M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joseph Sets a Trap
44 Then Joseph gave a command to his servant. He said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much grain as they can carry. Then put each man’s money into his sack with the grain. 2 Put the youngest brother’s money in his sack too. But also put my special silver cup in his sack.” So the servant obeyed Joseph.
3 Early the next morning the brothers and their donkeys were sent back to their country. 4 After they had left the city, Joseph said to his servant, “Go and follow the men. Stop them and say to them, ‘We were good to you! So why have you been bad to us? Why did you steal my master’s silver cup?[a] 5 My master drinks from that cup, and he uses it to learn secret things. What you did was wrong!’”
6 So the servant obeyed. He rode out to the brothers and stopped them. The servant said to them what Joseph had told him to say.
7 But the brothers said to the servant, “Why does the governor say these things? We wouldn’t do anything like that! 8 We brought back the money that we found in our sacks before. So surely we wouldn’t steal silver or gold from your master’s house. 9 If you find the silver cup in any of our sacks, let that man die. You can kill him, and we will be your slaves.”
10 The servant said, “I agree, except that only the man who is found to have the cup will be my slave. The others will be free.”
The Trap Is Sprung; Benjamin Is Caught
11 Then every brother quickly opened his sack on the ground. 12 The servant started looking in the sacks. He started with the oldest brother and ended with the youngest. He found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. 13 The brothers were very sad. They tore their clothes to show their sadness. They put their sacks back on the donkeys and went back to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers went back to Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there. The brothers fell to the ground and bowed down before him. 15 Joseph said to them, “Why have you done this? Didn’t you know that I have a special way of learning secrets? No one is better at this than I am!”
16 Judah said, “Sir, there is nothing we can say. There is no way to explain. There is no way to show that we are not guilty. God has judged us guilty for something else we have done. So all of us, even Benjamin, will be your slaves.”
17 But Joseph said, “I will not make you all slaves! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. You others can go in peace to your father.”
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18 Then Judah went to Joseph and said, “Sir, please let me speak plainly with you. Please don’t be angry with me. I know that you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 When we were here before, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 And we answered you, ‘We have a father—he is an old man. And we have a younger brother. Our father loves him because he was born while our father was old. This youngest son’s brother is dead, so he is the only son who is left from that mother. Our father loves him very much.’ 21 Then you said to us, ‘Bring that brother to me. I want to see him.’ 22 And we said to you, ‘That young boy cannot come. He cannot leave his father. If his father loses him, his father will be so sad that he will die.’ 23 But you said to us, ‘You must bring your youngest brother, or I will not sell you grain again.’ 24 So we went back to our father and told him what you said.
25 “Later, our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some more food.’ 26 We said to our father, ‘We cannot go without our youngest brother. The governor said he will not sell us grain again until he sees our youngest brother.’ 27 Then my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife Rachel gave me two sons. 28 I let one son go away, and he was killed by a wild animal. And I haven’t seen him since. 29 If you take my other son away from me, and something happens to him, I will be sad enough to die.’ 30 Now, imagine what will happen when we go home without our youngest brother—he is the most important thing in our father’s life! 31 Our father will die if he sees that the boy isn’t with us—and it will be our fault. We will send our father to his grave a very sad man.
32 “I took responsibility for the young boy. I told my father, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, you can blame me for the rest of my life.’ 33 So now I beg you, please let the boy go back with his brothers, and I will stay and be your slave. 34 I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I am very afraid of what would happen to my father.”
The Jewish Leaders Plan to Kill Jesus(A)
14 It was now only two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to arrest Jesus without the people seeing it. Then they could kill him. 2 They said, “But we cannot arrest Jesus during the festival. We don’t want the people to be angry and cause a riot.”
A Woman Does Something Special(B)
3 Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. While he was eating there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.
4 Some of the followers there saw this. They were upset and complained to each other. They said, “Why waste that perfume? 5 It was worth a full year’s pay.[a] It could have been sold and the money given to those who are poor.” And they told the woman what a bad thing she had done.
6 Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you giving her such trouble? She did a very good thing for me. 7 You will always have the poor with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 This woman did the only thing she could do for me. She poured perfume on my body before I die to prepare it for burial. 9 The Good News will be told to people all over the world. And I can assure you that everywhere the Good News is told, the story of what this woman did will also be told, and people will remember her.”
Judas Agrees to Help Jesus’ Enemies(C)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve apostles, went to talk to the leading priests about handing Jesus over to them. 11 They were very happy about this, and they promised to pay him. So he waited for the best time to hand Jesus over to them.
The Passover Meal(D)
12 It was now the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread—the day the lambs were killed for the Passover. Jesus’ followers came to him and said, “We will go and prepare everything for you to eat the Passover meal. Where do you want us to have the meal?”
13 Jesus sent two of his followers into the city. He said to them, “Go into the city. You will see a man carrying a jar of water. He will come to you. Follow him. 14 He will go into a house. Tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks that you show us the room where he and his followers can eat the Passover meal.’ 15 The owner will show you a large room upstairs that is ready for us. Prepare the meal for us there.”
