M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
22 Take a branch of the hyssop plant and dip it into the bowl filled with blood. Wipe the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. No one may leave his house until morning. 23 The Lord will go through Egypt to kill the Egyptians. He will see the blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes. Then the Lord will pass over that house. He will not let the one who brings death come into your houses and kill you.
24 “You must keep this command. This law is for you and your descendants from now on. 25 Do this when you go to the land the Lord has promised to give to you. 26 When your children ask you, ‘Why are we doing these things?’ 27 you will say, ‘This is the Passover sacrifice to honor the Lord. When we were in Egypt, the Lord passed over the houses of Israel. The Lord killed the Egyptians, but he saved our homes.’” So now the people bowed down and worshiped the Lord. 28 They did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight the Lord killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt. The firstborn of the king, who sat on the throne, died. Even the firstborn of the prisoner in jail died. Also all the firstborn farm animals died. 30 The king, his officers and all the Egyptians got up during the night. Someone had died in every house. So there was loud crying everywhere in Egypt.
Israel Leaves Egypt
31 During the night the king called for Moses and Aaron. He said to them, “Get up and leave my people. You and your people may do as you have asked. Go and worship the Lord. 32 Take all of your sheep and cattle as you have asked. Go. And also bless me.” 33 The Egyptians also asked the Israelites to hurry and leave. They said, “If you don’t leave, we will all die!”
34 The people of Israel took their dough before the yeast was added. They wrapped the bowls for making dough in clothing and carried them on their shoulders. 35 The people of Israel did what Moses told them to do. They asked their Egyptian neighbors for things made of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord caused the Egyptians to think well of the Israelites. So the Israelites took rich gifts from the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites traveled from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men walking. This does not include the women and children. 38 Many other people who were not Israelites went with them. A large number of sheep, goats and cattle went with them. 39 The Israelites used the dough they had brought out of Egypt. They baked loaves of bread without yeast. The dough had no yeast in it because they had been rushed out of Egypt. So they had no time to get food ready for their trip.
40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. 41 On the day the 430 years ended, the Lord’s divisions of people left Egypt. 42 That night the Lord kept watch to bring them out of Egypt. So on this same night the Israelites are to keep watch. They are to do this to honor the Lord from now on.
43 The Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Here are the rules for Passover: No foreigner is to eat the Passover. 44 Suppose a person buys a slave and circumcises him. Then the slave may eat the Passover. 45 But no one who lives for a short time in your country may eat it. No hired worker may eat it.
46 “The meal must be eaten inside the house. None of the meat is to be taken outside the house. Don’t break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must take part in this feast. 48 A foreigner who lives with you may share in the Lord’s Passover. But first all the males in his house must be circumcised. Then, since he will be like a citizen of Israel, he may share in the meal. But a man who is not circumcised may not eat the Passover meal. 49 The same rules apply to an Israelite born in the country. And they apply to a foreigner living there.”
50 So all the Israelites did just as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 Then on that same day, the Lord led the Israelites out of Egypt. The people left by divisions.
A Lost Sheep and a Lost Coin
15 Many tax collectors and “sinners” came to listen to Jesus. 2 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: “Look! This man welcomes sinners and even eats with them!”
3 Then Jesus told them this story: 4 “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but he loses 1 of them. Then he will leave the other 99 sheep alone and go out and look for the lost sheep. The man will keep on searching for the lost sheep until he finds it. 5 And when he finds it, the man is very happy. He puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’ 7 In the same way, I tell you there is much joy in heaven when 1 sinner changes his heart. There is more joy for that 1 sinner than there is for 99 good people who don’t need to change.
8 “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins,[a] but she loses one of them. She will light a lamp and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’ 10 In the same way, there is joy before the angels of God when 1 sinner changes his heart.”
The Son Who Left Home
11 Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided the property between his two sons. 13 Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and left. He traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living. 14 He spent everything that he had. Soon after that, the land became very dry, and there was no rain. There was not enough food to eat anywhere in the country. The son was hungry and needed money. 15 So he got a job with one of the citizens there. The man sent the son into the fields to feed pigs. 16 The son was so hungry that he was willing to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything. 17 The son realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All of my father’s servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger. 18 I will leave and return to my father. I’ll say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and against you. 19 I am not good enough to be called your son. But let me be like one of your servants.’ 20 So the son left and went to his father.
