M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jethro Visits Moses
18 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, was the priest of Midian. He heard about everything that God had done for Moses and his people, the Israelites. Jethro heard how the Lord had led the Israelites out of Egypt. 2 Moses had sent his wife Zipporah to Jethro, his father-in-law. 3 Moses had also sent his two sons. The first son was named Gershom.[a] When he was born, Moses said, “I am a stranger in a foreign country.” 4 The other son was named Eliezer.[b] When he was born, Moses said, “The God of my father is my help. He saved me from the king of Egypt.”
5 So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, went to Moses. Moses was camped in the desert near Sinai, the mountain of God. Moses’ wife and his two sons came with Jethro. 6 Jethro had sent a message ahead to Moses. He said, “I am Jethro, your father-in-law. I am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law. Moses bowed down and then kissed him. The two men asked about each other’s health. Then they went into Moses’ tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law everything the Lord had done to the king and the Egyptians. The Lord had done these things to help Israel. Moses told about all the problems they had faced along the way. And Moses told him how the Lord had saved them.
9 Jethro was very happy when he heard all the good things the Lord had done for Israel. He was happy because the Lord had saved them from the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Praise the Lord. He has saved all of you from the Egyptians and their king. He has saved the people from the power of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know the Lord is greater than all gods. He did this to those who looked down on Israel.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave a whole burnt offering and other sacrifices to God. Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to Moses’ father-in-law. They ate the holy meal together before God.
13 The next day Moses solved disagreements among the people. So the people stood around Moses from morning until night. 14 Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people. He asked, “What is all this you are doing for the people? Why are you the only one to solve disagreements? All the people are standing around you from morning until night!”
15 Then Moses said to his father-in-law, “It is because the people come to me for God’s help in solving their disagreements. 16 When people have a disagreement, they come to me. I decide who is right. And I tell them God’s laws and teachings.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “You are not doing this right. 18 You and the people who come to you will get too tired. This is too much work for you. You can’t do it by yourself. 19 Now listen to me. I will give you some advice. I want God to be with you. You must talk to God for the people. You must tell him about their disagreements. 20 You should tell them the laws and teachings. Tell them the right way to live and what they should do. 21 But choose some capable men from among the people. Choose men who respect God and who can be trusted. They will not change their decisions for money. Make these men officers over groups of 1,000, 100, 50 and 10 people. 22 Let these officers solve the disagreements among the people all the time. They can bring the hard cases to you. But they can decide the simple cases themselves. That will make it easier for you. These men will share the work with you. 23 Do this if it is what God commands. Then you will be able to do your job. And all the people will go home with their disagreements solved.”
24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 He chose capable men from all the Israelites. He made them leaders over the people. They were officers over groups of 1,000, 100, 50 and 10 people. 26 These officers solved disagreements among the people all the time. They brought the hard cases to Moses. But they decided the simple cases themselves.
27 Then Moses let his father-in-law leave. And Jethro went back to his own home.
True Giving
21 Jesus saw some rich people putting their gifts into the Temple money box.[a] 2 Then Jesus saw a poor widow. She put two small copper coins into the box. 3 He said, “I tell you the truth. This poor widow gave only two small coins. But she really gave more than all those rich people. 4 The rich have plenty; they gave only what they did not need. This woman is very poor, but she gave all she had. And she needed that money to live on.”
The Temple Will Be Destroyed
5 Some of the followers were talking about the Temple and how it was decorated with beautiful stones and gifts offered to God.
6 But Jesus said, “The time will come when all that you see here will be destroyed. Every stone will be thrown down to the ground. Not one stone will be left on another!”
7 Some followers asked Jesus, “Teacher, when will these things happen? What will show us that it is time for them to take place?”
8 Jesus said, “Be careful! Don’t be fooled. Many people will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am the Christ’ and, ‘The right time has come!’ But don’t follow them. 9 When you hear about wars and riots, don’t be afraid. These things must happen first. Then the end will come later.”
10 Then he said to them, “Nations will fight against other nations. Kingdoms will fight against other kingdoms. 11 There will be great earthquakes, sicknesses, and other terrible things in many places. In some places there will be no food for the people to eat. Fearful events and great signs will come from heaven.
12 “But before all these things happen, people will arrest you and treat you cruelly. They will judge you in their synagogues and put you in jail. You will be forced to stand before kings and governors. They will do all these things to you because you follow me. 13 But this will give you an opportunity to tell about me. 14 Don’t worry about what you will say. 15 I will give you the wisdom to say things so that none of your enemies will be able to show that you are wrong. 16 Even your parents, brothers, relatives and friends will turn against you. They will kill some of you. 17 All people will hate you because you follow me. 18 But none of these things can really harm you. 19 You will save yourselves by continuing strong in your faith through all these things.
Jerusalem Will Be Destroyed
20 “When you see armies all around Jerusalem, then you will know that it will soon be destroyed. 21 At that time, the people in Judea should run away to the mountains. The people in Jerusalem must get out. If you are near the city, don’t go in! 22 These are the days of punishment to make come true all that is written in the Scriptures. 23 At that time, it will be hard for women who are pregnant or have nursing babies! Great trouble will come upon this land, and God will be angry with these people. 24 Some will be killed by the sword and taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be crushed by non-Jewish people until their time is over.
