M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The First-Born Given to God

13 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Set apart to Me every first-born male. The first-born male among the people of Israel, and the first-born male animal are Mine.”

Special Supper of Bread without Yeast

³ Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the land where you were made to stay and work. For the Lord brought you out of this place by a powerful hand. No bread made with yeast will be eaten. ⁴ This day you are about to go out, in the month of Abib. ⁵ And the Lord will bring you to the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite and the Jebusite, which He promised to your fathers to give you. It is a land flowing with milk and honey. There you will do this act of worship in this month. ⁶ For seven days you will eat bread without yeast. On the seventh day there will be a special supper to the Lord. ⁷ Bread without yeast will be eaten for seven days. Nothing made with yeast will be seen among you. No yeast will be seen among you in all your country. ⁸ You will say to your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ ⁹ It will be a special mark on your hand and on your forehead to make people remember, that the Law of the Lord is to be in your mouth. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with a powerful hand. ¹⁰ So you must keep this Law at the time given for it from year to year.

The First-Born

¹¹ “The Lord will bring you to the land of the Canaanite. He will give it to you as He promised you and your fathers. ¹² There you must give to the Lord the first male to be born. And all the first male animals born belong to the Lord. ¹³ But you may buy every first-born donkey by giving a lamb for it. But if you do not buy it, then you must break its neck. You must buy with a gift of money every first-born male among your sons. ¹⁴ And when the time comes when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ then say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the land where we were servants. ¹⁵ When Pharaoh would not let us go, the Lord killed every first-born in the land of Egypt, both the first-born of man and of animal. So I give to the Lord every first male animal to be born. But I buy with a gift of money every first-born of my sons.’ ¹⁶ So it will be like a special mark on your hand and on your forehead. For the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand.”

Cloud by Day and Fire by Night

¹⁷ When Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even when that was nearer. For God said, “The people may change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” ¹⁸ So God led the people through the desert to get to the Red Sea. The people of Israel went out of the land of Egypt ready for war. ¹⁹ Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the people of Israel promise. He had said, “For sure God will keep you and you will carry my bones with you from here.” ²⁰ Then they left Succoth and set up their tents at Etham, beside the desert. ²¹ The Lord went before them, in a pillar of cloud during the day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire during the night to give them light. So they could travel day and night. ²² The pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire during the night did not leave the people.

The Picture-Story of the Boss Who Stole

16 Jesus said to His followers, “There was a rich man who put a boss over his houses and lands. Someone told him that his boss was not using his riches in a right way. ² The rich man sent for the boss and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Tell me what you have done with my things. You are not to be the boss of my houses and lands anymore.’

³ “The boss said to himself, ‘What will I do now? The owner of the houses and lands is taking my work away from me. I cannot dig in the ground for a living. I am too proud to ask for help. ⁴ I know what I will do. I will make it so that when I lose this work I will be able to go to the homes of my friends.’

⁵ “He sent for the people who owed the rich man. He asked the first one, ‘How much do you owe the owner?’ ⁶ The first man said, ‘One hundred barrels of oil.’ The boss said to him, ‘Take your bill. Sit down at once and change it to fifty.’ ⁷ He asked another one, ‘How much do you owe?’ He said, ‘One hundred bags of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill and change it to eighty.’ ⁸ Then the rich man said that this sinful boss had been wise to plan for himself for the days ahead. For the people of the world are wiser in their day than the children of light.

⁹ “I tell you, make friends for yourselves by using the riches of the world that are so often used in wrong ways. So when riches are a thing of the past, friends may receive you into a home that will be forever. ¹⁰ He that is faithful with little things is faithful with big things also. He that is not honest with little things is not honest with big things. ¹¹ If you have not been faithful with riches of this world, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² If you have not been faithful in that which belongs to another person, who will give you things to have as your own? ¹³ No servant can have two bosses. He will hate the one and love the other. Or, he will be faithful to one and not faithful to the other. You cannot be faithful to God and to riches at the same time.”

