M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Burning Bush[a]
Chapter 3
The Call of Moses.[b] 1 Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the animals across the desert and came to Horeb,[c] the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord[d] appeared to him in the flames of a fire burning in the midst of a bush. He observed it and, behold, the bush glowed with fire but was not consumed. 3 Moses said, “I wish to draw near to observe this wondrous thing and see why this bush does not burn up.”
4 The Lord saw that he was approaching to see God and he called out from the bush, “Moses, Moses.” He answered, “Here I am.” 5 He continued, “Do not approach. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said, “I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses covered his face because he was afraid to look at God.[e]
7 The Lord said, “I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know about their sufferings. 8 I have come down to free them out of the hands of the Egyptians and to lead them from that land to a land that is beautiful and spacious, to a land flowing with milk and honey,[f] the place where the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites are found. 9 The cry of the Israelites has come up to me and I myself have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians torment them. 10 Now go! I send you to Pharaoh. Lead my people, the Israelites, from Egypt.”
11 Moses said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He answered, “I am with you. Behold, this is proof that I have sent you, when you will lead the people from Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain.”
13 God Reveals His Name.[g] Moses said to God, “If I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ but they say to me, ‘What is his name,’ what should I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”[h] Then he said, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘I am sent me to you.’ ” 15 God also said to Moses, “You will say to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, sent me to you.’ This is my name forever. This is the title with which I will be remembered from one generation to the next.”
16 Moses Is Invested with His Mission.[i]“Go, gather the elders of Israel and tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, has appeared to me,[j] the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, saying, “I have seen you and what is done to you in Egypt. 17 I have said, ‘I will make them go out from the humiliation of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.’ ” ’
18 “They will listen to your voice. You and the elders of Israel will go to the king of Egypt and tell him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has appeared to us. Let us make a three days’ journey into the desert to make a sacrifice to the Lord, our God.’ 19 I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to leave unless he is forced. 20 I will therefore stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all kinds of wonders that I will work in their midst. Afterward, they will let you go.
21 “I will make this people find favor in the sight of the Egyptians. When you leave, you will not leave empty-handed. 22 Every woman will ask her neighbor and those living in her house for silver and gold and clothing, and you will put them on your sons and daughters. You will plunder the Egyptians.”
Chapter 6
Picking Grain on the Sabbath.[a] 1 On one Sabbath, when Jesus was going through a field of grain, his disciples picked some heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. 2 Some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is forbidden on the Sabbath?”
3 Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God and took and ate the sacred bread that only the priests were permitted to eat, and he shared it with his companions.” 5 Then he said to them, “The Son of Man,[b] is lord of the Sabbath.”
A Man with a Withered Hand. 6 On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach. A man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they would have a charge to bring against him.
8 But Jesus was fully aware of their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come here and stand before us.” The man got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I put this question to you: Is it lawful to do good or to do evil on the Sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 After looking around at all of them, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed among themselves what they might do with Jesus.
12 Jesus Chooses the Twelve Apostles.[c] It was in those days that he went onto the mountain to pray, and he spent the entire night in prayer to God. 13 Then, when it was daylight, he summoned his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he designated as apostles: 14 Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
17 The Crowds Seek Out Jesus.[d] He then came down with them and stood on a spot of level ground, where there was a large crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all sections of Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come there to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. Those who were afflicted by unclean spirits were cured. 19 And everyone in the crowd was trying to touch him, because power came forth from him and healed them all.
The Sermon on the Plain[e]
20 The Beatitudes.[f] Then, turning to his disciples, he began to speak:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
for the kingdom of God is yours.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will have your fill.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and ostracize you, when they insult you and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and dance for joy, for your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the Prophets.
24 “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 Woe to you when all speak well of you,
for their ancestors treated the false prophets in the same fashion.
27 Love of Enemies.[g]“But to those of you who are listening to me, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If anyone strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other cheek as well, and should someone take your cloak, let him have your tunic as well. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not demand the return of what is yours from the one who has taken it.
