M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 24

The Priestly Divisions. ¹ There were also divisions for the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.^{(A) 2} Nadab and Abihu died before their father, leaving no sons; therefore only Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.^{(B) 3} David, with Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar, apportioned them their offices in the priestly service.^{(C) 4} But since the sons of Eleazar were found to be more numerous by male heads than those of Ithamar, the former were divided into sixteen groups, and the latter into eight groups, each under its family heads. ⁵ Their functions were assigned impartially by lot, for there were officers of the holy place, and officers of God, descended both from Eleazar and from Ithamar. ⁶ The scribe Shemaiah, son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king, and of the officials, of Zadok the priest, and of Ahimelech, son of Abiathar,^[a] and of the heads of the ancestral houses of the priests and of the Levites, listing two successive family groups from Eleazar before each one from Ithamar.^(D)

^7 (E)The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah, ⁸ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim, ⁹ the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin, ¹⁰ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,^{(F) 11} the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah, ¹² the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim, ¹³ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Ishbaal, ¹⁴ the fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer, ¹⁵ the seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez, ¹⁶ the nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel, ¹⁷ the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul, ¹⁸ the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah. ¹⁹ This was the appointed order of their service when they functioned in the house of the Lord according to the precepts given them by Aaron, their father, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.^(G)

Other Levites. ^20 (H)Of the remaining Levites, there were Shubael, of the sons of Amram, and Jehdeiah, of the sons of Shubael; ²¹ Isshiah, the chief, of the sons of Rehabiah; ²² Shelomith of the Izharites, and Jahath of the sons of Shelomith. ²³ The sons of Hebron were Jeriah, the chief, Amariah, the second, Jahaziel, the third, Jekameam, the fourth. ²⁴ The sons of Uzziel were Micah; Shamir, of the sons of Micah; ²⁵ Isshiah, the brother of Micah; and Zechariah, a descendant of Isshiah. ²⁶ The sons of Merari were Mahli, Mushi, and the sons of his son Uzziah. ²⁷ The sons of Merari through his son Uzziah: Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. ²⁸ The sons of Mahli were Eleazar, who had no sons, ²⁹ and Jerahmeel, of the sons of Kish. ³⁰ The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

These were the sons of the Levites according to their ancestral houses. ³¹ They too, in the same manner as their kinsmen, the sons of Aaron, cast lots in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the priestly and levitical families; the more important family did so in the same way as the less important one.^(I)

Chapter 25

The Singers. ¹ David and the leaders of the liturgy set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who prophesied^[b] to the accompaniment of lyres and harps and cymbals.^(J)

This is the list of those who performed this service: ² Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the guidance of the king. ³ Of Jeduthun, these sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah; six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied to the accompaniment of a lyre, to give thanks and praise to the Lord. ⁴ Of Heman, these sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael, and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵ All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s seer for divine matters; to exalt him God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.^{(K) 6} All these, whether of Asaph, Jeduthun, or Heman, were under their fathers’ direction in the singing in the house of the Lord to the accompaniment of cymbals, harps and lyres, serving in the house of God, under the guidance of the king.^{(L) 7} Their number, together with that of their kinsmen who were trained in singing to the Lord, all of them skilled men, was two hundred and eighty-eight. ⁸ They cast lots for their functions equally, young and old, master and pupil alike.^(M)

⁹ The first lot fell to Asaph, to the family of Joseph; he and his sons and his kinsmen were twelve. Gedaliah was the second; he and his kinsmen and his sons were twelve. ¹⁰ The third was Zaccur, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹¹ The fourth fell to Izri, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹² The fifth was Nethaniah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹³ The sixth was Bukkiah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹⁴ The seventh was Jesarelah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹⁵ The eighth was Jeshaiah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹⁶ The ninth was Mattaniah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹⁷ The tenth was Shimei, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹⁸ The eleventh was Uzziel, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ¹⁹ The twelfth fell to Hashabiah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²⁰ The thirteenth was Shubael, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²¹ The fourteenth was Mattithiah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²² The fifteenth fell to Jeremoth, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²³ The sixteenth fell to Hananiah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²⁴ The seventeenth fell to Joshbekashah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²⁵ The eighteenth fell to Hanani, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²⁶ The nineteenth fell to Mallothi, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²⁷ The twentieth fell to Eliathah, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²⁸ The twenty-first fell to Hothir, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ²⁹ The twenty-second fell to Giddalti, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ³⁰ The twenty-third fell to Mahazioth, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve. ³¹ The twenty-fourth fell to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his kinsmen: twelve.

