M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The King’s Dreams
41 Two years later the king dreamed he was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 2 He saw seven fat and beautiful cows come up out of the river, and they stood there, eating the grass. 3 Then seven more cows came up out of the river, but they were thin and ugly. They stood beside the seven beautiful cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 The seven thin and ugly cows ate the seven beautiful fat cows. Then the king woke up. 5 The king slept again and dreamed a second time. In his dream he saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk. 6 After that, seven more heads of grain sprang up, but they were thin and burned by the hot east wind. 7 The thin heads of grain ate the seven full and good heads. Then the king woke up again, and he realized it was only a dream. 8 The next morning the king was troubled about these dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. The king told them his dreams, but no one could explain their meaning to him.
9 Then the chief officer who served wine to the king said to him, “Now I remember something I promised to do, but I forgot about it. 10 There was a time when you were angry with the baker and me, and you put us in prison in the house of the captain of the guard. 11 In prison we each had a dream on the same night, and each dream had a different meaning. 12 A young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard, was in the prison with us. When we told him our dreams, he explained their meanings to us. He told each man the meaning of his dream, and 13 things happened exactly as he said they would: I was given back my old position, and the baker was hanged.”
14 So the king called for Joseph. The guards quickly brought him out of the prison, and he shaved, put on clean clothes, and went before the king.
15 The king said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can explain its meaning to me. I have heard that you can explain a dream when someone tells it to you.”
16 Joseph answered the king, “I am not able to explain the meaning of dreams, but God will do this for the king.”
17 Then the king said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile River. 18 I saw seven fat and beautiful cows that came up out of the river and ate the grass. 19 Then I saw seven more cows come out of the river that were thin and lean and ugly—the worst looking cows I have seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And these thin and ugly cows ate the first seven fat cows, 21 but after they had eaten the seven cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as thin and ugly as they did in the beginning. Then I woke up.
22 “I had another dream. I saw seven full and good heads of grain growing on one stalk. 23 Then seven more heads of grain sprang up after them, but these heads were thin and ugly and were burned by the hot east wind. 24 Then the thin heads ate the seven good heads. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain its meaning to me.”
Joseph Tells the Dreams’ Meaning
25 Then Joseph said to the king, “Both of these dreams mean the same thing. God is telling you what he is about to do. 26 The seven good cows stand for seven years, and the seven good heads of grain stand for seven years. Both dreams mean the same thing. 27 The seven thin and ugly cows stand for seven years, and the seven thin heads of grain burned by the hot east wind stand for seven years of hunger. 28 This will happen as I told you. God is showing the king what he is about to do. 29 You will have seven years of good crops and plenty to eat in all the land of Egypt. 30 But after those seven years, there will come seven years of hunger, and all the food that grew in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The time of hunger will eat up the land. 31 People will forget what it was like to have plenty of food, because the hunger that follows will be so great. 32 You had two dreams which mean the same thing. This shows that God has firmly decided that this will happen, and he will make it happen soon.
33 “So let the king choose a man who is very wise and understanding and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 And let the king also appoint officers over the land, who should take one-fifth of all the food that is grown during the seven good years. 35 They should gather all the food that is produced during the good years that are coming, and under the king’s authority they should store the grain in the cities and guard it. 36 That food should be saved to use during the seven years of hunger that will come on the land of Egypt. Then the people in Egypt will not die during the seven years of hunger.”
Joseph Is Made Ruler over Egypt
37 This seemed like a very good idea to the king, and all his officers agreed. 38 And the king asked them, “Can we find a better man than Joseph to take this job? God’s spirit is truly in him!”
39 So the king said to Joseph, “God has shown you all this. There is no one as wise and understanding as you are, so 40 I will put you in charge of my palace. All the people will obey your orders, and only I will be greater than you.”
41 Then the king said to Joseph, “Look! I have put you in charge of all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then the king took off from his own finger his ring with the royal seal on it, and he put it on Joseph’s finger. He gave Joseph fine linen clothes to wear, and he put a gold chain around Joseph’s neck. 43 The king had Joseph ride in the second royal chariot, and people walked ahead of his chariot calling, “Bow down!” By doing these things, the king put Joseph in charge of all of Egypt.
44 The king said to him, “I am the king, and I say that no one in all the land of Egypt may lift a hand or a foot without your permission.” 45 The king gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave Joseph a wife named Asenath, who was the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. So Joseph traveled through all the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he began serving the king of Egypt. And he left the king’s court and traveled through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven good years, the crops in the land grew well. 48 And Joseph gathered all the food produced in Egypt during those seven years of good crops and stored the food in the cities. In every city he stored grain that had been grown in the fields around that city. 49 Joseph stored much grain, as much as the sand of the seashore—so much that he could not measure it.
