M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
45 Joseph was unable to control himself in front of all his attendants, so he called out, “Send everyone out from my presence!” When no one else was left with him, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. 2 He wept out loud. The Egyptians heard him, and the house of Pharaoh heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?”
His brothers could not answer him, because they were terrified by his presence. 4 Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me, please.”
They came closer. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 Now do not be upset or angry with yourselves for selling me to this place, since God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6 For two years now the famine has been in the land, and there are still five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me ahead of you to preserve you as survivors on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great act of deliverance. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord over his entire household, and ruler over the whole land of Egypt. 9 Hurry, go up to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Do not delay. 10 You shall live in the land of Goshen, where you will be close to me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 I will take care of you here, for there are still five years of famine. Otherwise you will come to ruin, you, and your household, and all that you have.”’ 12 Pay attention. Your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13 You shall tell my father all about my position of honor in Egypt and about everything that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. 15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that his brothers talked with him.
16 This report was heard in Pharaoh’s house: “Joseph’s brothers have come.” This pleased Pharaoh and his officials.
17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Load your animals. Travel quickly to the land of Canaan. 18 Get your father and your households, and return to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the rich food of the land. 19 Now I command you to do this: Take carts[a] from the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives, and bring your father here. 20 Also, do not worry about your belongings, for the best of the whole land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 So that is what the sons of Israel did. Joseph gave them carts as Pharaoh had commanded, and he gave them supplies for the journey. 22 He gave each one of them a change of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. 23 He sent the following to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and supplies for his father on the journey. 24 So he dismissed his brothers, and they departed. He said to them, “See to it that you do not quarrel on the way.”
25 They went up from Egypt and came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” He was stunned[b] because he did not believe them. 27 They told Jacob every word that Joseph had said to them. When he saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
28 Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Jesus’ Trial in Pilate’s Court
15 As soon as it was morning, the chief priests, along with the elders, the experts in the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. 2 Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
He answered him, “It is as you say.”
3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate questioned him again, “Are you not going to answer anything? See how many charges they are bringing against you!”
5 But Jesus still did not answer anything, so Pilate was amazed.
Barabbas or Jesus?
6 At each Festival, Pilate used to release to the people one prisoner whom they requested. 7 There was one named Barabbas, who was imprisoned with the rebels and had committed murder in the rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them what he usually did.
9 Pilate replied, “Do you want me to release the King of the Jews to you?” 10 In fact, he knew that it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over.
11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
12 Again, Pilate replied to them, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”
13 “Crucify him!” they shouted back.
14 But Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Since he wanted to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. After he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Soldiers Mock Jesus
16 The soldiers led him away inside the palace, which is the Praetorium, and called together the whole cohort[a] of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. 18 The soldiers began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They kept hitting him on the head with a reed and spitting on him. They also kneeled down to pay homage to him.
The Crucifixion
20 When they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothing on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.
21 A certain man, Simon of Cyrene (the father of Alexander and Rufus), was passing by on his way in from the country. They forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 22 They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means, “The place of a skull.” 23 They tried to give him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 They crucified him. And they divided his garments, casting lots for them to decide what each of them would take.
25 Now it was the third hour[b] when they crucified him. 26 The superscription stating the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 They also crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and one on his left.[c]
29 Those who passed by ridiculed him, shaking their heads and saying, “Ha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself! Come down from the cross!”
31 In the same way, the chief priests along with the experts in the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said. “He cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross so that we may see and believe!”
Those who were crucified with him also insulted him.
Jesus’ Death
33 When it was the sixth hour,[d] darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.[e] 34 At the ninth hour Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”[f]
35 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah!”
36 Someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. They said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
37 Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last. 38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 When the centurion who stood facing him saw how he cried out and breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 There were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and served him. Many other women also came up with him to Jerusalem.
Jesus’ Burial
42 It was already evening, and since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), 43 Joseph from Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had been dead for a long time. 45 When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Joseph bought a linen cloth, took him down, and wrapped him in the linen cloth. He laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of rock, and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where the body was laid.
Round One: Zophar’s Speech
11 Then Zophar the Na’amathite spoke up and responded:
2 Doesn’t this gush of words call for an answer?
Can this man’s bold talk be justified?
