M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Pharaoh Rejects Yahweh’s Authority and Makes Israel’s Troubles Worse
5 And afterward, Moses and Aaron went, and they said to Pharaoh, “Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel, ‘Release my people so that they may hold a festival for me in the desert.’” 2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is Yahweh that I should listen to his voice to release Israel? I do not know Yahweh, and also I will not release Israel.”
3 And they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go on a three-day journey into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with plague or with sword.” 4 And the king of Egypt said, “Why, Moses and Aaron, do you take[a] the people from their work? Go to your forced labor!”[b] 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now many, and you want to stop them from their forced labor.”[c]
6 And on that day Pharaoh commanded the slave drivers over the people and his foremen, saying, 7 “You must no longer give straw to the people to make the bricks like before.[d] Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the quota of the bricks that they were making before[e] you must require of them.[f] You must not reduce from it, because they are lazy. Therefore they are crying out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let the work be heavier on the men so that they will do it and not pay attention to words of deception.”
10 And the slave drivers of the people and their foremen went out, and they spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I am not giving you straw. 11 You go, get straw for yourselves from whatever you find because not a thing is being reduced from your work.’” 12 And the people spread out in all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for the straw. 13 And the slave drivers were insisting, saying, “Finish your work for each day[g] on its day, as when there was straw.”[h] 14 And the foremen of the Israelites,[i] whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had appointed over them, were beaten by men who were saying, “Why have you not completed your portion of brickmaking as before, both yesterday and today?”[j]
The Foremen Complain to Pharaoh and Moses, and Moses Complains to Yahweh
15 And the foremen of the Israelites[k] came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why do you treat your servants like this? 16 Straw is not being given to your servants, but they are saying to us, ‘Make bricks!’ and, look, your servants are being beaten, but it is the fault of[l] your people.” 17 And he said, “You are lazy, lazy! Therefore you are saying, ‘Let us go; let us sacrifice to Yahweh.’ 18 And now go, work, but straw will not be given to you, and you must give the full quota of bricks.”
19 And the foremen of the Israelites[m] saw they were in trouble with the saying,[n] “You will not reduce from your bricks for each day[o] on its day.” 20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting to meet them when they were going out from Pharaoh. 21 And they said to them, “May Yahweh look upon you and judge because you have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants so as to put a sword into their hand to kill us.” 22 And Moses returned to Yahweh and said, “Lord, why have you brought trouble to this people? Why ever did you send me? 23 And from the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble to this people, and you have certainly not delivered your people.”
Some Women Accompany Jesus
8 And it happened that afterward[a] also he was going about from one town and village to another preaching and proclaiming the good news concerning the kingdom of God, and the twelve were with him, 2 and some women who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (who was called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza (Herod’s household manager), and Susanna, and many others who were helping to support them from their possessions.
The Parable of the Sower
4 And while[b] a large crowd was gathering and they were going to him from town after town, he spoke by means of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed, and while he was sowing, some seed[c] fell on the side of the path and was trampled under foot, and the birds of the sky devoured it. 6 And other seed fell on the rock, and when it[d] came up, it withered, because it did not have moisture. 7 And other seed fell in the midst of the thorn plants, and the thorn plants grew up with it[e] and[f] choked it. 8 And other seed fell on the good soil, and when it[g] came up, it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he[h] said these things, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Reason for the Parables
9 And his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 And he said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are in parables, so that
‘Seeing they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.’[i]
The Parable of the Sower Interpreted
11 Now the parable means this: the seed is the word of God, 12 and those beside the path are the ones who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and[j] be saved. 13 And those on the rock are those who receive the word with joy when they hear it,[k] and these do not have enough root, who believe for a time and in a time of testing fall away. 14 And the seed that fell into the thorn plants—these are the ones who hear and as they[l] go along are choked by the worries and riches and pleasures of life, and they do not bear fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed on the good soil—these are the ones who, after[m] hearing the word, hold fast to it[n] with a noble and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.
The Parable of the Lamp
16 “And no one, after[o] lighting a lamp, covers it with a jar or puts it[p] under a bed, but puts it[q] on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not become evident, and nothing hidden that will never be known and come to light. 18 Therefore consider how you listen, for whoever has, to him more will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away from him.”
