M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob Leaves Secretly for Canaan
31 Now [a]Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this [b]wealth.” 2 Jacob saw the [c]attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “(A)Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and (B)I will be with you.” 4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field, 5 and said to them, “(C)I see your father’s [d]attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but (D)the God of my father has been with me. 6 (E)You know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7 Yet your father has (F)cheated me and (G)changed my wages ten times; however, (H)God did not allow him to hurt me. 8 If (I)he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth striped. 9 Thus God has (J)taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. 10 And it came about at the time when the flock were [e]mating that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which were [f]mating were striped, speckled, and mottled. 11 Then (K)the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are [g]mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for (L)I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am (M)the God of Bethel, where you (N)anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, [h]leave this land, and (O)return to the land of your birth.’” 14 Rachel and Leah said to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house? 15 Are we not reckoned by him as foreigners? For (P)he has sold us, and has also [i]entirely consumed [j]our purchase price. 16 Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.”
17 Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels; 18 and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, (Q)to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the [k](R)household idols that were her father’s. 20 And Jacob [l]deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing. 21 So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of (S)Gilead.
Laban Pursues Jacob
22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23 then he took his [m]kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 (T)God came to Laban the Aramean in a (U)dream of the night and said to him, “[n](V)Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”
25 Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his [o]kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done [p]by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27 Why did you flee secretly and [q]deceive me, and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with (W)timbrel and with (X)lyre; 28 and did not allow me (Y)to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. 29 It is in [r]my power to do you harm, but (Z)the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘[s](AA)Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’ 30 Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal (AB)my gods?” 31 Then Jacob replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32 (AC)The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our [t]kinsmen [u]point out what is yours [v]among my belongings and take it for yourself.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.
33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the [w]household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them. 35 She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot (AD)rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the [x](AE)household idols.
36 Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? 37 Though you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my [y]kinsmen and your [z]kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 38 These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was: by day the [aa]heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41 These twenty years I have been in your house; (AF)I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you (AG)changed my wages ten times. 42 If (AH)the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. (AI)God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He (AJ)rendered judgment last night.”
The Covenant of Mizpah
43 Then Laban replied to Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and (AK)the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. But what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne? 44 So now come, let us (AL)make a covenant, [ab]you and I, and (AM)let it be a witness between [ac]you and me.” 45 Then Jacob took (AN)a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 Jacob said to his [ad]kinsmen, “Gather stones.” So they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Now Laban (AO)called it [ae]Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob called it [af]Galeed. 48 Laban said, “(AP)This heap is a witness between [ag]you and me this day.” Therefore it was named Galeed, 49 and [ah](AQ)Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between [ai]you and me when we are [aj]absent one from the other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, (AR)God is witness between [ak]you and me.” 51 Laban said to Jacob, “Behold this heap and behold the pillar which I have set between [al]you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and the pillar is a witness, that I will not pass by this heap to you for harm, and you will not pass by this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. 53 (AS)The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, (AT)judge between us.” So Jacob swore by (AU)the fear of his father Isaac. 54 Then Jacob (AV)offered a sacrifice on the mountain, and called his [am]kinsmen to [an]the meal; and they ate [ao]the meal and spent the night on the mountain. 55 [ap]Early in the morning Laban arose, and (AW)kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned to his place.
The Paralytic Healed
2 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And (A)many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3 (B)And they *came, bringing to Him a (C)paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to [a]get to Him because of the crowd, they (D)removed the roof [b]above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the (E)paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “[c]Son, (F)your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; (G)who can forgive sins [d]but God alone?” 8 Immediately Jesus, aware [e]in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, *said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the (H)paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He *said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12 And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and (I)were glorifying God, saying, “(J)We have never seen anything like this.”
13 And He went out again by the seashore; and (K)all the [f]people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.
Levi (Matthew) Called
14 (L)As He passed by, He saw [g](M)Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting in the tax booth, and He *said to him, “(N)Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
15 And it *[h]happened that He was reclining at the table in his house, and many tax collectors and [i]sinners [j]were dining with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many of them, and they were following Him. 16 When (O)the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, “(P)Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and [k]sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “(Q)It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
18 (R)John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and they *came and *said to Him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “While the bridegroom is with them, [l]the attendants of the bridegroom cannot fast, can they? So long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 But the (S)days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day.
21 “No one sews [m]a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise [n]the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results. 22 No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”
Question of the Sabbath
23 (T)And it happened that He was passing through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples began to make their way along while (U)picking the heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, (V)why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 And He *said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions became hungry; 26 how he entered the house of God in the time of (W)Abiathar the high priest, and ate the [o]consecrated bread, which (X)is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 Jesus said to them, “(Y)The Sabbath [p]was made [q]for man, and (Z)not man [r]for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
Esther’s Plea
7 Now the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen. 2 And the king said to Esther on the second day also [a]as they drank their wine at the banquet, “(A)What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? (B)Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” 3 Then Queen Esther replied, “(C)If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request; 4 for (D)we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, (E)to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the [b]trouble would not be commensurate with the [c]annoyance to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus [d]asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, [e]who would presume to do thus?” 6 Esther said, “(F)A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.
Haman Is Hanged
7 The king arose (G)in his anger from [f]drinking wine and went into (H)the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king. 8 Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the [g]place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on (I)the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king said, “Behold indeed, (J)the gallows standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai (K)who spoke good on behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” 10 (L)So they hanged Haman on the [h]gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, (M)and the king’s anger subsided.
The Impartiality of God
2 Therefore you have (A)no excuse, [a](B)everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which (C)you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God [b]rightly falls upon those who practice such things. 3 But do you suppose this, (D)O man, [c]when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of (E)the riches of His (F)kindness and (G)tolerance and (H)patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But [d]because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart (I)you are storing up wrath for yourself (J)in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 (K)who will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by (L)perseverance in doing good seek for (M)glory and honor and (N)immortality, (O)eternal life; 8 but to those who are (P)selfishly ambitious and (Q)do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be (R)tribulation and distress [e]for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew (S)first and also of the Greek, 10 but (T)glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew (U)first and also to the Greek. 11 For (V)there is no partiality with God.
12 For all who have sinned [f](W)without the Law will also perish [g]without the Law, and all who have sinned [h]under the Law will be judged [i]by the Law; 13 for it is (X)not the hearers [j]of the Law who are [k]just before God, but the doers [l]of the Law will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles who do not have [m]the Law do [n](Y)instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having [o]the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show (Z)the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, (AA)according to my gospel, (AB)God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
The Jew Is Condemned by the Law
17 But if you bear the name “Jew” and (AC)rely [p]upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and [q](AD)approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a [r]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of [s]the immature, having in the Law (AE)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, (AF)who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who [t]preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you (AG)rob temples? 23 You who (AH)boast [u]in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For “(AI)the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles (AJ)because of you,” just as it is written.
25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you (AK)practice [v]the Law; but if you are a transgressor [w]of the Law, (AL)your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 (AM)So if (AN)the [x]uncircumcised man (AO)keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 And (AP)he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not (AQ)judge you who [y]though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor [z]of the Law? 28 For (AR)he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But (AS)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and (AT)circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the (AU)Spirit, not by the letter; (AV)and his praise is not from men, but from God.
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