M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
5 After Moses and Aaron talked to the people, they went to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go so they may ·hold a feast [celebrate a festival; or make a pilgrimage] for me in the ·desert [wilderness].’”
2 But ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] said, “Who is the Lord? Why should I ·obey him [L listen to his voice] and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”
3 Then Aaron and Moses said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us travel three days into the ·desert [wilderness] to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. If we don’t do this, he may kill us with a ·disease [pestilence; plague] or in war.”
4 But the king [L of Egypt] said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their work? Go back to your ·jobs [labor]! 5 ·There are very many Hebrews [L They are more numerous than the people of the land], and now you want them to quit working!”
6 That same day ·the king [L Pharaoh] gave a command to the slave masters and ·foremen [supervisors]. 7 He said, “Don’t give the people straw to make bricks as you used to do. Let them gather their own straw. 8 But they must still make the same number of bricks as they did before. Do not accept fewer. They have become lazy, and that is why they ·are asking me [cry; whine], ‘Let us go to offer sacrifices to our God.’ 9 Make these people work harder and ·keep them busy [L they will labor on it]; then they will ·not have time to listen to the lies of Moses [L pay no attention to false words/reports].”
Moses Complains to God
10 So the slave masters [L of the people] and ·foremen [supervisors] went ·to the Israelites [L out] and said [L to the people], “This is what ·the king [L Pharaoh] says: I will no longer give you straw. 11 Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it. But ·you must make as many bricks as you made before [L your work will not dimish at all].” 12 So the people ·went everywhere in [L scattered throughout] Egypt ·looking for dry stalks [L gathering stubble] to use for straw. 13 The slave masters ·kept forcing the people to work harder [L were urgent]. They said, “You must ·make just as many bricks [L finish your work, the same daily assignment] as you did when you were given straw.” 14 ·The king’s [L Pharaoh’s] slave masters had made the Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] responsible for the work the people did. The Egyptian slave masters beat these men and asked them, “Why ·aren’t you making as many bricks as you made in the past [L did you not complete the number of bricks yesterday and today, as you did before]?”
15 Then the Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] went to ·the king [L Pharaoh] and ·complained [protested], “Why are you treating us, your servants, this way? 16 You give ·us [L your servants] no straw, but we are commanded to make bricks. Our slave masters beat us, but it is your own people’s ·fault [offense; sin].”
17 ·The king [L He] answered, “You are lazy! ·You don’t want to work [L Lazy]! ·That is why you ask to leave here [L Therefore you say, “Let us go…”] and make sacrifices to the Lord. 18 Now, go back to work! We will not give you any straw, but you must make just as many bricks as you did before.”
19 The Israelite ·foremen [supervisors] knew they were in trouble, because ·the king had told them [L they were told], “You must make just as many bricks each day as you did before.” 20 As they were leaving the meeting with ·the king [L Pharaoh], they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them. 21 So they said to Moses and Aaron, “May the Lord ·punish you [L look on you and judge]. You ·caused the king and his officers to hate us [L have made us a bad odor in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants]. You have ·given them an excuse [L placed a sword in their hands] to kill us.”
22 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Lord, why have you brought this ·trouble [evil; harm] on your people? Is this why you sent me here? 23 I went to ·the king [L Pharaoh] ·and said what you told me to say [L to speak in your name], but ever since that time he has ·made the people suffer [harmed/mistreated this people]. And you have done nothing to ·save them [rescue/deliver your people].”
The Group with Jesus
8 After this, while Jesus was traveling through some ·cities [or towns] and ·small towns [villages], he preached and ·told [proclaimed; announced] the ·Good News [Gospel] about God’s kingdom. The twelve apostles were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of sicknesses and ·evil [defiling; L unclean; 4:33] spirits: Mary, called Magdalene [C probably because she was from the town of Magdala], from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Joanna, the wife of ·Cuza [or Chuza] (the ·manager [T steward] of Herod’s [C Herod Antipas; see 3:1] house); Susanna; and many others. These women used their own ·money [resources] to ·help [support] ·Jesus and his apostles [L them].