16 So the followers left and went into the city. Everything happened the way Jesus said. So the followers prepared the Passover meal.
17 In the evening Jesus went to that house with the twelve apostles. 18 While they were all at the table eating, he said, “Believe me when I say that one of you will hand me over to my enemies—one of you eating with me now.”
19 The followers were very sad to hear this. Each one said to Jesus, “Surely I am not the one!”
20 Jesus answered, “It is one of you twelve—the one who is dipping his bread in the same bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will suffer what the Scriptures say will happen to him. But it will be very bad for the one who hands over the Son of Man to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been born.”
The Lord’s Supper(E)
22 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and thanked God for it. He broke off some pieces, gave them to his followers and said, “Take and eat this bread. It is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup of wine, thanked God for it, and gave it to them. They all drank from the cup. 24 Then he said, “This wine is my blood, which will be poured out for many to begin the new agreement from God to his people. 25 I want you to know, I will not drink this wine again until that day when I drink it in God’s kingdom and the wine is new.”
26 They all sang a song and then went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Says His Followers Will Leave Him(F)
27 Then Jesus told the followers, “You will all lose your faith. The Scriptures say,
‘I will kill the shepherd,
and the sheep will run away.’ (G)
28 But after I am killed, I will rise from death. Then I will go to Galilee. I will be there before you come.”
29 Peter said, “All the other followers may lose their faith. But my faith will never be shaken.”
30 Jesus answered, “The truth is, tonight you will say you don’t know me. You will say it three times before the rooster crows twice.”
31 But Peter strongly protested, “I will never say I don’t know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.
Jesus Prays Alone(H)
32 Jesus and his followers went to a place named Gethsemane. He said to them, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 But he told Peter, James, and John to come with him. He began to be very distressed and troubled, 34 and he said to them, “My heart is so heavy with grief, I feel as if I am dying. Wait here and stay awake.”
35 Jesus went on a little farther away from them, fell to the ground, and prayed. He asked that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering. 36 He said, “ Abba,[c] Father! You can do all things. Don’t make me drink from this cup.[d] But do what you want, not what I want.”
37 Then he went back to his followers and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, why are you sleeping? Could you not stay awake with me for one hour? 38 Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. Your spirit wants to do what is right, but your body is weak.”
39 Again Jesus went away and prayed the same thing. 40 Then he went back to the followers and again found them sleeping. They could not stay awake. They did not know what they should say to him.
41 After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers. He said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That’s enough! The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the control of sinful men. 42 Stand up! We must go. Here comes the man who is handing me over to them.”
Jesus Is Arrested(I)
43 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, came there. He had a big crowd of people with him, all carrying swords and clubs. They had been sent from the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders.
44 Judas[e] planned to do something to show them which one was Jesus. He said, “The one I kiss will be Jesus. Arrest him and guard him while you lead him away.” 45 So Judas went over to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” Then he kissed him. 46 The men grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 47 One of the followers standing near Jesus grabbed his sword and pulled it out. He swung it at the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
48 Then Jesus said, “Why do you come to get me with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal? 49 Every day I was with you teaching in the Temple area. You did not arrest me there. But all these things have happened to show the full meaning of what the Scriptures said.” 50 Then all of Jesus’ followers left him and ran away.
51 One of those following Jesus was a young man wearing only a linen cloth. When the people tried to grab him, 52 he left the cloth in their hands and ran away naked.
Jesus Before the Jewish Leaders(J)
53 Those who arrested Jesus led him to the house of the high priest. All the leading priests, the older Jewish leaders, and the teachers of the law were gathered there. 54 Peter followed Jesus but stayed back at a distance. He followed him to the yard of the high priest’s house. He went into the yard and sat there with the guards, warming himself by their fire.
55 The leading priests and the whole high council tried to find something that Jesus had done wrong so they could kill him. But the council could find no proof that would allow them to kill Jesus. 56 Many people came and told lies against Jesus, but they all said different things. None of them agreed.
57 Then some others stood up and told more lies against Jesus. They said, 58 “We heard this man[f] say, ‘I will destroy this Temple built by human hands. And three days later, I will build another Temple not made by human hands.’” 59 But also what these people said did not agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before everyone and said to Jesus, “These people said things against you. Do you have something to say about their charges? Are they telling the truth?” 61 But Jesus said nothing to answer him.
The high priest asked Jesus another question: “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the blessed God?”
62 Jesus answered, “Yes, I am the Son of God. And in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right side of God All-Powerful. And you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven.”
63 When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes in anger. He said, “We don’t need any more witnesses! 64 You all heard these insults to God. What do you think?”
Everyone agreed that Jesus was guilty and must be killed. 65 Some of the people there spit at him. They covered his eyes and hit him with their fists. They said, “Be a prophet[g] and tell us who hit you!” Then the guards led Jesus away and beat him.
Peter Is Afraid to Say He Knows Jesus(K)
66 While Peter was still in the yard, a servant girl of the high priest came there. 67 She saw him warming himself by the fire. She looked closely at him and said, “You were with Jesus, that man from Nazareth.”
