M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Deborah’s Song
5 On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song:[a]
2 When leaders take the lead in Israel,[b]
when the people freely offer themselves, bless the Lord!
3 Listen, kings! Lend an ear, rulers!
I will sing. Yes, I will sing to the Lord.
I will make music for the Lord, the God of Israel.
4 Lord, when you went out from Seir,
when you marched through the countryside of Edom,
the earth shook, the skies poured,
yes, the dark clouds poured water.
5 The mountains melted[c] before the Lord—this one of Sinai[d]—
before the Lord, the God of Israel.
6 In the days of Shamgar son of Anath,
in the days of Jael, the main roads were deserted,
and travelers kept to pathways and winding roads.
7 Life in the unwalled towns came to a halt.
In Israel, life came to a halt until I, Deborah, arose,
until I arose as a mother in Israel.
8 When Israel chose new gods,[e] there was war at the gates.
Neither shield nor spear was seen among the forty thousand in Israel.
9 My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,
to those who freely offer themselves among the people. Bless the Lord!
10 Riders on tan donkey mares, you who sit on saddle blankets,
as well as those who walk along the way—consider this:
11 Listen to the voices of those who divide flocks[f] between water holes,
where they recount the righteous acts of the Lord,
righteous acts for those who live in the unwalled towns in Israel.
Then the people of the Lord went down to the city gates.
12 Wake, awake, Deborah!
⎣Wake up the multitudes of the people.⎦
Wake, awake, sing a song.
Rise up, Barak!
⎣Deborah, strengthen Barak.⎦ [g]
Lead away your captives, son of Abinoam.
13 Then a survivor subdued the mighty ones.[h]
The people of the Lord came down to me as warriors.
14 Some came from Ephraim—their root is in Amalek.[i]
Behind you came Benjamin with your people.
From Makir the commanders came down,
and from Zebulun those carrying the staff of a scribe.
15 The officers of Issachar are with Deborah.
Yes, Issachar sent support for Barak into the valley on foot.[j]
But in the divisions of Reuben there was much soul searching.[k]
16 Why did you linger among the sheepfolds
to listen to the whistling for the flocks?
Concerning the divisions in Reuben, there was much soul searching.
17 Gilead remained beyond the Jordan,
and Dan—why did he linger in ships?
Asher remained sitting on the seashore,
and upon its landing places he remained.
18 Zebulun is a people who scorned death and risked their lives,
and Naphtali stayed on the heights of the battlefields.
19 Kings came; they waged war.
There the kings of Canaan waged war,
in Ta’anach, at the waters of Megiddo,
but they gained no silver as plunder.
20 From the heavens the stars waged war.
From their courses they fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent Kishon swept them away,
the torrent from ancient times, the torrent Kishon.
Keep marching, my soul, in strength.
22 Then the horses’ hoofs thundered,
the stampeding, the stampeding of their mighty stallions!
23 “Curse Meroz!” says the Angel of the Lord.
“Completely curse those who live in her,
because they did not come to assist the Lord,
to help the Lord among the warriors.”
24 Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite.
Most blessed is she among the women in the tent.
25 He asked for water, but she gave him milk.
In a bowl fit for a nobleman she presented curdled milk.
26 Her hand reached for the tent stake,
her right hand for the workman’s hammer,
and she hammered Sisera.
She smashed his head.
She shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet he knelt, he fell, he lay there.
Between her feet he knelt, he fell.
Where he sank, there he fell—destroyed.
28 Out the window she peers.
Sisera’s mother wails from behind the latticework.
“Why is his chariot so late in coming?
Why do I still not hear the clatter of his chariots?”
29 The wise women among her ladies answer,
but she keeps saying to herself,
30 “Aren’t they just finding and dividing the plunder?
A womb[l]—no—two wombs for every man.
Dyed goods as plunder for Sisera, dyed fabrics as spoils,
embroidered dyed material,
fancy embroidered fabric for my neck, plunder.”[m]
31 Thus may all your enemies perish, Lord.
But those who love him will be
like the sun coming forth in its strength.
Then the land was quiet for forty years.
Jesus Appears to Saul on the Road to Damascus
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any men or women belonging to the Way, he might bring them to Jerusalem as prisoners.
3 As he went on his way and was approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?”
He replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you need to do.”
7 The men traveling with him stood there speechless. They heard the voice but did not see anyone.
8 They raised Saul up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes, he could not see anything. They took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. 9 For three days he could not see, and he did not eat or drink.
Ananias Is Sent to Saul
10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
He answered, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 The Lord told him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. In fact, at this very moment he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he can regain his sight.”
13 Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many people about this man and how much harm he did to your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the people of Israel. 16 Indeed, I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Ananias left and entered the house. Laying his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whom you saw on your way here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized. 19 And after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul (Paul) Proclaims Jesus
Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days. 20 Immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
21 All who heard him were amazed and said, “Isn’t this the one who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? Didn’t he come here for this very purpose: to bring them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 But Saul continued to get stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.
