M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

24 ^1-2 The priests (the descendants of Aaron) were placed into two divisions named after Aaron’s sons, Eleazar and Ithamar.

Nadab and Abihu were also sons of Aaron, but they died before their father did and had no children; so only Eleazar and Ithamar were left to carry on. ³ David consulted with Zadok, who represented the Eleazar clan, and with Ahimelech, who represented the Ithamar clan; then he divided Aaron’s descendants into many groups to serve at various times. ⁴ Eleazar’s descendants were divided into sixteen groups and Ithamar’s into eight (for there was more leadership ability among the descendants of Eleazar).

⁵ All tasks were assigned to the various groups by coin-toss^[a] so that there would be no preference, for there were many famous men and high officials of the Temple in each division. ⁶ Shemaiah, a Levite and the son of Nethanel, acted as recording secretary and wrote down the names and assignments in the presence of the king and of these leaders: Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priests and Levites. Two groups from the division of Eleazar and one from the division of Ithamar were assigned to each task.

^7-18 The work was assigned (by coin-toss) in this order:

¹⁹ Each group carried out the Temple duties as originally assigned by God through their ancestor Aaron.

²⁰ These were the other descendants of Levi: Amram; his descendant Shubael; and Shubael’s descendant Jehdeiah; ²¹ the Rehabiah group, led by his oldest son Isshiah; ²² the Izhar group, consisting of Shelamoth and his descendant Jahath. ²³ The Hebron group: Jeriah, Hebron’s oldest son; Amariah, his second son; Jahaziel, his third son; Jekameam, his fourth son.

^24-25 The Uzziel group was led by his son Micah and his grandsons Shamir and Isshiah, and by Isshiah’s son Zechariah.

^26-27 The Merari group was led by his sons: Mahli and Mushi. (Jaaziah’s group, led by his son Beno, included his brothers Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri.) ²⁸ Mahli’s descendants were Eleazar, who had no sons, ²⁹ and Kish, among whose sons was Jerahmeel. ³⁰ The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

These were the descendants of Levi in their various clans. ³¹ Like the descendants of Aaron, they were assigned to their duties by coin-toss without distinction as to age or rank. It was done in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the leaders of the priests and the Levites.

25 David and the officials of the Tabernacle then appointed men to prophesy to the accompaniment of zithers, harps, and cymbals. These men were from the groups of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. Here is a list of their names and their work:

² Under the leadership of Asaph, the king’s private prophet, were his sons Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah.

³ Under Jeduthun, who led in giving thanks and praising the Lord (while accompanied by the zither), were his six sons: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah.

^4-5 Under the direction of Heman, the king’s private chaplain, were his sons: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Geddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. (For God had honored him with fourteen sons and three daughters.) ^6-7 Their music ministry included the playing of cymbals, harps, and zithers; all were under the direction of their father as they performed this ministry in the Tabernacle.

Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman reported directly to the king. They and their families were all trained in singing praises to the Lord; each one—288 of them in all—was a master musician. ⁸ The singers were appointed to their particular term of service by coin-toss, without regard to age or reputation.

5 And now, a word to you elders of the church. I, too, am an elder; with my own eyes I saw Christ dying on the cross; and I, too, will share his glory and his honor when he returns. Fellow elders, this is my plea to you: ² Feed the flock of God; care for it willingly, not grudgingly; not for what you will get out of it but because you are eager to serve the Lord. ³ Don’t be tyrants, but lead them by your good example, ⁴ and when the Head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honor.

⁵ You younger men, follow the leadership of those who are older. And all of you serve each other with humble spirits, for God gives special blessings to those who are humble, but sets himself against those who are proud. ⁶ If you will humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, in his good time he will lift you up.

⁷ Let him have all your worries and cares, for he is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.

⁸ Be careful—watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking for some victim to tear apart. ⁹ Stand firm when he attacks. Trust the Lord; and remember that other Christians all around the world are going through these sufferings too.

¹⁰ After you have suffered a little while, our God, who is full of kindness through Christ, will give you his eternal glory. He personally will come and pick you up, and set you firmly in place, and make you stronger than ever. ¹¹ To him be all power over all things, forever and ever. Amen.

¹² I am sending this note to you through the courtesy of Silvanus who is, in my opinion, a very faithful brother. I hope I have encouraged you by this letter, for I have given you a true statement of the way God blesses. What I have told you here should help you to stand firmly in his love.

¹³ The church here in Rome^[a]—she is your sister in the Lord—sends you her greetings; so does my son Mark. ¹⁴ Give each other the handshake of Christian love. Peace be to all of you who are in Christ.

Peter

3 Listen, you leaders of Israel—you are supposed to know right from wrong, ² yet you are the very ones who hate good and love evil; you skin my people and strip them to the bone.

³ You devour them, flog them, break their bones, and chop them up like meat for the cooking pot— ⁴ and then you plead with the Lord for his help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to listen? He will look the other way! ⁵ You false prophets! You who lead his people astray! You who cry “Peace” to those who give you food and threaten those who will not pay!

This is God’s message to you: ⁶ “The night will close about you and cut off all your visions; darkness will cover you with never a word from God. The sun will go down upon you, and your day will end. ⁷ Then at last you will cover your faces in shame and admit that your messages were not from God.”

⁸ But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, fearlessly announcing God’s punishment on Israel for her sins.

