M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Parashat Mishpatim
Ordinances for the Covenant
21 “Now these are the ordinances which you will set before them.
2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve for six years, and in the seventh he is to go free, without payment. 3 If he comes in by himself, he is to go out by himself. If he was married, then his wife will go out with him. 4 If his master gave him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children will be her master’s, and he will go free by himself.
5 “But if the servant plainly states, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children, and I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master is to bring him to God,[a] then take him to a door or to a doorpost. His master is to pierce his ear through with an awl, and he will serve him forever.
7 “If a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant, she is not to go free as the male servants do. 8 If she does not please her master who has selected her for himself, then he is to allow her to be redeemed. He will have no power to sell her to a foreign people, seeing as he has dealt deceitfully toward her. 9 If he betroths her to his son, he must give her the rights of a daughter. 10 If he takes another wife, he is not to diminish her food, her clothing, or her marriage rights. 11 If he does not provide these three to her, then she is to go free without payment.
12 “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies must surely be put to death. 13 But if he did not hunt him down, yet God caused it to happen, then I will appoint for you a place where he may run. 14 If a man presumes to kill his neighbor with craftiness, you are to take him from My altar and put him to death.
15 “Anyone who strikes his father or his mother must surely be put to death.
16 “Anyone who steals a person and sells him, or is found with him under his hand, must surely be put to death.
17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother must surely be put to death.
18 “If people quarrel, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist, and the other does not die but lies in bed, 19 if he rises again and walks around on his staff, then the one that struck him he will be cleared. But he must pay for the loss of his time and help him to be thoroughly healed.
20 “If a man strikes his male or female servant with a staff, who dies by his hand, he must surely be punished. 21 Notwithstanding, if the servant gets up in a day or two he will not be punished, for he is his property.[b]
22 “If men fight, and hit a pregnant woman so that her child is born early, yet no harm follows, the one who hit her is to be strictly fined, according to what the woman’s husband demands of him. He must pay as the judges determine. 23 But if any harm follows,[c] then you are to penalize life for life, 24 eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, blow for blow.
26 “If a man strikes the eye of his male or female slave and destroys it, he must let him go free for the sake of his eyesight. 27 If he strikes out his slave’s tooth, he must let him go free for the sake of his tooth.
28 “If an ox gores a man or a woman so that they die, the ox must surely be stoned, and its meat is not to be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be cleared. 29 If the ox was given to goring in times past, and a warning has been given to its owner, yet he has not kept it pent up, and it has killed a man or a woman, then the ox must be stoned and its owner must also be put to death. 30 If instead a ransom is placed on him, then he is to pay for the redemption of his life whatever is demanded. 31 Whether it has gored a son or daughter, this rule is to be applied to him. 32 If the ox gores a male or female slave, he is to pay 30 shekels of silver to their master, and the ox is to be stoned.
33 “If one uncovers a pit or digs a pit and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in, 34 the owner of the pit must pay compensation. He is to give money to the owner, and the dead animal will be his.
35 “If one man’s ox hurts another’s ox so that it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the price. They are also to divide the dead one. 36 Or if it becomes known that the ox was given to violence in times past, and its owner has not kept it pent up, he must surely pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his own. 37 [d] If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he is to pay five oxen for one ox or four sheep for one sheep.
Women Visit the Garden Tomb
24 Now on the first day of the week, at daybreak, the women came to the tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone had been rolled away from the tomb; 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Yeshua.
4 And while they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you search for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but He is risen! Remember what He told you when He was still in the Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be executed, and on the third day rise up.”
8 And they were reminded of His words. 9 And when they returned from the tomb, they told all these things to the eleven and to everyone else. 10 Now it was Miriam from Magdala, Joanna, the Miriam of Jacob and others together with them who were telling these things to the emissaries. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Leaning in, he sees only the linen cloths. And he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
Eyes Open in Emmaus
13 Now behold, two of them on that very day were traveling to a village named Emmaus, a distance of about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were speaking with one another about all the things that had been happening. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Yeshua Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.
17 Then He said to them, “What are these things you are discussing with one another as you are walking along?”
They stood still, looking gloomy. 18 Then the one named Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that happened there in these days?”
19 Yeshua said to them, “What kind of things?”
And they said to Him, “The things about Yeshua from Natzeret, who was a Prophet, powerful in deed and word before God and all the people— 20 how the ruling kohanim and our leaders handed Him over to be sentenced to death, and they executed Him. 21 But we were hoping that He was the One about to redeem Israel. Besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
22 “But also some women among us amazed us. Early in the morning they were at the tomb. 23 When they didn’t find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels, who said He is alive! 24 Some of those with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women said, but they did not see Him.”
