M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Laws About Mercy and Fairness
23 “Do not spread reports that are false. Do not help a guilty person by telling lies in court.
2 “Do not follow the crowd when they do what is wrong. When you are a witness in court, do not turn what is right into what is wrong. Do not go along with the crowd. 3 Do not show favor to a poor person in court.
4 “Suppose you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering away. Then be sure to return it. 5 Suppose you see that the donkey of someone who hates you has fallen down under its load. Then do not leave it there. Be sure you help them with it.
6 “Be fair to your poor people in their court cases. 7 Do not have anything to do with a false charge. Do not put to death people not guilty of doing anything wrong. I will not let guilty people go free.
8 “Do not take money from people who want special favors. It makes you blind to the truth. It twists the words of good people.
9 “Do not treat outsiders badly. You yourselves know how it feels to be outsiders. Remember, you were outsiders in Egypt.
Sabbath Laws
10 “For six years plant your fields and gather your crops. 11 But during the seventh year do not plow your land or use it. Then the poor people among you can get food from it. The wild animals can eat what is left over. Do the same thing with your vineyards and your groves of olive trees.
12 “Do all your work in six days. But do not do any work on the seventh day. Then your oxen and donkeys can rest. The slaves born in your house can be renewed. And so can the outsiders who live among you.
13 “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not speak the names of other gods. Do not even let them be heard on your lips.
Laws About Celebrating the Three Main Feasts
14 “Three times a year you must celebrate a feast in my honor.
15 “Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days, eat bread made without yeast, just as I commanded you. Do it at the appointed time in the month of Aviv. You came out of Egypt in that month.
“You must not come to worship me with your hands empty.
16 “Celebrate the Feast of Weeks. Bring the first share of your crops from your fields.
“Celebrate the Feast of Booths. Hold it in the fall when you gather in your crops from your fields.
17 “Three times a year all your men must come to worship me. I am your Lord and King.
18 “Do not include anything made with yeast when you offer me the blood of a sacrifice.
“Suppose the fat from sacrifices is left over from my feasts. Then do not keep it until morning.
19 “Bring the best of the first share of your crops to my house. I am the Lord your God.
“Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
God’s Angel Will Prepare the Way
20 “I am sending an angel ahead of you. He will guard you along the way. He will bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him. Listen to what he says. Do not refuse to obey him. He will not forgive you if you turn against him. He has my full authority. 22 Listen carefully to what he says. Do everything I say. Then I will be an enemy to your enemies. I will fight against those who fight against you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you. He will bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites. I will wipe them out. 24 Do not do what they do. Do not bow down to their gods or worship them. You must destroy the statues of their gods. You must break their sacred stones to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God. Then he will bless your food and water. I, the Lord, will take away any sickness you may have. 26 In your land no woman will give birth to a dead baby. Every woman will be able to have children. I will give you a long life.
27 “I will send my terror ahead of you. I will throw every nation you meet into a panic. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run away. 28 I will send hornets ahead of you. They will drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. 29 But I will not drive them out in just one year. If I did, the land would be deserted. There would be too many wild animals for you. 30 I will drive them out ahead of you little by little. I will do that until there are enough of you to take control of the land.
31 “I will make your borders secure from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. They will go from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will hand over to you the people who live in the land. You will drive them out to make room for yourselves. 32 Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land. If you do, they will cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, that will certainly be a trap for you.”
Jesus Changes Water Into Wine
2 On the third day there was a wedding. It took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Dear woman, why are you telling me about this?” Jesus replied. “The time for me to show who I really am isn’t here yet.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do what he tells you.”
6 Six stone water jars stood nearby. The Jews used water from that kind of jar for special washings. They did that to make themselves pure and “clean.” Each jar could hold 20 to 30 gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the top.
8 Then he told them, “Now dip some out. Take it to the person in charge of the dinner.”
They did what he said. 9 The person in charge tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He didn’t realize where it had come from. But the servants who had brought the water knew. Then the person in charge called the groom to one side. 10 He said to him, “Everyone brings out the best wine first. They bring out the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best until now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana in Galilee was the first of his signs. Jesus showed his glory by doing this sign. And his disciples believed in him.
12 After this, Jesus went down to Capernaum. His mother and brothers and disciples went with him. They all stayed there for a few days.
Jesus Clears Out the Temple Courtyard
13 It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. So Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courtyard he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves. Others were sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So Jesus made a whip out of ropes. He chased all the sheep and cattle from the temple courtyard. He scattered the coins of the people exchanging money. And he turned over their tables. 16 He told those who were selling doves, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered what had been written. It says, “My great love for your house will destroy me.” (Psalm 69:9)
18 Then the Jewish leaders asked him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do this?”
19 Jesus answered them, “When you destroy this temple, I will raise it up again in three days.”
20 They replied, “It has taken 46 years to build this temple. Are you going to raise it up in three days?” 21 But the temple Jesus had spoken about was his body. 22 His disciples later remembered what he had said. That was after he had been raised from the dead. Then they believed the Scripture. They also believed the words that Jesus had spoken.
23 Meanwhile, he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. Many people saw the signs he was doing. And they believed in his name. 24 But Jesus did not fully trust them. He knew what people are like. 25 He didn’t need anyone to tell him what people are like. He already knew why people do what they do.
41 “Job, can you pull Leviathan out of the sea with a fishhook?
Can you tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a rope through its nose?
Can you stick a hook through its jaw?
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?
Will it speak gently to you?
