M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Death and Descendants of Abraham
25 Now Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore to him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. 3 And Jokshan fathered Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim. 4 And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All of these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. 6 But to the sons of Abraham’s concubines Abraham gave gifts. And while he was still living he sent them away eastward, away from his son Isaac, to the land of the east. 7 Now these are the days of the years of the life of Abraham:[a] one hundred and seventy-five years. 8 And Abraham passed away and died in a good old age, old and full of years. And he was gathered to his people. 9 And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, son of Zohar the Hittite, that was east of Mamre, 10 the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[b] There Abraham was buried and Sarah his wife. 11 And it happened that after the death of Abraham God blessed Isaac his son, and Isaac settled at Beer-Lahai-Roi.
12 Now these are the generations[c] of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, that Hagar the Egyptian, the maidservant of Sarah, bore to Abraham. 13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names according to their family records. The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their villages and by their encampments—12 leaders according to their tribes. 17 Now these are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. And he passed away and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 They settled from Havilah to Shur, which was opposite[d] Egypt, going toward Asshur, opposite;[e] he settled[f] opposite[g] all his brothers.
Jacob and Esau
19 Now these are the generations[h] of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 And Isaac was forty years old[i] when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-Aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, as his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to Yahweh on behalf of his wife, for she was barren. And Yahweh responded to his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 And the children in her womb jostled each other, and she said, “If it is going to be like this, why be pregnant?”[j] And she went to inquire of Yahweh. 23 And Yahweh said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from birth[k] shall be divided. And one people shall be stronger than the other.[l] And the elder shall serve the younger.” 24 And when her days to give birth were completed,[m] then—behold—twins were in her womb. 25 And the first came out red, all his body[n] was like a hairy coat, so they called his name Esau. 26 And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasped the heel of Esau, so his name was called Jacob. And Isaac was sixty years old[o] at their birth. 27 And the boys grew up. And Esau was a skilled[p] hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau because he could eat of his game,[q] but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once[r] Jacob cooked a thick stew, and Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Give me some of that red stuff[s] to gulp down, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom). 31 Then Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright first.”[t] 32 And Esau said, “Look, I am going to die; now what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me first.”[u] And he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread, and thick lentil stew, and he ate and drank. Then he got up and went away. So Esau despised his birthright.
The Destruction of the Temple Predicted
24 And as Jesus went out of the temple courts[a] he was going along, and his disciples came up to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered and[b] said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be left here on another stone that will not be thrown down!”
Signs of the End of the Age
3 And as[c] he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and[d] said to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you! 5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many. 6 And you are going to hear about wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.[e] 8 But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.
Persecution of Disciples Predicted
9 “Then they will hand you over to persecution and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations[f] because of my name. 10 And then many will be led into sin and will betray one another and will hate one another, 11 and many false prophets will appear and will deceive many, 12 and because lawlessness will increase, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end—this person will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited earth for a testimony to all the nations,[g] and then the end will come.
The Abomination of Desolation
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation[h] spoken about by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place” (let the one who reads understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 The one who is on his[i] housetop must not come down to take things out of his house, 18 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to pick up his cloak. 19 And woe to those who are pregnant[j] and to those who are nursing their babies[k] in those days! 20 But pray that your flight may not happen in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not happened from the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will happen. 22 And unless those days had been shortened, no human being would be saved.[l] But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
23 “At that time if anyone should say to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘Here he is,’ do not believe him![m] 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear, and will produce great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you ahead of time! 26 Therefore if they say to you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or[n] ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it![o] 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Arrival of the Son of Man
29 “And immediately after the tribulation of those days,
‘the sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from heaven,
and the powers of heaven will be shaken.’[p]
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,[q] and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven[r] with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect together from the four winds, from one end of heaven[s] to the other end of it.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch has already become tender and puts forth its[t] leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also you, when you see all these things, know[u] that he is near, at the door. 34 Truly I say to you that this generation will never pass away until all these things take place! 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Unknown Day and Hour
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows—not even the angels of heaven nor the Son—except the Father alone. 37 For just as the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 38 For as in the days[v] before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark. 39 And they did not know anything[w] until the deluge came and swept them[x] all away. So also the coming of the Son of Man will be. 40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know what day your Lord is coming! 43 But understand this: that if the master of the house had known what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.[y]
A Faithful Slave and an Unfaithful Slave
45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave whom the master has put in charge of his household slaves to give them their[z] food at the right time? 46 Blessed is that slave whom his master will find so doing when he[aa] comes back. 47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But if that evil slave should say to himself,[ab] ‘My master is staying away for a long time,’ 49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50 the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know, 51 and will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!
