M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob in Bethel
35 God said to Jacob, “Go to the town of Bethel.[a] That is where I appeared to you when you were running away from your brother Esau. Live there and make an altar to honor me as El,[b] the God who appeared to you.”
2 So Jacob told his family and all the other people with him, “Destroy all these foreign gods that you have. Make yourselves pure. Put on clean clothes. 3 We will leave here and go to Bethel. There I will build an altar to the God who has always helped me during times of trouble. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
4 So the people gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and they gave him all the rings they were wearing in their ears. He buried everything under an oak tree near the town called Shechem.
5 Then Jacob and his sons left that place. The people in the surrounding cities wanted to follow and kill them, but God filled them with such great fear that they did not go after them. 6 So Jacob and his people went to Luz, which is now called Bethel. It is in the land of Canaan. 7 Jacob built an altar there. He named the place “El Bethel.”[c] Jacob chose this name because that is the place where God first appeared to him when he was running from his brother.
8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died there. They buried her under the oak tree at Bethel. They named that place Allon Bacuth.[d]
Jacob’s New Name
9 When Jacob came back from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again. God blessed Jacob 10 and said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but I will change that name. You will no longer be called Jacob. Your new name will be Israel.[e]” So God named him Israel.
11 God said to him, “I am God All-Powerful,[f] and I give you this blessing: Have many children and grow into a great nation. Other nations and other kings will come out of you. 12 I gave Abraham and Isaac some special land. Now I give the land to you and to all your people who will live after you.” 13 Then God left that place. 14-15 Jacob set up a memorial stone there. He made the rock holy by pouring wine and oil on it. This was a special place because God spoke to Jacob there, and Jacob named the place Bethel.
Rachel Dies Giving Birth
16 Jacob and his group left Bethel. Before they came to Ephrath, Rachel began giving birth to her baby. 17 She was having a lot of trouble with this birth. She was in great pain. When her nurse saw this, she said, “Don’t be afraid, Rachel. You are giving birth to another son.”
18 Rachel died while giving birth to the son. Before dying, she named the boy Benoni.[g] But Jacob called him Benjamin.[h]
19 Rachel was buried on the road to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob put a special rock on Rachel’s grave to honor her. That special rock is still there today. 21 Then Israel continued his journey. He camped just south of Eder tower.[i]
22 Israel stayed there for a short time. While he was there, Reuben slept with Israel’s slave woman Bilhah. Israel heard about this, and he was very angry.[j]
The Family of Israel (Jacob)
These are the names of Jacob’s twelve sons:
23 His firstborn son was Reuben, whose mother was Leah. Jacob’s other sons by Leah were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
24 His sons by Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
25 His sons by Bilhah, Rachel’s maid, were Dan and Naphtali.
26 His sons by Zilpah, Leah’s maid, were Gad and Asher.
These were Jacob’s sons who were born in Paddan Aram.
27 Jacob went to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba (Hebron). This is where Abraham and Isaac had lived. 28 Isaac lived 180 years. 29 Then Isaac became weak and died and went to be with his people. He had lived a long and full life. His sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Esau’s Family
36 This is the history of the family of Esau (Edom). 2 Esau married women from the land of Canaan. His wives were Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, the son of Zibeon the Hivite, and 3 Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. 4 Esau and Adah had a son named Eliphaz. Basemath had a son named Reuel. 5 Oholibamah had three sons: Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons who were born in the land of Canaan.
6-8 Jacob and Esau’s families became too big for the land in Canaan to support them all, so Esau moved away from his brother Jacob. He took his wives, sons, daughters, all his slaves, cattle and other animals, and everything else that he had gotten in Canaan and moved to the hill country of Seir.[k] (Esau is also named Edom.)
9 Esau is the father of the people of Edom. These are the names of Esau’s family living in the hill country of Seir:
10 Esau and Adah’s son was Eliphaz. Esau and Basemath’s son was Reuel.
11 Eliphaz had five sons: Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
12 Eliphaz also had a slave woman named Timna. Timna and Eliphaz had a son named Amalek.
13 Reuel had four sons: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
These were Esau’s grandsons from his wife Basemath.
