M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 41
Messenger of Salvation.[a] 1 Two years later, Pharaoh had a dream in which he was alongside the Nile. 2 Seven cows came out of the Nile, beautiful and fat, and they began to graze in the reed grass. 3 Then seven other cows came up out of the Nile after them. They were ugly and thin, and they stopped alongside the first cows on the shore of the Nile. 4 The ugly and thin cows devoured the seven beautiful and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 He fell back asleep and had a second dream. There were seven heads of grain on one stalk, fat and healthy. 6 But seven empty heads, shriveled by the east wind, sprouted up after them. 7 The seven empty heads swallowed the seven fat and healthy heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream.
8 In the morning, he was very troubled and he summoned all the magicians and wise men in Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dream, but no one knew how to interpret it for him.
9 The cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, “Today I remember that I have done something wrong. 10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants and had sent me and the chief baker into prison in the care of the captain of the guard. 11 We both had dreams the same night, but each of us had his own dream with its own meaning. 12 There was a young Hebrew there with us, a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them, giving each of us an explanation for his dream. 13 Just what he predicted came true: I was restored to my office, and the other man was impaled.”
14 Pharaoh therefore summoned Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the dungeon. He shaved and changed his clothes and was brought to Pharaoh. 15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream and no one can interpret it. Now I have heard it said that you can hear a dream and immediately interpret it.”
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “Not I, but God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”
17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was on the Nile riverbank. 18 Seven fat and beautiful cows came out of the Nile and they began to graze on the reed grass. 19 Then seven other cows came out after them. They were poor and sickly and thin, I had never seen any as ugly in all of Egypt. 20 The thin and ugly cows devoured the seven fat cows.[b] 21 Even after they had eaten them, you still could not see that they had eaten anything. They were still as ugly as they had been before. Then I woke up.
22 “I then had a dream in which seven heads of grain sprouted on a single stalk. They were fat and good. 23 But seven dry heads, empty and shriveled by the east wind, sprouted after them. 24 The empty heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.”
25 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “Pharaoh’s dreams are actually one dream. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven beautiful cows are seven years, and the seven beautiful heads of grain are seven years. It is a single dream. 27 The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years and the seven empty heads, withered by the east wind, are seven years. There will be seven years of famine.
28 “It is just as I have told Pharaoh. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will soon be seven years of great abundance in the land of Egypt. 30 Then the seven years after these will be seven years of famine. The years of abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and famine will ravage the land. 31 It will be forgotten that there was abundance in the land, for the famine that will follow will be very severe. 32 As for the fact that the dream was repeated twice, this means that God has decided the matter and God is hastening to fulfill it.
33 “Pharaoh should seek and find an intelligent and wise man and place him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should also appoint overseers in the land to collect a fifth of the produce of the land during the years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food in these good years that are about to take place. They will gather the grain under the authority of Pharaoh and place it in granaries in the cities. 36 This food will serve as a reserve in the land for the seven years of famine that will come upon the land of Egypt. Thus, the land will not be devastated during the famine.”
37 Joseph Is Made Viceroy of Egypt.[c] Pharaoh and all his ministers were pleased with this. 38 Pharaoh said to his ministers, “Could we find another man like this, in whom one finds the Spirit of God?”
39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed all this to you, there is surely no one as intelligent or as wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my house. You shall have authority over all my people. Only the throne shall outrank you.”
41 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have made you ruler of the entire land of Egypt.” 42 [d]Pharaoh took the ring off his finger and placed it on the finger of Joseph. He dressed him in clothes made of the finest linen and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in the chariot of his vizier, and before him they cried, “Make way!” He made him ruler of the entire land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no one can raise a hand or a foot in the entire land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-peneah. He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, a priest of On,[e] as his wife. Joseph went throughout the entire land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years old when he was brought before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph left the presence of Pharaoh and traveled throughout the entire land of Egypt. 47 During the seven years of abundance the land was very fertile. 48 He collected all the food of these seven years when there was abundance in the land of Egypt. He placed the food in the cities, that is, in every city he deposited the food of the surrounding countryside. 49 Joseph gathered as much grain as the sand of the sea, enormous quantities. There was so much that it could no longer be measured, for it was beyond measure.
50 The Great Famine.[f] Joseph had two sons in the years that preceded the famine. They were born to Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. 51 Joseph called the firstborn Manasseh for, he said, “God has made me forget all my difficulties and my father’s entire family.” 52 He named the second son Ephraim for, he said, “God has made me prosper in the land of my affliction.”
53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt ended, 54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine over the whole earth, but there was food in Egypt.
55 Then the whole land of Egypt began to feel the hunger, and the people cried out to Pharaoh to have food. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you.”
56 The famine spread throughout the entire land. So Joseph opened up the storehouses in which he had placed the grain, and he sold it to the Egyptians. The famine kept getting worse in Egypt. 57 People came to Egypt from every country to buy grain from Joseph, for the famine was severe over the whole earth.
Jesus at Jerusalem—The Break with Judaism[a]
Chapter 11
The Entry into Jerusalem.[b] 1 When they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent off two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village directly ahead of you, and as soon as you enter it you will find tied there a colt on which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say: ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back immediately.’ ”
4 The two went off and found a colt tied beside a door outside on the street. As they were untying it, 5 some of them said to them, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” 6 They answered as Jesus had instructed them, and they allowed them to take it. 7 Then they brought the colt to Jesus and spread their cloaks on its back. And he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed kept crying out:
“Hosanna![c]
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David.
Hosanna in the highest heavens!”
