M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
22 [a]The Lord continued, “Whenever someone steals a bull or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must make up for the loss with five head of cattle to replace the bull or four sheep to replace the sheep.
2 “If anyone catches a thief breaking in and hits him so that he dies, he is not guilty of murder. 3 But if it happens after sunrise, he is guilty of murder.
“A thief must make up for what he has stolen. If he is unable to do so, he must be sold as a slave to pay for what he stole. 4 But if the stolen animal is found alive in his possession, whether it’s a bull, donkey, or a sheep, he must make up for the loss with double the amount.
5 “Whenever someone lets his livestock graze in a field or a vineyard, and they stray and graze in another person’s field, he must make up for what the damaged field was expected to produce. But if he lets them ruin the whole field with their grazing,[b] he must make up from his own field for the loss with the best from his field and vineyard.
6 “Whenever a fire starts and spreads into the underbrush so that it burns up stacked or standing grain or ruins a field, the person who started the fire must make up for the loss.
7 “This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor silver or other valuables to keep for him, and they are stolen from that person’s house: If the thief is caught, he must make up for the loss with double the amount. 8 If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house must be brought to Elohim to find out whether or not he took his neighbor’s valuables. 9 If there is a dispute over the ownership of a bull, a donkey, a sheep, an article of clothing, or any other lost property which two people claim as their own, both people must bring their case to Elohim. The one whom Elohim declares guilty must make up for his neighbor’s loss with double the amount.
10 “This is what you must do whenever someone gives his neighbor a donkey, a bull, a sheep, or any other kind of animal to keep for him, and it dies, is injured, or is captured in war, and there are no witnesses. 11 The case between them must be settled by swearing an oath to Yahweh that the neighbor did not take the other person’s animal. The owner must accept the oath. The neighbor doesn’t have to make up for the loss. 12 But if the animal was stolen from the neighbor, he must make up for the owner’s loss. 13 If it was killed by a wild animal, he must bring in the dead body as evidence. He doesn’t have to make up for an animal that has been killed.
14 “Whenever someone borrows an animal from his neighbor, and it is injured or dies while the owner is not present, the borrower must make up for the loss. 15 If the owner is with the animal, the borrower doesn’t have to make up for the loss. If it is rented, the rental fee covers the loss.
Laws for Living as God’s Holy People
16 “Whenever a man seduces a virgin who is not engaged to anyone and has sexual intercourse with her, he must pay the bride-price and marry her. 17 If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must pay an amount of money equal to the bride-price for virgins.
18 “Never let a witch live.
19 “Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.
20 “Whoever sacrifices to any god except Yahweh must be condemned and destroyed.
21 “Never mistreat or oppress foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt.
22 “Never take advantage of any widow or orphan. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure that I will hear their cry. 24 I will become angry and have you killed in combat. Then your wives and children will become widows and orphans.
25 “If you lend money to my people—to any poor person among you—never act like a moneylender. Charge no interest. 26 If you take any of your neighbor’s clothes as collateral, give it back to him by sunset. 27 It may be the only clothes he has to cover his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will listen because I am compassionate.
28 “Never show disrespect for Elohim or curse a leader of your people.
29 “Never withhold your best wine[c] from me.
“You must give me your firstborn son. 30 You must do the same with your cattle and your sheep. They will stay with their mothers seven days, but on the eighth day you must give them to me.
31 “You must be my holy people. Never eat the meat of an animal that has been killed by wild animals out in the countryside. Throw it to the dogs.”
The Word Becomes Human
1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was already with God in the beginning.
3 Everything came into existence through him. Not one thing that exists was made without him.
4 He was the source of life, and that life was the light for humanity.
5 The light shines in the dark, and the dark has never extinguished it.[a]
6 God sent a man named John to be his messenger. 7 John came to declare the truth about the light so that everyone would become believers through his message. 8 John was not the light, but he came to declare the truth about the light.
9 The real light, which shines on everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into existence through him. Yet, the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He went to his own people, and his own people didn’t accept him. 12 However, he gave the right to become God’s children to everyone who believed in him. 13 These people didn’t become God’s children in a physical way—from a human impulse or from a husband’s desire to have a child. They were born from God.
14 The Word became human and lived among us. We saw his glory. It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of kindness[b] and truth.
15 (John declared the truth about him when he said loudly, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.’”)
16 Each of us has received one gift after another because of all that the Word is. 17 Laws were given through Moses, but kindness and truth came into existence through Yeshua Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known.
John Prepares the Way(A)
19 This was John’s answer when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 John didn’t refuse to answer. He told them clearly, “I’m not the Messiah.”
21 They asked him, “Well, are you Elijah?”
John answered, “No, I’m not.”
Then they asked, “Are you the prophet?”
John replied, “No.”
22 So they asked him, “Who are you? Tell us so that we can take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John said, “I’m a voice crying out in the desert, ‘Make the way for the Lord straight,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24 Some of those who had been sent were Pharisees. 25 They asked John, “Why do you baptize if you’re not the Messiah or Elijah or the prophet?”
26 John answered them, “I baptize with water. Someone you don’t know is standing among you. 27 He’s the one who comes after me. I am not worthy to untie his sandal strap.”
28 This happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
John Identifies Jesus as the Lamb of God
29 John saw Yeshua coming toward him the next day and said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 30 He is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘A man who comes after me was before me because he existed before I did.’ 31 I didn’t know who he was. However, I came to baptize with water to show him to the people of Israel.”