14 Esau’s third wife was Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah. (Anah was the son of Zibeon.) Esau and Oholibamah’s children were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
15 These are the family groups that came from Esau:
Esau’s first son was Eliphaz. From Eliphaz came Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek.
All these family groups came from Esau’s wife Adah.
17 Esau’s son Reuel was the father of these families: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
All these families came from Esau’s wife Basemath.
18 Esau’s wife Oholibamah, daughter of Anah, gave birth to Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These three men were the leaders of their families.
19 They were all sons of Esau and leaders of the family groups of Edom.[l]
20 Seir, a Horite man, lived in Edom before Esau. These are the sons of Seir:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These sons were all Horite family leaders from Seir in Edom.
22 Lotan was the father of Hori and Heman.[m] (Timna was Lotan’s sister.)
23 Shobal was the father of Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 Zibeon had two sons, Aiah and Anah. Anah is the man who found the springs in the desert while he was caring for his father’s donkeys.
25 Anah was the father of Dishon and Oholibamah.
26 Dishon had four sons. They were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
27 Ezer had three sons. They were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 Dishan had two sons. They were Uz and Aran.
29 These are the names of the leaders of the Horite families: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These men were the leaders of the families that lived in the country of Seir.
31 At that time there were kings in Edom. Edom had kings a long time before Israel did.
32 Bela son of Beor was a king who ruled in Edom. He ruled over the city of Dinhabah.
33 When Bela died, Jobab became king. Jobab was the son of Zerah from Bozrah.
34 When Jobab died, Husham ruled. Husham was from the land of the Temanites.
35 When Husham died, Hadad ruled that area. Hadad was the son of Bedad. (He was the man who defeated Midian in the country of Moab.) Hadad was from the city of Avith.
36 When Hadad died, Samlah ruled that country. Samlah was from Masrekah.
37 When Samlah died, Shaul ruled that area. Shaul was from Rehoboth by the River.
38 When Shaul died, Baal Hanan ruled that country. Baal Hanan was the son of Acbor.
39 When Baal Hanan died, Hadad[n] ruled that country. Hadad was from the city of Pau. His wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred. (Mezahab was Matred’s father.)
40-43 Esau was the father of these Edomite families:
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, Magdiel, and Iram. Each of these families lived in an area that was called by the same name as their family.
Jesus Goes to His Hometown(A)
6 Jesus left and went back to his hometown. His followers went with him. 2 On the Sabbath day Jesus taught in the synagogue, and many people heard him. They were amazed and said, “Where did this man get this teaching? How did he get such wisdom? Who gave it to him? And where did he get the power to do miracles? 3 Isn’t he just the carpenter we know—Mary’s son, the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And don’t his sisters still live here in town?” So they had a problem accepting him.
4 Then Jesus said to them, “People everywhere give honor to a prophet, except in his own town, with his own people, or in his home.” 5 Jesus was not able to do any miracles there except the healing of some sick people by laying his hands on them. 6 He was surprised that the people there had no faith. Then he went to other villages in that area and taught.
Jesus Sends His Apostles on a Mission(B)
7 Jesus called his twelve apostles together. He sent them out in groups of two and gave them power over evil spirits. 8 This is what he told them: “Take nothing for your trip except a stick for walking. Take no bread, no bag, and no money. 9 You can wear sandals, but don’t take extra clothes. 10 When you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 If any town refuses to accept you or refuses to listen to you, then leave that town and shake the dust off your feet[a] as a warning to them.”
12 The apostles left and went to other places. They talked to the people and told them to change their hearts and lives. 13 They forced many demons out of people and put olive oil on[b] many who were sick and healed them.
Herod Thinks Jesus Is John the Baptizer(C)
14 King Herod heard about Jesus, because Jesus was now famous. Some people said, “He is John the Baptizer. He must have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles.”
15 Other people said, “He is Elijah.”
And others said, “He is a prophet. He is like the prophets who lived long ago.”
16 Herod heard these things about Jesus. He said, “I killed John by cutting off his head. Now he has been raised from death!”