A Story About Planting Seed(A)
4 When a great crowd was gathered, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, he told them this ·story [parable]:
5 “A ·farmer [sower] went out to ·plant [sow] his seed. While he was ·planting [sowing, scattering seed], some seed fell ·by the road [along the footpath]. People ·walked [trampled] on the seed, and the ·birds [L birds of the sky] ate it up. 6 Some seed fell on rock, and when it began to grow, it ·died [withered; dried up] because it had no ·water [moisture]. 7 Some seed fell among thorny weeds, but the weeds grew up with it and choked ·the good plants [L it]. 8 And ·some [L other] seed fell on good ·ground [soil] and grew and made a hundred times more.”
As Jesus finished the story, he called out, “·Let those with ears use them and listen [L The one who has ears to hear, let him hear]!”
9 Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] asked him what this ·story [parable] meant.
10 Jesus said, “·You have been chosen [L It has been granted/given to you] to ·know [understand] the ·secrets [mysteries] about the kingdom of God. But I use ·stories [parables] to speak to ·other people [the rest] so that:
‘They will ·look [see], but they may not ·see [perceive].
They will ·listen [hear], but they may not understand [Is. 6:9].’
11 “This is what the ·story [parable] means: The seed is God’s ·message [word]. 12 The seed that fell ·beside the road [along the footpath] is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but [L then] the devil comes and takes it away from ·them [L their hearts] so they cannot believe it and be saved. 13 The seed that fell on rock is like those who hear God’s teaching and ·accept [receive] it ·gladly [L with joy], but they ·don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives [L have no root]. They believe for a while, but when ·trouble [L a time of temptation/testing] comes, they ·give up [fall away; depart]. 14 The seed that fell among the thorny weeds is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the ·worries [cares; anxieties], riches, and pleasures of this life ·keep them from growing and producing [L choke/crowd them and they do not produce] ·good [mature; ripe] fruit. 15 And the seed that fell on the good ground is like those who hear ·God’s teaching [the word] with good, honest hearts and ·obey [cling/hold to] it and ·patiently [with perseverance] produce good fruit.
Use What You Have(B)
16 “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. Instead, the person puts it on a lampstand so those who come in will see the light. 17 [L For] Everything that is ·hidden [secret] will ·become clear [be revealed; disclosed; brought into the open] and every ·secret [hidden; concealed] thing will be made known [L and come to light]. 18 So ·be careful [pay attention; L see] how you listen. [L For] Those who ·have understanding [L have] will be given more. But those who do not ·have understanding [L have], even what they think they have will be taken away from them.”
Jesus’ True Family(C)
19 Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but there was such a crowd they could not get to him. 20 Someone ·said [reported] to Jesus, “Your mother and your ·brothers [or brothers and sisters; C the Greek word can mean “siblings”] are standing outside, wanting to see you.”
21 Jesus answered them, “My mother and my ·brothers [or brothers and sisters] are those who listen to God’s ·teaching [word] and ·obey [do; practice] it!”
Jesus Calms a Storm(D)
22 One day Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] got into a boat, and he said to them, “Let’s go across the lake.” And so they started across. 23 While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A very strong wind blew up on the lake, causing the boat to ·fill with water [nearly swamp], and they were in danger.
24 The ·followers [disciples] went to Jesus and woke him, saying, “Master! Master! We ·will drown [are perishing/going to die]!”
Jesus got up and ·gave a command to [reprimanded; rebuked] the wind and the waves. They stopped, and it became calm [C paralleling God’s subduing of the waters (representing chaos); Ps. 65:7; 89:9; 107:29]. 25 Jesus said to ·his followers [L them], “Where is your faith?”
·The followers [L They] were afraid and amazed and said to each other, “Who [L then] is this that commands even the wind and the water, and they obey him?”
