M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Sin of the Golden Calf
32 [a] When the people saw that Moses delayed[b] in coming down[c] from the mountain, they[d] gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Get up,[e] make us gods[f] that will go before us. As for this fellow Moses,[g] the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what[h] has become of him!”
2 So Aaron said to them, “Break off the gold earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”[i] 3 So all[j] the people broke off the gold earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 He accepted the gold[k] from them,[l] fashioned[m] it with an engraving tool, and made a molten calf.[n] Then they said, “These are your gods,[o] O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 When[p] Aaron saw this,[q] he built an altar before it,[r] and Aaron made a proclamation[s] and said, “Tomorrow will be a feast[t] to the Lord.” 6 So they got up early on the next day and offered up burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and drink,[u] and they rose up to play.[v]
7 The Lord spoke to Moses, “Go quickly, descend,[w] because your[x] people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. 8 They have quickly turned aside[y] from the way that I commanded them—they have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt.’”
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people.[z] Look[aa] what a stiff-necked people they are![ab] 10 So now, leave me alone[ac] so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them, and I will make from you a great nation.”
11 But Moses sought the favor[ad] of the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why[ae] should the Egyptians say,[af] ‘For evil[ag] he led them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy[ah] them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger, and relent[ai] of this evil against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel your servants, to whom you swore by yourself and told them, ‘I will multiply your descendants[aj] like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken about[ak] I will give to your descendants,[al] and they will inherit it forever.’” 14 Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.
15 Moses turned and went down from the mountain with[am] the two tablets of the testimony in his hands. The tablets were written on both sides—they were written on the front and on the back. 16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted,[an] he said to Moses, “It is the sound of war in the camp!” 18 Moses[ao] said, “It is not the sound of those who shout for victory,[ap] nor is it the sound of those who cry because they are overcome,[aq] but the sound of singing[ar] I hear.”[as]
19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses became extremely angry.[at] He threw the tablets from his hands and broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain.[au] 20 He took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it[av] to powder, poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.[aw]
21 Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought on them so great a sin?” 22 Aaron said, “Do not let your anger burn hot, my lord;[ax] you know these people, that they tend to evil.[ay] 23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods that will go before us, for as for this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, break it off.’ So they gave it[az] to me, and I threw it into the fire, and this calf came out.”[ba]
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild,[bb] for Aaron had let them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies.[bc] 26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come[bd] to me.”[be] All the Levites gathered around him, 27 and he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has said ‘Each man fasten[bf] his sword on his side, and go back and forth[bg] from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’”[bh]
28 The Levites did what Moses ordered,[bi] and that day about 3,000 men of the people died.[bj] 29 Moses said, “You have been consecrated[bk] today for the Lord, for each of you was against his son or against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today.”[bl]
30 The next day Moses said to the people,[bm] “You have committed a very serious sin,[bn] but now I will go up to the Lord—perhaps I can make atonement[bo] on behalf of your sin.”
31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has committed a very serious sin,[bp] and they have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin…,[bq] but if not, wipe me out[br] from your book that you have written.”[bs] 33 The Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me—that person I will wipe out of my book. 34 So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See,[bt] my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin.”[bu]
35 And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the calf[bv]—the one Aaron made.[bw]
The Death of Lazarus
11 Now a certain man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village where Mary and her sister Martha lived.[a] 2 (Now it was Mary who anointed the Lord with perfumed oil[b] and wiped his feet dry with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)[c] 3 So the sisters sent a message[d] to Jesus,[e] “Lord, look, the one you love is sick.” 4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not lead to death,[f] but to God’s glory,[g] so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”[h] 5 (Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.)[i]
6 So when he heard that Lazarus[j] was sick, he remained in the place where he was for two more days. 7 Then after this, he said to his disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.”[k] 8 The disciples replied,[l] “Rabbi, the Jewish leaders[m] were just now trying[n] to stone you to death! Are[o] you going there again?” 9 Jesus replied,[p] “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If anyone walks around in the daytime, he does not stumble,[q] because he sees the light of this world.[r] 10 But if anyone walks around at night,[s] he stumbles,[t] because the light is not in him.”
