M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Instructions for Remembering the Passover
13 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Set apart all the firstborn for me, the firstborn of every mother[a] among the Israelites, both people and animals. The firstborn belongs to me.”
3 Then Moses said this to the people:
Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, where you were slaves.[b] For by the strength of his hand the Lord brought you out from there. Nothing with leaven[c] may be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are leaving. 5 So when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—the land he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to perform this ceremony during this month: 6 Seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread must be eaten throughout the seven days. No leavened bread is to be seen among you. No yeast is to be seen among you, anywhere in your entire territory. 8 On that day you are to explain this to your son, “It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” 9 This will serve as a sign for you on your wrist and a reminder on your forehead[d] so that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 10 You must keep this regulation at its appointed time from year to year.
11 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites—just as he swore to you and to your fathers—and gives it to you, 12 then you must dedicate the firstborn of every mother to the Lord. Every firstborn of your livestock, the ones that are males, will belong to the Lord. 13 Every firstborn donkey you are to redeem with a lamb. But if you do not want to redeem it, then you are to break its neck. However, you must redeem all the firstborn among your sons.
14 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is this about?” you will say to him, “By the strength of his hand the Lord brought us out from Egypt, where we were slaves. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, the firstborn of people and animals. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord the firstborn of every mother, the males, but I redeem every firstborn of my sons.” 16 It will serve as a sign on your wrist and a symbol on your forehead. For by the strength of his hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.
Pillars of Cloud and Fire
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way that goes to the land of the Philistines, although it was more direct, for God said, “If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people by the way that goes through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.[e] The Israelites went up from the land of Egypt in battle formation.
19 Moses also took the bones of Joseph with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. Joseph had said, “God will surely come to your aid. Then you must bring up my bones with you from Egypt.” 20 They set out from Sukkoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on their way and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light. In this way they could travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.
The Shrewd Manager
16 Jesus also said to his disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager who was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 The rich man called him in and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you can no longer be manager.’
3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, since my master is taking away the management position from me? I am not strong enough to dig. I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I will do, so that when I am removed from my position as manager, people will receive me into their houses.’
5 “He called each one of his master’s debtors to him. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, ‘Six hundred gallons[a] of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write three hundred.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘How much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘Six hundred bushels[b] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and write four hundred and eighty.’
8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the children[c] of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation[d] than the children of the light are. 9 I tell you, make friends for yourselves with unrighteous mammon,[e] so that when it runs out, they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings. 10 The person who is faithful with very little is also faithful with much. And the person who is unrighteous with very little is also unrighteous with much. 11 So if you have not been faithful with unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with what is really valuable? 12 If you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you something to be your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters. Indeed, either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”
14 The Pharisees, who loved money, also heard all these things and sneered at him. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of people, but God knows your hearts. In fact, what is highly regarded among people is an abomination in God’s sight. 16 The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone is trying to force his way into it.[f]
17 “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for even one part of a letter in the Law to fail. 18 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another is committing adultery, and the man who marries a woman divorced from her husband is committing adultery.
The Rich Man and Poor Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 20 A beggar named Lazarus had been laid at his gate. Lazarus was covered with sores and 21 longed to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides this, the dogs also came and licked his sores. 22 Eventually the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell,[g] where he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. 24 He called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in misery in this flame.’
25 “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been set in place between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
27 “He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s home, 28 because I have five brothers—to warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29 “Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets. Let them listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “Abraham replied to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Job’s Morality
31 I have made a covenant with my eyes.
How then could I stare at a virgin with desire?
2 If I did, what reward would I receive from God above?
What inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Is not ruin the reward for the wicked,
and misfortune the reward for evildoers?
4 But doesn’t God see my ways?
Doesn’t he count my every step?
5 Have I walked with deceit and lies?
Has my foot hurried to pursue fraud?
6 If God weighs me on an honest scale,
he will know my integrity.
7 If my footsteps have slipped off the path,
if my heart has pursued things desired by my eyes,
if anything corrupt has stuck to my palms,
8 then let someone else eat what I have sown.
Let my crops be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
if I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,
10 let my wife grind for another,
and let other men crouch down over her.
11 For that would have been shameful behavior,
a guilty deed worthy of judgment.
12 There is a fire that consumes all the way to hell,[a]
that would completely burn up all my harvest.