Jesus Teaches That the Law Is Not Finished

¹⁴ The proud religious law-keepers heard all these things. They loved money so they made fun of Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to them, “You are the kind of people who make yourselves look good before other people. God knows your hearts. What men think is good is hated in the eyes of God. ¹⁶ Until John came, you had the writings of the Law and of the early preachers. From that time until now the Good News of the holy nation of God has been preached. Everyone is pushing his way in. ¹⁷ But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one small part of a word in the Law to be of no more use.

¹⁸ “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman is not faithful in marriage and is guilty of sex sins.

The Rich Man and the Man Who Begged for Food

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who dressed in purple linen clothes everyday. He lived like a king would live with the best of food. ²⁰ There was a poor man named Lazarus who had many bad sores. He was put by the door of the rich man. ²¹ He wanted the pieces of food that fell from the table of the rich man. Even dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “The poor man who asked for food died. He was taken by the angels into the arms of Abraham. The rich man died also and was buried. ²³ In hell the rich man was in much pain. He looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus beside him. ²⁴ He cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, take pity on me. Send Lazarus. Let him put the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in much pain in this fire.’ ²⁵ Abraham said, ‘My son, do not forget that when you were living you had your good things. Lazarus had bad things. Now he is well cared for. You are in pain. ²⁶ And more than all this, there is a big deep place between us. No one from here can go there even if he wanted to go. No one can come from there.’

²⁷ “Then the rich man said, ‘Father, then I beg you to send Lazarus to my father’s house. ²⁸ I have five brothers. Let him tell them of these things, or they will come to this place of much pain also.’ ²⁹ Abraham said, ‘They have the Writings of Moses and of the early preachers. Let them hear what they say.’ ³⁰ But the rich man said, ‘No, Father Abraham. If someone goes to them from the dead, they will be sorry for their sins and turn from them.’ ³¹ Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and to the early preachers, they will not listen even if someone is raised from the dead.’”

Job Keeps On Talking

31 “I have made an agreement with my eyes not to look with desire at a young woman. ² What would be my share from God above? What would my gift be from the All-powerful on high? ³ Does not trouble come to those who are not right and good? Do not hard times come to those who do wrong? ⁴ Does He not see my ways and number all my steps?

⁵ “If I have walked in ways that are false, and my foot has been quick to follow false ways, ⁶ let Him weigh me with a true weight. Let God know that I am honest. ⁷ If my step has turned from the way, and my heart has followed my eyes, or if my hands have held on to sin, ⁸ then let me plant and another eat. Let what grows be pulled out by the roots.

⁹ “If my heart has been tempted by a woman, or I have waited at my neighbor’s door, ¹⁰ may my wife grind grain for another. And let others bow down upon her. ¹¹ For that would be a very sinful thing to do. It would be a sin that would be punished by the judges. ¹² For that would be a fire that burns at the Place That Destroys. It would dig out all I have planted.

¹³ “If I did not listen to my men servants and women servants when they complained against me, ¹⁴ what will I do when God speaks to me? When He asks me why, what will I answer Him? ¹⁵ Did not He Who made me inside my mother make him also? Did not the same One give us life from our mothers?

¹⁶ “If I have kept what the poor should have or have caused the eyes of the woman whose husband has died to be tired, ¹⁷ if I have eaten my food alone without sharing it with the child who has no parents, ¹⁸ (but from the time I was young, he grew up with me as a father, and I have helped the woman without a husband since I was born,) ¹⁹ if I have seen anyone die because he had no clothing, or left any poor person without clothes, ²⁰ if he has not thanked me for the clothing on his body, and been made warm with the wool of my sheep, ²¹ if I have not done these things, or if I have lifted up my hand against the child who has no parents, because I saw I had help in the gate, ²² let my shoulder fall out of place, and let my arm be broken off at the joint. ²³ For trouble sent by God fills me with fear. Because of His great power I could not do these things.

²⁴ “If I have put my faith in gold and said fine gold is my trust, ²⁵ if I have had pride because of my many riches and have received much by my hand, ²⁶ if I have looked at the sun shining or the bright moon going on its way, ²⁷ and have in secret worshiped them in my heart, and have honored them by throwing them a kiss with my hand, ²⁸ these also would be sins to be judged. It would say I did not know the God above.

