M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jacob Moves to Bethel
35 Later, God told Jacob, “Get up, move to Bethel, and live there. Build an altar to the God who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”
2 Jacob announced to his household and to everyone with him, “Throw away the foreign gods that you’ve kept among you, purify yourselves, and change your clothes. 3 Then let’s get up and go to Bethel, where I’ll build an altar to the God who answered me when I was in distress and who was with me on the road, wherever I went.”
4 So they handed over to Jacob all their foreign gods on which they had been depending,[a] along with the rings that they were wearing on their ears. Jacob buried them under the oak that grew near Shechem. 5 As they set out on their journey, because the people who lived in the[b] cities around them feared God, they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
6 Eventually, Jacob and everyone with him arrived at Luz (also called Beth-el) in the territory of Canaan. 7 He built an altar there to God and named the place El Beth-el, because God had revealed himself there when he was fleeing from his brother. 8 Rebekah’s nurse Deborah died and was buried there, under the oak tree that was below Beth-el. That’s why the place was named Allon-bacuth.[c]
God Appears Again to Jacob
9 God appeared again to Jacob after he had arrived from Paddan-aram[d] and blessed him. 10 Then God told him,
“Your name is Jacob.
No longer are you to be called Jacob.
Instead, your name will be Israel.”
So God called his name Israel 11 and also told him,
“I am God Almighty.
You are to be fruitful
and multiply.
You will become a nation—
in fact, an assembly of nations!
Kings will come from you—
they’ll emerge from your own loins!
12 Now as for the land
that I gave to Abraham and Isaac,
I’m giving it to you
and to your descendants who come after you.
I’m giving the land to you!”
13 After this, God ascended from the place where he had been speaking to him. 14 Jacob erected a pillar of stone at that very place where God had spoken to him. He poured a drink offering over it, anointed it with oil, 15 and named the place where God had spoken to him Beth-el.
Rachel Dies in Childbirth
16 Later, they set out from Beth-el. While still a long way[e] from Ephrathah, Rachel started to have trouble giving birth. 17 While she was suffering due to her difficult labor, the midwife told her, “Don’t fear! You’re going to have another son.”
18 Just before she died,[f] Rachel called her son’s[g] name Ben-oni,[h] but his father Jacob[i] named him Benjamin.[j] 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrathah, also known as Bethlehem. 20 Jacob erected a pillar over her grave, and that pillar stands over Rachel’s grave to this day.
Jacob Settles Near Migdal Eder
21 Jacob continued his travels, and eventually pitched his tent facing Migdal Eder. 22 But while Israel lived in that land, Reuben went inside his father’s tent[k] and had sexual relations with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Now Jacob had twelve sons. 23 Leah’s sons were Reuben (Jacob’s first-born), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun. 24 Rachel’s sons were Joseph and Benjamin. 25 Rachel’s servant Bilhah’s sons were Dan and Naphtali. 26 Leah’s servant Zilpah’s sons were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons who were born to him while he lived in Paddan-aram.[l]
The Death of Isaac
27 So Jacob reached his father Isaac at Mamre, in Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had lived. 28 Isaac had lived a total of 180 years 29 when he died and joined his ancestors at a ripe old age. Then his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.
Esau’s Genealogies
36 This is a record of Esau’s genealogy, that is, of Edom. 2 Esau had married Canaanite women, including Elon the Hittite’s daughter Adah, Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah (who was Zibeon the Hivite’s daughter), and 3 Ishamael’s daughter Basemath (who was Nebaioth’s sister). 4 Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel, and 5 Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These were Esau’s sons, who were born to him in the territory of Canaan.
6 Later, Esau took his wives, his children, everyone in his household, his livestock, all his animals, and all his possessions that he had acquired in the territory of Canaan and moved far away from his brother Jacob, 7 because their holdings were too vast to allow them to stay together, since the land where they had settled was not able to support all of their livestock. 8 So Esau lived in Mount Seir.[m] (Esau was also known as Edom.)
9 This is a record of the family history of Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites of Mount Seir. 10 The names of Esau’s sons were Eliphaz (the son of Esau’s wife Adah) and Reuel (the son of Esau’s wife Basemath).
11 Eliphaz’s sons were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 Timnah was a concubine of Esau’s son Eliphaz. She bore Amalek to Eliphaz.
13 Reuel’s sons were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
14 These were the sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah, who was the daughter of Zibeon. She bore Jeush, Jalam, and Korah for Esau.
Leaders of Esau’s Descendants
15 These were the tribal leaders of Esau’s descendants; that is, the children of Eliphaz, who was Esau’s firstborn: tribal leaders[n] Teman, Omar, Zepho, Kenaz, 16 Korah, Gatam, and Amalek. These were the tribal leaders who descended[o] from Eliphaz in the territory of Edom. These were Adah’s sons.
17 These were the descendants of Esau’s son Reuel: tribal leaders Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. These were the tribal leaders who descended from Reuel in the territory of Edom. These were the sons of Esau’s wife Basemath.