25 Yeshua said to them, “Oh foolish ones, so slow of heart to put your trust in all that the prophets spoke! 26 Was it not necessary for Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the things written about Himself in all the Scriptures.
28 They approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther on. 29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is already gone.” So He went in to stay with them.
30 And it happened that when He was reclining at the table with them, He took the matzah,[b] offered a bracha and, breaking it, gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from them.
Good News for the Disciples in Jerusalem
32 They said to one another, “Didn’t our heart burn within us while He was speaking with us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and others with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they began telling about the events on the road and how He became recognized by them in the breaking of the matzah.
36 While they were speaking of these things, Yeshua Himself stood in the midst of them and said, “Shalom Aleichem!” 37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost.
38 Then He said to them, “Why are you so shaken? And why do doubts arise in your heart? 39 Look at My hands and My feet—it is I Myself! Touch Me and see! For a spirit doesn’t have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
41 But while they were still in disbelief due to joy and wonder, He said to them, “Do you have anything to eat here?”
42 They gave Him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and He took it and ate it in their presence. 44 Then He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you—everything written concerning Me in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.
45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “So it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance for the removal of sins[c] is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. [d] 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
Yeshua Ascends into Heaven
50 Then Yeshua led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands[e] and blessed them. 51 And while blessing them, He departed from them and was taken up into heaven. 52 After worshiping Him, they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they were continually in the Temple, praising God.
39 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving doe?
2 Do you count the months they fulfill
and do you know the time when they give birth
3 when they kneel, bring forth their young,
and their labor pains end?
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the open field;
They leaveand never return to them.
5 “Who sent the wild donkey free?
Who released the bonds of the wild ass,
6 to whom I gave the Arabah as its home,
the salt land as its dwelling place?
7 It scorns the commotion in the town;
it does not hear the taskmaster’s shouts.
8 It explores the mountains as its pasture
and searches after every green thing.
9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your manger?
10 Will you bind a wild ox to a furrow with his rope?
Will it plow valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength?
Will you leave your labor to it?
12 Can you trust it to bring in your seed
and gather it to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap joyously,
but are they the pinions and plumage of a stork?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground
and lets them warm in the soil,
15 and forgets that a foot may crush them,
that a wild beast may trample them.
16 She treats her young ones harshly, as if they were not hers;
She is not concerned that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom
or give her a share of understanding.
18 When she lifts herself to flee
she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength?
Do you clothe his neck with a mane?
20 Do you cause him to leap like locust?
His majestic snorting is terrifying!
21 He paws in the valley
and exalting in his strength he charges into the fray.
22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;
he does not recoil from the sword.
23 On him the quiver rattles;
the spear and javelin flash.
24 With quaking and excitement, he swallows up the ground.
He cannot stand still when the shofar sounds.
25 At the blast of the shofar, he says, ‘Aha!’
From a distance he smells battle,
the shout of the captains and the battle cry.
26 “Is it by your wisdom that the hawk soars,
spreading its wings toward the south?
27 Is it by your command that an eagle soars
and builds its nest high?
28 It dwells on a cliff
and spends the night there, on a rocky crag and stronghold.
29 From there it searches for food;
its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones suck up blood,
and where the slain are, there it is.”
9 Now about this service to the kedoshim, it is indeed unnecessary for me to write to you— 2 for I know your eagerness. I boast about it to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been preparing for a year already; and your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not be in vain in this case, so that you may be prepared, just as I kept saying. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians were to come and find you unprepared, we—not to mention you—would be put to shame in this undertaking. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on to you and arrange ahead of time your generous gift that had been promised beforehand, so that it would be ready as a gift and not as an extortion.
Sowing and Reaping Generosity
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. [a] 7 Let each one give as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion—for God loves a cheerful giver. [b] 8 And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that by always having enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He scattered widely, He gave to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”[c]
10 Now the One who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. [d] 11 You will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us brings about thanksgiving to God. 12 For this service of giving is not only supplying the needs of the kedoshim, but is also overflowing with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Because of the evidence of this service, they praise God for the obedience of your affirmation of the Good News of Messiah and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to everyone. 14 And in their prayer for you, they long for you because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.