50 Joseph’s wife was Asenath daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. Before the years of hunger came, Joseph and Asenath had two sons. 51 Joseph named the first son Manasseh[a] and said, “God has made me forget all the troubles I have had and all my father’s family.” 52 Joseph named the second son Ephraim[b] and said, “God has given me children in the land of my troubles.”
53 The seven years of good crops came to an end in the land of Egypt. 54 Then the seven years of hunger began, just as Joseph had said. In all the lands people had nothing to eat, but in Egypt there was food. 55 The time of hunger became terrible in all of Egypt, and the people cried to the king for food. He said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
56 The hunger was everywhere in that part of the world. And Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the people of Egypt, because the time of hunger became terrible in Egypt. 57 And all the people in that part of the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the hunger was terrible everywhere in that part of the world.
Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King
11 As Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers 2 and said to them, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will quickly find a colt tied, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me. 3 If anyone asks you why you are doing this, tell him its Master needs the colt, and he will send it at once.”
4 The followers went into the town, found a colt tied in the street near the door of a house, and untied it. 5 Some people were standing there and asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” 6 The followers answered the way Jesus told them to answer, and the people let them take the colt.
7 They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat on it. 8 Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches in the fields and spread them on the road. 9 The people were walking ahead of Jesus and behind him, shouting,
“Praise God!
God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Psalm 118:26
10 God bless the kingdom of our father David!
That kingdom is coming!
Praise[a] to God in heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After he had looked at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve apostles.
12 The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry. 13 Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs. 14 So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ followers heard him say this.
Jesus Goes to the Temple
15 When Jesus returned to Jerusalem, he went into the Temple and began to throw out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of those who were exchanging different kinds of money, and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves. 16 Jesus refused to allow anyone to carry goods through the Temple courts. 17 Then he taught the people, saying, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My Temple will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations.’[b] But you are changing God’s house into a ‘hideout for robbers.’”[c]
18 The leading priests and the teachers of the law heard all this and began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because all the people were amazed at his teaching. 19 That evening, Jesus and his followers[d] left the city.
The Power of Faith
20 The next morning as Jesus was passing by with his followers, they saw the fig tree dry and dead, even to the roots. 21 Peter remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “Teacher, look! The fig tree you cursed is dry and dead!”
22 Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your mind and believe that what you say will happen, God will do it for you. 24 So I tell you to believe that you have received the things you ask for in prayer, and God will give them to you. 25 When you are praying, if you are angry with someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your sins. [ 26 But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.]”[e]
Leaders Doubt Jesus’ Authority
27 Jesus and his followers went again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders came to him. 28 They said to him, “What authority do you have to do these things? Who gave you this authority?”
29 Jesus answered, “I will ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you what authority I have to do these things. 30 Tell me: When John baptized people, was that authority from God or just from other people?”
31 They argued about Jesus’ question, saying, “If we answer, ‘John’s baptism was from God,’ Jesus will say, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘It was from other people,’ the crowd will be against us.” (These leaders were afraid of the people, because all the people believed that John was a prophet.)
33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said to them, “Then I won’t tell you what authority I have to do these things.”
7 “People have a hard task on earth,
and their days are like those of a laborer.
2 They are like a slave wishing for the evening shadows,
like a laborer waiting to be paid.
3 But I am given months that are empty,
and nights of misery have been given to me.
4 When I lie down, I think, ‘How long until I get up?’
The night is long, and I toss until dawn.
5 My body is covered with worms and scabs,
and my skin is broken and full of sores.
6 “My days go by faster than a weaver’s tool,
and they come to an end without hope.
7 Remember, God, that my life is only a breath.
My eyes will never see happy times again.
8 Those who see me now will see me no more;
you will look for me, but I will be gone.
9 As a cloud disappears and is gone,
people go to the grave and never return.
10 They will never come back to their houses again,
and their places will not know them anymore.
11 “So I will not stay quiet;
I will speak out in the suffering of my spirit.
I will complain because I am so unhappy.
12 I am not the sea or the sea monster.
So why have you set a guard over me?
13 Sometimes I think my bed will comfort me
or that my couch will stop my complaint.
14 Then you frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions.
15 My throat prefers to be choked;
my bones welcome death.
16 I hate my life; I don’t want to live forever.
Leave me alone, because my days have no meaning.
17 “Why do you make people so important
and give them so much attention?
18 You examine them every morning
and test them every moment.
