M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Israel Urged to Obey God’s Law
4 “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which (A)I am teaching you to perform, so that (B)you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 (C)You shall not add to the word which (D)I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 3 (E)Your eyes have seen what the Lord has done in the case of Baal-peor, for all the men who followed Baal-peor, the Lord your God has destroyed [a]them from among you. 4 But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you.
5 “See, I have taught you statutes and judgments (F)just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it. 6 So keep and do them, (G)for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For (H)what great nation is there that has a god (I)so near to it as is the Lord our God (J)whenever we call on Him? 8 Or what great nation is there that has (K)statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?
9 “Only (L)give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart (M)all the days of your life; but (N)make them known to your sons and your grandsons. 10 Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words (O)so they may learn to [b]fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may (P)teach their children.’ 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, (Q)and the mountain burned with fire to the very heart of the heavens: darkness, cloud and thick gloom. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you from the midst of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form—only a voice. 13 So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, that is, (R)the Ten [c]Commandments; and (S)He wrote them on two tablets of stone. 14 The Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it.
15 “So (T)watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any (U)form on the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire, 16 so that you do not (V)act corruptly and (W)make a graven image for yourselves in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of (X)any winged bird that flies in the sky, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water below the earth. 19 And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, (Y)all the host of heaven, (Z)and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of (AA)the iron furnace, from Egypt, to (AB)be a people for His own possession, as today.
21 “(AC)Now the Lord was angry with me on your account, and swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. 22 For (AD)I will die in this land, I shall not cross the Jordan, but you shall cross and take possession of this (AE)good land. 23 So watch yourselves, (AF)that you do not forget the covenant of the Lord your God which He made with you, and (AG)make for yourselves a graven image in the form of anything against which the Lord your God has commanded you. 24 For the Lord your God is a (AH)consuming fire, a (AI)jealous God.
25 “When you [d]become the father of children and children’s children and have remained long in the land, and (AJ)act corruptly, and (AK)make an [e]idol in the form of anything, and (AL)do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord your God so as to provoke Him to anger, 26 I (AM)call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will (AN)surely perish quickly from the land where you are going over the Jordan to possess it. You shall not [f]live long on it, but will be utterly destroyed. 27 The Lord will (AO)scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you. 28 (AP)There you will serve gods, the work of man’s hands, (AQ)wood and stone, (AR)which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell. 29 (AS)But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him (AT)with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you (AU)are in distress and all these things have come upon you, (AV)in the latter days (AW)you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. 31 For the Lord your God is a (AX)compassionate God; (AY)He will not fail you nor (AZ)destroy you nor (BA)forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.
32 “Indeed, (BB)ask now concerning the former days which were before you, since the (BC)day that God created [g]man on the earth, and inquire (BD)from one end of the heavens to the other. (BE)Has anything been done like this great thing, or has anything been heard like it? 33 (BF)Has any people heard the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you have heard it, and survived? 34 (BG)Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation (BH)by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and (BI)by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, [h]as the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; (BJ)there is no other besides Him. 36 (BK)Out of the heavens He let you hear His voice (BL)to discipline you; and on earth He let you see His great fire, and you heard His words from the midst of the fire. 37 [i](BM)Because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose [j]their descendants after them. And He [k](BN)personally brought you from Egypt by His great power, 38 driving out from before you nations greater and mightier than you, to bring you in and (BO)to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is today. 39 Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that (BP)the Lord, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other. 40 (BQ)So you shall keep His statutes and His commandments which I am [l]giving you today, that (BR)it may go well with you and with your children after you, and (BS)that you may [m]live long on the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”
41 (BT)Then Moses set apart three cities across the Jordan to the [n]east, 42 that a manslayer might flee there, who unintentionally slew his neighbor without having enmity toward him in time past; and by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43 (BU)Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, and Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
44 Now this is the law which Moses set before the sons of Israel; 45 these are the testimonies and the statutes and the ordinances which Moses spoke to the sons of Israel, when they came out from Egypt, 46 across the Jordan, in the valley (BV)opposite Beth-peor, in the land of (BW)Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon, whom Moses and the sons of Israel [o]defeated when they came out from Egypt. 47 They took possession of his land and the land of (BX)Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were across the Jordan to the [p]east, 48 from (BY)Aroer, which is on the edge of the [q]valley of Arnon, even as far as (BZ)Mount Sion (that is, Hermon), 49 with all the Arabah across the Jordan to the east, even as far as the sea of the Arabah, [r]at the foot of the slopes of Pisgah.
A Psalm of Supplication and Trust.
A Prayer of David.
86 (A)Incline Your ear, O Lord, and answer me;
For I am (B)afflicted and needy.
2 (C)Preserve my [a]soul, for I am a (D)godly man;
O You my God, save Your servant who (E)trusts in You.
3 Be (F)gracious to me, O Lord,
For (G)to You I cry all day long.
4 Make glad the soul of Your servant,
For to You, O Lord, (H)I lift up my soul.
5 For You, Lord, are (I)good, and (J)ready to forgive,
And (K)abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.
6 (L)Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And give heed to the voice of my supplications!
7 In (M)the day of my trouble I shall call upon You,
For (N)You will answer me.
8 There is (O)no one like You among the gods, O Lord,
Nor are there any works (P)like Yours.
9 (Q)All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord,
And they shall glorify Your name.
10 For You are (R)great and (S)do [b]wondrous deeds;
You alone (T)are God.
11 (U)Teach me Your way, O Lord;
I will walk in Your truth;
(V)Unite my heart to fear Your name.
12 I will (W)give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,
And will glorify Your name forever.