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers
19 Now his mother and brothers came to him, and they were not able to meet with him because of the crowd. 20 And it was reported to him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting to see you.” 21 But he answered and[r] said to them, “These are my mother and my brothers—the ones who hear the word of God and do it.[s]
Calming of a Storm
22 Now it happened that on one of the days both he and his disciples got into a boat, and he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they set sail, 23 and as[t] they were sailing, he fell asleep. And a storm of wind came down on the lake, and they were being swamped and were in danger. 24 And they came and[u] woke him up, saying, “Master, master! We are perishing!” So he got up and[v] rebuked the wind and the billowing waves of water and they ceased, and it became calm. 25 And he said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were afraid and[w] were astonished, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water and they obey him?”
A Demon-possessed Gerasene Healed
26 And they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27 And as[x] he got out on the land, a certain man from the town met him[y] who had demons and for a considerable time had not worn clothes and did not live in a house, but among the tombs. 28 And when he[z] saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before him, and said with a loud voice, “What do I have to do with you,[aa] Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me!” 29 For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For it had seized him many times, and he was bound with chains and shackles and[ab] was guarded, and breaking the bonds he would be driven by the demon into the deserted places.) 30 So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered into him. 31 And they began imploring[ac] him that he would not order them to depart into the abyss. 32 Now there was a large herd of pigs feeding there on the hill, and they implored him that he would permit them to enter into those pigs. And he permitted them. 33 So the demons came out of the man and[ad] entered into the pigs, and the herd rushed headlong down the steep slope into the lake and were drowned. 34 And when[ae] the herdsmen saw what had happened, they fled and reported it[af] in the town and in the countryside. 35 So they went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting there clothed and in his right mind, at the feet of Jesus, and they were afraid. 36 And those who had seen it[ag] reported to them how the man who had been demon-possessed had been healed. 37 And all the people of the surrounding region of the Gerasenes asked him to depart from them, because they had been seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and[ah] returned. 38 And the man from who the demons had gone out was begging him to stay with him, but he sent him away, saying, 39 “Return to your home and tell all that God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole town all that Jesus had done for him.
A Woman Healed and a Daughter Raised
40 Now when Jesus returned, the crowd welcomed him, because they were all waiting for him. 41 And behold, a man who was named[ai] Jairus came, and this man was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at the feet of Jesus and[aj] began imploring[ak] him to come to his house, 42 because he had[al] an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying.
Now as he was going, the crowds were pressing against him. 43 And a woman who was suffering from hemorrhages[am] for twelve years (who, although she[an] had spent all her[ao] assets on physicians, was not able to be healed by anyone) 44 came up behind him and[ap] touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her hemorrhaging[aq] stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched me?” And when they[ar] all denied it,[as] Peter said, “Master, the crowds are pressing you hard and crowding you!”[at] 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, because I know power has gone out from me.” 47 And when[au] the woman saw that she did not escape notice, she came trembling and falling down before him. In the presence of all the people, she told for what reason she had touched him, and that she was healed immediately. 48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
49 While[av] he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue ruler’s house, saying, “Your daughter is dead! Trouble the Teacher no longer!” 50 But Jesus, when he[aw] heard this,[ax] replied to him, “Do not be afraid! Only believe, and she will be healed.” 51 Now when he[ay] came to the house, he did not allow anyone to enter with him except Peter and John and James and the father and mother of the child. 52 And they were all weeping and mourning for her, but he said, “Do not weep! For she is not dead, but is sleeping.” 53 And they began laughing[az] at him, because they[ba] knew that she was dead. 54 But he took her hand and[bb] called, saying, “Child, get up.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately, and he ordered something[bc] to be given to her to eat. 56 And her parents were astonished, but he ordered them to tell no one what had happened.
Eliphaz’s Third Speech
22 Then[a] Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 “Can a man be of use to God?
Yes, can the wise be of use to him?
3 Is it a pleasure to Shaddai if you are righteous,
or[b] a gain if you make your ways blameless?
4 Does he reprove you because of your reverence
or enter into judgment with you?
