M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Isaac Lies to Abimelech
26 Now there was a ·time of hunger [L famine] in the land, besides the ·time of hunger [L former famine] that happened during Abraham’s life. So Isaac went to the town of Gerar [20:1] to see Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Don’t go down to Egypt, but ·live [settle; dwell] in the land where I tell you to live. 3 ·Stay [Sojourn; Live as an alien] in this land, and I will be with you and bless you [12:3]. I will give you and your ·descendants [L seed] all these lands, and I will ·keep [fulfill] the oath I made to Abraham your father. 4 I will ·give you many descendants [L multiply your seed], as hard to count as the stars in the sky, and I will give them all these lands. Through your ·descendants [L seed] all the nations on the earth will be blessed [12:1–3]. 5 I will do this because your father Abraham ·obeyed me [L listened to my voice]. He did what I said and obeyed my ·instructions [charge], my commands, my teachings, and my ·rules [instructions; laws].”
6 So Isaac ·stayed [resided; settled] in Gerar [20:1]. 7 His wife Rebekah was very beautiful, and the men of that place asked Isaac about her. Isaac said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to tell them she was his wife. He thought they might kill him so they could have her [12:10–20; 20:1–18].
8 Isaac lived there a long time. One day as Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out his window, he saw Isaac ·holding [fondling; playing with; C a word related to the name Isaac] his wife Rebekah tenderly. 9 Abimelech called for Isaac and said, “This woman is your wife. Why did you say she was your sister?”
Isaac said to him, “I ·was afraid you would kill me so you could have [L thought I might die because of] her.”
10 Abimelech said, “What have you done to us? One of our ·men [L people] might have ·had sexual relations [lain] with your wife. Then ·we would have been guilty of a great sin [L you would have brought guilt/punishment on us].”
11 So Abimelech ·warned [commanded] ·everyone [all the people], “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be put to death.”
Isaac Becomes Rich
12 Isaac planted seed in that land, and that year he gathered ·a great harvest [L a hundredfold]. The Lord blessed him very much, 13 and ·he [L the man] became rich. He ·gathered more wealth [grew richer and richer] until he became a very rich man. 14 He had so many slaves and flocks and herds that the Philistines envied him. 15 So they stopped up all the wells the servants of Isaac’s father Abraham had dug. (They had dug them ·when Abraham was alive [L in the days of Abraham his father].) The Philistines filled those wells with ·dirt [dust]. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave ·our country [L my people] because you have become much more powerful than we are.”
17 So Isaac ·left that place [L went from there] and camped in the ·Valley [Wadi] of Gerar and ·lived [resided; settled] there. 18 ·Long before this time Abraham [L In the days of Abraham his father they] had dug many wells, but after he died, the Philistines filled them with ·dirt [dust]. So Isaac dug those wells again and gave them the same names his father had given them. 19 Isaac’s servants dug a well in the ·valley [wadi], ·from which a spring of water flowed [L and discovered springing/living water]. 20 But the ·herdsmen [shepherds] of Gerar ·argued [contended] with ·them [L the shepherds of Isaac] and said, “This water is ours.” So Isaac named that well ·Argue [Contention; C Hebrew: Esek] because they ·argued [contended] with him. 21 Then ·his servants [L they] dug another well. When the people also ·argued about it [contended], Isaac named that well ·Fight [Hebrew: Sitnah]. 22 He moved from there and dug another well. No one ·argued about [contended] this one, so he named it Room Enough [C Hebrew: Rehoboth]. Isaac said, “Now the Lord has made room for us, and we will be ·successful [fruitful; 1:22] in this land.”
23 From there Isaac went [L up] to Beersheba [21:14]. 24 The Lord appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Don’t be afraid, because I am with you [C indicating that the covenant with Abraham would be continued with Isaac]. I will bless you and ·give you many descendants [multiply your seed] because of my servant Abraham.” 25 So Isaac built an altar [C a place of sacrifice] and ·worshiped [L called on the name of] the Lord there. He also ·made a camp [L pitched his tent] there, and his servants dug a well.
26 Abimelech came from Gerar to see Isaac. He brought with him Ahuzzath, ·who advised him [his advisor/friend], and Phicol, the commander of his army. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to see me? You ·were my enemy [hate me] and ·forced me to leave your country [L sent me away from you].”