11 He entered Jerusalem and went into the temple, where he looked around at everything. Then, since the hour was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
12 Jesus Curses a Sterile Fig Tree.[d] On the next day, as they were leaving Bethany, he felt hungry. 13 Noticing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find any fruit on it. When he reached it, he found nothing except leaves, since it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to it, “May no one ever again eat fruit from your branches.” And his disciples heard him say this.
15 Jesus Cleanses the Temple.[e] Then they came to Jerusalem. He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were engaged there in buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 16 Nor would he allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 Then he taught them, saying: “Is it not written:[f]
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
But you have made it a den of thieves.”
18 When the chief priests and the scribes heard about this, they plotted to do away with him. For they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 19 And when evening came, they left the city.
20 The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree.[g] Early the next morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 Then Peter, recalling what had happened, said to Jesus: “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered away.”
22 Jesus said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be accomplished for him. 24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
25 “And whenever you stand in prayer, forgive whatever grievance you have against anybody, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your wrongs too. [ 26 But if you do not forgive others, then your Father in heaven will not forgive you your transgressions.]”[h]
27 The Authority of Jesus Questioned.[i] They returned once again to Jerusalem. As Jesus was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him 28 and asked, “By what authority are you doing these things? Or who gave you the authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Give me an answer, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Did John’s baptism originate from heaven or from men? Tell me!”
31 They argued among themselves, “If we say: ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But how can we say, ‘From men’?”—for they were afraid of the people, who all regarded John as a true prophet.
33 Therefore, they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Then neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Chapter 7
A Life of Exhausting Service[a]
1 “Is not man’s life on earth an exhausting one,
and are not his days like those of a hired laborer?
2 Like a slave who sighs for the evening shade
and like a laborer who is bent upon his wages,
3 so have I been forced to endure months of futility,
and nights of grief have been inflicted on me.
4 “When I lie in bed, I wonder,
‘When will the daylight come so that I may rise?’
But the night drags on,
and I toss restlessly until the dawn.
5 My body is infected with worms and scabs;
my skin is cracked and festering.
My Life Is But a Breath[b]
6 “My days pass more swiftly than a weaver’s shuttle,
and they come to an end without a glimmer of hope.
7 “Remember that my life is but a breath of wind;
my eyes will never again see happiness.
8 The eye that now sees me will see me no more;
I will vanish before your very eyes.
9 As a cloud vanishes and is no more,
so the one who descends to the netherworld[c] will never come up again.
10 He will never again return to his home,
nor will he be remembered anymore.
11 “Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth.
I will speak out in my anguish of spirit,
and I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
12 Am I a monster of the deep, or a sea serpent,
that you place me under guard?[d]
13 When I say, ‘I will find comfort in my bed,
and my couch will soothe my complaints,’
14 you then frighten me with dreams
and terrify me with visions,
15 so that I would prefer to be strangled
and to endure death rather than my sufferings.
16 My life is ebbing away; I cannot live forever.
Leave me alone, for my days are but a breath.
A Continual Testing[e]
17 “What is man, that you make so much of him
or pay him any mind?
18 You examine him every morning
and test him every moment of the day.
19 “Will you never take your eyes from me,
or let me alone long enough to swallow my saliva?
20 If I have sinned, what harm have I done to you,
O watcher of humanity?
Why have you designated me to be your target?
Why have I become a burden to you?[f]
21 Why do you not pardon my offenses
and forgive my iniquity?
For soon I will lie down in the dust;
you will search for me, but I will be no more.”
Chapter 11
The Remnant of Israel.[a] 1 I ask, then: Has God rejected his people? Of course not! I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. You surely must know what Scripture asserts in the passage about Elijah where he pleads with God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your Prophets, they have torn down your altars. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.”
4 What was God’s response to him? “I have spared for myself seven thousand men who have not knelt before Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time, there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, then it is no longer by works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What follows, then? Israel was unable to attain what it was seeking. The elect attained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of lethargy:
eyes that could not see
and ears that could not hear,
down to this very day.”
9 And David says:
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
and their backs be bent forever.”
11 A Providential Misstep.[b] And so I ask: Have they stumbled so that they might fall? By no means! However, through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, and this has stirred them to envy. 12 Now if their transgression results in riches for the world, and their loss results in riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full participation bring!
13 Now I am addressing you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I glory in my ministry 14 in the hope that it will arouse the jealousy of those who are of my flesh so that some might be saved. 15 For if their rejection leads to the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 The Gentiles’ Salvation.[c] If the firstfruits are holy, then so is the whole lump of dough. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in their place to share in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not boast over against the branches! If you start to boast, remember that it is not you who support the root but the root that supports you.
19 You will assert, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you hold your place only because of your faith. Therefore, do not rise up in pride but be filled with awe. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he might not spare you either.
22 Therefore, keep in mind the kindness and the severity of God: his severity toward those who fell, but his kindness to you provided that you remain deserving of that kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off, 23 while those who do not persist in their unbelief will be grafted in, since God has the power to do so again. 24 For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated one, how much more easily will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree.
25 All Israel Will Be Saved.[d] I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brethren, lest you think yourselves too wise: this hardening that has afflicted Israel will continue only until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 This is how all Israel will be saved, as it is written,
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion;
he will banish godlessness from Jacob
27 And this will be my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake. However, as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of the patriarchs. 29 For the gifts of God and his calling are irrevocable.
30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that, through the mercy shown to you, they too may receive mercy. 32 For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may show mercy to all.
33 The Judgments of God Are Unfathomable.[e] Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unfathomable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?[f]
35 Or who has given him anything
in order to receive something in return?”[g]
36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
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