31 “Deal with others as you would like them to deal with you. 32 If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do as much. 34 And if you lend only to those from whom you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.
35 “Rather, you must love your enemies and do good to them, and lend without expecting any repayment. In this way, you will receive a great reward. You will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
37 Relations with Others.[h]“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. The measure that you use for others will be used to measure you.”
39 Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind. He also told them a parable: “Can one blind man guide another who is also blind? Will not both of them fall into a pit? 40 No student is greater than his teacher, but a fully trained student will be like his teacher.
41 “Why do you take note of the splinter in your brother’s eye but do not notice the wooden plank in your own eye? 42 How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the splinter that is in your eye,’ while all the time you do not notice the wooden plank that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the wooden plank from your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly enough to remove the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.
43 A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit.[i]“No healthy tree can bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotting tree bear healthy fruit. 44 Every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thornbushes or grapes from brambles. 45 A good man produces good from the store of goodness in his heart, whereas an evil man produces evil from the store of evil within him. For the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart.
46 Parable of the Two Foundations.“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ but fail to do what I tell you? 47 I will show you what everyone is like who comes to me and hears my words and acts in accordance with them. 48 He is like a man who in building a house dug deeply and laid its foundations on rock. When the flood rose, it burst against that house but could not shake it because it had been solidly constructed. 49 In contrast, the one who hears and does not act in accordance with my words is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. As soon as the river burst against it, the house collapsed and was completely destroyed.”
Zophar’s Second Speech[a]
Chapter 20
The Joy of a Sinner Lasts Only for a Moment.
1 Then Zophar the Naamathite replied:
2 “The words you have spoken have caused me great distress,
and as a result, I am forced to reply.
3 I have been outraged by your censure,
but now a spirit beyond my understanding
provides me with the answers to rebuke you.
4 “Surely you must know that since time began
and man was first placed on the earth,
5 the triumph of the wicked has always been short-lived,
and the joy of the sinner lasts only for a moment.
6 Even though in his pride he towers to the sky
and his head touches the clouds,
7 he is destined to perish forever like his own dung,[b]
and those who used to see him will ask:
‘Where is he?’
8 He will fade away like a dream and never be found again;
he will vanish like a vision of the night.
9 The eyes that saw him will see him no more,
and his dwelling will not behold him any longer.
He Wolfs Down Riches and Then Vomits Them Up
10 “His children will seek the favor of the poor,
and his hands will be forced to return his wealth.
11 The youthful vigor that once filled his body
will be stagnant with him in the earth.
12 “Though wickedness is sweet in his mouth
and he hides it under his tongue,
13 though he continues to keep it in his mouth
and is loath to let it go,
14 yet such food will turn sour in his stomach,
working inside him like the venom of asps.
15 He wolfs down riches and then vomits them up;
God forces him to disgorge them from his stomach.
16 “Such a person will suck the venom of asps;
the tongue of a viper will slay him.
17 He will see no streams of oil
or rivers flowing with honey and cream.[c]
18 He will be forced to restore his gains without enjoying them;
even though his wealth increased, he will derive no enjoyment.
19 For he has oppressed the poor and left them destitute,
seizing houses that he did not build.
20 “Since his avarice could never be satisfied,
no amount of hoarding will save him.
21 Since his greed was insatiable,
his prosperity will not endure.
22 When he possesses everything he desires,
his troubles will begin,
and the full force of misery will strike him down.
23 “God will unleash the fury of his wrath against him
and rain down upon him a hail of arrows.
24 If he escapes a weapon of iron,
a bow of bronze will pierce him through.
25 The tip of the arrow will protrude from his body
and the glittering point will emerge from his bladder;
terrors will descend upon him.
26 “Unrelieved darkness is what awaits him;
a fire[d] that does not need to be fanned will devour him,
and anything left in his tent will be consumed.
27 The heavens will lay bare his iniquity,
and the earth will rise up against him.
28 Flood waters will sweep away his house
like the torrents on the day of God’s wrath.
29 This is the lot that God reserves for the wicked,
the heritage assigned to him by God.”
