M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Priestly Divisions Assigned
24 Now the divisions of the sons of Aaron were these.
The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and they had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. 3 Then David, along with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelek of the sons of Ithamar, divided them to their offices by their service. 4 Since the sons of Eleazar were found to have more chief men than the sons of Ithamar, they divided them into sixteen heads of the fathers’ houses for the sons of Eleazar, and eight for the sons of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ houses. 5 So they divided them by lots, the one as the other, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both the sons of Eleazar and Ithamar.
6 Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, the Levite scribe, wrote them down in the presence of the king, the leaders, Zadok the priest, Ahimelek the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and the Levites, one father’s house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.
7 The first lot fell to Jehoiarib,
the second to Jedaiah,
8 the third to Harim,
the fourth to Seorim,
9 the fifth to Malkijah,
the sixth to Mijamin,
10 the seventh to Hakkoz,
the eighth to Abijah,
11 the ninth to Jeshua,
the tenth to Shekaniah,
12 the eleventh to Eliashib,
the twelfth to Jakim,
13 the thirteenth to Huppah,
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
14 the fifteenth to Bilgah,
the sixteenth to Immer,
15 the seventeenth to Hezir,
the eighteenth to Happizzez,
16 the nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Jehezkel,
17 the twenty-first to Jakin,
the twenty-second to Gamul,
18 the twenty-third to Delaiah,
the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
19 These were their appointments for their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the schedule prescribed for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
Remaining Levite Assignments
20 Now for the remaining sons of Levi:
from the sons of Amram, Shubael;
from the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.
21 For Rehabiah: from the sons of Rehabiah,
the first was Ishiah.
22 From the Izharites, Shelomoth;
from the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath.
23 The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and 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 son of Jaaziah, Beno.
27 The sons of Merari:
by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zakkur, and Ibri.
28 For Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons.
29 For Kish: the son of Kish,
Jerahmeel.
30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. 31 These also cast lots just as their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the presence of David the king, Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites, the head of the fathers’ houses as well as his younger brother.
The Musicians
25 Then David and the officers of the army also set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, those who prophesied with lyres, harps, and cymbals. The number of those who did the work according to their service was:
2 From the sons of Asaph:
Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the guidance of Asaph, who prophesied according to the decree of the king.
3 For Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun:
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the guidance of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with the lyre in giving thanks and praise to the Lord.
4 For Heman, the sons of Heman:
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s seer, according to the words of God, to exalt him, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman.
6 All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of the house of God by decree of the king: Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. 7 So the number of them, with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the Lord, all of whom were skillful, was two hundred and eighty-eight. 8 They cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and student alike.
9 The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph;
the second to Gedaliah,
to him and his brothers and his sons, twelve;
10 the third to Zakkur,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
11 the fourth to Izri,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
12 the fifth to Nethaniah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
13 the sixth to Bukkiah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
14 the seventh to Jesarelah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
15 the eighth to Jeshaiah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
16 the ninth to Mattaniah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
17 the tenth to Shimei,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
18 the eleventh to Azarel,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
19 the twelfth to Hashabiah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
20 for the thirteenth to Shubael,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
21 for the fourteenth to Mattithiah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
22 for the fifteenth to Jerimoth,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
23 for the sixteenth to Hananiah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
24 for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
25 for the eighteenth to Hanani,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
26 for the nineteenth to Mallothi,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
27 for the twentieth to Eliathah,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
28 for the twenty-first to Hothir,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
29 for the twenty-second to Giddalti,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
30 for the twenty-third to Mahazioth,
his sons and his brothers, twelve;
31 for the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer,
his sons and his brothers, twelve.
Tending the Flock of God
5 I exhort the elders who are among you, as one who is also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, take care of them, not by constraint, but willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. 3 Do not lord over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of glory that will not fade away.
5 Likewise you younger ones, submit yourselves to the elders. Yes, all of you be submissive one to another and clothe yourselves with humility, because
“God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.”[a]
6 Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.
8 Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him firmly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
10 But after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
12 With the help of Silas, whom I consider to be a faithful brother to you, I have written briefly, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand.
