M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob Flees to Haran
28 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him. And he instructed him and said to him, “You must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and take for yourself a wife from there, from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 Now, may El-Shaddai[a] bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, so that you become an assembly of peoples. 4 And may he give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojourning, which God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. 6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-Aram, to take for himself a wife from there, and[b] he blessed him and instructed him, saying, “You must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7 and that Jacob listened to his father and to his mother and went to Paddan-Aram. 8 Then Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father, 9 then Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham, sister of Nebaioth, as a wife, in addition to the wives he had.
Jacob’s Dream
10 Then Jacob went out from Beersheba and went to Haran. 11 And he arrived at a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head and slept at that place. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, a stairway was set on the earth, and its top touched the heavens. And behold, angels of God were going up and going down on it. 13 And behold, Yahweh was standing beside him,[c] and he said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you were sleeping I will give to you and to your descendants. 14 Your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, and to the east, and to the north and to the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and through your descendants. 15 Now behold, I am with you, and I will keep you wherever you go. And I will bring you to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised to you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely Yahweh is indeed[d] in this place and I did not know!” 17 Then he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is nothing else than the house of God,[e] and this is the gate of heaven!” 18 And Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a stone pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; however, the name of the city was formerly Luz. 20 And Jacob made a vow[f] saying, “If God will be with me and protect me on this way that I am going, and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, 21 and if I return in peace to the house of my father, then Yahweh will become my God. 22 And this stone that I have set up as a pillar shall be the house of God, and of all that you give to me I will certainly give a tenth to you.”
Jesus Taken to Pilate
27 Now when it[a] was early morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus in order to put him to death. 2 And after[b] tying him up, they led him[c] away and handed him[d] over to Pilate the governor.
The Suicide of Judas Iscariot
3 Then when[e] Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted what he had done[f] and[g] returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by[h] betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”[i] 5 And throwing the silver coins into the temple he departed. And he went away and[j] hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests took the silver coins and[k] said, “It is not permitted to put them into the temple treasury, because it is blood money.”[l] 7 And after[m] taking counsel, they purchased with[n] them the Potter’s Field, for a burial place for strangers. 8 (For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood until today.) 9 Then what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said, “And they took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one who had been priced, on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”[o]
Jesus Before Pilate
11 So Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “You say so.” 12 And when he was being accused[p] by the chief priests and elders he answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” 14 And he did not reply to him, not even with reference to one statement, so that the governor was very astonished.
Pilate Releases Barabbas
15 Now at each feast, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd—the one whom they wanted. 16 And at that time they had a notorious prisoner named Jesus[q] Barabbas.[r] 17 So after[s] they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Jesus[t] Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy. 19 And while[u] he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message[v] to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man,[w] for I have suffered much as a result of a dream today because of him.”) 20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas and put Jesus to death. 21 So the governor answered and[x] said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!” 22 Pilate said to them, “What then should I do with Jesus, the one who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they began to shout[y] even louder, saying, “Let him be crucified!”
24 So Pilate, when he[z] saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water and[aa] washed his[ab] hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to it!”[ac] 25 And all the people answered and[ad] said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them, but after[ae] he had Jesus flogged, he handed him[af] over so that he could be crucified.
Jesus Is Mocked
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s residence and[ag] gathered the whole cohort to him. 28 And they stripped him and[ah] put a scarlet military cloak around him, 29 and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it[ai] on his head, and put[aj] a reed in his right hand. And kneeling down before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 30 And they spat on him and[ak] took the reed and repeatedly struck[al] him[am] on his head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the military cloak and put his own clothes on him, and led him away in order to crucify him.[an]
Jesus Is Crucified
32 And as they[ao] were going out, they found a man of Cyrene named[ap] Simon. They forced this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they[aq] came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),[ar] 34 they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink, and when he[as] tasted it[at] he did not want to drink it.[au] 35 And when they[av] had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves[aw] by[ax] casting lots. 36 And they sat down and[ay] were watching over him there. 37 And they put above his head the charge against him in writing:[az] “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 And those who passed by reviled him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “The one who would destroy the temple and rebuild it[ba] in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” 41 In the same way also the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him,[bb] saying, 42 “He saved others; he is not able to save himself! He is the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusts in God; let him deliver him now if he wants to,[bc] because he said, ‘I am the Son of God’!” 44 And in the same way even the robbers who were crucified with him were reviling him.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
45 Now from the sixth hour, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”)[bd] 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they[be] heard it,[bf] said, “This man is summoning Elijah!” 48 And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge and filled it[bg] with sour wine and put it[bh] on a reed and[bi] gave it[bj] to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Leave him[bk] alone! let us see if Elijah is coming to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and[bl] gave up his[bm] spirit. 51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 Now the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus, when they[bn] saw the earthquake and the things that took place, were extremely frightened, saying, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” 55 And there were many women there, observing from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus Is Buried
57 Now when it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who also was a disciple of Jesus himself. 58 This man approached Pilate and[bo] asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it[bp] to be given to him.[bq] 59 And Joseph took the body and[br] wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a large stone to the entrance of the tomb and[bs] went away. 61 Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Tomb Is Sealed and Guarded
62 Now on the next day, which is after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember that while[bt] that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come and[bu] steal him and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it[bv] as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went with the guard of soldiers and[bw] made the tomb secure by[bx] sealing the stone.
Mordecai Tells Esther of Haman’s Plot
4 Mordecai learned all that had been done and he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. And he went through the middle of the city and cried out a loud and bitter cry; 2 he went up to the entrance of the gate of the king, for he could not go to the gate of the king in sackcloth. 3 In every province each place where the king’s edict and his law came, there was great mourning for the Jews with fasting, crying, wailing, and sackcloth; and ashes were spread out as a bed for them.
