M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
18 And when Jethro, the priest of Midian, the ally, either (the) father of the wife of Moses, had heard all things which God had done to Moses, and to Israel his people, for the Lord had led Israel out of the land of Egypt, (And when Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, had heard of all the things which God had done for Moses, and for his people Israel, yea, that the Lord had led Israel out of the land of Egypt,)
2 Jethro took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, whom Moses had sent again (whom Moses had sent back to him),
3 and his two sons, of which one was called Gershom, for the father at his birth (had) said, I was a comeling in an alien land (I was a newcomer in a foreign land),
4 forsooth the tother was called Eliezer, for Moses at his birth (had) said, (For the) God of my father is mine helper, and he delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.
5 Therefore Jethro, ally of Moses, came, and the sons of Moses and his wife came to Moses, into desert, where Jethro set tents beside the hill of God; (And so Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with Moses’ wife and their sons, into the wilderness, where Moses had pitched the tents beside God’s mountain;)
6 and he sent to Moses, and said, I Jethro, thine ally, come to thee, and thy wife, and thy two sons with her. (and he sent word to Moses, and said, I Jethro, thy father-in-law, have come to thee, with thy wife, and thy two sons with her.)
7 And Moses went out into the coming of his ally, and worshipped, and kissed him, and they greeted themselves together with peaceable words. And when Jethro had entered into the tabernacle, (And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed before him, and kissed him, and they greeted each other with friendly words. And when Jethro had gone into the tent,)
8 Moses told to him all (the) things which God had done to Pharaoh, and to the Egyptians, for Israel, and he told to him all the travail that befell to them in the way, of which the Lord had delivered them (and he told him of all the tribulation that had befallen them on the way, and how the Lord had saved them).
9 And Jethro was glad on all the goods which the Lord had done to Israel, for he [had] delivered Israel from the hand of [the] Egyptians. (And Jethro was glad for all the good things that the Lord had done for Israel, for he had saved Israel from the power of the Egyptians.)
10 And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord, that delivered you from the hand(s) of the Egyptians, and from the hand of Pharaoh, the which Lord delivered his people from (being under) the hand, (or the power,) of Egypt;
11 now I know that the Lord is great above all gods, for they did proudly against them. (now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods, for what he hath done to those who did so proudly against thee.)
12 Therefore Jethro, ally of Moses (And so Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law), offered burnt sacrifices and offerings to God; and Aaron, and all the elder men of Israel, came to eat bread with Jethro before God.
13 Forsooth in the tother day, Moses sat that he should deem the people, which stood nigh to Moses, from the morrowtide till to the eventide. (And the next day, Moses sat down to judge the people, who stood about him, from the morning until the evening.)
14 And when his ally had seen this, that is, all things which he did in the people, he said, What is this that thou doest in the people? why sittest thou alone, and all the people abideth thee from the morrowtide till to eventide? (And when his father-in-law had seen this, that is, all the things which he did for the people, Jethro said, What is this that thou doest for the people? why sittest thou alone, and all the people waiteth for thee from the morning until the evening?)
15 To whom Moses answered, The people cometh to me, and asketh the sentence of God;
16 and when any strife befalleth to them, they come to me, that I deem betwixt them (so that I can judge between them), and show (them) the commandments of God, and his laws.
17 And Jethro said, Thou doest a thing that is not good,
18 thou art wasted with a fond travail, both thou, and this people that is with thee; the work is above thy strengths, thou alone mayest not suffer it (thou cannot do it all alone).
19 But hear thou my words, and my counsels, and the Lord shall be with thee; be thou to the people in these things that pertain to God, that thou tell (them) the things that be said to the people; (But hear thou my words, and my counsel, and the Lord shall be with thee; it is right to represent the people before God, and to bring their causes to him;)
20 and show to the people the ceremonies, and [the] custom(s) of worshipping, and the way by which they ought to go, and the work which they ought to do.
