M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh]. ·I will use my great power against him, and [L By a mighty hand] he will let my people go. ·Because of my power, [L By a mighty hand] he will force them out of his country.”
2 Then God said to Moses, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the name ·God Almighty [El Shaddai], but they did not know me by my name, ·the Lord [Yahweh]. 4 I also ·made [established] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; C the covenant with Abraham; Gen. 12:1–3] with them to give them the land of Canaan. They ·lived in that land, but it was not their own [L sojourned; wandered as aliens]. 5 Now I have heard the ·cries [groans; moans] of the ·Israelites [L sons of Israel], whom the Egyptians are treating as slaves, and I remember my ·agreement [covenant]. 6 So tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel that I say to them, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. I will rescue you, so you will not be slaves to the Egyptians. I will ·free [redeem] you by my ·great power [L outstretched arm], and ·I will punish the Egyptians terribly [L with great/mighty judgments]. 7 I will make you my own people, and I will be your God [C the heart or essence of the covenant]. You will know that I am the Lord your God, the One who ·saves you [L brought you out] from the hard work the Egyptians force you to do. 8 I will ·lead [bring] you to the land that I ·promised [swore; L lifted my hand to give; C to take an oath] to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give you that land to own. I am the Lord.’”
9 So Moses told this to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], but they would not listen to him. ·They were discouraged [Their spirits were broken], and their slavery was ·hard [cruel].
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go tell Pharaoh the king of Egypt that he must let the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] leave his land.”
12 But Moses answered, “[L If] The Israelites will not listen to me, so surely ·the king [L Pharaoh] will not listen to me either. I am ·not a good speaker [L uncircumcised of lips].”
13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders about the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] and [L Pharaoh] the king of Egypt. He commanded them to ·lead [bring] the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] out of Egypt.
Families of Israel
14 These are the ·leaders [heads] of the ·families of Israel [L their father’s/ancestors’ household]:
Israel’s first son, Reuben, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the ·family groups [clans] of Reuben.
15 Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the ·family groups [clans] of Simeon.
16 Levi lived one hundred thirty-seven years. These are the names of his sons according to their family history: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
17 Gershon had two sons, Libni and Shimei, with their ·families [clans].
18 Kohath lived one hundred thirty-three years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
These are the ·family groups [clans] of Levi, according to their family history.
20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who gave birth to Aaron and Moses. Amram lived one hundred thirty-seven years.
21 Izhar’s sons were Korah, Nepheg, and Zicri.
22 Uzziel’s sons were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon. Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
24 The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the ·family groups [clans] of the Korahites.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married a daughter of Putiel, and she gave birth to Phinehas.
These are the ·leaders [heads] of the ·family groups [clans] of the Levites.
26 This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “·Lead [Bring] the people of Israel out of Egypt by their ·divisions [hosts; companies; C a military term].” 27 Aaron and Moses are the ones who talked to Pharaoh the king of Egypt and told him to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
God Repeats His Call to Moses
28 The Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt 29 and said, “I am the Lord. Tell Pharaoh the king of Egypt everything I tell you.”
30 But Moses answered, “I am ·not a good speaker [L uncircumcised of lips]. ·The king [L Pharaoh] will not listen to me.”
Jesus Sends Out the Apostles(A)
9 Jesus called ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] together and gave them power and authority ·over all [to cast out] demons and the ability to heal ·sicknesses [diseases]. 2 He sent the ·apostles [L them] out to ·tell about [preach; proclaim] God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey], neither a ·walking stick [staff], ·bag [or beggar’s bag], ·bread [food], money, or ·extra clothes [L two shirts/tunics]. 4 When you enter a house, stay there ·until it is time to leave [L and depart from there; C probably to avoid temptation to move to better accommodations]. 5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off of your feet [C a sign of rejection and coming judgment] as you leave the town, as a ·warning to [testimony/evidence against] them.”