3 Should your empty words reduce men to silence?
Can you be allowed to scoff without anyone putting you in your place?
4 You say, “What I teach is untainted,
and I am pure in your eyes.”
5 Oh how I wish that God would speak up,
open his lips against you,
6 and show you the secret of wisdom,
because sound judgment must look at both sides.
Then you would know that God has even forgotten some of your guilt!
7 Can you explore the essence of God?
Can you find a limit to the perfections of the Almighty?
8 They are as high as the heavens. What can you do?
They are deeper than hell.[a] What can you know?
9 His dimensions are greater than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 If God comes and arrests someone and puts him on trial,
who can overrule him?
11 Certainly he recognizes deceitful men for what they are.
He sees evil, and he recognizes it for what it is.
12 Before an empty-headed man gets understanding,
a wild donkey colt will be born as a man.
13 But you, if you make your heart steadfast,
and you spread out your hands to him,
14 if you put away the sin you are holding in your hand,
and you do not allow injustice to dwell in your tents,
15 then you will lift up your face and be blameless.
You will be solid and fearless.
16 You will certainly forget your trouble.
Your memory of it will be like water that has flowed away.
17 The rest of your life will be brighter than noon.
Darkness will become like morning.
18 You will be confident that there is hope.
When you look around, you will go to bed confidently.
19 You will lie down, and no one will make you tremble.
Many will seek your favor.
20 The eyes of the wicked will fail,
and their place of refuge will disappear.
Their hope will vanish with their dying breath.[b]
Serve One Another As Christ Served You
15 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the weaknesses of those who are not strong, and not just to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for the good purpose of building him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written: “The insults of those who are insulting you fell on me.”[a]
4 Indeed, whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that, through patient endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we would have hope. 5 And may God, the source of patient endurance and encouragement, grant that you agree with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one mind, in one voice, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 For this reason, accept one another as Christ also accepted you to the glory of God. 8 For I am saying that Christ became a servant of those who are circumcised for the sake of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs. 9 He also did this so that the Gentiles would glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
For this reason I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and I will sing to your name.[b]
10 And again it says:
Rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people.[c]
11 And again:
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and let all the peoples give him praise.[d]
12 And again Isaiah says:
There will be a Root of Jesse,
and he is the one who will rise up to rule the Gentiles;
on him the Gentiles will place their hope.[e]
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with complete joy and peace as you continue to believe, so that you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s Goal: To Bring Christ’s Name Where It Was Not Known
14 I myself am convinced about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are also full of goodness, filled with complete knowledge, and able to instruct one another. 15 But I have written a letter to you (rather boldly at times) as a reminder to you, because of the grace God has given me 16 to be a public minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles. I am to do the priestly work of proclaiming the gospel of God so that the Gentiles would be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
17 Therefore I have a reason to boast in Christ Jesus about my service to God. 18 For I will not dare to speak about anything except those things Christ accomplished through me that resulted in the Gentiles’ obedience. Christ accomplished them by word and deed, 19 along with the power of signs and wonders done by the power of God’s[f] Spirit. As a result, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. 20 And so I consider it an honor to proclaim the gospel where Christ’s name is not known, so that I may not build on another man’s foundation. 21 Instead, as it is written:
Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard will understand.[g]
Paul Hopes to Come to Rome on His Way to Spain
22 This is also the reason I have been prevented many times from coming to you. 23 But now I no longer have a place to work in these regions, and I have longed for many years to come to you. 24 So when I go to Spain, I hope to visit you on my way. After I have enjoyed being with you for a while, I hope that you will help me on my journey there.
25 Right now I am going to Jerusalem bringing assistance[h] to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem. 27 Indeed, they were pleased to do this and, to be sure, they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual things, then the Gentiles owe it to them to serve them with material things.
28 So, after I complete this project by delivering this fruit safely to them, I will set out for Spain and visit you on the way. 29 And I know that when I come to you, I will arrive with the full blessing of Christ.[i]
30 Now I urge you, brothers, through our Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, to struggle with me in prayers to God on my behalf. 31 Pray that I may be rescued from those in Judea who are disobedient and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God’s will I may come to you in joy and be refreshed in your company.
33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.