The Bible Reading Plan

Readings for May 18:

First, Exodus Chapter 28 verses 1 to 14. Follow that by reading from 1 Kings Chapter 20 verse 28 to Chapter 21 verse 4. The third part is Nehemiah Chapter 12 verses 30 to 47; and lastly John Chapter 4 verses 31 to 54

You can read the passages below. If you're looking to read for a different day or want to use your own Bible, then here’s the entire year’s plan as a list. Enjoy!

For certain interesting words:

Section 1

Exodus 28:1-14

14 verses

Exodus Chapter 28

1"Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.

2You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.

3You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.

4These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.

5They shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.

6"They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skillful workman.

7It shall have two shoulder straps joined to the two ends of it, that it may be joined together.

8The skillfully woven band, which is on it, that is on him, shall be like its work and of the same piece; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.

9You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth.

11With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel: you shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.

12You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before ForeverOne on his two shoulders for a memorial.

13You shall make settings of gold, 14and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them like cords of braided work: and you shall put the braided chains on the settings.

Section 2

1 Kings 20:28-21:4

20 verses

1 Kings Chapter 20

28A man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says ForeverOne, 'Because the Syrians have said, "ForeverOne is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys;" therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am ForeverOne.'" 29They encamped one over against the other seven days. So it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand footmen of the Syrians in one day.

30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. Ben Hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner room.

31His servants said to him, "See now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth on our bodies, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he will save your life." 32So they put sackcloth on their bodies and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, "Your servant Ben Hadad says, 'Please let me live.'" He said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother." 33Now the men observed diligently, and hurried to take this phrase; and they said, "Your brother Ben Hadad." Then he said, "Go, bring him." Then Ben Hadad came out to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.

34Ben Hadad said to him, "The cities which my father took from your father I will restore. You shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria." "I," said Ahab, "will let you go with this covenant." So he made a covenant with him, and let him go.

35A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by the word of ForeverOne, "Please strike me!" The man refused to strike him.

36Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of ForeverOne, behold, as soon as you are departed from me, a lion shall kill you." As soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and killed him.

37Then he found another man, and said, "Please strike me." The man struck him, smiting and wounding him.

38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes.

39As the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man! If by any means he be missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.' 40As your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." The king of Israel said to him, "So your judgment shall be; yourself have decided it." 41He hurried, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized that he was of the prophets.

42He said to him, "Thus says ForeverOne, 'Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.'" 43The king of Israel went to his house sullen and angry, and came to Samaria.

1 Kings Chapter 21

1It happened after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

2Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money." 3Naboth said to Ahab, "May ForeverOne forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!" 4Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

Section 3

Nehemiah 12:30-47

18 verses

Nehemiah Chapter 12

30The priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.

31Then I brought up the princes of Judah on the wall, and appointed two great companies who gave thanks and went in procession. [One went] on the right hand on the wall toward the dung gate; 32and after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah, 33and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 34Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 35and certain of the priests' sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph; 36and his brothers, Shemaiah, and Azarel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethanel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe was before them.

37By the spring gate, and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the water gate eastward.

38The other company of those who gave thanks went to meet them, and I after them, with the half of the people, on the wall, above the tower of the furnaces, even to the broad wall, 39and above the gate of Ephraim, and by the old gate, and by the fish gate, and the tower of Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah, even to the sheep gate: and they stood still in the gate of the guard.

40So stood the two companies of those who gave thanks in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me; 41and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, and Hananiah, with trumpets; 42and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. The singers sang loud, with Jezrahiah their overseer.

43They offered great sacrifices that day, and rejoiced; for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and the women also and the children rejoiced: so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.

44On that day were men appointed over the rooms for the treasures, for the wave offerings, for the first fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, according to the fields of the cities, the portions appointed by the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites who waited.

45They performed the duty of their God, and the duty of the purification, and [so did] the singers and the porters, according to the commandment of David, and of Solomon his son.

46For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a chief of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving to God.

47All Israel in the days of Zerubbabel, and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the porters, as every day required: and they set apart [that which was] for the Levites; and the Levites set apart [that which was] for the sons of Aaron.

Section 4

John 4:31-54

24 verses

John Chapter 4

31In the meanwhile, the disciples urged him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you don't know about." 33So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" 34Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

35Don't you say, 'There are yet four months until the harvest?' Behold, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, that they are white for harvest already.

36He who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit to eternal life; that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.

37For in this the saying is true, 'One sows, and another reaps.' 38I sent you to reap that for which you haven't labored. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." 39From that city many of the Samaritans believed in him because of the word of the woman, who testified, "He told me everything that I did." 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed there two days.

41Many more believed because of his word.

42They said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the AnointedOne, the Savior of the world." 43After the two days he went out from there and went into Galilee.

44For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

45So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast.

46Then Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.

47When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him, and begged him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

48So Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe." 49The nobleman said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.

51As he was going down, his servants met him and reported, saying "Your child lives!" 52So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. So they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him." 53So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." He believed, as did his whole house.

54This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judea into Galilee.

The Bible text is a minor adaptation of the WEB to include nuanced meanings of particular ancient words for placenames, God and others of special interest.
In general square brackets:[] are used to indicated words not found in the original text.
They also indicate the 5 books of the Psalms, and the letters in Psalm 119;
and a few passages considered by some to be of questionable authenticity, marked with an asterisk(*).