M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Water from a Rock
17 The whole ·Israelite community [congregation/assembly of the sons/T children of Israel] left the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sin and ·traveled from place to place [journeyed by stages], as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. 2 So the people ·quarreled with [accused; made a case against] Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”
Moses said to them, “Why do you ·quarrel with [accuse; make a case against] me? Why are you ·testing [putting on trial] the Lord?”
3 But the people were very thirsty for water, so they ·grumbled [complained] against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Was it to kill us, our children, and our farm animals with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What can I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me to death.”
5 The Lord said to Moses, “Go ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Carry with you the ·walking stick [staff] that you used to strike the Nile River [14:21]. Now go! 6 I will stand in front of you on a rock at ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb; C another name for Sinai; 3:1]. ·Hit [Strike] that rock with the ·stick [staff], and water will come out of it so that the people can drink.” Moses did these things as the elders of Israel watched. 7 He named that place Massah [C Hebrew for “test”], because the Israelites tested the Lord when they asked, “Is the Lord with us or not?” He also named it Meribah [C Hebrew for “quarrel”], because they ·quarreled [accused; made a case].
The Amalekites Fight Israel
8 At Rephidim the Amalekites came and fought the Israelites. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “·Choose [Select] some men and go and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, ·holding [extending; stretching out] the ·walking stick [staff] of God in my hands.”
10 Joshua ·obeyed Moses [L did as Moses said] and went to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses ·held [raised] his hands up, the Israelites would ·win the fight [prevail], but when Moses put his hands down, the Amalekites ·would win [prevailed; C the staff represented the presence of God, who fought for Israel]. 12 Later, when Moses’ arms became ·tired [L heavy], the men put a large rock under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands—Aaron on one side and Hur on the other. They kept his hands steady until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua defeated ·the Amalekites [L Amalek and his people] ·in this battle [L with the sword].
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write about this battle in a ·book [or scroll] ·so people will remember [L as a memorial]. And ·be sure to tell [L place this in the ear of] Joshua, because I will completely ·destroy [annihilate; blot out] the Amalekites from ·the earth [L under heaven; Deut. 25:17–19].”
15 Then Moses built an altar and named it ·The Lord Is My Banner [L Yahweh Nissi]. 16 Moses said, “I lifted my hands toward the Lord’s throne. The Lord will fight against the Amalekites forever.”
Jewish Leaders Question Jesus(A)
20 One day Jesus was in the Temple, teaching the people and ·telling them the Good News [preaching the Gospel]. The ·leading [T chief] priests, ·teachers of the law [scribes], and elders came up to talk with him, 2 saying, “Tell us what authority you have to do these things? [L Or] Who gave you this authority?”
3 Jesus answered, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me: 4 When John baptized people, was that authority from ·God [L heaven; C a reverent Jewish way of referring to God] or just from ·other people [human beings]?”
5 They ·argued about this [L discussed this among themselves], saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from ·God [L heaven],’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘It was from ·other people [human beings],’ all the people will stone us to death, because they ·believe [are convinced that] John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they didn’t know where it came from.
8 Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
The Story of the Evil Farmers(B)
9 Then Jesus ·told [L began/proceeded to tell] the people this ·story [parable]: “A man planted a vineyard and leased it to some [C tenant] farmers [C Jesus builds on Is. 5:1–7; the owner represents God; the farmers are Israel’s religious leaders]. Then he ·went away [took a journey] for a long time. 10 ·When it was time for the grapes to be picked [L At the (harvest) time], he sent a ·servant [slave] to the farmers to get some of the grapes [C the portion of the harvest to pay the rent]. But they beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 Then he sent another ·servant [slave]. They beat him also, and ·showed no respect for [humiliated; dishonored] him, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 So the man sent a third. The farmers wounded him and threw him out [C the servants represent the prophets God sent to Israel]. 13 The owner of the vineyard said, ‘What will I do now? I will send my son whom I love [C representing Jesus; see 3:22]. ·Maybe [or Probably; or Surely] they will respect him.’ 14 But when the farmers saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This ·son will inherit the vineyard [L is the heir]. Let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours.’ 15 So the farmers threw the son out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What will the ·owner [lord] of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and ·kill [destroy] those farmers and will give the vineyard to ·other farmers [L others; C referring to the sinners who were responding to Jesus’ call for repentance, and eventually to the Gentiles who would be saved].”
When the people heard this ·story [parable], they said, “·Let this never happen [T God forbid; L May it not happen]!”
