M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob Runs Away
31 One day Jacob heard Laban’s sons talking. They said, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned. Jacob has become rich in this way.” 2 Then Jacob noticed that Laban was not as friendly as he had been before. 3 The Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land where your ancestors lived. I will be with you.”
4 So Jacob told Rachel and Leah to meet him in the field where he kept his flocks. 5 He said to them, “I have seen that your father is not as friendly with me as he used to be. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You both know that I have worked as hard as I could for your father. 7 But he cheated me. He has changed my pay ten times. But God has not allowed your father to harm me. 8 At one time Laban said, ‘You can have all the speckled goats as your pay.’ After that, all the animals gave birth to speckled young ones. But then Laban said, ‘You can have all the streaked goats as your pay.’ After that, all the animals gave birth to streaked babies. 9 So God has taken the animals away from your father. And God has given them to me.
10 “I had a dream during the season when the animals were mating. I saw that the only male goats who were mating were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God spoke to me in that dream. He said, ‘Jacob!’ I answered, ‘Yes!’ 12 The angel said, ‘Look! Only the streaked, speckled or spotted goats are mating. I have seen all the wrong things Laban does to you. 13 I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel. There you poured olive oil on the stone you set up on end. There you made a promise to me. Now I want you to leave here. Go back to the land where you were born.’”
14 Rachel and Leah answered Jacob, “Our father has nothing to give us when he dies. 15 He has treated us like strangers. He sold us to you, and then he spent all of the money you paid for us. 16 God took all this wealth from our father, and now it belongs to us and our children. So you do whatever God told you to do.”
17 So Jacob put his children and his wives on camels. 18 Then they began their journey back to Isaac, his father. He lived in the land of Canaan. All the flocks of animals that Jacob owned walked ahead of them. He carried everything with him that he had gotten while he lived in Northwest Mesopotamia.
19 Laban was gone to cut the wool from his sheep. While he was gone, Rachel stole the idols of false gods that belonged to him. 20 And Jacob tricked Laban the Aramean. He did not tell Laban he was leaving. 21 Jacob and his family left quickly. They crossed the Euphrates River and traveled toward the mountains of Gilead.
22 Three days later Laban learned that Jacob had run away. 23 So Laban gathered his relatives and began to chase Jacob. After seven days Laban found him in the mountains of Gilead. 24 That night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream. The Lord said, “Be careful! Do not say anything to Jacob, good or bad.”
The Search for the Stolen Idols
25 So Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had made his camp in the mountains. So Laban and his relatives set up their camp in the mountains of Gilead. 26 Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? Why did you trick me? You took my daughters as if you had captured them in a war. 27 Why did you run away without telling me? Why did you trick me? Why didn’t you tell me? Then I could send you away with joy and singing. There would be the music of tambourines and harps. 28 You did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-bye. You were very foolish to do this! 29 I have the power to harm you. But last night the God of your father spoke to me. He warned me not to say anything to you, good or bad. 30 I know you want to go back to your home. But why did you steal my idols?”
31 Jacob answered Laban, “I left without telling you, because I was afraid! I thought you would take your daughters away from me. 32 If you find anyone here who has taken your idols, he will be killed! Your relatives will be my witnesses. You may look for anything that belongs to you. Take anything that is yours.” (Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen Laban’s idols.)
33 So Laban looked in Jacob’s tent and in Leah’s tent. He looked in the tent where the two slave women stayed. But he did not find his idols. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent. 34 Rachel had hidden the idols inside her camel’s saddle. And she was sitting on them. Laban looked through the whole tent, but he did not find them.
35 Rachel said to her father, “Father, don’t be angry with me. I am not able to stand up before you. I am having my monthly period.” So Laban looked through the camp, but he did not find his idols.
36 Then Jacob became very angry. He said, “What wrong have I done? What law have I broken to cause you to chase me? 37 You have looked through everything I own. But you have found nothing that belongs to you. If you have found anything, show it to everyone. Put it in front of your relatives and my relatives. Then let them decide which one of us is right. 38 I have worked for you now for 20 years. During all that time none of the lambs and kids died during birth. And I have not eaten any of the male sheep from your flocks. 39 Any time a sheep was killed by wild animals, I did not bring it to you. I made up for the loss myself. You made me pay for any animal that was stolen during the day or night. 40 In the daytime the sun took away my strength. At night I was cold and could not sleep. 41 I worked like a slave for you for 20 years. For the first 14 years I worked to get your two daughters. The last 6 years I worked to earn your animals. And during that time you changed my pay ten times. 42 But the God of my father was with me. He is the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac. If God had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the trouble I had and the hard work I did. And last night God corrected you.”
