M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. For he will be made to let them go because of My strong hand. By My strong hand, he will make them go out of his land.”

God Calls Moses

² God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. ³ I showed Myself as God All-powerful to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But I did not make Myself known to them by My name, the Lord. ⁴ I also made My agreement with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land where they were strangers. ⁵ I have heard the crying of the people of Israel, because they are being held by the Egyptians. And I have remembered My agreement. ⁶ So say to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord. I will take you away from the hard work and suffering in Egypt. I will take you away from being their servants. I will make you free by the strength of My arm and by the great things I will do to punish the guilty. ⁷ Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God. And you will know that I am the Lord your God. I will bring you out from under the heavy loads of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you to the land I promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will give it to you for your own. I am the Lord.’” ⁹ So Moses said this to the people of Israel. But they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and how hard they were made to work.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” ¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “See, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then will Pharaoh listen to me? I am not able to speak well.” ¹³ But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron. He told them to tell the people of Israel and Pharaoh king of Egypt that they were to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Family of Moses and Aaron

¹⁴ These are the leaders of their fathers’ families. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s first-born: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. ¹⁵ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon. ¹⁶ These are the names of Levi’s sons by their family groups: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. ¹⁷ The sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸ The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites by their family groups. ²⁰ Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed. She gave birth to his sons, Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. ²¹ The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg and Zichri. ²² The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.

²³ Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon. She gave birth to his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²⁴ The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites. ²⁵ Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel. She gave birth to his son Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their families.

²⁶ It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their family groups.” ²⁷ They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.

²⁸ On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, ²⁹ the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” ³⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “See, I am not able to speak well. How then will Pharaoh listen to me?”

Jesus Sends His Twelve Followers Out ^(A)

9 Jesus called His twelve followers to Him. He gave them the right and the power over all demons and to heal diseases. ² He sent them to preach about the holy nation of God and to heal the sick. ³ Then He said to them, “Take nothing along for the trip. Do not take a walking stick or a bag or bread or money. Do not take two coats. ⁴ Whatever house you go into, stay there until you are ready to go on. ⁵ If anyone will not take you in, as you leave that city, shake its dust off your feet. That will speak against them.”

⁶ They went out, going from town to town. They preached the Good News and healed the sick everywhere.

John the Baptist Is Killed ^(B)

⁷ Now Herod the leader heard of all that had been done by Jesus. He was troubled because some people said that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. ⁸ Some people said that Elijah had come back. Others thought one of the early preachers had been raised from the dead. ⁹ Then Herod said, “I had John’s head cut off. But who is this Man that I hear these things about?” He wanted to see Jesus.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand ^(C)

¹⁰ The twelve followers came back. They told Jesus what they had done. Jesus took them to a desert near the town of Bethsaida. There they could be alone. ¹¹ When the people knew where Jesus was, they followed Him. Jesus was happy to see them and talked to them about the holy nation of God. He healed all who were sick.

¹² When the day was about over, the twelve followers came to Jesus. They said, “Send these many people away so they can go to the towns and country near here. There they can find a place to sleep and get food. We are here in a desert.” ¹³ But Jesus said to them, “Give them something to eat.” They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. Are we to go and buy food for all these people?” ¹⁴ There were about five thousand men. Jesus said to His followers, “Have them sit down in groups of fifty people.” ¹⁵ They did as He told them. They made all of the people sit down. ¹⁶ As Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He broke them in pieces and gave them to His followers to give to the people. ¹⁷ They all ate and were filled. They picked up twelve baskets full of pieces of bread and fish after the people finished eating.

Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ ^(D)

¹⁸ While Jesus was praying alone, His followers were with Him. Jesus asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” ¹⁹ They said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah. Others say that one of the early preachers has been raised from the dead.” ²⁰ Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said, “You are the Christ of God.”

Jesus Tells of His Death for the First Time ^(E)

²¹ Then Jesus spoke to them and told them to tell no one. ²² He said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. The leaders and the religious leaders and the teachers of the Law will have nothing to do with Him. He must be killed and be raised from the dead three days later.”

Giving Up Self and One’s Own Desires

²³ Then Jesus said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow Me, he must give up himself and his own desires. He must take up his cross everyday and follow Me. ²⁴ If anyone wants to keep his own life safe, he must lose it. If anyone gives up his life because of Me, he will save it. ²⁵ For what does a man have if he gets all the world and loses or gives up his life? ²⁶ Whoever is ashamed of Me and My Words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His own shining-greatness and of the Father’s and of the holy angels. ²⁷ I tell you the truth, some standing here will not die until they see the holy nation of God.”

