The Bible Reading Plan

Genesis Chapter 41

¹⁷Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river; ¹⁸and behold, seven fat and sleek cattle came up out of the river. They fed in the marsh grass; ¹⁹and behold, seven poor, very ugly and thin cattle came up after them, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. ²⁰The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle; ²¹and when they had eaten them up, you couldn't tell that they had eaten them. They were still ugly, just as at the beginning. Then I woke up. ²²I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good; ²³and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. ²⁴The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."

²⁵Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh. ²⁶The seven good cattle are seven years. The seven good heads of grain are seven years. It is one dream. ²⁷The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind. They will be seven years of famine. ²⁸This is what I have told Pharaoh, God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. ²⁹Behold, seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt are coming. ³⁰Seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, ³¹and the plenty will not be known in the land because of that famine which follows; for it will be very severe. ³²The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it about.

³³Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. ³⁴Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the land, and take up a fifth of the land of Egypt's produce in the seven plenteous years. ³⁵Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and store grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. ³⁶The food will be to supply the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; so the land won't perish through the famine."

1 Samuel Chapter 20

¹David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? What is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?"

²He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."

³David swore moreover, and said, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes; and he says, 'Don't let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved:' but truly as Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death."

⁴Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever your soul desires, I will even do it for you."

⁵David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to dine with the king; but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field to the third day at evening. ⁶If your father miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city; for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' ⁷If he says, 'It is well;' your servant shall have peace: but if he be angry, then know that evil is determined by him. ⁸Therefore deal kindly with your servant; for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Yahweh with you: but if there be in me iniquity, kill me yourself; for why should you bring me to your father?"

⁹Jonathan said, "Far be it from you; for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come on you, then wouldn't I tell you that?"

¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance your father answers you roughly?"

¹¹Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." They both went out into the field. ¹²Jonathan said to David, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, [be witness]: when I have sounded my father about this time tomorrow, [or] the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send to you, and disclose it to you? ¹³Yahweh do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do you evil, if I don't disclose it to you, and send you away, that you may go in peace: and Yahweh be with you, as he has been with my father. ¹⁴You shall not only while yet I live show me the loving kindness of Yahweh, that I not die; ¹⁵but also you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever; no, not when Yahweh has cut off the enemies of David everyone from the surface of the earth." ¹⁶So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "Yahweh will require it at the hand of David's enemies."

¹⁷Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had for him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. ¹⁸Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon: and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. ¹⁹When you have stayed three days, you shall go down quickly, and come to the place where you hid yourself when the business was in hand, and shall remain by the stone Ezel. ²⁰I will shoot three arrows on its side, as though I shot at a mark. ²¹Behold, I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows!' If I tell the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;' then come; for there is peace to you and no hurt, as Yahweh lives. ²²But if I say this to the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you;' then go your way; for Yahweh has sent you away. ²³Concerning the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, Yahweh is between you and me forever."

2 Chronicles Chapter 17

¹Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place, and strengthened himself against Israel. ²He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah, and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim, which Asa his father had taken. ³Yahweh was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and didn't seek the Baals, ⁴but sought to the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the actions of Israel. ⁵Therefore Yahweh established the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat tribute; and he had riches and honor in abundance. ⁶His heart was lifted up in the ways of Yahweh: and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherah poles out of Judah.

⁷Also in the third year of his reign he sent his princes, even Ben Hail, and Obadiah, and Zechariah, and Nethanel, and Micaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah; ⁸and with them the Levites, even Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, the Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, the priests. ⁹They taught in Judah, having the book of the law of Yahweh with them; and they went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught among the people.

¹⁰The fear of Yahweh fell on all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, so that they made no war against Jehoshaphat. ¹¹Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents, and silver for tribute; the Arabians also brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred male goats. ¹²Jehoshaphat grew great exceedingly; and he built in Judah castles and cities of store. ¹³He had many works in the cities of Judah; and men of war, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem. ¹⁴This was the numbering of them according to their fathers' houses: Of Judah, the captains of thousands: Adnah the captain, and with him mighty men of valor three hundred thousand; ¹⁵and next to him Jehohanan the captain, and with him two hundred eighty thousand; ¹⁶and next to him Amasiah the son of Zichri, who willingly offered himself to Yahweh; and with him two hundred thousand mighty men of valor. ¹⁷Of Benjamin: Eliada a mighty man of valor, and with him two hundred thousand armed with bow and shield; ¹⁸and next to him Jehozabad and with him one hundred eighty thousand ready prepared for war. ¹⁹These were those who waited on the king, in addition to those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.

Mark Chapter 12

²⁸One of the scribes came and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the greatest of all?"

²⁹Jesus answered, "The greatest is [the Shema]: 'Hear, Israel, ForeverOne our God, ForeverOne is one. ³⁰Selflessly-love ForeverOne your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' [*This is the first commandment]. ³¹The second is like this: 'Selflessly-love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

³²The scribe said to him, "Truly, teacher, you have said well that he is one, and there is no-one else but [him]; ³³and to selflessly-love him with all the heart, with all the understanding, all the soul, and with all the strength, and to selflessly-love his neighbor as himself, is more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."

³⁴When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from God's Kingdom."

No one dared ask him any [more] questions after that. ³⁵Jesus responded, as he taught in the temple, "How is it that the scribes say that AnointedOne is the son of David? ³⁶For David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
'ForeverOne said to my Lord,
"Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet."'

³⁷So David himself calls him Lord, so how can he be his son?"

The common people heard him gladly. ³⁸In his teaching he said to them, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, ³⁹and [to get] the best seats in the synagogues and the best places at feasts, ⁴⁰those who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive greater condemnation."

⁴¹Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and saw how the multitude were throwing money into the treasury. Many who were rich threw in much. ⁴²A poor widow came and threw in two small brass coins, which equal a quadrans coin. ⁴³He called his disciples to himself and said to them, "Absolutely I tell you, this poor widow gave more than all those who are giving into the treasury, ⁴⁴for they all gave out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on."