M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 26
Isaac Inherits the Blessing.[a] 1 A second famine came upon the land (after the first famine in the days of Abraham). Isaac traveled to Gerar to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines. 2 The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down into Egypt; live in the land to which I will direct you. 3 Remain in that land for a while and I will be with you and bless you. I will give all these lands to you and your descendants and fulfill the promise I made to Abraham your father. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of the heavens and I will give them all these lands. All the nations on the earth will be blessed through your descendants, 5 for Abraham listened to my voice and observed that which I ordered: my commandments, my ordinances and my laws.” 6 Isaac thus dwelt in Gerar.
7 The men of that place asked him about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” thinking that the men of that place would kill him because Rebekah was very beautiful.
8 He had been there for quite some time when Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, came to the window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 Abimelech called to Isaac and said, “Surely, she is your wife. Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”
Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might be killed on her account!”
10 Abimelech continued, “What have you done to us? It would have been easy for one of the people to lie with your wife and that would have brought sin upon us.”
11 Hence, Abimelech gave this order to all the people, “Whoever touches this man or his wife will be put to death!”
12 Isaac planted a crop in a land and that year he reaped a hundredfold. The Lord had thus blessed him. 13 He became important and continued to prosper until he was very rich. 14 He possessed great flocks and herds and slaves, and the Philistines began to become jealous of him.
15 The Dispute over Wells. The Philistines stopped up and filled in with dirt all the wells that the servants of his father had dug in the days of his father Abraham.
16 Abimelech said to Isaac, “Leave us, for you are much mightier than we are.”
17 Isaac went away from there, and camped in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there. 18 Isaac returned to dig wells that the servants of his father Abraham had dug and that the Philistines had stopped up after the death of Abraham. He gave them the same names as his father had given them.
19 The servants of Isaac dug in the valley and found a well of living waters. 20 But the shepherds of Gerar quarreled with the shepherds of Isaac saying, “The water is ours!” He therefore called the well Esek[b] because they had quarreled with him. 21 They dug another well, but they quarreled over this one as well, and he called it Sitnah.[c] 22 He thus moved away from there and dug another well over which they did not quarrel. He called it Rehoboth[d] and said, “Now the Lord has given us room so that we might prosper in the land.”
23 From there he went to Beer-sheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of Abraham, your father. Do not fear for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants on account of Abraham, my servant.”
25 He built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well.
26 The Covenant with Abimelech. Abimelech traveled from Gerar with Ahuzzath his friend and Phicol, the commander of his army, to see Isaac. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, for you hate me and have sent me away from your midst?”
28 They answered him, “We have seen that the Lord is with you and we have said, ‘Let there be an oath between us, between you and us. Let us make a covenant with you 29 that you will not do anything against us, as we have not molested you but were always good to you and let you go away in peace.’ You are now a man blessed by the Lord.”
30 He prepared a meal for them and they ate and drank. 31 Rising early in the morning, they swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac bade them farewell, and they went away in peace.
32 That very day the servants of Isaac arrived and informed him about the well that they had dug saying, “We have found water.” 33 He called the well Shibah.[e] This is the city called Beer-sheba today.
34 Esau’s Hittite Wives.[f] When Esau was forty years old he married Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of bitterness to Isaac and Rebekah.
Chapter 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins.[a] 1 “Then[b] the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 When the foolish ones took their lamps, they neglected to take any oil with them, 4 whereas those who were wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 Since the bridegroom was delayed in coming, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
6 “At midnight, a shout was raised: ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ 7 Then all the virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 The wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for both us and you. You had better go to the merchants and buy some.’
10 “While they went off to purchase it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was locked. 11 Afterward, the other virgins returned, and they cried out, ‘Lord! Lord! Open the door for us!’ 12 But he replied,‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
14 The Parable of the Talents.[c]“Again, the kingdom of heaven will be like a man going on a journey who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents,[d] to another two talents, to a third one talent—to each according to his ability. Then he set forth on his journey.
16 “The servant who had received the five talents promptly went to invest them and gained five more. 17 In the same manner, the servant who had received the two talents gained two more. 18 But the servant who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
19 “After a long period of time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing an additional five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you gave me five talents. Behold, I have gained five more.’ 21 His master said to him,‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you have been faithful in small matters, I will give you much greater responsibilities. Come and share your master’s joy.’
22 “Next, the one who had received the two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. Behold, I have gained two more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Since you have been faithful in small matters, I will give you much greater responsibilities. Come and share your master’s joy.’
24 “Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed. 25 Therefore, out of fear I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Behold, I give it back to you.’
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant. So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered! 27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have gotten back my money with interest.
28 “ ‘Therefore, take the talent from him and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he does have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless servant, cast him outside into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
31 The Solemn Judgment at the End of Time.[e]“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was ill and you took care of me; I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will say to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me; I was naked and you did not give me any clothing; I was ill and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 “Then they will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to you?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you failed to do for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you failed to do for me.’ 46 And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.”