A Man with Demons Inside Him(E)
26 ·Jesus and his followers [L They] sailed across the lake from Galilee to the area of the Gerasene[a] people [C Gerasa was southeast of Lake Galilee; the exact location is uncertain]. 27 When Jesus got out on the land, a man from the town who ·had demons inside him [was possessed by demons] came to Jesus. For a long time he had worn no clothes and had lived in the ·burial caves [tombs], not in a house. 28 When he saw Jesus, he ·cried out [shouted; shrieked] and fell down before him. He said with a loud voice, “·What do you want with me [Leave me alone; What business do we have with each other; L What to me and to you], Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t ·torture [torment] me!” 29 He said this because Jesus was commanding [reprimanding; rebuking] the ·evil [defiling; L unclean; 4:33] spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had ·taken hold of [seized; taken control of] him. Though he had been kept under guard and chained hand and foot, he had broken his chains and had been ·forced [driven] by the demon out into ·a lonely place [the desert/wilderness].
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
He answered, “Legion,” because many demons ·were in [had entered] him [C a legion was about five thousand Roman soldiers; the sense here is “many”]. 31 The demons begged Jesus not to ·send them [L command them to depart] into ·eternal darkness [the bottomless pit; L the Abyss]. 32 A large herd of pigs [C considered ritually unclean by Jews] was feeding on a hill, and the demons begged Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs. So Jesus allowed them to do this. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd ·ran [rushed] down the ·hill [steep bank; precipice] into the lake and was drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ·ran away [fled] and ·told about [reported] this in the town and the countryside. 35 And people went to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, because the demons were gone. But the people were frightened. 36 The people who saw this happen told the others how Jesus had made the [L demon-possessed] man well. 37 All the ·people [crowd; multitude] of the Gerasene ·country [region] asked Jesus to leave [L them], because they were all ·very afraid [overwhelmed/seized with great fear]. So Jesus got into the boat and ·went back across the lake [left; L returned].
38 The man ·whom Jesus had healed [L from whom the demons had gone out] begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Go back home and ·tell [explain to] people ·how much [or what great things] God has done for you.” So the man went all over town ·telling [proclaiming] ·how much [or what great things] Jesus had done for him.
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman(F)
40 When Jesus ·got back to the other side of the lake [L returned], a crowd welcomed him, because everyone was ·waiting for [expecting] him. 41 [L And look/T behold] A man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, came to Jesus and ·fell [bowed; knelt] at his feet, ·begging [urging; pleading with] him to come to his house. 42 [L …because] Jairus’ only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying.
While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house, the people were ·crowding [crushing; pressing] all around him. 43 A woman was in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years[b] [C probably a chronic menstrual disorder], but no one was able to heal her. 44 She came up behind Jesus and touched the ·edge [or tassel; see Num. 15:38–39] of his ·coat [cloak; garment], and instantly her bleeding stopped. 45 Then Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
When all the people ·said they had not touched him [denied it], Peter said, “Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, because I felt power go out from me.” 47 When the woman saw she could not hide, she came forward, ·shaking [trembling], and fell down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she ·told [explained] why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Jesus said to her, “·Dear woman [L Daughter], ·you are made well because you believed [your faith has saved/healed you]. Go in peace.”
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t ·bother [trouble] the teacher anymore.”
50 When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be ·well [healed].”
51 When Jesus ·went [came] to the house, he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him. 52 All the people were crying and ·feeling sad [wailing; lamenting; mourning] because the girl was dead, but Jesus said, “Stop crying. She is not dead, only asleep.”
53 The people ·laughed at [ridiculed] Jesus because they knew the girl was dead. 54 But Jesus took hold of her hand and called to her, “My child, ·stand up [arise]!” 55 Her ·spirit came back into her [or breath/life returned], and she ·stood up [arose] at once. Then Jesus ·ordered [directed] that she be given something to eat. 56 The girl’s parents were ·amazed [overwhelmed; astonished], but Jesus ·told [commanded; ordered] them not to tell anyone what had happened.
