M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 34
The Incident at Shechem.[a] 1 Dinah, the daughter whom Leah had borne for Jacob, went out to see the young women of the country. 2 When Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and laid with her and defiled her. 3 He was deeply attracted to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke comforting words to her. 4 Then he said to Hamor, his father, “Arrange for me to take this woman as a wife.”
5 When Jacob learned that Dinah, his daughter, had been defiled, his sons were in the countryside with the animals. So he remained silent until they returned.
6 Hamor, the father of Shechem, came to Jacob to speak to him. 7 When the sons of Jacob returned from the countryside, they heard what had happened. They were furious and very indignant because he had done this outrage in Israel, sleeping with a daughter of Jacob. One did not do these things!
8 Hamor said to them, “Shechem, my son, is in love with your daughter. Please give her to him in marriage. 9 Why not intermarry with us?[b] You give us your daughters, and you can take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can live with us, and the land will be at your disposal. Reside here, move about freely, and buy property.”
11 Shechem said to Dinah’s father and her brothers, “Tell me what I can give you in order to find favor in your sight. 12 You can even raise my bridal price greatly and the value of the due gifts. I will give you whatever you ask. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, for they had dishonored their sister Dinah. 14 They told them, “We cannot do this; we cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. This would dishonor us. 15 We will only grant your request if you become like us, if all of you circumcise your male members. 16 Then we will give you our daughters, and you can give us yours. We will live with you, and we can become a single people. 17 But if you will not listen to our proposal concerning circumcising yourselves, then we will take our daughter and go away.”
18 Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, the son of Hamor. 19 The young man did not waste any time in doing this thing, for he loved the daughter of Jacob. He was also the most honored member of the household of his father. 20 Hamor and his son Shechem therefore went to the gate of the city and spoke to the men of the city, saying, 21 “These men are peaceful. Let them live with us in the land and move about freely. There is ample space in every direction. We can take their daughters for wives and we can give them ours. 22 But there is one condition before these men will agree to live with us to become a single people: that we circumcise each of our males as they themselves are circumcised. 23 Would not their herds, their riches, and all their animals then be ours? Let us agree to their proposal, and they will then live with us.”
24 All those who were near the gate of the city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem. All the men, everyone who had access to the gate of the city, had themselves circumcised.
25 On the third day, when they were still sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi,[c] the brothers of Dinah, took swords, entered the city boldly, and killed all the men. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword, took Dinah out of the house of Shechem, and left. 27 The other sons of Jacob came upon the bodies and sacked the city because their sister had been dishonored. 28 They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys and whatever they had in the city and in the countryside. 29 They carried off all their possessions as booty, sacking whatever was in their houses.
30 Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have placed me in a very difficult situation, making me hateful to the inhabitants of this land, to the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and I only have a few men with me. They will unite against me, and defeat me, and annihilate me and my household.”
31 But they answered, “Should our sister be treated as a harlot?”
Chapter 5
Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac.[a] 1 They reached the region of the Gerasenes[b] on the other side of the lake. 2 No sooner had he stepped out of the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came up to him from the tombs.[c] 3 The man had been living in the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, not even with chains. 4 For he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but he had snapped the chains and smashed the shackles to pieces, and no one had sufficient strength to subdue him. 5 Day and night among the tombs and on the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones.
6 When the man caught sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, 7 as he shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore you in God’s name: do not torment me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!” 9 Then he asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for there are many of us.”[d] 10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
11 Now on the mountainside a great herd of pigs was feeding. 12 And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them.” 13 He allowed this. With that, the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs, and the herd, numbering about two thousand, charged down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned in the waters.
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. As a result, people came out to see what had happened. 15 When they came near Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by Legion sitting there fully clothed and in his right mind, and they were frightened. 16 Those who had been eyewitnesses to the incident confirmed what had happened to the demoniac and what had happened to the pigs. 17 Then they began to implore Jesus to leave their region.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons pleaded to be allowed to go with him. 19 However, Jesus would not permit him to do so, and instead told him, “Go home to your own people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 The man then departed and began to make known throughout the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.[e]
21 Jesus Heals a Woman and Raises a Child.[f] When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed by the lake. 22 Then one of the leaders of the synagogue,[g] named Jairus, came forward, and when he saw Jesus he threw himself down at his feet 23 and pleaded with him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. I beg you to come and lay your hands on her so that she may recover and live.” 24 Jesus went with him, and a large number accompanied him and crowded around him.
25 There was a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. 26 In spite of long and painful treatment at the hands of many doctors, her condition not only had failed to improve but had actually become worse, and she had spent everything she had. 27 Having heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 for she thought, “If I simply touch his clothing, I shall be made well.” 29 And immediately her bleeding dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
30 Instantly aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothing?” 31 His disciples said in reply, “You see this vast throng pressing upon you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ” 32 However, he continued to look around to determine who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She knelt before him and revealed to him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your affliction.”