How John the Baptizer Was Killed
17 Herod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest John and put him in prison. Herod did this to please his wife Herodias. She had been married to Herod’s brother Philip, but then Herod married her. 18 John told Herod, “It is not right for you to be married to your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias hated John. She wanted him dead, but she was not able to persuade Herod to kill him. 20 Herod was afraid to kill John, because he knew that he was a good and holy man. So he protected him. He liked listening to John, although what John said left him with so many questions.
21 Then the right time came for Herodias to cause John’s death. It happened on Herod’s birthday. Herod gave a dinner party for the most important government leaders, the commanders of his army, and the most important people in Galilee. 22 The daughter of Herodias came to the party and danced. When she danced, Herod and the people eating with him were very pleased.
So King Herod said to the girl, “I will give you anything you want.” 23 He promised her, “Anything you ask for I will give to you—even half of my kingdom.”
24 The girl went to her mother and asked, “What should I ask King Herod to give me?”
Her mother answered, “Ask for the head of John the Baptizer.”
25 So right then the girl went back in to the king. She said to him, “Please give me the head of John the Baptizer. Bring it to me now on a plate.”
26 King Herod was very sad, but he didn’t want to break the promise he had made to her in front of his guests. 27 So he sent a soldier to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier went and cut off John’s head in the prison. 28 He brought the head back on a plate and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 John’s followers heard about what happened, so they came and got John’s body and put it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds More Than 5000(D)
30 The apostles Jesus had sent out came back to him. They gathered around him and told him about all they had done and taught. 31 Jesus and his followers were in a very busy place. There were so many people that he and his followers did not even have time to eat. He said to them, “Come with me. We will go to a quiet place to be alone. There we will get some rest.”
32 So Jesus and his followers went away alone. They went in a boat to a place where no one lived. 33 But many people saw them leave and knew who they were. So people from every town ran to the place where they were going and got there before Jesus. 34 As Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd waiting. He felt sorry for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd to care for them. So he taught the people many things.
35 It was now very late in the day. Jesus’ followers came to him and said, “No one lives around here, and it is already very late. 36 So send the people away. They need to go to the farms and towns around here to buy some food to eat.”
37 But Jesus answered, “You give them some food to eat.”
They said to Jesus, “We can’t buy enough bread to feed all these people. We would all have to work a month to earn enough to buy that much bread!”
38 Jesus asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have now? Go and see.”
They counted their loaves of bread. They came to Jesus and said, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”
39 Then Jesus said to them, “Tell everyone to sit in groups on the green grass.” 40 So all the people sat in groups. There were about 50 or 100 people in each group.
41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish. He looked up to the sky and thanked God for the food. Then he broke the bread into pieces, which he gave to his followers to distribute to the people. Then he divided the two fish among everyone there.
42 They all ate until they were full. 43 After they finished eating, the followers filled twelve baskets with the pieces of bread and fish that were left. 44 There were about 5000 men there who ate.
Jesus Walks on Water(E)
45 Then Jesus told the followers to get into the boat. He told them to go to the other side of the lake to Bethsaida. He said he would come later. He stayed there to tell everyone they could go home. 46 After he said goodbye to them, he went up into the hills to pray.
47 That night, the boat was still in the middle of the lake. Jesus was alone on the land. 48 He saw the boat far away on the lake. And he saw the followers working hard to row the boat. The wind was blowing against them. Sometime between three and six o’clock in the morning, Jesus went out to the boat, walking on the water. He continued walking until he was almost past the boat. 49 But the followers saw Jesus walking on the water. They thought he was a ghost, and they started screaming. 50 It scared them all to see him. But he spoke to them and said, “Don’t worry! It’s me! Don’t be afraid.” 51 When he got into the boat with the followers, the wind stopped. The followers were completely amazed. 52 They could not believe what happened. It was like the miracle he did with the bread. They still didn’t understand what that meant.