Chapter 5

Advice to Presbyters.^{[a] 1} So I exhort the presbyters^[b] among you, as a fellow presbyter and witness to the sufferings of Christ and one who has a share in the glory to be revealed. ² Tend the flock of God in your midst, [overseeing] not by constraint but willingly, as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.^{(A) 3} Do not lord it over those assigned to you, but be examples to the flock. ^4 (B)And when the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.^[c]

Advice to the Community.^{[d] 5} Likewise, you younger members,^[e] be subject to the presbyters. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for:

⁶ So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.^{(D) 7} Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.^(E)

⁸ Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for [someone] to devour.^{(F) 9} Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that your fellow believers throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. ¹⁰ The God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory through Christ [Jesus] will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a little.^{(G) 11} To him be dominion forever. Amen.

V. Conclusion

¹² I write you this briefly through Silvanus,^[f] whom I consider a faithful brother, exhorting you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Remain firm in it. ¹³ The chosen one^[g] at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son. ¹⁴ Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.^(H)

Chapter 3

Chapter 12

The Leaven of the Pharisees.^{[a] 1} Meanwhile, so many people were crowding together that they were trampling one another underfoot.^(A) He began to speak, first to his disciples, “Beware of the leaven—that is, the hypocrisy—of the Pharisees.

Courage Under Persecution.^{[b] 2 (B)}“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.^{(C) 3} Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops. ⁴ I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body but after that can do no more. ⁵ I shall show you whom to fear. Be afraid of the one who after killing has the power to cast into Gehenna;^[c] yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one. ⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?^[d] Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God. ⁷ Even the hairs of your head have all been counted. Do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.^{(D) 8} I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. ⁹ But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.^(E)

Sayings About the Holy Spirit.^{[e] 10} “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven.^{(F) 11} When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,^(G) do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. ¹² For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”

Saying Against Greed. ^13 [f]Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”^{(H) 15} Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”^(I)

Parable of the Rich Fool. ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. ¹⁷ He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ ¹⁸ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods ^19 (J)and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’^{(K) 20} But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ ²¹ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”^[g]

Dependence on God. ^22 (L)He said to [his] disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life and what you will eat, or about your body and what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. ²⁴ Notice the ravens: they do not sow or reap; they have neither storehouse nor barn, yet God feeds them. How much more important are you than birds!^{(M) 25} Can any of you by worrying add a moment to your life-span? ²⁶ If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest? ²⁷ Notice how the flowers grow. They do not toil or spin. But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of them.^{(N) 28} If God so clothes the grass in the field that grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? ²⁹ As for you, do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not worry anymore. ³⁰ All the nations of the world seek for these things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ Instead, seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides. ³² Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.^{(O) 33} Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.^{(P) 34} For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

Vigilant and Faithful Servants.^{[h] 35 (Q)}“Gird your loins and light your lamps ³⁶ and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.^{(R) 37} Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. ³⁸ And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. ^39 (S)Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

⁴¹ Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” ⁴² And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute [the] food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. ⁴⁴ Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. ⁴⁵ But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’^[i] and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷ That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely;^{(T) 48} and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.

Jesus: A Cause of Division.^{[j] 49} “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! ^50 [k]There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!^{(U) 51} Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?^(V) No, I tell you, but rather division.^{(W) 52} From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; ⁵³ a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”^(X)

Signs of the Times.^{(Y) 54} He also said to the crowds, “When you see [a] cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain—and so it does; ⁵⁵ and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot—and so it is. ⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

Settlement with an Opponent.^{(Z) 57} “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. ⁵⁹ I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”^[l]