21 Forsooth purvey thou of all the people wise men, and dreading God, in which is truth, and which hate avarice; and ordain thou of them tribunes, and centurions, and quinquagenaries, and deans [and ordain of them rulers upon thousands, and rulers upon hundreds, and rulers upon fifty, and rulers upon ten], (But find thou out of the people some men who be wise, and who fear God, in whom is truth, and who hate greed; and make thou them leaders of a thousand, and of a hundred, and of fifty, and of ten,)
22 which shall deem the people in all time; soothly whatever thing is greater, tell they to thee, and deem they only [the] less(er) things, and be it easier to thee, when the burden is parted into other men. (and they shall judge their people at all times; but whatever case is hard, or too difficult, let them tell that to thee, and judge they only the simple cases, and so it shall be easier for thee, when the burden is shared with these other men.)
23 If thou shalt do this, thou shalt fulfill the commandment of God, and thou shalt be able to bear his commandments; and all this people shall turn again with peace to their places (and all these people shall return to their places in peace).
24 And when these things were heard, Moses did all things which Jethro counselled.
25 And when noble men of all Israel were chosen, Moses ordained them princes of the people (And when some noble men were chosen out of all Israel, Moses ordained them the people’s leaders), tribunes, and centurions, and quinquagenaries, and deans [rulers upon thousands, and rulers upon hundreds, and rulers upon fifties, and rulers upon ten],
26 which deemed the people in all time; forsooth, whatever thing was harder, they told to Moses, and they deemed [the] easier things only. (who judged the people at all times; but whatever case was hard, or too difficult, they told it to Moses, and they judged only the easy, or the simple, cases.)
27 And Moses let go his ally, which turned again, and went into his land. (And then Moses let his father-in-law go, and he returned to his own land.)
21 And he beheld, and saw the rich men, that cast their gifts into the treasury;
2 but he saw also a little poor widow casting two farthings.[a]
3 And he said, Truly I say to you, that this poor widow cast more than all men.
4 For why all these of [the] thing that was plenteous to them [For why all these of the abundance, or plenteous, to them] cast into the gifts of God; but this widow of that thing that failed to her, cast all her livelode [sent all her lifelode], that she had.
5 And when some men said of the temple, that it was appareled with good stones and gifts [that it was adorned with good stones and gifts], he said,
6 These things that ye see, days shall come, in which a stone shall not be left on a stone, which shall not be destroyed.[b]
7 And they asked him, and said [saying], Commander, when shall these things be? and what token shall be, when they shall begin to be done?
8 And he said, See ye, that ye be not deceived; for many shall come in my name, saying, For I am, and the time shall approach [and the time shall nigh]; therefore do not ye go after them.
9 And when ye shall hear battles and strives within [But when ye shall hear battles and dissensions within], do not ye be afeared; it behooveth first these things to be done, but not yet at once is an end [but not yet anon the end].
10 Then he said to them, Folk shall rise against folk, and realm against realm;
11 and great movings of the earth shall be by places, and pestilences, and hungers, and dreads from heaven, and great tokens shall be.
12 But before all these things they shall set their hands on you, and shall pursue you, betaking into synagogues and keepings, drawing you to kings and to justices[c], for my name;
13 but it shall fall to you into witnessing.
14 Therefore put ye in your hearts, not to think before, how ye shall answer;
15 for I shall give to you mouth and wisdom, to which all your adversaries shall not be able to against-stand, and gainsay [and against-say].
16 And ye shall be taken of father, and mother [Soothly ye shall be betrayed of father, and mother], and brethren, and cousins, and friends, and by death they shall torment [some] of you;
17 and ye shall be in hate to all men for my name. [and ye shall be hated of all men for my name.]
18 And an hair of your head shall not perish;
19 in your patience ye shall wield your souls.
20 But when ye shall see Jerusalem be environed with an host, then know ye, that the desolation of it shall approach. [Forsooth when ye shall see Jerusalem environed of an host of battle, then know ye, that the desolation thereof shall nigh.]
21 Then they that be in Judaea, flee to the mountains; and they that be in the middle of it, go away; and they that be in the countries, enter not into it.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things that be written, be fulfilled.
23 And woe to them, that be with child, and nourishing in those days [and nursing in those days]; for a great dis-ease shall be on the earth, and wrath to this people.
24 And they shall fall by the sharpness of sword, and they shall be led prisoners into all folks [and they shall be led captive, or prisoners, into all folks]; and Jerusalem shall be defouled of heathen men [and Jerusalem shall be defouled, or trodden down, of heathen men], till the times of nations be fulfilled.
