M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob’s Children
30 When Rachel saw that she could not bear children to Jacob, Rachel envied her sister. And she said to Jacob, “Give me children—if not, I will die!” 2 And Jacob became angry[a] with Rachel. And he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” 3 Then she said, “Here is my servant girl Bilhah; go in to her that she may bear children as my surrogate.[b] Then I will even have children[c] by her.” 4 Then she gave him Bilhah, her female servant, as a wife, and Jacob went in to her 5 And Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son for Jacob. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan. 7 And Bilhah, Rachel’s servant, conceived again and bore a second son to Jacob. 8 And Rachel said, “I have struggled a mighty struggle with my sister and have prevailed.” And she called his name Naphtali. 9 When Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she took Zilpah her female servant and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 And Zilpah, the female slave of Leah, bore a son to Jacob. 11 Then Leah said, “Good fortune!” And she called his name Gad. 12 And Zilpah, Leah’s female servant, bore a second son to Jacob. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy am I! For women have called me happy.” So she called his name Asher.
14 And in the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and he brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 And she said to her, “Is your taking my husband such a small thing that you will also take the mandrakes of my son?” Then Rachel said, “Then he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came in from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him. And she said, “Come in to me, for I have hired[d] you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he slept with her that night. 17 And God listened to Leah and she conceived and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. 18 Then Leah said, “God has given me my wage since I gave my servant girl to my husband.” And she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. 20 And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good gift. This time my husband will acknowledge me, because I bore him six sons.” And she called his name Zebulun. 21 And afterward she gave birth to a daughter. And she called her name Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel and listened to her, and God opened her womb. 23 And she conceived and gave birth to a son. And she said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 And she called his name Joseph, saying, “Yahweh has added to me another son.”
Jacob’s Prosperity
25 And it happened that as soon as Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away that I may go to my place and my land. 26 Give me my wives and my children for which I have served you, and let me go. For you yourself know my service that I have rendered to you.” 27 But Laban said to him, “Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, I have learned by divination that Yahweh has blessed me because of you.” 28 And he said, “Name your wage to me and I will give it.” 29 Then he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your livestock have been with me.[e] 30 For you had little before me, and it has increased abundantly. And Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned.[f] So then, when shall I provide for my own family also?” 31 And he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “Do not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flocks and keep them. 32 Let me pass through all your flocks today, removing all the speckled and spotted sheep from them, along with[g] every dark-colored sheep among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. That[h] shall be my wages. 33 And my righteousness will answer for me later[i] when you come concerning my wages before you. Every one that is not speckled or spotted among the goats, or dark-colored among the sheep shall be stolen if it is with me.” 34 Then Laban said, “Look! Very well. It shall be according to your word.” 35 But that day he[j] removed the streaked and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, all that had white on it, and every dark-colored ram, and put them in the charge of his sons.[k] 36 And he put a journey of three days between him and Jacob, and Jacob pastured the remainder of Laban’s flock. 37 Then Jacob took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled white strips on them, exposing the white which was on the branches. 38 And he set the branches that he had peeled in front of the flocks, in the troughs and in the water containers. And they were in heat when they came to drink. 39 And the flocks mated by the branches, so the flocks bore streaked, speckled, and spotted. 40 And Jacob separated the lambs and turned the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the dark-colored in Laban’s flocks. And he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with the flocks of Laban. 41 And whenever any of the stronger of the flocks were in heat, Jacob put the branches in full view[l] of the flock in the troughs that they might mate among the branches. 42 But with the more feeble of the flock he would not put them there. So the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger were Jacob’s. 43 And the man became exceedingly[m] rich and had large flocks, female slaves, male slaves, camels, and donkeys.
John the Baptist Begins His Ministry
1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ.[a] 2 Just as it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way,
3 the voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths!’”[b]
4 John was there baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming[c] a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the Judean region and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem went out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 And John was dressed in camel’s hair and a belt made of leather around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he was preaching, saying, “One who is more powerful than I is coming after me, of whom I am not worthy to bend down and[d] untie the strap of his sandals. 8 I baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism of Jesus
9 And it happened that in those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10 And immediately as he[e] was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens being split apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
The Temptation of Jesus
12 And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
Public Ministry in Galilee
14 And after[f] John had been taken into custody,[g] Jesus went into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
16 And as he[h] was passing by along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew, Simon’s brother, casting a net[i] into the sea (for they were fishermen). 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow[j] me and I will make you become fishers of people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and[k] followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and his brother John, and they were in the boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and[l] went away after him. 21 And they went into Capernaum and immediately on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue.[m]
A Man with an Unclean Spirit Healed
22 And they were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like the scribes. 23 And so then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, 24 saying, “Leave us alone,[n] Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” 25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26 And after[o] convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, the unclean spirit came out of him. 27 And they were all amazed, so that they began to discuss with one another, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He even commands the unclean spirits and they obey him.” 28 And the report about him then went out everywhere in the whole surrounding region of Galilee.
