M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Law of the Firstborn
13 [a] The Lord spoke[b] to Moses, 2 “Set apart[c] to me every firstborn male—the first offspring of every womb[d] among the Israelites, whether human or animal; it is mine.”[e]
3 Moses said to the people, “Remember[f] this day on which you came out from Egypt, from the place where you were enslaved,[g] for the Lord brought you out of there[h] with a mighty hand—and no bread made with yeast may be eaten.[i] 4 On this day,[j] in the month of Abib,[k] you are going out.[l]
5 “When[m] the Lord brings you to the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites, and Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey,[n] then you will keep[o] this ceremony[p] in this month. 6 For seven days[q] you must eat[r] bread made without yeast, and on the seventh day there is to be[s] a festival to the Lord. 7 Bread made without yeast must be eaten[t] for seven days;[u] no bread made with yeast shall be seen[v] among you, and you must have no yeast among you within any of your borders.
8 “You are to tell your son[w] on that day,[x] ‘It is[y] because of what[z] the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 [aa] It[ab] will be a sign[ac] for you on your hand and a memorial[ad] on your forehead,[ae] so that the law of the Lord may be[af] in your mouth,[ag] for[ah] with a mighty hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt. 10 So you must keep[ai] this ordinance at its appointed time from year to year.[aj]
11 “When the Lord brings you[ak] into the land of the Canaanites,[al] as he swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it[am] to you, 12 then you must give over[an] to the Lord the first offspring of every womb.[ao] Every firstling[ap] of a beast that you have[aq]—the males will be the Lord’s.[ar] 13 Every firstling[as] of a donkey you must redeem[at] with a lamb, and if you do not redeem it, then you must break its neck.[au] Every firstborn of[av] your sons you must redeem.
14 [aw] “In the future,[ax] when your son asks you[ay] ‘What is this?’[az] you are to tell him, ‘With a mighty hand[ba] the Lord brought us out from Egypt, from the land of slavery.[bb] 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused[bc] to release us, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of people to the firstborn of animals.[bd] That is why I am sacrificing[be] to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb, but all my firstborn sons I redeem.’ 16 It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets[bf] on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”[bg]
The Leading of God
17 [bh] When Pharaoh released[bi] the people, God did not lead them[bj] by the way to the land[bk] of the Philistines,[bl] although[bm] that was nearby, for God said,[bn] “Lest[bo] the people change their minds[bp] and return to Egypt when they experience[bq] war.” 18 So God brought the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea,[br] and the Israelites went up from the land of Egypt prepared for battle.[bs]
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph[bt] had made the Israelites solemnly swear,[bu] “God will surely attend to[bv] you, and you will carry[bw] my bones up from this place with you.”
20 They journeyed from Sukkoth and camped in Etham, on the edge of the desert. 21 Now the Lord was going before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,[bx] so that they could[by] travel day or night.[bz] 22 He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people.[ca]
The Parable of the Clever Steward
16 Jesus[a] also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who was informed of accusations[b] that his manager[c] was wasting[d] his assets. 2 So[e] he called the manager[f] in and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you?[g] Turn in the account of your administration,[h] because you can no longer be my manager.’ 3 Then[i] the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, since my master is taking my position[j] away from me? I’m not strong enough to dig,[k] and I’m too ashamed[l] to beg. 4 I know[m] what to do so that when I am put out of management, people will welcome me into their homes.’[n] 5 So[o] he contacted[p] his master’s debtors one by one. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 The man[q] replied, ‘100 measures[r] of olive oil.’ The manager[s] said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and write fifty.’[t] 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ The second man[u] replied, ‘100 measures[v] of wheat.’ The manager[w] said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write 80.’[x] 8 The[y] master commended the dishonest[z] manager because he acted shrewdly.[aa] For the people[ab] of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their contemporaries[ac] than the people[ad] of light. 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by how you use worldly wealth,[ae] so that when it runs out you will be welcomed[af] into the eternal homes.[ag]
10 “The one who is faithful in a very little[ah] is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you haven’t been trustworthy[ai] in handling worldly wealth,[aj] who will entrust you with the true riches?[ak] 12 And if you haven’t been trustworthy[al] with someone else’s property,[am] who will give you your own[an] ? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate[ao] the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise[ap] the other. You cannot serve God and money.”[aq]
More Warnings about the Pharisees
14 The Pharisees[ar] (who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed[as] him. 15 But[at] Jesus[au] said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes,[av] but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized[aw] among men is utterly detestable[ax] in God’s sight.
16 “The law and the prophets were in force[ay] until John;[az] since then,[ba] the good news of the kingdom of God[bb] has been proclaimed, and everyone is urged to enter it.[bc] 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a letter[bd] in the law to become void.[be]
18 “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries[bf] someone else commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who dressed in purple[bg] and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously[bh] every day. 20 But at his gate lay[bi] a poor man named Lazarus[bj] whose body was covered with sores,[bk] 21 who longed to eat[bl] what fell from the rich man’s table. In addition, the dogs[bm] came and licked[bn] his sores.
