M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob [Israel] Sends Ten Sons Back to Egypt
43 The famine was severe in the land. 2 When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, Israel said to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3 Judah said to him, “The man gave us a severe warning: ‘You won’t be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you let our brother go with us, we’ll go and buy food for you. 5 If you won’t let him go, we won’t go. The man said to us, ‘You won’t be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.’”
6 Israel asked, “Why have you made trouble for me by telling the man you had another brother?”
7 They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy along with me. Let’s get going so that we won’t starve to death. 9 I guarantee that he will come back. You can hold me responsible for him. If I don’t bring him back to you and place him here in front of you, you can blame me the rest of my life. 10 If we hadn’t waited so long, we could have made this trip twice by now.”
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If that’s the way it has to be, then take the man a gift. Put some of the best products of the land in your bags. Take a little balm, a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take twice as much money with you. You must return the money that was put back in your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother, and go back to the man. 14 May El Shadday make him merciful to you so that he will send your other brother and Benjamin home with you. If I lose my children, I lose my children.”
15 The men took the gifts, twice as much money, and Benjamin. They went to Egypt, where they presented themselves to Joseph.
The Banquet at Joseph’s House
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man in charge of his house, “Take these men to my house. Butcher an animal, and prepare a meal, because they are going to eat with me at noon.”
17 So the man did as Joseph said and took them to Joseph’s house. 18 The men were frightened, because they had been brought to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We’ve been brought here because of the money that was put back into our sacks the first time. They’re going to attack us, overpower us, take our donkeys, and make us slaves.”
19 So they came to the man in charge of Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the door. 20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we came here to buy food once before. 21 When we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks, and each man found all of his money inside. So we brought it back with us. 22 We also brought more money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money back in our sacks.”
23 “It’s alright,” he said. “Don’t be afraid! Your Elohim, the Elohim of your father, must have given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 The man took the brothers into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys. 25 They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s return at noon, because they had heard they were going to eat there.
26 When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought to the house. Then they bowed to him with their faces touching the ground. 27 He asked them how they were. Then he said, “You told me about your elderly father. How is he? Is he still alive?”
28 They answered, “Yes, sir. Our father is alive and well.” Then they knelt, bowing down.
29 As Joseph looked around, he saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son. “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” he asked. “God be gracious to you, my son,” he said. 30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, he hurried away, looking for a place to cry. He went into his private room and cried there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out. He was in control of his emotions when he said, “Serve the food.”
32 He was served separately from his brothers. The Egyptians who were there with him were also served separately, because they found it offensive to eat with Hebrews. 33 The brothers were seated facing him according to their ages—from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at each other in amazement.
34 Joseph had portions of food brought to them from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times more than any of the others. So they ate and drank with Joseph until they were drunk.
Jesus Teaches Disciples on the Mount of Olives(A)
13 As Yeshua was going out of the temple courtyard, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look at these huge stones and these beautiful buildings!”
2 Yeshua said to him, “Do you see these large buildings? Not one of these stones will be left on top of another. Each one will be torn down.”
3 As Yeshua was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the temple buildings, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign when all this will come to an end?”
5 Yeshua answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you. 6 Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am he,’ and they will deceive many people.
7 “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. 8 Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These are only the beginning pains of the end.
9 “Be on your guard! People will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. You will stand in front of governors and kings to testify to them because of me. 10 But first, the Good News must be spread to all nations. 11 When they take you away to hand you over to the authorities, don’t worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you to say when the time comes. Indeed, you are not the one who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit will.
12 “Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. 13 Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who endures to the end will be saved.
14 “When you see the disgusting thing that will cause destruction standing where it should not (let the reader take note), those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. 15 Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. 16 Those who are in the field should not turn back to get their coats.
17 “How horrible it will be for the women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. 18 Pray that it will not be in winter. 19 It will be a time of misery that has not happened from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and will certainly never happen again. 20 If the Lord does not reduce that time, no one will be saved. But those days will be reduced because of those whom God has chosen.
21 “At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ 22 False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen. 23 Be on your guard! I have told you everything before it happens.
24 “Now, after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.
26 “Then people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 He will send out his angels, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom God has chosen.
28 “Learn from the story of the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and it sprouts leaves, you know summer is near. 29 In the same way, when you see these things happen, you know that he is near, at the door.
30 “I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all these things take place. 31 The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
No One Knows When the Earth and the Heavens Will Disappear
32 “No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows. 33 Be careful! Watch! You don’t know the exact time. 34 It is like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge. He assigned work to each one and ordered the guard to be alert. 35 Therefore, be alert, because you don’t know when the owner of the house will return. It could be in the evening or at midnight or at dawn or in the morning. 36 Make sure he doesn’t come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 I’m telling everyone what I’m telling you: ‘Be alert!’”