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. He felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him, and hugged and kissed him. 21 The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against you. I am not good enough to be called your son.’[b] 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get our fat calf and kill it. Then we can have a feast and celebrate! 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “The older son was in the field. As he came closer to the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 So he called to one of the servants and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’ 27 The servant said, ‘Your brother has come back. Your father killed the fat calf to eat because your brother came home safely!’ 28 The older son was angry and would not go in to the feast. So his father went out and begged him to come in. 29 The son said to his father, ‘I have served you like a slave for many years! I have always obeyed your commands. But you never even killed a young goat for me to have a feast with my friends. 30 But your other son has wasted all your money on prostitutes. Then he comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!’ 31 The father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me. All that I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate and be happy because your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”
30 “But now men who are younger than I make fun of me.
I would not have even let their fathers
sit with my sheep dogs.
2 Their hands had no strength to help me.
They had even lost their strength to work.
3 They were thin from being hungry and in need.
They wandered through the dry and ruined land at night.
4 They gathered desert plants by the brush for food.
They even ate the root of the broom tree.
5 They were forced to live away from other people.
People shouted at them as if they were thieves.
6 These young men had to live in dried up streambeds.
They lived in caves and among the rocks.
7 They howled like animals out among the bushes.
And they huddled together in the brush.
8 They are worthless people without names.
They were forced to leave the land.
9 “Now they make fun of me with songs.
My name has become a joke among them.
10 They hate me and stay far away from me.
But they do not mind spitting in my face.
11 God has taken away my strength and made me suffer.
So they attack me with all their anger.
12 On my right side they attack me like a mob.
They lay traps for my feet.
They prepare to attack me.
13 They break up my road.
They work to destroy me
without anyone stopping them.
14 They go forward as if through a hole in the wall.
They roll in among the ruins.
15 Great fears overwhelm me.
They blow my honor away as if by a great wind.
My safety disappears like a cloud.
16 “Now my life is almost over.
My days are full of suffering.
17 At night my bones ache.
Gnawing pains never stop.
18 In his great power God grabs hold of my clothing.
He chokes me with the collar of my coat.
19 He throws me into the mud.
And I become like dirt and ashes.
20 “I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer.
I stand up, but you just look at me.
21 You turn on me without mercy.
You attack me with your powerful hand.
22 You snatch me up and throw me into the wind.
You toss me about in the storm.
23 I know you will bring me down to death.
You will bring me to the place where all living people must go.
24 “Surely no one would hurt a ruined man
when he cries for help in his time of trouble.
25 I have cried for those who are in trouble.
My soul has been very sad for poor people.
26 But when I hoped for good, only evil came to me.
When I looked for light, darkness came.
27 I never stop being upset inside.
Days of suffering are ahead of me.
28 I have become black, but not by the sun.
I stand up in public and cry for help.
29 It is as if I have become a brother to wild dogs
and a friend to ostriches.
30 My skin becomes black and peels off.
My body burns with fever.
31 My harp is tuned for singing a sad song.
And my flute is tuned for the sound of loud crying.
The Gift for Other Believers
16 Now I will write about the collection of money for God’s people. Do the same thing that I told the Galatian churches to do: 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should put aside as much money as you can from what you are blessed with. You should save it up, so that you will not have to collect money after I come. 3 When I arrive, I will send some men to take your gift to Jerusalem. These will be men who you all agree should go. I will send them with letters of introduction. 4 If it seems good for me to go also, these men will go along with me.
Paul’s Plans
5 I plan to go through Macedonia. So I will come to you after I go through there. 6 Maybe I will stay with you for a time. I might even stay all winter. Then you can help me on my trip, wherever I go. 7 I do not want to come to see you now, because I would have to leave to go other places. I hope to stay a longer time with you if the Lord allows it. 8 But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 I will stay, because a good opportunity for a great and growing work has been given to me now. And there are many people working against me.
10 Timothy might come to you. Try to make him feel comfortable with you. He is working for the Lord just as I am. 11 So none of you should refuse to accept Timothy. Help him on his trip in peace, so that he can come back to me. I am expecting him to come back with the brothers.
12 Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly encouraged him to visit you with the other brothers. But he was sure that he did not want to go now. But when he has the opportunity, he will go to you.
Paul Ends His Letter
13 Be careful. Continue strong in the faith. Have courage, and be strong. 14 Do everything in love.
15 You know that the family of Stephanas were the first believers in Southern Greece. They have given themselves to the service of God’s people. I ask you, brothers, 16 to follow the leading of people like these and anyone else who works and serves with them.
17 I am happy that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus have come. You are not here, but they have filled your place. 18 They have given rest to my spirit and to yours. You should recognize the value of men like these.
19 The churches in the country of Asia send greetings to you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you in the Lord. Also the church that meets in their house greets you. 20 All the brothers here send greetings. Give each other a holy kiss when you meet.
21 I am Paul, and I am writing this greeting with my own hand.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, then let him be separated from God—lost forever!
Come, O Lord!
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24 My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.