M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Civil Laws
21 Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:
Laws About Servants
2 If you purchase a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, but in the seventh he may go free without paying anything. 3 If he comes in by himself, he will go out by himself. If he is married when he comes in, then his wife will go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will belong to her master, and the servant will go out by himself. 5 But if the servant formally declares, “I love my master, my wife, and my children. I do not want to go out free,” 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges.[a] His master shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and he shall bore through his ear with an awl. Then he shall serve him for the rest of his life.
7 If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she may not be sent out of the household as the male servants may be. 8 If she does not please her master who has married her, then he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has not kept his commitment to her. 9 If he marries her to his son, he must deal with her as he would deal with a daughter. 10 If he takes a second wife for himself, he must not diminish the food, the clothing, or the marital rights[b] of the first wife. 11 If he does not do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
Laws About Injuries
12 Anyone who strikes a man so that he dies must certainly be put to death. 13 However, if this was not done intentionally but rather was an act of God, for that kind of case I will appoint a place among you to which that man can flee. 14 But if a man plots and kills his neighbor deliberately, you shall take him from my altar, so that he may be put to death.
15 Anyone who strikes his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.
16 If anyone kidnaps someone and sells him, or if the kidnapped person is found in his possession, the kidnapper must certainly be put to death.
17 Anyone who curses his father or his mother must certainly be put to death.
18 If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and the victim does not die but is confined to bed— 19 if the victim gets up and can walk around outside with his staff, then the one who struck him shall not be punished, but he must pay for the victim’s lost work time while he is recuperating, until he is completely healed.
20 If a man strikes his male or his female servant with a club,[c] and the servant dies at his hand, he must certainly be punished. 21 However, if the servant gets up after a day or two,[d] the man shall not be punished, for the servant was his property.
22 If men are fighting and they injure a pregnant woman so that the child comes out, yet no harm follows, they must certainly be fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges approve. 23 But if any harm follows, then you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
26 If a man strikes his male or female servant’s eye and destroys it, he must let the servant go free as payment for the eye. 27 If he knocks out his male or female servant’s tooth, he must let the servant go free as payment for the tooth.
28 If an ox gores a man or a woman to death, the ox must be stoned to death, and its flesh must not be eaten, but the owner of the ox will not be held responsible. 29 If the ox, however, had a habit of goring in the past, and its owner had been warned, but he did not keep it confined, and it then kills a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death. 30 But if a redemption payment is imposed on the owner instead of the death penalty, he must pay whatever is imposed on him to save his life. 31 This is also the ruling that applies to him if the ox has gored someone’s son or daughter. 32 But if the ox gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to the servant’s owner, and the ox is to be stoned to death.
33 If a man uncovers a cistern,[e] or if a man digs a cistern and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the cistern shall pay for the loss in full. He shall give money to the owner of the animal, and the dead animal shall be his.
35 If one man’s ox injures his neighbor’s ox, so that it dies, they shall sell the live ox and divide the money they got for it, and they shall also divide the dead animal. 36 But if it was known that the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it confined, he must pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.
The Resurrection
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women[a] went to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. 3 When they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothing. 5 The women were terrified and bowed down with their faces to the ground.
The men said to them, “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has been raised! Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again?” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11 Yet these words seemed to them like nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over to look in, he saw only the strips of linen cloth. He went home, amazed at what had happened.
On the Way to Emmaus
13 Now, on that same day, two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles[b] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about all of these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing this, Jesus himself approached and began to walk along with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” Saddened, they stopped.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked them.
They replied, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in deed and word before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be condemned to death. And they crucified him. 21 But we were hoping that he was going to redeem Israel. Not only that, but besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Also some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning. 23 When they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb. They found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and to enter his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village where they were going, he acted as if he were going to travel farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, since it is almost evening, and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he reclined at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and began giving it to them. 31 Suddenly their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Then he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us along the road and while he was explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and those who were with them assembled together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord really has been raised! He has appeared to Simon.” 35 They themselves described what had happened along the road, and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 But they were terrified and frightened and thought they were looking at a ghost.
