M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Obey the Lord
4 Now, Israel, listen to the rules and laws I’m going to teach you. Obey them and you will live. You will go in and take over the land. The Lord was the God of your people of long ago. He’s giving you the land. 2 Don’t add to what I’m commanding you. Don’t subtract from it either. Instead, obey the commands of the Lord your God that I’m giving you.
3 Your own eyes saw what the Lord your God did at Baal Peor. He destroyed every one of your people who worshiped the Baal that was worshiped at Peor. 4 But all of you who remained true to the Lord your God are still alive today.
5 I have taught you rules and laws, just as the Lord my God commanded me. Obey them in the land you are entering to take as your very own. 6 Be careful to keep them. That will show the nations how wise and understanding you are. They will hear about all these rules. They’ll say, “That great nation certainly has wise and understanding people.” 7 The Lord our God is near us every time we pray to him. What other nation is great enough to have its gods that close to them? 8 I’m giving you the laws of the Lord today. What other nation is great enough to have rules and laws as fair as these?
9 Don’t be careless. Instead, be very careful. Don’t forget the things your eyes have seen. As long as you live, don’t let them slip from your mind. Teach them to your children and their children after them. 10 Remember the day you stood at Mount Horeb. The Lord your God was there. He said to me, “Bring the people to me to hear my words. I want them to learn to have respect for me as long as they live in the land. I want them to teach my words to their children.” 11 You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain. It blazed with fire that reached as high as the very heavens. There were black clouds and deep darkness. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of his words. But you didn’t see any shape or form. You only heard a voice. 13 He announced his covenant to you. That covenant is the Ten Commandments. He commanded you to obey them. Then he wrote them down on two stone tablets. 14 At that time the Lord directed me to teach you his rules and laws. You must obey them in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to take as your own.
Don’t Make or Worship Statues of Gods
15 The Lord spoke to you at Mount Horeb out of the fire. But you didn’t see any shape or form that day. So be very careful. 16 Make sure you don’t commit a horrible sin. Don’t make for yourselves a statue of a god. Don’t make a god that looks like a man or woman or anything else. 17 Don’t make one that looks like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the sky. 18 Don’t make a statue that looks like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish that swims in the water. 19 When you look up at the heavens, you will see the sun and moon. And you will see huge numbers of stars. Don’t let anyone tempt you to bow down to the sun, moon or stars. Don’t worship things the Lord your God has provided for all the nations on earth. 20 Egypt was like a furnace that melts iron down and makes it pure. But the Lord took you and brought you out of Egypt. He wanted you to be his very own people. And that’s exactly what you are.
21 The Lord was angry with me because of what you did. He promised that he would never let me go across the Jordan River. He promised that I would never enter that good land. It’s the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own. 22 I’ll die here in this land. I won’t go across the Jordan. But you are about to cross over it. You will take that good land as your own. 23 Be careful. Don’t forget the covenant the Lord your God made with you. Don’t make for yourselves a statue of any god at all. He has told you not to. So don’t do it. 24 The Lord your God is like a fire that burns everything up. He wants you to worship only him.
25 So don’t make a statue of a god. Don’t commit that horrible sin. Don’t do it even after you have had children and grandchildren. Don’t do it even after you have lived in the land a long time. If you do, that will be an evil thing in the sight of the Lord your God. You will make him angry. 26 Today I’m calling out to the heavens and the earth to be witnesses against you. Suppose you do these things. Then you will quickly die in the land you are going across the Jordan River to take over. You won’t live there very long. You will certainly be destroyed. 27 The Lord will drive you out of your land. He will scatter you among the nations. Only a few of you will remain alive there. 28 There you will worship gods that men have made out of wood and stone. Those gods can’t see, hear, eat or smell. 29 Perhaps while you are there, you will seek the Lord your God. You will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 All the things I’ve told you about might happen to you. And you will be in trouble. But later you will return to the Lord your God. You will obey him. 31 The Lord your God is tender and loving. He won’t leave you or destroy you. He won’t forget the covenant he made with your people of long ago. He gave his word when he made it.
The Lord Is God
32 Ask now about the days of long ago. Find out what happened long before your time. Ask about what has happened since the time God created human beings on the earth. Ask from one end of the world to the other. Has anything as great as this ever happened? Has anything like it ever been heard of? 33 You heard the voice of God speaking out of fire. And you lived! Has that happened to any other people? 34 Has any god ever tried to take one nation out of another to be his own? Has any god done it by testing his people? Has any god done it with signs and amazing deeds or with war? Has any god reached out his mighty hand and powerful arm? Or has any god shown his people his great and wonderful acts? The Lord your God did all those things for you in Egypt. With your very own eyes you saw him do them.