18 These were the descendants of Esau’s wife Oholibamah: tribal leaders Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. These tribal leaders descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah, Anah’s daughter. 19 These were the descendants of Esau (also known as Edom) and their tribal leaders.
Leaders of Seir’s Descendants
20 These were the descendants of Seir the Horite, who lived in the territory: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 21 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the tribal leaders who descended from the Horites, the descendants of Seir in the territory of Edom.
22 Lotan’s children were Hori and Hemam. Lotan’s sister was Timna.
23 Shobal’s children were Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.
24 Zibeon’s children were Aiah and Anah. Anah discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while grazing his father Zibeon’s donkeys.
25 Anah’s children were Dishon and Anah’s daughter Oholibamah.
26 Dishon’s children were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Keran.
27 Ezer’s children were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
28 Dishan’s children were Uz and Aran.
29 These were the tribal leaders who descended from the Horites: tribal leaders Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, 30 Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. These were the tribal leaders who descended from the Horites, according to their tribal leaders in the territory of Seir.
31 This is a list of the kings who ruled the territory of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelis. 32 Beor’s son Bela ruled over Edom. His city’s name was Dinhabah.
33 After Bela died, Zerah’s son Jobab from Bozrah ruled in his place.
34 After Jobab died, Husham from the territory of the Temanites ruled in his place.
35 After Husham died, Bedad’s son Hadad, who killed Midian in the field of Moab, ruled in his place. His city’s name was Avith.
36 After Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah ruled in his place.
37 After Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth by the river ruled in his place.
38 After Shaul died, Achbor’s son Baal-hanan ruled in his place.
39 After Achbor’s son Baal-hanan died, Hadar ruled in his place. His city’s name was Pau. And his wife’s name was Mehetabel, who was the daughter of Matred, and granddaughter of Me-zahab.
40 These were the names of the chiefs who descended from Esau according to their clans, territories, and names: tribal leaders Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chiefs who descended from Edom, according to their territories in their own land.[p] This was the dynasty of Esau, who was the ancestor of the Edomites.
Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth(A)
6 Jesus[a] left that place and went back to his hometown,[b] and his disciples followed him. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were utterly amazed. “Where did this man get all these things?” they asked. “What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What great miracles are being done by his hands! 3 This is the builder,[c] the son of Mary, and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon, isn’t it? His sisters are here with us, aren’t they?” And they were offended by him.
4 Jesus had been telling them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own home.” 5 He couldn’t perform a miracle there except to lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went around to the villages and continued teaching.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve(B)
7 He called the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits. 8 He instructed them to take nothing along on the trip except a walking stick—no bread, no traveling bag, nothing in their moneybag. 9 They could wear sandals but not take along an extra shirt.[d] 10 He told them repeatedly, “Whenever you go into a home, stay there until you leave that place. 11 If any place will not welcome you and the people[e] refuse to listen to you, when you leave, shake its dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went and preached that people[f] should repent. 13 They also kept driving out many demons and anointing with oil many who were sick, and healing them.
The Death of John the Baptist(C)
14 King Herod heard about this, because Jesus’[g] name had become well-known. He was[h] saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead! That’s why he is able to do these miracles.”
15 Others were saying, “He is Elijah.”
Still others were saying, “He is a prophet like one of the other[i] prophets.”
16 But when Herod heard about it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised,” 17 because Herod himself had sent men who arrested[j] John, bound him with chains, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom Herod[k] had married.
18 John had been telling Herod, “It’s not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 So Herodias bore a grudge against John[l] and wanted to kill him. But she couldn’t do it 20 because Herod was afraid of John. He knew that John[m] was a righteous and holy man, and so he protected him. Whenever he listened to John,[n] he did much of what he said.[o] In fact, he liked listening to him.
21 An opportunity came during Herod’s birthday celebration, when he gave a banquet for his top officials, military officers, and the most important people of Galilee. 22 When the daughter of Herodias[p] came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. So the king told the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” 23 He swore with an oath to her, “I’ll give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom.”
24 So she went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?”
Her mother[q] replied, “The head of John the Baptist.”
25 Immediately the girl[r] hurried back to the king with her request, “I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
26 The king was deeply saddened, yet because of his oaths and his guests he was reluctant to refuse her. 27 So without delay the king sent a soldier and ordered him to bring John’s[s] head. The soldier[t] went and beheaded him in prison. 28 Then he brought John’s[u] head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When John’s[v] disciples heard about this, they came and carried off his body and laid it in a tomb.
Jesus Feeds More than Five Thousand People(D)
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 31 He told them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while,” because so many people were coming and going[w] that they didn’t even have time to eat. 32 So they went away in a boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 But when many people saw them leave and recognized them, they hurried on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 When he got out of the boat,[x] he saw a large crowd. He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.
35 When it was quite late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and it’s already late. 36 Send the crowds[y] away so that they can go to the neighboring farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”
They asked him, “Should we go and buy 200 denarii[z] worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”
38 He asked them, “How many loaves of bread do you have? Go and see.”
They found out and told him, “Five loaves[aa] and two fish.”
