M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joseph Tests His Brothers
44 Then he commanded the one over his household saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they are able to carry and put money in the opening of each man’s sack. 2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest along with his grain money.” So he did as Joseph told him.
3 When the morning dawned, the men were sent off, they and their donkeys. 4 They left the city and did not get far, when Joseph said to the one over his household, “Get up, go after the men. When you catch up to them, say to them, “Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Isn’t this the one from which my lord drinks? He even uses it especially to discern by divination. What you’ve done is evil!” 6 So he caught up to them and spoke these words to them.
7 They said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing as this. 8 Look, the money we found in the opening of our bags, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. So how could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 Whoever among your servants is found with it, let him die! And we, we’ll also be my lord’s slaves.”
10 “Even now let it be according to your words,” he said. “The one with whom it is found shall be my slave. But the rest of you shall be innocent.”
11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground and each man opened his sack. 12 He searched them beginning with the eldest and finishing with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothing, and each one loaded up his donkey and they returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers entered Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. 15 “What’s this deed you’ve done?” Joseph said to them, “Didn’t you know that a man like me can discern by divination?”
16 Then Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we as well as the one in whose hand the cup was found.”
17 But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The one in whose hand the cup was found—he will be my slave. But you, go up to your father in peace.”
Parashat Vayigash
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18 Then Judah approached him and said, “I beg your pardon, my lord. Please let your servant say a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t be angry with your servant, since you are like Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants saying, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 So we said to my lord, ‘We have a father who is old, a child born to him of his old age is young. Now his brother is dead, so he is the only one of his mother’s children left, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can look at him.’ 22 But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave his father, he would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you won’t see my face again.’
24 “Now when we went up to your servant, my father, we told him my lord’s words. 25 Then our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little grain for food.’ 26 So we said, ‘We won’t go down unless we have our youngest brother with us—then we’ll go down. For we won’t see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You yourselves know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One went out from me, so I said, “He must have been torn to shreds,” and I haven’t seen him since. 29 And if you also take this one away from before me and an accident happens to him, then you’ll bring my grey hair down to the evil of Sheol.’
30 “Now if I come to your servant my father and the boy isn’t with us, since his life is bound to his life, 31 when he sees that the boy is no more, he’ll die. Then your servants will bring the grey hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in grief. 32 For your servant became pledge for the boy with my father saying, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before my father all my days.’ 33 So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave in the boy’s place, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34 For how can I go up to my father and the boy is not with me? Else I must see the evil that would come upon my father!”
Anointed for Burial
14 Now it was two days before Passover and the Feast of Matzah. The ruling kohanim and Torah scholars were searching for a way to grab Yeshua by stealth and kill Him. 2 “But not during the festival,” they were saying, “so there won’t be a riot among the people.”
3 And while Yeshua was in Bethany at the house of Simon ha-Metzora, reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive oil of pure nard. Breaking open the jar, she poured it over His head. 4 But some got angry and said among themselves, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor!” And they kept scolding her.
6 But Yeshua said, “Leave her alone. Why do you cause trouble for her? She’s done Me a mitzvah. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want; but you won’t always have Me. 8 She did what she could—she came beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 Amen, I tell you, wherever the Good News is proclaimed in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
10 Then Judah from Kriot, one of the Twelve, went out to the ruling kohanim to betray Yeshua to them. 11 They were delighted when they heard this and promised to give him money. And Judah began looking for a chance to hand Him over.
New Covenant at the Last Seder
12 Now on the first day of matzah, when they were slaughtering the Passover lamb, Yeshua’s disciples say to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”
13 He sends two of His disciples and tells them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, tell the homeowner, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 15 He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
16 The disciples went out, came to the city, and found just what Yeshua had told them. And they prepared the Passover. 17 When it was evening, He came with the Twelve. 18 As they were reclining and eating, Yeshua said, “Amen, I tell you, one of you who is eating with Me will betray Me.”
19 They began to be sorrowful and to say to Him one by one, “I’m not the one, am I?”
20 He said to them, “It’s one of the Twelve, one who dips with Me in the bowl. [a] 21 For the Son of Man indeed goes, just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born!”
22 And while they were eating, He took matzah;[b] and after He offered the bracha, He broke it and gave it to them and said, “Take; this is My body.” 23 And He took a cup; and after giving thanks, He gave to them and they all drank from it. 24 And He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. [c] 25 Amen, I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.”
Denial Predicted
26 After singing the Hallel,[d] they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Yeshua said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written,
‘I will strike the Shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’[e]
28 But after I’m raised up, I will go before you to the Galilee.”
29 Peter said to Him, “Even though all fall away, I won’t!”
30 And Yeshua said to him, “Amen, I tell you, today—this very night—before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.”
31 But Peter kept insisting exceedingly, “Even if I must die with You, I’ll never deny You!” And they all were saying the same.
A Night of Painful Prayer
32 Then they come to a place whose name is Gethsemane; and Yeshua says to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He takes with Him Peter, Jacob, and John; and He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 And He tells them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and began praying that if possible this hour might pass Him by. 36 And He was saying, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You! Take this cup from Me! Yet not what I will, but what You will.”
37 Then He comes and finds them sleeping; and He tells Peter, “Simon, you’re asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Keep watching and praying, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy. They didn’t know what to answer Him. 41 And He comes the third time and says to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is being delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up, let’s go! Look, My betrayer is near.”
Betrayed and Abandoned
43 Right away, while Yeshua was still speaking, Judah comes up, one of the Twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the ruling kohanim, Torah scholars, and elders. 44 Now His betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “The One I kiss, He’s the One! Seize Him and lead Him away under guard.”
