M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
20 Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the Lord your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 You shall have no other gods before or besides Me.
4 You shall not make yourself any graven image [to worship it] or any likeness of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
5 You shall not bow down yourself to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me,(A)
6 But showing mercy and steadfast love to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God).
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].
12 Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.
13 You shall not commit murder.
14 You shall not commit [a]adultery.(B)
15 You shall not steal.(C)
16 You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor.(D)
17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.(E)
18 Now all the people perceived the thunderings and the lightnings and the noise of the trumpet and the smoking mountain, and as [they] looked they trembled with fear and fell back and stood afar off.
19 And they said to Moses, You speak to us and we will listen, but let not God speak to us, lest we die.
20 And Moses said to the people, Fear not; for God has come to prove you, so that the [reverential] fear of Him may be before you, that you may not sin.
21 And the people stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
22 And the Lord said to Moses, Thus shall you say to the Israelites, You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven.
23 You shall not make [gods to share] with Me [My glory and your worship]; gods of silver or gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.
24 An altar of earth you shall make to Me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I record My name and cause it to be remembered I will come to you and bless you.
25 And if you will make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone, for if you lift up a tool upon it you have polluted it.
26 Neither shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness be not exposed upon it.
23 Then the whole assembly of them got up and conducted [Jesus] before Pilate.
2 And they began to accuse Him, asserting, We found this [a]Man perverting (misleading, corrupting, and turning away) our nation and forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One), a King!
3 So Pilate asked Him, Are You the King of the Jews? And He answered him, [[b]It is just as] you say. [I Am.]
4 And Pilate said to the chief priests and the throngs, I find no guilt or crime in this Man.
5 But they were urgent and emphatic, saying, He stirs up and excites the people, teaching throughout all Judea—from Galilee, where He began, even to this place.
6 Upon hearing this, Pilate asked whether the Man was a Galilean.
7 And when he found out [certainly] that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him up to Herod [a higher authority], who was also in Jerusalem in those days.
8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had eagerly desired to see Him for a long time because of what he had heard concerning Him, and he was hoping to witness some sign (some striking evidence or spectacular performance) done by Him.
9 So he asked Him many questions, but He made no reply.(A)
10 Meanwhile, the chief priests and the scribes stood by, continuing vehemently and violently to accuse Him.
11 And Herod, with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and scoffed at and ridiculed Him; then, dressing Him up in bright and gorgeous apparel, he sent Him back to Pilate.(B)
12 And that very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other—[though] they had been at enmity before this.
13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
14 And said to them, You brought this Man before me as One Who was perverting and misleading and [c]turning away and corrupting the people; and behold, after examining Him before you, I have not found any offense (crime or guilt) in this Man in regard to your accusations against Him;
15 No, nor indeed did Herod, for he sent Him back to us; behold, He has done nothing deserving of death.
16 I will therefore chastise Him and [d]deliver Him amended (reformed, taught His lesson) and release Him.
17 [e]For it was necessary for him to release to them one prisoner at the Feast.
18 But they all together raised a deep cry [from the depths of their throats], saying, Away with this Man! Release to us Barabbas!
19 He was a man who had been thrown into prison for raising a riot in the city, and for murder.
20 Once more Pilate called to them, wishing to release Jesus;
21 But they kept shouting out, Crucify, crucify Him!
22 A third time he said to them, Why? What wrong has He done? I have found [no offense or crime or guilt] in Him nothing deserving of death; I will therefore chastise Him [[f]in order to teach Him better] and release Him.
23 But they were insistent and urgent, demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified. And their voices prevailed (accomplished their purpose).
24 And Pilate gave sentence, that what they asked should be done.
25 So he released the man who had been thrown into prison for riot and murder, for whom they continued to ask, but Jesus he delivered up to be done with as they willed.
26 And as they led Him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross and made him carry it behind Jesus.
27 And there accompanied [Jesus] a great multitude of the people, [including] women who bewailed and lamented Him.
28 But Jesus, turning toward them, said, Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
29 For behold, the days are coming during which they will say, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and [g]to be envied) are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts that have never nursed [babies]!
