M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Moses Gets New Stone Tablets
34 The Lord said to Moses, “·Cut [Hew out; Chisel] two more stone tablets like the ·first two [former], and I will write the same words on them that were on the ·first two [former] stones which you broke [32:15–16]. 2 Be ready tomorrow morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. Stand before me there on the top of the mountain. 3 No one may come with you or even be seen any place on the mountain. Not even the flocks or herds may ·eat grass [graze] near that mountain.”
4 So Moses ·cut [hewed out] two stone tablets like the ·first ones [former]. Then early the next morning he went up Mount Sinai, just as the Lord had commanded him, carrying the two stone tablets with him. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with Moses, and the Lord called out his name: the Lord [L Yahweh; 3:14].
6 The Lord passed in front of Moses and said, “I am the Lord. The Lord is a God who shows ·mercy [compassion], who is ·kind [gracious], ·who doesn’t become angry quickly [patient], who has great ·love [loyalty] and faithfulness 7 and ·is kind [L guards/preserves loyalty] to thousands of people. The Lord forgives people for ·evil [iniquity], for ·sin [transgression], and for ·turning against him [sin], but he does not ·forget to punish guilty people [L clear]. He will punish not only the guilty people, but also their children, their grandchildren, ·their great-grandchildren, and their great-great-grandchildren [L to the third and fourth generations; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Nah. 1:3].”
8 Then Moses quickly bowed to the ground and worshiped. 9 He said, “Lord, if ·you are pleased with me [L I have found favor in your eyes], please, [L Lord] go with us. I know that these are ·stubborn [L stiff-necked] people, but forgive our ·evil [iniquity] and our sin. Take us as your ·own people [L inheritance; possession].”
10 Then he said, “I am making this ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you. I will do ·miracles [wonders] in front of all your people—things that have never before been done for any other nation on earth—and the people with you will see my work. I, the Lord, will do ·wonderful [awesome] things for you. 11 ·Obey [Observe] the things I command you today, and I will ·force [drive] out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 12 ·Be careful [Watch/Guard yourself] that you don’t ·make an agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] with the people who live in the land where you are going, because ·it will bring you trouble [L they will be a snare/trap in your midst]. 13 ·Destroy [Tear down] their altars, break their stone pillars, and cut down their Asherah ·idols [poles; C objects sacred to the Canaanite goddess of fertility]. 14 Don’t worship any other god, because I, the Lord, ·the Jealous One [L whose name is Jealous], am a jealous God [20:5].
15 “Be careful that you don’t ·make an agreement [L cut a covenant] with the people who live in that land. When they ·worship [L whore after and sacrifice to] their gods, they will invite you to join them. Then you will eat their sacrifices. 16 If you ·choose [take] some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters ·worship [L whore after other] gods, they will lead your sons to ·do the same thing [L whore after their gods].
17 “Do not make gods of ·melted [cast] metal [20:4–6].
18 “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread [12:17–20]. For seven days you must eat ·bread made without yeast [unleavened bread] as I commanded you. Do this ·during the month I have chosen, [L at the appointed time in] the month of Abib [13:4], because in ·that month [L the month of Abib] you came out of Egypt.
19 “·The firstborn of every mother [L Everything that first opens the womb] belongs to me, including every firstborn male animal that is born in your flocks and herds. 20 You may ·buy back [redeem; ransom] a donkey ·by paying for it with [L with] a lamb, but if you don’t want to ·buy back a donkey [L redeem; ransom], you must break its neck. You must ·buy back [redeem; ransom] all your firstborn sons [13:11–13].
“No one is to come before me ·without a gift [L empty-handed].
21 “You must work for six days, but on the seventh day you must rest—even during the ·planting [plowing] season and the harvest season [20:8–11].
22 “Celebrate the Feast of Weeks when you gather the first grain of the wheat harvest [23:16]. And celebrate the Feast of ·Shelters [L Ingathering] ·in the fall [L at the turn of the year; 23:17].
23 “Three times each year all your males must ·come [L appear] before the Lord God, the God of Israel. 24 I will ·force out [dispossess] nations ahead of you and ·expand [enlarge] the borders of your land. You will go before the Lord your God three times each year, and at that time no one will ·try to take [L covet] your land from you.
25 “Do not offer the blood of a sacrifice to me with ·anything containing yeast [leaven], and do not leave any of the sacrifice of the Feast of Passover until the next morning [12:10].
26 “Bring the ·best first crops [firstfruits; 23:19] that you harvest from your ground to the ·Tent [L house] of the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk [23:19].”
27 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, because with these words I have ·made an agreement [L cut a covenant] with you and Israel.”
