M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Work of the Religious Leaders

24 These were the family groups of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ² Nadab and Abihu died before their father died. They had no sons, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the religious leaders. ³ With the help of Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, David divided them by their given duties. ⁴ More leaders were found from the sons of Eleazar than the sons of Ithamar. So they were divided in this way. There were sixteen heads of families of the sons of Eleazar. And there were eight heads of families of the sons of Ithamar. ⁵ They were divided by drawing names, all alike. For there were leaders of the holy place and leaders of God, from both the sons of Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶ The writer Shemaiah, the Levite son of Nethanel, wrote down their names. He wrote them in front of the king, the princes, Zadok the religious leader, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the families of the religious leaders and of the Levites. One family was taken for Eleazar, and one for Ithamar.

⁷ The first name drawn was Jehoiarib, the second Jedaiah, ⁸ the third Harim, the fourth Seorim, ⁹ the fifth Malchijah, the sixth Mijamin. ¹⁰ The seventh name was Hakkoz, the eighth Abijah, ¹¹ the ninth Jeshua, the tenth Shecaniah, ¹² the eleventh Eliashib, the twelfth Jakim. ¹³ The thirteenth name was Huppah, the fourteenth Jeshebeab, ¹⁴ the fifteenth Bilgah, the sixteenth Immer. ¹⁵ The seventeenth name was Hezir, the eighteenth Happizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth Pethahiah, the twentieth Jehezkel. ¹⁷ The twenty-first name was Jachin, the twenty-second Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth Maaziah. ¹⁹ This was the way they were to come on duty to work in the Lord’s house. It was a rule given to them through their father Aaron, just as the Lord God of Israel had told him.

²⁰ The rest of the sons of Levi were Shubael of the sons of Amram, Jehdeiah of the sons of Shubael, ²¹ and Isshiah was the first of the sons of Rehabiah. ²² There was Shelomoth of the Izharites, and Jahath of the sons of Shelomoth. ²³ Of the sons of Hebron, there were Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁴ There was Micah of the sons of Uzziel, and Shamir of the sons of Micah. ²⁵ The brother of Micah was Isshiah. There was Zechariah of the sons of Isshiah. ²⁶ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Jaaziah’s son was Beno. ²⁷ The sons of Merari by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri. ²⁸ His son by Mahli was Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹ His son by Kish was Jerahmeel. ³⁰ And the sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites by their families. ³¹ The head of each family and his younger brother drew names just as their brothers the sons of Aaron did. They drew them in front of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the religious leaders and of the Levites.

Songs of Joy

25 David and the captains of the army set apart for the work some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman and of Jeduthun. They were to speak God’s Word while harps and timbrels were playing. These are the names of those who served in this way. ² The sons of Asaph were: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asharelah. They were led by Asaph, who spoke for God under the leading of the king. ³ The six sons of Jeduthun were: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah. They were led by their father Jeduthun, who spoke God’s Word using the harp, giving thanks and praising the Lord. ⁴ The sons of Heman were: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamtiezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman the king’s man of God, to honor him by the Words of God. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. ⁶ All of them were led by their father to sing in the Lord’s house. They sang and played timbrels and harps, serving in the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were led by the king. ⁷ The number of those and their brothers who were taught to sing to the Lord, all who were very good singers, was 288. ⁸ They drew names for their work, the young and old alike, also the teacher and the one who was taught.

⁹ These are how the names were drawn. First was Joseph the son of Asaph. The second was Gedaliah. Together with his brothers and sons, there were twelve. ¹⁰ The third was Zaccur. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹¹ The fourth was Izri. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹² The fifth was Nethaniah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹³ The sixth was Bukkiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁴ The seventh was Jesharelah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁵ The eighth was Jeshaiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁶ The ninth was Mattaniah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁷ The tenth was Shimei. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁸ The eleventh was Azarel. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ¹⁹ The twelfth was Hashabiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁰ The thirteenth was Shubael. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²¹ The fourteenth was Mattithiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²² The fifteenth was Jeremoth. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²³ The sixteenth was Hananiah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁴ The seventeenth was Joshbekashah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁵ The eighteenth was Hanani. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁶ The nineteenth was Mallothi. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁷ The twentieth was Eliathah. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁸ The twenty-first was Hothir. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ²⁹ The twenty-second was Giddalti. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ³⁰ The twenty-third was Mahazioth. With his sons and brothers there were twelve. ³¹ And the twenty-fourth was Romamti-ezer. With his sons and brothers there were twelve.

