M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joseph Reveals Who He Is
45 Joseph could not control himself in front of his servants any longer. 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.” So the brothers came close to him. And he said to them, “I am your brother Joseph. You sold me as a slave to go to Egypt. 5 Now don’t be worried. Don’t be 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. This was to make sure you have some descendants left on earth. And it was 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. 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. You will be near me. Also your children, your grandchildren, your flocks and herds and all that you have will be near me. 11 I will care for you during the next five years of hunger. In this way, you and your family and all that you have will not starve.’
12 “Now you can see for yourselves. The one speaking to you is really Joseph. And my brother Benjamin can see this. 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 Then Joseph kissed all his brothers. He cried as he hugged them. After this, his brothers talked with him.
16 The king of Egypt and his officers learned that Joseph’s brothers had come. And they were very happy about this. 17 So the king said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers to load their animals and go back to the land of Canaan. 18 Tell them to 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 tell them to bring their father back also. 20 Tell them not to worry about bringing any of their things with them. 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 he gave them food for their trip. 22 He gave each brother a change of clothes. But he gave Benjamin five changes of clothes. And Joseph gave him about seven and one-half pounds of silver. 23 Joseph also sent his father ten donkeys loaded with the best things from Egypt. And he sent ten female donkeys. They were 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. He is the ruler over all the land of Egypt.” Their father was shocked and did not believe them. 27 But the brothers told him everything Joseph had said. Then Jacob saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back to Egypt. Now Jacob felt better. 28 Jacob, also called Israel, said, “Now I believe you. My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
15 Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the Jewish 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, “Yes, I am.”
3 The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. 4 So Pilate asked Jesus another question. He said, “You can see that these people are accusing you of many things. Why don’t you answer?”
5 But Jesus still said nothing. Pilate was very surprised at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
6 Every year at the Passover time the governor would free one person from prison. He would free any person the people wanted him to free. 7 At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison. He was a rebel and had committed murder during a riot. 8 The crowd came to Pilate and asked him to free a prisoner as he always did.
9 Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” 10 Pilate knew that the leading priests had given Jesus to him because they were jealous of Jesus. 11 And the leading priests had persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.
12 Pilate asked the crowd again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted, “Kill him on a cross!”
14 Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder and louder, “Kill him on a cross!”
15 Pilate wanted to please the crowd. So he freed Barabbas for them. And Pilate told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
16 Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together. 17 They put a purple robe on Jesus. Then they used thorny branches to make a crown. They put it on his head. 18 Then they called out to him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 The soldiers beat Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They also spit on him. Then they made fun of him by bowing on their knees and worshiping him. 20 After they finished making fun of him, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus out of the palace to be killed on a cross.
Jesus Is Killed on a Cross
21 There was a man from Cyrene coming from the fields to the city. The man was Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. 22 They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the Place of the Skull.) 23 At Golgotha the soldiers tried to give Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with myrrh. But he refused to drink it. 24 The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves. They threw lots to decide which clothes each soldier would get.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the cross. 26 There was a sign with the charge against Jesus written on it. The sign read: “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. They 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 there. They made fun of Jesus just as the other people did. They said among themselves, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself. 32 If he is really the Christ, the king of Israel, then let him come down from the cross now. We will see this, and then we will believe in him.” The robbers who were being killed on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
33 At noon the whole country became dark. This 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 left me alone?”
35 Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.”
36 One man there ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with vinegar and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to drink from it. The man said, “We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”
37 Then Jesus cried in a loud voice and died.
38 When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple[b] split into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. 39 The army officer that was standing there before the cross saw what happened when Jesus died.[c] The officer said, “This man really was the Son of God!”
40 Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. Some of these women were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.) 41 These were the women who followed Jesus in Galilee and cared for 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.) It was becoming dark. 43 A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph was an important member of the Jewish council. He was one of the people who wanted the kingdom of God to come. 44 Pilate wondered if Jesus was already dead. Pilate called the army officer who 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 in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance. 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 “All these words should not go without an answer.
Is this talker to be judged as right?
3 Your talk should not make people be quiet.
People should shame you when you make fun of God.
4 You say to God, ‘My teachings are right.
And I am clean in God’s sight.’
5 I wish God would speak.
I wish he would open his lips to speak against you.
6 I wish he would tell you the secrets of wisdom.
This is 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 God All-Powerful?
8 God’s limits are higher than the heavens. You cannot reach them!
They are deeper than where the dead are. You cannot know them!
9 His limits are longer than the earth
and wider than the sea.
10 “God might come along and put you in prison.
If he calls you into court, no one can stop him.
11 God knows which men are evil.
And when he sees evil, he notices it.
12 A stupid person cannot become wise.
That is as impossible as a wild donkey being born tame.
13 “You must give your whole heart to him.
You must hold out your hands to him for help.
14 Put away the sin that is in your hand.
Let no evil live in your tent.
15 Then you can lift up your face without shame.
You can stand strong without fear.
16 You will forget your trouble.
You will remember your troubles only as water that has passed 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 make you afraid.
Many people will want favor from you.
20 But the wicked people will not be able to see.
So they will not be able to find the way to escape.
Their only hope will be to die.”
15 We who are strong in faith should help those who are weak. We should help them with their weaknesses, and not please only ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to help him 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, so that we could have hope. That hope comes from the patience and encouragement that the Scriptures give us. 5 Patience and encouragement come from God. And I pray that God will help you all agree 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. This will bring glory to God. 8 I tell you that Christ became a servant of the Jews. This was to show that God’s promises to the Jewish ancestors are true. 9 And he also did this so that the non-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 non-Jews, together with God’s people.” Deuteronomy 32:43
11 Again the Scripture says,
“All you non-Jews, praise the Lord.
All you people, sing praises to him.” Psalm 117:1
12 And Isaiah says,
“A new king will come from Jesse’s family.[b]
He will come to rule over the non-Jews;
and the non-Jews 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, 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 that I wanted you to remember. I did this because God gave me this special gift: 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the non-Jewish people. 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 I did myself. I will talk only about what Christ has done through me in leading the non-Jewish people to obey God. They have obeyed God because of what I have said and done. 19 And they have obeyed God because of the power of miracles and the great things they saw, and 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. I do this because I do not want to build on the work that 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 That is why many times I was stopped 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. I will enjoy being with you, and 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 non-Jews have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings. So they should use their material possessions to help the Jews. 28 I must be sure that the poor in Jerusalem get the money that has been given for them. After I do this, 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, I beg you to help me in my work by praying for me to God. 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 non-believers in Judea. And pray 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. I will come 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, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.