13 If I have denied justice to my male servants
or to my female servants in their disputes with me,
14 then what would I do when God arises,
when he comes to call me to account?
How could I respond to him?
15 Didn’t he who made me in the womb also make my servant?
Didn’t the same God fashion us both in the womb?
16 If I have withheld from the poor what they desired,
if I have darkened the eyes of the widow,
17 if I have eaten my food all by myself
and have not shared it with the fatherless—
18 no, from the time of my youth, the fatherless child grew up with me,
and I was like a father to him.
From the womb of my mother I guided the widow.
19 If I saw anyone perishing from lack of clothing,
if the needy had nothing to wear,
20 his very body blessed me,
as he was warmed by the wool from my sheep.
21 If I raised my hand against the fatherless child,
because I had influence in the court at the city gate,
22 then let my shoulder be knocked out of its socket,
and let my upper arm be broken.
23 Now doom from God terrifies me,
and I cannot endure his majesty.
24 If I placed my confidence in gold,
and if I said to pure gold, “You are my security,”
25 if I rejoiced because I was so rich
and because my hand had obtained so much,
26 if I saw the shining sun and the moon moving in its splendor,
27 if my heart was gullible enough to worship them in secret,
and I kissed my hand to honor them,
28 that would have made me guilty and deserving of judgment,
for I would have denied God above.
29 If I rejoiced at the misfortune of someone who hates me,
or I was thrilled because trouble caught up with him—
30 but no, I have not savored sin by asking for a curse on his life.
31 Did the men in my tent ever have to say
that there was someone who had not been filled with meat from Job?[b]
32 No stranger ever had to spend the night outside.
I have opened my door to the traveler.
33 If I had covered up my sin like Adam,[c]
and I had hidden my guilt in my heart,
34 because I was frightened of the crowd,
and the contempt of the clans filled me with terror,
so that I was silent and I did not go out of a door—
35 Oh how I wish I had someone to listen to me!
Look, here is my seal on my testimony.
Let the Almighty answer me!
Let me see the written indictment from my accuser.
36 I would lift it up on my shoulder.
I would place it on my head as a crown.
37 I would account to him for every single step.
I would approach him like the chief of a tribe.
38 If my soil cries out against me,
and its furrows weep because of me,
39 if I have consumed its wealth without paying for it,
if I have caused the death of its owners,
40 then let a thorn bush grow up instead of wheat,
and stinkweeds instead of barley.
The words of Job are concluded.
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God that is in Corinth, together with all the saints who are everywhere in Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God Comforts and Rescues Us
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our trouble, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the same comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. 6 If we are troubled, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the ability to endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. 7 Our hope for you is sure, since we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so you also share in our comfort.
8 Brothers,[a] we do not want you to be unaware of the trouble that happened to us in the province of Asia. We were burdened so greatly, so far beyond our ability to bear it, that we even gave up hope of living. 9 Yes, we even felt the sentence of death within ourselves. This happened so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead. 10 He rescued us from such a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. We have set our hope on him that he will also rescue us again, 11 as you join in helping us with your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God for the gracious gift given to us through many prayers.
Paul Explains a Change in Plans
12 Indeed, this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with God-given holiness[b] and sincerity, not with the wisdom of the flesh, but rather in God’s grace—especially toward you. 13 In fact, we are not writing you anything other than what you read or also understand. And I hope you will understand completely— 14 as you have also understood us in part—that on the day of our Lord Jesus we are going to be your reason for boasting, just as you are our reason.
15 In this confidence, I was planning to visit you first, so that you would have a second gracious gift. 16 Then I planned to travel from you on to Macedonia, and to return again from Macedonia to you to receive help from you on my way to Judea. 17 So when I made this plan, I did not do it lightly, did I? Or the things I plan, am I planning them the way the sinful flesh does, so that I would be saying both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?
18 As surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us (by me, Silas,[c] and Timothy), was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him the “Yes” stands firm. 20 In fact, as many promises as God has made, they have always been “Yes” in him. For that reason we also say “Amen” through him to the glory of God.
21 God is the one who makes both us and you to be strong in Christ. He anointed us. 22 He sealed us as his own and gave us the Spirit as the down payment in our hearts.
23 I call God as my witness, on my very life, that I avoided coming to Corinth in order to spare you. 24 Not that we are lording it over your faith, but we are working together with you for your joy. For you stand firm by faith.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.