M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
13 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Consecrate every firstborn male(A) to Me, the firstborn from every womb among the Israelites, both man and domestic animal; it is Mine.”
3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you out of here by the strength of His hand. Nothing leavened may be eaten.(B) 4 Today, in the month of Abib,[a](C) you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites,[b] which He swore to your fathers that He would give you, a land flowing with milk and honey,(D) you must carry out this ritual in this month.(E) 6 For seven days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is to be a festival to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread is to be eaten for those seven days. Nothing leavened may be found among you, and no yeast may be found among you in all your territory. 8 On that day explain to your son, ‘This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’(F) 9 Let it serve as a sign for you on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead,[c](G) so that the Lord’s instruction may be in your mouth; for the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a strong hand. 10 Keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.
11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as He swore to you and your fathers, and gives it to you, 12 you are to present to the Lord every firstborn male of the womb. All firstborn offspring of the livestock you own that are males will be the Lord’s. 13 You must redeem every firstborn of a donkey with a flock animal, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. However, you must redeem every firstborn among your sons.(H)
14 “In the future, when your son(I) asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘By the strength of His hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man to the firstborn of livestock. That is why I sacrifice to the Lord all the firstborn of the womb that are males, but I redeem all the firstborn of my sons.’ 16 So let it be a sign on your hand and a symbol[d] on your forehead, for the Lord brought us out of Egypt by the strength of His hand.”(J)
The Route of the Exodus
17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, “The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war.”(K) 18 So He led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation.(L)
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph(M) with him, because Joseph had made the Israelites swear a solemn oath, saying, “God will certainly come to your aid; then you must take my bones with you from this place.”
20 They set out from Succoth and camped at Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21 The Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud(N) to lead them on their way during the day and in a pillar of fire to give them light at night, so that they could travel day or night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night never left its place in front of the people.
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager
16 He also said to the disciples: “There was a rich(A) man who received an accusation that his manager(B) was squandering(C) his possessions. 2 So he called the manager in and asked, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management,(D) because you can no longer be my manager.’
3 “Then the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig; I’m ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I’ll do so that when I’m removed from management, people will welcome me into their homes.’
5 “So he summoned each one of his master’s debtors. ‘How much do you owe my master?’ he asked the first one.
6 “‘A hundred measures of olive oil,’ he said.
“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘sit down quickly, and write 50.’
7 “Next he asked another, ‘How much do you owe?’
“‘A hundred measures of wheat,’ he said.
“‘Take your invoice,’ he told him, ‘and write 80.’
8 “The master praised the unrighteous manager(E) because he had acted astutely. For the sons of this age(F) are more astute than the sons of light(G) in dealing with their own people.[a] 9 And I tell you, make friends(H) for yourselves by means of the unrighteous money(I) so that when it fails,[b] they may welcome you into eternal dwellings. 10 Whoever is faithful(J) in very little(K) is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. 11 So if you have not been faithful with the unrighteous money, who will trust you with what is genuine? 12 And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? 13 No(L) household slave can be the slave of two masters, since either he will hate(M) one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t be slaves to both God and money.”
Kingdom Values
14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money,(N) were listening to all these things and scoffing(O) at Him. 15 And He told them: “You are the ones who justify(P) yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts.(Q) For what is highly admired by people is revolting(R) in God’s sight.
16 “The(S) Law and the Prophets(T) were[c] until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God(U) has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it.[d] 17 But it is easier(V) for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out.
18 “Everyone(W) who divorces(X) his wife and marries another woman commits adultery,(Y) and everyone who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen,(Z) feasting lavishly every day. 20 But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate.(AA) 21 He longed to be filled(AB) with what fell from the rich man’s table,(AC) but instead the dogs(AD) would come and lick his sores. 22 One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.[e](AE) The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torment(AF) in Hades,(AG) he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 24 ‘Father Abraham!’(AH) he called out, ‘Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony(AI) in this flame!’
25 “‘Son,’[f] Abraham said, ‘remember that during your life you received your good things,(AJ) just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here,(AK) while you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.’
27 “‘Father,’ he said, ‘then I beg you to send him to my father’s house— 28 because I have five brothers—to warn(AL) them, so they won’t also come to this place of torment.’
29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;(AM) they should listen to them.’
30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said. ‘But if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’”(AN)
31 I have made a covenant with my eyes.(A)
How then could I look at a young woman?[a](B)
2 For what portion(C) would I have from God above,
or what inheritance from the Almighty on high?
3 Doesn’t disaster come to the unjust
and misfortune to evildoers?