28 They answered, “Now we ·know [L clearly see] that the Lord is with you. Let us swear an oath to each other. Let us ·make [L cut] an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you 29 that since we did not ·hurt [L touch] you, you will not ·hurt [harm] us. We were good to you and sent you away in peace. Now the Lord has blessed you.”
30 So Isaac ·prepared food [made a banquet/feast] for them, and they all ate and drank [C customary to celebrate the signing of the treaty]. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them away, and they left in peace.
32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug, saying, “We found water in that well.” 33 So Isaac named it Shibah [C sounds like Hebrew for “seven” or “promise”] and that city is called Beersheba [21:14] even now.
34 When Esau was forty years old, he married two Hittite women—Judith daughter of Beeri and Basemath daughter of Elon. 35 These women brought much ·sorrow [bitterness] to Isaac and Rebekah [C because Esau had married outside the people of God].
A Story About Ten Bridesmaids
25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten ·bridesmaids [L virgins] who took their lamps and went to ·wait for [meet] the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were ·wise [sensible; prudent]. 3 The five foolish ·bridesmaids [L virgins] took their lamps, but they did not take more oil for the lamps to burn. 4 The ·wise [sensible; prudent] ·bridesmaids [L virgins] took their lamps and more oil in ·jars [flasks]. 5 Because the bridegroom was ·late [delayed], they became ·sleepy [drowsy] and went to sleep.
6 “At midnight someone cried out, ‘·The bridegroom is coming [L Look, the bridegroom]! Come and meet him!’ 7 Then all the ·bridesmaids [L virgins] woke up and ·got their lamps ready [trimmed their lamps]. 8 But the foolish ones said to the ·wise [sensible; prudent], ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 9 The ·wise [sensible; prudent] bridesmaids answered, ‘No, the oil we have might not be enough ·for all of us [L for us and for you]. Go to the people who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
10 “So while ·the five foolish bridesmaids [L they] went to buy oil, the bridegroom came. The bridesmaids who were ready went in with the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Then the door was ·closed and locked [L shut].
11 “Later the others came back and said, ‘·Sir, sir, [Lord, lord] open the door to let us in.’ 12 But the bridegroom answered, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’
13 “So ·always be ready [stay awake; be alert; keep watch], because you don’t know the day or the hour [C the Son of Man will come].
A Story About Three Servants(A)
14 “·The kingdom of heaven [L It] is like a man who was going ·to another place for a visit [on a journey/trip]. Before he left, he called for his servants and ·told them to take care of his things while he was gone [L entrusted his possessions/wealth to them]. 15 He gave one servant five ·bags of gold [L talents; C a talent was worth about 6,000 denarii, or twenty years’ wages for a laborer], another servant two ·bags of gold [L talents], and a third servant one ·bag of gold [L talent], to each one ·as much as he could handle [L according to his ability]. Then he left. 16 The servant who got five ·bags [L talents] went quickly ·to invest the money [and traded with them; and put the money to work] and ·earned [gained] five more. 17 In the same way, the servant who had two ·invested [traded with] them and ·earned [gained] two more. 18 But the servant who got one went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master came home and ·asked the servants what they did with his money [settled/went over the accounts with them]. 20 The servant who was given five ·bags of gold [L talents] brought five more ·bags [L talents] to the master and said, ‘Master, you trusted me to care for five ·bags of gold [L talents], ·so I used your five to earn [L see, I have earned] five more.’ 21 The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and ·loyal [faithful] servant. Because you were ·loyal [faithful] with ·small [a few] things, I will ·let you care for [put you in charge of] ·much greater [many] things. ·Come and share my joy with me [L Enter into the joy of your master].’
22 “Then the servant who had been given two ·bags of gold [L talents] came to the master and said, ‘Master, you ·gave me [trusted me with] two ·bags of gold [L talents] to care for, ·so I used your two bags to earn [L see, I have earned] two more.’ 23 The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and ·loyal [faithful] servant. Because you were ·loyal [faithful] with ·small [a few] things, I will ·let you care for [put you in charge of] ·much greater [many] things. ·Come and share my joy with me [L Enter into the joy of your master].’
24 “Then the servant who had been given one ·bag of gold [L talent] came to the master and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a ·hard [harsh; exacting; demanding] man. You ·harvest things [reap where] you did not ·plant [sow]. You gather crops where you did not sow any seed. 25 So I was afraid and went and hid your ·money [T talent] in the ground. [L See] Here is ·your bag of gold [L what is yours].’ 26 [L But] The master answered, ‘You are a wicked and lazy servant! You say you knew that I ·harvest things [reap where] I did not ·plant [sow] and that I gather crops where I did not sow any seed. 27 So you should have put my ·gold [money] in the bank. Then, when I came home, I would have received ·my gold [what was mine] back with interest.’
