M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Disease on the Farm Animals
9 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them, 3 the Lord will punish you. He will send a terrible disease on your farm animals that are in the fields. He will cause your horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, goats, and sheep to become sick. 4 But the Lord will treat Israel’s animals differently from the animals of Egypt. None of the animals that belong to the Israelites will die. 5 The Lord has set tomorrow as the time he will do this in the land.’” 6 The next day the Lord did as he promised. All the farm animals in Egypt died, but none of the animals belonging to Israelites died. 7 The king sent people to see what had happened to the animals of Israel, and they found that not one of them had died. But the king was still stubborn and did not let the people go.
The Boils
8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Fill your hands with ashes from a furnace. Moses, throw the ashes into the air in front of the king of Egypt. 9 The ashes will spread like dust through all the land of Egypt. They will cause boils to break out and become sores on the skin of people and animals everywhere in the land.”
10 So Moses and Aaron took ashes from a furnace and went and stood before the king. Moses threw ashes into the air, which caused boils to break out and become sores on people and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses, because all the Egyptians had boils, even the magicians. 12 But the Lord made the king stubborn, so he refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.
The Hail
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and go to the king of Egypt. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go to worship me. 14 If you don’t, this time I will punish you, your officers, and your people, with all my power. Then you will know there is no one in the whole land like me. 15 By now I could have used my power and caused a terrible disease that would have destroyed you and your people from the earth. 16 But I have let you live for this reason: to show you my power so that my name will be talked about in all the earth. 17 You are still against my people and do not want to let them go. 18 So at this time tomorrow, I will send a terrible hailstorm, the worst in Egypt since it became a nation. 19 Now send for your animals and whatever you have in the fields, and bring them into a safe place. The hail will fall on every person or animal that is still in the fields. If they have not been brought in, they will die.’” 20 Some of the king’s officers respected the word of the Lord and hurried to bring their slaves and animals inside. 21 But others ignored the Lord’s message and left their slaves and animals in the fields.
22 The Lord told Moses, “Raise your hand toward the sky. Then the hail will start falling in all the land of Egypt. It will fall on people, animals, and on everything that grows in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses raised his walking stick toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the earth. So he caused hail to fall upon the land of Egypt. 24 There was hail, and lightning flashed as it hailed—the worst hailstorm in Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 The hail destroyed all the people and animals that were in the fields in all the land of Egypt. It also destroyed everything that grew in the fields and broke all the trees in the fields. 26 The only place it did not hail was in the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived.
27 The king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them, “This time I have sinned. The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray to the Lord. We have had enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go; you do not have to stay here any longer.”
29 Moses told the king, “When I leave the city, I will raise my hands to the Lord in prayer, and the thunder and hail will stop. Then you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. 30 But I know that you and your officers do not yet fear the Lord God.”
31 The flax was in bloom, and the barley had ripened, so these crops were destroyed. 32 But both wheat crops ripen later, so they were not destroyed.
33 Moses left the king and went outside the city. He raised his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and hail stopped. The rain also stopped falling to the ground. 34 When the king saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had stopped, he sinned again, and he and his officers became stubborn. 35 So the king became stubborn and refused to let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.
Don’t Be Like the Pharisees
12 So many thousands of people had gathered that they were stepping on each other. Jesus spoke first to his followers, saying, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, because they are hypocrites. 2 Everything that is hidden will be shown, and everything that is secret will be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in an inner room will be shouted from the housetops.
4 “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of people who can kill the body but after that can do nothing more to hurt you. 5 I will show you the one to fear. Fear the one who has the power to kill you and also to throw you into hell. Yes, this is the one you should fear.
6 “Five sparrows are sold for only two pennies, and God does not forget any of them. 7 But God even knows how many hairs you have on your head. Don’t be afraid. You are worth much more than many sparrows.
Don’t Be Ashamed of Jesus
8 “I tell you, all those who stand before others and say they believe in me, I, the Son of Man, will say before the angels of God that they belong to me. 9 But all who stand before others and say they do not believe in me, I will say before the angels of God that they do not belong to me.
10 “Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When you are brought into the synagogues before the leaders and other powerful people, don’t worry about how to defend yourself or what to say. 12 At that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say.”
Jesus Warns Against Selfishness
13 Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me the property our father left us.”
14 But Jesus said to him, “Who said I should judge or decide between you?” 15 Then Jesus said to them, “Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed. Life is not measured by how much one owns.”
16 Then Jesus told this story: “There was a rich man who had some land, which grew a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to keep all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and other goods. 19 Then I can say to myself, “I have enough good things stored to last for many years. Rest, eat, drink, and enjoy life!”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘Foolish man! Tonight your life will be taken from you. So who will get those things you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be for those who store up things for themselves and are not rich toward God.”
Don’t Worry
22 Jesus said to his followers, “So I tell you, don’t worry about the food you need to live, or about the clothes you need for your body. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest, they don’t have storerooms or barns, but God feeds them. And you are worth much more than birds. 25 You cannot add any time to your life by worrying about it. 26 If you cannot do even the little things, then why worry about the big things? 27 Consider how the lilies grow; they don’t work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you that even Solomon with his riches was not dressed as beautifully as one of these flowers. 28 God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today but tomorrow is thrown into the fire. So how much more will God clothe you? Don’t have so little faith! 29 Don’t always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don’t keep worrying. 30 All the people in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them. 31 But seek God’s kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well.