Eliphaz Answers
22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:
2 “Can anyone ·be of real use to [benefit] God?
Can even a ·wise [skilled] person ·do him good [benefit him]?
3 Does it ·help [delight; give pleasure to] ·the Almighty [Shaddai] for you to be ·good [righteous]?
·Does he gain anything [What profit is it to him] if you are ·innocent [blameless]?
4 Does God ·punish [reprimand; reprove] you for ·respecting him [L your fear; C in the sense of piety]?
Does he ·bring you into court for this [L enter into judgment with you]?
5 No! It is because your evil is ·without limits [L abundant]
and your ·sins have [guilt has] no end.
6 You ·took your brothers’ things for a debt they didn’t owe [L exacted pledges from your brothers for no reason; Ex. 21:25–27];
you took clothes from people and left them naked.
7 You did not give water to ·tired [weary] people,
and you kept food from the ·hungry [famished; starving].
8 ·You were a powerful man who [L The powerful] owned land;
·you were honored and [L the favored] lived in the land.
9 But you sent widows away empty-handed,
and you ·mistreated [L crushed the arms/strength of the] orphans.
10 That is why traps are all around you
and sudden danger frightens you.
11 That is why it is so dark you cannot see
and a flood of water covers you.
12 “·God is [L Is not God…?] in the highest part of heaven.
See how high the highest stars are [C God is even higher]!
13 But you ask, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge us through the ·dark clouds [thick darkness]?
14 Thick clouds ·cover [hide] him so he cannot see us
as he ·walks [wanders] around ·high up in the sky [L the vault/dome of heaven; C Eliphaz suspects Job denies God knows what is going on in human affairs].’
15 Are you going to ·stay on [guard] the ·old [ancient] path
where ·evil [guilty] people ·walk [tread]?
16 They were ·carried away [or bound up] before their time was up,
and their foundations were washed away by a ·flood [L river].
17 They said to God, ‘·Leave us alone [Get away from us; 21:14]!
·The Almighty can do nothing [L What can the Almighty/Shaddai do…?] to us.’
18 But ·it was God [L was it not he…?] who filled their houses with good things.
Their ·way of thinking [plan; counsel] is ·different [far] from mine [21:16].
19 “·Good [Righteous] people can watch and be glad;
the innocent can ·laugh at [mock; ridicule] them and say,
20 ‘Surely our enemies are destroyed,
and fire burns up ·their wealth [or what is left of theirs].’
21 “·Obey God [L Get along with him] and be at peace with him;
this is the way to ·happiness [or prosperity; C Eliphaz calls on Job to repent].
22 Accept ·teaching [instruction] from his mouth,
and ·keep [put] his words in your heart.
23 If you return to ·the Almighty [Shaddai], you will be ·blessed again [L restored].
So remove ·evil [iniquity] from your ·house [L tent].
24 ·Throw [Put] your gold nuggets into the dust
and ·your fine gold [L Ophir; C referring to the fine gold of the region of Ophir, perhaps southern Arabia] among the rocks in the ·ravines [wadis].
25 Then ·the Almighty [Shaddai] will be your gold
and the ·best [choice] silver for you.
26 You will ·find pleasure [delight] in ·the Almighty [Shaddai],
and you will ·look up [show favor] to him.
27 You will ·pray to [entreat] him, and he will hear you,
and you will keep your ·promises [vows; C made in anticipation of answered prayer] to him.
28 Anything you decide will be done,
and light will ·shine on [illuminate] your ways.
29 When people are made humble and you say, ‘·Have courage [or It is pride],’
then ·the humble [L those with downcast eyes] will be saved.
30 ·Even a guilty person will escape [or He rescues the innocent]
and ·be saved [or and saves you] because your hands are ·clean [pure].”