Chapter 2
Esther Is Made Queen. 1 After a time, the anger of King Ahasuerus abated, and he began to think of what Vashti had done and what he had decreed about her. 2 At this point, the king’s personal attendants suggested, “Let a search be made to find beautiful young virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his kingdom to bring all those beautiful young virgins into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed in the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch who is in charge of the women, and let them receive beauty treatments. 4 Then let the girl who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This advice pleased the king, and he acted upon it.
5 Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai, son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish. 6 He had been carted off into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jeconiah, king of Judah. 7 Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah,[a] whom he had brought up because she had lost her father and mother. She was also known as Esther and was a beautiful young woman. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter after her father and mother had died.
8 When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa and placed in the care of Hegai. Esther, too, was brought to the royal palace in the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the harem. 9 She pleased him and won his favor. So Hegai lost no time in furnishing her with cosmetics and provisions and in assigning her seven maids from the king’s palace while transferring her and the maids into the best place in the harem.
10 Now on the counsel of Mordecai, Esther did not mention her nationality or family to anyone. 11 And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem, seeking to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12 Before each girl’s turn came when she could visit King Ahasuerus, she must have completed twelve months of prescribed beauty treatments: six months with oil of myrrh and another six with perfume and cosmetics. 13 When the girl went to visit the king, she received whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the king’s royal palace. 14 She would go there in the evening and in the morning would come back to another part of the harem, which was in the care of Shaazgaz, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not visit the king again unless he summoned her by name.
15 As for Esther, daughter of Abihail and adopted daughter of Mordecai, when it came time for her turn to visit the king, she asked nothing more than what the royal eunuch Hegai, who was in charge of the harem, suggested. Nevertheless, she won the admiration of all who saw her. 16 So, in the seventh year of his reign, in the tenth month, Tebeth,[b] Esther was brought to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace.
17 The king loved Esther more than any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great banquet for all his nobles and administrators to honor Esther. He proclaimed a holiday[c] throughout the provinces and gave gifts with royal liberality.
19 [Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy.[d] To resume: When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, 20 and Esther had still not revealed her family or nationality just as Mordecai had instructed her. For she was still following his advice as she had done when he was bringing her up.
21 During the time Mordecai spent at the king’s gate,[e] Bagathan and Thares, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, became angry and plotted to kill King Ahasuerus. 22 However, Mordecai became aware of the plot and told Queen Esther about it, and she informed the king for Mordecai. 23 When the matter was investigated and proved to be true, both men were hanged on a gibbet. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the king’s presence.]
Chapter 25
Paul’s Third Trial—before Festus.[a] 1 Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews informed him about Paul. They urged him 3 as a favor to send for Paul to bring him to Jerusalem. They were going to kill him in an ambush along the way.
4 Festus replied that Paul was in custody in Caesarea, and that he himself would be returning there shortly. 5 He said, “Let your authorities come down with me, and if this man has done something improper, they can bring a charge against him.”
6 After staying with them for eight to ten days, Festus went down to Caesarea. On the next day, he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be summoned. 7 When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him, and they leveled many serious charges against him that they were unable to prove.
8 Paul said in his defense, “I have committed no offense against the Jewish Law, or against the temple, or against the Emperor.” 9 Festus, anxious to ingratiate himself with the Jews, asked Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial there before me on these charges?”
10 Paul replied, “I am standing before the tribunal of Caesar, and this is where I should be tried. I have committed no crime against the Jews, as you yourself well know. 11 If I am guilty of any capital crime, I do not ask to be spared death. However, if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to turn me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”[b] 12 Then, after Festus had conferred with his advisors, he said, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go.”
13 Paul’s Fourth Trial—before Agrippa.[c] Some days later, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they spent several days there, Festus raised the subject of Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left in custody by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and requested his condemnation. 16 I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before he had met his accusers face to face and had had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges.
17 “Therefore, when they had come here, I wasted no time; the very next day, I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be summoned. 18 When the accusers rose, they did not charge him with any of the crimes that I was expecting. 19 Instead, they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about someone named Jesus, a dead man who Paul asserted was alive.
20 “Since I did not feel qualified to deal with such questions, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial on these charges. 21 But Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, and I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man for myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
23 On the next day, Agrippa and Bernice arrived with great pomp and entered the audience hall, accompanied by officers of high rank and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered Paul to be brought in. 24 Then he said, “King Agrippa and all of you here present with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly that he should not be allowed to live any longer.
25 “I have found nothing deserving of death, but when he made his appeal to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 However, I have nothing definite about him to put in writing for our sovereign. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination I may have something to write. 27 For it seems senseless to me to send on a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”
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