22 “Now[bo] the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.[bp] The[bq] rich man also died and was buried.[br] 23 And in Hades,[bs] as he was in torment,[bt] he looked up[bu] and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side.[bv] 24 So[bw] he called out,[bx] ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus[by] to dip the tip of his finger[bz] in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish[ca] in this fire.’[cb] 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child,[cc] remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.[cd] 26 Besides all this,[ce] a great chasm[cf] has been fixed between us,[cg] so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 So[ch] the rich man[ci] said, ‘Then I beg you, father—send Lazarus[cj] to my father’s house 28 (for I have five brothers) to warn[ck] them so that they don’t come[cl] into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said,[cm] ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to[cn] them.’ 30 Then[co] the rich man[cp] said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead[cq] goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 He[cr] replied to him, ‘If they do not respond to[cs] Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”[ct]
Job Vindicates Himself
31 “I made a covenant with[a] my eyes;
how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin?[b]
2 What then would be one’s lot from God above,
one’s heritage from the Almighty[c] on high?
3 Is it not misfortune for the unjust,
and disaster for those who work iniquity?
4 Does he not see my ways
and count all my steps?
5 If[d] I have walked in falsehood,
and if[e] my foot has hastened[f] to deceit—
6 let him[g] weigh me with honest[h] scales;
then God will discover[i] my integrity.
7 If my footsteps have strayed from the way,
if my heart has gone after my eyes,[j]
or if anything[k] has defiled my hands,
8 then let me sow[l] and let another eat,
and let my crops[m] be uprooted.
9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door,[n]
10 then let my wife turn the millstone[o] for another man,
and may other men commit adultery with her.[p]
11 For I would have committed[q] a shameful act,[r]
an iniquity to be judged.[s]
12 For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction,[t]
and it would uproot[u] all my harvest.
13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants
or my female servants
when they disputed[v] with me,
14 then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment;[w]
when he intervenes,[x]
how will I respond to him?
15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them?[y]
Did not the same one form us in the womb?
16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired,[z]
or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself,
and did not share any of it with orphans[aa]—
18 but from my youth I raised the orphan[ab] like a father,
and from my mother’s womb[ac] I guided the widow[ad]—
19 If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing,
or a poor man without a coat,
20 whose heart did not bless me[ae]
as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep,[af]
21 if I have raised my hand[ag] to vote against the orphan,
when I saw my support in the court,[ah]
22 then[ai] let my arm fall from the shoulder,[aj]
let my arm be broken off at the socket.[ak]
23 For the calamity from God was a terror to me,[al]
and by reason of his majesty[am] I was powerless.
24 “If I have put my confidence in gold
or said to pure gold,
‘You are my security!’
25 if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth,
or because of the great wealth my hand had gained,
26 if I looked at the sun[an] when it was shining,
and the moon advancing as a precious thing,
27 so that my heart was secretly enticed,
and my hand threw them a kiss from my mouth,[ao]
28 then this[ap] also would be iniquity to be judged,[aq]
for I would have been false[ar] to God above.
29 If[as] I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemy[at]
or exulted[au] because calamity[av] found him—
30 I[aw] have not even permitted my mouth[ax] to sin
by asking[ay] for his life through a curse—
31 if[az] the members of my household[ba] have never said,[bb]
‘If only there were[bc] someone
who has not been satisfied from Job’s[bd] meat!’—
32 But[be] no stranger[bf] had to spend the night outside,
for I opened my doors to the traveler[bg]—
33 if[bh] I have covered my transgressions as men do,[bi]
by hiding[bj] iniquity in my heart,[bk]
34 because I was terrified[bl] of the great multitude,[bm]
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I remained silent
and would not go outdoors—
Job’s Appeal
35 “If only I had[bn] someone to hear me!
Here is my signature[bo]—
let the Almighty answer me!
If only I had an indictment[bp]
that my accuser had written.[bq]
36 Surely[br] I would wear it proudly[bs] on my shoulder,
I would bind[bt] it on me like a crown;
37 I would give him an accounting of my steps;
like a prince I would draw near to him.
Job’s Final Solemn Oath[bu]
38 “If my land cried out against me[bv]
and all its furrows wept together,
39 if I have eaten its produce without paying,[bw]
or caused the death[bx] of its owners,[by]
40 then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat,
and in place of barley, noxious weeds.”[bz]
The words of Job are ended.
Salutation
1 From Paul,[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia.[b] 2 Grace and peace to you[c] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort
3 Blessed is[d] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles[e] so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble[f] with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings[g] of Christ[h] overflow[i] toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.[j] 6 But if we are afflicted,[k] it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in[l] our sufferings, so also you will share in[m] our comfort. 8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,[n] regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia,[o] that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. 9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us,[p] so that we would not trust in ourselves[q] but in God who raises the dead. 10 He[r] delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him[s] that[t] he will deliver us yet again, 11 as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God[u] on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.
Paul Defends His Changed Plans
12 For our reason for confidence[v] is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives[w] and sincerity which are from God[x]—not by human wisdom[y] but by the grace of God—we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more[z] toward you. 13 For we do not write you anything other than what[aa] you can read and also understand. But I hope that you will understand completely[ab] 14 just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride just as you also are ours[ac] in the day of the Lord Jesus.[ad] 15 And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us,[ae] 16 and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back[af] to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you. 17 Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I?[ag] Or do I make my plans[ah] according to mere human standards[ai] so that I would be saying[aj] both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 But as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us—by me and Silvanus[ak] and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but it has always been “Yes” in him. 20 For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God. 21 But it is God who establishes[al] us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,[am] 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.[an]
Why Paul Postponed His Visit
23 Now I appeal to God as my witness,[ao] that to spare[ap] you I did not come again to Corinth.[aq] 24 I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.[ar]
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