Many at Capernaum Are Healed
29 And so then he departed from the synagogue and[p] came into the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying down, suffering with a fever, and at once they told him about her. 31 And he came and[q] raised her up by[r] taking hold of her[s] hand, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
32 Now when it[t] was evening, when the sun had set, they began bringing[u] to him all those who were sick[v] and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole town was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick[w] with various diseases and expelled many demons. And he did not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Preaching Throughout Galilee
35 And getting up early in the morning while it was very dark, he departed and went to a deserted place, and there he was praying. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched diligently for him. 37 And they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go elsewhere, into the neighboring rural towns, so that I can preach there also, because I have come out for this very reason.” 39 And he went into all Galilee preaching in their synagogues and expelling demons.
A Leper Cleansed
40 And a leper came to him, entreating him and kneeling down, saying[x] to him, “If you are willing, you are able to make me clean.” 41 And becoming angry,[y] he stretched out his hand and[z] touched him[aa], and said to him, “I am willing; be made clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy went away from him and he was made clean. 43 And warning him sternly, he sent him away at once. 44 And he said to him, “See to it that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and bring for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them. 45 But he went out and[ab] began to proclaim it[ac] freely and to spread abroad the account, so that he was no longer able to enter publicly into a town. But he was staying outside in deserted places, and they were coming to him from all directions.
Mordecai is Honored
6 During that night the king’s sleep escaped him, and he gave orders to bring the scroll of records and chronicles,[a] and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written how Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from the keepers of the threshold who had conspired to assassinate[b] King Ahasuerus. 3 And the king asked, “What has been done to bestow honor to Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 And the king asked, “Who is in the courtyard?” Haman had just come to the courtyard of the king’s outer palace to tell the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 And the king’s servants said to him, “Look! Haman is standing in the courtyard.” And the king said, “Let him come.” 6 And Haman came, and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?” And Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” 7 So Haman said to the king, “For a man whom the king wishes to honor, 8 let them bring royal clothing[c] with which the king has clothed himself, and a horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal head-dress has been given. 9 And let the clothing and the horse be given to the man[d] by the officials of the king’s nobles; let them cloth the man whom the king wishes to honor, and let him ride on his horse through the public square of the city, and let them proclaim before him, ‘Thus, it will be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor.’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Quickly, take the clothing and the horse, just as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the gate of the king; you must not leave out anything from what you have said.” 11 So Haman took the clothing and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai and let him ride through the public square of the city; and he proclaimed before him, “Thus, it is done to the man whom the king wishes to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the gate of the king, and Haman rushed to his house mournful and with his head covered. 13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends all that had happened to him. And his advisers and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is from the descendants of the Jews,[e] you will not prevail against him, but will certainly fall before him.” 14 As they were still speaking with him the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Greeting
1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was born a descendant[a] of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared Son of God in power according to the Holy Spirit[b] by the resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship for the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles[c] on behalf of his name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. 7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God, called to be saints. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul Wants to Visit Rome
8 First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being proclaimed in the whole world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, is my witness, how constantly I make mention of you, 10 always asking in my prayers if somehow now at last I may succeed to come to you in the will of God. 11 For I desire to see you, in order that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, in order to strengthen you, 12 that is, to be encouraged together with you through our mutual faith[d], both yours and mine. 13 Now I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, that often I intended to come to you, and was prevented until now, in order that I might have some fruit among you also, just as also among the rest of the Gentiles.[e] 14 I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 Thus I am eager[f] to proclaim the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
The Gospel’s Power for Salvation
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, just as it is written, “But the one who is righteous by faith will live.”[g]
God’s Wrath Revealed Against Sinful Humanity
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and unrighteousness of people, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is evident among[h] them, for God made it clear to them. 20 For from the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, both his eternal power and deity, are discerned clearly, being understood in the things created, so that they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasoning, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God with the likeness of an image of mortal human beings and birds and quadrupeds and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to immorality, that their bodies would be dishonored among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God with a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed for eternity. Amen.
God Hands Sinful Humanity over to Depravity
26 Because of this, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their females exchanged the natural relations for those contrary to nature, 27 and likewise also the males, abandoning the natural relations with the female, were inflamed in their desire toward one another, males with males committing the shameless deed, and receiving in themselves the penalty that was necessary for their error. 28 And just as they did not see fit to recognize God[i], God gave them over to a debased mind, to do the things that are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greediness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malevolence. They are gossipers, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, contrivers of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 senseless, faithless, unfeeling, unmerciful, 32 who, although they[j] know the requirements of God, that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only do they do the same things, but also they approve of those who do them.
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