17 But Jesus looked [directly; intently] at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture passage mean:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the ·cornerstone [or capstone; or keystone; L head of the corner]’? [C This is the most important stone in the building; Jesus is the rejected stone; Ps. 118:22.]
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken [Is. 8:14], and the person on whom it falls, that person will be crushed [cf. Dan. 2:34]!”
19 The ·teachers of the law [scribes] and the ·leading [T chief] priests ·wanted [tried/sought] to ·arrest [seize; L lay hands on] Jesus at once, because they knew the ·story [parable] was ·about [told against] them. But they were afraid of what the people would do.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(C)
20 So they watched Jesus and sent some spies who acted as if they were ·sincere [honest; righteous]. They wanted to trap Jesus in saying something wrong so they could hand him over to the ·authority [jurisdiction; rule] and ·power [authority] of the governor. 21 So the spies asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know that what you say and teach is ·true [right; correct]. You ·pay no attention to who people are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances], and you always teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. 22 Tell us, is it ·right [permissible; lawful] for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” [C Saying yes would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying no could result in being charged with insurrection.]
23 But Jesus, knowing ·they were trying to trick him [L their craftiness/duplicity], said, 24 “Show me a ·coin [L denarius]. Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription; title] are on it?”
They said, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
25 Jesus said to them, “Then ·give [give back; T render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and ·give [give back; T render] to God the things that are God’s.”
26 So they were not able to ·trap [catch] Jesus in anything he said in the presence of the people. And being amazed at his answer, they ·became silent [kept quiet].
Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus(D)
27 Some Sadducees, who believed people would not rise from the dead, came to Jesus. 28 They asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [L raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [Deut. 25:5–6]. 29 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [L took a wife] and died, but had no children. 30 Then the second brother married the widow, and he died. 31 And the third brother married the widow, and he died. The same thing happened with all seven brothers; they died and had no children. 32 Finally, the woman died also. 33 Since all seven brothers had married her, whose wife will she be ·when people rise from the dead [L at the resurrection]?”
34 Jesus said to them, “·On earth, people [L The children of this age] marry and are given to someone to marry. 35 But those who will be worthy ·to be raised from the dead and live again [L of the age to come and the resurrection] will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. 36 [L For] In that life they are ·like [or equal to] angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they ·have been raised from the dead [are children of the resurrection]. 37 Even Moses clearly showed that the dead are raised to life. When he wrote about the burning bush [Ex. 3:1–12], he said that the Lord is ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [Ex. 3:6; C God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ 38 God is the God of the living, not the dead, because all people are alive to him.”
39 Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] said, “Teacher, ·your answer was good [well said!].” 40 No one ·was brave enough [dared] to ask him another question.
Is the Christ the Son of David?(E)
41 Then Jesus said, “Why do people say that the ·Christ [Messiah] is the Son of David [2 Sam. 7:12–16]? 42 [L For; Since] In the book of Psalms, David himself says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit by me at my right ·side [L hand],
43 until I put your enemies ·under your control [L as a footstool for your feet; C meaning defeated or made subject to your authority; Ps. 110:1].”’
44 David calls ·the Christ [the Messiah; L him] ‘Lord,’ so how can ·the Christ [the Messiah; L he] be his son?”
Jesus Accuses Some Leaders(F)
45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], 46 “Beware of the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They like to walk around wearing ·fancy clothes [or flowing robes], and they love for people to greet them with respect in the marketplaces. They love to have the most important seats in the synagogues [11:43] and [the place of highest honor] at ·feasts [banquets]. 47 But they ·cheat widows and steal their houses [L devour widows’ homes] and ·then try to make themselves look good by saying [L with false motives pray] long prayers. They will receive a greater ·punishment [condemnation].”
35 Then Elihu answered:
2 “Do you think this is ·fair [just]?
You say, ‘·God will show that I am right [or I am more right than God],’
3 but you also ask, ‘What’s the use?
·I don’t gain [L How have I gained…?] anything by not sinning.’
4 “I will answer you
and your friends who are with you.
5 Look up at the ·sky [L heavens and see]
and observe the clouds so high above you.
6 If you sin, it does nothing to ·God [L him];
even if your ·sins [transgressions] are many, they do nothing to him.
7 If you are ·good [right; righteous], ·you give nothing [L what would you give…?] to God;
·he receives nothing [L what would he receive…?] from your hand.
8 Your ·evil ways [wickedness] only ·hurt [or influence] others like yourself,
and ·the good you do [your righteousness] only ·helps [or influences] other human beings.
