M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Tribes on the East Side of the Jordan River
32 The tribes of Reuben and Gad had very large herds and flocks. They looked at the lands of Jazer and Gilead. They saw that those lands were just right for livestock. 2 So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest. They also came to the leaders of the community. They said, 3 “We have seen the cities of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah and Heshbon. We’ve seen Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon. 4 All of them are in the land the Lord has brought under Israel’s control. This land is just right for livestock. And we have livestock. 5 We hope you are pleased with us,” they continued. “If you are, please give us this land. Then it will belong to us. But don’t make us go across the Jordan River.”
6 Moses spoke to the people of Gad and Reuben. He said, “Should the rest of us go to war while you stay here? 7 The Lord has given the land of Canaan to the Israelites. So why would you want to keep them from going over into it? 8 That’s what your fathers did. I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to check out the land. 9 They went up to the Valley of Eshkol and looked at the land. Then they talked the Israelites out of entering the land the Lord had given them. 10 The Lord’s anger was stirred up that day. So he made a promise. He said, 11 ‘Not one of those who were 20 years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land. They have not followed me with their whole heart. I promised to give the land to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 12 But not one of the people who came up out of Egypt will see the land except Caleb and Joshua. Caleb is the son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite. And Joshua is the son of Nun. They will see the land. They followed the Lord with their whole heart.’ 13 The Lord became very angry with Israel. He made them wander around in the desert for 40 years. They wandered until all the people who had done evil in his sight had died.
14 “Now here you are, you bunch of sinners! You have taken the place of your fathers. And you are making the Lord even angrier with Israel. 15 What if you turn away from following him? Then he’ll leave all these people in the desert again. And it will be your fault when they are destroyed.”
16 Then they came up to Moses. They said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock. We would also like to build cities for our women and children. 17 But we will prepare ourselves for battle. We’re even ready to go ahead of the Israelites. We’ll march out with them until we’ve brought them to their place. While we’re gone, our women and children will live in cities that have high walls around them. That will keep them safe from the people living in this land. 18 We won’t return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their share of the land. 19 We won’t receive any share with them on the west side of the Jordan River. We’ve already received our share here on the east side.”
20 Then Moses said to them, “Do what you have promised to do. Get ready to fight for the Lord. 21 Prepare yourselves and go across the Jordan River. Fight for the Lord until he has driven out his enemies in front of him. 22 When the land is under the Lord’s control, you can come back here. Your duty to the Lord and Israel will be over. Then the Lord will give you this land as your own.
23 “But what if you fail to do your duty? Then you will be sinning against the Lord. And you may be sure that your sin will be discovered. It will be brought out into the open. 24 So build up cities for your women and children. Make sheep pens for your flocks. But do what you have promised to do.”
25 The people of Gad and Reuben spoke to Moses. They said, “We will do just as you command. 26 Our children and wives will remain here in the cities of Gilead. So will our flocks and herds. 27 But we will prepare ourselves for battle. We’ll go across the Jordan River and fight for the Lord. We will do just as you have said.”
28 Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest. He gave the same orders to Joshua, the son of Nun. He also spoke to the family leaders of the Israelite tribes. 29 He said, “The men of Gad and Reuben must get ready for battle. They must go across the Jordan River with you. They must help you fight for the Lord. They must stay with you until the land has been brought under your control. If they do, you must give them the land of Gilead as their own. 30 But what if they don’t get ready for battle? What if they don’t go across the Jordan with you? Then they must accept a share with you in Canaan.”
31 The people of Gad and Reuben gave their answer. They said, “We will do what the Lord has said. 32 We’ll get ready for battle. We’ll go across the Jordan into Canaan. We’ll fight for the Lord there. But the property we receive will be on this side of the Jordan River.”
33 Then Moses gave their land to them. He gave it to the tribes of Gad and Reuben and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Manasseh was Joseph’s son. One part of that land had belonged to the kingdom of Sihon. He was the king of the Amorites. The other part had belonged to the kingdom of Og. He was the king of Bashan. Moses gave that whole land to those two and a half tribes. It included its cities and the territory around them.
34 The people of Gad built up the cities of Dibon, Ataroth and Aroer. 35 They built up Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran. They built a high wall around each of those cities. They also built sheep pens for their flocks. 37 The people of Reuben built up Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim. 38 They also built up Nebo, Baal Meon and Sibmah. They gave new names to the cities they had built up.
39 The people of Makir, the son of Manasseh, went to the land of Gilead. They captured it. They drove out the Amorites living there. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to the people of Makir, the son of Manasseh. And they settled there. 41 Jair was from the family line of Manasseh. Jair captured Gilead’s settlements. He called them Havvoth Jair. 42 Nobah captured Kenath and the settlements around it. He named it after himself.
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of Asaph.
77 I cried out to God for help.
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in trouble, I looked to the Lord for help.
During the night I lifted up my hands in prayer.
But I refused to be comforted.
3 God, I remembered you, and I groaned.
I thought about you, and I became weak.
4 You kept me from going to sleep.
I was so troubled I couldn’t speak.
5 I thought about days gone by.
I thought about the years of long ago.
6 I remembered how I used to sing praise to you in the night.
I thought about it, and here is what I asked myself.
7 “Will the Lord turn away from us forever?
Won’t he ever show us his kindness again?
8 Has his faithful love disappeared forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to help us?
Has he held back his tender love because he was angry?”
10 Then I thought, “Here is what gives me hope.
For many years the Most High God showed how powerful he is.
11 Lord, I will remember what you did.
Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will spend time thinking about everything you have done.
I will consider all your mighty acts.”
13 God, everything you do is holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who does miracles.
You show your power among the nations.
15 With your mighty arm you set your people free.
You set the children of Jacob and Joseph free.
16 God, the water of the Red Sea saw you.
It saw you and boiled up.
The deepest waters were stirred up.
17 The clouds poured down rain.
The skies rumbled with thunder.
Lightning flashed back and forth like arrows.
18 Your thunder was heard in the windstorm.
Your lightning lit up the world.
The earth trembled and shook.
19 Your path led through the Red Sea.
You walked through the mighty waters.
But your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock.
You led them by the hands of Moses and Aaron.
The Lord Will Destroy the Earth
24 The Lord is going to completely destroy everything on earth.
He will twist its surface.
He’ll scatter those who live on it.
2 Priests and people alike will suffer.
So will masters and their servants.
And so will women and their female servants.
Sellers and buyers alike will suffer.
So will those who borrow and those who lend.
And so will those who owe money and those who lend it.
3 The earth will be completely destroyed.
Everything of value will be taken out of it.
That’s what the Lord has said.
4 The earth will dry up completely.
The world will dry up and waste away.
The heavens will fade away along with the earth.
5 The earth is polluted by its people.
They haven’t obeyed the laws of the Lord.
They haven’t done what he told them to do.
They’ve broken the covenant that will last forever.
6 So the Lord will send a curse on the earth.
Its people will pay for what they’ve done.
They will be burned up.
Very few of them will be left.
7 The vines and fresh wine will dry up completely.
Those who used to have a good time will groan.
8 The happy sounds of tambourines will be gone.
The noise of those who enjoy wild parties will stop.
The joyful music of harps will become silent.
9 People will no longer sing as they drink wine.
Beer will taste bitter to those who drink it.
10 Destroyed cities will lie empty.
People will lock themselves inside their houses.
11 In the streets people will cry out for wine.
All joy will turn into sadness.
All joyful sounds will be driven out of the earth.
12 All the buildings will be knocked down.
Every city gate will be smashed to pieces.
13 That’s how it will be on the earth.
And that’s how it will be among the nations.
It will be as when workers knock all but a few olives off the trees.
It will be like a vine that has only a few grapes left after the harvest.
14 Those who are left alive will shout for joy.
People from the west will praise the Lord because he is the King.
15 So give glory to him, you who live in the east.
Honor the name of the Lord, you who are in the islands of the sea.
He is the God of Israel.
16 From one end of the earth to the other we hear singing.
People are saying,
“Give glory to the God who always does what is right.”
But I said, “I feel very bad.
I’m getting weaker and weaker.
How terrible it is for me!
People turn against one another.
