M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
43 The famine in the land was severe, 2 so when they had eaten all the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy a little more food for us.”
3 Judah said to him, “The man sternly warned us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you, 5 but if you do not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?”
7 They said, “The man interrogated us about ourselves and about our relatives. He asked, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”
8 Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will get up and go, so that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I will serve as a guarantee for him. You can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him in front of you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 Look, if we had not delayed, we certainly could have returned for a second time by now.”
11 Their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then this is what you should do: Put some of the best products of the land into your containers and take a gift for the man: a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. 12 Also take double the amount of silver with you. Take back the silver that was returned into the mouths of your bags. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Also take your brother. Get going and return to the man. 14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. But if I am deprived of my children, I am deprived.”
15 The men took that present, and they took double the amount of silver with them. They also took Benjamin. They got up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the manager[a] of his house, “Bring the men into the house. Butcher an animal and prepare it, for the men will dine with me at noon.”
17 The manager did as Joseph commanded and brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 The brothers were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “Because of the money that was returned into our bags the first time, we are being brought in, so that he may find a pretext against us, pounce on us, seize us as slaves, and take our donkeys.”
19 They approached the manager of Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the door of the house. 20 They said, “Please, my lord, we really did come down the first time to buy food. 21 When we came to the lodging place, we opened our bags, and to our surprise each man’s silver was in the mouth of his bag, the full amount of our money.[b] We have brought it back with us. 22 We have also brought down with us additional money to buy food. We do not know who put our money into our bags.”
23 He said, “There is no problem. Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your bags. I received your money.” He brought Simeon out to them. 24 The man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, so they could wash their feet. He gave their donkeys fodder. 25 They prepared the gift for Joseph, who was coming at noon, because they heard that they would be eating bread there.
26 When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gift that they had brought to the house, and they bowed down to the ground in front of him. 27 He asked them about their welfare: “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 They said, “Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive.”[c] They bowed down and prostrated themselves.
29 Joseph looked up and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother’s son, and he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” He said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome by his emotions over his brother, and he looked for a place to weep. He went into his room and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. After he regained control of himself, he said, “Serve the meal.”
32 They served Joseph by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians do not eat with Hebrews, for that is repulsive to the Egyptians. 33 The brothers were seated in front of him. They were lined up in order, starting with the firstborn based on his birthright down to the youngest based on his youth, and the men expressed their amazement to each other. 34 He sent servings to them from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They were drinking and they were feeling the effects.[d]
The Destruction of Jerusalem and the End of the World
13 As Jesus was leaving the temple courts, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look what impressive stones these are, and what impressive buildings!”
2 Jesus said to him, “Do you see these large buildings? There will not be one stone here left on top of another. They will all be thrown down.”
3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be fulfilled?”
5 Jesus began by telling them, “Be careful that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.
7 “Whenever you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled. Such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 In fact, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. 9 But be on your guard! People will hand you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand in the presence of rulers and kings for my sake as a witness to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 Whenever they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand what you should say. Say whatever is given to you in that hour, because you will not be the ones speaking; instead it will be the Holy Spirit.
12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father, his child. Children will rise up against their parents and put them to death. 13 You will be hated by everyone because of my name, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 When you see the abomination that causes desolation[a] standing where it should not be—let the reader understand—then those who are in Judea should flee to the mountains. 15 The one who is on the housetop should not go down or enter to take anything out of his house. 16 The one who is in the field should not return to get his clothes. 17 How terrible it will be for those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Pray that this will not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be distress of such a kind as has not happened from the beginning of the creation until now, and surely never will be again. 20 If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened the days. 21 Then if someone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false Christs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if it were possible. 23 So be on your guard. I have told you everything in advance.
24 “But after that distress in those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. 25 The stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 26 Then you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory.[b] 27 At that time he will send out his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of the sky.
28 “Learn from this illustration of the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also when you see these things happening, you will know that he is near—at the doors! 30 Amen I tell you: This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things happen. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Watch! Be Alert!
