M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 34
The New Tablets of the Law. 1 The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two stone tablets like the first ones. I will write on these tablets the words that were on the first tablets, the ones you broke. 2 Be ready in the morning. Tomorrow morning you must climb up Mount Sinai and remain on the summit of the mountain with me. 3 No one is to climb up with you. No one should be on the summit of the mountain nor anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and the herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”
4 Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first ones. He arose early in the morning and climbed up Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, with the two stone tablets in his hands.
The Lord Shows Himself to Moses.5 The Lord came down in a cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. 6 The Lord passed in front of him proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and fidelity, 7 who shows mercy to thousands. He forgives iniquity and transgression and sin, but will by no means forgive the iniquity of the fathers, visiting it upon their sons and their sons’ sons, to the third and fourth generation.”
8 Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped. 9 He said, “If I have found favor with you, my Lord, let the Lord walk in our midst. Yet, it is an obstinate people. Pardon our iniquity and sin and take us for your own inheritance.”
10 A New Book of the Law.[a] The Lord said, “Behold, I am going to establish a covenant with you. I will perform marvelous deeds before all your people, things that have never been done before anywhere on the earth or among any people. All the people in whose midst you dwell will see the work of the Lord, for it is a wondrous thing that I will do with you.
11 “Observe what I command you today. I will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 12 Take care not to make any covenants with the inhabitants of the land that you are about to enter, lest it become a snare to you. 13 You are to tear down their altars, smash their pillars, and cut down their sacred trees.[b] 14 You must not worship any other god, for the Lord is called Jealous, for he is a jealous God.
15 “Do not make a covenant with the people of that land lest, when they commit fornication for their gods and perform sacrifices to their gods, they invite you and you eat of their sacrifice.[c] 16 Do not take their daughters as wives for your sons lest, when their daughters commit fornication to their gods, they cause your sons to commit fornication with their gods as well.
17 “Do not make any molten gods for yourselves.
18 “Observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat unleavened bread at the appointed time in the month of Abib, for it was in the month of Abib that you came out of Egypt.
19 “Every creature that is the firstborn from its mother’s womb belongs to me: every firstborn bull, every firstborn cattle and sheep. 20 The firstborn of a donkey will be redeemed with a lamb. If you do not redeem it, you are to break its neck. All of your firstborn sons are to be redeemed.
“None is to appear before me empty-handed.
21 “For six days you may work, but on the seventh you must rest. Even during plowing season and the harvest, you must rest.
22 “You shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the firstfruits of the wheat harvest, and also the Harvest Feast at the year’s end.
23 “Three times a year all your men will appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel, 24 for I will cast out your enemies before you and enlarge your borders. Neither will any man desire your land, when you go up three times a year to appear before the Lord, your God. 25 You shall not sacrifice the blood of my sacrificial victim with leavened bread, neither shall you let the sacrificial victim of the Passover remain until the morning.
26 “You will bring the best of the firstfruits of the land to the house of the Lord, your God.
“You shall not cook a kid goat in its mother’s milk.”
27 The Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with them I have established a covenant with you and with Israel.”
28 Moses remained with the Lord for forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments, on the tablets.
29 The Radiant Face of Moses.[d] When Moses went down from Mount Sinai, he had the two tablets of Testimony in his hands, while he descended the mountain. He did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant, for he had been speaking with the Lord. 30 But when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses and that the skin of his face had become radiant, they were afraid to approach him. 31 Moses therefore called to them, to Aaron and all the heads of the community, and they went over to him. Moses spoke to them. 32 All the children of Israel then drew near after them, and he commanded them to do all that the Lord had told him on Mount Sinai. 33 When Moses was finished speaking to them, he put on a veil to cover his face. 34 Whenever Moses came before the Lord to speak with him, Moses took off the veil until he went outside. When he went outside, he told the children of Israel all that had been commanded them. 35 The children of Israel saw that the skin of his face had become radiant. Then he put the veil on over his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord again.
The Testament of the Lord[a]
Chapter 13
Jesus Washes the Feet of the Disciples.[b] 1 As the feast of Passover drew near, Jesus was aware that his hour had come to depart from this world and to go to the Father. He had loved his own who were in the world, and he loved them to the end.
2 The devil had already put it into the mind of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. During supper, 3 Jesus, fully aware that the Father had entrusted all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, 4 got up from the table, removed his outer garments, and took a towel that he tied around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel wrapped around his waist.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not understand now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you will have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
10 Jesus then said, “Anyone who has bathed has no need to wash further, except for his feet, for he is clean all over. You also are clean, although not every one of you is clean.” 11 He knew the one who was going to betray him. That is why he added the words, “Not every one of you is clean.”
12 After he had finished washing their feet and had once again put on his outer garments, he reclined at table and said to them,
“Do you understand
what I have done for you?
13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’
and rightly so,
for that is what I am.
14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet,
you also should wash one another’s feet.
15 “I have given you an example.
What I have done for you,
you should also do.
16 Amen, amen, I say to you,
a servant is not greater than his master,
nor is a messenger greater
than the one who sent him.
