M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Divisions of the Priests
24 The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abi′hu, Elea′zar, and Ith′amar. 2 But Nadab and Abi′hu died before their father, and had no children, so Elea′zar and Ith′amar became the priests. 3 With the help of Zadok of the sons of Elea′zar, and Ahim′elech of the sons of Ith′amar, David organized them according to the appointed duties in their service. 4 Since more chief men were found among the sons of Elea′zar than among the sons of Ith′amar, they organized them under sixteen heads of fathers’ houses of the sons of Elea′zar, and eight of the sons of Ith′amar. 5 They organized them by lot, all alike, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among both the sons of Elea′zar and the sons of Ith′amar. 6 And the scribe Shemai′ah the son of Nethan′el, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahim′elech the son of Abi′athar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites; one father’s house being chosen for Elea′zar and one chosen for Ith′amar.
7 The first lot fell to Jehoi′arib, the second to Jedai′ah, 8 the third to Harim, the fourth to Se-o′rim, 9 the fifth to Malchi′jah, the sixth to Mi′jamin, 10 the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abi′jah, 11 the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecani′ah, 12 the eleventh to Eli′ashib, the twelfth to Jakim, 13 the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jesheb′e-ab, 14 the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, 15 the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Hap′pizzez, 16 the nineteenth to Pethahi′ah, the twentieth to Jehez′kel, 17 the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, 18 the twenty-third to Delai′ah, the twenty-fourth to Ma-azi′ah. 19 These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
Other Levites
20 And of the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shu′ba-el; of the sons of Shu′ba-el, Jehde′iah. 21 Of Rehabi′ah: of the sons of Rehabi′ah, Isshi′ah the chief. 22 Of the Iz′harites, Shelo′moth; of the sons of Shelo′moth, Jahath. 23 The sons of Hebron:[a] Jeri′ah the chief,[b] Amari′ah the second, Jaha′ziel the third, Jekame′am the fourth. 24 The sons of Uz′ziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. 25 The brother of Micah, Isshi′ah; of the sons of Isshi′ah, Zechari′ah. 26 The sons of Merar′i: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Ja-azi′ah: Beno. 27 The sons of Merar′i: of Ja-azi′ah, Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28 Of Mahli: Elea′zar, who had no sons. 29 Of Kish, the sons of Kish: Jerah′meel. 30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jer′imoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. 31 These also, the head of each father’s house and his younger brother alike, cast lots, just as their brethren the sons of Aaron, in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahim′elech, and the heads of fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites.
The Temple Musicians
25 David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service certain of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jedu′thun, who should prophesy with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals. The list of those who did the work and of their duties was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethani′ah, and Ashare′lah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king. 3 Of Jedu′thun, the sons of Jedu′thun: Gedali′ah, Zeri, Jeshai′ah, Shim′e-i,[c] Hashabi′ah, and Mattithi′ah, six, under the direction of their father Jedu′thun, who prophesied with the lyre in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. 4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukki′ah, Mattani′ah, Uz′ziel, Shebu′el, and Jer′imoth, Hanani′ah, Hana′ni, Eli′athah, Giddal′ti, and Romam′ti-e′zer, Joshbekash′ah, Mallo′thi, Hothir, Maha′zi-oth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him; for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6 They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jedu′thun, and Heman were under the order of the king. 7 The number of them along with their brethren, who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skilful, was two hundred and eighty-eight. 8 And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike.
9 The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedali′ah, to him and his brethren and his sons, twelve; 10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 12 the fifth to Nethani′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 13 the sixth to Bukki′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 14 the seventh to Jeshare′lah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 15 the eighth to Jeshai′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 16 the ninth to Mattani′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 17 the tenth to Shim′e-i, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 18 the eleventh to Az′arel, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 19 the twelfth to Hashabi′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 20 to the thirteenth, Shu′ba-el, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 21 to the fourteenth, Mattithi′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 22 to the fifteenth, to Jer′emoth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 23 to the sixteenth, to Hanani′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 24 to the seventeenth, to Joshbekash′ah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 25 to the eighteenth, to Hana′ni, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 26 to the nineteenth, to Mallo′thi, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 27 to the twentieth, to Eli′athah, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 28 to the twenty-first, to Hothir, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 29 to the twenty-second, to Giddal′ti, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 30 to the twenty-third, to Maha′zi-oth, his sons and his brethren, twelve; 31 to the twenty-fourth, to Romam′ti-e′zer, his sons and his brethren, twelve.
Tending the Flock of God
5 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. 2 Tend the flock of God that is your charge,[a] not by constraint but willingly,[b] not for shameful gain but eagerly, 3 not as domineering over those in your charge but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd is manifested you will obtain the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise you that are younger be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that in due time he may exalt you. 7 Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you. 8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, and strengthen[c] you. 11 To him be the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings and Benediction
12 By Silva′nus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God; stand fast in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings; and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.
Peace to all of you that are in Christ.
Wicked Rulers and Prophets
3 And I said:
Hear, you heads of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel!
Is it not for you to know justice?—
2 you who hate the good and love the evil,
who tear the skin from off my people,
and their flesh from off their bones;
3 who eat the flesh of my people,
and flay their skin from off them,
and break their bones in pieces,
and chop them up like meat[a] in a kettle,
like flesh in a caldron.
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 made their deeds evil.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry “Peace”
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against him
who puts nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without divination.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 the seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
for there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the Spirit of the Lord,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob
and rulers of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice
and pervert all equity,
10 who build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with wrong.
11 Its heads give judgment for a bribe,
its priests teach for hire,
its prophets divine for money;
yet they lean upon the Lord and say,
“Is not the Lord in the midst of us?
No evil shall come upon us.”
12 Therefore because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
A Warning against Hypocrisy
12 In the meantime, when so many thousands of the multitude had gathered together that they trod upon one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
Exhortation to Fearless Confession
4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has power to cast into hell;[a] yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
8 “And I tell you, every one who acknowledges me before men, the Son of man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; 9 but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And every one who speaks a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious how or what you are to answer or what you are to say; 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
The Parable of the Rich Fool
13 One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; 17 and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Do Not Worry
22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! 25 And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?[b] 26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;[c] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. 30 For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. 31 Instead, seek his[d] kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Watchful Slaves
35 “Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he[e] would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave
41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will punish[f] him, and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating. 48 But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.
Jesus the Cause of Division
49 “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled! 50 I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how I am constrained until it is accomplished! 51 Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52 for henceforth in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three; 53 they will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against her mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
Interpreting the Time
54 He also said to the multitudes, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky; but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settling with Your Opponent
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper.”
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.