M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joseph Reveals Who He Is
45 Joseph could not control himself in front of his servants any longer, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me.” When only the brothers were left with Joseph, he told them who he was. 2 Joseph cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and the people in the king’s palace heard about it. 3 He said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But the brothers could not answer him, because they were very afraid of him.
4 So Joseph said to them, “Come close to me.” When the brothers came close to him, he said to them, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold as a slave to go to Egypt. 5 Now don’t be worried or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me here ahead of you to save people’s lives. 6 No food has grown on the land for two years now, and there will be five more years without planting or harvest. 7 So God sent me here ahead of you to make sure you have some descendants left on earth and to keep you alive in an amazing way. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. God has made me the highest officer of the king of Egypt. I am in charge of his palace, and I am the master of all the land of Egypt.
9 “So leave quickly and go to my father. Tell him, ‘Your son Joseph says: God has made me master over all Egypt. Come down to me quickly. 10 Live in the land of Goshen where you will be near me. Your children, your grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that you have will also be near me. 11 I will care for you during the next five years of hunger so that you and your family and all that you have will not starve.’
12 “Now you can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that the one speaking to you is really Joseph. 13 So tell my father about how powerful I have become in Egypt. Tell him about everything you have seen. Now hurry and bring him back to me.” 14 Then Joseph hugged his brother Benjamin and cried, and Benjamin cried also. 15 And Joseph kissed all his brothers and cried as he hugged them. After this, his brothers talked with him.
16 When the king of Egypt and his officers learned that Joseph’s brothers had come, they were very happy. 17 So the king said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers to load their animals and go back to the land of Canaan 18 and bring their father and their families back here to me. I will give them the best land in Egypt, and they will eat the best food we have here. 19 Tell them to take some wagons from Egypt for their children and their wives and to bring their father back also. 20 Tell them not to worry about bringing any of their things with them, because we will give them the best of what we have in Egypt.”
21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them wagons as the king had ordered and food for their trip. 22 He gave each brother a change of clothes, but he gave Benjamin five changes of clothes and about seven and one-half pounds of silver. 23 Joseph also sent his father ten donkeys loaded with the best things from Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and other food for his father on his trip back. 24 Then Joseph told his brothers to go. As they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way home.”
25 So the brothers left Egypt and went to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive and is the ruler over all the land of Egypt.” Their father was shocked and did not believe them. 27 But when the brothers told him everything Joseph had said, and when Jacob saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him back to Egypt, he felt better. 28 Israel[a] said, “Now I believe you. My son Joseph is still alive, and I will go and see him before I die.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
15 Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the elders, the teachers of the law, and all the Jewish council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Those are your words.”
3 The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. 4 So Pilate asked Jesus another question, “You can see that they are accusing you of many things. Aren’t you going to answer?”
5 But Jesus still said nothing, so Pilate was very surprised.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
6 Every year at the time of the Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose. 7 At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison who was a rebel and had committed murder during a riot. 8 The crowd came to Pilate and began to ask him to free a prisoner as he always did.
9 So Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” 10 Pilate knew that the leading priests had turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous. 11 But the leading priests had persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.
12 Then Pilate asked the crowd again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted, “Crucify him!”
14 Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he freed Barabbas for them. After having Jesus beaten with whips, he handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified.
16 The soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium) and called all the other soldiers together. 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus and used thorny branches to make a crown for his head. 18 They began to call out to him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 The soldiers beat Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They spit on him and made fun of him by bowing on their knees and worshiping him. 20 After they finished, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified
21 A man named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming from the fields to the city. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. 22 They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull. 23 The soldiers tried to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he refused. 24 The soldiers crucified Jesus and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing lots to decide what each soldier would get.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Jesus. 26 There was a sign with this charge against Jesus written on it: the king of the jews. 27 They also put two robbers on crosses beside Jesus, one on the right, and the other on the left. [28 And the Scripture came true that says, “They put him with criminals.”][a] 29 People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads, saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. 30 So save yourself! Come down from that cross!”
31 The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also making fun of Jesus. They said to each other, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself. 32 If he is really the Christ, the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross. When we see this, we will believe in him.” The robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
33 At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours. 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35 When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.”
36 Someone there ran and got a sponge, filled it with vinegar, tied it to a stick, and gave it to Jesus to drink. He said, “We want to see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”
37 Then Jesus cried in a loud voice and died.
38 The curtain in the Temple[b] was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. 39 When the army officer who was standing in front of the cross saw what happened when Jesus died,[c] he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”
40 Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching; among them were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.) 41 These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and helped him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.
Jesus Is Buried
42 This was Preparation Day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) That evening, 43 Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph, an important member of the Jewish council, was one of the people who was waiting for the kingdom of God to come. 44 Pilate was amazed that Jesus would have already died, so he called the army officer who had guarded Jesus and asked him if Jesus had already died. 45 The officer told Pilate that he was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. 46 Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down from the cross, and wrapped it in the linen. He put the body in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. Then he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw the place where Jesus was laid.