32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Watch! Be alert and pray, because you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going away on a journey. When he left his home, he put his servants in charge and assigned what each one was to do. He also commanded the doorkeeper to keep watch. 35 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know when the owner of the house is coming: whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or early in the morning. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”
Round One: Job’s Third Speech
9 Then Job responded:
2 Of course I know that this is true.
But how can a man be justified before God?
3 If someone wants to argue with God,
he could not refute one charge out of a thousand.[a]
4 God has a wise heart and great power,
so who can resist God and come out of it unharmed?
5 God removes mountains from their position,
and they don’t even realize it.
He overturns mountains in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth off its foundation.
He causes its pillars to quake.
7 He speaks to the sun, and it does not rise,
and he seals up the stars.
8 He alone stretches out the heavens.
He treads on the crests of the sea.
9 He made the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades,[b]
and the constellations in the southern sky.
10 He does great things that are beyond investigation.
He does miracles that are too many to be counted.
11 Though he passes by me, I do not see him.
He moves past me, but I do not detect him.
12 If he snatches something away, who can make him bring it back?
Who can say to him, “What are you doing?”
13 God does not hold back his anger.
Even Rahab’s[c] helpers bow down beneath him.
14 How much less, then, will I be able to answer him?
I want to match words with him,
15 but even if I am in the right, I cannot answer him.
I can only plead to my judge for grace.
16 If I called and he responded to me,
I do not believe that he would listen to my voice.
17 With a violent storm he would crush me,
and he would inflict many wounds on me for no reason.
18 He would not allow me to catch my breath.
Instead, he would fill me with bitter experiences.
19 If it is a question of strength, he definitely is the strong one.
If it is a question of jurisdiction, who can summon him?[d]
20 Even if I am righteous, my mouth would still condemn me.
If I am blameless, it would pronounce me crooked.
21 Although I am blameless, I cannot evaluate[e] myself.
I reject my own life.
22 Here is why I say, “It makes no difference.”
Blameless or wicked, he brings them all to the same end.
23 If a whip suddenly kills people,
he makes fun of[f] the despair of the innocent.
24 When a land is handed over to a wicked man,
God blinds the eyes of its judges.
If he is not the one, then who does it?
25 My days are swifter than a runner.
They fly away without bringing any happiness.
26 They glide by like reed boats,
like an eagle that swoops down on its prey.
27 If I say, “I will forget my complaint.
I will put on a happy face and smile,”
28 even then I dread all my pain,
because I know that you will not acquit me.
29 I have already been declared guilty,
so why should I struggle for nothing.
30 If I wash myself with snow,
if I cleanse my hands with strong soap,
31 then you will plunge me into a cesspool,
and my clothes will detest me.
32 For he is not a man as I am,
so that I am able to answer him,
so that we may meet in court.
33 There is no one to mediate[g] between us,
no one who can lay his hand on both of us.
34 No one can make him take his rod away from me,
so that the dread of him would not fill me with terror!
35 If that happened, I would speak up and not be afraid.
But I have no such mediator. I am left on my own.
Governments Are Established by God
13 Everyone must submit to the governing authorities. For no authority exists except by God, and the authorities that do exist have been established by God. 2 Therefore the one who rebels against the authority is opposing God’s institution, and those who oppose will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to evil. Would you like to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will receive praise from him, 4 because he is God’s servant for your benefit. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because he does not carry the sword without reason. He is God’s servant, a punisher to bring wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.
6 For this reason you also pay taxes, because the authorities are God’s ministers, who are employed to do this very thing. 7 Pay what you owe to all of them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed.
Love One Another
8 Do not owe anyone anything except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments—do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal,[a] do not covet[b] (and if there is any other commandment)—are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[c] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor, so love is the fulfillment of the law.
The End of the World Is Approaching
11 And do this since you understand the present time. It is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is drawing near. So let us put away the deeds of darkness and put on the weapons of light. 13 Let us walk decently as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual sin and wild living, not in strife and jealousy. 14 Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not give any thought to satisfying the desires of your sinful flesh.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.