6 So the apostles went out and traveled ·through all the towns [from town to town], ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] and healing people everywhere.
Herod Is Confused About Jesus(B)
7 [L Now; But] Herod, the ·governor [L tetrarch; C Herod Antipas; 3:1], heard about all the things that were happening and was ·confused [puzzled; perplexed], because some people said, “·John the Baptist [L John] has risen from the dead.” 8 Others said, “Elijah has ·come to us [reappeared; L appeared; C some Jews expected Elijah to return in the end times; Mal. 4:5].” And still others said, “One of the prophets who lived long ago has ·risen from the dead [or appeared once again; L arisen].” 9 Herod said, “I ·cut off John’s head [had John beheaded], so who is this man I hear such things about?” And Herod kept trying to see Jesus.
More than Five Thousand Fed(C)
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then Jesus took them with him to a town called Bethsaida where they could be alone together. 11 But the ·people [crowds] learned where Jesus went and followed him. He welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom and healed those who needed to be healed.
12 Late in the afternoon, ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] came to Jesus and said, “Send the ·people [crowd] away. They need to go to the ·towns [villages] and countryside around here and find places to sleep and something to eat, because ·no one lives in this [L we are in a remote/deserted] place.”
13 But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish, unless we go buy food for all these people.” 14 (There were about five thousand men there.)
Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Tell the people to sit in groups of about fifty people.”
15 So ·the followers [L they] did this, and all the people sat down. 16 Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [L blessed] the food. Then he ·divided the food [broke it into pieces] and gave it to the ·followers [disciples] to ·give to [distribute to; L set before] the people. 17 They all ate and were ·satisfied [filled], and what was left over was gathered up, filling twelve baskets.
Jesus Is the Christ(D)
18 One time when Jesus was praying alone, his ·followers [disciples] were with him, and he asked them, “Who do the ·people [crowds] say I am?”
19 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [see 9:8; 1 Kin. 17]. And others say you are one of the prophets from long ago who has ·come back to life [risen/appeared again].”
20 Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are ·the Christ from God [God’s Messiah; the Messiah sent from God].”
Jesus Speaks of His Crucifixion(E)
21 Jesus ·warned [sternly commanded] them not to tell anyone, saying, 22 “The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] must suffer many things. He will be rejected by the Jewish elders, the ·leading [T chief] priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He will be killed and ·after three days [L on the third day] will be raised from the dead.”
23 Jesus said to all of them, “If ·people want [L anyone wants] to follow me, they must ·give up the things they want [deny themselves; set aside their own interests]. They must ·be willing to give up their lives [L take up their cross] daily and follow me. 24 [L For] Those who want to save their lives will ·give up true life [L lose their life/soul; C Greek psychē can mean “life” or “soul”]. But those who ·give up [lose; sacrifice] their lives for ·me [my sake] will ·have true life [save their lives/souls]. 25 ·It is worthless [L What good/profit/benefit is it…?] to ·have [gain] the whole world if they themselves are destroyed or lost. 26 ·If people are [L For whoever is] ashamed of me and my ·teaching [message; words], then the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and with the glory of the Father and the holy angels. 27 I tell you the truth, some people standing here will not ·die [L taste death] before they see the kingdom of God.” [C “Seeing the kingdom of God” may refer to the Transfiguration which follows (9:28–36), Jesus’ resurrection, or the destruction of Jerusalem in ad 70.]
The Transfiguration on the Mountain(F)
28 About eight days after Jesus said these things, he took Peter, John, and James and went up on a mountain to pray. 29 While Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face ·changed [was altered], and his clothes ·became shining white [or flashed white like lightning]. 30 Then [L look; T behold] two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with Jesus. [C God had given the Law through Moses, and Elijah was an important prophet (see 9:8); together they signify that Jesus fulfills the OT.] 31 They appeared in ·heavenly glory [L glory], talking about his departure [C Greek: exodos, perhaps recalling the Exodus from Egypt, and referring to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension] which he ·would soon bring about [L was about to fulfill/accomplish] in Jerusalem. 32 [L Now; But] Peter and the others were ·very sleepy [L weighed down with sleep], but when they awoke fully, they saw the glory of Jesus and the two men standing with him. 33 When Moses and Elijah were ·about to leave [L leaving him], Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three ·tents [shelters; shrines; tabernacles; Lev. 23:42]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” [C Perhaps Peter wanted to prolong their stay or to commemorate their visit.] (Peter did not ·know what he was talking about [L realize/know what he was saying].)