38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled? Why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While they still did not believe it (because of their joy), and while they were still wondering, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb.[c] 43 He took it and ate in front of them. 44 He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 He said to them, “This is what is written and so it must be:[d] The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 Look, I am sending you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Jesus Ascends Into Heaven
50 He led them out as far as the vicinity of Bethany. He lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 And while he was blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up into heaven. 52 So they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 They were continually in the temple courts, praising and[e] blessing God. Amen.[f]
39 Do you know the time when the antelope on the cliffs gives birth?
Do you keep watch over the doe as she is in labor?
2 Do you count how many months they carry their young?
Do you know when it is time for them to give birth?
3 They crouch down.
They give birth to their fawns.
Their labor pains are over.
4 Their young are lively and live in the open countryside.
They go out, and they do not return to them.
5 Who set the wild donkey free?
Who untied the restraints on the onager?[a]
6 I have given it the wasteland[b] as its home,
the salt flats as its dwelling place.
7 It brays at the commotion in a town.
It does not listen to the shouting of the driver.
8 It explores the mountains as its pasture,
while it searches for anything green.
9 Is a wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your manger?
10 Can you lead the wild ox down a furrow with a rope?
Will it work the fields in the valleys behind you?
11 Will you depend on it because it is so strong?
Will you rely on it to labor for you?
12 Will you trust it to return your seed grain
and to bring it to your threshing floor?
13 The wings of a screeching ostrich flap wildly,
but they do not have feathers and plumage like a stork’s.
14 She leaves her eggs on the ground.
She keeps them warm in the dust.
15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,
or a wild animal may trample them.
16 She is hard-hearted toward her children.
It is as if they were not hers.
It does not bother her if her labor is for nothing,
17 because God made her forget wisdom,
and he has not given her any understanding.
18 But as soon as she jumps up to run,
she laughs at the horse and the rider.
19 Did you give strength to the horse?
Did you clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Did you give it the ability to jump like a locust?
Its snorting and neighing are frightening.
21 It paws at the ground in the valley.[c]
It rejoices in its strength.
It goes out to meet the weapons of war.
22 It laughs at danger and is not afraid.
It does not turn away from the sword.
23 A quiver rattles against it.
A spear and a javelin[d] flash.
24 Shaking with excitement, it swallows up ground.
It doesn’t just stand there when the ram’s horn sounds.
25 As often as the horn sounds, it neighs and snorts!
From a distance it smells the battle,
the thunder of the commanders and the war cries.
26 Did you teach the hawk how to soar,
as it spreads out its wings to the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle flies high
and makes its nest in a lofty place?
28 On a rocky cliff it settles down to spend the night,
on a pinnacle of rock in a mountain stronghold.
29 From there it spies its food.
Its eyes spot it far away.
30 Its young ones drink up the blood.
Wherever the carcasses are—there it is.
Christian Giving
9 It is really not necessary for me to write to you about the service to the saints, 2 because I know your eagerness. I am boasting about it on your behalf to the Macedonians, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. Your zeal has stirred up many of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting on your behalf will not prove to be empty in this case, but that you will be prepared just as I have been saying. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come along with me and find you unprepared, we (to say nothing of you) would be ashamed of this confidence.[a] 5 That is why I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance, and to arrange ahead of time the expression of praise that you previously promised, so that it may be ready as an expression of praise, not of grudging selfishness.
6 This is what I mean: The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. The one who sows generously[b] will also reap generously. 7 Each one should give as he has determined in his heart, not reluctantly or under pressure, for God loves a cheerful giver.
God Provides
8 God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will overflow in every good work. 9 As it is written:
He scattered; he gave to the poor.
His righteousness remains forever.[c]
10 And he who provides seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing, and will increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you may be generous[d] in every way, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.
12 To be sure, the administration of this service is not only making up for what is lacking among the saints, but it is also overflowing in many prayers of thanksgiving to God. 13 By proving yourselves in this service, many people are glorifying God, as they see the obedience shown in your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity[e] shown in your sharing with them and all people. 14 At the same time as they pray for you, they also express their longing for you, because of the extraordinary measure of God’s grace given to you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.