M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Second Plague—Frogs
8 [a]Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘This is what Yahweh says: Let my people go to worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring a plague of frogs on your whole country. 3 The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come into your palace, into your bedroom, on your bed, into the houses of your officials, on your people, into your ovens and into your mixing bowls. 4 The frogs will jump on you, on your people, and on all your officials.’”
5 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Hold your staff over the rivers, canals, and ponds. This will bring frogs onto the land.’”
6 So Aaron held his staff over the waters of Egypt. The frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. 7 But the magicians did the same thing using their magic spells and brought frogs onto the land.
8 Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray that Yahweh will take the frogs away from me and my people. Then I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh.”
9 Moses answered Pharaoh, “You may have the honor of choosing when I should pray for you, your officials, and your people. Then the frogs will leave you and your homes. The only ones left will be those in the Nile.”
10 “Pray for me tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.
Moses replied, “It will be as you say so that you will know that there is no one like Yahweh our Elohim. 11 The frogs will leave you, your homes, your officials, and your people. The only frogs left will be those in the Nile.”
12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses prayed to Yahweh about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 Yahweh did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the yards, and in the fields. 14 They were piled into countless heaps, and the land began to stink because of them.
15 When Pharaoh saw that the plague was over, he became stubborn and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, as Yahweh had predicted.
The Third Plague—Gnats
16 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Hold out your staff and strike the dust on the ground. All over Egypt the dust will turn into gnats.’”
17 When Moses told him, Aaron held out the staff in his hand and struck the dust on the ground. It turned into gnats that bit people and animals. All the dust on the ground everywhere in Egypt turned into gnats.
18 The magicians also tried to produce gnats using their magic spells, but they couldn’t do it. The gnats bit people and animals. 19 So the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the hand of Elohim!”
Yet, Pharaoh continued to be stubborn and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, as Yahweh had predicted.
The Fourth Plague—Flies
20 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Early in the morning, stand in Pharaoh’s way when he’s going to the Nile. Say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh says: Let my people go to worship me. 21 If you will not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you, your officials, your people, and your houses. The homes of the Egyptians will be filled with flies, and even the ground outside will be covered with them. 22 But on that day I will treat the region of Goshen differently. That is where my people live. There won’t be any flies there. This way you will know that I, Yahweh, am here in this land. 23 I will distinguish between my people and yours. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”
24 Yahweh did what he said. Dense swarms of flies came into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials. All over Egypt the flies were ruining everything. 25 Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your Elohim here in this country.”
26 Moses replied, “It wouldn’t be right to do that. The sacrifices we offer to Yahweh our Elohim are disgusting to Egyptians. If they see us offer sacrifices that they consider disgusting, won’t they stone us to death? 27 We need to travel three days into the desert to offer sacrifices to Yahweh our Elohim, as he told us to do.”
28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, but don’t go very far. You may offer sacrifices to Yahweh your Elohim in the desert and pray for me.”
29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to Yahweh. Tomorrow the swarms of flies will go away from you, your officials, and your people. But you must stop tricking us by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to Yahweh.”
30 Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to Yahweh. 31 Yahweh did what Moses asked. The swarms of flies left Pharaoh, his officials, and his people. Not one fly was left. 32 Yet, this time, too, Pharaoh was stubborn and did not let the people go.
The Lord’s Prayer(A)
11 Once Yeshua was praying in a certain place. When he stopped praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.”
2 Yeshua told them, “When you pray, say this:
Father,
let your name be kept holy.
Let your kingdom come.
3 Give us our bread day by day.
4 Forgive us as we forgive everyone else.
Don’t allow us to be tempted.”
The Power of Prayer(B)
5 Yeshua said to his disciples, “Suppose one of you has a friend. Suppose you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine on a trip has dropped in on me, and I don’t have anything to serve him.’ 7 Your friend might answer you from inside his house, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children are in bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I can guarantee that although he doesn’t want to get up to give you anything, he will get up and give you whatever you need because he is your friend and because you were so bold.
