M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Divisions of Levites
24 Now the divisions of the [a]descendants of Aaron were these: (A)the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 (B)But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no [b]sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests. 3 David, with (C)Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their offices [c]for their ministry. 4 Since more chief men were found from the [d]descendants of Eleazar than the [e]descendants of Ithamar, they divided them thus: there were sixteen heads of fathers’ households of the [f]descendants of Eleazar and eight of the [g]descendants of Ithamar, according to their fathers’ households. 5 (D)Thus they were divided by lot, the one as the other; for they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God, both from the [h]descendants of Eleazar and the [i]descendants of Ithamar. 6 Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them in the presence of the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, (E)Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites; one father’s household taken for Eleazar and one taken for Ithamar.
7 Now the first lot came out for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah, 8 the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim, 9 the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin, 10 the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for (F)Abijah, 11 the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah, 12 the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim, 13 the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab, 14 the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer, 15 the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez, 16 the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel, 17 the twenty-first for Jachin, the twenty-second for Gamul, 18 the twenty-third for Delaiah, the twenty-fourth for Maaziah. 19 (G)These were their offices for their ministry when they came in to the house of the Lord according to the ordinance given to them through Aaron their father, just as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
20 Now for the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, [j]Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. 21 Of Rehabiah: of the sons of Rehabiah, Isshiah the first. 22 Of the Izharites, [k]Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. 23 The sons (H)of Hebron: Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, Jekameam the fourth. 24 Of the sons of Uzziel, Micah; of the sons of Micah, Shamir. 25 The brother of Micah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. 26 The sons of Merari, Mahli and Mushi; the sons of Jaaziah, Beno. 27 The sons of Merari: by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur and Ibri. 28 By Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. 29 By Kish: the sons of Kish, Jerahmeel. 30 The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. 31 (I)These also cast lots just as their [l]relatives the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, (J)Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers’ households of the priests and of the Levites—the head of fathers’ households as well as those of his younger brother.
Number and Services of Musicians
25 Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of (K)Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, who were to (L)prophesy with lyres, (M)harps and cymbals; and the number of [m]those who performed their service was: 2 Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah and [n]Asharelah; the sons of Asaph were under the [o]direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the [p]direction of the king. 3 (N)Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, [q]Zeri, Jeshaiah, [r]Shimei, Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six, under the [s]direction of their father Jeduthun with the harp, who prophesied in giving thanks and praising the Lord. 4 Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, [t]Uzziel, [u]Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman (O)the king’s seer to [v]exalt him according to the words of God, for God gave fourteen sons and three daughters to Heman. 6 All these were under the [w]direction of their father to sing in the house of the Lord, (P)with cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God. (Q)Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the [x]direction of the king. 7 Their number who were trained in singing to the Lord, with their [y]relatives, all who were skillful, was (R)288.
Divisions of Musicians
8 (S)They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the pupil.
9 Now the first lot came out for Asaph to Joseph, the second for Gedaliah, he with his relatives and sons were twelve; 10 the third to Zaccur, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 11 the fourth to [z]Izri, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 14 the seventh to [aa]Jesharelah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 18 the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 20 for the thirteenth, Shubael, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 21 for the fourteenth, Mattithiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 22 for the fifteenth to Jeremoth, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 23 for the sixteenth to Hananiah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 24 for the seventeenth to Joshbekashah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 25 for the eighteenth to Hanani, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 26 for the nineteenth to Mallothi, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 27 for the twentieth to Eliathah, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 28 for the twenty-first to Hothir, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 29 for the twenty-second to Giddalti, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 30 for the twenty-third to Mahazioth, his sons and his relatives, twelve; 31 for the twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons and his relatives, twelve.
Serve God Willingly
5 (A)Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your (B)fellow elder and (C)witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a (D)partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, 2 shepherd (E)the flock of God among you, exercising oversight (F)not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and (G)not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; 3 nor yet as (H)lording it over [a]those allotted to your charge, but [b]proving to be (I)examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief (J)Shepherd appears, you will receive the (K)unfading [c](L)crown of glory. 5 (M)You younger men, likewise, (N)be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with (O)humility toward one another, for (P)God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
6 Therefore (Q)humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your (R)anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 (S)Be of sober spirit, (T)be on the alert. Your adversary, (U)the devil, prowls around like a roaring (V)lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 [d](W)But resist him, (X)firm in your faith, knowing that (Y)the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your [e]brethren who are in the world. 10 After you have suffered (Z)for a little while, the (AA)God of all grace, who (AB)called you to His (AC)eternal glory in Christ, will Himself (AD)perfect, (AE)confirm, strengthen and establish you. 11 (AF)To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.
