M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joseph’s Dream
37 Now Jacob lived in (A)the land [a]where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob.
Joseph, when (B)seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with (C)the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a (D)bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was (E)the son of his old age; and he made him a [b](F)varicolored tunic. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they (G)hated him and could not speak to him [c]on friendly terms.
5 Then Joseph [d](H)had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have [e]had; 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and (I)bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 Then his brothers said to him, “(J)Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.
9 Now he [f]had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have [g]had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have [h]had? Shall I and your mother and (K)your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” 11 (L)His brothers were jealous of him, but his father (M)kept the saying in mind.
12 Then his brothers went to pasture their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers pasturing the flock in (N)Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” And he said to him, “[i]I will go.” 14 Then he said to him, “Go now and see about the welfare of your brothers and the welfare of the flock, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him from the valley of (O)Hebron, and he came to Shechem.
15 A man found him, and behold, he was wandering in the field; and the man asked him, “[j]What are you looking for?” 16 He said, “I am looking for my brothers; please tell me where they are pasturing the flock.” 17 Then the man said, “They have moved from here; for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to (P)Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan.
The Plot against Joseph
18 [k]When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they (Q)plotted against him to put him to death. 19 They said to one another, “[l]Here comes this dreamer! 20 Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and (R)we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” 21 But (S)Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not [m]take his life.” 22 Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. 23 So it came about, when Joseph [n]reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his [o]tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; 24 and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.
25 Then they sat down to eat [p]a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of (T)Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing [q](U)aromatic gum and [r](V)balm and [s]myrrh, [t]on their way to bring them down to Egypt. 26 Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and (W)cover up his blood? 27 (X)Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then some (Y)Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and (Z)sold [u]him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus (AA)they brought Joseph into Egypt.
29 Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he (AB)tore his garments. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “(AC)The boy is not there; as for me, where am I to go?” 31 So (AD)they took Joseph’s tunic, and slaughtered a male goat and dipped the tunic in the blood; 32 and they sent the varicolored tunic and brought it to their father and said, “We found this; please [v]examine it to see whether it is your son’s tunic or not.” 33 Then he [w]examined it and said, “It is my son’s tunic. (AE)A wild beast has devoured him; (AF)Joseph has surely been torn to pieces!” 34 So Jacob (AG)tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will (AH)go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile, the [x]Midianites (AI)sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard.
Followers of Tradition
7 (A)The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come (B)from Jerusalem, 2 and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with (C)impure hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they [a]carefully wash their hands, thus observing the (D)traditions of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they [b]cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the [c]washing of (E)cups and pitchers and copper pots.) 5 The Pharisees and the scribes *asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the (F)tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with (G)impure hands?” 6 And He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘(H)This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
7 ‘(I)But in vain do they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’
8 Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the (J)tradition of men.”
9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your (K)tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘(L)Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘(M)He who speaks evil of father or mother, is to [d]be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is (N)Corban (that is to say, [e]given to God),’ 12 you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thus invalidating the word of God by your (O)tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
The Heart of Man
14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16 [[f]If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]
17 When he had left the crowd and entered (P)the house, (Q)His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and [g]is eliminated?” (Thus He declared (R)all foods (S)clean.) 20 And He was saying, “(T)That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, [h]fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, [i](U)envy, slander, [j]pride and foolishness. 23 All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
The Syrophoenician Woman
24 (V)Jesus got up and went away from there to the region of (W)Tyre[k]. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know of it; [l]yet He could not escape notice. 25 But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was a [m]Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not [n]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered and *said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.” 29 And He said to her, “Because of this [o]answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And going back to her home, she found the child [p]lying on the bed, the demon having left.
31 (X)Again He went out from the region of (Y)Tyre, and came through Sidon to (Z)the Sea of Galilee, within the region of (AA)Decapolis. 32 They *brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they *implored Him to (AB)lay His hand on him. 33 (AC)Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after (AD)spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34 and looking up to heaven with a deep (AE)sigh, He *said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35 And his ears were opened, and the [q]impediment of his tongue [r]was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 36 And (AF)He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they (AG)continued to proclaim it. 37 They were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”
Job’s Lament
3 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed [a]the day of his birth. 2 And Job [b]said,
3 “(A)Let the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A [c]boy is conceived.’
4 “May that day be darkness;
Let not God above care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 “Let (B)darkness and black gloom claim it;
Let a cloud settle on it;
Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 “As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.
7 “Behold, let that night be barren;
Let no joyful shout enter it.
8 “Let those curse it who curse the day,
Who are [d]prepared to (C)rouse Leviathan.
9 “Let the stars of its twilight be darkened;
Let it wait for light but have none,
And let it not see the [e]breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.
11 “(D)Why did I not die [f]at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
12 “Why did the knees receive me,
And why the breasts, that I should suck?
13 “For now I (E)would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With (F)kings and with (G)counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt (H)ruins for themselves;
15 Or with (I)princes (J)who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 “Or like a miscarriage which is [g]discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.
17 “There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the [h]weary are at (K)rest.
18 “The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 “The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.
20 “Why is (L)light given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who [i](M)long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for (N)hidden treasures,
22 Who rejoice greatly,
And exult when they find the grave?
23 “Why is light given to a man (O)whose way is hidden,
And whom (P)God has hedged in?
24 “For (Q)my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And (R)my cries pour out like water.
25 “For [j](S)what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread befalls me.
26 “I (T)am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”
Believers United to Christ
7 Or do you not know, (A)brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For (B)the married woman is bound by law to her [a]husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law [b]concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man.
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were (C)made to die (D)to the Law (E)through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were (F)in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were (G)aroused by the Law, were at work (H)in [c]the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been (I)released from the Law, having (J)died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in (K)newness of (L)the [d]Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.
7 (M)What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? (N)May it never be! On the contrary, (O)I would not have come to know sin except [e]through the Law; for I would not have known about [f]coveting if the Law had not said, “(P)You shall not [g]covet.” 8 But sin, (Q)taking opportunity (R)through the commandment, produced in me [h]coveting of every kind; for (S)apart [i]from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart [j]from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was [k](T)to result in life, proved [l]to result in death for me; 11 for sin, (U)taking an opportunity (V)through the commandment, (W)deceived me and through it killed me. 12 (X)So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? (Y)May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
The Conflict of Two Natures
14 For we know that the Law is (Z)spiritual, but I am (AA)of flesh, (AB)sold [m](AC)into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, (AD)I do not understand; for I am not practicing (AE)what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with (AF)the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, (AG)no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my (AH)flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For (AI)the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, (AJ)I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then (AK)the [n]principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God [o]in (AL)the inner man, 23 but I see (AM)a different law in [p]the members of my body, waging war against the (AN)law of my mind and making me a prisoner [q]of (AO)the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from [r](AP)the body of this (AQ)death? 25 (AR)Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh (AS)the law of sin.
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