M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Groups of Priests
24 The priests in the family line of Aaron were separated into groups. The groups were separated according to the sons of Aaron.
The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father did. They didn’t have any sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as the priests. 3 With the help of Zadok and Ahimelek, David separated the priests into groups. Each group served in its appointed order and time. Zadok belonged to the family line of Eleazar. Ahimelek belonged to the family line of Ithamar. 4 More leaders were found among Eleazar’s family line than among Ithamar’s. So the priests were separated into their groups based on that fact. There were 16 family leaders from Eleazar’s line. There were eight family leaders from Ithamar’s line. 5 The priests were separated into their groups by casting lots. That was the fair way to do it. The priests were officials of the temple and officials of God. They came from the family lines of Eleazar and Ithamar.
6 Shemaiah was a Levite. He was the son of Nethanel. Shemaiah was the writer who recorded the names of the priests. He wrote them down in front of the king and the officials. The officials included Zadok the priest and Ahimelek. Ahimelek was the son of Abiathar. The officials also included the leaders of the families of the priests and the Levites. One family was chosen by lot from Eleazar’s group. Then one was chosen from Ithamar’s group.
7 The 1st lot chosen was for Jehoiarib.
The 2nd was for Jedaiah.
8 The 3rd was for Harim.
The 4th was for Seorim.
9 The 5th was for Malkijah.
The 6th was for Mijamin.
10 The 7th was for Hakkoz.
The 8th was for Abijah.
11 The 9th was for Jeshua.
The 10th was for Shekaniah.
12 The 11th was for Eliashib.
The 12th was for Jakim.
13 The 13th was for Huppah.
The 14th was for Jeshebeab.
14 The 15th was for Bilgah.
The 16th was for Immer.
15 The 17th was for Hezir.
The 18th was for Happizzez.
16 The 19th was for Pethahiah.
The 20th was for Jehezkel.
17 The 21st was for Jakin.
The 22nd was for Gamul.
18 The 23rd was for Delaiah.
The 24th was for Maaziah.
19 That was their appointed order for serving when they entered the Lord’s temple. That order was based on the rules Aaron had given them long ago. Everything was done exactly as the Lord had commanded Aaron. The Lord is the God of Israel.
The Rest of the Levites
20 Here are the other members of the family line of Levi.
From the sons of Amram came Shubael.
From the sons of Shubael came Jehdeiah.
21 From the sons of Rehabiah came Ishiah. Ishiah was the oldest.
22 From the people of Izhar came Shelomoth.
From the sons of Shelomoth came Jahath.
23 Jeriah was the first son of Hebron. Amariah was his second son. Jahaziel was the third. Jekameam was the fourth.
24 The son of Uzziel was Micah.
From the sons of Micah came Shamir.
25 The brother of Micah was Ishiah.
From the sons of Ishiah came Zechariah.
26 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
The son of Jaaziah was Beno.
27 The sons of Merari
from Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zakkur and Ibri.
28 From Mahli came Eleazar. Eleazar didn’t have any sons.
29 From Kish came Jerahmeel. Jerahmeel was the son of Kish.
30 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth.
Those were the Levites, family by family.
31 They cast lots just as their relatives had done. Their relatives were in the family line of Aaron. They cast lots in front of King David, Zadok and Ahimelek. They did it in front of the family leaders of the priests. They also did it in front of the family leaders of the Levites. The families of the oldest brother were treated in the same way as the families of the youngest.
The Musicians
25 David and the commanders of the army set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun. They set them apart to serve the Lord by prophesying while harps, lyres and cymbals were being played. Here is the list of the men who served in that way.
2 From the sons of Asaph came
Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph. He prophesied under the king’s direction.
3 From the sons of Jeduthun came
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah. The total number was six. They were under the direction of their father Jeduthun. He prophesied while playing the harp. He used it to thank and praise the Lord.
4 From the sons of Heman came
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 5 All of them were sons of the king’s prophet Heman. They were given to Heman to bring him honor. That’s what God had promised. God gave him 14 sons and three daughters.
6 All of them were under the direction of their father. They played music for the Lord’s temple. They served at the house of God by playing cymbals, lyres and harps. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the king’s direction.
7 All of them were trained and skilled in playing music for the Lord. Their total number was 288. That included their relatives. 8 Young and old alike cast lots for their duties. That was true for students as well as teachers.
9 The 1st lot chosen was for Asaph. It was for Joseph and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
The 2nd lot was for Gedaliah and his relatives and sons. The total number was 12.
