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
8:1 And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. 5 Philip went down to the city1 of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. 6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. 8 So there was much joy in that city.
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles2 performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall3 of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south4 to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. 27 And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” 30 So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”
34 And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. 36 And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”5 38 And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
[1] 8:5
[2] 8:13
[3] 8:23
[4] 8:26
[5] 8:36
(ESV)
"It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it." Such is the premise of the Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe." Mike travels the country looking for the most disgusting, most repelling, most stomach-churning jobs around. And he does not disappoint. Fish gutter, sewer inspector, owl vomit collector, alligator farmer - These jobs don't even sound real! But they are. And Rowe loves to show his viewers the ins and outs of jobs most people didn't even know existed.
Although I'm not sure it qualifies as a dirty job in the sense that it gets you literally, physically dirty, it still turns my stomach and repels my senses. I'm talking about the dirty, yet biblical, job of "eunuch." In the Ancient Near East, eunuchs were commonly high ranking political assistants who, because they were incapable of having children, would not be tempted to seize power and start a dynasty of their own and were thus entrusted with a large amount of power by a nation's sovereign. What could gain a person desirable political status, however, would not gain them a desirable spiritual status. For Scripture commands, "No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD" (Deuteronomy 23:1). Thus, in Israel at least, eunuchs were excluded from the temple of God and were considered religiously abhorrent.
In our reading for today from Acts 8, we meet a man with the dirty job of a eunuch. As was common, he was a high-ranking political official, being an assistant "in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of Ethiopia" (verse 26). But his high rank came with a cost - a cost of exclusion from the temple in Jerusalem. But this eunuch's life was about to change. For an angel of the Lord has directed a Christian named Philip to meet with this Ethiopian eunuch who, in a moment of divine providence, just happens to be reading a passage from the prophet Isaiah:
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living. (Isaiah 53:7-8)
Upon meeting Philip, this eunuch wants to know, "'Who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?' Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him about the good news of Jesus Christ" (verses 34-35). And although the eunuch may still have been prevented from entering the Jewish temple, he is not prevented from receiving a Christian baptism: "Both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him" (verse 38). This eunuch is no longer excluded from God, for he has received a relationship with God through baptism in the name of Jesus Christ.
Only a few chapters after the one the Ethiopian eunuch was reading that day when he met with Philip, the prophet Isaiah declares:
For this is what the LORD says: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant - to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will not be cut off." (Isaiah 56:4-5)
God's intention, it seems, was to include eunuchs as a part of his people all along. Indeed, they receive a name even better than those who were allowed in the temple under Deuteronomical law.
Although no one reading this blog probably has the dirty job of a eunuch, we all have dirty jobs that we must face in our lives. Standing up for integrity in a corrupt workplace. Parenting a rebellious child. Staying with an unfaithful spouse. Shepherding a family through a terrible tragedy. All of these are dirty jobs. And it is when we are called to work these dirty jobs that we sometimes wonder, "Is God there with me as I work these dirty jobs? Can I approach him and ask him for the power, wisdom, and direction that I need? Does God even care about what I'm going through?" The answer the Ethiopian eunuch would give would be a resounding, "Yes!" Whether we work a dirty job or are dirtied by sin, we can be assured that we have "an everlasting name that will not be cut off" (Isaiah 56:5). For we have the everlasting name of God placed upon us in our baptisms. And this name is a name which guides us even unto salvation.
19 Then he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, to the north row of the holy chambers for the priests, and behold, a place was there at the extreme western end of them. 20 And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people.”
21 Then he brought me out to the outer court and led me around to the four corners of the court. And behold, in each corner of the court there was another court—22 in the four corners of the court were small1 courts, forty cubits2 long and thirty broad; the four were of the same size. 23 On the inside, around each of the four courts was a row of masonry, with hearths made at the bottom of the rows all around. 24 Then he said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who minister at the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”
47:1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. 2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces toward the east; and behold, the water was trickling out on the south side.
3 Going on eastward with a measuring line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits,3 and then led me through the water, and it was ankle-deep. 4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water, and it was waist-deep. 5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen. It was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through. 6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea;4 when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh.5 9 And wherever the river goes,6 every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea7 may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.8 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
13 Thus says the Lord GOD: “This is the boundary9 by which you shall divide the land for inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions. 14 And you shall divide equally what I swore to give to your fathers. This land shall fall to you as your inheritance.
[1] 46:22
[2] 46:22
[3] 47:3
[4] 47:8
[5] 47:8
[6] 47:9
[7] 47:9
[8] 47:10
[9] 47:13
(ESV)
God's provision for the priests and Levites who served at the temple was that they were able to eat a portion of the offerings and sacrifices that were presented to the LORD. Ezekiel's angelic guide led him on a tour of the kitchens and ovens where the cooking and baking was done so that the servants of the LORD would have the food they needed. God has always graciously cared for his servants and still does today. Paul said: "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages." (1 Timothy 5:17-18). Ezekiel was then taken outside the temple where he saw water flowing from underneath the temple to the east, the north and the south. As they went farther from the temple, the water became deeper. The water was a symbol for the grace of God that flowed from Him to His people, bringing life to them and "every living creature." Trees would flourish and fruit would abound because of the river that flowed from God's house. Jesus said: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:38) The New Temple simply prefigured what God would do through His Son, and through the Church, to provide life-giving grace of God to all. God promised to restore the land that He had promised to Israel's forefather, and commanded that it be divided equally among the twelve tribes, with Joseph having two portions.
149:1 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
his praise in the assembly of the godly!
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!
3 Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.
5 Let the godly exult in glory;
let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats
and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations
and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains
and their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment written!
This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the LORD!
150:1 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!1
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
[1] 150:1
(ESV)