12 Through (AG)Silvanus, our faithful brother [f](for so I regard him), (AH)I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is (AI)the true grace of God. (AJ)Stand firm in it! 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, (AK)Mark. 14 (AL)Greet one another with a kiss of love.
(AM)Peace be to you all who are in Christ.
Rulers Denounced
3 And I said,
“(A)Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to (B)know justice?
2 “You who hate good and love evil,
Who (C)tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3 Who (D)eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones
And (E)chop them up as for the pot
And as meat in a kettle.”
4 Then they will (F)cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will (G)hide His face from them at that time
Because they have (H)practiced evil deeds.
5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who (I)lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They (J)cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths
They declare holy war.
6 Therefore it will be (K)night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The (L)sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7 The seers will be (M)ashamed
And the (N)diviners will be embarrassed.
Indeed, they will all (O)cover their [a]mouths
Because there is (P)no answer from God.
8 On the other hand (Q)I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To (R)make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
Even to Israel his sin.
9 Now hear this, (S)heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who (T)abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10 Who (U)build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11 Her leaders pronounce (V)judgment for a bribe,
Her (W)priests instruct for a price
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord saying,
“(X)Is not the Lord in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.”
12 Therefore, on account of you
(Y)Zion will be plowed as a field,
(Z)Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the (AA)mountain of the [b]temple will become high places of a forest.
God Knows and Cares
12 Under these circumstances, after [a]so many thousands of [b]people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “(A)Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 (B)But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 3 Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have [c]whispered in the inner rooms will be proclaimed upon (C)the housetops.
4 “I say to you, (D)My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will [d]warn you whom to fear: (E)fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into [e](F)hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! 6 Are not (G)five sparrows sold for two [f]cents? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 (H)Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.
8 “And I say to you, everyone who (I)confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; 9 but (J)he who denies Me before men will be denied (K)before the angels of God. 10 (L)And everyone who [g]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. 11 When they bring you before (M)the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not (N)worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say; 12 for (O)the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
Covetousness Denounced
13 Someone [h]in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But He said to him, “(P)Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 Then He said to them, “(Q)Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, (R)you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘(S)You fool! This very night [i](T)your soul is required of you; and (U)now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who (V)stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
22 And He said to His disciples, “(W)For this reason I say to you, [j]do not worry about your [k]life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 24 Consider the (X)ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor (Y)barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! 25 And which of you by worrying can add a single [l](Z)hour to his [m]life’s span? 26 If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why do you worry about other matters? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even (AA)Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 28 But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? (AB)You men of little faith! 29 And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not (AC)keep worrying. 30 For [n]all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek His kingdom, and (AD)these things will be added to you. 32 (AE)Do not be afraid, (AF)little flock, for (AG)your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.
33 “(AH)Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, (AI)an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near nor moth destroys. 34 For (AJ)where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Be in Readiness
35 “[o](AK)Be dressed in (AL)readiness, and keep your lamps lit. 36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find (AM)on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that (AN)he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. 38 (AO)Whether he comes in the [p]second watch, or even in the [q]third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 “(AP)But [r]be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be [s](AQ)broken into. 40 (AR)You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not [t]expect.”
41 Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or (AS)to everyone else as well?” 42 And (AT)the Lord said, “(AU)Who then is the faithful and sensible (AV)steward, whom his master will put in charge of his [u]servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that (AW)slave whom his [v]master finds so doing when he comes. 44 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master [w]will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; 46 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. 47 And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will (AX)receive many lashes, 48 but the one who did not (AY)know it, and committed deeds worthy of [x]a flogging, will receive but few. (AZ)From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
Christ Divides Men
49 “I [y]have come to cast fire upon the earth; and [z]how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a (BA)baptism to [aa]undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! 51 (BB)Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, (BC)father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
54 And He was also saying to the crowds, “(BD)When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. 55 And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a (BE)hot day,’ and it turns out that way. 56 You hypocrites! (BF)You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but [ab]why do you not analyze this present time?
57 “And (BG)why do you not even on your own initiative judge what is right? 58 For (BH)while you are going with your opponent to appear before the magistrate, on your way there make an effort to [ac]settle with him, so that he may not drag you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I say to you, you will not get out of there until you have paid the very last [ad](BI)cent.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.