M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
24 Now these were the divisions of the sons of Aaron.
The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar served as kohanim. 3 David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them into their offices according to their avodah. 4 More leading men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, so they divided them: the sons of Eleazar had 16 leaders of clans and the sons of Ithamar had eight leaders of clans. 5 Thus, they were impartially divided by lot for there were officials of the Holy Place and officials of God, both from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar.
6 The scribe Shemaiah, son of Nethanel from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the leaders of the clans of the kohanim and of the Levites: one clan taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.
7 Now the first lot came for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah, 8 the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim, 9 the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin, 10 the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for Abijah, 11 the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah, 12 the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim, 13 the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Heshebeab, 14 the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer, 15 the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Hapizzez, 16 the nineteenth for Petahiah the twentieth for Jehezkel, 17 the twentyfirst for Jachin, the twentysecond for Gamul, 18 the twentythird for Delaiah, the twentyfourth for Maaziah.
19 These were their duties for their avodah upon entering into the House of Adonai according to the ordinance given to them by the hand of Aaron their father, just as Adonai the God of Israel had commanded him.
20 As for the rest of the sons of Levi:
from the sons of Amram: Shubael;
from the sons of Shubael: Jehdeiah.
21 As for Rehabiah, from the sons of Rehabiah
Isshiah was the first.
22 From the Izharites: Shelomoth;
from the sons of Shelomoth: Jahath.
23 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth.
24 The sons of Uzziel: Micah;
from the sons of Micah: Shamir.
25 The brother of Micah, Ishiah;
from the sons of Ishiah: Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi;
the sons of Jaaziah: Beno.
27 The sons of Merari:
from Jaaziah: Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri.
28 From Mahli:
Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 From Kish, the sons of Kish: Jerahmeel.
30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth.
These were the sons of the Levites by their clans. 31 These also cast lots even as their kinsmen the sons of Aaron did in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech and the heads of the clans of the kohanim and the Levites—the families of the oldest just like those of his youngest brother.
Orders of Prophetic Levites
25 Moreover, David and the commanders of the army, set apart for avodah the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun who prophesied with lyres, harps and cymbals. The list of those who performed this work according to their service was: 2 from the sons of Asaph:
Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the hand of the king.
3 As for Jeduthun, from Jeduthun’s sons:
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah and Mattithiah—six, under the charge of their father Jeduthun—who prophesied with the harp, giving thanks and praise to Adonai.
4 As for Heman, from Heman’s sons:
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer according to the promise of God to lift up a horn. God gave Heman 14 sons and three daughters.
6 All these were under the direction of their father for singing in the House of Adonai with cymbals, harps and lyres for the avodah of the House of God under the hand of the king. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman along with 7 with their kinsmen all trained and skillfull singers of Adonai, numbered 288. 8 They cast lots for their divisions on the principal of small and great alike, teacher as well as student.
9 Now the first lot went to Asaph’s son Joseph—12
the second to Gedaliah, his brothers and sons—12;
10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers—12;
11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers—12;
12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers—12;
13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers—12;
14 the seventh to Jesarelah, his sons and his brothers—12;
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers—12;
16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers—12;
17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers—12;
18 the 11th to Azarel, his sons and his brothers—12;
19 the 12th to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers—12;
20 the 13th to Shubael, his sons and his brothers—12;
21 the 14th to Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers—12;
22 the 15th to Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers—12;
23 the 16th to Hananiah, his sons and his brothers—12;
24 the 17th to Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers—12;
25 the 18th to Hanani, his sons and his brothers—12;
26 the 19th to Mallothi, his sons and his brothers—12;
27 the 20th to Eliathah, his sons and his brothers—12;
28 the 21st to Hothir, his sons and his brothers—12;
29 the 22nd to Giddalti, his sons and his brothers—12;
30 the 23rd to Mahazioth, his sons and his brothers—12;
31 the 24th to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his brothers—12.
Shepherds Lead by Example
5 Therefore I appeal to the elders among you—as a fellow elder and witness of Messiah’s sufferings, and a partaker also of the glory about to be revealed— 2 shepherd God’s flock among you. Watch over it not under compulsion but willingly before God, not for dishonest gain but eagerly. 3 Don’t lord it over[a] those apportioned to you, but become examples to the flock. 4 When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you younger ones, submit yourselves to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for
“God opposes the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”[b]
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may lift you up at the appropriate time. 7 Cast all your worries on Him,[c] for He cares for you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out! Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, searching for someone to devour. 9 Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being laid upon your brothers and sisters throughout the world. 10 After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace—who has called you into His eternal glory in Messiah—will Himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 All power to Him forever![d] Amen.
Final Greetings
12 Through Silvanus,[e] whom I consider our faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it! 13 Messiah’s community in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings. So does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Shalom to you all who are in Messiah. Amen.
Unjust Leaders, False Prophets
3 Then I said:
“Hear, leaders of Jacob, rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to know justice?