A Look at What Jesus Will Be Like ^(F)

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus had said these things, He took Peter and James and John with Him. They went up on a mountain to pray. ²⁹ As Jesus prayed, He was changed in looks before them. His clothes became white and shining bright. ³⁰ Two men talked with Jesus. They were Moses and Elijah. ³¹ They looked like the shining-greatness of heaven as they talked about His death in Jerusalem which was soon to happen.

³² But Peter and those with him had gone to sleep. When they woke up, they saw His shining-greatness and the two men who stood with Him. ³³ As the two men went from Jesus, Peter said to Him, “Teacher, it is good for us to be here. Let us build three tents to worship in. One will be for You. One will be for Moses. One will be for Elijah.” He did not know what he was saying. ³⁴ While he was talking, a cloud came over them. They were afraid as the cloud came in around them.

³⁵ A voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, the One I have chosen. Listen to Him!” ³⁶ When the voice was gone, Jesus was standing there alone. From that time on, they kept these things to themselves. They told no one what they had seen.

A Boy with a Demon Is Healed ^(G)

³⁷ The next day they came down from the mountain and many people met Jesus. ³⁸ A man from among the people cried out, “Teacher, I beg of You to look at my son. He is my only child. ³⁹ See, a demon takes him and makes him cry out. It takes hold of him and makes him shake. Spit runs from his mouth. He has marks on his body from being hurt. The demon does not want to go from him. ⁴⁰ I begged Your followers to put the demon out, but they could not.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus said, “You people of this day do not have faith. You turn from what is right! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring your son to Me.” ⁴² While the boy was coming, the demon threw him down and made him lose the use of his mind for awhile. Jesus spoke sharp words to the demon. He healed the child and gave him back to his father.

Jesus Tells of His Death the Second Time ^(H)

⁴³ They were all surprised at the great power of God. They all were thinking about the special things Jesus had done. And Jesus said to His followers, ⁴⁴ “Remember these words. For the Son of Man will be given over into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵ They did not understand these words because it was hidden from them. They did not know what Jesus meant and were afraid to ask Him.

Jesus Teaches about the Faith of a Child ^(I)

⁴⁶ The followers argued among themselves about which of them would be the greatest. ⁴⁷ Jesus knew what they were thinking. He put a child beside Him. ⁴⁸ He said to the followers, “Whoever receives this child in My name, receives Me. Whoever receives Me, receives Him Who sent Me. The one who is least among you is the one who is great.”

The Sharp Words Against the Followers

⁴⁹ John said, “Teacher, we saw someone putting out demons in Your name. We told him to stop because he was not following us.” ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Do not stop him. He who is not against us is for us.”

Jesus and His Followers Leave Galilee

⁵¹ It was about time for Jesus to be taken up into heaven. He turned toward Jerusalem and was sure that nothing would stop Him from going. ⁵² He sent men on ahead of Him. They came to a town in Samaria. There they got things ready for Jesus. ⁵³ The people did not want Him there because they knew He was on His way to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ James and John, His followers, saw this. They said, “Lord, do You want us to speak so fire will come down from heaven and burn them up as Elijah did?” ⁵⁵ Jesus turned and spoke sharp words to them. (*He said, “You do not know what kind of spirit you have. ⁵⁶ The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives. He came to save them from the punishment of sin.” They went on their way to another town.)

The Testing of Some Followers ^(J)

⁵⁷ As they were going on their way, a man said to Jesus, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” ⁵⁸ Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes. Birds of the sky have nests. The Son of Man has no place to put His head.” ⁵⁹ He said to another, “Follow Me.” But the man said, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the people who are dead bury their own dead. You go and preach about the holy nation of God.” ⁶¹ And another one said, “Lord, I will follow You, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at home.” ⁶² Jesus said to him, “Anyone who puts his hand on a plow and looks back at the things behind is of no use in the holy nation of God.”

