M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 21
Laws Concerning Slaves. 1 “These are the decrees that you will set before them.
2 “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he will serve you for six years and in the seventh year he will go free, without paying anything.[a] 3 If he entered into slavery unmarried, he will go out alone. If he is married, then his wife will go with him. 4 If his master has given him a wife and she has had sons or daughters, the woman and her children will be the property of the master and he will go out alone.
5 “If the slave says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children, and I do not want to go free,’ 6 then the master will bring him before God. He will bring him to a door or a doorpost and will bore a hole in his ear with an awl. He will be his slave forever.
7 “When a man sells his daughter[b] as a slave, she will not go free as the male slaves do. 8 If she does not please her master who has taken her as a concubine, she will be allowed to be redeemed. But he cannot sell her to foreigners, for he has acted faithlessly to her. 9 If he wishes to give her as a concubine to his own son, he will treat her like a daughter. 10 If he takes another for himself, he will not withhold her food, her clothes, or her marriage rights. 11 If he does not give her these things, then she can go away without having to pay the price of her redemption.
12 Different Cases of the Penalty of Death.“Whoever strikes a man causing his death will be put to death. 13 However, if the man did not lie in wait, but he met him by chance, there will be a place where he can flee for refuge.
14 “But when a person kills a neighbor with premeditation, he shall be dragged away from my altar to be put to death.
15 “Whoever strikes a mother or a father will be put to death.
16 “Whoever kidnaps a man and either sells him or has him still in his possession, shall be put to death.
17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
18 Punishments for Personal Injury.[c]“When people are fighting and one of them injures the other with a stone or with a fist, and this does not kill the other but causes a serious injury, 19 and yet the injured party is able to walk around with a staff, then the one who struck the blow shall be held to be innocent. He must, however, pay the victim for the time he lost on account of the injury and he must pay for his medical care.
20 “When a man strikes his male or female slave with a staff and kills that slave, he shall surely be punished. 21 But if the slave lives for a day or two, the slave-owner shall not be punished, for the slave is his property.
22 “When some men fight and injure a pregnant woman so that she loses her child, but there is no other damage, they will be fined as much as the husband of the woman decides. They will pay in the presence of a judge. 23 But if further harm results, they will pay a life for a life, 24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burning for a burning, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.
26 “When a man strikes the eye of his male slave or his female slave and blinds the slave, he will free the slave because of the eye. 27 If he breaks a tooth of his male slave or his female slave, he will free the slave to compensate for the tooth.
28 Animals: Injuries and Thefts.“If an ox gores a man or a woman and that person dies, the ox is to be stoned and its meat is not to be eaten, but the owner of the ox will be considered to be innocent. 29 However, if the ox had already gored someone before and the owner had been warned, yet failed to keep it penned up, and if the ox gores another man or a woman and that person dies, then the ox is to be stoned and the owner is to be put to death.
30 “If, however, a fine is imposed, he can pay it to redeem his life, as much as has been required. 31 This will also be the procedure if a son or a daughter is gored.
32 “If an ox gores a male or female slave, the master of the slave will be paid thirty shekels of silver, and the ox is to be stoned.
33 “If someone leaves a cistern uncovered or digs a cistern and does not cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the cistern must make restitution and pay the owner of the animal. The dead animal will be his.
35 “If someone’s ox gores another person’s ox and that ox dies, then they will sell the live ox and divide its price between them, and they will also divide the dead ox. 36 But if it is known that the ox had already gored others and its owner had not confined it, then he must pay ox for ox, and the dead animal will be his.
37 “If a man steals an ox or a sheep and then kills it or sells it, he shall pay back five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
The Resurrection
Chapter 24
Jesus Rises from the Dead.[a] 1 At daybreak on the first day of the week, the women came to the tomb with the spices they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went inside, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they stood there wondering about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes appeared at their side. 5 They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look among the dead for one who is alive? 6 He is not here. He has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee: 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified and rise again on the third day.” 8 Then they recalled his words.
9 When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 However, this story of theirs seemed to be nonsense, and the apostles did not believe them. 12 Nonetheless, Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he looked inside and saw only the linen cloths. Then he returned home, wondering what had occurred.
13 Jesus Appears to Two Disciples at Emmaus.[b] Now that same day two of them were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had occurred. 15 While they were conversing and discussing these events, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them, 16 but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing with each other as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces filled with sadness. 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who is not aware of all the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 When he asked, “What things?” they replied, “The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and had him crucified.
21 “We had been hoping that he would be the one who would redeem Israel. And what is more, this is the third day since all of this took place. 22 Some women from our group have now given us astounding news. They went to the tomb early this morning, 23 but they failed to find his body. When they returned, they told us that they had seen a vision of angels who reported that he was alive. 24 Some of our companions went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”
25 Then he said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the Prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 Then, beginning with Moses and going through all the Prophets, he interpreted for them all the passages from the Scriptures that pertained to him.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, he acted as though he would be going further. 29 However, they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” And so he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They set out immediately and returned to Jerusalem, where they found gathered together the Eleven and their companions 34 who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised, and he has appeared to Simon!”[c] 35 Then the two described what had happened on their journey and how he had made himself known to them in the breaking of the bread.