Don’t Trust in Money
32 “Don’t fear, little flock, because your Father wants to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Get for yourselves purses that will not wear out, the treasure in heaven that never runs out, where thieves can’t steal and moths can’t destroy. 34 Your heart will be where your treasure is.
Always Be Ready
35 “Be dressed, ready for service, and have your lamps shining. 36 Be like servants who are waiting for their master to come home from a wedding party. When he comes and knocks, the servants immediately open the door for him. 37 They will be blessed when their master comes home, because he sees that they were watching for him. I tell you the truth, the master will dress himself to serve and tell the servants to sit at the table, and he will serve them. 38 Those servants will be blessed when he comes in and finds them still waiting, even if it is midnight or later.
39 “Remember this: If the owner of the house knew what time a thief was coming, he would not allow the thief to enter his house. 40 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at a time when you don’t expect him!”
Who Is the Trusted Servant?
41 Peter said, “Lord, did you tell this story to us or to all people?”
42 The Lord said, “Who is the wise and trusted servant that the master trusts to give the other servants their food at the right time? 43 When the master comes and finds the servant doing his work, the servant will be blessed. 44 I tell you the truth, the master will choose that servant to take care of everything he owns. 45 But suppose the servant thinks to himself, ‘My master will not come back soon,’ and he begins to beat the other servants, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master will come when that servant is not ready and is not expecting him. Then the master will cut him in pieces and send him away to be with the others who don’t obey.
47 “The servant who knows what his master wants but is not ready, or who does not do what the master wants, will be beaten with many blows! 48 But the servant who does not know what his master wants and does things that should be punished will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded. And from the one trusted with much, much more will be expected.
Jesus Causes Division
49 “I came to set fire to the world, and I wish it were already burning! 50 I have a baptism[a] to suffer through, and I feel very troubled until it is over. 51 Do you think I came to give peace to the earth? No, I tell you, I came to divide it. 52 From now on, a family with five people will be divided, three against two, and two against three. 53 They will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Understanding the Times
54 Then Jesus said to the people, “When you see clouds coming up in the west, you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it happens. 55 When you feel the wind begin to blow from the south, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it happens. 56 Hypocrites! You know how to understand the appearance of the earth and sky. Why don’t you understand what is happening now?
Settle Your Problems
57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? 58 If your enemy is taking you to court, try hard to settle it on the way. If you don’t, your enemy might take you to the judge, and the judge might turn you over to the officer, and the officer might throw you into jail. 59 I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid everything you owe.”
27 And Job continued speaking:
2 “As surely as God lives, who has taken away my rights,
the Almighty, who has made me unhappy,
3 as long as I am alive
and God’s breath of life is in my nose,
4 my lips will not speak evil,
and my tongue will not tell a lie.
5 I will never agree you are right;
until I die, I will never stop saying I am innocent.
6 I will insist that I am right; I will not back down.
My conscience will never bother me.
7 “Let my enemies be like evil people,
my foes like those who are wrong.
8 What hope do the wicked have when they die,
when God takes their life away?
9 God will not listen to their cries
when trouble comes to them.
10 They will not find joy in the Almighty,
even though they call out to God all the time.
11 “I will teach you about the power of God
and will not hide the ways of the Almighty.
12 You have all seen this yourselves.
So why are we having all this talk that means nothing?
13 “Here is what God has planned for evil people,
and what the Almighty will give to cruel people:
14 They may have many children, but the sword will kill them.
Their children who are left will never have enough to eat.
15 Then they will die of disease and be buried,
and the widows will not even cry for them.
16 The wicked may heap up silver like piles of dirt
and have so many clothes they are like piles of clay.
17 But good people will wear what evil people have gathered,
and the innocent will divide up their silver.
18 The houses the wicked build are like a spider’s web,
like a hut that a guard builds.
19 The wicked are rich when they go to bed,
but they are rich for the last time;
when they open their eyes, everything is gone.
20 Fears come over them like a flood,
and a storm snatches them away in the night.
21 The east wind will carry them away, and then they are gone,
because it sweeps them out of their place.
22 The wind will hit them without mercy
as they try to run away from its power.
23 It will be as if the wind is clapping its hands;
it will whistle at them as they run from their place.
13 I may speak in different languages[a] of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a noisy bell or a crashing cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body as an offering to be burned.[b] But I gain nothing if I do not have love.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. 5 Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not get upset with others. Love does not count up wrongs that have been done. 6 Love takes no pleasure in evil but rejoices over the truth. 7 Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always endures.
8 Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will stop. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will come to an end. 9 The reason is that our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect. 10 But when perfection comes, the things that are not perfect will end. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. 12 It is the same with us. Now we see a dim reflection, as if we were looking into a mirror, but then we shall see clearly. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as God has known me. 13 So these three things continue forever: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.