M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Pharaoh’s Dream
41 Two years later—to the day—Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River,[a] 2 when all of a sudden seven healthy, plump cows emerged from the Nile to graze in the grass that grew in the reeds that lined the bank.[b] 3 Right after that, seven more cows came up out of the Nile. Ugly and gaunt, they stood next to the other cows on the bank of the Nile River. 4 But all of a sudden they ate up the seven healthy, plump cows! Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 After he had fallen back to sleep, he had a second dream, in which seven ears of plump, fruit-filled grain grew up on a single stalk. 6 Suddenly seven thin ears of grain that had been scorched by an east wind sprouted up right after them 7 and ate up the seven plump, fruit-filled ears. Then Pharaoh woke up a second time,[c] and it had been a very vivid[d] dream!
Pharaoh Seeks an Interpretation
8 The very next morning, he[e] was frustrated[f] about the dream, so he sent word to summon all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them what he had dreamed, but no one could interpret them.[g]
9 Then Pharaoh’s senior security advisor[h] spoke up. “Maybe I should make a confession. 10 When Pharaoh was angry with some of his servants, he incarcerated me in custody of the captain of the bodyguard, along with Pharaoh’s head chef.[i] 11 We each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had its own meaning. 12 There was a Hebrew young man incarcerated with us, who was also working as a servant to the captain of the bodyguard.
“We each related our dreams,[j] and then he interpreted them for us. He provided specific meanings for each of our dreams. 13 And what he interpreted for each of us came true! Pharaoh[k] restored me to my responsibilities, but he executed[l] the other man.”
Pharaoh Tells Joseph His Dream
14 Pharaoh sent word to summon Joseph quickly from the dungeon, so they shaved his beard, changed his clothes, and then sent him straight to Pharaoh. 15 “I’ve had a dream,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “but nobody can interpret it. I’ve heard that you can interpret dreams.”
16 “I can’t do that,” Joseph replied, “but God is concerned about Pharaoh’s well-being.”
17 So Pharaoh told Joseph, “In my dream, I was standing on the bank of the Nile River, 18 and all of a sudden seven healthy, plump, beautiful cows emerged from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds that line the bank.[m] 19 Just then, seven other cows emerged after them, poor, ugly, and appearing very gaunt in their flesh. I’ve never seen anything as ugly as those cows anywhere in the entire land of Egypt! 20 But those thin, gaunt cows gobbled up the first seven healthy cows! 21 Not only that,” Pharaoh continued,[n] “after they had finished devouring the cows, nobody could tell that they had gobbled them up, because they were just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. 22 Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain[o] that grew up out of a single stalk. 23 All of a sudden, seven thin, withered ears of grain,[p] scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 24 But the thin ears gobbled up the seven good ears. I told all this to my advisors, but nobody was able to explain it to me.”
Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dream
25 “Pharaoh’s dreams are identical,” Joseph replied. “God has told Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. 26 The seven healthy cows represent seven years, as do the seven healthy ears. The dreams are identical. 27 The seven gaunt cows that arose after the healthy cows[q] are seven years, as are the seven gaunt ears scorched by the east wind. There will be seven years of famine. 28 So the message that I have for Pharaoh is that God is telling Pharaoh what he is getting ready to do. 29 Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them seven years of famine are ahead, during which all of the abundance will be forgotten throughout the land of Egypt. The famine will ravage the land so severely that[r] 31 there will be no surplus in the land due to the coming famine, because it will be very severe.
32 “Now since Pharaoh had that dream twice, it means that this event has been scheduled by God, and God will bring it to pass very soon. 33 Therefore let Pharaoh select a wise, discerning person to place in charge over the land of Egypt. 34 Also, let Pharaoh immediately proceed to appoint supervisors over the land of Egypt, who will collect one fifth of its agricultural production[s] during the coming seven years of abundance. 35 Let them collect all the food during the coming fruitful years, store up the grain in cities governed by Pharaoh’s authority,[t] and place it under guard. 36 Let the food be kept in reserve to feed[u] the land for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout Egypt, so the people don’t[v] die during the famine.”
Pharaoh Appoints Joseph as Regent
37 What Joseph proposed pleased Pharaoh and all of his advisors, 38 so Pharaoh asked his servants, “Can we find anyone else like this—someone in whom the Spirit of God lives? 39 Since God has revealed all of this to you,” Pharaoh told Joseph, “there is no one so wise and discerning as you. 40 So you are to be appointed in charge over my palace, and all of my people are to do whatever you command them to do. Only the throne will have greater authority than you.”
41 “Look!” Pharaoh confirmed[w] to Joseph, “I’ve put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt!”
