M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rachel’s Children by Bilhah
30 Rachel noticed that she was not bearing children for Jacob, so because she envied her sister Leah, she told Jacob, “If you don’t give me sons, I’m going to die!”
2 That made Jacob angry with Rachel, so he asked her, “Can I take God’s place, who has not allowed you to conceive?”[a]
3 Rachel[b] responded, “Here’s my handmaid Bilhah. Go have sex with her. She can bear children[c] on my knees so I can have children through her.”
4 So Rachel[d] gave Jacob[e] her woman servant Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob had sex with her. 5 Bilhah conceived and bore a son for Jacob. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my voice and has given me a son.” Therefore, she named him Dan.[f]
7 Rachel’s servant conceived again and bore a second son for Jacob, 8 so Rachel said, “I’ve been through a mighty struggle with my sister and won.” She named him Naphtali.[g]
9 When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing children, she took her woman servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore a son to Jacob, 11 and Leah exclaimed, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.[h]
12 Later, Leah’s servant Zilpah bore a second son for Jacob. 13 She said, “How happy I am, because women will call me happy!” So she named him Asher.[i]
Jacob and the Mandrakes
14 Some time later, during the wheat harvest season, Reuben went out and found some mandrakes[j] in the field and brought them back for his mother Leah. Then Rachel[k] told Leah, “Please give me your son’s mandrakes.”
15 In response, Leah asked her, “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes!”
But Rachel replied, “Very well, let’s let Jacob sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”
16 When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went to meet him and told him, “You’re having sex with me tonight. I traded my son’s mandrakes for you!” So he slept with her that night.
17 God heard what Leah had said, so she conceived and bore a fifth son for Jacob. 18 Then Leah said, “God has paid me for giving my servant to my husband as his wife.” So she named him Issachar.[l]
19 Later, Leah conceived again and bore a sixth son for Jacob. 20 Then Leah said, “God has given me a good gift. This time my husband will exalt me, because I’ve borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.[m]
21 After that, Leah conceived, bore a daughter, and named her Dinah.
Rachel’s Son Joseph is Born
22 Then God remembered Rachel. He listened to her and opened her womb, 23 so she conceived, bore a son, and remarked, “God has removed my shame.” 24 Because she had been asking, “May God give me another son,” she named him Joseph.[n]
Jacob and Laban’s Livestock
25 After Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob told Laban, “Send me off so that I can go back to my place and country. 26 Give me my wives and children for whom I’ve served you. Then I’ll leave, since you’re aware of my service to you.”
27 Then Laban responded, “If I’ve found favor in your sight, please stay with me, because I’ve learned through divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you. 28 Name your wage, and I’ll give it to you.”
29 But Jacob replied to Laban, “You know how I’ve served you and how your cattle thrived under my care. 30 What you had previously was only a few head, but the herd has now multiplied, because the Lord has blessed you through my efforts.[o] But now, when am I going to be able to provide for my own household?”
31 “What do I have to give you?” Laban asked.
Jacob responded, “You don’t have to give me anything. Just do this for me: Let me tend your flock again and watch over it. 32 Let me walk among your flocks today and remove every speckled or spotted sheep, along with every black lamb, and let me do the same with the speckled and spotted goats. These will be my wages. 33 In the future, you’ll be able to verify my honesty because, when you come to check[p] what I’ve earned, if you find a goat that’s not speckled or spotted or a sheep that’s not black, then it will have been stolen by me.”
34 “Very well,” Laban replied. “We’ll do it the way you’ve asked.” 35 That very day, Laban[q] removed the male goats that were striped or spotted, all the female goats that were speckled or spotted—that is, every one that had white on them—and all the black lambs and placed them into the care[r] of his sons. 36 He sent them as far away from Jacob as a three days’ journey could take them.
Meanwhile, Jacob kept tending the rest of Laban’s flock. 37 Jacob took branches[s] from white poplar trees, freshly cut almond trees, and some other trees,[t] stripped off their bark to make white streaks, and uncovered the white part inside the branches. 38 Then he placed the branches that he had stripped bare in all the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink. He placed the branches in front of the flock, and they went into heat as they came to drink. 39 When the flocks mated in front of the branches, they would bear offspring[u] that were striped, speckled, or spotted.