Paul Is like the Other Apostles
9 ·I am a free man [L Am I not free?]. ·I am [L Am I not…?] an apostle. ·I have [Haven’t I…?] seen Jesus our Lord. ·You people are all an example of [L Are you not…?] my work in the Lord. 2 If others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do, because you are ·proof that I am an apostle [L the seal/verification of my apostleship] in the Lord.
3 This is the answer I give people who want to ·judge me [examine me; question my credentials]: 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink [C receive hospitality and support for their missionary work]? 5 Do we not have the right to ·bring a believing wife with us when we travel [or be married to a believer; L take along a wife who is a sister] as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers [Matt. 13:55; Acts 1:14] and ·Peter [L Cephas; C Peter’s name in Aramaic; see 1:12]? 6 Are Barnabas [Acts 13—14] and I the only ones who ·must work to earn our living [L don’t have the authority/right not to work]? 7 ·No soldier [L Who…?] ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. ·No one [L Who…?] ever plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes. ·No person [L Who…?] takes care of a flock without drinking some of the milk.
8 I do not say this ·by human authority [from human experience; L according to man]; God’s law also says the same thing. 9 [L For] It is written in the law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox when it is ·working in [treading; threshing] the grain [Deut. 25:4].” When God said this, was he ·thinking only [concerned] about oxen? No. 10 He was ·really [surely] talking ·about us [for our benefit]. Yes, that Scripture was written for us, because it goes on to say: “The one who plows and the one who ·works in the grain [threshes] should hope to get some of the grain for their work.” 11 ·Since [If] we ·planted [sowed] spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we should harvest material things from you [C receive support for ministry]? 12 If others have the right to get something from you, surely we have this right, ·too [or even more so]. But we ·do not use it [have not exercised this right]. No, we put up with everything ourselves so that we will not ·keep anyone from believing [L put up a hindrance to] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ. 13 ·Surely [L Don’t…?] you know that those who ·work at the Temple [perform priestly temple service] get their food from the Temple, and those who serve at the altar get part of what is offered at the altar. 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who ·tell the Good News [proclaim/preach the Gospel] should get their living from ·this work [L the Gospel].
15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this now to get anything from you. I would rather die than to have my reason for ·bragging [boasting] taken away. 16 ·Telling the Good News [Preaching the Gospel] does not give me any reason for ·bragging [boasting]. Telling the Good News is my duty—something I must do. And ·how terrible it will be for [L woe to] me if I do not ·tell the Good News [preach the Gospel]. 17 If I preach ·because it is my own choice [voluntarily], I have a reward. But if I preach ·and it is not my choice to do so [without volunteering], I am ·only doing the duty that was given to me [L entrusted with a stewardship/responsibility]. 18 So what ·reward [payment; wages] do I get? Only this: that when I tell the ·Good News [Gospel] I can offer it ·freely [free of charge]. I do not ·use [take advantage of; or misuse] my full rights in ·my work of preaching the Good News [L the Gospel].
19 I am free and belong to no one. But I make myself a slave to all people to win as many as I can. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. I myself am not ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. But to those who are ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law I became like a person who is ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. I did this to win those who are ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. 21 To those who are without the law [C Gentiles] I became like a person who is without the law. I did this to win those people who are without the law. (But really, I am not without God’s law—I am ·ruled by [L under] Christ’s law.) 22 To those who are weak [C in faith; 8:7–13], I became weak so I could win the weak. I have become all things to all people so I could save some of them in any way possible. 23 I do all this because of the ·Good News [Gospel] and so I can ·share in its blessings [or be a participant in it].
24 ·You [L Don’t you…?] know that in a ·race [L stadium] all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! 25 All those who compete in the games ·use self-control [train with strict discipline] so they can win a ·crown [victor’s wreath]. That ·crown [victor’s wreath] is ·an earthly thing that lasts only a short time [L perishable], but our crown ·will never be destroyed [L is imperishable]. 26 So I do not run ·without a goal [aimlessly]. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air. 27 I ·treat my body hard [discipline/subdue/pummel my body] and ·make it my slave [subdue it] so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.
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