28 “·So the master told his other servants, ‘[L Therefore,] Take the ·bag of gold [L talent] from that servant and give it to the servant who has ten ·bags of gold [L talents]. 29 [L For] Those who have much will ·get [be given] more, and they will have ·much more than they need [an abundance]. But those who do not have much will have ·everything [even what they have] taken away from them.’ 30 Then the master said, ‘Throw that ·useless [worthless] servant ·outside, into the darkness [or into the outer darkness,] where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [T there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; C indicating agony and remorse].
The King Will Judge All People
31 “The Son of Man will come again in his great glory [Dan. 7:13–14], with all his angels. He will ·be King and sit on his [L sit on his] ·great [glorious] throne. 32 All the nations of the world will be gathered before him, and he will separate them ·into two groups [L one from another] as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 The Son of Man will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to the people on his right, ‘Come, ·my Father has given you his blessing [L those blessed by my Father]. ·Receive [Inherit] the kingdom God has prepared for you ·since the world was made [L from the creation/foundation of the world]. 35 [L For; Because] I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was ·alone and away from home [a stranger], and you ·invited me into your house [welcomed/received me]. 36 I was ·without clothes [naked], and you ·gave me something to wear [clothed me]. I was sick, and you ·cared for [visited; looked after] me. I was in prison, and you ·visited [came to] me.’
37 “Then the ·good [righteous] people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you ·alone and away from home [a stranger] and ·invite you into our house [welcome/receive you]? When did we see you ·without clothes [naked] and ·give you something to wear [clothe you]? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and ·care for [come to] you?’
40 “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, anything you did for even the least of my ·people here [L brothers (and sisters)], you also did for me.’
41 “Then the King will say to those on his left, ‘·Go away [Depart] from me. You ·will be punished [are cursed]. Go into the ·fire that burns forever [eternal fire] that was prepared for the devil and his angels [C the demons]. 42 [L For; Because] I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink. 43 I was ·alone and away from home [a stranger], and you did not ·invite me into your house [welcome/receive me]. I was ·without clothes [naked], and you ·gave me nothing to wear [did not clothe me]. I was sick and in prison, and you did not ·care for [visit; look after] me.’
44 “Then those people will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or ·alone and away from home [a stranger] or ·without clothes [naked] or sick or in prison? When did we see these things and not ·help [serve; care for] you?’
45 “Then the King will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, ·anything [to the extent] you refused to do for even the least of ·my people here [L these], you refused to do for me.’
46 “These people will go off to ·be punished forever [eternal punishment], but the ·good people [righteous] ·will go to live forever [to eternal life].”
Esther Is Made Queen
2 Later, when King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] was not so angry, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and his ·order [decree; edict] about her. 2 Then the king’s personal ·servants [attendants] suggested, “Let a search be made for ·beautiful young girls [L young women, virgins, good of form] for the king. 3 Let the king choose ·supervisors [commissioners] in every ·state [province] of his kingdom to bring ·beautiful young girls [L young women, virgins, good of form] to the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] at Susa. They should be taken to the ·women’s quarters [harem; L house of the women] and put under the ·care [custody; authority] of Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the ·women [harem]. And let ·beauty treatments [cosmetics; L ointments] be given to them. 4 Then let the ·girl [young woman] who ·most pleases [L is good in the eyes of] the king become queen in place of Vashti.” The king ·liked [was pleased/delighted by] this idea, so he did as they said.
5 Now there was a Jew in the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. Jair was the son of Shimei, the son of Kish [C these are relatives of Saul, showing that Mordecai was his descendant; 1 Sam. 9:1–3; 2 Sam. 16:5]. Mordecai was from the tribe of Benjamin, 6 which had been taken ·captive [into exile] from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. They were part of the group taken into ·captivity [exile] with Jehoiachin king of Judah [C 597 bc; 2 Kin. 24:8–17]. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, who had no father or mother, so Mordecai ·took care of her [was her guardian; brought her up]. Hadassah was also called Esther, and she ·had a very pretty figure and face [L was beautiful of form]. Mordecai had ·adopted [raised; taken] her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.