36 Jesus Appears to the Disciples in Jerusalem.[d] While they were still conversing about this, Jesus himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 Startled and terrified, they thought that they were seeing a ghost.
38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why are doubts arising in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. Touch me and see. For a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
41 In spite of their joy and amazement, they were still incredulous. So he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 Then he said to them, “This is what I meant when I told you while I was still with you: Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Thereupon, he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
46 And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that in his name repentance and forgiveness of sins are to be proclaimed to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses to all these things.
49 “And behold, I am sending upon you the gift promised by my Father. Therefore, stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
50 Jesus Ascends to Heaven.[e] Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he departed from them and was taken up to heaven. 52 They worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy, 53 and they were continually in the temple praising God.
Chapter 39
The Mountain Goat and the Deer
1 “Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?
Have you ever observed deer in labor?
2 Can you accurately number the months that they carry their young
or know the time of their delivery
3 when they crouch down to give birth
and deliver their offspring?
4 Once their fawns grow strong and become independent,
they go forth on their own and do not return.
The Wild Donkey and the Wild Ox
5 “Who has given the wild donkey its freedom?
Who has untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wastelands as its home
and the salt flats for its dwelling.
7 It scorns the noise of the city;
it is not forced to obey a driver’s shouted order.
8 The mountains are the pasture over which it ranges
in search of any green foliage.
9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it stay by your manger during the night?
10 Can you use ropes to harness its strength?
Will it harrow the furrows after you?
11 Can you depend upon its massive strength
to do your heavy work?
12 Can you rely upon it to return home
and bring your grain to your threshing floor?
The Ostrich and the Horse[a]
13 “The wings of an ostrich are ineffectual,
since its pinions and its plumage are scanty.
14 It leaves its eggs on the ground
and depends on the earth to warm them,
15 forgetting that a foot may crush them
or that a wild animal may trample upon them.
16 It cruelly disowns its young
as if they were not its own,
unconcerned if its labor has been wasted.
17 For God has denied it wisdom
and deprived it of understanding.
18 Yet with its swiftness of foot
it leaves both horse and rider in the dust.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength?
Have you clothed its neck with a mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust,
striking terror with its proud snorting?
21 It paws the plain jubilantly and prances
as it charges the battle line with all its strength.
22 It laughs at fear and is frightened of nothing;
it does not shy away when confronted with the sword.
23 “The quiver rattles at its side;
the spear and the javelin flash.
24 Trembling with eagerness it eats up the ground,
and when the trumpet sounds, there is no holding it back.
25 At each blast of the trumpet it cries ‘Aha!’
From afar it scents the battle,
the shouts of the commanders, and the war cries.
The Hawk and the Eagle
26 “Did your wisdom enable the hawk to soar
as it spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle soar aloft at your command
to build its nest on the lofty heights?
28 It dwells on the cliff in security,
spending its nights on a rocky crag.
29 From there it watches for its prey;
its eyes are able to behold it from afar.
30 Its young ones hungrily drink the blood;
wherever the slain are, it is there.”
Chapter 9
Let the Offering Be Ready. 1 In regard to the ministry toward the saints, there really is no necessity for me to write to you. 2 For I am fully aware of your eagerness to help, which has been the subject of my boasting about you to the Macedonians, telling them that Achaia has been ready since last year. Your ardor has excited most of them.
3 Nevertheless, I am sending the brethren to ensure that our boasts about you may not seem to have been offered in vain. I want you to be as prepared as I said you would be. 4 For if I bring some Macedonians with me and they come to the realization that you are not prepared, it would be a source of shame to us—to say nothing of you—because of our confidence in you. 5 Therefore, I thought it necessary to encourage the brethren to go on to you ahead of us and arrange in advance for the gift that you have promised, so that it may be ready as a genuine gift and not as something that has been granted grudgingly.
God Loves a Cheerful Giver. 6 Remember this: if you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly, and if you sow generously, you will reap generously as well. 7 Each person should give as much as he has decided in his heart, not with reluctance or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to enrich you with an abundance of every grace, so that, with all of your needs provided for, you may be able to produce a surplus of good works. 9 As it is written,
“He scatters abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness lasts forever.”
10 Generosity Will Prompt Thanksgiving. The one who provides seed for sowing and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 Enriched in every way, you will be able to practice all your acts of generosity, which, through our intervention, will result in thanksgiving to God.
12 The administering of this public service not only helps to satisfy the needs of the saints but also overflows in countless acts of thanksgiving to God. 13 Through the evidence of such service, you are giving glory to God for your obedient profession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others as well. 14 At the same time, their hearts will go out to you in their prayers for you, because of the surpassing grace that God has bestowed upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.[a]
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