5 I want to speak to the church leaders among you. I am a church leader also. I saw Christ suffer and die on a cross. I will also share His shining-greatness when He comes again. ² Be good shepherds of the flock God has put in your care. Do not care for the flock as if you were made to. Do not care for the flock for money, but do it because you want to. ³ Do not be bosses over the people you lead. Live as you would like to have them live. ⁴ When the Head Shepherd comes again, you will get the crown of shining-greatness that will not come to an end.

⁵ In the same way, you younger men must obey the church leaders. Be gentle as you care for each other. God works against those who have pride. He gives His loving-favor to those who do not try to honor themselves. ⁶ So put away all pride from yourselves. You are standing under the powerful hand of God. At the right time He will lift you up. ⁷ Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you.

⁸ Keep awake! Watch at all times. The devil is working against you. He is walking around like a hungry lion with his mouth open. He is looking for someone to eat. ⁹ Stand against him and be strong in your faith. Remember, other Christians over all the world are suffering the same as you are. ¹⁰ After you have suffered for awhile, God Himself will make you perfect. He will keep you in the right way. He will give you strength. He is the God of all loving-favor and has called you through Christ Jesus to share His shining-greatness forever. ¹¹ God has power over all things forever. Let it be so.

¹² I have known Silvanus as a faithful Christian brother and it is by him I have written this short letter to help you. It tells you of the true loving-favor of God. Stay true in His loving-favor. ¹³ The church which is in the city of Babylon says hello. It has been chosen by God the same as you have been. My son, Mark, says hello also. ¹⁴ Greet each other with a kiss of holy love. May all of you Christians have peace.

Sinful Leaders and Rulers

3 And I said, “Hear now, leaders of Jacob and rulers of the people of Israel! Should you not know what is fair? ² Yet you hate good and love sin. You tear off the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones. ³ You eat my people’s flesh, pull their skin off, break their bones, and cut them up like meat for the pot.” ⁴ Then they will cry to the Lord, but He will not answer them. He will hide His face from them at that time, because they have done sinful things.

⁵ This is what the Lord says about the men who speak in God’s name and lead my people the wrong way. When they have something to eat, they speak of peace. But they make holy war against him who does not feed them. ⁶ So night will come to you without a special dream. Darkness will come to you without any word about the future. The sun will go down on those who speak about special dreams, and the day will become dark over them. ⁷ Those who tell what is going to happen in the future will be ashamed. Those who learn about the future using their secret ways will be ashamed. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God. ⁸ But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, with what is fair, and with strength. I am able to make known to Jacob his wrong-doing, and to Israel his sin. ⁹ Now listen to this, you leaders of Jacob and rulers of the people of Israel. You hate what is fair, and turn everything around that is right. ¹⁰ You built Zion with blood and Jerusalem with much wrong-doing. ¹¹ Her leaders take pay in secret for doing wrong. Her religious leaders teach for a price. Her men who tell what is going to happen in the future do it for money. Yet they rest upon the Lord and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No trouble will come to us.” ¹² So because of you Zion will be plowed as a field. Jerusalem will be laid waste. And the mountain of the Lord’s house will be covered with trees.

Jesus Teaches His Followers and Thousands of Other People

12 At that time thousands of people gathered together. There were so many that they walked on each other. Jesus spoke to His twelve followers first, saying, “Look out! Have nothing to do with the yeast of the proud religious law-keepers which is pretending to be something it is not. ² For there is nothing covered up that will not be seen. There is nothing hidden that will not be known. ³ What you have said in the dark will be heard in the light. What you have said in a low voice in a closed room will be spoken with a loud voice from the top of houses.

⁴ “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and then can do no more. ⁵ I will tell you the one to be afraid of. Be afraid of Him Who has power to put you into hell after He has killed you. Yes, I say to you, be afraid of Him!

⁶ “Are not five small birds sold for two small pieces of money? God does not forget even one of the birds. ⁷ God knows how many hairs you have on your head. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many small birds.

⁸ “Also, I tell you, everyone who makes Me known to men, the Son of Man will make him known to the angels of God. ⁹ But whoever acts as if he does not know Me and does not make Me known to men, he will not be spoken of to the angels of God.

The Sin That Cannot Be Forgiven

¹⁰ “Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. ¹¹ When they take you to the places of worship and to the courts and to the leaders of the country, do not be worried about what you should say or how to say it. ¹² The Holy Spirit will tell you what you should say at that time.”

¹³ One of the people said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the riches that our father left us.” ¹⁴ Jesus said to him, “Friend, who has told Me to say who should get what?” ¹⁵ Then Jesus said to them all, “Watch yourselves! Keep from wanting all kinds of things you should not have. A man’s life is not made up of things, even if he has many riches.”