⁹ Listen to me, you leaders of Israel who hate justice and love unfairness ¹⁰ and fill Jerusalem with murder and sin of every kind— ¹¹ you leaders who take bribes; you priests and prophets who won’t preach and prophesy until you’re paid. (And yet you fawn upon the Lord and say, “All is well—the Lord is here among us. No harm can come to us.”) ¹² It is because of you that Jerusalem will be plowed like a field and become a heap of rubble; the mountaintop where the Temple stands will be overgrown with brush.

12 Meanwhile the crowds grew until thousands upon thousands were milling about and crushing each other. He turned now to his disciples and warned them, “More than anything else, beware of these Pharisees and the way they pretend to be good when they aren’t. But such hypocrisy cannot be hidden forever. ² It will become as evident as yeast in dough. ³ Whatever they^[a] have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in the inner rooms shall be broadcast from the housetops for all to hear!

⁴ “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of these who want to murder you. They can only kill the body; they have no power over your souls. ⁵ But I’ll tell you whom to fear—fear God who has the power to kill and then cast into hell.

⁶ “What is the price of five sparrows? A couple of pennies? Not much more than that. Yet God does not forget a single one of them. ⁷ And he knows the number of hairs on your head! Never fear, you are far more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.

⁸ “And I assure you of this: I, the Messiah,^[b] will publicly honor you in the presence of God’s angels if you publicly acknowledge me here on earth as your Friend. ⁹ But I will deny before the angels those who deny me here among men. ¹⁰ (Yet those who speak against me^[c] may be forgiven—while those who speak against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.)

¹¹ “And when you are brought to trial before these Jewish rulers and authorities in the synagogues, don’t be concerned about what to say in your defense, ¹² for the Holy Spirit will give you the right words even as you are standing there.”

¹³ Then someone called from the crowd, “Sir, please tell my brother to divide my father’s estate with me.”

¹⁴ But Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? ¹⁵ Beware! Don’t always be wishing for what you don’t have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are.”

¹⁶ Then he gave an illustration: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. ¹⁷ In fact, his barns were full to overflowing—he couldn’t get everything in. He thought about his problem, ¹⁸ and finally exclaimed, ‘I know—I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones! Then I’ll have room enough. ¹⁹ And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “Friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Wine, women, and song for you!”’^[d]

²⁰ “But God said to him, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. Then who will get it all?’

²¹ “Yes, every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.”

²² Then turning to his disciples he said, “Don’t worry about whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. ²³ For life consists of far more than food and clothes. ²⁴ Look at the ravens—they don’t plant or harvest or have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along all right—for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!

²⁵ “And besides, what’s the use of worrying? What good does it do? Will it add a single day to your life? Of course not! ²⁶ And if worry can’t even do such little things as that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

²⁷ “Look at the lilies! They don’t toil and spin, and yet Solomon in all his glory was not robed as well as they are. ²⁸ And if God provides clothing for the flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, don’t you suppose that he will provide clothing for you, you doubters? ²⁹ And don’t worry about food—what to eat and drink; don’t worry at all that God will provide it for you. ³⁰ All mankind scratches for its daily bread, but your heavenly Father knows your needs. ³¹ He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

³² “So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom. ³³ Sell what you have and give to those in need. This will fatten your purses in heaven! And the purses of heaven have no rips or holes in them. Your treasures there will never disappear; no thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them. ³⁴ Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.

³⁵ “Be prepared—all dressed and ready— ³⁶ for your Lord’s return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. ³⁷ There will be great joy for those who are ready and waiting for his return. He himself will seat them and put on a waiter’s uniform and serve them as they sit and eat! ³⁸ He may come at nine o’clock at night—or even at midnight. But whenever he comes, there will be joy for his servants who are ready!

³⁹ “Everyone would be ready for him if they knew the exact hour of his return—just as they would be ready for a thief if they knew when he was coming. ⁴⁰ So be ready all the time. For I, the Messiah,^[e] will come when least expected.”

⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you talking just to us or to everyone?”

^42-44 And the Lord replied, “I’m talking to any faithful, sensible man whose master gives him the responsibility of feeding the other servants. If his master returns and finds that he has done a good job, there will be a reward—his master will put him in charge of all he owns.

⁴⁵ “But if the man begins to think, ‘My Lord won’t be back for a long time,’ and begins to whip the men and women he is supposed to protect, and to spend his time at drinking parties and in drunkenness— ⁴⁶ well, his master will return without notice and remove him from his position of trust and assign him to the place of the unfaithful. ⁴⁷ He will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty he refused to do it.

⁴⁸ “But anyone who is not aware that he is doing wrong will be punished only lightly. Much is required from those to whom much is given, for their responsibility is greater.

⁴⁹ “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and, oh, that my task were completed! ⁵⁰ There is a terrible baptism ahead of me, and how I am pent up until it is accomplished!

⁵¹ “Do you think I have come to give peace to the earth? No! Rather, strife and division! ⁵² From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of me, and two against—or perhaps the other way around. ⁵³ A father will decide one way about me; his son, the other; mother and daughter will disagree; and the decision of an honored mother-in-law^[f] will be spurned by her daughter-in-law.”

⁵⁴ Then he turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right.

⁵⁵ “When the south wind blows you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You interpret the sky well enough, but you refuse to notice the warnings all around you about the crisis ahead. ⁵⁷ Why do you refuse to see for yourselves what is right?

⁵⁸ “If you meet your accuser on the way to court, try to settle the matter before it reaches the judge, lest he sentence you to jail; ⁵⁹ for if that happens, you won’t be free again until the last penny is paid in full.”