35 While he was still speaking, some people from the house of the synagogue leader arrived and said, “Your daughter has died. Why bother the Teacher any further?” 36 Jesus heard the message they had delivered, but he said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid. Just have faith.” 37 He allowed no one to accompany him except Peter, James, and John,[h] the brother of James.
38 When they arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, he observed a great deal of commotion, with people weeping and wailing loudly. 39 When he entered, he said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead; she is asleep.” 40 In response, they laughed at him.
After sending them all outside, he took with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions and entered the room where the child was. 41 He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” which means: “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” 42 And immediately the girl, a child of twelve, got up and began to walk around.
On witnessing this, they were all overcome with amazement, 43 but he gave them strict instructions that no one should be told anything about this. Then he told them to give her something to eat.
Prologue: Job’s Prosperity, Woes, and Resignation[a]
Chapter 1
A Good and Righteous Man.[b] 1 Job, a good and righteous man, lived in the land of Uz. He feared God and shunned evil. 2 He was the father of seven sons and three daughters, 3 and he possessed seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred donkeys, in addition to a large number of servants. Thus, he was the greatest man throughout the entire East.
4 Job’s sons had the custom of taking turns hosting banquets in one another’s house, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 And when each banquet had been completed, Job would send for his children and sanctify them, rising early in the morning and sacrificing burnt offerings for each of them. For Job said, “It could perhaps have happened that my sons have sinned and blasphemed against God in their hearts.” This was his regular custom.
“Why Should Job Not Be a God-Fearing Man?”[c] 6 One day the sons of God assembled to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan was with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “I have been roaming the earth and going back and forth in it.” 8 The Lord asked him, “Have you paid any notice to my servant Job? You will not find anyone like him on the entire earth. He is a good and righteous man who fears God and shuns evil.”
9 Satan said in reply, “Why should Job not be a God-fearing man? 10 You have safeguarded him and his family and all his possessions with your protection. You have blessed every one of his undertakings, and his flocks have continued to increase throughout the land. 11 But if you stretch out your hand and strike all that he has, he will surely curse you to your face.” 12 The Lord then said, “Very well. All that he has is in your power. However, you may not lay a hand upon him.” So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
13 Messengers of Woe.[d] One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger came to Job and said, “While your oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing beside them, 15 the Sabeans[e] swooped down on them and carried them off, after first putting the herdsmen to the sword. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
16 While he was speaking, another messenger arrived and said, “The fire of God[f] flashed from heaven, striking the sheep and their shepherds and consuming them. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
17 While he was still speaking, another messenger ran up and said, “Three bands of Chaldeans[g] made a raid on the camels and carried them off and slaughtered those who were tending them. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came forth and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house. 19 Then suddenly a powerful wind swept across the desert. It struck the four corners of the house, which collapsed upon the young people, and they are all dead. I alone have escaped to tell you.”
Blessed Be the Name of the Lord.[h]20 Then Job arose, tore his cloak, and shaved his head. He threw himself prostrate on the ground 21 and said:
“Naked I emerged from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will return.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
blessed be the name of the Lord.”
22 In all this, Job did not sin, nor did he revile God.
Faith, the Riches of Life[a]
Chapter 5
At Peace with God
Hope Does Not Disappoint. 1 Therefore, now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace[b] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom by faith we have been given access to this grace in which we now live, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we realize that suffering develops perseverance, 4 and perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 Such hope will not be doomed to disappointment,[c] because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
Reconciliation Already Obtained. 6 At the appointed time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Indeed, it is seldom that anyone will die for a just person, although perhaps for a good person someone might be willing to die. 8 Thus, God proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
9 And so, now that we have been justified by Christ’s blood, how much more certainly will we be saved through him from divine retribution.[d] 10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more certain it is that, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 11 And not only that, but we now even trust exultantly in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already been granted reconciliation.
Adam and Christ—Sin and Grace[e]
12 Humanity’s Sin through Adam. Therefore, sin entered the world as the result of one man, and death[f] as a result of sin, and thus death has afflicted the entire human race inasmuch as everyone has sinned. 13 Sin was already in the world before there was any Law, even though sin is not reckoned when there is no Law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned by disobeying a command, as did Adam who prefigured the one who was to come.
15 Grace and Life through Christ. However, the gift is not like the transgression. For if the transgression of one man led to the death of the many,[g] how much greater was the overflowing effect of the grace of God and the gift of the one man Jesus Christ that has abounded for the many. 16 The gift of God cannot be compared with the sin of the one man. For the one sin resulted in the judgment that brought condemnation, but the gift freely given after many transgressions resulted in justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s transgression, death reigned through that man, how much more shall those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness come to reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore, just as one man’s transgression brought condemnation for all, so one man’s righteous act resulted in justification and life for all. 19 For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous.[h]
20 Purpose of the Law. When the Law was added, offenses multiplied; but the increase in sins was far exceeded by the increase in grace. 21 Hence, as sin’s reign resulted in death, so the grace of God also might reign through righteousness resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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