M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Guile of the Gibeonites
9 Now it came about when (A)all the kings who were beyond the Jordan, in the hill country and in the lowland and on all the (B)coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon, (C)the Hittite and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, heard of it, 2 that they gathered themselves together with [a](D)one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel.
3 When the inhabitants of (E)Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, 4 they also acted craftily and [b]set out as envoys, and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys, and wineskins worn-out and torn and [c]mended, 5 and worn-out and patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and had become crumbled. 6 They went to Joshua to the (F)camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a covenant with us.” 7 The men of Israel said to the (G)Hivites, “Perhaps you are living [d]within our land; (H)how then shall we make a covenant with you?” 8 But they said to Joshua, “(I)We are your servants.” Then Joshua said to them, “Who are you and where do you come from?” 9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from (J)a very far country because of the [e]fame of the Lord your God; for (K)we have heard the report of Him and all that He did in Egypt, 10 and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon and to Og king of Bashan who was at Ashtaroth. 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them and say to them, “(L)We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us.”’ 12 This our bread was warm when we took it for our provisions out of our houses on the day that we left to come to you; but now behold, it is dry and has become crumbled. 13 These wineskins which we filled were new, and behold, they are torn; and these our clothes and our sandals are worn out because of the very long journey.” 14 So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and (M)did not ask for the [f]counsel of the Lord. 15 (N)Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.
16 It came about at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were neighbors and that they were living [g]within their land. 17 Then the sons of Israel set out and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were (O)Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kiriath-jearim. 18 The sons of Israel did not strike them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord the God of Israel. And the whole congregation grumbled against the leaders. 19 But all the leaders said to the whole congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we cannot touch them. 20 This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be upon us for the oath which we swore to them.” 21 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became (P)hewers of wood and drawers of water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them.
22 Then Joshua called for them and spoke to them, saying, “Why have you deceived us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ (Q)when you are living [h]within our land? 23 Now therefore, you are (R)cursed, and [i]you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.” 24 So they answered Joshua and said, “(S)Because it was certainly told your servants that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you; therefore we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. 25 Now behold, (T)we are in your hands; do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.” 26 Thus he did to them, and delivered them from the hands of the sons of Israel, and they did not kill them. 27 But Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to this day, (U)in the place which He would choose.
Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)devise evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
(F)Poison of a viper is under their lips. [a]Selah.
4 (G)Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Preserve me from violent men
Who have [b]purposed to [c](I)trip up my feet.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a (K)net by the [d]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah.
6 I (M)said to the Lord, “You are my God;
(N)Give ear, O Lord, to the (O)voice of my supplications.
7 “O [e]God the Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head in the day of [f]battle.
8 “Do not grant, O Lord, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not promote (S)his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)mischief of their lips cover them.
10 “May (U)burning coals fall upon them;
May they be (V)cast into the fire,
Into [g]deep pits from which they (W)cannot rise.
11 “May a [h]slanderer not be established in the earth;
(X)May evil hunt the violent man [i]speedily.”
12 I know that the Lord will (Y)maintain the cause of the afflicted
And (Z)justice for the poor.
13 Surely the (AA)righteous will give thanks to Your name;
The (AB)upright will dwell in Your presence.
An Evening Prayer for Sanctification and Protection.
A Psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I call upon You; (AC)hasten to me!
(AD)Give ear to my voice when I call to You!
2 May my prayer be [j]counted as (AE)incense before You;
The (AF)lifting up of my hands as the (AG)evening offering.
3 Set a (AH)guard, O Lord, [k]over my mouth;
Keep watch over the (AI)door of my lips.
4 (AJ)Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice deeds [l]of wickedness
With men who (AK)do iniquity;
And (AL)do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the (AM)righteous smite me [m]in kindness and reprove me;
It is (AN)oil upon the head;
Do not let my head refuse it,
[n]For still my prayer (AO)is [o]against their wicked deeds.
6 Their judges are (AP)thrown down by the sides of the rock,
And they hear my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one (AQ)plows and breaks open the earth,
Our (AR)bones have been scattered at the (AS)mouth of [p]Sheol.
8 For my (AT)eyes are toward You, O [q]God, the Lord;
In You I (AU)take refuge; (AV)do not [r]leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the [s](AW)jaws of the trap which they have set for me,
And from the (AX)snares of those who do iniquity.
