M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt
42 Now (A)Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” 2 Then he said, “Behold, (B)I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from there, (C)so that we may live and not die.” 3 So ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother (D)Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “(E)Lest any harm befall him.” 5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, (F)for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.
6 Now (G)Joseph was the one in power over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and (H)bowed down to him with their [a]faces to the ground. 7 And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and (I)spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”
8 But Joseph recognized his brothers, although (J)they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph (K)remembered the dreams which he [b]had about them and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the [c]nakedness of the land.” 10 Then they said to him, “No, (L)my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all sons of one man; we are (M)honest men; your servants are not spies.” 12 And he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the [d]nakedness of our land!” 13 So they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with (N)our father today, and (O)one is no more.” 14 And Joseph said to them, “It is as I said [e]to you, you are spies; 15 by this you will be tested: (P)by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here! 16 Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is (Q)truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17 Then he put them all together in (R)prison for three days.
18 And Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for (S)I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in [f]your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, bring grain for the famine of your households, 20 and (T)bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be proven true, and you will not die.” And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, “(U)Surely we are guilty concerning our brother because we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “(V)Did I not tell you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; yet you would not listen? (W)So also his blood, behold, it is required of us.” 23 Now they did not know that Joseph was listening, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 And he turned away from them and (X)wept. Then he returned to them and spoke to them. And he (Y)took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 (Z)Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man’s money in his sack and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them.
26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and went from there. 27 Then one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place. And he saw his (AA)money; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts [g]sank, and they turned [h]trembling to one another, saying, “(AB)What is this that God has done to us?”
Jacob Is Bereaved
29 Then they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, (AC)spoke harshly with us and took us for spies of the country. 31 So we said to him, ‘We are (AD)honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘(AE)By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but [i]honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may (AF)trade in the land.’”
35 Now it happened that they were emptying their sacks, and behold, (AG)every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and they and their father saw their bundles of money, and they feared. 36 And their father Jacob said to them, “You have (AH)bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.” 37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hand, and I will return him to you.” 38 But [j]Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his (AI)brother is dead, and he alone remains. (AJ)If harm should befall him on the journey on which you are going, then you will (AK)bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
Parable of the Vine-Growers
12 (A)And He began to speak to them in parables: “(B)A man (C)planted a vineyard and put a [a]wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to [b]vine-growers and went on a journey. 2 And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vine-growers. 3 And they took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others. 6 He had one more, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 And they took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the [c]owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
‘(D)The stone which the builders rejected,
This has become the chief corner stone;
11 (E)This came about from the [d]Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 (F)And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the crowd, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so (G)they left Him and went away.
Taxes to Caesar
13 (H)Then they *sent some of the Pharisees and (I)Herodians to Him in order to (J)trap Him in a statement. 14 And they *came and *said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and [e]defer to no one; for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it [f]lawful to pay a tax to Caesar, or not? 15 Shall we pay or shall we not pay?” But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why are you testing Me? Bring Me a [g]denarius to look at.” 16 And they brought one. And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.” 17 And Jesus said to them, “(K)Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they [h]were amazed at Him.
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
18 (L)Then some Sadducees (who say that there is no resurrection) *came to Jesus, and began questioning Him, saying, 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that (M)if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and leaves no child, his brother should [i]marry the wife and raise up a seed for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; and the first [j]married a wife, and died leaving no [k]seed. 21 And the second one [l]married her, and died leaving behind no seed; and the third likewise; 22 and so [m]all seven left no seed. Last of all the woman died also. 23 In the resurrection, [n]when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For [o]all seven [p]had married her.” 24 Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not [q]understand the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 But [r]regarding the fact that the dead are raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, (N)in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘(O)I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 27 (P)He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.”
The Foremost Commandment
28 (Q)And when one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, he (R)recognized that He had answered them well and asked Him, “What commandment is the [s]foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘(S)Hear, O Israel! The [t]Lord our God is one [u]Lord; 30 (T)and you shall love the [v]Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘(U)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that (V)He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; 33 (W)and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, (X)is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Y)After that, no one would dare to ask Him any more questions.
35 (Z)And Jesus began to say, as He (AA)taught in the temple, “How is it that the scribes say that the [w]Christ is the (AB)son of David? 36 David himself said [x]in the Holy Spirit,
‘(AC)The [y]Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet.”’
