M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
48 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And Jacob said to Joseph, (A)“God Almighty[a] appeared to me at (B)Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you (C)for an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your (D)two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, (E)are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow (F)Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance[b] to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
8 When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, (G)“They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that (H)I may bless them.” 10 Now (I)the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, (J)and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, (K)“I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 (L)And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, (M)crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said,
“The God (N)before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16 (O)the angel who has (P)redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys;
and in them let (Q)my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
and let them (R)grow into a multitude[c] in the midst of the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father (S)laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, (T)“I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, (U)his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude[d] of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
(V)‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but (W)God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to (X)you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope[e] that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into (A)the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth (B)was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, (C)“Blessed are you among women, and (D)blessed is (E)the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of (F)my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And (G)blessed is she who believed that there would be[a] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
46 And Mary said,
(H)“My (I)soul (J)magnifies the Lord,
47 (K)and my (L)spirit rejoices in (M)God my Savior,
48 for (N)he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations (O)will call me blessed;
49 for (P)he who is mighty (Q)has done great things for me,
and (R)holy is his name.
50 And (S)his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 (T)He has shown strength with his arm;
(U)he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 (V)he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
(W)and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled (X)the hungry with good things,
and the rich (Y)he has sent away empty.
54 He has (Z)helped (AA)his servant Israel,
(AB)in remembrance of his mercy,
55 (AC)as he spoke to our fathers,
(AD)to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord (AE)had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And (AF)on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother answered, “No; (AG)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And (AH)they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for (AI)a writing tablet and wrote, (AJ)“His name is John.” And they all wondered. 64 (AK)And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue (AL)loosed, and he spoke, (AM)blessing God. 65 And (AN)fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all (AO)the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them (AP)laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For (AQ)the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah's Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (AR)was filled with the Holy Spirit and (AS)prophesied, saying,
68 (AT)“Blessed be the Lord (AU)God of Israel,
for he has (AV)visited and (AW)redeemed his people
69 and (AX)has raised up (AY)a horn of salvation for us
(AZ)in the house of his servant David,
70 (BA)as (BB)he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71 (BC)that we should be saved from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
72 (BD)to show the mercy promised to our fathers
and (BE)to remember his holy (BF)covenant,
73 (BG)the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
might serve him (BH)without fear,
75 (BI)in holiness and righteousness before him (BJ)all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called (BK)the prophet of (BL)the Most High;
for (BM)you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
(BN)in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the (BO)tender mercy of our God,
whereby (BP)the sunrise shall (BQ)visit us[b] (BR)from on high
79 to (BS)give light to (BT)those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into (BU)the way of (BV)peace.”
80 (BW)And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was (BX)in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Job Continues: Death Comes Soon to All
14 “Man who is (A)born of a woman
is (B)few of days and (C)full of trouble.
2 He comes out like (D)a flower and (E)withers;
he flees like (F)a shadow and continues not.
3 And do you (G)open your eyes on such a one
and (H)bring me into judgment with you?
4 Who can bring (I)a clean thing out of an unclean?
There is not one.
5 Since his (J)days are determined,
and (K)the number of his months is with you,
and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
6 (L)look away from him and leave him alone,[a]
that he may enjoy, like (M)a hired hand, his day.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
and that its shoots will not cease.
8 Though its root grow old in the earth,
and (N)its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
and put out (O)branches like a young plant.
10 But a man dies and is laid low;
man breathes his last, and (P)where is he?
11 (Q)As waters fail from a lake
and a river wastes away and dries up,
12 so a man lies down and rises not again;
till (R)the heavens are no more he will not awake
or be (S)roused out of his sleep.
13 Oh that you would (T)hide me in (U)Sheol,
that you would (V)conceal me (W)until your wrath be past,
that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!
14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
All the days of my (X)service I would (Y)wait,
till my renewal[b] should come.
15 You would (Z)call, and I would answer you;
you would long for the (AA)work of your hands.
16 For then you would (AB)number my steps;
you would not keep (AC)watch over my sin;
17 my transgression would be (AD)sealed up in a bag,
and you would cover over my iniquity.
18 “But the mountain falls and (AE)crumbles away,
and (AF)the rock is removed from its place;
19 the waters wear away the stones;
the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
so you destroy the hope of man.
20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes;
you change his countenance, and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and he (AG)does not know it;
they are brought low, and he perceives it not.
22 He feels only the pain of his own body,
and he mourns only for himself.”
Proclaiming Christ Crucified
2 And I, when I came to you, brothers,[a] (A)did not come proclaiming to you (B)the testimony[b] of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And (D)I was with you (E)in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4 and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of (F)the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men[c] but (G)in the power of God.
Wisdom from the Spirit
6 Yet among (H)the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not (I)a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, (J)who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, (K)which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of (L)the rulers of this age understood this, for (M)if they had, they would not have crucified (N)the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
(O)“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has (P)prepared (Q)for those who love him”—
10 these things (R)God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even (S)the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts (T)except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now (U)we have received not (V)the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this (W)in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, (X)interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.[d]
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (Y)folly to him, and (Z)he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The (AA)spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 (AB)“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But (AC)we have the mind of Christ.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.