M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have made you like God to Pharaoh. And your brother Aaron will be like a prophet to you. 2 You must say everything I command you to say. Then your brother Aaron must tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel leave his country. 3 But I will make Pharaoh stubborn. I will multiply the signs and amazing things I will do in Egypt. 4 In spite of that, he will not listen to you. So I will use my powerful hand against Egypt. When I judge them with mighty acts, I will bring my people Israel out like an army on the march. 5 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord. I will reach out my powerful hand against them. I will bring the people of Israel out of Egypt.”
6 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. 7 Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to Pharaoh.
Aaron’s Walking Stick Becomes a Snake
8 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. 9 He said, “Pharaoh will say to you, ‘Do a miracle.’ When he does, speak to Aaron. Tell him, ‘Take your walking stick and throw it down in front of Pharaoh.’ It will turn into a snake.”
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw the stick down in front of Pharaoh and his officials. It turned into a snake. 11 Then Pharaoh sent for wise men and people who do evil magic. By doing their magic tricks, the Egyptian magicians did the same things Aaron had done. 12 Each one threw down his walking stick. Each stick turned into a snake. But Aaron’s walking stick swallowed theirs up. 13 In spite of that, Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to them, just as the Lord had said.
The Plague of Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh is very stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. 15 In the morning Pharaoh will go down to the Nile River. Go and meet him on the bank of the river. Take in your hand the walking stick that turned into a snake. 16 Say to Pharaoh, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you. He says, “Let my people go. Then they will be able to worship me in the desert. But up to now you have not listened.” 17 The Lord says, “Here is how you will know that I am the Lord. I will strike the water of the Nile River with the walking stick that is in my hand. The river will turn into blood. 18 The fish in the river will die. The river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.” ’ ”
19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Get your walking stick. Reach your hand out over the waters of Egypt. The streams, canals, ponds and all the lakes will turn into blood. There will be blood everywhere in Egypt. It will even be in the wooden buckets and stone jars.’ ”
20 Moses and Aaron did exactly as the Lord had commanded them. Aaron held out his staff in front of Pharaoh and his officials. He struck the water of the Nile River. And all the water turned into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died. The river smelled so bad the Egyptians couldn’t drink its water. There was blood everywhere in Egypt.
22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by doing their magic tricks. So Pharaoh became stubborn. He wouldn’t listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 Even that miracle didn’t change Pharaoh’s mind. In fact, he turned around and went into his palace. 24 All the Egyptians dug holes near the Nile River to get drinking water. They couldn’t drink water from the river.
The Plague of Frogs
25 Seven days passed after the Lord struck the Nile River.
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
10 After this the Lord appointed 72 others. He sent them out two by two ahead of him. They went to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is huge, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals. And don’t greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘May this house be blessed with peace.’ 6 If someone there works to bring peace, your blessing of peace will rest on them. If not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, and eat and drink anything they give you. Workers are worthy of their pay. Do not move around from house to house.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is given to you. 9 Heal the sick people who are there. Tell them, ‘God’s kingdom has come near to you.’ 10 But what if you enter a town and are not welcomed? Then go into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe from our feet even the dust of your town. We do it to warn you. But here is what you can be sure of. God’s kingdom has come near.’ 12 I tell you this. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom than for that town.
13 “How terrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How terrible for you, Bethsaida! Suppose the miracles done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon. They would have turned away from their sins long ago. They would have put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. They would have sat down in ashes. 14 On judgment day it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And what about you, Capernaum? Will you be lifted up to the heavens? No! You will go down to the place of the dead.
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever does not accept you does not accept me. But whoever does not accept me does not accept the one who sent me.”
17 The 72 returned with joy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we speak in your name.”
18 Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to walk all over snakes and scorpions. You will be able to destroy all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you. 20 But do not be glad when the evil spirits obey you. Instead, be glad that your names are written in heaven.”
21 At that time Jesus was full of joy through the Holy Spirit. He said, “I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children. Yes, Father. This is what you wanted to do.
22 “My Father has given all things to me. The Father is the only one who knows who the Son is. And the only ones who know the Father are the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to make the Father known.”
23 Then Jesus turned to his disciples. He said to them in private, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 I tell you, many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see. But they didn’t see it. They wanted to hear what you hear. But they didn’t hear it.”
The Story of the Good Samaritan
25 One day an authority on the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” Jesus replied. “How do you understand it?”
27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength and with all your mind.’ (Deuteronomy 6:5) And, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ ” (Leviticus 19:18)
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do that, and you will live.”
29 But the man wanted to make himself look good. So he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Robbers attacked him. They stripped off his clothes and beat him. Then they went away, leaving him almost dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down that same road. When he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 A Levite also came by. When he saw the man, he passed by on the other side too. 33 But a Samaritan came to the place where the man was. When he saw the man, he felt sorry for him. 34 He went to him, poured olive oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey. He brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins. He gave them to the owner of the inn. ‘Take care of him,’ he said. ‘When I return, I will pay you back for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of the three do you think was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by robbers?”
37 The authority on the law replied, “The one who felt sorry for him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do as he did.”
Jesus at the Home of Martha and Mary
38 Jesus and his disciples went on their way. Jesus came to a village where a woman named Martha lived. She welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was busy with all the things that had to be done. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, my sister has left me to do the work by myself. Don’t you care? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered. “You are worried and upset about many things. 42 But few things are needed. Really, only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. And it will not be taken away from her.”