The Picture-Story of the Rich Fool

¹⁶ Then He told them a picture-story, saying, “The fields of a rich man gave much grain. ¹⁷ The rich man thought to himself, ‘What will I do? I have no place to put the grain.’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I know what I will do. I will take down my grain building and I will build a bigger one. I will put all my grain and other things I own into it. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many good things put away in your building. It will be all you need for many years to come. Now rest and eat and drink and have lots of fun.”’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! Tonight your soul will be taken from you. Then who will have all the things you have put away?’ ²¹ It is the same with a man who puts away riches for himself and does not have the riches of God.”

Jesus Teaches about the Cares of This Life

²² Jesus said to His followers, “Because of this, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you are going to eat. Do not worry about your body, what you are going to wear. ²³ Life is worth more than food. The body is worth more than clothes. ²⁴ Look at the birds. They do not plant seeds. They do not gather grain. They have no grain buildings for keeping grain. Yet God feeds them. Are you not worth more than the birds?

²⁵ “Which of you can make yourself a little taller by worrying? ²⁶ If you cannot do that which is so little, why do you worry about other things? ²⁷ Think how the flowers grow. They do not work or make cloth. Yet, I tell you, that King Solomon in all his greatness was not dressed as well as one of these flowers. ²⁸ God puts these clothes on the grass of the field. The grass is in the field today and put into the fire tomorrow. How much more would He want to give you clothing? You have so little faith! ²⁹ Do not give so much thought to what you will eat or drink. Do not be worried about it. ³⁰ For all the nations of the world go after these things. Your Father knows you need these things. ³¹ Instead, go after the holy nation of God. Then all these other things will be given to you. ³² Do not be afraid, little flock. Your Father wants to give you the holy nation of God. ³³ Sell what you have and give the money to poor people. Have money-bags for yourselves that will never wear out. These money-bags are riches in heaven that will always be there. No robber can take them and no bugs can eat them there. ³⁴ Your heart will be wherever your riches are.

Jesus Says to Watch and Be Ready for His Second Coming Be Ready for His Second Coming

³⁵ “Be ready and dressed. Have your lights burning. ³⁶ Be like men who are waiting for their owner to come home from a wedding supper. When he comes and knocks on the door, they will open it for him at once. ³⁷ Those servants are happy when their owner finds them watching when he comes. For sure, I tell you, he will be dressed and ready to care for them. He will have them seated at the table. ³⁸ The owner might come late at night or early in the morning. Those servants are happy if their owner finds them watching whenever he comes. ³⁹ But understand this, that if the owner of a house had known when the robber was coming, he would have been watching. He would not have allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You must be ready also. The Son of Man is coming at a time when you do not think He will come.”

Faithful Servants and Servants Who Are Not Faithful

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, are You telling this picture-story to us or to all the people?” ⁴² The Lord said, “Who is the faithful and wise servant his owner made boss over the others? He is the one who is to have food ready at the right time. ⁴³ That servant is happy who is doing his work when the owner comes. ⁴⁴ For sure, I tell you, he will make him boss over all he has.

⁴⁵ “But what if that servant says to himself, ‘The owner will not be coming soon,’ and then beats the other servants and eats and drinks and gets drunk? ⁴⁶ The owner of that servant will come on a day and at an hour when he is not looking for him. He will cut him in pieces and will put him with those who do not believe.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knew what the owner wanted done, but did not get ready for him, or did not do what he wanted done, will be beaten many times. ⁴⁸ But the servant who did not know what his owner wanted done, but did things that would be reason to be beaten, will be beaten only a few times. The man who receives much will have to give much. If much is given to a man to take care of, men will expect to get more from him.

Men Are Divided When They Follow Christ

⁴⁹ “I have come to bring fire down to the earth. I wish it were already started! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism to go through. How troubled I am until it is over! ⁵¹ Do you think I came to bring peace on the earth? I tell you, no! I came to divide. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one house divided. Three will be against two and two will be against three. ⁵³ The father will be against the son. The son will be against the father. The mother will be against the daughter. The daughter will be against the mother. The mother-in-law will be against the daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law will be against the mother-in-law.”

⁵⁴ Then Jesus also said to the people, “When you see a cloud coming in the west, you say at once, ‘It is going to rain.’ And it does. ⁵⁵ When you see the wind blow from the south, you say, ‘It will be a hot day.’ And it is. ⁵⁶ You who pretend to be someone you are not, you know all about the sky and the earth. But why do you not know what is happening these days? ⁵⁷ Why do you not know for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ When a person says you are wrong and takes you to court, try to make it right with him as you go, or he will take you to the head of the court. Then he will take you to the police and you will be put in prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will not be let out of prison until you have paid the last piece of money of the fine.”