Don’t Fear
25 “Amazing things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. On earth, nations will be afraid because of the roar and fury of the sea. They will not know what to do. 26 People will be so afraid they will faint. They will wonder what is happening to the whole world. Everything in the sky will be changed. 27 Then people will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to happen, don’t fear. Look up and hold your heads high because the time when God will free you is near!”
My Words Will Live Forever
29 Then Jesus told this story: “Look at the fig tree and all the other trees. 30 When their leaves appear, you know that summer is near. 31 In the same way, when you see all these things happening, then you will know that God’s kingdom is coming very soon.
32 “I tell you the truth. All these things will happen while the people of this time are still living! 33 The whole world, earth and sky, will be destroyed; but the words I have said will never be destroyed!
Be Ready All the Time
34 “Be careful! Don’t spend your time feasting and drinking. Or don’t be too busy with worldly things. If you do that, you will not be able to think straight. And then that day might come when you are not ready. 35 It will close like a trap on all people on earth. 36 So be ready all the time. Pray that you will be strong enough to escape all these things that will happen. And pray that you will be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
37 During the day, Jesus taught the people in the Temple. At night he went out of the city and stayed on the Mount of Olives. 38 Every morning all the people got up early to go to the Temple to listen to him.
Elihu’s Speech Continues
36 Elihu continued:
2 “Listen to me a little longer. Then I will show you
that there is more to be said for God’s side.
3 What I know comes from far away.
I will show that God, my Maker, is right.
4 You can be sure that my words are not false.
One who really knows is with you.
5 “God is powerful, but he does not hate people.
He is powerful and sure of what he wants to do.
6 God will not keep evil people alive.
But he gives troubled people their rights.
7 God does not stop watching over those who do right.
He sets them on thrones with kings.
And he lifts them up on high forever.
8 People may be bound in chains.
Or trouble may tie them up like ropes around them.
9 But then God tells them what they have done.
He tells them they have sinned by being too proud.
10 God makes them listen to his warning.
He commands them to change from doing evil.
11 If they obey and serve him,
the rest of their lives will be successful.
And the rest of their years will be happy.
12 But if they do not listen,
they will die by the sword.
And they will die without knowing better.
13 “People who have wicked hearts hold on to anger.
Even when God ties them down with trouble, they do not cry for help.
14 They die while they are still young.
They die among the male prostitutes at the places of worship.
15 But God will save suffering people by their suffering.
He gets them to listen through their pain.
16 “God is gently calling you from the jaws of trouble.
He is calling you to an open place of freedom.
There he has set your table full of the best food.
17 But now you are given the punishment evil people should have.
Now you are being punished.
18 Be careful! Don’t be led away from God by riches.
Don’t let a promise of much money turn you away.
19 Neither your wealth nor all your great strength
will keep you out of trouble.
20 Don’t wish for the night.
That is when people are taken from their homes.
21 Be careful not to turn to evil,
which you seem to want more than suffering.
22 “God does great things by his power.
No other teacher is like him.
23 No one has planned his ways for him.
No one has said to God, ‘You have done wrong.’
24 Remember to praise his work.
Men sing about it.
25 Everybody has seen it.
People look at it from far off.
26 God is so great! He is greater than we can understand!
No one can discover how many years he has been alive.
27 “God takes up the drops of water from the earth.
And he turns them into drops of rain.
28 Then the rain pours down from the clouds.
And showers fall on people.
29 No one understands how God spreads out the clouds.
No one understands how he thunders from where he lives.
30 Watch how God scatters his lightning around him.
It even lights up the deepest parts of the sea.
31 This is the way God governs the nations.
This is how he gives us enough food.
32 God fills his hands with lightning.
And he commands it to strike its target.
33 His thunder announces that a storm is coming.
Even the cattle show that the storm is coming.
6 We are workers together with God. So we beg you: Do not let the grace that you received from God be for nothing. 2 God says,
“I heard your prayers at the right time,
and I gave you help on the day of salvation.” Isaiah 49:8
I tell you that the “right time” is now. The “day of salvation” is now.
3 We do not want anyone to find anything wrong with our work. So we do nothing that will be a problem for anyone. 4 But in every way we show that we are servants of God: in accepting many hard things, in troubles, in difficulties, and in great problems. 5 We are beaten and thrown into prison. Men become upset and fight us. We work hard, and sometimes we get no sleep or food. 6 We show that we are servants of God by living a pure life, by our understanding, by our patience, and by our kindness. We show this by the Holy Spirit, by true love, 7 by speaking the truth, and by God’s power. We use our right living to defend ourselves against everything. 8 Some people honor us, but other people shame us. Some people say good things about us, but other people say bad things. Some people say we are liars, but we speak the truth. 9 We are not known, but we are well-known. We seem to be dying, but look—we continue to live. We are punished, but we are not killed. 10 We have much sadness, but we are always rejoicing. We are poor, but we are making many people rich in faith. We have nothing, but really we have everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you in Corinth. We have opened our hearts to you. 12 Our feelings of love for you have not stopped. It is you that have stopped your feelings of love for us. 13 I speak to you as if you were my children. Do to us as we have done—open your hearts to us.
Warning About Non-Christians
14 You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together. 15 How can Christ and Belial, the devil, have any agreement? What can a believer have together with a non-believer? 16 The temple of God cannot have any agreement with idols. And we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live with them and walk with them. And I will be their God. And they will be my people.”[a]
17 “Leave those people,
and make yourselves pure, says the Lord.
Touch nothing that is unclean,
and I will accept you.” Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41
18 “I will be your father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord All-Powerful.” 2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.