42 Then Pharaoh[x] removed his signet ring from his hand, placed it on Joseph’s hand, had him clothed in fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 Then he provided him with a chariot as his second-in-command, outfitted with a group of people who shouted out in front of him, “Bow your knees!” And that’s how Pharaoh set Joseph over the entire land of Egypt.
Pharaoh Rewards Joseph
44 Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I’m still Pharaoh, but without your permission nobody in all of the land of Egypt will so much as lift up their hands or take a step!” 45 Pharaoh also changed Joseph’s name to Zaphenath-paneah[y] and gave Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to him as his wife. And that’s how Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.
Joseph Begins Gathering Grain
46 Joseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh, king of Egypt, by traveling throughout the land of Egypt, independent from Pharaoh’s oversight.[z] 47 While bumper crops grew during the seven abundant years, 48 Joseph[aa] collected the surplus food throughout the land of Egypt, storing food in cities; that is, he gathered the food from fields that surrounded every city and stored it there. 49 Joseph stored up so much grain—like sand on the seashore in so much abundance!—that he stopped keeping records because it was proving to be impossible to measure how much they were gathering.
Joseph’s Children are Born
50 Before the years of famine arrived, Joseph fathered two sons with Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. 51 Joseph named his firstborn son[ab] Manasseh because, he said, “God has made me forget all of my hard life and my father’s house.” 52 He named his second son Ephraim because, he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my troubles.”
The Famine Begins
53 As soon as the seven years of abundance throughout the land of Egypt ended, 54 the seven years of famine started, just as Joseph had predicted.[ac] It was an international famine, but there was food everywhere throughout the land of Egypt. 55 Eventually, the land of Egypt began to feel the effects of the famine, so the people[ad] cried out to Pharaoh for food. “Go see Joseph,” Pharaoh announced to all the Egyptians, “and do whatever he tells you to do.”
56 Joseph opened all of the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, because the famine was beginning to be severe throughout the land of Egypt. 57 In addition, all of the surrounding nations[ae] came to Joseph to buy grain from Egypt, because the famine had become severe throughout the world.
The King Enters Jerusalem(A)
11 When they came near Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, Jesus[a] sent two of his disciples on ahead 2 and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you go into it, you will find a colt tied up that no one has ever ridden. Untie it, and bring it along. 3 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?,’ say, ‘The Lord needs it,’ and he will send it back here at once.”
4 So they went and found the colt outside in the street tied up next to a doorway. While they were untying it, 5 some men standing there asked them, “What are you doing untying that colt?” 6 The disciples[b] told them what Jesus had said, and the men[c] let them go.
7 They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their coats on it, and he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road, while others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed him were shouting,
“Hosanna![d]
How blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord![e]
10 How blessed is the coming kingdom[f]
of our ancestor David!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”[g]
11 Then Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the Temple and looked around at everything. Since it was already late, he went out with the Twelve to Bethany.
Jesus Curses a Fig Tree(B)
12 The next day, as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus[h] became hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree covered with leaves, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing except leaves because it wasn’t the season for figs. 14 So he told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” Now his disciples were listening to this.
Confrontation in the Temple over Money(C)
15 When they came to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were selling and those who were buying in the Temple. He overturned the moneychangers’ tables and the chairs of those who sold doves. 16 He wouldn’t even let anyone carry a vessel through the Temple. 17 Then he began to teach them: “It is written, is it not, ‘My house is to be called a house of prayer for all nations’?[i] But you’ve turned it into a hideout[j] for bandits!” 18 When the high priests and elders heard this, they began to look for a way to kill him, because they were afraid of him, since the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching. 19 When evening came, Jesus and his disciples[k] would leave the city.
The Lesson from the Dried Fig Tree(D)
20 While they were walking along early the next morning, they saw the fig tree dried up to its roots. 21 Remembering what Jesus had said,[l] Peter pointed out to him, “Rabbi,[m] look! The fig tree you cursed has dried up!”
22 Jesus told his disciples,[n] “Have faith in God! 23 I tell all of you[o] with certainty, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ if he doesn’t doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24 That is why I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received[p] it and it will be yours.
25 “Whenever you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins. 26 But if you do not forgive, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.”[q]
Jesus’ Authority is Challenged(E)
27 Then they went into Jerusalem again. While Jesus[r] was walking in the Temple, the high priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28 and asked him, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority to do them?”
29 Jesus told them, “I’ll ask you one question.[s] Answer me, and then I’ll tell you by what authority I’m doing these things. 30 Was John’s authority to baptize[t] from heaven or from humans? Answer me.”
31 They began discussing this among themselves. “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he’ll say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From humans’…?” They were afraid of the crowd, because everyone really thought John was a prophet.
33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Then Jesus told them, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I’m doing these things.”
Job Acknowledges the Brevity of Life
7 “Men have harsh servitude on earth, do they not?