4 Does He not see my ways
and number all my steps?(D)
5 If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has rushed to deceit,
6 let God weigh me in accurate scales,(E)
and He will recognize my integrity.(F)
7 If my step has turned from the way,
my heart has followed my eyes,
or impurity has stained my hands,(G)
8 let someone else eat what I have sown,
and let my crops be uprooted.(H)
9 If my heart has been seduced by my neighbor’s wife
or I have lurked at his door,
10 let my own wife grind grain for another man,
and let other men sleep with[b] her.
11 For that would be a disgrace;
it would be a crime deserving punishment.[c](I)
12 For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon;
it would destroy my entire harvest.(J)
13 If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants
when they made a complaint against me,
14 what could I do when God stands up to judge?
How should I answer Him when He calls me to account?
15 Did not the One who made me in the womb also make them?
Did not the same God form us both in the womb?(K)
16 If I have refused the wishes of the poor
or let the widow’s(L) eyes go blind,
17 if I have eaten my few crumbs alone
without letting the fatherless eat any of it—
18 for from my youth, I raised him as his father,
and since the day I was born[d] I guided the widow—
19 if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing
or a needy person without a cloak,(M)
20 if he[e] did not bless me
while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep,
21 if I ever cast my vote[f] against a fatherless child
when I saw that I had support in the city gate,(N)
22 then let my shoulder blade fall from my back,
and my arm be pulled from its socket.
23 For disaster from God terrifies me,
and because of His majesty I could not do these things.(O)
24 If I placed my confidence in gold
or called fine gold my trust,(P)
25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great
or because my own hand has acquired so much,
26 if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining
or at the moon moving in splendor,(Q)
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed
and I threw them a kiss,[g]
28 this would also be a crime deserving punishment,
for I would have denied God above.
29 Have I rejoiced over my enemy’s distress,
or become excited when trouble came his way?
30 I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by asking for his life with a curse.
31 Haven’t the members of my household said,
“Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job’s table?”
32 No stranger had to spend the night on the street,
for I opened my door to the traveler.
33 Have I covered my transgressions(R) as others do[h]
by hiding my guilt in my heart,(S)
34 because I greatly feared the crowds,
and the contempt of the clans terrified me,
so I grew silent and would not go outside?
35 If only I had someone to hear my case!(T)
Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me.
Let my Opponent compose His indictment.
36 I would surely carry it on my shoulder
and wear it like a crown.(U)
37 I would give Him an account of all my steps;
I would approach Him like a prince.
38 If my land cries out against me
and its furrows join in weeping,
39 if I have consumed its produce without payment
or shown contempt for its tenants,[i]
40 then let thorns(V) grow instead of wheat
and stinkweed(W) instead of barley.
The words of Job are concluded.
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will,(A) and Timothy(B) our[a] brother:
To God’s church at Corinth,(C) with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.(D)
2 Grace to you and peace(E) from God our Father(F) and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The God of Comfort
3 Praise(G) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies(H) and the God of all comfort.(I) 4 He comforts us in all our affliction,[b] so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For as the sufferings(J) of Christ(K) overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows.(L) 6 If we are afflicted,(M) it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.(N) 7 And our hope(O) for you is firm, because we know that as you share(P) in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.
8 For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia:(Q) we were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength(R)—so that we even despaired(S) of life. 9 Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God(T) who raises(U) the dead. 10 He has delivered(V) us from such a terrible death,(W) and He will deliver us. We have put our hope in Him that He will deliver us again 11 while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[c] behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.
A Clear Conscience
12 For this is our confidence: The testimony(X) of our conscience(Y) is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly[d] wisdom(Z) but by God’s grace.(AA) 13 Now we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely— 14 as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride,(AB) as you are ours,(AC) in the day of our[e] Lord Jesus.(AD)
A Visit Postponed
15 I planned with this confidence to come to you first,(AE) so you could have a double benefit,[f] 16 and to go on to Macedonia(AF) with your help, then come to you again from Macedonia and be given a start by you(AG) on my journey(AH) to Judea.(AI) 17 So when I planned this, was I irresponsible? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human[g](AJ) way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” simultaneously? 18 As God is faithful,(AK) our message to you is not “Yes and no.” 19 For the Son of God,(AL) Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus[h](AM) and Timothy—did not become “Yes and no”; on the contrary, a final “Yes” has come in Him.(AN) 20 For every one of God’s promises(AO) is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen”(AP) is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory.(AQ) 21 Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed(AR) us. 22 He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment(AS) in our hearts.(AT)
23 I call on God as a witness,(AU) on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth.(AV) 24 I do not mean that we have control of[i] your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand(AW) by faith.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.