35 The Lord showed you those things so that you might know he is God. There is no other God except him. 36 From heaven he made you hear his voice. He wanted to teach you. On earth he showed you his great fire. You heard his words coming out of the fire. 37 He loved your people of long ago. He chose their children after them. So he brought you out of Egypt. He used his great strength to do it. 38 He drove out nations to make room for you. They were greater and stronger than you are. He will bring you into their land. He wants to give it to you as your very own. The whole land is as good as yours right now.
39 The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Today you must agree with that and take it to heart. There is no other God. 40 I’m giving you his rules and commands today. Obey them. Then things will go well with you and your children after you. You will live a long time in the land. The Lord your God is giving you the land for all time to come.
Cities to Run to for Safety
41 Then Moses set apart three cities east of the Jordan River. 42 Suppose someone killed a person they didn’t hate and without meaning to do it. That person could run to one of those cities and stay alive. 43 Here are the names of the cities. Bezer was for the people of Reuben. It was in the high plains in the desert. Ramoth was for the people of Gad. It was in Gilead. Golan was for the people of Manasseh. It was in Bashan.
Moses Gives the Law to Israel
44 Here is the law Moses gave the Israelites. 45 Here are its terms, rules and laws. Moses gave them to the people when they came out of Egypt. 46 They were now east of the Jordan River in the valley near Beth Peor. They were in the land of Sihon, the king of the Amorites. He ruled in Heshbon. But Moses and the Israelites won the battle over him after we came out of Egypt. 47 They captured his land and made it their own. They also took the land of Og, the king of Bashan. Sihon and Og were the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. 48 Their land reached from Aroer on the rim of the Arnon River valley to Mount Hermon. 49 It included the whole Arabah Valley east of the Jordan. It included land all the way to the Dead Sea below the slopes of Pisgah.
A prayer of David.
86 Lord, hear me and answer me.
I am poor and needy.
2 Keep my life safe, because I am faithful to you.
Save me, because I trust in you.
You are my God.
3 Lord, have mercy on me.
I call out to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to me.
Lord, I put my trust in you.
5 Lord, you are forgiving and good.
You are full of love for all who call out to you.
6 Lord, hear my prayer.
Listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I’m in trouble, I will call out to you.
And you will answer me.
8 Lord, there’s no one like you among the gods.
No one can do what you do.
9 Lord, all the nations you have made
will come and worship you.
They will bring glory to you.
10 You are great. You do wonderful things.
You alone are God.
11 Lord, teach me how you want me to live.
Do this so that I will depend on you, my faithful God.
Give me a heart that doesn’t want anything
more than to worship you.
12 Lord my God, I will praise you with all my heart.
I will bring glory to you forever.
13 Great is your love for me.
You have kept me from going down into the place of the dead.
14 God, proud people are attacking me.
A gang of mean people is trying to kill me.
They don’t care about you.
15 But Lord, you are a God who is tender and kind.
You are gracious.
You are slow to get angry.
You are faithful and full of love.
16 Come to my aid and have mercy on me.
Show your strength by helping me.
Save me because I serve you just as my mother did.
17 Prove your goodness to me.
Then my enemies will see it and be put to shame.
Lord, you have helped me and given me comfort.
A psalm of the Sons of Korah. A song.
87 The Lord has built his city
on the holy mountain.
2 He loves the city of Zion
more than all the other places
where the people of Jacob live.
3 City of God,
the Lord says glorious things about you.
4 He says, “I will include Egypt and Babylon
in a list of nations who recognize me as king.
I will also include Philistia and Tyre, along with Cush.
I will say about them, ‘They were born in Zion.’ ”
5 Certainly it will be said about Zion,
“This nation and that nation were born in it.
The Most High God himself will make it secure.”
6 Here is what the Lord will write in his list of the nations.
“Each of them was born in Zion.”
7 As they make music they will sing,
“Zion, all our blessings come from you.”
The King Who Will Do What Is Right
32 A king will come who will do what is right.
His officials will govern fairly.
2 Each official will be like a place to get out of the wind.
He will be like a place to hide from storms.
He’ll be like streams of water flowing in the desert.
He’ll be like the shadow of a huge rock in a dry and thirsty land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see won’t be closed anymore.
The ears of those who hear will listen to the truth.
4 People who are afraid will know and understand.
Tongues that stutter will speak clearly.
5 Foolish people won’t be considered noble anymore.
Those who are worthless won’t be highly respected.
6 Foolish people say foolish things.
Their minds are set on doing evil things.
They don’t do what is right.
They tell lies about the Lord.
They don’t give hungry people any food.
They don’t let thirsty people have any water.
7 Those who are worthless use sinful methods.
They make evil plans against poor people.
They destroy them with their lies.
They do it even when those people are right.
8 But those who are noble make noble plans.
And by doing noble things they succeed.
The Sinful Women in Jerusalem
9 You women who are so contented,
pay attention to me.
You who feel so secure,
listen to what I have to say.