30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us! and to the hills, Cover (conceal, hide) us!
31 For if they do these things when the timber is green, what will happen when it is dry?
32 Two others also, who were criminals, were led away to be executed with Him.(C)
33 And when they came to the place which is called The Skull [Latin: Calvary; Hebrew: Golgotha], there they crucified Him, and [along with] the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
34 And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided His garments and distributed them by casting lots for them.(D)
35 Now the people stood by [[h]calmly and leisurely] watching; but the rulers scoffed and sneered ([i]turned up their noses) at Him, saying, He rescued others [[j]from death]; let Him now rescue Himself, if He is the Christ (the Messiah) of God, His Chosen One!
36 The soldiers also ridiculed and made sport of Him, coming up and offering Him vinegar (a sour wine mixed with water)(E)
37 And saying, If you are the King of the Jews, save (rescue) Yourself [[k]from death].
38 For there was also an inscription above Him [l]in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew: This is the King of the Jews.
39 One of the criminals who was suspended kept up a railing at Him, saying, Are You not the Christ (the Messiah)? Rescue Yourself and us [[m]from death]!
40 But the other one reproved him, saying, Do you not even fear God, seeing you yourself are under the same sentence of condemnation and suffering the same penalty?
41 And we indeed suffer it justly, receiving the due reward of our actions; but this Man has done nothing out of the way [nothing [n]strange or eccentric or perverse or unreasonable].
42 Then he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come [o]in Your kingly glory!
43 And He answered him, Truly I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.
44 It was now about the sixth hour (midday), and darkness enveloped the whole land and earth until the ninth hour (about three o’clock in the afternoon),
45 While the sun’s light faded or [p]was darkened; and the curtain [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two.(F)
46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit! And with these words, He expired.(G)
47 Now the centurion, having seen what had taken place, [q]recognized God and thanked and praised Him, and said, Indeed, without question, this Man was upright (just and innocent)!
48 And all the throngs that had gathered to see this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned to their homes, beating their breasts.
49 And all the acquaintances of [Jesus] and the women who had followed Him from Galilee stood at a distance and watched these things.
50 Now notice, there was a man named Joseph from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council (the Sanhedrin), and a good (upright, [r]advantageous) man, and righteous (in right standing with God and man),
51 Who had not agreed with or assented to the purpose and action of the others; and he was expecting and waiting for the kingdom of God.
52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53 Then he took it down and [s]rolled it up in a linen cloth [t]for swathing dead bodies and laid Him in a rock-hewn tomb, where no one had ever yet been laid.
54 It was the day of Preparation [for the Sabbath], and the Sabbath was dawning (approaching).
55 The women who had come with [Jesus] from Galilee followed closely and saw the tomb and how His body was laid.
56 Then they went back and made ready spices and ointments (perfumes). On the Sabbath day they rested in accordance with the commandment.(H)
38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,
2 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?(A)
3 Gird up now your loins like a man, and I will demand of you, and you declare to Me.
4 Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to Me, if you have and know understanding.
5 Who determined the measures of the earth, if you know? Or who stretched the measuring line upon it?
6 Upon what were the foundations of it fastened, or who laid its cornerstone,
7 When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors when it broke forth and issued out of the womb?—
9 When I made the clouds the garment of it, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,
10 And marked for it My appointed boundary and set bars and doors,(B)
11 And said, Thus far shall you come and no farther; and here shall your proud waves be stayed?(C)
12 Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 So that [light] may get hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wickedness [of night] out of it?
14 It is changed like clay into which a seal is pressed; and things stand out like a many-colored garment.
15 From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken.
16 Have you explored the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know it all.
19 Where is the [a]way where light dwells? And as for darkness, where is its abode,
20 That you may conduct it to its home, and may know the paths to its house?
21 You must know, since you were born then! Or because you are so extremely old!
22 Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, or have you seen the treasuries of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?(D)
24 By what way is the light distributed, or the east wind spread over the earth?
25 Who has prepared a channel for the torrents of rain, or a path for the thunderbolt,
26 To cause it to rain on the uninhabited land [and] on the desert where no man lives,
27 To satisfy the waste and desolate ground and to cause the tender grass to spring forth?
28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoary frost of heaven, who has given it birth?