They can’t be trusted.
So they turn against one another.”
17 Listen, you people of the earth.
Terror, a pit and a trap are waiting for you.
18 Anyone who runs away from the terror
will fall into the pit.
Anyone who climbs out of the pit
will be caught in the trap.
The Lord will open the windows of the skies.
He will flood the land.
The foundations of the earth will shake.
19 The earth will be broken up.
It will split open.
It will be shaken to pieces.
20 The earth will be unsteady like someone who is drunk.
It will sway like a tent in the wind.
Its sin will weigh so heavily on it that it will fall.
It will never get up again.
21 At that time the Lord will punish
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens above.
He will also punish the kings on the earth below.
22 They will be brought together
like prisoners in chains.
They’ll be locked up in prison.
After many days the Lord will punish them.
23 The Lord who rules over all will rule
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem.
The elders of the city will be there.
They will see his great glory.
His rule will be so glorious that the sun and moon
will be too ashamed to shine.
2 My dear children, I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. But suppose someone does sin. Then we have a friend who speaks to the Father for us. He is Jesus Christ, the Blameless One. 2 He gave his life to pay for our sins. But he not only paid for our sins. He also paid for the sins of the whole world.
Instructions About Loving and Hating Other Believers
3 We know that we have come to know God if we obey his commands. 4 Suppose someone says, “I know him.” But suppose this person does not do what God commands. Then this person is a liar and is not telling the truth. 5 But if anyone obeys God’s word, then that person truly loves God. Here is how we know we belong to him. 6 Those who claim to belong to him must live just as Jesus did.
7 Dear friends, I’m not writing you a new command. Instead, I’m writing one you have heard before. You have had it since the beginning. 8 But I am writing what amounts to a new command. Its truth was shown in how Jesus lived. It is also shown in how you live. That’s because the darkness is passing away. And the true light is already shining.
9 Suppose someone claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister. Then they are still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light. There is nothing in them to make them fall into sin. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness. They walk around in the darkness. They don’t know where they are going. The darkness has made them blind.
Reasons for Writing
12 Dear children, I’m writing to you
because your sins have been forgiven.
They have been forgiven because of what Jesus has done.
13 Fathers, I’m writing to you
because you know the one who is from the beginning.
Young men, I’m writing to you
because you have won the battle over the evil one.
14 Dear children, I’m writing to you
because you know the Father.
Fathers, I’m writing to you
because you know the one who is from the beginning.
Young men, I’m writing to you
because you are strong.
God’s word lives in you.
You have won the battle over the evil one.
Do Not Love the World
15 Do not love the world or anything in it. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful desires want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They take pride in what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. None of it comes from the Father. 17 The world and its evil desires are passing away. But whoever does what God wants them to do lives forever.
Warnings About Saying No to the Son
18 Dear children, we are living in the last days. You have heard that the great enemy of Christ is coming. But even now many enemies of Christ have already come. That’s how we know that these are the last days. 19 These enemies left our community of believers. They didn’t really belong to us. If they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But by leaving they showed that none of them belonged to us.
20 You have received the Spirit from the Holy One. And all of you know the truth. 21 I’m not writing to you because you don’t know the truth. I’m writing because you do know it. I’m writing to you because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. The person who says this is the great enemy of Christ. They say no to the Father and the Son. 23 The person who says no to the Son doesn’t belong to the Father. But anyone who says yes to the Son belongs to the Father also.
24 Make sure that you don’t forget what you have heard from the beginning. Then you will remain joined to the Son and to the Father. 25 And here is what God has promised us. He has promised us eternal life.
26 I’m writing these things to warn you. I am warning you about people trying to lead you astray. 27 But you have received the Holy Spirit from God. He continues to live in you. So you don’t need anyone to teach you. God’s Spirit teaches you about everything. What he says is true. He doesn’t lie. Remain joined to Christ, just as you have been taught by the Spirit.
God’s Children and Sin
28 Dear children, remain joined to Christ. Then when he comes, we can be bold. We will not be ashamed to meet him when he comes.
29 You know that God is right and always does what is right. And you know that everyone who does what is right is God’s child.
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