10 The 3rd was for Zakkur and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
11 The 4th was for Izri and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
12 The 5th was for Nethaniah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
13 The 6th was for Bukkiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
14 The 7th was for Jesarelah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
15 The 8th was for Jeshaiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
16 The 9th was for Mattaniah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
17 The 10th was for Shimei and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
18 The 11th was for Azarel and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
19 The 12th was for Hashabiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
20 The 13th was for Shubael and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
21 The 14th was for Mattithiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
22 The 15th was for Jerimoth and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
23 The 16th was for Hananiah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
24 The 17th was for Joshbekashah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
25 The 18th was for Hanani and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
26 The 19th was for Mallothi and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
27 The 20th was for Eliathah and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
28 The 21st was for Hothir and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
29 The 22nd was for Giddalti and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
30 The 23rd was for Mahazioth and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
31 The 24th was for Romamti-Ezer and his sons and relatives. The total number was 12.
To Older and Younger Believers
5 I’m speaking to the elders among you. I was a witness of Christ’s sufferings. And I will also share in the glory that is going to come. I’m making my appeal to you as one who is an elder together with you. 2 Be shepherds of God’s flock, the believers under your care. Watch over them, though not because you have to. Instead, do it because you want to. That’s what God wants you to do. Don’t do it because you want to get money in dishonest ways. Do it because you really want to serve. 3 Don’t act as if you were a ruler over those under your care. Instead, be examples to the flock. 4 The Chief Shepherd will come again. Then you will receive the crown of glory. It is a crown that will never fade away.
5 In the same way, I’m speaking to you who are younger. Follow the lead of those who are older. All of you, put on a spirit free of pride toward one another. Put it on as if it were your clothes. Do this because Scripture says,
“God opposes those who are proud.
But he gives grace to those who are humble.” (Proverbs 3:34)
6 So make yourselves humble. Put yourselves under God’s mighty hand. Then he will honor you at the right time. 7 Turn all your worries over to him. He cares about you.
8 Be watchful and control yourselves. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to swallow up. 9 Stand up to him. Remain strong in what you believe. You know that you are not alone in your suffering. The family of believers throughout the world is going through the same thing.
10 God always gives you all the grace you need. So you will only have to suffer for a little while. Then God himself will build you up again. He will make you strong and steady. And he has chosen you to share in his eternal glory because you belong to Christ. 11 Give him the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
12 I consider Silas to be a faithful brother. With his help I have written you this short letter. I have written it to encourage you. And I have written to speak the truth about the true grace of God. Remain strong in it.
13 The members of the church in Babylon send you their greetings. They were chosen together with you. Mark, my son in the faith, also sends you his greetings.
14 Greet each other with a kiss of friendship.
May God give peace to all of you who believe in Christ.
The Lord Warns Israel’s Leaders and Prophets
3 Then I said,
“Listen, you leaders of Jacob’s people!
Pay attention, you rulers of Israel!
You should want to judge others fairly.
2 But you hate what is good.
And you love what is evil.
You are like someone
who tears the skin off my people.
You pull the meat off their bones.
3 You eat my people’s bodies.
You strip off their skin.
You break their bones in pieces.
You chop them up like meat.
You put them in a cooking pot.”
4 The time will come when Israel
will cry out to the Lord.
But he won’t answer them.
In fact, he’ll turn his face away from them.
They have done what is evil.
5 The Lord says,
“The prophets are those
who lead my people astray.
If my people feed them,
the prophets promise them peace.
If my people do not feed them,
the prophets prepare to go to war against them.
6 So night will come on the prophets.
But they will not have any visions.
Darkness will cover them.
But they will not be able
to figure out what is going to happen.
The sun will set on the prophets.
The day will become dark for them.
7 Those who see visions will be put to shame.
Those who try to figure out what is going to happen
will be dishonored.
All of them will cover their faces.
I will not answer them.”
8 The Spirit of the Lord
has filled me with power.
He helps me do what is fair.
He makes me brave.
Now I’m prepared to tell Jacob’s people
what they’ve done wrong.
I’m ready to tell Israel they’ve sinned.
9 Listen to me, you leaders of Jacob’s people!
Pay attention, you rulers of Israel!
You hate to do what is fair.
You twist everything that is right.
10 You build up Zion by spilling the blood of others.
You build Jerusalem by doing what is evil.
11 Your judges take money from people
who want special favors.
Your priests teach only if they get paid for it.
Your prophets won’t tell fortunes
unless they receive money.
But you still look for the Lord’s help.
You say, “The Lord is with us.
No trouble will come on us.”
12 So because of what you have done,
Zion will be plowed up like a field.
Jerusalem will be turned into a pile of trash.
The temple hill will be covered with bushes and weeds.
Jesus Gives Words of Warning and Hope
12 During that time a crowd of many thousands had gathered. There were so many people that they were stepping on one another. Jesus spoke first to his disciples. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees,” he said. “They just pretend to be godly. 2 Everything that is secret will be brought out into the open. Everything that is hidden will be uncovered. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight. What you have whispered to someone behind closed doors will be shouted from the rooftops.
