M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
22 Take a branch of the hyssop plant, dip it into the bowl filled with blood, and then wipe the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. No one may leave that house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through Egypt to kill the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes, and he will pass over that house. He will not let the one who brings death come into your houses and kill you.
24 “You must keep this command as a law for you and your descendants from now on. 25 Do this when you go to the land the Lord has promised to give you. 26 When your children ask you, ‘Why are we doing these things?’ 27 you will say, ‘This is the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord. When we were in Egypt, the Lord passed over the houses of Israel, and when he killed the Egyptians, he saved our homes.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord. 28 They did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight the Lord killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt—from the firstborn of the king who sat on the throne to the firstborn of the prisoner in jail. Also, all the firstborn farm animals died. 30 The king, his officers, and all the Egyptians got up during the night because someone had died in every house. So there was a loud outcry everywhere in Egypt.
Israel Leaves Egypt
31 During the night the king called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Get up and leave my people. You and your people may do as you have asked; go and worship the Lord. 32 Take all of your flocks and herds as you have asked, and go. And also bless me.” 33 The Egyptians also asked the Israelites to hurry and leave, saying, “If you don’t leave, we will all die!”
34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added. They wrapped the bowls for making dough in clothing and carried them on their shoulders. 35 The Israelites did what Moses told them to do and asked their Egyptian neighbors for things made of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord caused the Egyptians to think well of them, and the Egyptians gave the people everything they asked for. So the Israelites took rich gifts from them.
37 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about six hundred thousand men walking, not including the women and children. 38 Many other people who were not Israelites went with them, as well as a large number of sheep, goats, and cattle. 39 The Israelites used the dough they had brought out of Egypt to bake loaves of bread without yeast. The dough had no yeast in it, because they had been rushed out of Egypt and had no time to get food ready for their trip.
40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for four hundred thirty years; 41 on the very day the four hundred thirty years ended, the Lord’s divisions of people left Egypt. 42 That night the Lord kept watch to bring them out of Egypt, and so on this same night the Israelites are to keep watch to honor the Lord from now on.
43 The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Here are the rules for Passover: No foreigner is to eat the Passover. 44 If someone buys a slave and circumcises him, the slave may eat the Passover. 45 But neither a person who lives for a short time in your country nor a hired worker may eat it.
46 “The meal must be eaten inside a house; take none of the meat outside the house. Don’t break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must take part in this feast. 48 A foreigner who lives with you may share in the Lord’s Passover if all the males in his house become circumcised. Then, since he will be like a citizen of Israel, he may share in the meal. But a man who is not circumcised may not eat the Passover meal. 49 The same rules apply to an Israelite born in the country or to a foreigner living there.”
50 So all the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 On that same day the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.
A Lost Sheep, a Lost Coin
15 The tax collectors and sinners all came to listen to Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: “Look, this man welcomes sinners and even eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this story: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. Then he will leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the open field and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it. 5 And when he finds it, he happily puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his heart and life, than over ninety-nine good people who don’t need to change.
8 “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins,[a] but loses one. She will light a lamp, sweep the house, and look carefully for the coin until she finds it. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner changes his heart and life.”
The Son Who Left Home
11 Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided the property between his two sons. 13 Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living. 14 After he had spent everything, a time came when there was no food anywhere in the country, and the son was poor and hungry. 15 So he got a job with one of the citizens there who sent the son into the fields to feed pigs. 16 The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 When he realized what he was doing, he thought, ‘All of my father’s servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger. 18 I will leave and return to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against God and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but let me be like one of your servants.”’ 20 So the son left and went to his father.
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him and hugged and kissed him. 21 The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[b] 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get our fat calf and kill it so we can have a feast and celebrate. 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “The older son was in the field, and as he came closer to the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 So he called to one of the servants and asked what all this meant. 27 The servant said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the fat calf, because your brother came home safely.’ 28 The older son was angry and would not go in to the feast. So his father went out and begged him to come in. 29 But the older son said to his father, ‘I have served you like a slave for many years and have always obeyed your commands. But you never gave me even a young goat to have at a feast with my friends. 30 But your other son, who wasted all your money on prostitutes, comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!’ 31 The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate and be happy because your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”
30 “But now those who are younger than I
make fun of me.
