M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
9 “Go back to Pharaoh,” the Lord commanded Moses, “and tell him, ‘Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, demands that you let his people go to sacrifice to him. 2 If you refuse, 3 the power of God will send a deadly plague to destroy your cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, flocks, and herds. 4 But the plague will affect only the cattle of Egypt; none of the Israeli herds and flocks will even be touched!’”
5 The Lord announced that the plague would begin the very next day, 6 and it did. The next morning all the cattle of the Egyptians began dying, but not one of the Israeli herds was even sick. 7 Pharaoh sent to see whether it was true that none of the Israeli cattle were dead, yet when he found out that it was so, even then his mind remained unchanged and he refused to let the people go.
8 Then Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron, “Take ashes from the kiln and have Moses toss them into the sky as Pharaoh watches. 9 They will spread like fine dust over all the land of Egypt and cause boils to break out upon people and animals alike, throughout the land.”
10 So they took ashes from the kiln and went to Pharaoh; as he watched, Moses tossed them toward the sky, and they became boils that broke out on men and animals alike throughout all Egypt. 11 And the magicians couldn’t stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils appeared upon them too. 12 But Jehovah hardened Pharaoh in his stubbornness, so that he refused to listen, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Jehovah the God of the Hebrews says, “Let my people go to worship me. 14 This time I am going to send a plague that will really speak to you and to your servants and to all the Egyptian people, and prove to you there is no other God in all the earth. 15 I could have killed you all by now, 16 but I didn’t, for I wanted to demonstrate my power to you and to all the earth. 17 So you still think you are so great, do you, and defy my power, and refuse to let my people go? 18 Well, tomorrow about this time I will send a hailstorm across the nation such as there has never been since Egypt was founded! 19 Quick! Bring in your cattle from the fields, for every man and animal left out in the fields will die beneath the hail!”’”
20 Some of the Egyptians, terrified by this threat, brought their cattle and slaves in from the fields; 21 but those who had no regard for the word of Jehovah left them out in the storm.
22 Then Jehovah said to Moses, “Point your hand toward heaven and cause the hail to fall throughout all Egypt, upon the people, animals, and trees.”
23 So Moses held out his hand, and the Lord sent thunder and hail and lightning. 24 It was terrible beyond description. Never in all the history of Egypt had there been a storm like that. 25 All Egypt lay in ruins. Everything left in the fields, men and animals alike, was killed, and the trees were shattered and the crops were destroyed. 26 The only spot in all Egypt without hail that day was the land of Goshen where the people of Israel lived.
27 Then Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. “I finally see my fault,” he confessed. “Jehovah is right, and I and my people have been wrong all along. 28 Beg God to end this terrifying thunder and hail, and I will let you go at once.”
29 “All right,” Moses replied, “as soon as I have left the city I will spread out my hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail will stop. This will prove to you that the earth is controlled by Jehovah. 30 But as for you and your officials, I know that even yet you will not obey him.” 31 All the flax and barley were knocked down and destroyed (for the barley was ripe, and the flax was in bloom), 32 but the wheat and the emmer were not destroyed, for they were not yet out of the ground.
33 So Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city and lifted his hands to heaven to the Lord, and the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain ceased pouring down. 34 When Pharaoh saw this, he and his officials sinned yet more by their stubborn refusal to do what they had promised; 35 so Pharaoh refused to let the people leave, just as the Lord had predicted to Moses.
12 Meanwhile the crowds grew until thousands upon thousands were milling about and crushing each other. He turned now to his disciples and warned them, “More than anything else, beware of these Pharisees and the way they pretend to be good when they aren’t. But such hypocrisy cannot be hidden forever. 2 It will become as evident as yeast in dough. 3 Whatever they[a] have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be broadcast from the housetops for all to hear!
4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of these who want to murder you. They can only kill the body; they have no power over your souls. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear—fear God who has the power to kill and then cast into hell.
6 “What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Not much more than that. Yet God does not forget a single one of them. 7 And he knows the number of hairs on your head! Never fear, you are far more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.
8 “And I assure you of this: I, the Messiah,[b] will publicly honor you in the presence of God’s angels if you publicly acknowledge me here on earth as your Friend. 9 But I will deny before the angels those who deny me here among men. 10 (Yet those who speak against me[c] may be forgiven—while those who speak against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.)
11 “And when you are brought to trial before these Jewish rulers and authorities in the synagogues, don’t be concerned about what to say in your defense, 12 for the Holy Spirit will give you the right words even as you are standing there.”
13 Then someone called from the crowd, “Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father’s estate with me.”
14 But Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? 15 Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.”
16 Then he gave an illustration: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 In fact, his barns were full to overflowing—he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem, 18 and finally exclaimed, ‘I know—I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then I’ll have room enough. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!”’[d]
20 “But God said to him, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?’