9 “So I tell you to ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 Everyone who asks will receive. The one who searches will find, and for the person who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “If your child asks you, his father, for a fish, would you give him a snake instead? 12 Or if your child asks you for an egg, would you give him a scorpion? 13 Even though you’re evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. So how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Jesus Is Accused of Working with Beelzebul(C)
14 Yeshua was forcing a demon out of a man. The demon had made the man unable to talk. When the demon had gone out, the man began to talk.
The people were amazed. 15 But some of them said, “He can force demons out of people only with the help of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons.” 16 Others wanted to test Yeshua and demanded that he show them some miraculous sign from heaven.
17 Since Yeshua knew what they were thinking, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is ruined. A house divided against itself falls. 18 Now, if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom last? I say this because you say Beelzebul helps me force demons out of people. 19 If I force demons out with the help of Beelzebul, who helps your followers force them out? That’s why they will be your judges. 20 But if I force out demons with the help of God’s power, then the kingdom of God has come to you.
21 “When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own mansion, his property is safe. 22 But a stronger man than he may attack him and defeat him. Then the stronger man will take away all the weapons in which the strong man trusted and will divide the loot.
23 “Whoever isn’t with me is against me. Whoever doesn’t gather with me scatters.
24 “When an evil spirit comes out of a person, it goes through dry places looking for a place to rest. But it doesn’t find any. Then it says, ‘I’ll go back to the home I left.’ 25 When it comes, it finds the house swept clean and in order. 26 Then the spirit goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself. They enter and take up permanent residence there. In the end the condition of that person is worse than it was before.”
The Sign of Jonah(D)
27 While Yeshua was speaking, a woman in the crowd shouted, “How blessed is the mother who gave birth to you and the breasts that nursed you.”
28 Yeshua replied, “Rather, how blessed are those who hear and obey God’s word.”
29 As the people were gathering around him, Yeshua said, “The people living today are evil. They look for a miraculous sign. But the only sign they will get is the sign of Jonah. 30 Just as Jonah became a miraculous sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a miraculous sign to the people living today. 31 The queen from the south will stand up at the time of judgment with the men who live today. She will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear Solomon’s wisdom. But look, someone greater than Solomon is here! 32 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the time of judgment with the people living today. Since the men of Nineveh turned to God and changed the way they thought and acted when Jonah spoke his message, they will condemn the people living today. But look, someone greater than Jonah is here!
Jesus Talks about Light
33 “No one lights a lamp and hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, everyone who lights a lamp puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see its light.
34 “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is unclouded, your whole body is full of light. But when your eye is evil, your body is full of darkness. 35 So be careful that the light in you isn’t darkness. 36 If your whole body is full of light and not darkness, it will be as bright as a lamp shining on you.”
Jesus Criticizes Some Jewish Leaders
37 After Yeshua spoke, a Pharisee invited him to have lunch at his house. So Yeshua accepted the invitation. 38 The Pharisee was surprised to see that Yeshua didn’t wash before the meal.
39 The Lord said to him, “You Pharisees clean the outside of cups and dishes. But inside you are full of greed and evil. 40 You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside too? 41 Give what is inside as a gift to the poor, and then everything will be clean[a] for you.
42 “How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give God one-tenth of your mint, spices, and every garden herb. But you have ignored justice and the love of God. You should have done these things without ignoring the others.
43 “How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to sit in the front seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces. 44 How horrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves. People walk on them without knowing what they are.”
45 One of the experts in Moses’ Teachings said to him, “Teacher, when you talk this way, you insult us too.”
46 Yeshua said, “How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You burden people with loads that are hard to carry. But you won’t lift a finger to carry any of these loads.
47 “How horrible it will be for you! You build the monuments for the prophets. But it was your ancestors who murdered them. 48 So you are witnesses and approve of what your ancestors did. They murdered the prophets for whom you build monuments. 49 That’s why the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles. They will murder some of those prophets and apostles and persecute others.’ 50 So the people living now will be charged with the murder of every prophet since the world was made. 51 This includes the murders from Abel to Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the temple. Yes, I can guarantee this truth: The people living today will be held responsible for this.
52 “How horrible it will be for you experts in Moses’ Teachings! You have taken away the key that unlocks knowledge. You haven’t gained entrance into knowledge yourselves, and you’ve kept out those who wanted to enter.”