10 Let the wicked (AY)fall into their own nets,
While I pass by [t](AZ)safely.
The Polluted Land
3 God [a]says, “(A)If a husband divorces his wife
And she goes from him
And belongs to another man,
Will he still return to her?
Will not that land be completely [b]polluted?
But you (B)are a harlot with many [c]lovers;
Yet you (C)turn to Me,” declares the Lord.
2 “Lift up your eyes to the (D)bare heights and see;
Where have you not been violated?
By the roads you have (E)sat for them
Like an Arab in the desert,
And you have (F)polluted a land
With your harlotry and with your wickedness.
3 “Therefore the (G)showers have been withheld,
And there has been no spring rain.
Yet you had a (H)harlot’s forehead;
You refused to be ashamed.
4 “Have you not just now called to Me,
‘(I)My Father, You are the [d](J)friend of my (K)youth?
5 ‘(L)Will He be angry forever?
Will He [e]be indignant to the end?’
Behold, you have spoken
And have done evil things,
And you have [f]had your way.”
Faithless Israel
6 Then the Lord said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She (M)went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. 7 (N)I [g]thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her (O)treacherous sister Judah saw it. 8 And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and (P)given her a writ of divorce, yet her (Q)treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. 9 Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she (R)polluted the land and committed adultery with (S)stones and trees. 10 Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in (T)deception,” declares the Lord.
God Invites Repentance
11 And the Lord said to me, “(U)Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. 12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,
‘(V)Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the Lord;
‘(W)I will not [h]look upon you in anger.
For I am (X)gracious,’ declares the Lord;
‘I will not be angry forever.
13 ‘Only [i](Y)acknowledge your iniquity,
That you have transgressed against the Lord your God
And have (Z)scattered your [j]favors to the strangers (AA)under every green tree,
And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the Lord.
14 ‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the Lord;
‘For I am a (AB)master to you,
And I will take you one from a city and two from a family,
And (AC)I will bring you to Zion.’
15 “Then I will give you (AD)shepherds after My own heart, who will (AE)feed you on knowledge and understanding. 16 It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will (AF)no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The (AG)Throne of the Lord,’ and (AH)all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the (AI)name of the Lord; nor will they (AJ)walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. 18 (AK)In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together (AL)from the land of the north to the (AM)land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance.
19 “Then I said,
‘How I would set you among [k]My sons
And give you a pleasant land,
The most (AN)beautiful inheritance of the nations!’
And I said, ‘You shall call Me, (AO)My Father,
And not turn away from following Me.’
20 “Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her [l]lover,
So you have (AP)dealt treacherously with Me,
O house of Israel,” declares the Lord.
21 A voice is heard on the (AQ)bare heights,
The weeping and the supplications of the sons of Israel;
Because they have perverted their way,
They have (AR)forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Return, O faithless sons,
(AS)I will heal your faithlessness.”
“Behold, we come to You;
For You are the Lord our God.
23 “Surely, (AT)the hills are a deception,
A tumult on the mountains.
Surely in the (AU)Lord our God
Is the salvation of Israel.
24 “But (AV)the shameful thing has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 Let us lie down in our (AW)shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, (AX)from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
The Transfiguration
17 (A)Six days later Jesus *took with Him (B)Peter and [a]James and John his brother, and *led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, (C)I will make three [b]tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, (D)a voice out of the cloud said, “(E)This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell [c]face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and (F)do not be afraid.” 8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.
9 (G)As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “(H)Tell the vision to no one until (I)the Son of Man has (J)risen from the dead.” 10 And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that (K)Elijah must come first?” 11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did [d]to him whatever they wished. So also (L)the Son of Man is going to suffer [e]at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
The Demoniac
14 (M)When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15 “[f]Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a [g](N)lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” 17 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured [h]at once.
19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” 20 And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, (O)if you have faith [i]the size of (P)a mustard seed, you will say to (Q)this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and (R)nothing will be impossible to you. 21 [[j](S)But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”]
22 (T)And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be [k]delivered into the hands of men; 23 and (U)they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved.
The Tribute Money
24 When they came to Capernaum, those who collected (V)the [l]two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay (W)the [m]two-drachma tax?” 25 He *said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect (X)customs or (Y)poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?” 26 When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are [n]exempt. 27 However, so that we do not [o](Z)offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find [p]a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.