The King’s Banquets
1 And it happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Cush[a]—over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces.[b] 2 In those days as King Ahasuerus was sitting on the throne of his kingdom, which was in the citadel of Susa, 3 he gave a banquet in the third year of his reign for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and officials of the provinces were in his presence 4 as he displayed the wealth of the glory of his kingdom and the glorious splendor of his greatness for many days, one hundred and eighty days[c].
5 And when those days were completed, the king gave for all the people that were present at the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a banquet in the courtyard of the king’s palace garden that lasted seven days. 6 There were curtains of finely woven linen and blue cloth tied with cords of fine white linen and purple cloth to silver curtain rings and pillars of alabaster, and couches of gold and silver on a paved floor of alabaster, precious stone, mother-of-pearl, and costly stones.[d] 7 Drinks were served in goblets of gold and goblets of different kinds,[e] and there was plentiful royal wine according to the bounty of the king.[f] 8 There were no restrictions on the drinking, for the king had instructed every official of his palace to do as each one pleased. 9 Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in the palace[g] that belonged to King Ahasuerus.
Queen Vashti Refuses the King’s Request
10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven of the eunuchs attending King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown[h] to show the people and the officials her beauty, for she was very attractive.[i] 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that was conveyed by[j] the eunuchs. And the king became very angry, and his anger burned in him.
13 And the king said to the wise men, the ones who know the times[k]—for it was the procedure of the king before all those who knew law and rights;[l] 14 and those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who had access to the king[m] and sat first in the kingdom— 15 “According to the law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she has not done the command of King Ahasuerus conveyed by[n] the eunuchs? 16 And Memucan said before the king and the officials, “Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but to all the officials and all of the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For this deed of the queen will be known[o] to all the women, causing them to look with contempt on their husbands,[p] as they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him but she did not come!’ 18 This day the women of nobility from Persia and Media will respond to all the officials of the king and there will be no end to contempt and anger. 19 If it pleases[q] the king, let a royal edict[r] go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media so that it will not be altered, that Vashti cannot come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to her neighbor who is better than she. 20 And let the king’s decree that he will make be proclaimed in all his kingdom, because it is vast and all the women will honor their husbands, great and small.”[s]
21 This advice pleased the king[t] and the officials, and the king acted according to the word of Memucan. 22 And he sent letters to all the provinces of the king, to each province according to its own script, and to every people in their own language,[u] that every man should be the master of his house and who speaks in the language[v] of his people.
Paul Before Felix at Caesarea Maritima
24 And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, all of whom brought charges against Paul to the governor. 2 And when[a] he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him,[b] saying, “We have experienced[c] much[d] peace through you, and reforms are taking place in this nation through your foresight. 3 Both in every way and everywhere we acknowledge this,[e] most excellent Felix, with all gratitude. 4 But so that I may not impose on you for longer, I implore you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 For we have found[f] this man to be a public menace and one who causes riots among all the Jews throughout the Roman Empire[g] and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, 6 who even attempted to desecrate the temple, and we arrested him[h].[i] 8 When[j] you yourself examine him[k] you will be able to find out from him[l] about all these things of which we are accusing him.” 9 And the Jews also joined in the attack, asserting these things were so.
10 And when[m] the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I[n] know you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I defend myself cheerfully with respect to the things concerning myself. 11 You can ascertain that it has not been more than[o] twelve days since[p] I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 And neither did they find me arguing with anyone or making a crowd develop in the temple courts[q] nor in the synagogues nor throughout the city. 13 Nor can they prove the things[r] to you concerning which they are now accusing me. 14 But I do confess this to you, that according to the Way (which they call a sect), so I worship the God of our fathers, believing all things that are in accordance with the law and that are written in the prophets, 15 having a hope in God which these men also themselves await: that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 For this reason[s] also I myself always[t] do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and people. 17 So after many years, I came to practice charitable giving and offerings to my people,[u] 18 in which they found me purified in the temple courts,[v] not with a crowd or with a disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from Asia[w] who ought to be present before you and bring charges against me,[x] if they have anything against me, 20 or these men themselves should say what crime they found when[y] I stood before the Sanhedrin,[z] 21 other than concerning this one declaration that I shouted while[aa] standing there before them: ‘I am being judged before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead!’”
Paul Held Awaiting Trial
22 But Felix, because he[ab] understood the facts concerning the Way more accurately, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the military tribune comes down, I will decide your case.”[ac] 23 He ordered[ad] the centurion for him to be guarded and to have some freedom, and in no way to prevent any of his own people[ae] from serving him.
24 And after some days, when[af] Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him concerning faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And while[ag] he was discussing about righteousness and self control and the judgment that is to come, Felix became afraid and[ah] replied, “Go away for the present, and when I[ai] have an opportunity, I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul. For this reason also he sent for him as often as possible and[aj] talked with him. 27 And when[ak] two years had passed, Felix received as successor Porcius Festus. And because he[al] wanted to do a favor for the Jews, Felix left Paul behind as a prisoner.[am]
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