23 After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, 24 but Saul was informed of their plot. They were watching the gates both day and night in order to kill him. 25 But his[a] disciples took him at night and let him down through an opening in the wall by lowering him in a basket.[b]
26 When Saul came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him because they did not believe that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He described to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
28 Saul stayed with them, coming and going freely in Jerusalem and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He kept on talking and debating with the Greek-speaking Jews, but they were looking for a way to kill him. 30 When the brothers[c] learned about this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace as it was strengthened. It grew in numbers as it lived in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Peter Heals Aeneas and Raises Tabitha From the Dead
32 As Peter went around from place to place, he also went down to the saints who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a paralyzed man named Aeneas, who had been lying on a mat for eight years. 34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat!” Immediately, he got up. 35 All those who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.[d] She was always doing good deeds and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became sick and died. After they had washed her, they laid her in an upstairs room. 38 Since Lydda is near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, who urged him, “Come to us without delay!”
39 Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothing that Dorcas made while she was still with them.
40 After Peter sent them all outside, he got down on his knees and prayed. Then he turned toward the body and said, “Tabitha, get up!” She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. After he called the saints and the widows, he presented her to them alive.
42 This became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for many days with a man named Simon the tanner.
The Potter’s House
18 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Get up, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will reveal my words to you.”
3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and he was making something on the wheel. 4 But the pot he was forming out of the clay was ruined as he shaped it with his hands, so the potter formed it into a different pot, whatever he saw fit to make.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me.
6 House of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? declares the Lord. See, like clay in the potter’s hands, that is what you are in my hands, house of Israel. 7 One time I may say that a nation or a kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed, 8 but if that nation I spoke about repents of its evil, then I will relent and not bring the disaster I had planned to bring against it. 9 Another time I may say that a nation or a kingdom is to be built and planted, 10 but if they do what is evil in my sight by not listening to my voice, then I will not bring about the good I said I would do for them.
11 Now therefore say this to the men of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says. Look! I am forming a disaster against you. I am devising a plan against you. Turn from your evil ways, each of you, and reform your ways and your actions.
12 But they will say, “It is hopeless! Each of us will always walk in the stubbornness of his own evil heart.”
13 Therefore this is what the Lord says.
Ask among the nations,
“Who has ever heard anything like this?”
Virgin Israel has done a most terrible thing.
14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever disappear from its rocky slopes?
Does cold water flowing from a long distance ever run dry?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me.
They burn incense to false gods,
that make them stumble in their ways,
in the ancient paths.
They walk on side roads,
on roads not built up.
16 They make their land something horrible,
a target of lasting contempt.[a]
Everyone who passes by will be horrified and shake his head.
17 Like the east wind I will scatter them in front of their enemies.
I will show them my back and not my face on the day of their calamity.
A Plot Against Jeremiah
18 Some people said, “Come on! Let’s make plans against Jeremiah, because the law will not vanish from the priest, nor guidance from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come on, let’s attack him with words and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord.
Listen to what my opponents are saying.
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember how I stood before you to speak on their behalf,
to turn your anger from them.
21 Therefore, hand their children over to famine,
and hand them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives become childless widows.
Let their men be put to death,
and their young men be struck in battle by the sword.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring marauders against them,
because they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, are aware of all their plots to kill me.
Do not forgive their guilt.
Do not blot out their sin from your sight.
Let them be overthrown in your presence.
Deal with them in the time of your anger.
The Parable of the Sower
4 Another time Jesus began to teach by the sea. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the sea. The whole crowd was on the seashore. 2 Then he taught them many things in parables. As he taught them, he said, 3 “Listen! There was a sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up right away because it did not have deep soil. 6 When the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it did not have much root, it withered. 7 Some seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, so it did not produce fruit. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and yielded fruit, sprouting and growing and producing a crop: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much as was sown.” 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10 When Jesus was alone, those who were around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. 11 He said to them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but everything comes in parables to those who are outside, 12 so that
they will certainly see but not perceive,
and they will certainly hear but not understand.
Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven.”[a]
13 Then he asked them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and immediately takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Some are like the ones sown on rocky ground: as soon as they hear the word, they immediately welcome it with joy. 17 Yet since they have no root in themselves, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. 18 Still others are sown among the thorns. These are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth and desires for other things enter in and choke the word, so it becomes unfruitful. 20 But the ones sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, accept it, and produce fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much as was sown.”
A Lamp and a Lampstand
21 He also said to them, “A lamp is not brought out to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it placed on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 He went on to tell them, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you. 25 Yes, whoever has will be given more. And whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
Seed Sprouts and Grows
26 He said, “The kingdom of God is like this: A man scatters seed on the ground, 27 and while he sleeps and rises, night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 The ground produces fruit on its own: first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 When the crop is ready, he swings the sickle without delay, because the harvest has come.”
Mustard Seed
30 Then he said, “To what should we compare the kingdom of God? Or with what parable may we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is one of the smallest of all the seeds planted in the ground. 32 Yet when it is planted, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”
33 With many similar parables he continued to speak the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” 36 After leaving the crowd behind, the disciples took him along in the boat, just as he was. Other small boats also followed him. 37 A great windstorm arose, and the waves were splashing into the boat, so that the boat was quickly filling up. 38 Jesus himself was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to drown?”
39 Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” The wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still lack faith?”
41 They were filled with awe and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.