68 But Peter said this was not true. “That makes no sense,” he said. “I don’t know what you are talking about!” Then he left and went to the entrance of the yard, and a rooster crowed.[h]
69 When the servant girl saw him there, she began saying again to the people standing around, “This man is one of them.” 70 Again Peter said it was not true.
A short time later, the people standing there said, “We know you are one of them, because you are from Galilee.”
71 Then Peter began to curse. He said, “I swear to God, I don’t know this man you are talking about!”
72 As soon as Peter said this, the rooster crowed the second time. Then he remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter began to cry.
10 “I hate my own life, so I will complain freely.
I am very bitter, so now I will speak.
2 I will say to God, ‘Don’t just say I am guilty!
Tell me what you have against me.
3 Do you enjoy hurting me?
Do you enjoy ignoring me while smiling at what evil people say?
4 Do you have human eyes?
Do you see things the way people do?
5 Is your life as short as ours?
Is your life as short as a man’s life?
6 You look for my wrong
and search for my sin.
7 You know I am innocent,
but no one can save me from your power!
8 Your hands made me and shaped my body.
But now they are closing around me and squeezing me to death!
9 Remember, you molded me like clay.
Will you turn me into clay again?
10 You poured me out like milk.
You spun me around and squeezed me like someone making cheese.
11 You put me together with bones and muscles,
and then you clothed me with skin and flesh.
12 You gave me life and were very kind to me.
You cared for me and watched over my spirit.
13 But this is what you hid in your heart.
Now I know what you were planning for me.
14 If I sinned, you would be watching me
so that you could punish me for doing wrong.
15 If I sin, I am guilty
and should be cursed.
But even when I am innocent,
I cannot lift up my head.
I am so ashamed
because of all the troubles I have.
16 If I have any success and feel proud,
you hunt me down like a lion
and show your power over me.
17 You bring witness after witness
to prove that I am wrong.
Again and again you show your anger
as you send army after army against me.
18 So why did you let me be born?
I wish I had died before anyone saw me.
19 I wish I had never lived.
I wish they had carried me from my mother’s womb straight to the grave.
20 My life is almost finished.
So leave me alone!
Let me enjoy the little time I have left.
21 I am going soon to the land of no return,
the place of death and darkness—
22 that land of darkest night, of shadows and confusion,
where even the light is darkness.’”
Don’t Criticize Others
14 Be willing to accept those who still have doubts about what believers can do. And don’t argue with them about their different ideas. 2 Some people believe they can eat any kind of food,[a] but those who have doubts eat only vegetables. 3 Those who know they can eat any kind of food must not feel that they are better than those who eat only vegetables. And those who eat only vegetables must not decide that those who eat all foods are wrong. God has accepted them. 4 You cannot judge the servants of someone else. Their own master decides if they are doing right or wrong. And the Lord’s servants will be right, because the Lord is able to make them right.
5 Some people might believe that one day is more important than another. And others might believe that every day is the same. Everyone should be sure about their beliefs in their own mind. 6 Those who think one day is more important than other days are doing that for the Lord. And those who eat all kinds of food are doing that for the Lord. Yes, they give thanks to God for that food. And those who refuse to eat some foods do that for the Lord. They also give thanks to God.
7 We don’t live or die just for ourselves. 8 If we live, we are living for the Lord. And if we die, we are dying for the Lord. So living or dying, we belong to the Lord. 9 That is why Christ died and rose from death to live again—so that he could be Lord over those who have died and those who are living.
10 So why do you judge your brother or sister in Christ? Or why do you think that you are better than they are? We will all stand before God, and he will judge us all. 11 Yes, the Scriptures say,
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘Everyone will bow before me;
everyone will say that I am God.’” (A)
12 So each of us will have to explain to God about the things we do.
Don’t Cause Others to Sin
13 So we should stop judging each other. Let’s decide not to do anything that will cause a problem for a brother or sister or hurt their faith. 14 I know that there is no food that is wrong to eat. The Lord Jesus is the one who convinced me of that. But if someone believes that something is wrong, then it is wrong for that person.
15 If you hurt the faith of your brother or sister because of something you eat, you are not really following the way of love. Don’t destroy anyone’s faith by eating something they think is wrong. Christ died for them. 16 Don’t allow what is good for you to become something they say is evil. 17 In God’s kingdom, what we eat and drink is not important. Here is what is important: a right way of life, peace, and joy—all from the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever serves Christ by living this way is pleasing God, and they will be accepted by others.
19 So let’s try as hard as we can to do what will bring peace. Let’s do whatever will help each other grow stronger in faith. 20 Don’t let the eating of food destroy the work of God. All food is right to eat, but it is wrong for anyone to eat something that hurts the faith of another person. 21 It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that hurts the faith of your brother or sister.
22 You should keep your beliefs about these things a secret between yourself and God. It is a blessing to be able to do what you think is right without feeling guilty. 23 But anyone who eats something without being sure it is right is doing wrong. That is because they did not believe it was right. And if you do anything that you believe is not right, it is sin.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International