39 Then he ordered them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed them. Then he broke the loaves in pieces and kept giving them to his disciples to set before the people.[ab] He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 All of them ate and were filled. 43 Then the disciples[ac] picked up twelve baskets full of leftover bread and fish. 44 There were 5,000 men who had eaten the loaves.
Jesus Walks on the Sea(E)
45 Jesus[ad] immediately had his disciples get into a boat and cross to Bethsaida ahead of him, while he sent the crowd away. 46 After saying goodbye to them, he went up on a hillside to pray. 47 When evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, while he was alone on the land. 48 He saw that his disciples[ae] were straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn[af] he came to them, walking on the sea. He intended to go up right beside them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and began to scream. 50 All of them saw him and were terrified. Immediately he told them, “Have courage! It’s me. Stop being afraid!”
51 Then he got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped blowing. The disciples[ag] were utterly astounded, 52 because they didn’t understand the significance of the loaves. Instead, their hearts were hardened.
Jesus Heals the Sick in Gennesaret(F)
53 When they had crossed over, they came ashore at Gennesaret and anchored the boat. 54 As soon as they got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus.[ah] 55 They ran all over the countryside and began carrying the sick on their mats to any place where they heard he was. 56 Wherever he went, whether into villages, towns, or farms, people[ai] would place their sick in the marketplaces and beg him to let them touch even the tassel of his garment, and everyone who touched it was healed.
Satan’s Second Attack on Job
2 Some time later, divine beings again[a] presented themselves to the Lord, and Satan accompanied them to present himself to the Lord. 2 The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”
In response, Satan told the Lord, “From wandering all over the earth and walking back and forth throughout it.”
3 The Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered[b] my servant Job? There is no one like him on earth. The man is blameless as well as upright. He fears God and keeps away from evil. He remains firm in his integrity, even though you have been urging me to overwhelm him without cause.”
4 Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for skin! The man will give up everything that he owns in exchange for his health.[c] 5 However, stretch out your hand[d] and strike his bones and flesh, and he’ll curse you to your face, won’t he?”
6 Then the Lord told Satan, “Very well then, he is under your control.[e] Just preserve his life.”[f]
7 So Satan left the Lord’s presence and struck Job with terrible boils from the sole of his feet to the top of his head. 8 Job[g] took a broken piece of pottery to scrape himself while sitting among the ashes.
Job Refuses to Curse God
9 Then his wife told him, “Do you remain firm in your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 But he replied to her, “You’re talking like foolish women do. Are we to accept[h] what is good from God but not tragedy?”
Throughout all of this, Job did not sin by what he said.[i]
Job’s Friends Visit
11 When Job’s three friends heard all these tragedies that happened to him, they each traveled from their home towns[j] to visit him. Eliphaz came from Teman,[k] Bildad came from Shuah,[l] and Zophar came from Naamath.[m] They met together and went to console and comfort him. 12 Observing him from a distance, at first they didn’t even recognize him, so they raised their voices and burst into tears. They each ripped their robes, threw ashes into the air on their heads, 13 and sat with Job[n] on the ground for a full week[o] without saying a word, since they could see the great extent of his anguish.
No Longer Sin’s Slaves, but God’s Slaves
6 What should we say, then? Should we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 Of course not! How can we who died as far as sin is concerned go on living in it?
3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into union with the Messiah[a] Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore, through baptism we were buried with him into his death so that, just as the Messiah[b] was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too may live an entirely new life. 5 For if we have become united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old natures were crucified with him so that our sin-laden bodies might be rendered powerless and we might no longer be slaves to sin. 7 For the person who has died has been freed from sin.
8 Now if we have died with the Messiah,[c] we believe that we will also live with him, 9 for we know that the Messiah,[d] who was raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 For when he died, he died once and for all as far as sin is concerned. But now that he is alive, he lives for God. 11 In the same way, you too must continuously consider yourselves dead as far as sin is concerned, but living for God through the Messiah[e] Jesus.[f]
12 Therefore, do not let sin rule your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. 13 Stop offering[g] the parts of your body[h] to sin as instruments of unrighteousness. Instead, offer yourselves to God as people who have been brought from death to life and the parts of your body[i] as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin will not have mastery over you, because you are not under Law but under grace.
15 What, then, does this mean?[j] Should we go on sinning because we are not under Law but under grace? Of course not! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, though you were once slaves of sin, you became obedient from your hearts to that form of teaching with which you were entrusted! 18 And since you have been freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.
19 I am speaking in simple[k] terms because of the frailty of your human nature.[l] Just as you once offered the parts of your body[m] as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater disobedience, so now, in the same way, you must offer the parts of your body[n] as slaves to righteousness that leads to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were “free” as far as righteousness was concerned. 21 What benefit did you get from doing those things you are now ashamed of? For those things resulted in death. 22 But now that you have been freed from sin and have become God’s slaves, the benefit you reap is sanctification, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in union with the Messiah[o] Jesus our Lord.
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