8 When the king’s command and ·order [decree; edict] had been ·heard [proclaimed], many ·girls [young women] had been brought to the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] in Susa and put under the ·care [custody; authority] of Hegai. Esther was also taken to the king’s ·palace [L house] and put under the ·care [custody; authority] of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. 9 Esther ·pleased [impressed; L was good in his eyes] Hegai, and ·he liked her [L found favor with him]. So Hegai quickly began giving Esther her ·beauty treatments [cosmetics; L ointments] and special food. He gave her seven ·servant girls [maids; attendants] chosen from the king’s ·palace [L house]. Then he ·moved [transferred] her and her ·seven servant girls [maids; attendants] to the best part of the ·women’s quarters [harem; L house of the women].
10 Esther did not tell anyone about her ·family [people; nationality] or ·who her people were [her kindred/lineage], because Mordecai had ·told [instructed] her not to. 11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth ·near [in front of] the courtyard ·where the king’s women lived [of the harem] to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12 Before a girl could take her turn ·with [to go to] King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus], she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments ·that were ordered [prescribed; required] for the women. For six months she was treated with oil ·and [or of] myrrh and for six months with ·perfumes [spices] and ·cosmetics [ointments]. 13 Then she ·was ready to go [would go in this way] to the king. Anything she ·asked for [desired] was given to her to take with her from the ·women’s quarters [harem; L house of the women] to the king’s ·palace [L house]. 14 In the evening she would go to the king’s ·palace [L house], and in the morning she would return ·to another part of the [or to a second; or again to the] ·women’s quarters [harem; L house of the women]. There she would be placed under the ·care [custody; authority] of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch in charge of the ·slave women [concubines; C secondary wives]. The girl would not go back to the king again unless he was pleased with her and ·asked for [summoned; requested] her by name.
15 The ·time [L turn] came for Esther daughter of Abihail, Mordecai’s uncle [C Esther was Mordecai’s younger cousin, v. 7], who had been raised [taken] by Mordecai as his own daughter, to go to the king. She asked for only what Hegai ·suggested [advised; recommended] she should take. (Hegai was the king’s eunuch who ·was in charge of [supervised] the women.) Everyone who saw Esther ·liked [favored] her. 16 So Esther was taken to King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] in the royal ·palace [L house] in the tenth month [C early winter], the month of Tebeth, during ·Xerxes’ [L Ahasuerus’s] seventh year ·as king [of his reign].
17 And the king ·was pleased with [loved] Esther more than with any of the other ·virgins [young women]. He liked her more than any of the ·others [other virgins], so he put a royal crown on her head and ·made [proclaimed; declared] her queen in place of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet for Esther and invited all his ·important men [nobles; officials] and ·royal officers [ministers; servants]. He announced a holiday for all the ·empire [L provinces] and ·had the government give away gifts [gave gifts with royal liberality/generosity].
Mordecai Discovers an Evil Plan
19 Now Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate [C an indication he was likely a government official] when the girls were ·gathered the second time [or transferred to the second harem; or gathered again]. 20 Esther still had not told anyone about ·who her people were [her kindred/lineage] or her ·family [people; nationality], just as Mordecai had ·commanded [instructed] her. She ·obeyed Mordecai [followed Mordecai’s instructions] just as she had done when ·she was under his care [he was raising her].
21 Now Bigthana and Teresh were two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the ·doorway [entrance; L threshold]. While Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, they became angry and ·began to make plans [plotted; conspired] to ·kill [assassinate; L send a hand against] King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus]. 22 But Mordecai found out about their ·plans [plot] and told Queen Esther. Then Esther told the king ·how Mordecai had discovered the evil plan [L in Mordecai’s name]. 23 When the report was investigated, it was found to be ·true [so], and ·the two officers who had planned to kill the king [L they both] were ·hanged [impaled; C on a stake or sharpened pole, a common form of execution]. All this was written down in the ·daily court record [book of the annals/chronicles] in the king’s presence.
Paul Asks to See Caesar
25 Three days after Festus ·became governor [L arrived in the province], he went [L up] from Caesarea to Jerusalem. 2 There the ·leading [T chief] priests and the important leaders [L of the Jews] made charges against Paul before Festus. 3 They ·asked [urged] Festus to do them a favor. They wanted him to send Paul back to Jerusalem, because they ·had a plan [L planned an ambush] to kill him on the way. 4 But Festus answered that Paul would be kept in Caesarea and that he himself was returning there soon. 5 He said, “[L Therefore,] Some of your ·leaders [authorities] should go with me. They can accuse the man there in Caesarea, if he has really done something wrong.”