34 While he was saying these things, a cloud came and ·covered [overshadowed] them, and they became afraid as ·the cloud covered them [L they entered the cloud]. 35 [L And; Then] A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son [Ps. 2:7], ·whom I have chosen [or my Chosen One; Is. 42:1]. Listen to him [Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22]!”
36 When the voice finished speaking, only Jesus was there. Peter, John, and James ·said nothing [kept silent] and told no one at that time what they had seen.
Jesus Heals a Sick Boy(G)
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Jesus. 38 A man in the crowd ·shouted [cried out] to him, “Teacher, ·please [L I beg you to] come and look at my son, because he is my only child. 39 [L And look/T behold] ·An evil spirit [L A spirit] seizes my son, and suddenly ·he [or it] screams. It causes him to ·lose control of himself [have convulsions] and foam at the mouth. The evil spirit ·keeps on hurting [batters; mauls] him and almost never leaves him. 40 I begged your ·followers [disciples] to ·force [drive; cast] the evil spirit out, but they could not do it.”
41 Jesus answered, “·You people have no faith, and your lives are all wrong [L O unbelieving and corrupt/perverse generation]. How long must I stay with you and ·put up with [endure; bear with] you? Bring your son here.”
42 While the boy was coming, the demon threw him on the ground ·and made him lose control of himself [in convulsions]. But Jesus ·gave a strong command to [rebuked] the ·evil [defiling; L unclean; 4:33] spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. 43 All the people were ·amazed [astonished; awestruck] at the ·great power [majesty; greatness] of God.
Jesus Talks About His Death(H)
While everyone was ·wondering [marveling] about all that Jesus did, he said to his ·followers [disciples], 44 “·Don’t forget what I tell you now [L Put these words into your ears]: [L For] The Son of Man will be ·handed over [betrayed; delivered] to ·people [his enemies; L human hands].” 45 But ·the followers [L they] did not understand ·what this meant [L this word/statement]; the meaning was hidden from them so they could not ·understand [perceive it; grasp it]. But they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.
Who Is the Greatest?(I)
46 Jesus’ followers began to have an argument about which one of them ·was [would be] the greatest. 47 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he took a little child and stood the child beside him. 48 Then Jesus said, “Whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] this little child in my name ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me [C children had low social status, so the saying indicates concern for the lowly]. And whoever ·accepts [welcomes; receives] me ·accepts [welcomes; receives] the One who sent me, because whoever is least among you all is really the greatest.”
Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us(J)
49 John answered, “Master, we saw someone using your name to ·force [drive; cast] demons out of people. We told him to stop, because he ·does not belong to our group [L does not follow with us].”
50 But Jesus said to him, “Don’t ·stop [hinder; forbid] him, because whoever is not against you is for you.”
A Town Rejects Jesus
51 When the time was coming near for Jesus to ·depart [ascend], he ·was determined to go to [resolutely set out for; L set his face toward] Jerusalem [Matt. 19:1–2; Mark 10:1]. 52 He sent some messengers ahead of him, who went into a town in Samaria to make everything ready for him. 53 But the people there would not ·welcome [receive] him, because he was ·set on going to [heading towards; L traveling with his face toward] Jerusalem [C Samaritans worshiped at Mount Gerizim, not in Jerusalem]. 54 When James and John, ·followers [disciples] of Jesus, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven and ·destroy [burn up; consume] those people[a] [2 Kin. 1:10]?”
