M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
A Warning and a Promise
23 After many days,[a] when the Lord had given Israel rest from all its enemies all around, when Joshua had grown old and advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned all Israel—its elders, its heads, its judges, and its officers, and he said to them:
I have grown old and advanced in years. 3 You yourselves have seen everything that the Lord your God has done for you against all these nations. Yes, the Lord your God was fighting for you! 4 See now, I have allotted to your tribes an inheritance from these nations that remain unconquered, as well as from the nations that I have destroyed. It extends from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God himself will push them away from you and drive them out of your presence, ⎣until they perish. He will send wild animals among them until he completely destroys them and their kings from your presence⎦[b] and you will take possession of their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 You must be very resolute in carrying out all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses by not turning from it to the right or to the left, 7 by not intermingling with these nations that remain with you. Do not ever call on or swear by the names of their gods. Never serve them and never bow down to them. 8 But hold fast to the Lord your God, just as you have been doing to this day.
9 The Lord has driven out great and powerful nations from among you. As for you, no one has stood up against you to this day. 10 One of you would put a thousand to flight because the Lord your God himself was fighting for you, just as he promised you. 11 Therefore, for your own sakes be very careful to love the Lord your God.
12 But if you do turn away and keep close company with the remnant of these nations that remain with you, and if you intermarry with them and intermingle with them and they with you, 13 then know for certain that the Lord your God will not continue to drive out these nations from among you, but they will become a trap and a snare for you, a whip for your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from your good land that the Lord your God has given you.
14 See now, I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and with all your soul that not one promise out of all the good promises that the Lord your God promised you has failed. All of them have come true for you. Not one promise from him has failed.[c]
15 But just as every good promise that the Lord your God promised to you has come true for you, likewise the Lord will cause every promise of disaster to come true for you until he has destroyed you from this good land that the Lord your God has given you. 16 If you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God that he commanded you, and you go and serve other gods, and you bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from the good land that he has given you.
Peter Heals a Lame Man
3 Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour,[a] an hour of prayer. 2 A certain man who was lame from birth was carried there every day and placed at the temple gate, which is called Beautiful, so that he could beg for donations from those entering the temple. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter the temple, he asked them for a donation.
4 Peter looked directly at him, as did John. Peter said, “Look at us.” 5 So the man paid close attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
6 But Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I will give you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, get up and walk!” 7 Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong. 8 Jumping up, he stood and began to walk. He entered the temple courts with them, walking, jumping, and praising God.
9 All the people saw him walking and praising God. 10 They recognized him as the one who used to sit begging for money at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. 11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people came running toward them in utter amazement in the area called Solomon’s Colonnade.
12 When Peter saw this, he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why are you staring at us, as if by our own power or godliness we have made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,[b] the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. 14 You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you. 15 You killed the Author[c] of Life, whom God raised from the dead. We are witnesses of this. 16 And on the basis of faith in his name, it is the name of Jesus that has strengthened this man, whom you see and know. This faith that comes through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
17 “Now brothers,[d] I know that you acted in ignorance, just like your leaders. 18 But in this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through the mouth of all the prophets: that his Christ would suffer. 19 Therefore repent and return to have your sins wiped out, 20 so that refreshing times may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you. 21 He must receive heaven[e] until the times when everything will be restored, as God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
22 “Moses said to the fathers:[f]
The Lord your[g] God will raise up for you a Prophet from your brothers who is like me. Listen to everything he tells you. 23 And this is what will happen: Every person who does not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from the people.[h]
24 “Also, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have talked about these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with our[i] fathers when he said to Abraham:
In your seed[j] all the families of the earth will be blessed.[k]
26 “God raised up his Servant and sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you away from your wicked ways.”
Jeremiah’s Complaint
12 Lord, you are righteous whenever I bring a case before you.
Nevertheless, I want to speak with you about justice.
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do the treacherous live at ease?
2 You plant them, and they take root.
They grow, and they produce fruit.
You are always on their lips,
but far from their hearts.
3 But you know me, Lord.
You see me and test the attitude of my heart toward you.
Drag them away like sheep for the slaughter,
and set them apart for the day when they will be put to death.
4 How long will the land mourn,
and the grass in the whole countryside wither?
Because of the evil of the people who live there,
the animals and birds are dying,
for the people have said,
“He will not see how things turn out for us.”[a]
The Lord’s Reply
5 If you have raced men on foot
and they have tired you out,
how will you compete against horses?