24 “Why doesn’t the Mighty One set a time for judging sinful people?
Why do those who know him have to keep waiting for that day?
2 People move their neighbor’s boundary stones.
They steal their neighbor’s flocks.
3 They take away the donkeys
that belong to children whose fathers have died.
They take a widow’s ox until she has paid what she owes.
4 They push those who are needy out of their way.
They force all the poor people in the land to go into hiding.
5 The poor are like wild donkeys in the desert.
They have to go around looking for food.
The dry and empty land provides the only food for their children.
6 The poor go to the fields and get a little grain.
They gather up what is left in the vineyards of sinners.
7 The poor don’t have any clothes. So they spend the night naked.
They don’t have anything to cover themselves in the cold.
8 They are soaked by mountain rains.
They hug the rocks because they don’t have anything to keep them warm.
9 Children whose fathers have died
are torn away from their mothers.
A poor person’s baby is taken away to pay back what is owed.
10 The poor don’t have any clothes. They go around naked.
They carry bundles of grain, but they still go hungry.
11 They work very hard as they crush olives.
They stomp on grapes in winepresses,
but they are still thirsty.
12 The groans of those who are dying are heard from the city.
Those who are wounded cry out for help.
But God doesn’t charge anyone with doing what is wrong.
13 “Some people hate it when daylight comes.
In the daytime they never walk outside.
14 When daylight is gone, murderers get up.
They kill poor people and those who are in need.
In the night they sneak around like robbers.
15 Those who commit adultery wait until the sun goes down.
They think, ‘No one will see us.’
They keep their faces hidden.
16 In the dark, thieves break into houses.
But by day they shut themselves in.
They don’t want anything to do with the light.
17 Midnight is like morning to them.
The terrors of darkness are their friends.
18 “But sinners are like bubbles on the surface of water.
Their share of the land is under God’s curse.
So no one goes to their vineyards.
19 Melted snow disappears when the air is hot and dry.
And sinners disappear when they go down into their graves.
20 Even their mothers forget them.
The worms in their graves eat them up.
No one remembers sinful people anymore.
They are cut down like trees.
21 They mistreat women who aren’t able to have children.
They aren’t kind to widows.
22 But God is powerful.
He even drags away people who are strong.
When he rises up against them,
they can never be sure they are safe.
23 God might let them rest and feel secure.
But his eyes see how they live.
24 For a little while they are honored.
Then they are gone.
They are brought low.
And they die like everyone else.
They are cut off like heads of grain.
25 “Who can prove that what I’m saying is wrong?
Who can prove that my words aren’t true?”
11 1 Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.
Proper Worship
2 I praise you for being faithful in remembering me. I also praise you for staying true to the teachings of the past. You have stayed true to them, just as I gave them to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ. The head of the woman is the man. And the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame on his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered brings shame on her head. It is the same as having her head shaved. 6 What if a woman does not cover her head? She might as well have her hair cut off. But it is shameful for her to cut her hair or shave her head. So she should cover her head.
7 A man should not cover his head. He is the likeness and glory of God. But woman is the glory of man. 8 Man did not come from woman. Woman came from man. 9 Also, man was not created for woman. Woman was created for man. 10 That’s why a woman should have authority over her own head. She should have this because of the angels. 11 But here is how things are for those who belong to the Lord. Woman is not independent of man. And man is not independent of woman. 12 Woman came from man, and man is born from woman. But everything comes from God.
13 You be the judge. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God without covering her head? 14 Suppose a man has long hair. Doesn’t the very nature of things teach you that it is shameful? 15 And suppose a woman has long hair. Doesn’t the very nature of things teach you that it is her glory? Long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 If anyone wants to argue about this, we don’t have any other practice. And God’s churches don’t either.
Celebrating the Lord’s Supper in the Right Way
17 In the following matters, I don’t praise you. Your meetings do more harm than good. 18 First, here is what people are telling me. When you come together as a church, you take sides. And in some ways I believe it. 19 Do you really think you need to take sides? You probably think God favors one side over the other! 20 So when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat. 21 As you eat, some of you go ahead and eat your own private meals. Because of this, one person stays hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? You are shaming those in the church who have nothing. Do you think so little of God’s church that you do this? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? Certainly not about the Lord’s Supper!
23 I passed on to you what I received from the Lord. On the night the Lord Jesus was handed over to his enemies, he took bread. 24 When he had given thanks, he broke it. He said, “This is my body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do it in memory of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup. He said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Every time you drink it, do it in memory of me.” 26 You eat the bread and drink the cup. When you do this, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
27 Eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in the right way. Don’t do it in a way that isn’t worthy of him. If you do, you will be guilty. You’ll be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone should take a careful look at themselves before they eat the bread and drink from the cup. 29 Whoever eats and drinks must recognize the body of Christ. If they don’t, judgment will come upon them. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick. That is why a number of you have died. 31 We should think more carefully about what we are doing. Then we would not be found guilty for this. 32 When the Lord judges us in this way, he corrects us. Then in the end we will not be judged along with the rest of the world.
33 My brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home. Then when you come together, you will not be judged.
When I come, I will give you more directions.
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