4 Will it make an agreement with you?
Can you make it your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet out of it like a bird?
Can you put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6 Will traders offer you something for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its body with harpoons?
Can you throw fishing spears into its head?
8 If you touch it, it will fight you.
Then you will remember never to touch it again!
9 No one can possibly control Leviathan.
Just looking at it will terrify you.
10 No one dares to wake it up.
So who can possibly stand up to me?
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything on earth belongs to me.
12 “Now I will speak about the Leviathan’s legs.
I will talk about its strength and its graceful body.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who would try to pierce its double coat of armor?
14 Who dares to open its jaws?
Its mouth is filled with terrifying teeth.
15 Its back has rows of shields
that are close together.
16 Each one is so close to the next one
that not even air can pass between them.
17 They are joined tightly to one another.
They stick together and can’t be forced apart.
18 Leviathan’s snorting throws out flashes of light.
Its eyes shine like the first light of day.
19 Flames spray out of its mouth.
Sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours out of its nose.
It is like smoke from a boiling pot over burning grass.
21 Its breath sets coals on fire.
Flames fly out of its mouth.
22 Its neck is very strong.
People run to get out of its way.
23 Its rolls of fat are close together.
They are firm and can’t be moved.
24 Its chest is as hard as rock.
It is as hard as a lower millstone.
25 When Leviathan rises up,
even mighty people are terrified.
They run away when it moves around wildly.
26 A sword that strikes it has no effect.
Neither does a spear or dart or javelin.
27 It treats iron as if it were straw.
It crushes bronze as if it were rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it run away.
Stones that are thrown from slings are like straw hitting it.
29 A club seems like a piece of straw to it.
It laughs when it hears a javelin rattling.
30 Its undersides are like broken pieces of pottery.
It leaves a trail in the mud like a threshing sled.
31 It makes the ocean churn like a boiling pot.
It stirs up the sea like perfume someone is making.
32 It leaves a shiny trail behind it.
You would think the ocean had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is equal to Leviathan.
That creature is not afraid of anything.
34 It looks down on proud people.
It rules over all those who are proud.”
Paul and Those Who Pretend to Be Apostles
11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolish bragging. Yes, please put up with me! 2 My jealousy for you comes from God himself. I promised to give you to only one husband. That husband is Christ. I wanted to be able to give you to him as if you were a pure virgin. 3 But Eve’s mind was tricked by the snake’s clever lies. And here’s what I’m afraid of. Your minds will also somehow be led astray. They will be led away from your true and pure love for Christ. 4 Suppose someone comes to you and preaches about a Jesus different from the Jesus we preached about. Or suppose you receive a spirit different from the Spirit you received before. Or suppose you receive a different message of good news. Suppose it was different from the one you accepted earlier. You put up with those kinds of things easily enough.
5 I don’t think I’m in any way less important than those “super-apostles.” 6 It’s true that I haven’t been trained as a speaker. But I do have knowledge. I’ve made that very clear to you in every way. 7 I preached God’s good news to you free of charge. When I did that, I was putting myself down in order to lift you up. Was this a sin? 8 I received help from other churches so I could serve you. This was almost like robbing them. 9 When I was with you and needed something, I didn’t cause you any expense. The believers who came from Macedonia gave me what I needed. I haven’t caused you any expense at all. And I won’t ever do it. 10 I’m sure that the truth of Christ is in me. And I’m just as sure that nobody in Achaia will keep me from bragging. 11 Why? Because I don’t love you? No! God knows I do!
12 And I will keep on doing what I’m doing. That will stop those who claim they have things to brag about. They think they have a chance to be considered equal with us. 13 People like that are false apostles. They are workers who tell lies. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ. 14 That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light. 15 So it doesn’t surprise us that Satan’s servants also pretend to be serving God. They will finally get exactly what they deserve.
Paul Brags About His Sufferings
16 I will say it again. Don’t let anyone think I’m a fool. But if you do, put up with me just as you would put up with a fool. Then I can do a little bragging. 17 When I brag about myself like this, I’m not talking the way the Lord would. I’m talking like a fool. 18 Many are bragging the way the people of the world do. So I will brag like that too. 19 You are so wise! You gladly put up with fools! 20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you a slave or uses you. You put up with those who take advantage of you. You put up with those who claim to be better than you. You put up with those who slap you in the face. 21 I’m ashamed to have to say that I was too weak for that!
Whatever anyone else dares to brag about, I also dare to brag about. I’m speaking like a fool! 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Do they belong to the people of Israel? So do I. Are they Abraham’s children? So am I. 23 Are they serving Christ? I am serving him even more. I’m out of my mind to talk like this! I have worked much harder. I have been in prison more often. I have suffered terrible beatings. Again and again I almost died. 24 Five times the Jews gave me 39 strokes with a whip. 25 Three times I was beaten with sticks. Once they tried to kill me by throwing stones at me. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26 I have had to keep on the move. I have been in danger from rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from my fellow Jews and in danger from Gentiles. I have been in danger in the city, in the country, and at sea. I have been in danger from people who pretended they were believers. 27 I have worked very hard. Often I have gone without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. Often I have gone without food. I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, every day I am concerned about all the churches. It is a very heavy load. 29 If anyone is weak, I feel weak. If anyone is led into sin, I burn on the inside.
30 If I have to brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am. 31 I am not lying. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows this. May God be praised forever. 32 In Damascus the governor who served under King Aretas had their city guarded. He wanted to arrest me. 33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall. So I escaped from the governor.
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