Zophar Speaks to Job
11 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:
2 “Should these words go unanswered?
Is this talker in the right?
3 Your lies do not make people quiet;
people should correct you when you make fun of God.
4 You say, ‘My teachings are right,
and I am clean in God’s sight.’
5 I wish God would speak
and open his lips against you
6 and tell you the secrets of wisdom,
because wisdom has two sides.
Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.
7 “Can you understand the secrets of God?
Can you search the limits of the Almighty?
8 His limits are higher than the heavens; you cannot reach them!
They are deeper than the grave; you cannot understand them!
9 His limits are longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 “If God comes along and puts you in prison
or calls you into court, no one can stop him.
11 God knows who is evil,
and when he sees evil, he takes note of it.
12 A fool cannot become wise
any more than a wild donkey can be born tame.
13 “You must give your whole heart to him
and hold out your hands to him for help.
14 Put away the sin that is in your hand;
let no evil remain in your tent.
15 Then you can lift up your face without shame,
and you can stand strong without fear.
16 You will forget your trouble
and remember it only as water gone by.
17 Your life will be as bright as the noonday sun,
and darkness will seem like morning.
18 You will feel safe because there is hope;
you will look around and rest in safety.
19 You will lie down, and no one will scare you.
Many people will want favors from you.
20 But the wicked will not be able to see,
so they will not escape.
Their only hope will be to die.”
15 We who are strong in faith should help the weak with their weaknesses, and not please only ourselves. 2 Let each of us please our neighbors for their good, to help them be stronger in faith. 3 Even Christ did not live to please himself. It was as the Scriptures said: “When people insult you, it hurts me.”[a] 4 Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us. The Scriptures give us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope. 5 May the patience and encouragement that come from God allow you to live in harmony with each other the way Christ Jesus wants. 6 Then you will all be joined together, and you will give glory to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other, which will bring glory to God. 8 I tell you that Christ became a servant of the Jews to show that God’s promises to the Jewish ancestors are true. 9 And he also did this so that those who are not Jews could give glory to God for the mercy he gives to them. It is written in the Scriptures:
“So I will praise you among the non-Jewish people.
I will sing praises to your name.” Psalm 18:49
10 The Scripture also says,
“Be happy, you who are not Jews, together with his people.” Deuteronomy 32:43
11 Again the Scripture says,
“All you who are not Jews, praise the Lord.
All you people, sing praises to him.” Psalm 117:1
12 And Isaiah says,
“A new king will come from the family of Jesse.[b]
He will come to rule over the non-Jewish people,
and they will have hope because of him.” Isaiah 11:10
13 I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Paul Talks About His Work
14 My brothers and sisters, I am sure that you are full of goodness. I know that you have all the knowledge you need and that you are able to teach each other. 15 But I have written to you very openly about some things I wanted you to remember. I did this because God gave me this special gift: 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to those who are not Jews. I served God by teaching his Good News, so that the non-Jewish people could be an offering that God would accept—an offering made holy by the Holy Spirit.
17 So I am proud of what I have done for God in Christ Jesus. 18 I will not talk about anything except what Christ has done through me in leading those who are not Jews to obey God. They have obeyed God because of what I have said and done, 19 because of the power of miracles and the great things they saw, and because of the power of the Holy Spirit. I preached the Good News from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, and so I have finished that part of my work. 20 I always want to preach the Good News in places where people have never heard of Christ, because I do not want to build on the work someone else has already started. 21 But it is written in the Scriptures:
“Those who were not told about him will see,
and those who have not heard about him will understand.” Isaiah 52:15
Paul’s Plan to Visit Rome
22 This is the reason I was stopped many times from coming to you. 23 Now I have finished my work here. Since for many years I have wanted to come to you, 24 I hope to visit you on my way to Spain. After I enjoy being with you for a while, I hope you can help me on my trip. 25 Now I am going to Jerusalem to help God’s people. 26 The believers in Macedonia and Southern Greece were happy to give their money to help the poor among God’s people at Jerusalem. 27 They were happy to do this, and really they owe it to them. These who are not Jews have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, so they should use their material possessions to help the Jews. 28 After I am sure the poor in Jerusalem get the money that has been given for them, I will leave for Spain and stop and visit you. 29 I know that when I come to you I will bring Christ’s full blessing.
30 Brothers and sisters, I beg you to help me in my work by praying to God for me. Do this because of our Lord Jesus and the love that the Holy Spirit gives us. 31 Pray that I will be saved from the nonbelievers in Judea and that this help I bring to Jerusalem will please God’s people there. 32 Then, if God wants me to, I will come to you with joy, and together you and I will have a time of rest. 33 The God who gives peace be with you all. Amen.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.