2 You haters of good and lovers of evil,
you are robbing their skin from them
and their flesh from their bones.”
3 Now that they have eaten the flesh of my people,
stripped their skin off from them,
and smashed their bones to bits,
they cut it up like flesh in a pot,
or like meat within a caldron.
4 Then they will cry out to Adonai,
but He will not answer them.
Thus He will hide His face from them at that time,
because of their evil deeds.
5 Thus said Adonai about the prophets
who are misleading My people,
those who bite with their teeth and cry “Shalom”
—a word that He did not put in their mouth—
yet they consecrate war against him:
6 “Therefore you will have night without vision,
and darkness without divination.
The sun shall set on the prophets,
the day shall become dark upon them.”
7 So the seers will be ashamed
and the diviners will be abashed.
Indeed all of them will cover their lips,
for there will be no answer from God.
8 Nevertheless I myself am filled with power—
with the Ruach Adonai—
with judgment, and with might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression,
and to Israel his sin.
9 Hear this, leaders of the house of Jacob,
rulers of the house of Israel:
You who abhor justice,
and twist everything upright,
10 who build up Zion with bloodshed,
and Jerusalem with injustice.
11 Her leaders give judgment for a bribe.
Her priests give direction for a price.
Her prophets practice divination for money.
Yet they lean on Adonai by saying:
“Is not Adonai in our midst?
No calamity will come upon us!”
12 Therefore, because of you
Zion will become a plowed field.
Yes, Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
and the Temple Mount will become a high place in a forest.
An Aside with the Disciples
12 Meanwhile, when thousands of people had gathered, so many that they were trampling one another, Yeshua began speaking first to His disciples, “Be on guard yourselves against the hametz of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 3 Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in private rooms will be proclaimed from the housetops.
4 “I say to you, My friends, you should not be afraid of those who kill the body, since after this they have nothing more they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear. Fear the One who, after the killing, has authority to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear this One!
6 “Aren’t five sparrows being sold for two pennies?[a] Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Indeed, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows. 8 Now I tell you, whoever acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9 But the one who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who slanders[b] the Ruach ha-Kodesh will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you to the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not worry about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 because the Ruach ha-Kodesh will teach you at that time what is necessary to say.”
A Request from the Crowd
13 Then someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But Yeshua said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed, because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the material goods he possesses.” [c] 16 And Yeshua told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man produced good crops. 17 And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do? I don’t have a place to store my harvest!’ 18 And he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do! I’ll tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I’ll store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, ’O my soul, you have plenty of goods saved up for many years! So take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! Tonight your soul is being demanded back from you! And what you have prepared, whose will that be?’ [d] 21 So it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich in God.”
Instructions for the Disciples
22 Then Yeshua said to His disciples, “So I say to you, do not worry about life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens. They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds them. How much more valuable you are than birds!
25 “And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? [e] 26 So if you cannot do even something very little, why do you worry about other things? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. [f] 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field—which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow—then how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?
29 “So do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. 30 For all the nations of the world strive after these things. But your Father knows that you need these things. 31 Instead, seek His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you. 32 Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father chose to give you the kingdom.
33 “Sell your possessions and do tzedakah. Make money pouches for yourselves that do not get old—a treasure in the heavens that never runs out, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
35 “Have your belt strapped on and lamps burning. 36 Be like people waiting for their master to return from a wedding feast, so that when he comes and knocks, they may open to him immediately.
37 “Happy are those slaves whose master finds them alert when he comes. Amen, I tell you, he will prepare himself and have them recline at table, and will come and serve them.
38 “And if he comes in the second or even the third watch[g] and finds them so, they will be happy. 39 But understand this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you don’t expect.”
41 Then Peter said, “Master, are You telling this parable for us, or for everyone?”
42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their food portion at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whose master finds him so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I tell you, his master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
45 “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking a long time to come,’ and he begins to beat the young slave boys and girls and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. And he will cut him in two and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
47 “That slave who knew his master’s will but did not prepare or act according to his desire will be harshly whipped. 48 But the one who did not know and did things worthy of a beating will be whipped lightly. From everyone given much, much will be required; and from the one for whom more is provided, all the more they will ask of him.
49 “I came to pour out fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! 50 But I have an immersion to endure,[h] and how distressed I am until it is finished!
51 “Do you suppose that I have come to bring shalom on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 From now on there will be five in one house in opposition, 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.”[i]
Lessons for the Crowds
54 Then He also was saying to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, instantly you say, ‘A rainstorm is coming’—and so it is. 55 And when a south wind is blowing, you say, ‘It will be a scorcher’—and so it is. 56 Hypocrites! The surface of the earth and sky you know how to interpret yet you don’t know how to interpret this present time? 57 Why can’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 For while you are going with your accuser to the authorities, make an effort to come to a settlement with him—so he doesn’t drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer of the court, and the officer of the court throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid back the last little bit.”[j]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.