55 But Jesus turned and ·scolded [rebuked] them. |And Jesus said, “You don’t know what kind of spirit you belong to. 56 The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] did not come to destroy the ·souls [lives] of people but to save them.”|[b] Then they went to another town.
Following Jesus(K)
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you ·any place [wherever] you go.”
58 Jesus said to them, “The foxes have ·holes [dens] to live in, and the ·birds [L birds of the sky] have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to ·rest [lay] his head.”
59 Jesus said to another man, “Follow me!”
But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the people who are [C spiritually] dead bury their own dead. You must go and ·tell about [proclaim] the kingdom of God.”
61 Another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to my family.”
62 Jesus said, “Anyone who ·begins to plow a field [L puts a hand to the plow] but keeps looking back is ·of no use in [or not fit for] the kingdom of God.”
Job Answers
23 Then Job answered:
2 “My ·complaint [or speech] is still ·bitter [or rebellious] today.
·I groan because God’s heavy hand is on me [or My hand is heavy with groaning].
3 I wish I knew where to find God
so I could go to ·where he lives [L his place].
4 I would present my case before him
and fill my mouth with ·arguments [or reprimands; reproofs].
5 I would learn ·how [L the words by which] he would answer me
and would think about what he would say.
6 Would he not ·argue [present his case] ·strongly [L with great power] against me?
No, he would really listen to me.
7 ·Then [L There] an ·honest [virtuous] person could ·present his case to God [reprimand/reprove him],
and I would ·be saved [escape] forever ·by [or from] my judge.
8 “If I go to the east, God is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not ·see [perceive] him.
9 When he ·is at work [acts] in the north, I catch no ·sight [glimpse] of him;
when he ·turns to [L wraps himself up in] the south, I cannot see him.
10 But God knows the way that I take,
and when he has tested me, I will come out like gold [Ps. 139:23–24].
11 My feet have ·closely followed [L held fast to] his steps;
I have stayed in his ·way [path; Prov. 4:10–11];
I did not turn aside.
12 I have never ·left [departed from] the commands ·he has spoken [L of his lips];
I have ·treasured his words more than my own [L stored up in my bosom the speeches of his mouth].
13 “But he is ·the only God [unique].
Who can ·come against him [L turn him back]?
He does anything he wants.
14 He will do to me what he ·said he would do [has designated for me],
and he ·has [or may have] many plans like this.
15 That is why I am ·frightened [terrified] of ·him [L his presence];
when I ·think of [reflect on] this, I am ·afraid [in dread] of him.
16 God has made ·me afraid [L my heart timid];
·the Almighty [L Shaddai] terrifies me.
17 But I am not ·hidden [silenced] by the darkness,
by the thick darkness that covers my face [C though afraid, Job still seeks to set God straight].
Warnings from Israel’s Past
10 Brothers and sisters, I ·want you to know [L don’t want you to be ignorant of] what happened to our ancestors. They were all under the cloud [C the Israelites were guided in the wilderness by a cloud, a symbol of God’s presence; Ex. 13:21; Num. 9:15–23] and all went through the sea [C the miraculous passage through the Red Sea; Ex. 14:22]. 2 They were all baptized ·as followers of [L into] Moses in the cloud and in the sea [C just as believers are baptized “into Christ” (Rom. 6:3), so the Israelites were “baptized” into Moses, their leader-redeemer]. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food [C the manna God provided from heaven; Ex. 16:15, 35], 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink [C the water miraculously provided from a rock; Ex. 17:6; Num. 20:7–13]. They drank from that spiritual rock that followed them [C in Jewish tradition, the rock travelled with the Israelites, providing continual refreshment], and that rock was Christ [C a type of Christ, who provides spiritual sustenance]. 5 But God was not pleased with most of them, so they ·died [or were struck down; or (their bodies) were scattered] in the desert [C as judgment for unbelief and refusing to enter the Promised Land; Num. 13—14].
