M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joseph’s Dreams
37 Now Jacob lived in (A)the land where his father had lived as a stranger, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, when he was (B)seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers, while he was still a youth, along with (C)the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a (D)bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons, because he was (E)the son of his old age; and he made him a [a](F)multicolored tunic. 4 And his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they (G)hated him and could not speak to him [b]on friendly terms.
5 Then Joseph [c](H)had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have [d]had; 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and also remained standing; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and (I)bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 Then his brothers said to him, “(J)Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Then he [e]had yet another dream, and informed his brothers of it, and said, “Behold, I have [f]had yet another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He also told it to his father as well as to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have [g]had? Am I and your mother and (K)your brothers actually going to come to bow down to the ground before you?” 11 And (L)his brothers were jealous of him, but his father (M)kept the matter in mind.
12 Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 And Israel said to Joseph, “Are your brothers not pasturing the flock in (N)Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “[h]I will go.” 14 Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the Valley of (O)Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “[i]What are you looking for?” 16 He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to (P)Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
The Plot against Joseph
18 [j]When they saw him from a distance, and before he came closer to them, they (Q)plotted against him to put him to death. 19 They said to one another, “[k]Here comes this dreamer! 20 Now then, come and let’s kill him, and throw him into one of the pits; and (R)we will say, ‘A vicious animal devoured him.’ Then we will see what will become of his dreams!” 21 But (S)Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands [l]by saying, “Let’s not [m]take his life.” 22 Then Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—so that later he might rescue him out of their hands, to return him to his father. 23 So it came about, when Joseph [n]reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the [o]multicolored tunic that was on him; 24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat [p]a meal. But as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of (T)Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying (U)labdanum resin, (V)balsam, and [q]myrrh, [r]on their way to bring them down to Egypt. 26 And Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and (W)cover up his blood? 27 (X)Come, and let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then some (Y)Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him out and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and (Z)sold [s]him to the Ishmaelites for [t]twenty shekels of silver. So (AA)they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he (AB)tore his garments. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “(AC)The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?” 31 So (AD)they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat, and dipped the tunic in the blood; 32 and they sent the [u]multicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please [v]examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” 33 Then he [w]examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. (AE)A vicious animal has devoured him; (AF)Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 34 So Jacob (AG)tore his clothes, and put on a sackcloth undergarment over his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 Then all his sons and all his daughters got up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will (AH)go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile, the [x]Midianites (AI)sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.
Followers of Tradition
7 (A)The Pharisees and some of the scribes *gathered to Him after they came (B)from Jerusalem, 2 and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with [a](C)unholy hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they [b]carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the (D)tradition of the elders; 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they [c]completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the [d]washing of (E)cups, pitchers, and copper pots.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the (F)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with (G)[e]unholy hands?” 6 But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘(H)This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
7 (I)And in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the (J)tradition of men.”
9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your (K)tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘(L)Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘(M)The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is [f]certainly to be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is (N)Corban (that is, [g]given to God),’ 12 you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thereby invalidating the word of God by your (O)tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
The Heart of Man
14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person[h].”
17 And when He later entered a house, away from the crowd, (P)His disciples asked Him about the parable. 18 And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding as well? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the person from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and [i]is eliminated?” (Thereby He declared (Q)all foods (R)clean.) 20 And He was saying, “(S)That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person. 21 For from within, out of the [j]hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, 22 deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, [k](T)envy, slander, [l]pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”
The Syrophoenician Woman
24 (U)Now Jesus got up and went from there to the region of (V)Tyre[m]. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know about it; and yet He could not escape notice. 25 But after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was a [n]Gentile, of Syrophoenician descent. And she repeatedly asked Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not [o]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the [p]dogs.” 28 But she answered and *said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.” 29 And He said to her, “Because of this [q]answer, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And after going back to her home, she found the child [r]lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
31 (W)Again He left the region of (X)Tyre and came through Sidon to (Y)the Sea of Galilee, within the region of (Z)Decapolis. 32 And they *brought to Him one who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they *begged Him to (AA)lay His hand on him. 33 And Jesus (AB)took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers in his ears, and after (AC)spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34 and looking up to heaven with a deep (AD)sigh, He *said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35 And his ears were opened, and the [s]impediment of his tongue was [t]removed, and he began speaking plainly. 36 And (AE)He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they (AF)continued to proclaim it. 37 And they were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even those who are deaf hear, and those who are unable to talk, speak.”