His days are like those of a hired laborer, are they not?[a]
2 I’m like a servant who longs for the shade,
like a hired laborer who is looking for his wages.
3 Truly I’ve been allotted months of emptiness;
nights of trouble have been appointed for me.
4 “When I lie down I ask,
‘When will I wake up?’
But the night continues
and I keep tossing and turning until dawn.[b]
5 My skin[c] is covered with worms and clods of dirt;
my skin becomes rough and then breaks out afresh.
6 My days pass as swiftly as a hand-loom;
they come to their conclusion without hope.
7 Remember that my life is a breath;
my eyes won’t go back to seeing good things.[d]
8 The eyes of the one who sees me won’t see me anymore;
your eyes will look[e] for me
but I won’t be around![f]
9 As a cloud fades away and vanishes,
the one who descends to the afterlife[g] doesn’t return.[h]
10 He doesn’t return again to his house,
and his place won’t recognize him anymore.”
Job Intends to Complain
11 “In addition, I won’t keep my opinion[i] to myself;
I’ll speak from my distressed spirit;
I’ll complain with my bitter soul.
12 Am I the sea, or a sea monster,
that you keep watching me?
13 For I’ve said, ‘My bed will comfort me;
my couch will ease my burdens[j] while I complain.’
14 But then you scared me with dreams;
you terrified me with visions.
15 I would rather die by strangulation
than continue living.[k]
16 I hate the thought of living forever!
Leave me alone, because my days are pointless.”
Job Acknowledges Humankind’s Insignificance
17 “What is a human being, that you make so much of him;
that you set your affections on him,
18 visit him every morning,
and test him continually?
19 Why won’t you look away from me?
Why don’t you leave me alone so I can swallow my saliva?
20 So what if I sin? What have I done against you,
you observer of humankind?
Why have you made me your target?
Why burden yourself with me?
21 Why haven’t you pardoned my transgression
and taken away my iniquity?
Now I’m about to lie down in the dust.
You will seek me diligently,
but I won’t be around!”[l]
God’s Love for His People
11 So I ask, “God has not rejected his people, has he?” Of course not! I am an Israeli myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he chose[a] long ago. Do you not know what the Scripture says in the story about Elijah,[b] when he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and demolished your altars. I am the only one left, and they are trying to take my life.”[c] 4 But what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for myself 7,000 people who have not knelt to worship Baal.”[d] 5 So it is at the present time: there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if this is by grace, then it is no longer on the basis of actions. Otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What, then, does this mean?[e] It means that Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking, but the selected group obtained it while the rest were hardened. 8 As it is written,
“To this day God has put them into[f] deep sleep.
Their eyes do not see, and their ears do not hear.”[g]
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a punishment for them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and keep their backs forever bent.”[h]
The Salvation of the Gentiles
11 And so I ask, “They have not stumbled so as to fall, have they?” Of course not! On the contrary, because of their stumbling, salvation has come to the gentiles to make the Jews[i] jealous. 12 Now if their stumbling means riches for the world, and if their fall means riches for the gentiles, how much more will their full participation mean!
13 I am speaking to you gentiles. Because I am an apostle to the gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in the hope that I can make my people[j] jealous and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection results in reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance bring but life from the dead? 16 If the first part of the dough is holy, so is the whole batch. If the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 Now if some of the branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive branch, have been grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not boast about being better than[k] the other[l] branches. If you boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were cut off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 That’s right! They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you remain only because of faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid![m] 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he certainly will not spare you, either.
22 Consider, then, the kindness and severity of God: his severity toward those who fell, but God’s kindness toward you—if you continue receiving his kindness. Otherwise, you too will be cut off. 23 If the Jews[n] do not persist in their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, because God is able to graft them in. 24 After all, if you were cut off from what is naturally a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much easier it will be for these natural branches to be grafted back into their own olive tree!
The Restoration of Israel
25 For I want to let you know about this secret, brothers, so that you will not claim to be wiser than you are: Stubbornness has come to part of Israel until the full number of the gentiles comes to faith.[o] 26 In this way, all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come from Zion;
he will remove ungodliness from Jacob.
27 This is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”[p]
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake, but as far as election is concerned, they are loved for the sake of their ancestors. 29 For God’s gifts and calling never change. 30 For just as you disobeyed God in the past but now have received his mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they, too, have now disobeyed. As a result, they may[q] receive mercy because of the mercy shown to you. 32 For God has locked all people in the prison of their own disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.
In Praise of God’s Ways
33 O how deep are God’s riches,
and wisdom, and knowledge!
How unfathomable are his decisions
and unexplainable are his ways!
34 Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has become his advisor?[r]
35 Or who has given him something
only to have him pay it back?”[s]
36 For all things are from him, by him, and for him.
Glory belongs to him forever! Amen.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.