30 The waters are congealed like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
31 Can you bind the chains of [the cluster of stars called] Pleiades, or loose the cords of [the constellation] Orion?
32 Can you lead forth the signs of the zodiac in their season? Or can you guide [the stars of] the Bear with her young?
33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule upon the earth?
34 Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that an abundance of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send lightnings, that they may go and say to you, Here we are?
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts [or in the dark clouds]? Or who has given understanding to the mind [or to the meteor]?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the [water] bottles of the heavens
38 When [heat has caused] the dust to run into a mass and the clods to cleave fast together?
39 Can you [Job] hunt the prey for the lion? Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions
40 When they couch in their dens or lie in wait in their hiding place?
41 Who provides for the raven its prey when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?
8 We want to tell you further, brethren, about the grace (the favor and spiritual blessing) of God which has been evident in the churches of Macedonia [arousing in them the desire to give alms];
2 For in the midst of an ordeal of severe tribulation, their abundance of joy and their depth of poverty [together] have overflowed in wealth of lavish generosity on their part.
3 For, as I can bear witness, [they gave] according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability; and [they did it] voluntarily,
4 Begging us most insistently for the favor and the fellowship of contributing in this ministration for [the relief and support of] the saints [in Jerusalem].
5 Nor [was this gift of theirs merely the contribution] that we expected, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His agents] by the will of God [[a]entirely disregarding their personal interests, they gave as much as they possibly could, having put themselves at our disposal to be directed by the will of God]—
6 So much so that we have urged Titus that as he began it, he should also complete this beneficent and gracious contribution among you [the church at Corinth].
7 Now as you abound and excel and are at the front in everything—in faith, in expressing yourselves, in knowledge, in all zeal, and in your love for us—[see to it that you come to the front now and] abound and excel in this gracious work [of almsgiving] also.
8 I give this not as an order [to dictate to you], but to prove, by [pointing out] the zeal of others, the sincerity of your [own] love also.
9 For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied).
10 [It is then] my counsel and my opinion in this matter that I give [you when I say]: It is profitable and fitting for you [now to complete the enterprise] which more than a year ago you not only began, but were the first to wish to do anything [about contributions for the relief of the saints at Jerusalem].
11 So now finish doing it, that your [enthusiastic] readiness in desiring it may be equalled by your completion of it according to your ability and means.
12 For if the [eager] readiness to give is there, then it is acceptable and welcomed in proportion to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.
13 For it is not [intended] that other people be eased and relieved [of their responsibility] and you be burdened and suffer [unfairly],
14 But to have equality [share and share alike], your surplus over necessity at the present time going to meet their want and to equalize the difference created by it, so that [at some other time] their surplus in turn may be given to supply your want. Thus there may be equality,
15 As it is written, He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little did not lack.(A)
16 But thanks be to God Who planted the same earnest zeal and care for you in the heart of Titus.
17 For he not only welcomed and responded to our appeal, but was himself so keen in his enthusiasm and interest in you that he is going to you of his own accord.
18 But we are sending along with him that brother [Luke?] whose praise in the Gospel ministry [is spread] throughout all the churches;
19 And more than that, he has been appointed by the churches to travel as our companion in regard to this bountiful contribution which we are administering for the glory of the Lord Himself and [to show] our eager readiness [as Christians to help one another].
20 [For] we are on our guard, intending that no one should find anything for which to blame us in regard to our administration of this large contribution.
21 For we take thought beforehand and aim to be honest and absolutely above suspicion, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men.
22 Moreover, along with them we are sending our brother, whom we have often put to the test and have found him zealous (devoted and earnest) in many matters, but who is now more [eagerly] earnest than ever because of [his] absolute confidence in you.
23 As for Titus, he is my colleague and shares my work in your service; and as for the [other two] brethren, they are the [special] messengers of the churches, a credit and glory to Christ (the Messiah).
24 Show to these men, therefore, in the sight of the churches, the reality and plain truth of your love (your affection, goodwill, and benevolence) and what [good reasons] I had for boasting about and being proud of you.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation