M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Isaac Settles in Gerar
26 Now there was (A)a famine in the land, besides the previous famine that had occurred in the days of Abraham. So Isaac went to Gerar, to (B)Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 The Lord (C)appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; [a](D)stay in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land and (E)I will be with you and (F)bless you, for (G)to you and to your [b]descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish (H)the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. 4 (I)I will multiply your [c]descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your [d]descendants all these lands; and (J)by your [e]descendants all the nations of the earth [f]shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham [g](K)obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”
6 So Isaac [h]lived in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked about his wife, he said, “(L)She is my sister,” for he was (M)afraid to say, “my wife,” thinking, “[i]the men of the place might kill me on account of Rebekah, for she is (N)beautiful.” 8 It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, certainly she is your wife! How then did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” And Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘I might die on account of her.’” 10 (O)Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all the people, saying, “He who (P)touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”
12 Now Isaac sowed in that land and [j]reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And (Q)the Lord blessed him, 13 and the man (R)became rich, and continued to grow [k]richer until he became very [l]wealthy; 14 for (S)he had possessions of flocks [m]and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 Now (T)all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up [n]by filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are [o](U)too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac departed from there and camped in the valley of Gerar, and [p]settled there.
Quarrel over the Wells
18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which [q]had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he [r]gave them the same names which his father had [s]given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of [t]flowing water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar (V)quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well [u]Esek, because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it [v]Sitnah. 22 He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it [w]Rehoboth, for he said, “[x](W)At last the Lord has made [y]room for us, and we will be (X)fruitful in the land.”
23 Then he went up from there to (Y)Beersheba. 24 The Lord (Z)appeared to him the same night and said,
“(AA)I am the God of your father Abraham;
(AB)Do not fear, for I am with you.
I (AC)will bless you, and multiply your [z]descendants,
For the sake of My servant Abraham.”
25 So he built an (AD)altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
Covenant with Abimelech
26 Then (AE)Abimelech came to him from Gerar [aa]with his adviser Ahuzzath and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “(AF)Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly (AG)that the Lord has been with you; so we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between [ab]you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you [ac]and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the (AH)blessed of the Lord.’” 30 Then (AI)he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they arose early and [ad](AJ)exchanged oaths; then Isaac sent them away and they departed from him in peace. 32 Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac’s servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is (AK)Beersheba to this day.
34 When Esau was forty years old (AL)he [ae]married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and (AM)they [af]brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.
Parable of Ten Virgins
25 “Then (A)the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their (B)lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were (C)prudent. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the (D)prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the (E)prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were (F)ready went in with him to (G)the wedding feast; and (H)the door was shut. 11 Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘(I)Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 (J)Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
Parable of the Talents
14 “(K)For it is just like a man (L)about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. 15 To one he gave five [a](M)talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he (N)went on his journey. 16 Immediately the one who had received the five (O)talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. 17 In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his [b]master’s money.
19 “Now after a long time the master of those slaves *came and *(P)settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five (Q)talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and (R)faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will (S)put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your [c]master.’
22 “Also the one who had received the two (T)talents came up and said, ‘Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and (U)faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’
24 “And the one also who had received the one (V)talent came up and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
26 “But his master answered and said to him, ‘You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. 27 Then you ought to have put my money [d]in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. 28 Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.’
29 “(W)For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. 30 Throw out the worthless slave into (X)the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Judgment
31 “But when (Y)the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then (Z)He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be (AA)gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, (AB)as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep (AC)on His right, and the goats (AD)on the left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, (AE)inherit the kingdom prepared for you (AF)from the foundation of the world. 35 For (AG)I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; (AH)I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 (AI)naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you (AJ)visited Me; (AK)I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 (AL)The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, (AM)to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘(AN)Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the (AO)eternal fire which has been prepared for (AP)the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not [e]take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into (AQ)eternal punishment, but the righteous into (AR)eternal life.”
Vashti’s Successor Sought
2 After these things (A)when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and (B)what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “(C)Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. 3 Let the king appoint overseers in (D)all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of (E)Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and (F)let their cosmetics be given them. 4 Then let the young lady who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the matter pleased the king, and he did accordingly.
5 Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew whose name was (G)Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, 6 (H)who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been exiled with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had exiled. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is (I)Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful of form and [a]face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
Esther Finds Favor
8 So it came about when the command and decree of the king were heard and (J)many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the custody of (K)Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s [b]palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. 9 Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her (L)cosmetics and [c]food, gave her seven choice maids from the king’s palace and transferred her and her maids to the best place in the harem. 10 (M)Esther did not make known her people or her kindred, for Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known. 11 Every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.
12 Now when the turn of each young lady came to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beautification were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women— 13 the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she [d]desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. 14 In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the [e]custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, (N)the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what (O)Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, [f]advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal palace in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther Becomes Queen
17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that (P)he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then (Q)the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his princes and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts (R)according to the king’s bounty.
19 (S)When the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai (T)was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 (U)Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did [g]what Mordecai told her as she had done (V)when under his care.
Mordecai Saves the King
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, (W)Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to [h]lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 But the [i]plot became known to Mordecai and (X)he told Queen Esther, and Esther [j]informed the king in Mordecai’s name. 23 Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a [k]gallows; and it was written in (Y)the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.
Paul before Festus
25 Festus then, having arrived in (A)the province, three days later went up to Jerusalem from (B)Caesarea. 2 And the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews (C)brought charges against Paul, and they were urging him, 3 requesting a [a]concession against [b]Paul, that he might [c]have him brought to Jerusalem (at the same time, (D)setting an ambush to kill him on the way). 4 Festus then (E)answered that Paul (F)was being kept in custody at (G)Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. 5 “Therefore,” he *said, “let the influential men among you [d]go there with me, and if there is anything wrong [e]about the man, let them [f]prosecute him.”
6 After he had spent not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to (H)Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on (I)the tribunal and ordered Paul to be brought. 7 After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing (J)many and serious charges against him (K)which they could not prove, 8 while Paul said in his own defense, “(L)I have committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 But Festus, (M)wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “(N)Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and [g]stand trial before me on these charges?” 10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s (O)tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. 11 If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I (P)appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then when Festus had conferred with [h]his council, he answered, “You have appealed to Caesar, to Caesar you shall go.”
13 Now when several days had elapsed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at (Q)Caesarea [i]and paid their respects to Festus. 14 While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man who was (R)left as a prisoner by Felix; 15 and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews (S)brought charges against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. 16 I (T)answered them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man before (U)the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense against the charges. 17 So after they had assembled here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my seat on (V)the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought before me. 18 When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting, 19 but they simply had some (W)points of disagreement with him about their own [j](X)religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive. 20 (Y)Being at a loss how to investigate [k]such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these matters. 21 But when Paul (Z)appealed to be held in custody for [l]the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar.” 22 Then (AA)Agrippa said to Festus, “I also would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” he *said, “you shall hear him.”
Paul before Agrippa
23 So, on the next day when (AB)Agrippa came [m]together with (AC)Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium [n]accompanied by the [o]commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 Festus *said, “King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom (AD)all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that (AE)he ought not to live any longer. 25 But I found that he had committed (AF)nothing worthy of death; and since he himself (AG)appealed to [p]the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 [q]Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. 27 For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him.”
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