32 John said, “I saw the Spirit come down as a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33 I didn’t know who he was. But God, who sent me to baptize with water, had told me, ‘When you see the Spirit come down and stay on someone, you’ll know that person is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen this and have declared that this is the Son of God.”
Calling of the First Disciples
35 The next day John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 John saw Yeshua walk by. John said, “Look! This is the Lamb of God.” 37 When the two disciples heard John say this, they followed Yeshua.
38 Yeshua turned around and saw them following him. He asked them, “What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which means “teacher”), “where are you staying?”
39 Yeshua told them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went to see where he was staying and spent the rest of that day with him. It was about ten o’clock in the morning.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two disciples who heard John and followed Yeshua. 41 Andrew at once found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). 42 Andrew brought Simon to Yeshua.
Yeshua looked at Simon and said, “You are Simon, son of John. Your name will be Cephas” (which means “Peter”).
43 The next day Yeshua wanted to go to Galilee. He found Philip and told him, “Follow me!” 44 (Philip was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter.)
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man whom Moses wrote about in his teachings and whom the prophets wrote about. He is Yeshua, son of Joseph, from the city of Nazareth.”
46 Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip told him, “Come and see!”
47 Yeshua saw Nathanael coming toward him and remarked, “Here is a true Israelite who is sincere.”
48 Nathanael asked Yeshua, “How do you know anything about me?”
Yeshua answered him, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Nathanael said to Yeshua, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!”
50 Yeshua replied, “You believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 Yeshua said to Nathanael, “I can guarantee this truth: You will see the sky open and God’s angels going up and coming down to the Son of Man.”
The Lord Speaks
40 Yahweh responded to Job,
2 “Will the person who finds fault with Shadday correct him?
Will the person who argues with Eloah answer him?”
Job Speaks
3 Job answered Yahweh,
4 “I’m so insignificant. How can I answer you?
I will put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I can’t answer—
twice, but not again.”
The Lord Speaks: Can You Be Like Me, Job?
6 Then Yahweh responded to Job out of a storm,
7 “Brace yourself like a man!
I will ask you, and you will teach me.
8 “Would you undo my justice?
Would you condemn me so that you can be righteous?
9 Do you have power like El’s?
Can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Then dress yourself in majesty and dignity.
Clothe yourself in splendor and glory.
11 Unleash your outbursts of anger.
Look at all who are arrogant, and put them down.
12 Look at all who are arrogant, and humble them.
Crush wicked people wherever they are.
13 Hide them completely in the dust,
and cover their faces in the hidden place.
14 Then even I will praise you
because your right hand can save you.
Can You Conquer Behemoth, Job?
15 “Look at Behemoth,[a] which I made along with you.
It eats grass as cattle do.
16 Look at the strength in its back muscles,
the power in its stomach muscles.
17 It makes its tail stiff like a cedar.
The ligaments of its thighs are intertwined.
18 Its bones are bronze tubes.
They are like iron bars.
19 Behemoth is the first of El’s conquests.
Its maker approaches it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it food,
and all the wild animals play there.
21 It lies down under the lotus plants
in a hiding place among reeds and swamps.
22 Lotus plants provide it with cover.
Poplars by the stream surround it.
23 Though the river flows powerfully against it, it’s not alarmed.
It’s confident even when the Jordan rushes against its mouth.
24 Can anyone blind its eyes[b]
or pierce its nose with snares?
Paul’s Authority to Speak Forcefully
10 I, Paul, make my appeal to you with the gentleness and kindness of Christ. I’m the one who is humble when I’m with you but forceful toward you when I’m not with you. 2 I beg you that when I am with you I won’t have to deal forcefully with you. I expect I will have to because some people think that we are only guided by human motives. 3 Of course we are human, but we don’t fight like humans. 4 The weapons we use in our fight are not made by humans. Rather, they are powerful weapons from God. With them we destroy people’s defenses, that is, their arguments 5 and all their intellectual arrogance that oppose the knowledge of God. We take every thought captive so that it is obedient to Christ. 6 We are ready to punish every act of disobedience when you have become completely obedient.
7 Look at the plain facts! If anyone is confident he belongs to Christ, he should take note that we also belong to Christ. 8 So, if I brag a little too much about the authority which the Lord gave us, I’m not ashamed. The Lord gave us this authority to help you, not to hurt you.
9 I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 I know that someone is saying that my letters are powerful and strong, but that I’m a weakling and a terrible speaker. 11 The person who is saying those things should take note of this fact: When we are with you we will do the things that we wrote about in our letters when we weren’t with you.
Paul’s Reason for Bragging
12 We wouldn’t put ourselves in the same class with or compare ourselves to those who are bold enough to make their own recommendations. Certainly, when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves to themselves, they show how foolish they are.
13 How can we brag about things that no one can evaluate? Instead, we will only brag about what God has given us to do—coming to the city of Corinth where you live. 14 It’s not as though we hadn’t already been to Corinth. We’re not overstating the facts. The fact is that we were the first to arrive in Corinth with the Good News about Christ. 15 How can we brag about things done by others that can’t be evaluated?
We have confidence that as your faith grows, you will think enough of us to give us the help we need to carry out our assignment— 16 spreading the Good News in the regions far beyond you. We won’t brag about things already accomplished by someone else.
17 “Whoever brags should brag about what the Lord has done.” 18 It isn’t the person who makes his own recommendation who receives approval, but the person whom the Lord recommends.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.