them as they formerly have 10 ever since the day I ordered judges to be over My people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.
“‘Furthermore, I declare to you that the Lord Himself will build a house for you. 11 When your time comes to be with your fathers, I will raise up after you your descendant, who is one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He will build a house for Me,(I) and I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me.(J) I will not take away My faithful love from him as I took it from the one who was before you.(K) 14 I will appoint him over My house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.’”(L)
15 Nathan reported all these words and this entire vision to David.
David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
16 Then(M) King David went in, sat in the Lord’s presence, and said,
Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? 17 This was a little thing to You,[a] God, for You have spoken about Your servant’s house in the distant future. You regard me as a man of distinction,[b] Lord God. 18 What more can David say to You for honoring Your servant? You know Your servant. 19 Lord, You have done all this greatness, making known all these great promises because of Your servant and according to Your will.(N) 20 Lord, there is no one like You, and there is no God besides You, as all we have heard confirms. 21 And who is like Your people Israel? God, You came to one nation on earth to redeem a people for Yourself, to make a name for Yourself through great and awesome works by driving out nations before Your people You redeemed from Egypt.(O) 22 You made Your people Israel Your own people forever, and You, Lord, have become their God.(P)
23 Now, Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house be confirmed forever, and do as You have promised. 24 Let Your name be confirmed and magnified forever in the saying, “Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.” May the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25 Since You, my God, have revealed to[c](Q) Your servant that You will build him a house, Your servant has found courage to pray in Your presence. 26 Yahweh, You indeed are God, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. 27 So now, You have been pleased to bless Your servant’s house that it may continue before You forever. For You, Lord, have blessed it, and it is blessed forever.
Proud or Humble
4 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings(A) that are at war within you?[a] 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.(B)
4 Adulteresses![b][c] Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.(C) 5 Or do you think it’s without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?[d](D)
6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says:
7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.(F) 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!(G) 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.(H) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11 Don’t criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.(I) 12 There is one lawgiver and judge[f] who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?(J)
Our Will and His Will
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”(K) 14 You don’t even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.(L)
15 Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.(M) 17 So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn’t do it.(N)
Jonah’s Flight
1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai:(A) 2 “Get up!(B) Go to the great city(C) of Nineveh(D) and preach against it,(E) because their wickedness(F) has confronted[a] Me.”(G) 3 However, Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish(H) from the Lord’s presence.(I) He went down(J) to Joppa(K) and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish, from the Lord’s presence.
4 Then the Lord hurled(L) a violent wind on the sea,(M) and such a violent storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart. 5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god.(N) They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load.(O) Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.(P)
6 The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god.[b](Q) Maybe this god will consider us,(R) and we won’t perish.”
7 “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots.(S) Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.(T) 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.(U) What is your business(V) and where are you from? What is your country and what people are you from?”
9 He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew.(W) I worship[c] Yahweh,(X) the God of the heavens,(Y) who made the sea(Z) and the dry land.”
10 Then the men were even more afraid and said to him, “What is this you’ve done?” The men knew he was fleeing from the Lord’s presence,(AA) because he had told them. 11 So they said to him, “What should we do to you to calm this sea that’s against us?” For the sea was getting worse and worse.
12 He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea[d] so it may quiet down for you, for I know that I’m to blame(AB) for this violent storm that is against you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.
14 So they called out to the Lord:(AC) “Please, Yahweh, don’t let us perish because of this man’s life, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For You, Yahweh, have done just as You pleased.”(AD) 15 Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging.(AE) 16 The men feared the Lord(AF) even more, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.(AG)
17 [e]Now the Lord had appointed a huge fish(AH) to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in[f] the fish three days and three nights.(AI)
Lord of the Sabbath
6 On a Sabbath,[a] He passed through the grainfields.(A) His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. 2 But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David and those who were with him did when he was hungry— 4 how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the sacred bread, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?(B) He even gave some to those who were with him.”(C) 5 Then He told them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
The Man with the Paralyzed Hand
6 On another Sabbath(D) He entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was paralyzed. 7 The scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely,(E) to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against Him.(F) 8 But He knew their thoughts(G) and told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Get up and stand here.”[b] So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to destroy it?”(H) 10 After looking around at them all,(I) He told him, “Stretch out your hand.”(J) He did so, and his hand was restored.[c] 11 They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.
The 12 Apostles
12 During those days He went out to the mountain to pray(K) and spent all night in prayer to God. 13 When daylight came, He summoned His disciples,(L) and He chose 12 of them—He also named them apostles:(M)
14 Simon, whom He also named Peter,
and Andrew his brother;
James and John;
Philip and Bartholomew;
15 Matthew and Thomas;(N)
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon called the Zealot;
16 Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Teaching and Healing
17 After coming down with them, He stood on a level place with a large crowd of His disciples and a great number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon.(O) 18 They came to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those tormented by unclean spirits were made well. 19 The whole crowd was trying to touch Him,(P) because power was coming out from Him and healing them all.(Q)
The Beatitudes
20 Then looking up at[d] His disciples, He said:(R)
You who are poor are blessed,
because the kingdom of God is yours.
21 You who are now hungry are blessed,
because you will be filled.
You who now weep are blessed,
because you will laugh.
22 You are blessed when people hate you,
when they exclude you,(S) insult you,
and slander your name as evil(T)
because of the Son of Man.(U)
23 “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! Take note—your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.(V)
Woe to the Self-Satisfied
24 But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your comfort.
25 Woe to you who are now full,
for you will be hungry.
Woe to you[e] who are now laughing,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you[f]
when all people speak well of you,
for this is the way their ancestors
used to treat the false prophets.(W)
Love Your Enemies
27 “But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.(X) 29 If anyone hits you on the cheek,(Y) offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and from one who takes your things, don’t ask for them back. 31 Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.(Z) 32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.(AA) 33 If you do what is good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you?(AB) Even sinners lend to sinners to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.(AC) For He is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.(AD)
Do Not Judge
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged.(AE) Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.(AF) 38 Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap.(AG) For with the measure you use,[g] it will be measured back to you.”(AH)
39 He also told them a parable: “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?(AI) 40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.(AJ)
41 “Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye.
A Tree and Its Fruit
43 “A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit; on the other hand, a bad tree doesn’t produce good fruit.(AK) 44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs aren’t gathered from thornbushes, or grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 A good man produces good out of the good storeroom of his heart. An evil man produces evil out of the evil storeroom, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
The Two Foundations
46 “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?(AL) 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them:(AM) 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep[h] and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The river crashed against it, and immediately it collapsed. And the destruction of that house was great!”(AN)
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