13 The church that is at Babylon, elect together with you, greets you, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love.
Peace be with all you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Leaders and Prophets Judged
3 Then I said:
Listen now, heads of Jacob,
and rulers of the house of Israel.
Should you not know justice?
2 You who hate good and love evil,
who tear the skin from My people
and the flesh from their bones;
3 you who have eaten the flesh of My people,
and have flayed their skin from them,
and broken their bones in pieces;
who have chopped them up like meat in the pot,
and like flesh in the cauldron.
4 Then they will cry out to the Lord,
but He will not answer them;
He will hide His face from them at that time,
because they have wrought evil deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord:
Regarding the prophets
who mislead My people—
the ones who have something to eat
proclaim “Peace,”
but if one does not feed them,
then they prepare for war against him.
6 Therefore you will have night without vision,
and you will have darkness without divination;
the sun will set upon the prophets,
and black upon them will be the day.
7 The seers will be shamed
and the diviners disgraced,
and they will all cover their beards,
for there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 Please hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
who detest justice
and warp all that is straight,
10 who build Zion with bloodguilt
and Jerusalem with wickedness.
11 Her leaders judge for a bribe,
her priests teach for a price,
and her prophets practice divination for money.
Yet upon the Lord they lean, saying,
“Is not the Lord in our midst?
Evil will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, because of you,
Zion will be plowed like a field,
Jerusalem will be mounds of ruins,
and the mountain of the house will become wooded heights.
A Warning Against Hypocrisy
12 Meanwhile, when thousands of the crowd were assembled, so as to trample on one another, He began to say to His disciples first, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore what you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. And what you have whispered in the ear in private rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.
Whom to Fear(A)
4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that can do no more. 5 But I will warn you whom you shall fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell. Yes, I say to you, fear Him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies[a]? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore do not fear. You are more valuable than many sparrows.
Confessing Christ Before Men(B)
8 “I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God. 9 But he 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 he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When they bring you to the synagogues, rulers, and authorities, do not be anxious how you will answer or what you will say. 12 For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus said to him, “Man, who appointed Me a judge or an arbitrator between you?” 15 Then He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness. For a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
16 And He told a parable to them, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have no room to store my crops?’
18 “Then he said, ‘This I will do: I will pull down my barns and build greater ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take rest. Eat, drink, and be merry.’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Care and Anxiety(C)
22 Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor for your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouses nor barns. Yet God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds? 25 Who of you by worrying can add one cubit[b] to his height? 26 If you then cannot do what is least, why are you anxious about the other things?
27 “Consider how the lilies grow. They neither spin nor weave. Yet I say to you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 And do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink, nor be of an anxious mind. 30 For the nations of the world seek all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be given to you.
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give alms. Provide yourselves purses that do not grow old, an unfailing treasure in the heavens, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Watchful Servants(D)
35 “Let your waist be girded and your lights be burning, 36 and you be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door immediately for him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master will find watching when he comes. Truly I say to you, he will dress himself and have them sit down to dine, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or comes in the third watch, and finds them so, blessed are those servants. 39 But know this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched and not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 Therefore be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
41 Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 The Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his house servants, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will appoint him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master delays his coming,’ and begins to beat the house servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not look for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him to pieces and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 “That servant who knew his master’s will, but did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who unknowingly committed acts worthy of punishment shall be beaten with few stripes. For to whom much is given, of him much shall be required. And from him to whom much was entrusted, much will be asked.
Jesus the Cause of Division(E)
49 “I have come to send fire upon the earth and wish that it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how pressed I am until it is accomplished! 51 Do you suppose that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. 52 For there will be from now on five divided in one house, 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, and mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Discerning the Appointed Time(F)
54 Then He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rise out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it is. 55 And when a south wind blows, you say, ‘There will be heat,’ and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth. But why do you not know how to discern this time?
Settling With Your Accuser(G)
57 “Why even among yourselves do you not judge what is right? 58 When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, as you are on the way, diligently try to settle matters with him, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the officer, and the officer will throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you shall not come out from there until you have paid the very last penny.”[c]
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.