Jacob and Laban’s Agreement
43 Laban said to Jacob, “These girls are my daughters. Their children belong to me, and these animals are mine. Everything you see here belongs to me. But I can do nothing to keep my daughters and their children. 44 Let us make an agreement. Let us set up a pile of stones to remind us of our agreement.”
45 So Jacob took a large rock and set it up on its end. 46 He told his relatives to gather rocks. So they took the rocks and piled them up. Then they ate beside the pile of rocks. 47 Laban named that place in his language A Pile to Remind Us. And Jacob gave the place the same name in Hebrew.
48 Laban said to Jacob, “This pile of rocks will remind us of the agreement between us.” That is why the place was called A Pile to Remind Us. 49 It was also called Mizpah.[a] This was because Laban said, “Let the Lord watch over us while we are separated from each other. 50 Remember that God is our witness. This is true even if no one else is around us. He will know if you harm my daughters or marry other women. 51 Here is the pile of rocks that I have put between us. And here is the rock I set up on end. 52 This pile of rocks and this rock set on end will remind us of our agreement. I will never go past this pile to hurt you. And you must never come to my side of them to hurt me. 53 The God of Abraham is the God of Nahor and the God of their ancestors. Let God punish either of us if we break this agreement.”
So Jacob made a promise in the name of God. This was the God of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob killed an animal and offered it as a sacrifice on the mountain. And he invited his relatives to share in the meal. After they finished eating, they spent the night on the mountain. 55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters. He blessed them, and then he left to return home.
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man
2 A few days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum. The news spread that he was home. 2 So many people gathered to hear him preach that the house was full. There was no place to stand, not even outside the door. Jesus was teaching them. 3 Some people came, bringing a paralyzed man to Jesus. Four of them were carrying the paralyzed man. 4 But they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd. So they went to the roof above Jesus and made a hole in the roof. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. 5 Jesus saw that these men had great faith. So he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Jesus did, and they said to themselves, 7 “Why does this man say things like that? He is saying things that are against God. Only God can forgive sins.”
8 At once Jesus knew what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to tell this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to tell him, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’? 10 But I will prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, 11 “I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home.” 12 Immediately the paralyzed man stood up. He took his mat and walked out while everyone was watching him.
The people were amazed and praised God. They said, “We have never seen anything like this!”
13 Jesus went to the lake again. A crowd followed him there, and he taught them. 14 While he was walking beside the lake, he saw a tax collector named Levi son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting in the tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And Levi stood up and followed Jesus.
15 Later that day, Jesus ate at Levi’s house. There were many tax collectors and “sinners” eating there with Jesus and his followers. Many people like this followed Jesus. 16 The teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with the tax collectors and “sinners.” They asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 Jesus heard this and said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor. It is the sick who need a doctor. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”
Jesus’ Followers Are Criticized
18 One day the followers of John[a] and the Pharisees were giving up eating.[b] Some people came to Jesus and said, “John’s followers and the followers of the Pharisees give up eating. But your followers don’t. Why?”
19 Jesus answered, “When there is a wedding, the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They do not give up eating while the bridegroom is still there. 20 But the time will come when the bridegroom will leave them. Then the friends will be sad and will give up eating.
21 “When a person sews a patch over a hole on an old coat, he never uses a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. 22 Also, no one ever pours new wine into old leather bags for holding wine. If he does, the new wine will break the bags, and the wine will be ruined along with the bags for the wine. People always put new wine into new leather bags.”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
23 On the Sabbath day, Jesus was walking through some grainfields. His followers were with him and picked some grain to eat. 24 The Pharisees saw this and said to Jesus, “Why are your followers doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25 Jesus answered, “You have read what David did when he and those with him were hungry and needed food. 26 It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God’s house and ate the bread that was made holy for God. The law of Moses says that only priests may eat that bread. But David also gave some of the bread to those who were with him.”