25 And tokens shall be in the sun, and the moon, and in the stars; and in the earth overlaying of folks, for confusion of the sound of the sea and of floods [for confusion of sound of the sea and waves];
26 for men shall wax dry for dread and abiding that shall come into all the world [men waxing dry for dread and abiding that shall come on all the world]; for virtues of heaven shall be moved.
27 And then they shall see man's Son coming in a cloud, with great power and majesty.
28 And when these things begin to be made, behold ye, and raise ye your heads, for your redemption approacheth.[d]
29 And he said to them a likeness, See ye the fig tree, and all trees,
30 when they bring forth now of themselves fruit [when they bring forth fruit now of them], ye know that summer is nigh;
31 so [also] ye, when ye see these things to be done, know ye, that the kingdom of God is nigh.
32 Truly I say to you, that this generation shall not pass, till all things be done.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass, but my words shall not pass.
34 But take ye heed to yourselves [Forsooth perceive ye, or take heed, to yourselves], lest peradventure your hearts be grieved with gluttony, and drunkenness, and busynesses of this life, and that day come suddenly on you [and that day come sudden upon you];
35 for as a snare it shall come on all men, that sit on the face of all the earth.
36 Therefore wake ye, praying in each time, that ye be had worthy to flee all these things that be to come [that ye be worthy to flee all these things that shall come], and to stand before man's Son.
37 And in days he was teaching in the temple, but in nights he went out, and dwelled in the mount, that is called of Olives.
38 And all the people rose early [And all the people hasted, or came early], to come to him in the temple, for to hear him.
36 Also Elihu added, and spake these things, (And Elihu added more, and also said these things,)
2 Suffer thou me a little, and I shall show to thee; for yet I have that, that I shall speak for God (for I still have things to say for God).
3 I shall rehearse my knowing from the beginning; and I shall prove my worker just. (I shall use all my knowledge from far and wide; and I shall prove that my Maker is just, or fair.)
4 For verily my words be without leasing, and by them perfect knowing shall be proved to thee. (For truly my words be without any lying, and by them sound reasoning shall be shown to thee.)
5 God casteth not away mighty men, since he is mighty; (God, who is mighty, despiseth no one, since he is so mighty;)
6 but he saveth not wicked men, and he giveth doom to poor men. (but he saveth not the wicked, and he giveth justice to the poor.)
7 He taketh not away his eyes from a just man; and he setteth kings in their seat [into] without end, and they be raised up there. (He taketh his eyes not away from the righteous; and he putteth kings on their thrones forevermore, and they be raised up there.)
8 And (then) if they be in chains, and be bound with the ropes of poverty,
9 he shall show to them their works, and their great trespasses; for they were violent, either raveners.
10 Also he shall open their ear, that he chastise them; and he shall speak to them, that they turn again from their wickedness. (And he shall open their ears, so that he can chastise them; and he shall speak to them, so that they turn away from their wickedness.)
11 If they hear him, and keep his behests, they shall full-fill their days in good, and their years in glory. (If they hear him, and obey him, they shall fill their days full with good things, and their years with glory.)
12 Soothly if they hear not, they shall pass by sword, and they shall be wasted in folly. (But if they will not listen, or obey, then they shall pass away, or die, by the sword, and they shall be destroyed by foolishness.)
13 Feigners and false men stir (up) the wrath of God; and they shall not cry to God (but they do not cry out to God), and acknowledge their guilt, when they be bound.
14 The soul of them shall die in (a) tempest; and the life of them among womanish men. (They shall die young; after a life of disgrace.)
15 He shall deliver a poor man from his anguish; and he shall open his ear in tribulation. (He shall rescue the poor from their anguish; and he shall use tribulation to open their eyes.)
16 Therefore he shall save thee from the strait mouth of the broadest tribulation, and not having a foundament under it; and the rest of thy table shall be full of fatness. (And so he hath saved thee out of the strait, or the narrow, and into the broad, where there was no tribulation; and thy table was covered with food.)
17 Thy cause is deemed as the cause of a wicked man; and thou shalt receive thy cause and thy doom. (But now thy case is judged like the case of the wicked; and for that thou shalt receive thy judgement and thy punishment.)