6 ·Festus [L He] stayed ·in Jerusalem [L among them] another eight or ten days and then went ·back [L down] to Caesarea. The next day he ·told the soldiers to bring Paul [L ordered Paul to be brought] before him. Festus was seated on the ·judge’s seat [tribunal] 7 when Paul came into the room. The ·people [L Jews] who had come [L down] from Jerusalem stood around him, making serious charges against him, which they could not prove. 8 This is what Paul said to defend himself: “I have done ·nothing wrong [committed no offense/sin/crime] against the law [L of the Jews], against the Temple, or against Caesar.”
9 But Festus wanted to ·please [curry favor with; or do a favor for] the ·people [L Jews]. So he asked Paul, “·Do you want [or Are you willing] to go [L up] to Jerusalem for me to ·judge [try] you there on these charges?”
10 Paul said, “I am standing at Caesar’s ·judgment seat [or court; tribunal] now, where I should be ·judged [tried]. I have done nothing wrong to ·them [L the Jews]; you ·know this is true [clearly recognize this]. 11 If I have done something wrong and ·the law says I must die [L worthy of death], I do not ask to be saved from death. But if these charges are ·not true [baseless], then no one can ·give me [hand me over; or make me a gift; C Paul detects Festus’ desire to gain favor with the Jews] to them. I ·want Caesar to hear my case [appeal to Caesar/the emperor; C the right of a Roman citizen for a capital offense]!”
12 Festus talked about this with his ·advisers [council]. Then he said, “You have ·asked to see [appealed to] Caesar, so you will go to Caesar!”
Paul Before King Agrippa
13 A few days later King Agrippa [C Agrippa II, the Jewish king who ruled parts of Palestine from ad 52 to 92] and Bernice [C Agrippa’s sister and probably his lover] came to Caesarea to ·visit [or welcome; pay their respects to] Festus. 14 They stayed there for ·some time [L many days], and Festus told the king about Paul’s case. Festus said, “There is a man that Felix left in prison. 15 When I went to Jerusalem, the ·leading [T chief] priests and the elders there made charges against him, asking me to ·sentence him to death [L sentence/condemn him]. 16 But I answered, ‘When a man is accused of a crime, ·Romans do not [L it is not a custom for Romans to] hand him over until he has been allowed to face his accusers and defend himself against their charges.’ 17 So when these people came here ·to Caesarea for the trial [L with me], I did not ·waste time [postpone/delay the case]. The next day I sat on the ·judge’s seat [tribunal] and commanded that the man be brought in. 18 ·They stood up and accused him [L The accusers stood up (to speak)], but not of any ·serious crime [evil deeds] as I ·thought they would [expected]. 19 The things they ·said [disputed] were about their own ·religion [or superstition] and about a man named Jesus who died. But Paul ·said [claimed] that he is still alive. 20 ·Not knowing [At a loss] how to ·find out about [investigate] these questions, I asked Paul, ‘·Do you want [or Are you willing] to go to Jerusalem and be ·judged [tried] there [L concerning these things]?’ 21 But he asked to be ·kept in Caesarea [L held in custody]. He wants a decision from ·the emperor [or His Majesty; the Revered/August One; C A title for Caesar, the ruler of the Roman world, first given to Caesar “Augustus”; here it refers to Nero]. So I ordered that he be held [in custody] until I could send him to Caesar.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would also like to hear this man myself.”
Festus said, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
23 [L Therefore] The next day Agrippa and Bernice ·appeared [entered] with great ·show [pomp; fanfare]. They went into the ·judgment room [audience hall] with the ·army leaders [tribunes] and the important men of ·Caesarea [L the city]. Then Festus ·ordered the soldiers [L gave the order] to bring Paul in. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all who are ·gathered [or present] here with us, you see this man. ·All the people [The Jewish community; L All the multitude of the Jews], here and in Jerusalem, have ·complained to [or petitioned] me about him, shouting that he should not live any longer. 25 But I found ·no reason to order his [L he had done nothing deserving] death. But since he ·asked to be judged by Caesar [appealed to the emperor], I decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write the ·emperor [L lord; sovereign] about him. So I have brought him before all of you—especially you, King Agrippa. ·I hope you can question him and give me [L …so that from this examination, I might have] something to write. 27 [L For] I think it is ·foolish [unreasonable] to send a prisoner to Caesar without telling what charges are against him.”
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