6 And these things happened as examples for us, to stop us from ·wanting [desiring; craving] evil things as those people did. 7 Do not worship idols, as some of them did. Just as it is written in the Scriptures: “The people sat down to eat and drink, and then they got up and ·sinned sexually [L played; C a euphemism for immoral revelry; Ex. 32:6].” 8 We must not take part in sexual sins, as some of them did. In one day twenty-three thousand of them ·died because of their sins [L fell; Num 25:1–9]. 9 We must not test Christ as some of them did; they were ·killed [destroyed] by snakes. 10 Do not ·complain [grumble] as some of them did; they were killed by the ·angel that destroys [L destroyer; Num. 16:41–50; Ex. 12:23].
11 The things that happened to those people are examples. They were written down to ·teach [instruct; warn] us ·who live in the final days of this age [L for whom the end/climax/culmination of the ages has come]. 12 [L So; Therefore] If you think you are ·strong [L standing (firm)], you should be careful not to fall. 13 The only ·temptation [or trials] that has come to you is ·that which everyone has [L (common to) human life]. But ·you can trust God [God is faithful], who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to ·stand [endure] it.
14 So, my ·dear friends [beloved], ·run away from [flee; stay away from] the worship of idols. 15 I am speaking to you as to ·reasonable [sensible; discerning] people; ·judge [consider] for yourselves what I say. 16 We give thanks for the cup of blessing [C used in the Lord’s Supper], ·which is [L is this not…?] a ·sharing [participation; fellowship] in the blood of Christ. And the bread that we break ·is [L is it not…?] a ·sharing [participation; fellowship] in the body of Christ. 17 Because there is one loaf of bread, we who are many are one body, because we all share that one loaf.
18 Think about ·the Israelites [L Israel according to the flesh]: Do not those who eat the sacrifices ·share [participate] in the altar [C by eating the sacrificial food, priests in the Jerusalem temple participate in the worship of God]? 19 ·I do not mean [L What, then, am I saying…?] that the food sacrificed to an idol is important or that an idol is anything at all. 20 But I say that what is sacrificed to idols is offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to ·share anything [be participants; share fellowship] with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons also. You cannot ·share in [partake of] the Lord’s table and the table of demons. 22 Are we trying to make the Lord jealous? We are not stronger than he is, are we?
How to Use Christian Freedom
23 “·We are allowed to do all things [L All things are lawful/permissible],” but not all things are ·good for us to do [profitable; beneficial]. “·We are allowed to do all things [L All things are lawful/permissible],” but not all things ·help others grow stronger [L build up; C the quotations were probably slogans the Corinthians used; 6:12, 13; 7:1; 8:1, 4]. 24 Do not look out only for yourselves. Look out for the good of others.
25 Eat any meat that is sold in the meat market. Do not ask questions ·about it [L for conscience’s sake]. 26 You may eat it, “because the earth belongs to the Lord, and ·everything in it [its fullness/abundance/bounty; Ps. 24:1; 50:12; 89:11].”
27 Those who are not believers may invite you to eat with them. If you want to go, eat anything that is put before you. Do not ask questions ·about it [L for conscience’s sake]. 28 But if anyone says to you, “That food was offered to idols,” do not eat it. Do not eat it because of that person who told you and ·because eating it might be thought to be wrong [L for conscience’s sake]. 29 I don’t mean ·you think it is wrong [your conscience], but the ·other person might [the concience of the other person]. ·But why, you ask, [or For why] should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I eat the meal with thankfulness, why am I criticized because of something for which I thank God?
31 ·The answer is [or Therefore; In summary], if you eat or drink, or if you do anything, do it all for the glory of God. 32 Never do anything that might hurt others—Jews, Greeks, or God’s church— 33 just as I, also, try to please everybody in every way. I am not trying to do what is ·good [advantageous] for me but what is ·good [advantageous] for most people so they can be saved.
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