Marriage and Celibacy among Christians[a]
Chapter 7
Christian Marriage.[b] 1 Now I will move on to the matters about which you wrote. Yes, it is a good thing for a man to refrain from touching a woman. 2 However, to avoid the temptation to immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 A husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise a wife should fulfill her conjugal obligations to her husband. 4 For a wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise, a husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by mutual consent for a specified time so as to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan may not tempt you by taking advantage of your lack of self-control. 6 I suggest this not as a command but by way of concession. 7 I wish that all of you would be as I myself am. However, each person has a particular gift from God, one having one kind and another a different kind.
8 To the unmarried and to widows, I say that it is a good thing for them to remain as they are, as I do. 9 However, if they are unable to exercise self-control, they should marry, for it is better to be married than to burn with passion.
10 To those who are married, I give this command, which is not mine but the Lord’s: a wife should not separate from her husband— 11 and if she does separate, she must either remain unmarried or become reconciled to her husband—and a husband should not divorce his wife.
12 Living at Peace with an Unbelieving Spouse.[c] To the rest, I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she is willing to remain with him, he should not divorce her. 13 And if any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he is willing to remain with her, she should not divorce him. 14 For the unbelieving husband is made holy through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy through her husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, whereas in fact they are holy.
15 However, if the unbelieving partner chooses to separate, let that person go. The brother or sister is no longer bound in this case. God has called you to live in peace. 16 As a wife, how can you be certain that you will save your husband? As a husband, how can you be certain that you will save your wife?
17 Living Where Christ Calls Us. Everyone should accept the role in life assigned to each one by the Lord, continuing as he was when the Lord called him. This is the rule that I give to all the Churches. 18 Was a man called after he had been circumcised? Then he must remain circumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should remain uncircumcised. 19 To be circumcised is of no importance, and to be uncircumcised is of no importance. What matters is keeping God’s commandments. 20 Everyone should remain as he was when he was called.
21 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let that concern you. But if you have an opportunity to gain your freedom, take it. 22 For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord, just as whoever was free when he was called is a slave of Christ. 23 You were purchased at a price. Do not become slaves of men. 24 Therefore, brethren, everyone should remain before God in the condition in which he was called.
25 Virginity—Total Consecration to Christ.[d] In regard to virgins, I have received no instructions from the Lord, but let me offer my own opinion as one who by the Lord’s mercy can be considered trustworthy. 26 I think that in this time of stress, a man should remain in his current state. 27 Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be free. Are you free of a wife? Then do not look for a wife. 28 However, if you do marry, you do not sin, nor does a virgin sin if she marries. But those who marry will experience hardships in this life,[e] and from these I would like to spare you.
29 What I am saying, brethren, is that our time is short. From now on, those who have wives should live as though they had none, 30 and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had nothing, 31 and those who make use of the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the world as we know it is passing away.
32 It is my wish that you be free of all anxieties. An unmarried man devotes himself to the Lord’s affairs and is concerned as to how he can please the Lord. 33 However, a man who is married devotes himself to worldly matters and is concerned about how he can please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. In the same way, an unmarried woman or a virgin is concerned about the affairs of the Lord and strives to be holy in both body and spirit, whereas the married woman is concerned about worldly matters and how she may please her husband.
35 I am speaking about this for your own good. I have no intention to impose any restraint upon you, but I wish you to be guided by a sense of propriety, to devote yourself to the Lord free from distraction.
36 Freedom To Marry.[f] If a man feels that he is behaving improperly toward his virgin because a critical moment has come[g] and it seems that something should be done, let him do what he wills. He does not sin if there is a marriage. 37 However, if he stands firm in his resolve and is under no obligation and, being free to carry out his will, decides in his heart to keep his virgin, he also does well. 38 Therefore, the man who gives her in marriage does well, and the one who does not give her in marriage does better.
39 A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But should the husband die, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, only let it be in the Lord. 40 However, in my opinion she is happier if she remains as she is, and I believe that I too have the Spirit of God.
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