11 After he said this, he added,[u] “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep.[v] But I am going there to awaken him.” 12 Then the disciples replied,[w] “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13 (Now Jesus had been talking about[x] his death, but they[y] thought he had been talking about real sleep.)[z]
14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15 and I am glad[aa] for your sake that I was not there, so that you may believe.[ab] But let us go to him.” 16 So Thomas (called Didymus[ac])[ad] said to his fellow disciples, “Let us go too, so that we may die with him.”[ae]
Speaking with Martha and Mary
17 When[af] Jesus arrived,[ag] he found that Lazarus[ah] had been in the tomb four days already.[ai] 18 (Now Bethany was less than two miles[aj] from Jerusalem, 19 so many of the Jewish people of the region[ak] had come to Martha and Mary to console them[al] over the loss of their brother.)[am] 20 So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary was sitting in the house.[an] 21 Martha[ao] said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will grant[ap] you.”[aq]
23 Jesus replied,[ar] “Your brother will come back to life again.”[as] 24 Martha said,[at] “I know that he will come back to life again[au] in the resurrection at the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live[av] even if he dies, 26 and the one who lives and believes in me will never die.[aw] Do you believe this?” 27 She replied,[ax] “Yes, Lord, I believe[ay] that you are the Christ,[az] the Son of God who comes into the world.”[ba]
28 And when she had said this, Martha[bb] went and called her sister Mary, saying privately,[bc] “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”[bd] 29 So when Mary[be] heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. 30 (Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still in the place where Martha had come out to meet him.) 31 Then the people[bf] who were with Mary[bg] in the house consoling her saw her[bh] get up quickly and go out. They followed her, because they thought she was going to the tomb to weep[bi] there.
32 Now when Mary came to the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the people[bj] who had come with her weeping, he was intensely moved[bk] in spirit and greatly distressed.[bl] 34 He asked,[bm] “Where have you laid him?”[bn] They replied,[bo] “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.[bp] 36 Thus the people who had come to mourn[bq] said, “Look how much he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “This is the man who caused the blind man to see![br] Couldn’t he have done something to keep Lazarus[bs] from dying?”
Lazarus Raised from the Dead
38 Jesus, intensely moved[bt] again, came to the tomb. (Now it was a cave, and a stone was placed across it.)[bu] 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”[bv] Martha, the sister of the deceased,[bw] replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell,[bx] because he has been buried[by] four days.”[bz] 40 Jesus responded,[ca] “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away[cb] the stone. Jesus looked upward[cc] and said, “Father, I thank you that you have listened to me.[cd] 42 I knew that you always listen to me,[ce] but I said this[cf] for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When[cg] he had said this, he shouted in a loud voice,[ch] “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The one who had died came out, his feet and hands tied up with strips of cloth,[ci] and a cloth wrapped around his face.[cj] Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him[ck] and let him go.”
The Response of the Jewish Leaders
45 Then many of the people,[cl] who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus[cm] did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees[cn] and reported to them[co] what Jesus had done. 47 So the chief priests and the Pharisees[cp] called the council[cq] together and said, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we allow him to go on in this way,[cr] everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away our sanctuary[cs] and our nation.”
49 Then one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said,[ct] “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize[cu] that it is more to your advantage to have one man[cv] die for the people than for the whole nation to perish.”[cw] 51 (Now he did not say this on his own,[cx] but because he was high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish nation,[cy] 52 and not for the Jewish nation[cz] only,[da] but to gather together[db] into one the children of God who are scattered.)[dc] 53 So from that day they planned together to kill him.
54 Thus Jesus no longer went[dd] around publicly[de] among the Judeans,[df] but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim,[dg] and stayed there with his disciples. 55 Now the Jewish Feast of Passover[dh] was near, and many people went up to Jerusalem from the rural areas before the Passover to cleanse themselves ritually.[di] 56 Thus they were looking for Jesus,[dj] and saying to one another as they stood in the temple courts,[dk] “What do you think? That he won’t come to the feast?” 57 (Now the chief priests and the Pharisees[dl] had given orders that anyone who knew where Jesus[dm] was should report it, so that they could arrest[dn] him.)[do]
The Appeal of Wisdom[a]
8 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 At the top[b] of the prominent places along the way,
at the intersection[c] of the paths she has taken her stand;
3 beside the gates opening into[d] the city,
at the entrance of the doorways she cries out:[e]
4 “To you, O people,[f] I call out,
and my voice calls[g] to all mankind.[h]
5 You who are naive, discern[i] wisdom!
And you fools, understand discernment![j]
6 Listen, for I will speak excellent things,[k]
and my lips will utter[l] what is right.