40 Jacob kept the lambs separate, facing the striped and entirely black ones that belonged to Laban’s flock. He set his own herd by itself and would not let them be with Laban’s flock. 41 Whenever the more vigorous of the flock came into heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the flock to make them mate by the branches.
42 But he didn’t put the branches in front of any of the feeble members of the flock. As a result, the feeble ones belonged to Laban, but the stronger ones belonged to Jacob. 43 Therefore the man Jacob[v] prospered so much that he had large flocks, female and male servants, as well as camels and donkeys.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus(A)
1 This is[a] the beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah,[b] the Son of God.[c] 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See! I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way.[d]
3 He is a voice calling out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord![e]
Make his paths straight!’”[f]
4 John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 People from[g] the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, being baptized by him while they confessed their sins. 6 Now John was dressed in camel’s hair with[h] a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers[i] and wild honey. 7 He kept proclaiming, “The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps. 8 I baptized you with[j] water, but it is he who will baptize you with[k] the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus is Baptized(B)
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am pleased with you!”
Jesus is Tempted by Satan(C)
12 At once the Spirit drove him into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan. He was among wild animals, and angels were ministering to him.
Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee(D)
14 Now after John had been arrested, Jesus went to Galilee and proclaimed the gospel about the kingdom[l] of God. 15 He said, “The time is now! The kingdom of God is near! Repent, and keep believing the gospel!”
Jesus Calls His First Disciples(E)
16 While Jesus[m] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. 17 Jesus told them, “Follow me, and I’ll make you fishers of people!” 18 So immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 Going on a little farther, he saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat repairing their nets. 20 He immediately called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit(F)
21 Then they went to Capernaum. As soon as it was the Sabbaths, Jesus[n] went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people[o] were utterly amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one with authority, and not like their scribes. 23 All of a sudden,[p] there was a man in their synagogue who had an unclean spirit! He screamed, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 But Jesus rebuked him. “Be quiet,” he ordered, “and come out of him!” 26 At this, the unclean spirit shook the man,[q] cried out with a loud voice, and came out of him.
27 All the people were so stunned that they kept saying to each other, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He tells even the unclean spirits what to do, and they obey him!” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
Jesus Heals Many People(G)
29 After they left the synagogue, they went directly to the house of Simon and Andrew, along with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying in bed, sick with a fever, so they promptly told Jesus[r] about her. 31 He went up to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began serving them. 32 When evening came, after the sun had set, people[s] started bringing to him everyone who was sick or possessed by demons. 33 In fact, the whole city gathered at the door. 34 He healed many who were sick with various diseases and drove out many demons. However, he wouldn’t allow the demons to speak because they knew who he was.
Jesus Goes on a Preaching Tour(H)
35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus[t] got up and went to a deserted place and prayed there. 36 Simon and his companions searched frantically for him. 37 When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you.”
38 “Let’s go to the neighboring town,” he replied, “so I can preach there, too, because that’s why I came.” 39 So he went throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Jesus Cleanses a Leper(I)
40 Then a leper[u] came to Jesus[v] and began pleading with him. He fell on his knees and told him, “If you want to, you can make me clean.”
41 Moved with compassion, Jesus[w] reached out his hand, touched him, and told him, “I do want to. Be made clean!” 42 Instantly the leprosy left him, and he was clean.
43 Then Jesus[x] sternly warned him and encouraged him to go at once. 44 He told the man, “Be sure that you don’t tell anyone. Instead, go and show yourself to the priest, and then offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded as proof to the authorities.”[y] 45 But when the man[z] left, he began to proclaim it freely. He spread the news so widely that Jesus[aa] could no longer enter a town openly, but had to stay out in deserted places. Still, people[ab] kept coming to him from everywhere.