Jesus Heals Many Sick People(F)
53 Jesus and his followers went across the lake and came to shore at Gennesaret. They tied the boat there. 54 When they were out of the boat, the people there saw Jesus. They knew who he was, 55 so they ran to tell others throughout that area. They brought sick people on mats to every place Jesus went. 56 Jesus went into towns, cities, and farms around that area. And every place he went, the people brought sick people to the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch any part of his coat. And all those who touched him were healed.
Satan Bothers Job Again
2 Then another day came for the angels[a] to meet with the Lord. Satan joined them for this meeting with the Lord. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you been?”
Satan answered the Lord, “I have been roaming around the earth, going from place to place.”
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is a good, faithful man. He respects God and refuses to do evil. He is still faithful, even though you asked me to let you destroy, without reason, everything he has.”
4 Satan answered, “Skin for skin![b] A man will give everything he has to protect himself. 5 I swear, if you attack his flesh and bones, he will curse you to your face!”
6 So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, Job is in your hands, but you are not allowed to kill him.”
7 So Satan left the meeting with the Lord and gave Job painful sores all over his body, from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Job sat on the pile of ashes where he was mourning and used a piece of broken pottery to scrape his sores. 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your faith? Why don’t you just curse God and die!”
10 Job answered, “You sound like one of those fools on the street corner! How can we accept all the good things that God gives us and not accept the problems?” So even after all that happened to Job, he did not sin. He did not accuse God of doing anything wrong.
Job’s Three Friends Come to See Him
11 Job’s three friends heard about all the bad things that happened to him, so Eliphaz came from Teman, Bildad from Shuah, and Zophar from Naamah. They met together and went to comfort Job and show him their sympathy. 12 But his friends didn’t even recognize him when they first saw him in the distance! They began to cry loudly. They tore their clothes and threw dirt in the air over their heads to show how sad they were. 13 Then they sat on the ground with Job for seven days and seven nights. They didn’t say a word, because they saw he was in so much pain.
Dead to Sin but Alive in Christ
6 So do you think we should continue sinning so that God will give us more and more grace? 2 Of course not! Our old sinful life ended. It’s dead. So how can we continue living in sin? 3 Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ Jesus when we were baptized? In our baptism we shared in his death. 4 So when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and took part in his death. And just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father, so we can now live a new life.
5 Christ died, and we have been joined with him by dying too. So we will also be joined with him by rising from death as he did. 6 We know that our old life was put to death on the cross with Christ. This happened so that our sinful selves would have no power over us. Then we would not be slaves to sin. 7 Anyone who has died is made free from sin’s control.
8 If we died with Christ, we know that we will also live with him. 9 Christ was raised from death. And we know that he cannot die again. Death has no power over him now. 10 Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God. 11 In the same way, you should see yourselves as being dead to the power of sin and alive for God through Christ Jesus.
12 But don’t let sin control your life here on earth. You must not be ruled by the things your sinful self makes you want to do. 13 Don’t offer the parts of your body to serve sin. Don’t use your bodies to do evil, but offer yourselves to God, as people who have died and now live. Offer the parts of your body to God to be used for doing good. 14 Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.
Slaves of Goodness
15 So what should we do? Should we sin because we are under grace and not under law? Certainly not! 16 Surely you know that you become the slaves of whatever you give yourselves to. Anything or anyone you follow will be your master. You can follow sin, or you can obey God. Following sin brings spiritual death, but obeying God makes you right with him. 17 In the past you were slaves to sin—sin controlled you. But thank God, you fully obeyed what you were taught. 18 You were made free from sin, and now you are slaves to what is right. 19 I use this example from everyday life because you need help in understanding spiritual truths. In the past you offered the parts of your body to be slaves to your immoral and sinful thoughts. The result was that you lived only for sin. In the same way, you must now offer yourselves to be slaves to what is right. Then you will live only for God.
20 In the past you were slaves to sin, and you did not even think about doing right. 21 You did evil things, and now you are ashamed of what you did. Did those things help you? No, they only brought death. 22 But now you are free from sin. You have become slaves of God, and the result is that you live only for God. This will bring you eternal life. 23 When people sin, they earn what sin pays—death. But God gives his people a free gift—eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International