7 For my mouth[m] speaks truth,[n]
and my lips[o] hate wickedness.[p]
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;[q]
there is nothing in them twisted[r] or crooked.
9 All of them are clear[s] to the discerning
and upright to those who find knowledge.
10 Receive my instruction[t] rather than[u] silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is better than rubies,
and desirable things cannot be compared[v] to her.
12 “I, wisdom, have dwelt[w] with prudence,[x]
and I find[y] knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate[z] evil;
I hate arrogant pride[aa] and the evil way
and perverse utterances.[ab]
14 Counsel and sound wisdom belong to me;[ac]
I possess understanding and might.
15 By me kings reign,
and by me[ad] potentates[ae] decree[af] righteousness;
16 by me princes rule,
as well as nobles and[ag] all righteous judges.[ah]
17 I will love[ai] those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently will find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
long-lasting wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than the purest gold,[aj]
and my harvest[ak] is better than choice silver.
20 I walk in the path of righteousness,
in the pathway of justice,
21 that I may cause[al] those who love me to inherit wealth,
and that I may fill[am] their treasuries.[an]
22 The Lord created[ao] me as the beginning[ap] of his works,[aq]
before his deeds of long ago.
23 From eternity I have been fashioned,[ar]
from the beginning, from before the world existed.[as]
24 When there were no deep oceans[at] I was born,[au]
when there were no springs overflowing[av] with water;
25 before the mountains were set in place—
before the hills—I was born,[aw]
26 before he made the earth and its fields,[ax]
or the top soil[ay] of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he marked out the horizon[az] over the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above,
when he secured the fountains of the deep,[ba]
29 when he gave the sea his decree[bb]
that the waters should not pass over his command,[bc]
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 then I was[bd] beside him as a master craftsman,[be]
and I was his delight[bf] day by day,
rejoicing before him at all times,
31 rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth,[bg]
and delighting[bh] in its people.[bi]
32 “So now, children,[bj] listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to my instruction[bk] so that you may be wise,[bl]
and do not neglect it.
34 Blessed is the one[bm] who listens to me,
watching[bn] at my doors day by day,
waiting[bo] beside my doorway.[bp]
35 For the one who finds me has found[bq] life
and received[br] favor from the Lord.
36 But the one who misses me[bs] brings harm[bt] to himself;[bu]
all who hate[bv] me love death.”
Salutation
1 From Paul,[a] an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus],[b] the faithful[c] in Christ Jesus. 2 Grace and peace to you[d] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blessed[e] is[f] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed[g] us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. 4 For[h] he chose us in Christ[i] before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless[j] before him[k] in love.[l] 5 He did this by predestining[m] us to adoption as his[n] legal heirs[o] through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure[p] of his will— 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace[q] that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.[r] 7 In him[s] we have redemption through his blood,[t] the forgiveness of our offenses,[u] according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. 9 He did this when he revealed[v] to us the mystery[w] of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth[x] in Christ,[y] 10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up[z] all things in Christ—the things in heaven[aa] and the things on earth.[ab] 11 In Christ[ac] we too have been claimed as God’s own possession,[ad] since we were predestined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope[ae] on Christ,[af] would be to the praise of his glory. 13 And when[ag] you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ[ah]—you were marked with the seal[ai] of the promised Holy Spirit,[aj] 14 who is the down payment[ak] of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession,[al] to the praise of his glory.
Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation
15 For this reason,[am] because I[an] have heard[ao] of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love[ap] for all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember you[aq] in my prayers. 17 I pray that[ar] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,[as] will give you spiritual wisdom and revelation[at] in your growing knowledge of him,[au] 18 —since the eyes of your[av] heart have been enlightened[aw]—so that you can know what is the hope of his calling,[ax] what is the wealth of his glorious[ay] inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the incomparable[az] greatness of his power toward[ba] us who believe, as displayed in[bb] the exercise of his immense strength.[bc] 20 This power[bd] he exercised[be] in Christ when he raised him[bf] from the dead and seated him[bg] at his right hand in the heavenly realms[bh] 21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And God[bi] put[bj] all things under Christ’s[bk] feet,[bl] and gave him to the church as head over all things.[bm] 23 Now the church is[bn] his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.[bo]
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