28 Moses stayed there with the Lord forty days and forty nights, and during that time he did not eat food or drink water. And Moses wrote the words of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Treaty]—the Ten ·Commandments [L Words]—on the stone tablets.
The Face of Moses Shines
29 Then Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying the two stone tablets of the ·Agreement [Covenant; Testimony; Treaty] in his hands. But he did not know that his face was shining because he had talked with the Lord [C reflecting God’s holiness and glory and demonstrating Moses’ authority]. 30 When Aaron and all the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel saw that Moses’ face was shining, they were afraid to go near him. 31 But Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the ·leaders of the people [L men of the community/congregation/assembly] returned to Moses, and he talked with them. 32 After that, all the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel came near him, and he gave them all the commands that the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
33 When Moses finished speaking to the people, he put a ·covering [veil] over his face. 34 Anytime Moses went before the Lord to speak with him, Moses took off the ·covering [veil] until he came out. Then Moses would come out and tell the Israelites what the Lord had commanded. 35 They would see that Moses’ face was shining. So he would ·cover [veil] his face again until the next time he went in to speak with the Lord [2 Cor. 3:12–18].
Jesus Washes His Followers’ Feet
13 ·It was almost time for [L Now before…,] the Passover Feast [12:12]. Jesus knew that it was ·time [L the hour] for him to ·leave [depart from] this world and go back to the Father. He had always loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them ·all the way to the end [or completely; totally].
2 ·Jesus and his followers were at the evening meal [L It was dinnertime]. The devil had already ·persuaded [L put it into the heart of] Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to ·turn against [betray] Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had ·given him power over everything [L placed everything into his hands] and that he had come from God and was going back to God. 4 So ·during the meal [L from supper] Jesus stood up and took off his outer clothing. Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the ·followers’ [disciples’] feet, ·drying [wiping] them with the towel that was wrapped around him. [C This act was considered so demeaning by some people that they only allowed Gentile slaves to do it.]
6 Jesus came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later.”
8 Peter said, “No, you will never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash your feet, you ·are not one of my people [L have no share/part with me].”
9 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but wash my hands and my head, too!”
10 Jesus said to him, “After a person has ·had a bath [washed; bathed], his whole body is clean. He needs only to wash his feet. And you men are clean, but not all of you.” 11 [L For] Jesus knew who would ·turn against [betray] him, and that is why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and ·sat down [L reclined; C the posture for a banquet or dinner party] again. He asked, “Do you understand what I have just done ·for [to] you? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’ [C titles appropriately ascribed to an esteemed Rabbi, but which took on deeper meaning after his death and resurrection], and you are right, because that is what I am. 14 If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet. 15 I did this as ·an example [a pattern] so that you should do as I have done for you. 16 ·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly, I say to you], a ·servant [slave; bond-servant] is not greater than his ·master [lord]. [L And] A messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
18 “I am not talking about all of you. I know those I have chosen. But this is to ·bring about what the Scripture said [L fulfill the Scripture]: ·‘The man who ate at my table has turned against me.’ [L ‘The one who ate bread with me lifted his heel against me’; Ps. 41:9; C eating with someone showed an intimate relationship, and lifting one’s heel was an act of betrayal.] 19 I am telling you this now before it happens so that when it happens, you will believe that ·I am he [L I am; C this may be an allusion to God’s (Yahweh’s) self identification as “I AM” in Ex. 3:14, or to God’s repeated claim that “I am he” throughout Is. 40—55; see John 8:24, 28, 58]. 20 ·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly, I say to you], whoever ·accepts [receives] anyone I send also ·accepts [receives] me. And whoever ·accepts [receives] me also ·accepts [receives] the One who sent me [Matt. 10:40].”
Jesus Talks About His Death(A)
21 After Jesus said this, he was very troubled [L in spirit]. He ·said openly [bore witness and said], “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly, I say to you], one of you will ·turn against [betray] me.”
22 The ·followers [disciples] all looked at each other, because they did not know whom Jesus was talking about. 23 One of the ·followers [disciples] ·sitting next to Jesus [L reclining at his side/chest; C an honored position] was the ·follower [disciple] Jesus loved [C a reference to John]. 24 Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus whom he was talking about.
25 That ·follower [disciple] ·leaned [reclined] closer to Jesus and asked, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “I will dip this [piece/morsel of] bread into the dish. The man I give it to is the man who will ·turn against [betray] me.” So Jesus took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27 ·As soon as [After] Judas took the [piece/morsel of] bread, Satan entered him. [L Then] Jesus said to him, “·The thing that you will do—do it quickly [T What you do, do quickly].” 28 No one ·at the table [L of those reclining] understood why Jesus said this to Judas. 29 Since he was the one who kept the money ·box [or bag], some of the ·followers [disciples] thought Jesus was telling him to buy what was needed for the ·feast [festival] or to give something to the poor.
