M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Water from the Rock
17 The entire Israelite community left the Wilderness of Sin, moving from one place to the next according to the Lord’s command. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.(A) 2 So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.”
“Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing(B) the Lord?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you ever bring us up from Egypt to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (C)
4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? In a little while they will stone me!” (D)
5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go. 6 I am going to stand there in front of you on the rock at Horeb; when you hit the rock, water(E) will come out of it and the people will drink.” Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 He named the place Massah[a] and Meribah[b](F) because the Israelites complained, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
The Amalekites Attack
8 At Rephidim, Amalek[c](G) came and fought against Israel. 9 Moses said to Joshua,(H) “Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.”
10 Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 While Moses held up his hand,[d] Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand[e] down, Amalek prevailed.(I) 12 When Moses’s hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army[f] with the sword.
14 The Lord then said to Moses, “Write this down on a scroll as a reminder and recite it to Joshua: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven.”(J)
15 And Moses built an altar(K) and named it, “The Lord Is My Banner.”[g] 16 He said, “Indeed, my hand is lifted up toward[h] the Lord’s throne. The Lord will be at war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
20 One(A) day as he was teaching(B) the people in the temple and proclaiming the good news,(C) the chief priests and the scribes, with the elders,(D) came 2 and said to him, “Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?”
3 He answered them, “I will also ask you a question. Tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or of human origin?”
5 They discussed it among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why didn’t you believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ all the people(E) will stone us, because they are convinced that John was a prophet.”(F) 7 So they answered that they did not know its origin.
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The Parable of the Vineyard Owner
9 Now(G) he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard,(H) leased it to tenant farmers, and went away for a long time. 10 At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers so that they might give him some fruit from the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 He sent yet another servant, but they beat that one too, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third, but they wounded this one too and threw him out.
13 “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What should I do? I will send my beloved(I) son. Perhaps[a] they will respect him.’
14 “But when the tenant farmers saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him, so that the inheritance will be ours.’(J) 15 So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and kill(K) those farmers and give the vineyard to others.”
But when they heard this they said, “That must never happen!” (L)
17 But he looked at them and said, “Then what is the meaning of this Scripture:[b](M)
18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.”(O)
19 Then the scribes and the chief priests(P) looked for a way to get their hands on him(Q) that very hour, because they knew he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.(R)
God and Caesar
20 They(S) watched closely(T) and sent spies(U) who pretended to be righteous,[d] so that they could catch him in what he said,(V) to hand him(W) over to the governor’s(X) rule and authority. 21 They questioned him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly,(Y) and you don’t show partiality[e](Z) but teach truthfully the way of God.(AA) 22 Is it lawful(AB) for us to pay taxes(AC) to Caesar(AD) or not?”
23 But detecting their craftiness, he said to them,[f] 24 “Show me a denarius.[g] Whose image and inscription does it have?”
“Caesar’s,” they said.
25 “Well then,” he told them, “give to Caesar(AE) the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
26 They were not able to catch him in what he said in public, and being amazed at his answer, they became silent.(AF)
The Sadducees and the Resurrection
27 Some(AG) of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection,(AH) came up and questioned him: 28 “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother has a wife, and dies childless, his brother should take the wife and produce offspring for his brother.[h](AI) 29 Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. 30 Also the second[i] 31 and the third took her. In the same way, all seven died and left no children. 32 Finally, the woman died too. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For all seven had married her.”
34 Jesus told them, “The children of this age(AJ) marry and are given in marriage.(AK) 35 But those who are counted worthy(AL) to take part in that age(AM) and in the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. 36 For they can no longer die,(AN) because they are like angels and are children of God,(AO) since they are children of the resurrection. 37 Moses even indicated in the passage about the burning bush that the dead are raised, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.[j](AP) 38 He is not the God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to[k] him.”(AQ)
39 Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, you have spoken well.” 40 And they no longer dared to ask him anything.
The Question about the Messiah
41 Then(AR) he said to them, “How can they say that the Messiah is the son of David?(AS) 42 For David himself says in the Book of Psalms:(AT)
The Lord declared to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand
43 until I make your enemies your footstool.’[l](AU)
44 David calls him ‘Lord.’ How, then, can he be his son?”(AV)
Warning against the Scribes
45 While(AW) all the people were listening, he said to his disciples, 46 “Beware(AX) of the scribes, who want to go around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.(AY) 47 They devour widows’ houses and say long prayers just for show. These will receive harsher judgment.”
35 Then Elihu continued, saying:
2 Do you think it is just when you say,
“I am righteous before God”?
3 For you ask, “What does it profit you,[a]
and what benefit comes to me, if I do not sin?” (A)
4 I will answer you
and your friends with you.
5 Look at the heavens and see;
gaze at the clouds high above you.
6 If you sin, how does it affect God?
If you multiply your transgressions, what does it do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give him,
or what does he receive from your hand?(B)
8 Your wickedness affects a person like yourself,
and your righteousness, a son of man.[b]
9 People cry out because of severe oppression;
they shout for help because of the power of the mighty.(C)
10 But no one asks, “Where is God my Maker,(D)
who provides us with songs in the night,(E)
11 who gives us more understanding than the animals of the earth
and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?” (F)
12 There they cry out, but he does not answer,
because of the pride of evil people.(G)
13 Indeed, God does not listen to empty cries,
and the Almighty does not take note of it—
14 how much less when[c] you complain[d]
that you do not see him,
that your case(H) is before him
and you are waiting(I) for him.
15 But now, because God’s anger does not punish
and he does not pay attention to transgression,[e]
16 Job opens his mouth in vain
and multiplies words without knowledge.(J)
Our Future after Death
5 For we know that if our earthly tent we live in(A) is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens,(B) not made with hands.(C) 2 Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring(D) to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 since, when we are clothed,[a] we will not be found naked.(E) 4 Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality(F) may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.
6 So we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith,(G) not by sight.(H) 8 In fact, we are confident, and we would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.(I) 9 Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing(J) to him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat(K) of Christ,(L) so that each may be repaid(M) for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
11 Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord,(N) we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in outward appearance rather than in the heart. 13 For if we are out of our mind,(O) it is for God; if we are in our right mind,(P) it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all,(Q) and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all(R) so that those who live should no longer live for themselves,(S) but for the one(T) who died for them and was raised.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
16 From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective.[b] Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective,[c] yet now we no longer know him in this way. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;(U) the old has passed away, and see,(V) the new has[d] come!(W) 18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.(X) 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world(Y) to himself,(Z) not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors(AA) for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf,(AB) “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the one who did not know sin(AC) to be sin[e] for us,(AD) so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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