4 And Esther’s maids and her eunuchs came and they told her, and the queen was deeply distressed; she sent garments to clothe Mordecai so that he might remove his sackcloth—but he did not accept them. 5 Then Esther called Hathach from the king’s eunuchs who regularly attended to her,[a] and she ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what was happening and why. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai, to the public square of the city, which was in front of the gate of the king, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of money that Haman has promised to pay to the treasury of the king for the destruction of the Jews. 8 And he gave him a copy of the edict of the law that had been issued in Susa for their destruction to show Esther, and to inform her, and to charge her to go to the king and make supplication to him and entreat before him for her people.
9 And Hathach went back and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 10 And Esther spoke to Hathach and she gave him a message for Mordecai:[b] 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman who goes to the king to the inner courtyard, who is not called, he has one law, to be killed, except if the king extends to him the gold scepter so that he may live. I have not been called to come to the king for thirty days.”[c] 12 And they told Mordecai the words of Esther. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther: “Do not think that your life will be saved in the palace of the king more than all the Jews. 14 For if indeed you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and the family of your father will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to a royal position for a time such as this.” 15 Esther replied to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews that are found in Susa and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, both night and day. I and my young girls will fast likewise, and then I will go to the king, which is not according to the law; if I perish, I perish. 17 And Mordecai went away and he did everything that Esther commanded him.
Paul and His Associates Sail for Rome
27 And when it was decided that we would sail away to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named[a] Julius of the Augustan[b] Cohort. 2 And we went aboard a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to the places along the coast[c] of Asia[d] and[e] put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 And on the next day, we put in at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed him[f] to go to his[g] friends to be cared for.[h] 4 And from there we put out to sea and[i] sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.[j] 5 And after we[k] had sailed across the open sea along Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put in at Myra in Lycia. 6 And there the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and[l] put us on board[m] it. 7 And sailing slowly, in many days and with difficulty we came[n] to Cnidus. Because[o] the wind did not permit us to go further, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 And sailing along its coast with difficulty, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near which was the town of Lasea.
9 And because[p] considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast[q] was already over, Paul strongly recommended, 10 saying to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage is going to end[r] with disaster and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives!” 11 But the centurion was convinced even more by the shipmaster and the shipowner than by what was said by Paul. 12 And because[s] the harbor was unsuitable for spending the winter in, the majority decided on a plan to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing toward the southwest and toward the northwest, to spend the winter there.[t]
A Violent Storm at Sea
13 And when[u] a southwest wind began to blow gently, because they[v] thought they could accomplish their purpose, they weighed anchor and[w] sailed close along Crete. 14 But not long afterward a wind like a hurricane, called the northeaster,[x] rushed down from it.[y] 15 And when[z] the ship was caught and was not able to head into the wind, we gave way and[aa] were driven along. 16 And running under the lee of a certain small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control. 17 After[ab] hoisting it up,[ac] they made use of supports to undergird the ship. And because they[ad] were afraid lest they run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and[ae] thus were driven along. 18 And because[af] we were violently battered by the storm, on the next day they began[ag] jettisoning the cargo,[ah] 19 and on the third day they threw overboard the gear of the ship with their own hands. 20 But when[ai] neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and with not a little bad weather confronting us,[aj] finally all hope was abandoned that we would be saved.
21 And because[ak] many were experiencing lack of appetite, at that time Paul stood up in their midst and[al] said, “Men, you ought to have followed my advice not to put out to sea from Crete, and thus avoided this damage and loss! 22 And now I urge you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life from among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar, and behold, God has graciously granted you all who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will be like this—according to the[am] way it was told to me. 26 But it is necessary that we run aground on some island.”
27 And when the fourteenth night had come, as[an] we were being driven in the Adriatic Sea about the middle of the night, the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.[ao] 28 And taking soundings, they found twenty fathoms. So going on a little further and taking soundings again, they found fifteen fathoms. 29 And because they[ap] were afraid lest somewhere we run aground against rough places, they threw down four anchors from the stern and[aq] prayed for day to come. 30 And when[ar] the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending as if they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved!” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.[as]
33 And until the day was about to come, Paul was urging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited anxiously, and[at] you have continued without eating, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is necessary for your preservation. For not a hair from your head will be lost.” 35 And after he[au] said these things and took bread, he gave thanks to God in front of them all, and after[av] breaking it,[aw] he began to eat. 36 So they all were[ax] encouraged and partook of food themselves. 37 (Now we were in all two hundred seventy six persons on the ship.) 38 And when they[ay] had eaten their fill of food, they lightened the ship by[az] throwing the wheat[ba] into the sea.
The Shipwreck
39 Now when day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay having a beach, onto which they decided to run the ship ashore if they could. 40 And slipping the anchors, they left them[bb] in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes[bc] of the steering oars. And hoisting the foresail to the wind that was blowing, they held course for the beach. 41 But falling into a place of crosscurrents,[bd] they ran the ship aground. And the bow stuck fast and[be] stayed immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence.[bf] 42 Now the plan of the soldiers was that they would kill the prisoners lest any escape by[bg] swimming away, 43 but the centurion, because he[bh] wanted to save Paul, prevented them from doing what they intended,[bi] and gave orders that those who were able to swim should jump in first to get to the land, 44 and then the rest, some of whom floated[bj] on planks and some of whom on anything that was from the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to the land.
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