37 David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; so in what sense is He his son?” And (AD)the large crowd [z]enjoyed listening to Him.
38 (AE)And in His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who want to walk around in long robes, and want (AF)respectful greetings in the marketplaces, 39 and best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, 40 (AG)who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation.”
The Widow’s Offering
41 (AH)And He sat down opposite (AI)the treasury, and began observing how the crowd was (AJ)putting [aa]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two [ab]lepta, which amount to a [ac]quadrans. 43 And calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those putting money into the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their [ad]surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, [ae]all she had (AK)to live on.”
Bildad Claims God Rewards the Good
8 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,
2 “How long will you say these things,
And the (A)words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does (B)God pervert justice?
Or does [a]the Almighty pervert what is right?
4 (C)If your sons sinned against Him,
Then He sent them into the [b]power of their transgression.
5 If you would (D)seek God earnestly
And plead for the grace of [c]the Almighty,
6 If you are pure and upright,
Indeed now (E)He would rouse Himself for you
And make your righteous (F)abode at peace.
7 Though your beginning was insignificant,
Yet your (G)end will increase greatly.
8 “Please (H)ask of past generations,
And establish the things searched out by their fathers.
9 For we are only of yesterday and know nothing,
Because (I)our days on earth are but a shadow.
10 Will they not instruct you and tell you,
And bring forth words from their hearts?
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it is still green and not cut down,
Yet it dries up before any other [d]plant.
13 So are the paths of (J)all who forget God;
And the (K)hope of the godless will perish,
14 Whose confidence is fragile,
And whose trust a (L)spider’s [e]web.
15 He relies on his (M)house, but it does not stand;
He holds fast to it, but it is not established.
16 He [f](N)thrives before the sun,
And his (O)shoots go forth over his garden.
17 His roots wrap around a rock pile;
He looks upon a house of stones.
18 If He swallows him up from (P)his place,
Then it will deny him, saying, ‘(Q)I never saw you.’
19 Behold, (R)this is the joy of [g]His way;
And out of the dust others will spring.
20 Behold, (S)God will not reject a blameless man,
Nor (T)will He strengthen the hand of the evildoers.
21 He will yet fill (U)your mouth with laughter
And your lips with shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be (V)clothed with shame,
And the (W)tent of the wicked will be no longer.”
A Living and Holy Sacrifice
12 Therefore (A)I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to (B)present your bodies as a sacrifice—living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your [a]spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not (C)be conformed to (D)this [b]world, but be transformed by the (E)renewing of your mind, so that you may (F)approve what the will of God is, that which is good and pleasing and [c]perfect.
3 For through (G)the grace given to me I say to each one among you (H)not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound thinking, as God has allotted to (I)each a measure of faith. 4 For (J)just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, (K)who are many, are (L)one body in Christ, and individually members one of another, 6 but having gifts that (M)differ according to the grace given to us: whether (N)prophecy, [d]in agreement with the faith; 7 or [e](O)service, in his serving; or he who (P)teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who (Q)exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with [f](R)generosity; (S)he who [g]leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with (T)cheerfulness.
9 Let (U)love be without hypocrisy—by (V)abhorring what is evil, clinging to what is good, 10 being (W)devoted to one another in brotherly love, [h]giving preference to one another (X)in honor, 11 not lagging behind in diligence, being (Y)fervent in spirit, (Z)serving the Lord, 12 (AA)rejoicing in hope, (AB)persevering in affliction, being (AC)devoted to prayer, 13 (AD)contributing to the needs of the [i]saints, (AE)pursuing hospitality.
14 (AF)Bless those who persecute [j]you; bless, and do not curse. 15 (AG)Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep, 16 by (AH)being of the same mind toward one another, (AI)not being haughty in mind, but [k]associating with the humble. (AJ)Do not be wise in your own mind. 17 (AK)Never paying back evil for evil to anyone, [l](AL)respecting what is good in the sight of all men, 18 if possible, (AM)so far as it depends on you, (AN)being at peace with all men, 19 (AO)never taking your own revenge, beloved—instead [m]leave room for the wrath of God. For it is written, “(AP)Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 “(AQ)But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
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