The Bible Reading Plan

Genesis Chapter 29

⁵He said to them, "Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor?" They said, "We do know him."

⁶He said to them, "Is it well with him?" They said, "It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep."

⁷He said, "Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them."

⁸They said, "We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we will water the sheep."

⁹While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them. ¹⁰When Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. ¹¹Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. ¹²Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father.

¹³When Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. ¹⁴Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." He stayed with him for a month. ¹⁵Laban said to Jacob, "[Just] because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be?"

¹⁶Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and attractive. ¹⁸Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."

¹⁹Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you, than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me."

²⁰Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days, because of the love he had for her.

Judges Chapter 19

⁵On the fourth day they arose early in the morning, and he rose up to depart, but the young lady's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward you shall go your way." ⁶So they sat down, ate, and drank, both of them together: and the young lady's father said to the man, "Please be pleased to stay all night, and let your heart be merry." ⁷The man rose up to depart; but his father-in-law urged him, and he lodged there again. ⁸He arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart; and the young lady's father said, "Please strengthen your heart and stay until the day declines;" and they both ate.

⁹When the man, his concubine, and his servant rose up to depart, his father-in-law, the young lady's father, said to him, "Behold, now the day draws toward evening, please stay all night: behold, the day grows to an end, lodge here, that your heart may be merry; and tomorrow go on your way early, that you may go home." ¹⁰But the man wouldn't stay that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus (also called Jerusalem): and there were with him a couple of donkeys saddled; his concubine was also with him.

¹¹When they were by Jebus, the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Please come and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites, and lodge in it."

¹²His master said to him, "We won't turn aside into the city of a foreigner, that is not of the children of Israel; but we will pass over to Gibeah." ¹³He said to his servant, "Come and let us draw near to one of these places; and we will lodge in Gibeah, or in Ramah." ¹⁴So they passed on and went their way; and the sun went down on them near to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin. ¹⁵They turned aside there, to go in to lodge in Gibeah. He went in, and sat down in the street of the city; for there was no man who took them into his house to lodge.

¹⁶Behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at evening: now the man was of the hill country of Ephraim, and he lived in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites. ¹⁷He lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the street of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"

¹⁸He said to him, "We are passing from Bethlehem Judah to the farther side of the hill country of Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem Judah. I am going to the house of Yahweh; and there is no man who takes me into his house. ¹⁹Yet there is both straw and feed for our donkeys; and there is bread and wine also for me, and for your handmaid, and for the young man who is with your servants. There is no lack of anything."

²⁰The old man said, "Peace be to you; howsoever let all your wants lie on me; only don't lodge in the street." ²¹So he brought him into his house, and gave the donkeys fodder; and they washed their feet, and ate and drank. ²²As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating at the door; and they spoke to the owner of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may have sex with him!"

²³The man, the owner of the house, went out to them, and said to them, "No, my brothers, please don't act so wickedly; since this man has entered my house, don't do this folly. ²⁴Behold, here is my virgin daughter and his concubine. I will bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them what seems good to you; but to this man don't do any such folly."

²⁵But the men wouldn't listen to him: so the man laid hold of his concubine, and brought her out to them; and they had sex with her, and abused her all night until the morning: and when the day began to dawn, they let her go. ²⁶Then the woman came at the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, until it was light. ²⁷Her lord rose up in the morning, and opened the doors of the house, and went out to go his way; and behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down at the door of the house, with her hands on the threshold.

²⁸He said to her, "Get up, and let us be going!" but no one answered. Then he took her up on the donkey; and the man rose up, and went to his place.

1 Chronicles Chapter 27

²⁵Over the king's treasures was Azmaveth the son of Adiel: and over the treasures in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the towers, was Jonathan the son of Uzziah: ²⁶Over those who did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub: ²⁷and over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite: and over the increase of the vineyards for the winecellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite: ²⁸and over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowland was Baal Hanan the Gederite: and over the cellars of oil was Joash: ²⁹and over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite: and over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai: ³⁰and over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite: and over the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite: and over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. ³¹All these were the rulers of the substance which was king David's.

³²Also Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, a man of understanding, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons: ³³Ahithophel was the king's counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king's friend: ³⁴and after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar: and the captain of the king's army was Joab.

1 Chronicles Chapter 28

¹David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the groups who served the king by division, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, to Jerusalem. ²Then David the king stood up on his feet, and said, "Hear me, my brothers, and my people! As for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, and for the footstool of our God; and I had prepared for the building. ³But God said to me, 'You shall not build a house for my name, because you are a man of war, and have shed blood.' ⁴However Yahweh, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For he has chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. ⁵Of all my sons (for Yahweh has given me many sons), he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of Yahweh's kingdom over Israel.

Matthew Chapter 27

⁴⁵Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?" That is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

⁴⁷Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, "This man is calling Elijah."

⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. ⁴⁹The rest said, "Let him be. Let's see whether Elijah comes to save him."

⁵⁰Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴Now the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were done, were terrified, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

⁵⁵Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

⁵⁷When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus' disciple, came. ⁵⁸This man went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up. ⁵⁹Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth ⁶⁰and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock. Then he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶²Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, ⁶³saying, "Master, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will rise again.' ⁶⁴So command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He is risen from the dead;' and the last deception will be worse than the first."

⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can." ⁶⁶So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.