M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Jacob’s Burial

50 Then Joseph, leaning over his father’s face, wept and kissed him. ² He commanded his servants who were physicians to embalm his father. So they embalmed Israel. ³ They took 40 days to complete this, for embalming takes that long, and the Egyptians mourned for him 70 days.^(A)

⁴ When the days of mourning were over, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s household, “If I have found favor with you, please tell^[a] Pharaoh that ⁵ my father made me take an oath,^(B) saying, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me there in the tomb that I made for myself in the land of Canaan.’^(C) Now let me go and bury my father. Then I will return.”

⁶ So Pharaoh said, “Go and bury your father in keeping with your oath.”

⁷ Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all Pharaoh’s servants, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt went with him, ⁸ along with all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their sheep, and their cattle were left in the land of Goshen. ⁹ Horses and chariots went up with him; it was a very impressive procession. ¹⁰ When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wept loudly, and Joseph mourned seven days for his father. ¹¹ When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place is named Abel-mizraim.^[b] It is across the Jordan.

¹² So Jacob’s sons did for him what he had commanded them. ¹³ They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.^{(D) 14} After Joseph buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

Joseph’s Kindness

¹⁵ When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, “If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the suffering we caused him.”^(E)

¹⁶ So they sent this message to Joseph, “Before he died your father gave a command: ¹⁷ ‘Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers’ transgression and their sin—the suffering they caused you.’ Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept^(F) when their message came to him. ¹⁸ Then his brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”

¹⁹ But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God?^{(G) 20} You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result—the survival of many people.^{(H) 21} Therefore don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones.”^(I) And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.^[c]

Joseph’s Death

²² Joseph and his father’s household remained in Egypt. Joseph lived 110 years. ²³ He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation;^(J) the sons of Manasseh’s son Machir were recognized by^[d][e] Joseph.^(K)

²⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die,^(L) but God will certainly come to your aid and bring you up from this land to the land He promised Abraham,^(M) Isaac,^(N) and Jacob.”^{(O) 25} So Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath: “When God comes to your aid, you are to carry my bones up from here.”^(P)

²⁶ Joseph died at the age of 110. They embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

The Messiah’s Herald

3 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,^[a] while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,^(A) Herod was tetrarch^[b] of Galilee,^(B) his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Iturea^[c] and Trachonitis,^[d] and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,^{[e] 2} during the high priesthood of Annas^(C) and Caiaphas,^(D) God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.^{(E) 3} He went into all the vicinity of the Jordan,^(F) preaching a baptism of repentance^[f] for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

⁷ He then said to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers!^(H) Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruit consistent with repentance. And don’t start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’^(I) for I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones! ⁹ Even now the ax is ready to strike^[j] the root of the trees! Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”^(J)

¹⁰ “What then should we do?”^(K) the crowds were asking him.

¹¹ He replied to them, “The one who has two shirts^[k] must share with someone who has none, and the one who has food must do the same.”^(L)

¹² Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”^(M)

¹³ He told them, “Don’t collect any more than what you have been authorized.”

¹⁴ Some soldiers also questioned him: “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or false accusation; be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now the people were waiting expectantly, and all of them were debating in their minds^[l] whether John might be the Messiah.^{(N) 16} John answered them all,^(O) “I baptize you with^[m] water, but One is coming who is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandals. He will baptize you with^[n] the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing shovel^[o](P) is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with a fire that never goes out.”^{(Q) 18} Then, along with many other exhortations, he proclaimed good news to the people. ¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch,^(R) being rebuked by him about Herodias, his brother’s wife, and about all the evil things Herod had done,^{(S) 20} added this to everything else—he locked John up in prison.^(T)

The Baptism of Jesus

²¹ When all the people were baptized,^(U) Jesus also was baptized. As He was praying,^(V) heaven opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a physical appearance like a dove. And a voice came from heaven:

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

²³ As He began His ministry, Jesus was about 30 years old and was thought to be^[p] the

Job’s Reply to Eliphaz

16 Then Job answered:

The Faithful Manager

4 A person should consider us in this way: as servants^(A) of Christ and managers^(B) of God’s mysteries.^{(C) 2} In this regard, it is expected of managers that each one of them be found faithful.^{(D) 3} It is of little^(E) importance to me that I should be evaluated^(F) by you or by any human court.^[a] In fact, I don’t even evaluate myself. ⁴ For I am not conscious of anything against myself, but I am not justified^(G) by this. The One who evaluates me is the Lord. ⁵ Therefore don’t judge^(H) anything prematurely, before the Lord comes,^(I) who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.^(J)

The Apostles’ Example of Humility

⁶ Now, brothers,^(K) I have applied these things to myself and Apollos^(L) for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.”^[b] The purpose is that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over another. ⁷ For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If, in fact, you did receive it, why do you boast as if you hadn’t received it? ⁸ You are already full! You are already rich! You have begun to reign as kings without us—and I wish you did reign, so that we could also reign with you! ⁹ For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: We have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. ¹⁰ We are fools for Christ, but you are wise in Christ!^(M) We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! ¹¹ Up to the present hour we are both hungry and thirsty; we are poorly clothed, roughly treated, homeless; ¹² we labor, working^(N) with our own hands.^(O) When we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; ¹³ when we are slandered, we respond graciously. Even now, we are like the world’s garbage, like the dirt everyone scrapes off their sandals.^(P)

Paul’s Fatherly Care

¹⁴ I’m not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children.^{(Q) 15} For you can have 10,000 instructors in Christ, but you can’t have many fathers. For I became your father^(R) in Christ Jesus through the gospel. ¹⁶ Therefore I urge you to imitate me. ¹⁷ This is why I have sent^(S) Timothy to you. He is my dearly loved and faithful^(T) son in the Lord. He will remind you about my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I teach everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Now some are inflated with pride, as though I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you soon,^(U) if the Lord wills, and I will know not the talk but the power of those who are inflated with pride. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. ²¹ What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod,^(V) or in love and a spirit of gentleness?^(W)