30 [L So] Judas took the [piece/morsel of] bread Jesus gave him and immediately went out. It was night. [C The night is both a time reference and a symbol of Judas’ evil actions.]
31 When Judas was gone, Jesus said, “Now the ·Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] ·receives his glory [is glorified], and God ·receives glory [is glorified] through him. 32 If God ·receives glory [is glorified] through him,[a] then God will ·give glory to [glorify; honor] the Son through himself. And God will ·give him glory [glorify/honor him] ·quickly [immediately; at once].”
33 Jesus said, “·My children [or Little children; C a term of endearment], I will be with you only a little longer. You will ·look for [seek] me, and what I told the Jews [7:33–34; 8:21], I tell you now: Where I am going you cannot come.
34 “I give you a new ·command [commandment]: Love ·each other [T one another]. You must love ·each other [T one another] as I have loved you. 35 All people will know that you are my ·followers [disciples] if you love ·each other [T one another].”
Peter Will Say He Doesn’t Know Jesus(B)
36 Simon Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I ·am ready to die for you [L will lay down my life for you]!”
38 Jesus answered, “·Are you ready to die for me [L Will you lay down your life for me]? ·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly, I say to you], before the ·rooster [cock] crows, you will ·say three times that you don’t know me [deny/disown me three times].”
The Wise Words of Solomon
10 These are the ·wise words [proverbs] of Solomon:
Wise ·children [sons] make their father happy,
but foolish ·children [sons] make their mother sad.
2 ·Riches gotten by doing wrong [L The treasures of the wicked] have no value,
but ·right living [righteousness] will save you from death.
3 The Lord does not let ·good [righteous] people ·go hungry [starve],
but he keeps evil people from getting what they want.
4 A ·lazy person will end up [L slack palm makes a person] poor,
but a ·hard worker will become [L determined hand makes a person] rich.
5 Those who gather crops ·on time [L in the summer] are wise,
but those who sleep through the harvest are a disgrace.
6 ·Good [Righteous] people will have rich blessings,
but the mouth of the wicked ·will be overwhelmed by [or conceals] violence.
7 ·Good [Righteous] people will be remembered as a blessing,
but the name of evil people will soon ·be forgotten [L rot].
8 The wise of heart ·do what they are told [L grasps commands],
but ·a talkative fool [L the lips of a fool] will be ruined.
9 ·The honest person will live [L Those who walk in innocence walk] in safety,
but ·the dishonest [L those who twist their path] will be ·caught [found out].
10 A wink may ·get you into [or cause] trouble,
and foolish talk will lead to your ruin.
11 The ·words [L mouth] of a ·good [righteous] person ·give life, like a fountain of water [L is a fountain of life],
but the ·words [L mouth] of the wicked ·contain nothing but [conceals] violence.
12 Hatred stirs up ·trouble [conflict; fights],
but love ·forgives [covers] all wrongs.
13 ·Wise people speak with understanding [L Wisdom is found on understanding lips],
but ·people without wisdom should be punished [L a rod is for the backs of those who lack sense/heart].
14 The wise ·don’t tell [store up; treasure] everything they know,
but the ·foolish talk too much and are ruined [L mouth of a fool means imminent ruin].
15 ·Having lots of money protects the rich [L The wealth of the rich is their strong city],
but having no money ·destroys [is the ruin of] the poor.
16 ·Good [Righteous] people are rewarded with life,
but evil people are paid with punishment.
17 Whoever ·accepts correction [guards instruction/discipline] is on the way to life,
but whoever ·ignores [abandons] correction ·will lead others away from life [L wanders aimlessly].
18 Whoever ·hides [conceals] hate is a liar.
Whoever ·tells lies [spreads slander] is a fool.
19 ·If you talk a lot [L In an abundance of words], ·you are sure to sin [L wickedness does not cease];
if you are wise, you will ·keep quiet [L restrain your lips].
20 The ·words [L tongue] of a ·good [righteous] person ·are like pure [is choice] silver,
but an evil person’s ·thoughts are [L heart is] worth very little.
21 ·Good [Righteous] people’s ·words [L lips] ·will help [L nourish] many others,
but fools will die because they ·don’t have wisdom [lack sense/heart].
22 The Lord’s blessing brings wealth,
and no ·sorrow [trouble] comes with it.
23 A foolish person ·enjoys [makes a sport of] doing wrong,
but a person with understanding enjoys doing what is wise.
24 Evil people will get what they fear most,
but ·good [righteous] people will get what they want most.