I would not have even let their fathers
sit with my sheep dogs.
2 What use did I have for their strength
since they had lost their strength to work?
3 They were thin from hunger
and wandered the dry and ruined land at night.
4 They gathered desert plants among the brush
and ate the root of the broom tree.
5 They were forced to live away from people;
people shouted at them as if they were thieves.
6 They lived in dried-up streambeds,
in caves, and among the rocks.
7 They howled like animals among the bushes
and huddled together in the brush.
8 They are worthless people without names
and were forced to leave the land.
9 “Now they make fun of me with songs;
my name is a joke among them.
10 They hate me and stay far away from me,
but they do not mind spitting in my face.
11 God has taken away my strength and made me suffer,
so they attack me with all their anger.
12 On my right side they rise up like a mob.
They lay traps for my feet
and prepare to attack me.
13 They break up my road
and work to destroy me,
and no one helps me.
14 They come at me as if through a hole in the wall,
and they roll in among the ruins.
15 Great fears overwhelm me.
They blow my honor away as if by a great wind,
and my safety disappears like a cloud.
16 “Now my life is almost over;
my days are full of suffering.
17 At night my bones ache;
gnawing pains never stop.
18 In his great power God grabs hold of my clothing
and chokes me with the collar of my coat.
19 He throws me into the mud,
and I become like dirt and ashes.
20 “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer;
I stand up, but you just look at me.
21 You have turned on me without mercy;
with your powerful hand you attacked me.
22 You snatched me up and threw me into the wind
and tossed me about in the storm.
23 I know you will bring me down to death,
to the place where all living people must go.
24 “Surely no one would hurt those who are ruined
when they cry for help in their time of trouble.
25 I cried for those who were in trouble;
I have been very sad for poor people.
26 But when I hoped for good, only evil came to me;
when I looked for light, darkness came.
27 I never stop being upset;
days of suffering are ahead of me.
28 I have turned black, but not by the sun.
I stand up in public and cry for help.
29 I have become a brother to wild dogs
and a friend to ostriches.
30 My skin has become black and peels off,
as my body burns with fever.
31 My harp is tuned to sing a sad song,
and my flute is tuned to moaning.
The Gift for Other Believers
16 Now I will write about the collection of money for God’s people. Do the same thing I told the Galatian churches to do: 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should put aside money as you have been blessed. Save it up so you will not have to collect money after I come. 3 When I arrive, I will send whomever you approve to take your gift to Jerusalem. I will send them with letters of introduction, 4 and if it seems good for me to go also, they will go along with me.
Paul’s Plans
5 I plan to go through Macedonia, so I will come to you after I go through there. 6 Perhaps I will stay with you for a time or even all winter. Then you can help me on my trip, wherever I go. 7 I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to stay a longer time with you if the Lord allows it. 8 But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a good opportunity for a great and growing work has been given to me now. And there are many people working against me.
10 If Timothy comes to you, see to it that he has nothing to fear with you, because he is working for the Lord just as I am. 11 So none of you should treat Timothy as unimportant, but help him on his trip in peace so that he can come back to me. I am expecting him to come with the brothers.
12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers. He did not at all want to come now; he will come when he has the opportunity.
Paul Ends His Letter
13 Be alert. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
15 You know that the family of Stephanas were the first believers in Southern Greece and that they have given themselves to the service of God’s people. I ask you, brothers and sisters, 16 to follow the leading of people like these and anyone else who works and serves with them.
17 I am happy that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come. You are not here, but they have filled your place. 18 They have refreshed my spirit and yours. You should recognize the value of people like these.
19 The churches in Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord, as does the church that meets in their house. 20 All the brothers and sisters here send greetings. Give each other a holy kiss when you meet.
21 I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be separated from God—lost forever!
Come, O Lord!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.[a]
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.