9 “·People [L They] cry out ·when they are in trouble [due to their many oppressions];
they ·beg for relief [shout for help] ·from powerful people [L because of the arm of the strong].
10 But no one asks, ‘Where is God, my Maker,
who gives us ·songs [or strength] in the night,
11 who ·makes us smarter [or teaches us more] than the animals of the earth
and wiser than the birds of the ·air [heavens]?’
12 He does not answer evil people when they cry out,
because the wicked are proud.
13 God does not listen to their useless begging;
the Almighty pays no attention to them.
14 ·He will listen to you even [L How much] less
when you say that you do not see him,
that your case is before him,
that you must wait for him,
15 that his anger never punishes,
and that he doesn’t notice evil.
16 So Job is only speaking ·nonsense [meaningless things],
saying many words ·without knowing what is true [ignorantly].”
5 [L For] We know that ·when [if] our ·body [L earthly house]—the tent we live in here on earth—is destroyed, ·God will have a house for us [L we have a building from God]. It will not be made by human hands, but will be an eternal home ·in heaven [or in the heavens]. 2 But now we ·groan [sigh] in this ·tent [or body; L one], longing to be clothed in our heavenly ·home [dwelling place], 3 because it will clothe us so we will not be naked. 4 While we live in this ·body [L tent], we ·have burdens [are weighed down], and we ·groan [sigh]. We do not want to be ·naked [stripped; unclothed], but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then ·this body that dies [L the mortal] will be ·fully covered with [L swallowed up by] life [Is. 25:8; 1 Cor. 15:54]. 5 This is what God ·made [designed; prepared] us for, and he has given us the Spirit to be a ·guarantee for this new life [deposit; down payment; 1:22].
6 So we always have courage. We know that while we ·live [L are at home] in this body, we are ·away [absent; or exiles] from the Lord. 7 We ·live [walk] by ·what we believe [faith], not by ·what we can see [sight]. 8 So I say that we ·have courage [or are confident]. We really ·want [would prefer] to be ·away [absent; or exiled] from this body and be at home with the Lord. 9 Our only ·goal [aim; ambition] is to please ·God [L him] whether we ·live here [are at home] or ·there [are absent/exiled], 10 because we must all stand before ·Christ to be judged [L the Bema/judgment seat of Christ; C the Bema was a raised platform from which civic leaders made pronouncements and rendered judgment]. [L …so that] Each of us will receive what we should get—good or bad—for the things we did in the earthly body.
Becoming Friends with God
11 [L Therefore] Since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people [C either about the truth of the Gospel or about Paul’s good motives]. God knows what we really are, and I hope that in your ·hearts [consciences] you know, too. 12 We are not trying to ·prove [commend] ourselves to you again, but we are giving you a ·reason [opportunity] to ·be proud of [boast about] us. Then you will have an answer for those who ·are proud [boast] about ·things that can be seen [outward appearance] rather than what is in the heart. 13 If we are out of our minds, it is for God. If we have our right minds, it is for you. 14 [L For] The love of Christ ·controls [compels; drives] us, because we ·know [are convinced; have concluded] that One died for all, so all have died [C we died spiritually with Christ, the penalty for our sins]. 15 Christ died for all so that those who live would ·not continue to [no longer] live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised from the dead.
16 [L So; As a result] From ·this time [now] on we do not think of anyone ·as the world does [or from a merely human perspective; L according to the flesh]. [L Although] In the past we thought of Christ ·as the world thinks [or as nothing more than a man; L according to the flesh], but we no longer think of him in that way. 17 If anyone belongs to Christ, ·there is a new creation [the new creation has arrived; or that person has become a new creation]. The old things have gone; [L look; T behold] ·everything is made new [the new has come]! 18 All this is from God, who through Christ ·made peace between us and [reconciled us to] himself, and gave us the ·work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him [L ministry/service of reconciliation]. 19 [L For] God was in Christ, ·making peace between the world and [reconciling the world to] himself. In Christ, God did not ·hold the world guilty of its sins [L count their trespasses against them]. And he ·gave [committed/entrusted to] us this message of ·peace [reconciliation]. 20 So we ·have been sent to speak [L are ambassadors] for Christ. It is as if God is ·calling to [urging; exhorting; encouraging] you through us. We speak for Christ when we ·beg [implore; urge] you to be ·at peace with [reconciled to] God. 21 God made ·Christ [L the one] who ·had no sin [or never sinned; L did not know sin] to become sin for us, so that in ·Christ [L him] we could become ·right with [L the righteousness of] God.
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