This Bible reading plan takes you through most of the Holy Scriptures each weekday of the year. Each day has three Bible readings:
You're welcome to read one, two, or all three of the readings every weekday. And if you fall behind, don't worry! You can either use the weekends to catch up or you can simply dive in to the reading for that day, even if you've missed a few days, weeks, or even months!
You can download a foldable bookmark here: 2026
27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and delivered him over to Pilate the governor.
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus1 was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood;2 see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged3 Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,4 and they gathered the whole battalion5 before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
45 Now from the sixth hour6 there was darkness over all the land7 until the ninth hour.8 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son9 of God!”
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard10 of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
[1] 27:3
[2] 27:24
[3] 27:26
[4] 27:27
[5] 27:27
[6] 27:45
[7] 27:45
[8] 27:45
[9] 27:54
[10] 27:65
(ESV)
Last Wednesday began like any other day. I woke up, worked out, showered, updated my blog, got dressed, and headed out for another day at work. Upon getting into my truck, however, I noticed I was low on gas. "No big deal," I thought to myself. "There's a gas station on the way to the church. I'll just stop there." But when I arrived at the station, and when I reached into my back pocket for my wallet, I noticed something: there was no wallet! Apparently, I had forgotten it at home.
Now usually, mornings are my favorite part of the day. I am a faithful - some might even say a neurotic - early riser. And because mornings are my favorite part of the day, I almost always wake up in a good mood, anxiously anticipating a new day's prospects. Such was the case with my new day last Wednesday. But with the discovery of an empty back pocket, my mood shifted radically and immediately. My face grimaced. My fists tightened. "I can't believe this!" I grumbled gruffly under my breath. "Now I have to go home, get my wallet, and drive all the way back. I'm losing twenty minutes and getting absolutely nothing accomplished. This is so frustrating!" So much for my usually cheery morning disposition.
In our reading for today from Matthew 27, we encounter one of Scripture's most tragic stories: that of Judas. In the previous chapter, Judas, disillusioned by Jesus' ostensible unwillingness to rebel against the Roman establishment and militarily lead the Jews to sovereign statehood, agrees to betray Jesus into the hands of his enemies in the religious establishment for the paltry price of thirty pieces of silver (cf. Matthew 26:15), the meager fine in the Old Testament exacted from someone whose bull had gored a slave to death (cf. Exodus 21:32). But Judas, who was at first comfortable with the deal he had cut, when he realizes the full horror of Jesus' fate, is "seized with remorse" (verse 3). "I have sinned," Judas laments, "for I have betrayed innocent blood" (verse 4).
The Greek word for "seized with remorse" is metamellomai, literally meaning, "to have a change of mood." In other words, like my morning mood, Judas' mood too shifted quickly. Sadly, a change of mood does not always indicate a change of heart. No, a change of heart is denoted by the Greek word metanoia, most often translated as "repentance." And repentance is not just a feeling, it is a turning - a turning from old ways of sin to new ways of righteousness; a turning from old ways of betrayal to new ways of trust. Tragically, we never hear of Judas metanoia-ing, only of him metamellomai-ing.
When my mood dramatically shifted from satisfied to sour last Wednesday, I must confess, I did not so much metanoia as I did metamellomai. For I did not take any preventative steps against forgetting my wallet in the future. Nor did I seek to clear my mind of its anger and make an intentional move toward peace and joy. No, my anger simply faded. Thus, although my wallet exploit may have changed my mood, it did not change my heart.
So it is with Judas. His betrayal may have changed his mood, but it did not change his heart. And this is the true tragedy of Judas' story.
When it comes to our sin, we are called not to changed moods, but to changed hearts. Indeed, the very heart of Jesus' gospel is, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" (Matthew 4:17). In other words, we are not just to feel bad because of our sin, but are to recognize that we are bad because of our sin and in need of a righteousness only Jesus can give. And this, finally, is the beauty of repentance: it moves us to despair of our own sin and trust in Jesus' righteousness.
So today, is there anything for which you're feeling bad? Don't just be moody; instead, lay your transgressions at the foot of the cross. For this is repentance. And while feelings may be fickle, repentance results in redemption - no matter what our mood might be.
12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 13 And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans. 16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.
17 And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. 18 And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service; 19 also the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the dishes for incense and the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. 20 As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea,1 and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits,2 its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. 22 On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was five cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.
24 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 25 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and seven men of the king’s council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.
28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.
31 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed3 Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. 32 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, 34 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.
[1] 52:20
[2] 52:21
[3] 52:31
(ESV)
The book of Jeremiah ends with an account of the unthinkable—the pillaging and destruction of the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. Even though the temple had been destroyed twice previously, when Jesus predicted the destruction of Herod's temple the disciples thought that must signal the end of the world. How could the Most Holy Place of the Most High God be plundered and demolished by pagans? God allowed this to take place because the temple had become primarily a good luck charm to the people of Judah, a sign that God was on their side no matter what they did. Not only was the LORD's house burned, but the king's palace along with every house in the city. A few of the poorest people were allowed to remain to tend the fields and vineyards so that King Nebuchadnezzar to get his tribute from the land. The pillars of the temple and other large bronze furnishings were broken to pieces and carried to Babylon. All of the vessels and utensils belonging to the temple were also carried off. So much bronze was removed that no scale large enough to weigh it could be found. The most prominent of the priests, military officers and royal officials were taken to Riblah, where King Nebuchadnezzar ordered their execution. Though the numbers of captives differ here from those in the book of Kings, these differences represent various accounting methods. From the number of captives, clearly many people died in the city from famine, pestilence and the sword, just as Jeremiah had prophesied. King Jehoiachin, unlike King Zedekiah who remained in prison, was ultimately set free, provided a stipend for his needs, and was allowed to dine at the table of the Babylonian king for the remainder of his days. This became a sign of hope for God's people in exile.
101:1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will make music.
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless.
Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not endure.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall continue before my eyes.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers
from the city of the LORD.
(ESV)