13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great,
And You have (X)delivered my soul from the [c]depths of [d]Sheol.
14 O God, arrogant men have (Y)risen up against me,
And [e]a band of violent men have sought my [f]life,
And they have not set You before them.
15 But You, O Lord, are a God (Z)merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and [g]truth.
16 (AA)Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Oh (AB)grant Your strength to Your servant,
And save the (AC)son of Your handmaid.
17 (AD)Show me a sign for good,
That those who hate me may (AE)see it and be ashamed,
Because You, O Lord, (AF)have helped me and comforted me.
The Privileges of Citizenship in Zion.
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. A Song.
87 His (AG)foundation is in the holy mountains.
2 The Lord (AH)loves the gates of Zion
More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.
3 (AI)Glorious things are spoken of you,
O (AJ)city of God. [h]Selah.
4 “I shall mention [i](AK)Rahab and Babylon [j]among those who know Me;
Behold, Philistia and (AL)Tyre with [k](AM)Ethiopia:
‘This one was born there.’”
5 But of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in her”;
And the Most High Himself will (AN)establish her.
6 The Lord will count when He (AO)registers the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah.
7 Then those who (AP)sing as well as those who [l](AQ)play the flutes shall say,
“All my (AR)springs of joy are in you.”
The Glorious Future
32 Behold, a (A)king will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
2 Each will be like a (B)refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like [a](C)streams of water in a dry country,
Like the (D)shade of a [b]huge rock in [c]a parched land.
3 Then (E)the eyes of those who see will not be [d]blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The [e]mind of the (F)hasty will discern the [f]truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
5 No longer will the (G)fool be called noble,
Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
6 For a fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart [g](H)inclines toward wickedness:
To practice (I)ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord,
To [h](J)keep the hungry person unsatisfied
And [i]to withhold drink from the thirsty.
7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;
He (K)devises wicked schemes
To (L)destroy the afflicted with [j]slander,
(M)Even though the needy one speaks [k]what is right.
8 But (N)the noble man devises noble plans;
And by noble plans he stands.
9 Rise up, you (O)women who are at ease,
And hear my voice;
(P)Give ear to my word,
You complacent daughters.
10 Within a year and a few days
You will be troubled, O complacent daughters;
(Q)For the vintage is ended,
And the fruit gathering will not come.
11 Tremble, you women who are at ease;
(R)Be troubled, you complacent daughters;
(S)Strip, undress and put sackcloth on your waist,
12 (T)Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine,
13 (U)For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up;
Yea, for all the joyful houses and for the (V)jubilant city.
14 Because (W)the palace has been abandoned, the [l]populated (X)city forsaken.
[m]Hill and watch-tower have become (Y)caves forever,
A delight for (Z)wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks;
15 Until the (AA)Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,
And the wilderness becomes a (AB)fertile field,
And the fertile field is considered as a forest.
16 Then (AC)justice will dwell in the wilderness
And righteousness will abide in the fertile field.
17 And the (AD)work of righteousness will be peace,
And the service of righteousness, (AE)quietness and [n]confidence forever.
18 Then my people will live in a (AF)peaceful habitation,
And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed (AG)resting places;
19 And it will (AH)hail when the (AI)forest comes down,
And (AJ)the city will be utterly laid low.
20 How (AK)blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,
Who [o]let out freely the ox and the donkey.
Message to Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in (A)Ephesus write:
The One who holds (B)the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks [a](C)among the seven golden lampstands, says this:
2 ‘(D)I know your deeds and your toil and [b]perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you (E)put to the test those who call themselves (F)apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have [c]perseverance and have endured (G)for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have (H)left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and (I)repent and (J)do the [d]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your (K)lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the (L)Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 (M)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (N)To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of (O)the tree of life which is in the (P)Paradise of God.’
Message to Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in (Q)Smyrna write:
(R)The first and the last, who [e](S)was dead, and has come to life, says this:
9 ‘I know your (T)tribulation and your (U)poverty (but you are (V)rich), and the blasphemy by those who (W)say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of (X)Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be (Y)tested, and you will have tribulation (Z)for ten days. [f]Be (AA)faithful until death, and I will give you (AB)the crown of life. 11 (AC)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AD)He who overcomes will not be hurt by the (AE)second death.’
Message to Pergamum
12 “And to the angel of the church in (AF)Pergamum write:
The One who has (AG)the sharp two-edged sword says this:
13 ‘I know where you dwell, where (AH)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny (AI)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My (AJ)witness, My (AK)faithful one, who was killed among you, (AL)where Satan dwells. 14 But (AM)I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the (AN)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, (AO)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the (AP)Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore (AQ)repent; or else (AR)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with (AS)the sword of My mouth. 17 (AT)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AU)To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden (AV)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a (AW)new name written on the stone (AX)which no one knows but he who receives it.’
Message to Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in (AY)Thyatira write:
(AZ)The Son of God, (BA)who has [g]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:
19 ‘(BB)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and [h]perseverance, and that your [i]deeds of late are greater than [j]at first. 20 But (BC)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman (BD)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they (BE)commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 (BF)I gave her time to repent, and she (BG)does not want to repent of her immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her [k]on a bed of sickness, and those who (BH)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [l]her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with [m]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who (BI)searches the [n]minds and hearts; and (BJ)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in (BK)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the (BL)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I (BM)place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless (BN)what you have, hold fast (BO)until I come. 26 (BP)He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds (BQ)until the end, (BR)to him I will give authority over the [o]nations; 27 and he shall [p](BS)rule them with a rod of iron, (BT)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him (BU)the morning star. 29 (BV)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.