5 Is not your wickedness great,
and there is no end to your iniquities?
6 “Indeed, you have required a pledge from your family for nothing,
and you have stripped off the clothes of the naked.
7 You have given no water for the weary to drink,
and you withheld food from the hungry.
8 And the land belongs to the man of power,[c]
and the favored[d] lives in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty-handed,
and the arms of orphans were crushed.
10 Therefore trapping nets are all around you,
and panic suddenly terrifies you,
11 or it is so dark you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.
12 “Is not God in the height of the heavens?
But[e] see how lofty are the highest stars.[f]
13 And you ask, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge through deep gloom?
14 Thick clouds are a covering for him, so that he does not see;
and he walks about on the dome of heaven.’
15 Will you keep to the way of old
that the people of mischief have trod,
16 who were snatched away before their time,[g]
whose foundation was washed away by a current?
17 Those who said to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
and ‘What can Shaddai do to us?’
18 Yet[h] he himself[i] filled up their houses with good things,
but[j] the schemes of the wicked are repugnant to me.
19 The righteous see, and they rejoice,
but[k] the innocent one mocks at them.
20 Surely[l] our foe perishes,
and fire has consumed their remainder.[m]
21 “Please reconcile yourself with him,
and be at peace; in this way,[n] good will come to you.
22 Please receive instruction from his mouth,
and place his words in your heart.
23 If you return to Shaddai, you will be restored;
if you remove wickedness from your tent,
24 and if you put gold ore in the dust,
and the gold of Ophir in the rock of wadis,
25 then[o] Shaddai will be your gold ore
and your precious silver.[p]
26 Indeed, then you will delight yourself in Shaddai,
and you will expect that God will be good to you.[q]
27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
28 And you will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When they are humiliated, you say,[r] ‘It is pride,’
for[s] he saves the humble.[t]
30 He will deliver the guilty,
and he will escape because of the cleanness of your hands.”
Paul Gives Up His Rights as an Apostle
9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 If to others I am not an apostle, yet indeed I am to you, for you are my seal of apostleship in the Lord. 3 My defense to those who examine me is this: 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to take along a sister as wife, like the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right to refrain from working[a]? 7 Who ever serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat the fruit of it? Who[b] shepherds a flock and does not drink[c] from the milk of the flock? 8 I am not saying these things according to a human perspective. Or does the law not also say these things? 9 For in the law of Moses it is written, “You must not muzzle an ox while it[d] is threshing.”[e] It is not about oxen God is concerned, is it?[f] 10 Or doubtless does he speak for our sake[g]? For it is written for our sake[h], because the one who plows ought to plow in hope and the one who threshes ought to do so in hope of a share. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too great a thing if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this right over you, do we not do so even more? Yet we have not made use of this right, but we endure all things, in order that we may not cause any hindrance to the gospel of Christ.
13 Do you not know that those performing the holy services eat the things from the temple, and those attending to the altar have a share with the altar? 14 In the same way also the Lord ordered those who proclaim the gospel to live from the gospel. 15 But I have not made use of any of these rights. And I am not writing these things in order that it may be thus with me. For it would be better to me rather to die than for anyone to deprive me of my reason for boasting. 16 For if I proclaim the gospel, it is not to me a reason for boasting, for necessity is imposed on me. For woe is to me if I do not proclaim the gospel. 17 For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward, but if I do so unwillingly, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That when I[i] proclaim the gospel, I may offer the gospel free of charge, in order not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
19 For although I[j] am free from all people, I have enslaved myself to all, in order that I may gain more. 20 I have become like a Jew to the Jews, in order that I may gain the Jews. To those under the law I became as under the law (although I[k] myself am not under the law) in order that I may gain those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as outside the law (although I[l] am not outside the law of God, but subject to the law of Christ) in order that I may gain those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, in order that I may gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, in order that by all means I may save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, in order that I may become a participant with it.
24 Do you not know that those who run in the stadium all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 And everyone who competes exercises self-control in all things. Thus those do so in order that they may receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. 26 Therefore I run in this way, not as running aimlessly; I box in this way, not as beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and subjugate it, lest somehow after[m] preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified.
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