4 “My friends, listen to me. Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t do any more than that. 5 I will show you whom you should be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who has the authority to throw you into hell after you have been killed. Yes, I tell you, be afraid of him. 6 Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? But God does not forget even one of them. 7 In fact, he even counts every hair on your head! So don’t be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
8 “What about someone who says in front of others that he knows me? I tell you, the Son of Man will say in front of God’s angels that he knows that person. 9 But what about someone who says in front of others that he doesn’t know me? I, the Son of Man, will say in front of God’s angels that I don’t know him. 10 Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. But anyone who speaks evil things against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “You will be brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities. But do not worry about how to stand up for yourselves or what to say. 12 The Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
The Story of the Rich Fool
13 Someone in the crowd spoke to Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “tell my brother to divide the family property with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge or umpire between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against wanting to have more and more things. Life is not made up of how much a person has.”
16 Then Jesus told them a story. He said, “A certain rich man’s land produced a very large crop. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have any place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. I will store my extra grain in them. 19 I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain stored away for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and have a good time.” ’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You foolish man! Tonight I will take your life away from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “That is how it will be for whoever stores things away for themselves but is not rich in the sight of God.”
Do Not Worry
22 Then Jesus spoke to his disciples. He said, “I tell you, do not worry. Don’t worry about your life and what you will eat. And don’t worry about your body and what you will wear. 23 There is more to life than eating. There are more important things for the body than clothes. 24 Think about the ravens. They don’t plant or gather crops. They don’t have any barns at all. But God feeds them. You are worth much more than birds! 25 Can you add even one hour to your life by worrying? 26 You can’t do that very little thing. So why worry about the rest?
27 “Think about how the wild flowers grow. They don’t work or make clothing. But here is what I tell you. Not even Solomon in his royal robes was dressed like one of those flowers. 28 If that is how God dresses the wild grass, how much better will he dress you! After all, the grass is here only today. Tomorrow it is thrown into the fire. Your faith is so small! 29 Don’t spend time thinking about what you will eat or drink. Don’t worry about it. 30 People who are ungodly run after all those things. Your Father knows that you need them. 31 But put God’s kingdom first. Then those other things will also be given to you.
32 “Little flock, do not be afraid. Your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell what you own. Give to those who are poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out. Store up riches in heaven that will never be used up. There, no thief can come near it. There, no moth can destroy it. 34 Your heart will be where your riches are.
Be Ready
35 “Be dressed and ready to serve. Keep your lamps burning. 36 Be like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding dinner. When he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready when he comes. What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will then dress himself so he can serve them. He will have them take their places at the table. And he will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready. It will even be good if he comes in the middle of the night or toward morning. 39 But here is what you must understand. Suppose the owner of the house knew at what hour the robber was coming. He would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready. The Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect him.”
41 Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this story to us, or to everyone?”
42 The Lord answered, “Suppose a master puts one of his servants in charge of his other servants. The servant’s job is to give them the food they are to receive at the right time. The master wants a faithful and wise manager for this. 43 It will be good for the servant if the master finds him doing his job when the master returns. 44 What I’m about to tell you is true. The master will put that servant in charge of everything he owns. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time to come back.’ Suppose that servant begins to beat the other servants, both men and women. Suppose he feeds himself. And suppose he drinks until he gets drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come back on a day the servant doesn’t expect him. The master will return at an hour the servant doesn’t know. Then the master will cut him to pieces. He will send the servant to the place where unbelievers go.
47 “Suppose a servant knows the master’s wishes. But the servant doesn’t get ready and doesn’t do what the master wants. Then that servant will receive a heavy beating. 48 But suppose the servant does not know his master’s wishes. And suppose the servant does things for which he should be punished. He will receive a lighter beating. Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. Even more will be asked of the person who is supposed to take care of much.
Jesus Will Separate People From One Another
49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth. How I wish the fire had already started! 50 But I have a baptism of suffering to go through. And I must go through it. 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you. I have come to separate people. 52 From now on there will be five members in a family, each one against the other. There will be three against two and two against three. 53 They will be separated. Father will turn against son and son against father. Mother will turn against daughter and daughter against mother. Mother-in-law will turn against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Understanding the Meaning of What Is Happening
54 Jesus spoke to the crowd. He said, “You see a cloud rising in the west. Right away you say, ‘It’s going to rain.’ And it does. 55 The south wind blows. So you say, ‘It’s going to be hot.’ And it is. 56 You pretenders! You know how to understand the appearance of the earth and the sky. Why can’t you understand the meaning of what is happening right now?
57 “Why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 Suppose someone has a claim against you, and you are on your way to court. Try hard to settle the matter on the way. If you don’t, that person may drag you off to the judge. The judge may turn you over to the officer. And the officer may throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the very last penny!”
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