27 Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people. They were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath day. 28 The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Haman Is Hanged
7 So the king and Haman went in to eat with Queen Esther. 2 They were drinking wine. And the king said to Esther on this second day also, “What are you asking for? I will give it to you. What is it you want? I will give you as much as half of my kingdom.”
3 Then Queen Esther answered, “My king, I hope you are pleased with me. If it pleases you, let me live. This is what I ask. And let my people live, too. This is what I want. 4 I ask this because my people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We are to be killed and completely wiped out. If we had been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet. That would not be enough of a problem to bother the king.”
5 Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he? Who has done such a thing?”
6 Esther said, “A man who is against us! Our enemy is this wicked Haman!”
Then Haman was filled with terror before the king and queen. 7 The king was very angry. He got up, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman stayed inside to beg Queen Esther to save his life. He could see that the king had already decided to kill him.
8 The king came back from the palace garden to the banquet hall. And he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying. The king said, “Will he even attack the queen while I am in the house?”
As soon as the king said that, servants came in and covered Haman’s face. 9 Harbona was one of the eunuchs there serving the king. He said, “Look, a platform for hanging people stands near Haman’s house. It is 75 feet high. This is the one Haman had prepared for Mordecai, who gave the warning that saved the king.”
The king said, “Hang Haman on it!” 10 So they hanged Haman on the platform he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king was not so angry anymore.
You People Also Are Sinful
2 If you think that you can judge others, then you are wrong. You too are guilty of sin. You judge people, but you do the same bad things they do. So when you judge them, you are really judging yourself guilty. 2 God judges those who do wrong things. And we know that God’s judging is right. 3 You judge those who do wrong, but you do wrong yourselves. Do you think you will be able to escape the judgment of God? 4 God has been very kind to you, and he has been patient with you. God has been waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so that you will change your hearts and lives. 5 But you are hard and stubborn and refuse to change. So you are making your own punishment greater and greater on the day God shows his anger. On that day all people will see God’s right judgments. 6 God will reward or punish every person for what he has done. 7 Some people live for God’s glory, for honor, and for life that has no end. They live for those things by always continuing to do good. God will give life forever to them. 8 But other people are selfish and refuse to follow truth. They follow evil. God will give them his punishment and anger. 9 He will give trouble and suffering to everyone who does evil—to the Jews first and also to the non-Jews. 10 But God will give glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good—to the Jews first and also to the non-Jews. 11 For God judges all people in the same way.
12 People who have God’s law and those who have never heard of the law are all the same when they sin. Those who do not have the law and are sinners will be lost. And, in the same way, people who have the law and are sinners will be judged by the law. 13 Hearing the law does not make people right with God. The law makes people right with God only if they obey what the law says. 14 (The non-Jews do not have the law. But when they freely do things that the law commands, then they are the law for themselves. This is true even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, just as the law commands. And they also show this by the way they feel about right and wrong. Sometimes their thoughts tell them they did wrong. And sometimes their thoughts tell them they did right.) 16 All these things will happen on the day when God will judge the secret thoughts of people’s hearts. The Good News that I preach says that God will judge everyone through Christ Jesus.
The Jews and the Law
17 What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law of Moses and brag that you are close to God. 18 You know what God wants you to do. And you know the things that are important because you have learned the law. 19 You think you are a guide for the blind and a light for those who are in darkness. 20 You think you can show foolish people what is right and teach those who know nothing. You have the law; so you think you know everything and have all truth. 21 You teach other people. So why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal. But you yourselves steal. 22 You say that others must not take part in adultery. But you yourselves are guilty of that sin. You hate idols. But you steal from temples. 23 You brag about having God’s law. But you bring shame to God by breaking his law. 24 It is written in the Scriptures: “The non-Jews speak against God’s name because of you Jews.”[a]
25 If you follow the law, then your circumcision has meaning. But if you break the law, then it is as if you were never circumcised. 26 The non-Jews are not circumcised. But if they do what the law says, then it is as if they were circumcised. 27 You Jews have the written law and circumcision, but you break the law. So those who are not circumcised in their bodies, but still obey the law, will show that you are guilty.
28 A person is not a true Jew if he is only a Jew in his physical body. True circumcision is not only on the outside of the body. 29 A person is a true Jew only if he is a Jew inside. True circumcision is done in the heart by the Spirit, not by the written law. Such a person gets praise from God, not from other people.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.