18 Therefore wrath overcome thee not, that thou oppress any man; and the multitude of gifts bow thee not. (And so let not anger overcome thee, so that thou oppress anyone; and do not bow thyself down before a multitude of gifts.)
19 Put down thy greatness without tribulation, and put down all strong men by strength. (Depend not upon thy own greatness, whether thou suffereth tribulation, or not, and depend not upon any strong man for your help in times of trouble.)
20 Delay thou not the night, that peoples go up for them. (Desire thou not the night, when nations shall perish.)
21 Be thou ware, that thou bow not (down) to wickedness; for thou hast begun to follow this wickedness after (thy) wretchedness.
22 Lo! God is high in his strength, and none is like him among the givers of law. (Lo! God’s strength towers over all, and there is no one like him among the law givers, or the rulers.)
23 Who may seek out the ways of God? either who dare say to him, Thou hast wrought wickedness?
24 Have thou mind (Remember), that thou knowest not his work, of whom men have sung.
25 All men see God; each man beholdeth afar. (All see God, or what he hath done; but all behold him from afar.)
26 Lo! God is great, over-coming our knowing (Lo! God is so great, and we shall truly never know how great he is); the number of his years is without number.
27 He taketh (up) the drops of rain; and he poureth out (the) rains at the likeness of floodgates,
28 which come down (out) of the clouds, that cover all things (from) above.
29 If he will stretch forth clouds as his tent, (If he will stretch forth the clouds like his tent,)
30 and lightning with his light from above, he shall cover, yea, the hinges of the sea, (that is, the depths of the sea).
31 For by these things he deemeth peoples, and giveth meat to many deadly men. (For by these things he feedeth the nations, and giveth food to many mortals.)
32 In (his) hands he hideth (the) light; and (then) commandeth it, that it come (out) again.
33 He telleth of it to his friend, that it is his possession; and that he may ascend to it.
6 But we helping [you in work and word] admonish [you], that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2 For he saith, In time well pleasing I have heard thee [In time accepted, or well pleasing, I have heard thee], and in the day of health I have helped thee. Lo! now a time acceptable, lo! now a day of health.
3 Give we to no man any offence, that our service be not reproved; [To no man giving any offence, or hurting, that our ministry, or service, be not reproved;]
4 but in all things give we us selves [but in all things give we ourselves] as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in anguishes,
5 in beatings [in scourgings], in prisons, in dissensions within, in travails, in wakings, in fastings,
6 in chastity, in knowing [in science, or knowing], in long abiding, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity not feigned,
7 in the word of truth, in the virtue of God; by armours of rightwiseness on the right half and on the left half;
8 by glory and unnobleness [by glory and unnobility]; by evil fame and good fame; as deceivers, and true men;
9 as they that be unknown and known; as men dying, and lo! we live; as chastised, and not made dead;
10 as sorrowful, and evermore joying; as having need, but making many men rich [as sorrowful, but evermore joying; as needy men, soothly making many rich]; as nothing having, and wielding all things.
11 A! ye Corinthians [O! ye Corinthians], our mouth is open to you, our heart is alarged;
12 ye be not anguished in us, but ye be anguished in your inwardnesses.[a]
13 And I say as to sons, ye that have the same reward, be ye alarged. [Forsooth, we having the same reward, I say as to sons, and be ye alarged.]
14 Do not ye bear the yoke with unfaithful men. For what parting of rightwiseness with wickedness [Soothly what parting, or communing, of rightwiseness with wickedness]? or what fellowship of light to darknesses?
15 and what according of Christ to Belial? or what part of a faithful [man] with the unfaithful [or heathen]?
16 and what consent to the temple of God with maumets? And ye be the temple of the living God, as the Lord saith, For I shall dwell in them, and I shall walk among them; and I shall be [the] God of them, and they shall be a people to me. [but what consent to the temple of God with idols? Forsooth ye be the temple of quick God, as the Lord saith, For I shall dwell in them, and I shall walk in; and I shall be the God of them, and they shall be to me a people.]
17 For which thing go ye out of the middle of them, and be ye separated [and be ye parted], saith the Lord, and touch not unclean thing; and I shall receive you,
18 and I shall be to you into a Father, and ye shall be to me into sons and daughters, saith the Lord almighty.
2001 by Terence P. Noble