Job Talks

23 Then Job answered, ² “Even today my complaining is bitter. His hand is heavy even when I cry inside myself. ³ If only I knew where to find Him, that I might go where He is! ⁴ I would tell Him how things are with me, and my mouth would be ready to argue. ⁵ I would know His answer, and could think about what He would say to me. ⁶ Would He go against me using His great power? No, He would listen to me. ⁷ There a man who is right could reason with Him. And I would be set free by my Judge.

⁸ “See, I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot see Him. ⁹ When He works to the left, I cannot see Him. When He turns to the right, I cannot see Him. ¹⁰ But He knows the way that I take. When He has tried me, I will come out as gold. ¹¹ My foot has kept close to His steps. I have kept His way and have not turned aside. ¹² I have not turned away from the words of His lips. I have stored up the words of His mouth. They are worth more to me than the food I need. ¹³ But He cannot be changed. Who can go against Him? He does whatever He wants. ¹⁴ For He does what He has planned for me, and many such things are in His mind. ¹⁵ So I am afraid to be with Him. When I think about it, I am very afraid of Him. ¹⁶ God has made my heart weak. The All-powerful has filled me with fear. ¹⁷ But I am not made quiet by the darkness or the deep shadow which covers my face.

The Danger of Worshiping False Gods

10 Christian brothers, I want you to know what happened to our early fathers. They all walked from the country of Egypt under the cloud that showed them the way, and they all passed through the waters of the Red Sea. ² They were all baptized as they followed Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ All of them ate the same holy food. ⁴ They all drank the same holy drink. They drank from a holy Rock that went along with them. That holy Rock was Christ. ⁵ Even then most of them did not please God. He destroyed them in the desert.

⁶ These things show us something. They teach us not to want things that are bad for us like those people did. ⁷ We must not worship false gods as some of them did. The Holy Writings tell us, “The people sat down to eat and drink. Then they got up to play.” ^{(A) 8} We must not do sex sins as some of them did. In one day 23,000 died. ⁹ We must not test the Lord as some of them did. They were destroyed by snakes. ¹⁰ We must not complain against God as some of them did. That is why they were destroyed.

¹¹ All these things happened to show us something. They were written to teach us that the end of the world is near. ¹² So watch yourself! The person who thinks he can stand against sin had better watch that he does not fall into sin. ¹³ You have never been tempted to sin in any different way than other people. God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted more than you can take. But when you are tempted, He will make a way for you to keep from falling into sin.

Teaching About the Lord’s Supper

¹⁴ My dear friends, keep away from the worship of false gods. ¹⁵ I am speaking to you who are able to understand. See if what I am saying is true. ¹⁶ When we give thanks for the fruit of the vine at the Lord’s supper, are we not sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread we eat at the Lord’s supper, are we not sharing in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ There is one bread, and many of us Christians make up the body of Christ. All of us eat from that bread.

¹⁸ Look at the Jews. They ate the animals that were brought to God as gifts in worship and put on the altar. Did this not show they were sharing with God? ¹⁹ What do I mean? Am I saying that a false god or the food brought to it in worship is worth anything? ²⁰ No, not at all! I am saying that the people who do not know God bring gifts of animals in worship. But they have given them to demons, not to God. You do not want to have any share with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons. You cannot eat at the Lord’s table and at the demon’s table. ²² Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? Do we think we are stronger than the Lord?

²³ We are allowed to do anything, but not everything is good for us to do. We are allowed to do anything, but not all things help us grow strong as Christians. ²⁴ Do not work only for your own good. Think of what you can do for others. ²⁵ Eat any meat that is sold in the stores. Ask no questions about it. Then your heart will not say it is wrong. ²⁶ The Holy Writings say, “The earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord.” ^{(B) 27} If a person who is not a Christian wants you to eat with him, and you want to go, eat anything that is on the table. Ask no questions about the food. Then your heart will not say it is wrong. ²⁸ But if someone says, “This meat has been given as a gift to false gods in worship,” do not eat it. In that way, it will not hurt the faith of the one who told you and his heart will have peace. ²⁹ How the other person feels is important. We are not free to do things that will hurt another person. ³⁰ If I can give thanks to God for my food, why should anyone say that I am wrong about eating food I can give thanks for? ³¹ So if you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything to honor God. ³² Do nothing that would make trouble for a Greek or for a Jew or for the church of God. ³³ I want to please everyone in all that I do. I am not thinking of myself. I want to do what is best for them so they may be saved from the punishment of sin.