10 You feel secure now.
But in a little over a year you will tremble with fear.
The grape harvest will fail.
There won’t be any fruit.
11 So tremble, you contented women.
Tremble with fear, you who feel so secure.
Take off your fine clothes.
Wrap yourselves in rags.
12 Beat your chests to show how sad you are.
The pleasant fields have been destroyed.
The fruitful vines have dried up.
13 My people’s land is overgrown with thorns and bushes.
Mourn for all the houses that were once filled with joy.
Cry over this city that used to be full of wild parties.
14 The royal palace will be left empty.
The noisy city will be deserted.
The fort and lookout tower will become
a dry and empty desert forever.
Donkeys will enjoy being there.
Flocks will eat there.
15 That will continue until the Holy Spirit
is poured out on us from heaven.
Then the desert will be turned into rich farm lands.
The rich farm lands will seem like a forest.
16 In the desert, the Lord will make sure people do what is right.
In the rich farm lands he will make sure they treat one another fairly.
17 Doing what is right will bring peace and rest.
When my people do that, they will stay calm
and trust in the Lord forever.
18 They will live in a peaceful land.
Their homes will be secure.
They will enjoy peace and quiet.
19 Hail might strip the forests bare.
Cities might be completely destroyed.
20 But how blessed you people will be!
You will plant your seeds by every stream.
You will let your cattle and donkeys
wander anywhere they want to.
The Letter to the Church in Ephesus
2 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Ephesus.
Here are the words of Jesus, who holds the seven stars in his right hand. He also walks among the seven golden lampstands. He says,
2 ‘I know what you are doing. You work long and hard. I know you can’t put up with evil people. You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not. You have found out that they are liars. 3 You have been faithful and have put up with a lot of trouble because of me. You have not given up.
4 ‘But here is something I hold against you. You have turned away from the love you had at first. 5 Think about how far you have fallen! Turn away from your sins. Do the things you did at first. If you don’t, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you do have this in your favor. You hate the way the Nicolaitans act. I hate it too.
7 ‘Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will let that person eat from the tree of life in God’s paradise.’
The Letter to the Church in Smyrna
8 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Smyrna.
Here are the words of Jesus, who is the First and the Last. He is the one who died and came to life again. He says,
9 ‘I know that you suffer and are poor. But you are rich! Some people say they are Jews but are not. I know that their words are evil. Their worship comes from Satan. 10 Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you. You will be treated badly for ten days. Be faithful, even if it means you must die. Then I will give you life as your crown of victory.
11 ‘Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will not let that person be hurt at all by the second death.’
The Letter to the Church in Pergamum
12 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Pergamum.
Here are the words of Jesus, who has the sharp sword with two edges. He says,
13 ‘I know that you live where Satan has his throne. But you remain faithful to me. You did not give up your faith in me. You didn’t give it up even in the days of Antipas. Antipas, my faithful witness, was put to death in your city, where Satan lives.
14 ‘But I have a few things against you. Some of your people follow the teaching of Balaam. He taught Balak to lead the people of Israel into sin. So they ate food that had been offered to statues of gods. And they committed sexual sins. 15 You also have people who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 So turn away from your sins! If you don’t, I will come to you soon. I will fight against those people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.
17 ‘Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches. Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will give that person hidden manna to eat. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it. Only the one who receives this name will know what it is.’
The Letter to the Church in Thyatira
18 “Here is what I command you to write to the church in Thyatira.
Here are the words of the Son of God. He is Jesus, whose eyes are like blazing fire. His feet are like polished bronze. He says,
19 ‘I know what you are doing. I know your love and your faith. I know how well you have served. I know you don’t give up easily. In fact, you are doing more now than you did at first.
20 ‘But here is what I have against you. You put up with that woman Jezebel. She calls herself a prophet. With her teaching, she has led my servants into sexual sin. She has tricked them into eating food offered to statues of gods. 21 I’ve given her time to turn away from her sinful ways. But she doesn’t want to. 22 She lay down to commit her sin so I will make her lie down in suffering. Those who commit adultery with her will suffer greatly too. Their only way out is to turn away from what she taught them to do. 23 I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I search hearts and minds. I will pay each of you back for what you have done.
24 ‘I won’t ask the rest of you in Thyatira to do anything else. You don’t follow the teaching of Jezebel. You haven’t learned what some people call Satan’s deep secrets. 25 Just hold on to what you have until I come.
26 ‘Here is what I will do for anyone who has victory over sin. I will do it for anyone who carries out my plans to the end. I will give that person authority over the nations. 27 It is written, “They will rule them with an iron scepter. They will break them to pieces like clay pots.” (Psalm 2:9) Their authority is like the authority I’ve received from my Father. 28 I will also give the morning star to all who have victory. 29 Whoever has ears should listen to what the Holy Spirit says to the churches.’
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