17 “Now that you know these things,
you will be blessed
if you do them.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal[c]
18 “I am not speaking about all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
However, what the Scripture says
must be fulfilled,
‘The one who ate bread with me
has raised his heel against me.’
19 “I tell you this now,
before it occurs,
so that when it does occur,
you may believe that I am.[d]
20 Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever receives the one I send
receives me,
and whoever receives me
receives the one who sent me.”
21 After saying this, Jesus was deeply distressed, and he declared,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
one of you will betray me.”
22 The disciples looked at one another, puzzled as to which one of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. 24 Simon Peter signaled to him to ask Jesus which one he meant.
25 Therefore, leaning back toward Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread after I have dipped it into the dish.” And when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.
27 As soon as Judas had received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus then said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he had said this to him. 29 Some thought that since Judas was in charge of the money bag, Jesus was telling him to purchase what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had received the piece of bread, he immediately departed. It was night.
31 After Judas had departed, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified,
and God is glorified in him.
32 If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
A New Commandment[e]
33 “My children,
I will be with you
only a short time longer.
You will look for me,
and, as I told the Jews,
so I now say to you,
‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
34 “I give you a new commandment:
love one another.
Just as I have loved you,
so you should also love one another.
35 This is how everyone will know
that you are my disciples:
if you love one another.”
36 Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial.[f] Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered,
“Where I am going,
you cannot follow me now,
but you will follow me later on.”
37 Peter said, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.
The Proverbs of Solomon[a]
Chapter 10
The One Who Leads an Honest Life . . .[b]
1 The Proverbs of Solomon:
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son gives grief to his mother.
2 Treasures obtained by wicked means profit nothing,
but a righteous life brings delivery from death.
3 The Lord will not allow the righteous to go hungry,
but he foils the craving of the wicked.
4 Idle hands ensure poverty,
but the hands of the diligent bring riches.[c]
5 A son who gathers the crops during the summer is wise,
but a son who sleeps at harvest-time[d] is shameful.
6 Blessings are showered on the head of the righteous,
but sorrow will cover the face of the wicked.
7 The righteous is remembered with blessings,
but the name of the wicked fades away.
8 A wise man will heed commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to grief.
9 Anyone who leads an honorable life walks in safety,
but whoever pursues wicked ways will be found out.
10 Anyone who winks with the eye causes trouble,
but the one who rebukes promotes peace.
11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked is filled with violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but love overlooks all offenses.
13 Wisdom is found on the lips of one who has understanding,
but a rod is in store for the back of a fool.
14 Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool precipitates ruin.
15 The wealth of the rich man is his stronghold;
the poverty of the lowly is his undoing.[e]
16 The reward of the righteous leads to life;
the gains of the wicked lead to sin.[f]
17 Whoever heeds admonition is on the path to life,
but anyone who rejects correction goes astray.
18 Lying lips conceal hatred,
and anyone who slanders another is a fool.
19 Where many words are spoken, sin is not absent,
but whoever restrains his tongue is prudent.
20 The tongue of the just man is like pure silver;
the heart of the wicked is without worth.
21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
22 The blessing of the Lord is what brings wealth,
and our toil adds nothing to it.[g]
23 Doing wrong affords pleasure to the fool,
but wisdom is a delight to an intelligent man.
24 What the wicked man fears[h] catches up with him,
but what the righteous man desires is granted.
25 When the storm ends, the wicked man is no more,
but the righteous man stands firm forever.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard[i] to those he serves.
27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
28 The hope of the righteous brings them joy,
but the expectations of the wicked are frustrated.
29 The way of the Lord[j] is a stronghold for the upright,
but destruction for evildoers.
30 The righteous man will never be destroyed,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous dispenses wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous utter words of kindness,
but the mouth of the wicked knows only how to pervert.
Paul’s Commission To Preach the Mystery[a]
Chapter 3
The Mystery Made Known. 1 This is the reason why I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—[b] 2 For you surely must have heard of the mystery of God’s grace that was entrusted to me on your behalf, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by a revelation, as I have briefly written. 4 Reading this, you will be able to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
5 It was not disclosed to human beings in previous generations, but now it has been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6 namely that the Gentiles have become coheirs, members of the same body, and sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Mission to the Gentiles. 7 I became its minister by God’s grace bestowed on me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 9 and to enlighten all concerning the administration of the mystery that had been kept hidden throughout the ages in God, the creator of all things.
10 In this way, the wisdom of God in its infinite variety might be made known through the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavens. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have free access to God in boldness and confidence because of our faith in him. 13 Therefore, I beg you not to lose heart over my sufferings for you. Truly, they are your glory.
14 Prayer for a Deeper Faith. This is the reason why I kneel in prayer before the Father, 15 from whom every family[c] in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I ask that from the riches of his glory he may grant through his Spirit that you be strengthened with power in your inner being 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that, rooted and grounded in love, 18 you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints its breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and know Christ’s love even though it is beyond knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 To him who in all things is able
through the power
that is at work within us
to accomplish abundantly far more
than all we can ask or imagine,
21 to him be glory in the Church
and in Christ Jesus
through all generations,
forever and ever. Amen.
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