Job Speaks: The Futility of Arguing with God
9 Then Job replied to his friends,
2 “Yes, I know that this is true.
But how can a mortal be declared righteous to El?
3 If he wished to debate with El,
he wouldn’t be able to answer one question in a thousand.
4 “El is wise in heart and mighty in power.
Who could oppose him and win?
5 He moves mountains without their knowing it,
and he topples them in his anger.
6 He shakes the earth from its place,
and its pillars tremble.
7 He commands the sun not to rise.
He doesn’t let the stars come out.
8 He stretches out the heavens by himself
and walks on the waves of the sea.
9 He made the constellations Ursa Major, Orion, and the Pleiades,
and the clusters of stars in the south.
10 He does great things that are unsearchable
and miracles that cannot be numbered.
11 He passes alongside of me, and I don’t even see him.
He goes past me, and I don’t even notice him.
12 He takes something away, but who can stop him?
Who is going to ask him, ‘What are you doing?’
13 Eloah does not hold back his anger.
Even Rahab’s[a] helpers bow humbly in front of him.
14 “How can I possibly answer Eloah?
How can I find the right words to speak with him?
15 Even if I were right, I could not answer him.
I would have to plead for mercy from my judge.
16 If I cried out and he answered me,
I do not believe that he would listen to me.
17 He would knock me down with a storm
and bruise me without a reason.
18 He would not let me catch my breath.
He fills me with bitterness.
19 If it is a matter of strength,
then he is the mighty one.
If it is about justice,
who will charge me with a crime?
20 If I am righteous, my own mouth would condemn me.
It would declare that I am corrupt even if I am a man of integrity.
21 If I am a man of integrity, I have no way of knowing it.
I hate my life!
22 It is all the same.
That is why I say,
‘He destroys both the man of integrity and the wicked.’
23 When a sudden disaster brings death,
he makes fun of the despair of innocent people.
24 The earth is handed over to the wicked.
He covers the faces of its judges.
If he isn’t the one doing this, who is?
25 “My days go by more quickly than a runner.
They sprint away.
They don’t see anything good.
26 They pass by quickly like boats made from reeds,
like an eagle swooping down on its prey.
27 Even if I say, ‘I will forget my complaining;
I will change my expression and smile,’
28 I still dread everything I must suffer.
I know that you won’t declare me innocent.
29 I’ve already been found guilty.
Why should I work so hard for nothing?
30 If I wash myself with lye soap[b]
and cleanse my hands with bleach,
31 then you would plunge me into a muddy pit,
and my own clothes would find me disgusting.
32 A human like me cannot answer Eloah,
‘Let’s take our case to court.’
33 There is no mediator between us
to put his hand on both of us.
34 Eloah should take his rod away from me,
and he should not terrify me.[c]
35 Then I would speak and not be afraid of him.
But I know that I am not like that.[d]
Obey the Government
13 Every person should obey the government in power. No government would exist if it hadn’t been established by God. The governments which exist have been put in place by God. 2 Therefore, whoever resists the government opposes what God has established. Those who resist will bring punishment on themselves.
3 People who do what is right don’t have to be afraid of the government. But people who do what is wrong should be afraid of it. Would you like to live without being afraid of the government? Do what is right, and it will praise you. 4 The government is God’s servant working for your good.
But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid. The government has the right to carry out the death sentence. It is God’s servant, an avenger to execute God’s anger on anyone who does what is wrong. 5 Therefore, it is necessary for you to obey, not only because you’re afraid of God’s anger but also because of your own conscience.
6 That is also why you pay your taxes. People in the government are God’s servants while they do the work he has given them. 7 Pay everyone whatever you owe them. If you owe taxes, pay them. If you owe tolls, pay them. If you owe someone respect, respect that person. If you owe someone honor, honor that person.
Love One Another
8 Pay your debts as they come due. However, one debt you can never finish paying is the debt of love that you owe each other. The one who loves another person has fulfilled Moses’ Teachings. 9 The commandments, “Never commit adultery; never murder; never steal; never have wrong desires,” and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 10 Love never does anything that is harmful to a neighbor. Therefore, love fulfills Moses’ Teachings.
11 You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. 13 We should live decently, as people who live in the light of day. Wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, and jealousy cannot be part of our lives. 14 Instead, live like the Lord Yeshua Christ did, and forget about satisfying the desires of your corrupt nature.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.