21 “Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”
22 Then turning to his disciples he said, “Don’t worry about whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. 23 For life consists of far more than food and clothes. 24 Look at the ravens—they don’t plant or harvest or have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along all right—for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!
25 “And besides, what’s the use of worrying? What good does it do? Will it add a single day to your life? Of course not! 26 And if worry can’t even do such little things as that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
27 “Look at the lilies! They don’t toil and spin, and yet Solomon in all his glory was not robed as well as they are. 28 And if God provides clothing for the flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, don’t you suppose that he will provide clothing for you, you doubters? 29 And don’t worry about food—what to eat and drink; don’t worry at all that God will provide it for you. 30 All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your heavenly Father knows your needs. 31 He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
32 “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. 33 Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them. 34 Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.
35 “Be prepared—all dressed and ready— 36 for your Lord’s return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return. He himself will seat them and put on a waiter’s uniform and serve them as they sit and eat! 38 He may come at nine o’clock at night—or even at midnight. But whenever he comes, there will be joy for his servants who are ready!
39 “Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the exact hour of his return—just as they would be ready for a thief if they knew when he was coming. 40 So be ready all the time. For I, the Messiah,[e] will come when least expected.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you talking just to us or to everyone?”
42-44 And the Lord replied, “I’m talking to any faithful, sensible man whose master gives him the responsibility of feeding the other servants. If his master returns and finds that he has done a good job, there will be a reward—his master will put him in charge of all he owns.
45 “But if the man begins to think, ‘My Lord won’t be back for a long time,’ and begins to whip the men and women he is supposed to protect, and to spend his time at drinking parties and in drunkenness— 46 well, his master will return without notice and remove him from his position of trust and assign him to the place of the unfaithful. 47 He will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty he refused to do it.
48 “But anyone who is not aware that he is doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater.
49 “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and, oh, that my task were completed! 50 There is a terrible baptism ahead of me, and how I am pent up until it is accomplished!
51
54 Then he turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right.
55 “When the south wind blows you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. 56 Hypocrites! You interpret the sky well enough, but you refuse to notice the warnings all around you about the crisis ahead. 57 Why do you refuse to see for yourselves what is right?
58 “If you meet your accuser on the way to court, try to settle the matter before it reaches the judge, lest he sentence you to jail; 59 for if that happens, you won’t be free again until the last penny is paid in full.”
27 Job’s final defense:
2 “I vow by the living God, who has taken away my rights, even the Almighty God who has embittered my soul, 3 that as long as I live, while I have breath from God, 4 my lips shall speak no evil, my tongue shall speak no lies. 5 I will never, never agree that you are right; until I die I will vow my innocence. 6 I am not a sinner—I repeat it again and again. My conscience is clear for as long as I live. 7 Those who declare otherwise are my wicked enemies. They are evil men.
8 “But what hope has the godless when God cuts him off and takes away his life? 9 Will God listen to his cry when trouble comes upon him? 10 For he does not delight himself in the Almighty or pay any attention to God except in times of crisis.
11 “I will teach you about God— 12 but really, I don’t need to, for you yourselves know as much about him as I do; yet you are saying all these useless things to me.
13 “This is the fate awaiting the wicked from the hand of the Almighty: 14 If he has a multitude of children, it is so that they will die in war or starve to death. 15 Those who survive shall be brought down to the grave by disease and plague, with no one to mourn them, not even their wives.
16 “The evil man may accumulate money like dust, with closets jammed full of clothing— 17 yes, he may order them made by his tailor, but the innocent shall wear that clothing and shall divide his silver among them. 18 Every house built by the wicked is as fragile as a spider web, as full of cracks as a leafy booth!
19 “He goes to bed rich but wakes up to find that all his wealth is gone. 20 Terror overwhelms him, and he is blown away in the storms of the night. 21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone. It sweeps him into eternity. 22 For God shall hurl at him unsparingly. He longs to flee from God. 23 Everyone will cheer at his death and boo him into eternity.
13 If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. 3 If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatever.
4 Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, 5 never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. 6 It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. 7 If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.
8 All the special gifts and powers from God will someday come to an end, but love goes on forever. Someday prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge—these gifts will disappear. 9 Now we know so little, even with our special gifts, and the preaching of those most gifted is still so poor. 10 But when we have been made perfect and complete, then the need for these inadequate special gifts will come to an end, and they will disappear.
11 It’s like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. 12 In the same way, we can see and understand only a little about God now, as if we were peering at his reflection in a poor mirror; but someday we are going to see him in his completeness, face-to-face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred, but then I will see everything clearly, just as clearly as God sees into my heart right now.
13 There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.