Haman’s Plan Begins to Unravel
6 That night the king could not sleep, so he gave instructions to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read to the king. 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had reported about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance to the restricted areas of the palace,[a] and that they had conspired to assassinate[b] King Ahasuerus. 3 So the king asked, “What honor and distinction was bestowed on Mordecai for this?”
The young men who served the king answered, “Nothing was done for him.”
4 The king said, “Who is in the courtyard?” Now Haman had just entered the outer courtyard of the palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the pole he had set up.
5 The king’s young men told him, “Look, Haman is standing in the courtyard.”
The king said, “Let him come in.”
6 After Haman came in, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?”
Haman told himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” 7 Haman answered the king, “For a man whom the king desires to honor, 8 let them bring royal robes that the king has worn and a horse on which the king has ridden, with a royal crown placed on its head. 9 Then give the robes and the horse to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them put the robes on the man whom the king desires to honor, and let them put him on the horse in the main[c] square of the city. Then let them announce in front of him, ‘This is what is done for the man whom the king desires to honor.’”
10 Then the king told Haman, “Quick! Take the clothes and the horse just as you have suggested and do this for Mordecai the Jew who sits in the king’s gate. And don’t let anything you’ve suggested fall through the cracks.”[d]
11 So Haman took the clothes and the horse, dressed Mordecai, and put him on the horse in the main[e] square of the city. He cried out in front of him, “This is what is done for the man whom the king desires to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, while Haman hurried to his house, mourning and hiding his face.[f] 13 Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. His wise friends and his wife Zeresh told him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is one of the Jewish people,[g] you won’t prevail against him. Instead, you will surely fall before him.”
14 While they were still talking to him, the king’s eunuchs arrived, and they quickly took him to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Greetings from Paul
1 From:[a] Paul, a servant of Jesus the Messiah,[b] called to be an apostle and set apart for God’s gospel, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding[c] his Son. He was a descendant of David with respect to his humanity 4 and was declared by the resurrection from the dead to be the powerful Son of God according to the spirit[d] of holiness—Jesus the Messiah,[e] our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and a commission as an apostle to bring about faithful obedience among all the gentiles for the sake of his name. 6 You, too, are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus the Messiah.[f]
7 To: Everyone in Rome,[g] loved by God and called to be holy.[h]
May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[i] be yours!
Paul’s Prayer and Desire to Visit Rome
8 First of all, I thank my God through Jesus the Messiah[j] for all of you, because the news about your faith is being reported throughout the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel about his Son, is my witness how constantly I mention you 10 in my prayers at all times, asking that somehow by God’s will I may at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I am longing to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong, 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I often planned to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now), so that I might reap a harvest among you, just as I have among the rest of the gentiles. 14 Both to Greeks and to barbarians,[k] both to wise and to foolish people, I am a debtor. 15 That is why I am so eager to proclaim the gospel to you who live in Rome,[l] too.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel,[m] because it is God’s power for the salvation of everyone who believes, of the Jew first and of the Greek as well. 17 For in the gospel[n] God’s righteousness is being revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “The righteous will live by faith.”[o]
God’s Wrath against Sinful Humanity
18 For God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and wickedness of those who in their wickedness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God himself has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s[p] invisible attributes—his eternal power and divine nature—have been understood and observed by what he made, so that people[q] are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him. Instead, their thoughts turned to worthless things,[r] and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Though claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that looked like mortal human beings, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
24 For this reason, God delivered them to sexual impurity as they followed the lusts[s] of their hearts and dishonored their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged God’s truth for a lie and worshipped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason, God delivered them to degrading passions as their females exchanged their natural sexual function for one that is unnatural. 27 In the same way, their males also abandoned their natural sexual function toward females and burned with lust toward one another. Males committed indecent acts with males, and received within themselves the appropriate penalty for their perversion.[t]
28 Furthermore, because they did not think it worthwhile to keep knowing God fully, God delivered them to degraded minds to perform acts that should not be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, quarreling, deceit, and viciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, haughty, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to their parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. 32 Although they know God’s just requirement—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do these things but even applaud others who practice them.
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