Job’s Lament
3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed [a]the day of his birth. 2 And Job [b]said,
3 “(A)May the day on which I was to be born perish,
As well as the night which said, ‘A [c]boy is conceived.’
4 May that day be darkness;
May God above not care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 May (B)darkness and black gloom claim it;
May a cloud settle on it;
May the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 As for that night, may darkness seize it;
May it not rejoice among the days of the year;
May it not come into the number of the months.
7 Behold, may that night be barren;
May no joyful shout enter it.
8 May those curse it who curse the day,
Who are [d]prepared to (C)disturb Leviathan.
9 May the stars of its twilight be darkened;
May it wait for light but have none,
And may it not see the [e]breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “(D)Why did I not die [f]at birth,
Come out of the womb and pass away?
12 Why were the knees there in front of me,
And why the breasts, that I would nurse?
13 For now I (E)would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With (F)kings and (G)counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt (H)ruins for themselves;
15 Or with (I)rulers (J)who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 Or like a miscarriage which is [g]hidden, I would not exist,
As infants that never saw light.
17 There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the [h]weary are at (K)rest.
18 The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is (L)light given to one burdened with grief,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who [i](M)long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for (N)hidden treasures;
22 Who are filled with jubilation,
And rejoice when they find the grave?
23 Why is light given to a man (O)whose way is hidden,
And whom (P)God has shut off?
24 For (Q)my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And (R)my cries pour out like water.
25 For [j](S)what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread [k]encounters me.
26 I (T)am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
Believers United to Christ
7 Or do you not know, (A)brothers and sisters (for I am speaking to those who know the [a]Law), that the [b]Law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For (B)the married woman is bound by law to her [c]husband as long as he is alive; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law [d]concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is alive she [e]gives herself to another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress if she [f]gives herself to another man.
4 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were (C)put to death (D)in regard to the Law (E)through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were (F)in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were (G)brought to light by the Law, were at work (H)in [g]the parts of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been (I)released from the Law, having (J)died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in (K)newness of (L)the [h]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
7 (M)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? (N)[i]Far from it! On the contrary, (O)I would not have come to know sin except [j]through the Law; for I would not have known about [k]coveting if the Law had not said, “(P)You shall not [l]covet.” 8 But sin, (Q)taking an opportunity (R)through the commandment, produced in me [m]coveting of every kind; for (S)apart [n]from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart [o]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin came to life, and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was [p](T)to result in life, proved [q]to result in death for me; 11 for sin, (U)taking an opportunity (V)through the commandment, (W)deceived me, and through it, killed me. 12 (X)So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? [r](Y)Far from it! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by bringing about my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
The Conflict of Serving Two Masters
14 For we know that the Law is (Z)spiritual, but I am (AA)fleshly, (AB)sold [s](AC)into bondage to sin. 15 For (AD)I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing (AE)what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with (AF)the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, (AG)no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my (AH)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For (AI)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I do the very thing I do not want, (AJ)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me.
21 I find then (AK)the [t]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully agree with the law of God [u]in (AL)the inner person, 23 but I see (AM)a different law in [v]the parts of my body waging war against the (AN)law of my mind, and making me a prisoner [w]of (AO)the law of sin, the law which is in [x]my body’s parts. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [y](AP)the body of this (AQ)death? 25 (AR)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh (AS)the law of sin.
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