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
Sign up to get the readings sent to your email daily below
16:1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
9 [[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
12 After these things he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.
14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
[1] 16:9
(ESV)
I have never been to the famed Snake Farm just north of San Antonio. I also have no plans to visit. And even if I did go, I'm not so sure I'd want to test the veracity of Mark 16:18 there: "They will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them."
Why not test these words to see if they hold for a modern-day disciple of Christ? Two reasons. First, common sense guides me otherwise. I've known more than one modern day disciple who has had a run in with a rattlesnake. The snake won. I'm content to leave this promise for the Eleven (16:14) and possibly Paul (cf. Acts 28:3-6). Second, I'm not even sure this verse about snakes and poison belongs in my Bible.
Now, before you accuse me of horrifying heresy, read on for a moment. Because you probably noticed a little line, separating verses 8 and 9, accompanied by this statement: "Some of the earliest manuscripts do not include 16:9-20." Huh? What's going on?
Mark's gospel has no fewer than four alternative ancient endings. There is a long ending (the one we have in verses 9-20), a long-er ending, an ending that makes Peter sound like the pope, and one that talks a lot about Satan. In other words, there seems to be no ancient consensus on how exactly this gospel ends. Indeed, no less than Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome seem to be unaware of this ending, at least in its Greek form. That's a pretty impressive list of Church Fathers questioning verses 9-20.
So, what's the deal with these verses? More than likely, they were added some time in the second century by a scribe who was less than thrilled with how Mark's gospel ended. After all, to have rolled away stone, a resurrected Christ, an angelic figure singing, "Christ is risen," and then to conclude this ecstatic Easter episode with the words, "And the women went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid" seems a little anticlimactic to me. I mean, shouldn't the women have joined the song of the angels? Shouldn't the women have walked away with faces glowing and hands raised, shouting, "He is risen indeed"? The angel sings, "Christ is risen!" And the women respond, "We're scared spit-less." Try using that as your Easter morning litany.
Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned in the less than inspiring response of these women. Christ is risen! What does this mean? Well, that depends on who you are. For some, like the women, it means fear (cf. Acts 2:22-24, 36-37). For others, it means a snide rejection at the possibility of such an event (cf. Acts 17:32). But for some, it means a response of faith in Jesus as the Christ (cf. John 20:8).
Thankfully, we learn from the other gospels, that after the women got over their initial fearful "shock and awe" at what they had seen, they believed (cf. Matthew 28:8-10). Sadly, some people never do make it past a response of fear or rejection. These other responses, however, just will not do. In order for Jesus' resurrection to offer hope for eternal life, faith is the only appropriate response. Thus, the ambiguity of Mark's "short" ending, with trembling and astonished women, offers us food for thought. For from the women's response, two questions emerge. First, is the response of fear really the best response or is Mark trying to point us to something else - something better? Second, how about you? How do you respond: with fear, rejection, or faith? Here's my response: "Christ is risen indeed!" I pray that's your response as well.
25:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 “Dominion and fear are with God;1
he makes peace in his high heaven.
3 Is there any number to his armies?
Upon whom does his light not arise?
4 How then can man be in the right before God?
How can he who is born of woman be pure?
5 Behold, even the moon is not bright,
and the stars are not pure in his eyes;
6 how much less man, who is a maggot,
and the son of man, who is a worm!”
26:1 Then Job answered and said:
2 “How you have helped him who has no power!
How you have saved the arm that has no strength!
3 How you have counseled him who has no wisdom,
and plentifully declared sound knowledge!
4 With whose help have you uttered words,
and whose breath has come out from you?
5 The dead tremble
under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 Sheol is naked before God,2
and Abaddon has no covering.
7 He stretches out the north over the void
and hangs the earth on nothing.
8 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds,
and the cloud is not split open under them.
9 He covers the face of the full moon3
and spreads over it his cloud.
10 He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters
at the boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble
and are astounded at his rebuke.
12 By his power he stilled the sea;
by his understanding he shattered Rahab.
13 By his wind the heavens were made fair;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,
and how small a whisper do we hear of him!
But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
27:1 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:
2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right,
and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,
3 as long as my breath is in me,
and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,
4 my lips will not speak falsehood,
and my tongue will not utter deceit.
5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;
till I die I will not put away my integrity from me.
6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go;
my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.
7 “Let my enemy be as the wicked,
and let him who rises up against me be as the unrighteous.
8 For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off,
when God takes away his life?
9 Will God hear his cry
when distress comes upon him?
10 Will he take delight in the Almighty?
Will he call upon God at all times?
11 I will teach you concerning the hand of God;
what is with the Almighty I will not conceal.
12 Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves;
why then have you become altogether vain?
13 “This is the portion of a wicked man with God,
and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty:
14 If his children are multiplied, it is for the sword,
and his descendants have not enough bread.
15 Those who survive him the pestilence buries,
and his widows do not weep.
16 Though he heap up silver like dust,
and pile up clothing like clay,
17 he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it,
and the innocent will divide the silver.
18 He builds his house like a moth’s,
like a booth that a watchman makes.
19 He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more;
he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone.
20 Terrors overtake him like a flood;
in the night a whirlwind carries him off.
21 The east wind lifts him up and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22 It4 hurls at him without pity;
he flees from its5 power in headlong flight.
23 It claps its hands at him
and hisses at him from its place.
28:1 “Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold that they refine.
2 Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted from the ore.
3 Man puts an end to darkness
and searches out to the farthest limit
the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
4 He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
they are forgotten by travelers;
they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
5 As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
6 Its stones are the place of sapphires,6
and it has dust of gold.
7 “That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon’s eye has not seen it.
8 The proud beasts have not trodden it;
the lion has not passed over it.
9 “Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
10 He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
11 He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
12 “But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
16 It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
18 No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above pearls.
19 The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
20 “From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
21 It is hidden from the eyes of all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
23 “God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
24 For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
25 When he gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
26 when he made a decree for the rain
and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
27 then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
28 And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
[1] 25:2
[2] 26:6
[3] 26:9
[4] 27:22
[5] 27:22
[6] 28:6
(ESV)
Bildad's answer adds nothing to the dialogue, and Zophar does not venture a word, either because he is convinced that Job will never repent, or perhaps he has begun to realize that he and his friends are wrong in condemning Job. Job answers Bildad with sarcasm: "How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge!" He describes the vast power of God stating, "God stretches the northern sky out over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing" (NCV). This description of creation contrasts sharply with that of other ancient myths, and is in accord with the realities of the laws of physics. Instead of a flat earth that many moderns falsely believe the Bible teaches, Job says, "He draws the horizon like a circle on the water" (26:10 NCV). Although Job acknowledges the greatness of God, he continues to assert his own righteousness. In chapter 27, Job calls on God to judge his friends—now his enemies (verse 7)—as He does the wicked. In all the words of Job and his friends turned accusers wisdom has not been found. Chapter 28 then, compares finding wisdom to the difficult job of mining gems from the earth. "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom." (28:28)
10 They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.1
You fill their womb with treasure;2
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
[1] 17:14
[2] 17:14
(ESV)