53 When Yeshua left, the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees held a terrible grudge against him. They questioned him about many things 54 and watched him closely to trap him in something he might say.
Bildad Speaks: No One Is Righteous to God
25 Then Bildad from Shuah replied to Job,
2 “Authority and terror belong to God.
He establishes peace in his high places.
3 Is there any limit to the number of his troops?
Is there anyone on whom his light does not rise?
4 How can a person be righteous to El?
How can anyone born of a woman be pure?
5 Even the moon isn’t bright,
and the stars aren’t pure in his sight.
6 How much less pure is a mortal—who is only a maggot—
a descendant of Adam—who is only a worm!”
Job Speaks: My Friends Have Offered Useless Advice
26 Then Job replied to his friends,
2 “You have helped the person who has no power
and saved the arm that isn’t strong.
3 You have advised the person who has no wisdom
and offered so much assistance.
4 To whom have you spoken these words,
and whose spirit has spoken through you?
God’s Power over Creation
5 “The souls of the dead tremble beneath the water,
and so do the creatures living there.
6 Sheol is naked in God’s presence,
and Abaddon has no clothing.
7 “He stretches out his heavens[a] over empty space.
He hangs the earth on nothing whatsoever.
8 He holds the water in his thick clouds,
and the clouds don’t even split under its weight.
9 He covers his throne[b]
by spreading his cloud over it.
10 He marks the horizon on the surface of the water
at the boundary where light meets dark.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astonished when he yells at them.
12 With his power he calmed the sea.
With his insight he killed Rahab the sea monster.
13 With his wind the sky was cleared.
With his hand he stabbed the fleeing snake.
14 “These are only glimpses of what he does.
We only hear a whisper of him!
Who can understand the thunder of his power?”
Spiritual Gifts
12 Brothers and sisters, I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding concerning spiritual gifts. 2 You know that when you were unbelievers, every time you were led to worship false gods you were worshiping gods who couldn’t even speak. 3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “Yeshua is cursed.” No one can say, “Yeshua is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. 5 There are different ways of serving, and yet the same Lord is served. 6 There are different types of work to do, but the same God produces every gift in every person.
7 The evidence of the Spirit’s presence is given to each person for the common good of everyone. 8 The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom. The same Spirit gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge. 9 To another person the same Spirit gives courageous faith. To another person the same Spirit gives the ability to heal. 10 Another can work miracles. Another can speak what God has revealed. Another can tell the difference between spirits. Another can speak in different kinds of languages. Another can interpret languages. 11 There is only one Spirit who does all these things by giving what God wants to give to each person.
12 For example, the body is one unit and yet has many parts. As all the parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether we are Jewish or Greek, slave or free, God gave all of us one Spirit to drink.
14 As you know, the human body is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. 15 Suppose a foot says, “I’m not a hand, so I’m not part of the body!” Would that mean it’s no longer part of the body? 16 Or suppose an ear says, “I’m not an eye, so I’m not a part of the body!” Would that mean it’s no longer part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? 18 So God put each and every part of the body together as he wanted it. 19 How could it be a body if it only had one part? 20 So there are many parts but one body.
21 An eye can’t say to a hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 The opposite is true. The parts of the body that we think are weaker are the ones we really need. 23 The parts of the body that we think are less honorable are the ones we give special honor. So our unpresentable parts are made more presentable. 24 However, our presentable parts don’t need this kind of treatment. God has put the body together and given special honor to the part that doesn’t have it. 25 God’s purpose was that the body should not be divided but rather that all of its parts should feel the same concern for each other. 26 If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts share its suffering. If one part is praised, all the others share in its happiness.
27 You are Christ’s body and each of you is an individual part of it. 28 In the church God has appointed first apostles, next prophets, third teachers, then those who perform miracles, then those who have the gift of healing, then those who help others, those who are managers, and those who can speak in a number of languages. 29 Not all believers are apostles, are they? Are all of them prophets? Do all of them teach? Do all of them perform miracles 30 or have gifts of healing? Can all of them speak in other languages or interpret languages?
31 You only want the better gifts, but I will show you the best thing to do.[a]
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.