25 A ·storm [whirlwind] will blow the evil person away,
but a ·good [righteous] person will always ·be safe [L have a firm foundation].
26 A lazy person affects the one ·he works for [L who sends him]
like vinegar on the teeth or smoke in the eyes [C irritating].
27 Whoever ·respects [fears] the Lord will ·have a long life [L increase his days],
but the ·life [L years] of an evil person will be cut short.
28 A ·good [righteous] person can look forward to happiness,
but ·an evil person can expect nothing [L the hope of an evil person will perish].
29 The path of the Lord ·will protect good people [L is a refuge for the innocent]
but ruin for those who do evil.
30 ·Good [Righteous] people will ·always be safe [L never be shaken],
but evil people will not ·remain [dwell] in the land.
31 ·A good person says wise things [L The mouth of a righteous person flows with wisdom],
but a ·liar’s [perverse person’s] tongue will be ·stopped [L cut off].
32 ·Good people [L The lips of the wise] know the right thing to say,
but [L the mouth of] evil people only tell ·lies [perversities].
Paul’s Work in Telling the Good News
3 ·So [For this reason] I, Paul, a prisoner [C Paul is probably writing from house arrest in Rome, about ad 60; see Acts 28:30–31] of Christ Jesus ·for [for the sake of] you Gentiles—[C Paul is about to pray for the Ephesians, but instead digresses into a description of his ministry until v. 14]. 2 Surely you have heard that God gave me this ·work [task; stewardship; commission] ·to tell you about his grace [L of God’s grace for you]. 3 He let me know his ·secret [mystery; 1:9] by ·showing it to me [revelation]. I have already written ·a little [briefly] about this [C either earlier in this letter or previously]. 4 ·If you read what I wrote then [or By reading this], you can see that I truly understand the ·secret [mystery] ·about [or revealed by; or that consists of; L of] ·Christ [or the Messiah]. 5 ·People [L The sons of men; C a Hebrew way of referring to people] who lived in other ·times [generations] were not told that secret. But now, through the Spirit, God has ·shown [revealed] that secret to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 This is that ·secret [mystery]: that through the ·Good News [Gospel] the Gentiles ·will share with the Jews in God’s blessing [L are co-heirs]. They belong to the same body, and they share together in the promise that God made in Christ Jesus.
7 By God’s special gift of grace given to me through ·his power [L the working out/exercise of his power], I became a servant ·to tell that Good News [of this Gospel]. 8 I am the least important of all ·God’s people [T the saints], but God gave me this ·gift [or grace]—to tell the Gentiles the ·Good News [Gospel] about the riches of Christ, which are ·too great to understand fully [unfathomable; or boundless]. 9 And God gave me the work of ·telling [making plain; enlightening] all people about the ·plan for [administration of; C the same word translated “work” in v. 2] his ·secret [mystery], which has been hidden ·in [or by] him ·since the beginning of time [L from the ages]. He is the One who created everything. 10 His purpose was that through the church all the rulers and powers in the heavenly ·world [realm; places; 1:3, 20; 2:6] will now know God’s ·wisdom, which has so many forms [multi-faceted/multi-dimensional wisdom]. 11 ·This agrees with [L …according to] ·the plan God had since the beginning of time [his eternal purpose/plan], which he accomplished ·through [or in] Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In Christ we ·can come before [have access to] God with ·freedom [boldness; freedom to speak] and ·without fear [with confidence]. We can do this ·through faith in Christ [or because of Christ’s faithfulness]. 13 So I ·ask you not to become [or pray that you would not be] discouraged because of the ·sufferings [trials] I am having for you. My ·sufferings [trials; affliction] are ·for your glory [to bring you honor/eternal glory].
The Love of Christ
14 So [C Paul begins again the prayer he started in v. 1] I ·bow in prayer [kneel] before the Father 15 from whom ·every [or the whole] ·family [C a play on words, since the words “father” and “family” are related] in heaven and on earth gets its true name. 16 I ask the Father ·in his great glory [or from the treasures of his glory; or out of his glorious riches] to give you the power to be strong ·inwardly [L in the inner person] through his Spirit. 17 I pray that Christ will ·live [make his home] in your hearts by faith and that your life will be ·strong in love and be built on love [L rooted and grounded in love]. 18 And I pray that you and all ·God’s holy people [T the saints] will have the power to ·understand [comprehend; grasp] the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. 19 Christ’s love is ·greater than anyone can ever know [beyond comprehension/knowledge], but I pray that you will be able to know that love. ·Then [L …so that] you can be filled with the fullness of God.
20 ·Glory be to God, who can [L Now to the One who is able to] do much, much more than anything we can ask or imagine through his power working in us. 21 To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all ·time [generations], forever and ever. Amen.
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