If you fall in open country,
how will you manage in the thickets along the Jordan?
6 Your relatives and the members of your father’s
household have betrayed you.
They have raised a loud outcry against you.
Do not trust them when they speak friendly words to you.
7 I have abandoned my house.
I have forsaken my heritage.
I have given the one I love dearly into the hands of her enemies.
8 My heritage has become like a lion in the forest to me.
She roars at me, so I hate her.
9 For me my heritage has become like a howling hyena,
surrounded by scavenging birds of prey.[b]
Go and gather all the wild animals.
Bring them to devour her.
10 Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard
and trampled down my estate.
They will turn my pleasant estate into a desolate wasteland.
11 They have made it a wasteland.
It mourns. It is desolate before me.
The whole land is laid waste,
because there is no one who cares.
12 Looters are swarming over all the barren heights in the wilderness.
The Lord has a sword that devours from one end of the land
to the other.
No one will be safe.
13 They plant wheat, but they reap thorns.
They wear themselves out, but they gain nothing.
Be ashamed of your harvests,
because of the burning anger of the Lord.
14 This is what the Lord says. As for my wicked neighbors, who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will certainly uproot them from their homeland, and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 After I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them. I will return each of them to his own inheritance and each of them to his own land. 16 If they carefully learn the ways of my people and swear by my name, saying, “As surely as the Lord lives” (just as they once taught my people to swear by Baal), then they will be established among my people. 17 But if they do not listen, I will completely uproot and destroy that nation, declares the Lord.
The Plot to Kill Jesus
26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days it will be the Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas. 4 They plotted together how to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the Festival, or else there might be a riot among the people.”
Mary Anoints Jesus
6 When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman approached him holding an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table. 8 But when his disciples saw this, they were upset and said, “Why this waste? 9 This perfume could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor.”
10 Jesus was aware of this and said to them, “Why are you causing trouble for this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 11 You are always going to have the poor with you, but you are not always going to have me. 12 When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. 13 Amen I tell you: Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”
Judas Plans to Betray Jesus
14 Then one of the Twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
Jesus Celebrates the Passover
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him the Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I will observe the Passover with my disciples at your house.’”
19 The disciples did as Jesus commanded them and prepared the Passover. 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.[a]
One Will Betray Jesus
21 As they were eating, he said, “Amen I tell you: One of you will betray me.”
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I, Lord?”
23 He replied, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man is going just as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that man if he had not been born.”
25 Judas, who betrayed him, replied, “Surely, not I, Rabbi?”
He said to him, “Yes, you are the one.”[b]
The Lord’s Supper
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples. He said, “Take, eat, this is my body.” 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the new[c] testament,[d] which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you that I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 After they sang a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
31 Then Jesus said to them, “This night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[e] 32 But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
33 Peter answered him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34 Jesus said to him, “Amen I tell you: Tonight before the rooster crows you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter said to him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same.
Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and distressed. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death. Stay here, and keep watch with me.”
39 He went a little farther, fell on his face, and prayed. He said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 He came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, were you not able to stay awake with me for one hour? 41 Watch and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to pass from me[f] unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43 Again he returned and found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 He left them again, went away, and prayed a third time. He said the same words as before. 45 Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise. Let us go. Look, my betrayer is near.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47 While Jesus was still speaking, suddenly Judas (one of the Twelve) arrived. With him was a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign: “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him.” 49 Immediately he went to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, why are you here?”
Then they advanced, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. 51 Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus reached out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, because all who take the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you not realize that I could call on my Father, and at once he would provide me with more than twelve legions[g] of angels? 54 But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
55 At that same time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out to arrest me with swords and clubs as if I were a robber? Day after day I was sitting in the temple courts teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Jesus’ First Trial in the Sanhedrin
57 Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the experts in the law and the elders were assembled. 58 Peter was following him at a distance and went as far as the courtyard of the high priest. He went inside and sat down with the guards to see how it would turn out.
59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death. 60 They found none, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward 61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 The high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that these men are testifying against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I place you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God!”
64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you have said. But I tell you, soon you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? See, you have just heard the blasphemy! 66 What do you think?”
They answered, “He is deserving of death!” 67 Then they spit in his face and punched him. Some slapped him 68 and said, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit you?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69 Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came to him and said, “You were also with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
71 When Peter went out to the entryway, someone else saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 Again Peter denied it with an oath and said, “I do not know the man.”
73 After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them because even your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man!” Just then the rooster crowed. 75 And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.