²⁹ “Have I been glad when a person who hated me was destroyed? Have I been filled with joy when trouble came to him? ³⁰ No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking his life to be cursed. ³¹ Have the men of my tent not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been filled with his meat’? ³² The stranger has not stayed in the street, for I have opened my doors to the traveler. ³³ Have I hidden my sins like Adam? Have I hidden my wrong-doing in my heart, ³⁴ because I was afraid of all the people, and of families who hated me? Did I keep quiet and not go out of the door? ³⁵ If only I had one to hear me! See, here my name is written. Let the All-powerful answer me! May what is against me be written down! ³⁶ For sure I would carry it on my shoulder. I would tie it around my head like a crown. ³⁷ I would tell Him the number of my every step. I would come near Him like a prince.

³⁸ “If my land cries out against me and the ditches made by the plow cry together, ³⁹ if I have eaten its fruit without paying for it, and caused its owners to die, ⁴⁰ let thorns grow instead of grain. And let weeds with a bad smell grow instead of barley.”

The words of Job are finished.

1 This letter is from Paul. I have been chosen by God to be a missionary for Jesus Christ. Timothy is here with me and is writing to you also. We are writing to God’s church in the city of Corinth and to all of God’s people in the country of Greece. ² May you have loving-favor and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Father Who shows us loving-kindness and our God Who gives us comfort. ⁴ He gives us comfort in all our troubles. Then we can comfort other people who have the same troubles. We give the same kind of comfort God gives us. ⁵ As we have suffered much for Christ and have shared in His pain, we also share His great comfort.

⁶ But if we are in trouble, it is for your good. And it is so you will be saved from the punishment of sin. If God comforts us, it is for your good also. You too will be given strength not to give up when you have the same kind of trouble we have. ⁷ Our hope for you is the same all the time. We know you are sharing our troubles. And so you will share the comfort we receive.

⁸ We want you to know, Christian brothers, of the trouble we had in the countries of Asia. The load was so heavy we did not have the strength to keep going. At times we did not think we could live. ⁹ We thought we would die. This happened so we would not put our trust in ourselves, but in God Who raises the dead. ¹⁰ Yes, God kept us from what looked like sure death and He is keeping us. As we trust Him, He will keep us in the future. ¹¹ You also help us by praying for us. Many people thank God for His favor to us. This is an answer to the prayers of many people.

Paul Wants to Visit Corinth

¹² I am happy to say this. Whatever we did in this world, and for sure when we were with you, we were honest and had pure desires. We did not trust in human wisdom. Our power came from God’s loving-favor. ¹³ We write to you only what we know you can understand. I hope you will understand everything. ¹⁴ When the Lord Jesus comes again, you can be as proud of us as we will be proud of you. Right now you do not understand us real well.

¹⁵ It was because of this, I wanted to visit you first. In that way, you would be helped two times. ¹⁶ I wanted to stop to visit you on my way to the country of Macedonia. I would stop again as I came from there. Then you could help me on my way to the country of Judea. ¹⁷ Yes, I changed my mind. Does that show that I change my mind a lot? Do I plan things as people of the world who say yes when they mean no? You know I am not like that! ¹⁸ As God is true, my yes means yes. I am not the kind of person who says one thing and means another. ¹⁹ Timothy and Silvanus and I have preached to you about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In Him there is no yes and no. In Him is yes. ²⁰ Jesus says yes to all of God’s many promises. It is through Jesus that we say, “Let it be so,” when we give thanks to God. ²¹ God is the One Who makes our faith and your faith strong in Christ. He has set us apart for Himself. ²² He has put His mark on us to show we belong to Him. His Spirit is in our hearts to prove this.

²³ I call on God to look into my heart. The reason I did not come to the city of Corinth was because I did not want my strong words to hurt you. ²⁴ We are not the boss of your faith but we are working with you to make you happy. Your faith is strong.