19 Will you never look away from me
or leave me alone even long enough to swallow?
20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you,
you watcher of humans?
Why have you made me your target?
Have I become a heavy load for you?
21 Why don’t you pardon my wrongs
and forgive my sins?
I will soon lie down in the dust of death.
Then you will search for me, but I will be no more.”
God Shows Mercy to All People
11 So I ask: Did God throw out his people? No! I myself am an Israelite from the family of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God chose the Israelites to be his people before they were born, and he has not thrown his people out. Surely you know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he prayed to God against the people of Israel. 3 “Lord,” he said, “they have killed your prophets, and they have destroyed your altars. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”[a] 4 But what answer did God give Elijah? He said, “But I have left seven thousand people in Israel who have never bowed down before Baal.”[b] 5 It is the same now. There are a few people that God has chosen by his grace. 6 And if he chose them by grace, it is not for the things they have done. If they could be made God’s people by what they did, God’s gift of grace would not really be a gift.
7 So this is what has happened: Although the Israelites tried to be right with God, they did not succeed, but the ones God chose did become right with him. The others were made stubborn and refused to listen to God. 8 As it is written in the Scriptures:
“God gave the people a dull mind so they could not understand.” Isaiah 29:10
“He closed their eyes so they could not see
and their ears so they could not hear.
This continues until today.” Deuteronomy 29:4
9 And David says:
“Let their own feasts trap them and cause their ruin;
let their feasts cause them to stumble and be paid back.
10 Let their eyes be closed so they cannot see
and their backs be forever weak from troubles.” Psalm 69:22–23
11 So I ask: When the Jews fell, did that fall destroy them? No! But their failure brought salvation to those who are not Jews, in order to make the Jews jealous. 12 The Jews’ failure brought rich blessings for the world, and the Jews’ loss brought rich blessings for the non-Jewish people. So surely the world will receive much richer blessings when enough Jews become the kind of people God wants.
13 Now I am speaking to you who are not Jews. I am an apostle to those who are not Jews, and since I have that work, I will make the most of it. 14 I hope I can make my own people jealous and, in that way, help some of them to be saved. 15 When God turned away from the Jews, he became friends with other people in the world. So when God accepts the Jews, surely that will bring them life after death.
16 If the first piece of bread is offered to God, then the whole loaf is made holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, then the tree’s branches are holy too.
17 It is as if some of the branches from an olive tree have been broken off. You non-Jewish people are like the branch of a wild olive tree that has been joined to that first tree. You now share the strength and life of the first tree, the Jews. 18 So do not brag about those branches that were broken off. If you brag, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I could be joined to their tree.” 20 That is true. But those branches were broken off because they did not believe, and you continue to be part of the tree only because you believe. Do not be proud, but be afraid. 21 If God did not let the natural branches of that tree stay, then he will not let you stay if you don’t believe.
22 So you see that God is kind and also very strict. He punishes those who stop following him. But God is kind to you, if you continue following in his kindness. If you do not, you will be cut off from the tree. 23 And if the Jews will believe in God again, he will accept them back. God is able to put them back where they were. 24 It is not natural for a wild branch to be part of a good tree. And you who are not Jews are like a branch cut from a wild olive tree and joined to a good olive tree. But since those Jews are like a branch that grew from the good tree, surely they can be joined to their own tree again.
25 I want you to understand this secret, brothers and sisters, so you will understand that you do not know everything: Part of Israel has been made stubborn, but that will change when many who are not Jews have come to God. 26 And that is how all Israel will be saved. It is written in the Scriptures:
“The Savior will come from Jerusalem;
he will take away all evil from the family of Jacob.[c]
27 And I will make this agreement with those people
when I take away their sins.” Isaiah 59:20–21; 27:9
28 The Jews refuse to accept the Good News, so they are God’s enemies. This has happened to help you who are not Jews. But the Jews are still God’s chosen people, and he loves them very much because of the promises he made to their ancestors. 29 God never changes his mind about the people he calls and the things he gives them. 30 At one time you refused to obey God. But now you have received mercy, because those people refused to obey. 31 And now the Jews refuse to obey, because God showed mercy to you. But this happened so that they also can[d] receive mercy from him. 32 God has given all people over to their stubborn ways so that he can show mercy to all.
Praise to God
33 Yes, God’s riches are very great, and his wisdom and knowledge have no end! No one can explain the things God decides or understand his ways. 34 As the Scripture says,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been able to give him advice?” Isaiah 40:13
35 “No one has ever given God anything
that he must pay back.” Job 41:11
36 Yes, God made all things, and everything continues through him and for him. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.