45 As soon as Judah came, he drew near[f] to Yeshua and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46 Then they threw their hands on Yeshua and seized Him. 47 But one of the bystanders, drawing his sword, struck the servant of the kohen gadol and cut off his ear.
48 Yeshua said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, to capture Me as you would against a revolutionary? 49 Every day I was with you in the Temple teaching, and you didn’t seize Me. But this is so that the Scriptures[g] would be fulfilled.” 50 And all fled, abandoning Him. [h] 51 A certain young man was following Him, with nothing but a linen cloth around his body, and they grabbed him. 52 But he ran away naked, leaving behind the linen cloth.
Falsely Charged
53 Then they led Yeshua away to the kohen gadol. And all the ruling kohanim, elders, and Torah scholars gathered. 54 Peter had followed Him from a distance, right into the courtyard of the kohen gadol. He was sitting with the guards, warming himself by the fire.
55 Now the ruling kohanim and all the Sanhedrin kept trying to get evidence against Yeshua so they could put Him to death, but they weren’t finding any. 56 Many were giving false testimony against Him, but their testimony wasn’t consistent. 57 Some stood up and began to give false testimony against Him, saying, 58 “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this Temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.’” 59 Yet even then, their testimony didn’t agree.
60 The kohen gadol stood up in the middle and questioned Yeshua, saying, “Do You have no answer? What is this they’re testifying against You?”
61 But keeping silent, Yeshua did not answer. Again the kohen gadol questioned Him, “Are you Mashiach, Son of the Blessed One?”[i]
62 “I am,” said Yeshua, “and you shall see ‘the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Powerful One,’ and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’!”[j]
63 Tearing his clothes, the kohen gadol says, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You’ve heard the blasphemy. What seems right to you?”
Then all condemned Him as deserving death. 65 Some began to spit on Him, to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, saying, “Prophesy!” Also the guards slapped Him around.
The Rooster Crows
66 As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the kohen gadol comes by. 67 Seeing Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him. “You also were with Yeshua of Natzeret,” she says.
68 But he denied it, saying, “I don’t know or understand what you’re talking about!” Then he went outside to the gateway, and a rooster crowed.
69 Seeing him, the servant girl began again to tell the bystanders, “This is one of them.”
70 But again he denied it. And a little while later, the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you’re one of them, for you’re also a Galilean.”
71 But he began to curse himself and to swear an oath: “I do not know this Man you’re talking about!” 72 Right then, a rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter called to mind the word Yeshua had said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and began to weep.
Do Not Condemn Me!
10 “I loathe my own life;
I will give full vent to my complaint;
I will speak out of the bitterness of my soul.
2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me;
tell me why You contend with me.’
3 Is it good for You to oppress,
to despise the work of Your hands,
while You smile on the plans of the wicked?
4 Do You have eyes of flesh?
Do You see as a human being sees?
5 Are Your days like those of a mortal,
or Your years like those of a strong man,
6 that You should seek out my iniquity
and search out my sin,
7 though You know that I am not guilty,
yet there is no one to deliver from Your hand?
8 “Your hands molded and fashioned me,
will You now destroy me completely?
9 Remember You fashioned me like clay;
will You return me to dust?
10 Did You not pour me out like milk
and curdle me like cheese,
11 clothe me with skin and flesh
and knit me together with bones and sinews?
12 You gave me life and steadfast love,
and Your care has preserved my spirit.
13 “Yet these things You have hid in Your heart,
for I know that this is with You.
14 If I sinned, You would watch me,
and not acquit me of my iniquity.
15 If I am guilty, woe to me!
Even if I am innocent,
I cannot lift my head.
I am full of shame
and conscious of my affliction.
16 If my head is held high,
You hunt me like a lion,
and again work wonders against me.
17 You renew Your witnesses against me,
and increase Your anger toward me,
change and warfare are with me.
18 “Why then did You bring me out from the womb?
I should have died so no eye would have seen me.
19 If only I had never come into being,
or been carried from womb to grave.
20 Are not my days few?
Then stop, leave me alone
so I might have a little joy,
21 before I depart, and never return,
to the land of darkness
and the shadow of death,
22 the land of utter darkness,
like the deepest darkness and disorder,
where even the light is like darkness.”
Unity in Community
14 Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of disputes about opinions. 2 One person has faith to eat anything, but the weak eats only vegetables. 3 Don’t let the one who eats disparage the one who does not eat, and don’t let the one who does not eat judge the one who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge another’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 One person esteems one day over another while another judges every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The one who observes that day does so to the Lord. The one who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and the one who abstains, abstains to the Lord, and he gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for himself, and none dies for himself. 8 For if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this reason Messiah died and lived again, so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 But you, why do you judge your brother?[a] Or you too, why do you look down on your brother? For we all will stand before the judgment seat of God. [b] 11 For it is written,
“As I live, says Adonai,
every knee shall bow to Me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”[c]
12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not judge one another from now on, but rather decide this—not to put a stumbling block or a trap in the way of a brother. 14 I know, and am persuaded in the Lord Yeshua, that nothing is unholy in itself; but it is unholy for the one who considers it unholy. [d] 15 For if your brother is grieved on account of food, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy by your food the one for whom Messiah died. 16 Therefore do not let what is good for you be spoken of as evil— 17 for the kingdom of God is not about eating and drinking, but righteousness and shalom and joy in the Ruach ha-Kodesh. 18 For the one who serves Messiah in this manner is pleasing to God and approved by men.
19 So then let us pursue what makes for shalom and for the building up of one another. [e] 20 Stop tearing down the work of God for the sake of food. Indeed all things are clean, but wrong for the man who by eating causes stumbling. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith you have, keep it to yourself before God. How fortunate is the one who does not condemn himself for what he approves. 23 But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because it is not of faith. And whatever is not of faith is sin.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.