M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

21 Yahweh said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, ‘A priest shall not defile himself for the dead among his people, ² except for his relatives that are near to him: for his mother, for his father, for his son, for his daughter, for his brother, ³ and for his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband; for her he may defile himself. ⁴ He shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.

⁵ “‘They shall not shave their heads or shave off the corners of their beards or make any cuttings in their flesh. ⁶ They shall be holy to their God, and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy.

⁷ “‘They shall not marry a woman who is a prostitute, or profane. A priest shall not marry a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God. ⁸ Therefore you shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I Yahweh, who sanctify you, am holy.

⁹ “‘The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the prostitute, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.

¹⁰ “‘He who is the high priest among his brothers, upon whose head the anointing oil is poured, and who is consecrated to put on the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, or tear his clothes. ¹¹ He must not go in to any dead body, or defile himself for his father or for his mother. ¹² He shall not go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the crown of the anointing oil of his God is upon him. I am Yahweh.

¹³ “‘He shall take a wife in her virginity. ¹⁴ He shall not marry a widow, or one divorced, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute. He shall take a virgin of his own people as a wife. ¹⁵ He shall not profane his offspring among his people, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies him.’”

¹⁶ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ¹⁷ “Say to Aaron, ‘None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect may approach to offer the bread of his God. ¹⁸ For whatever man he is that has a defect, he shall not draw near: a blind man, or a lame, or he who has a flat nose, or any deformity, ¹⁹ or a man who has an injured foot, or an injured hand, ²⁰ or hunchbacked, or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye, or an itching disease, or scabs, or who has damaged testicles. ²¹ No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall come near to offer the offerings of Yahweh made by fire. Since he has a defect, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. ²² He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy. ²³ He shall not come near to the veil, nor come near to the altar, because he has a defect; that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am Yahweh who sanctifies them.’”

²⁴ So Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

By David.

By David.

4 Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. ² Therefore I praised the dead who have been long dead more than the living who are yet alive. ³ Yes, better than them both is him who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. ⁴ Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man’s neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

⁵ The fool folds his hands together and ruins himself. ⁶ Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and chasing after wind.

⁷ Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun. ⁸ There is one who is alone, and he has neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with wealth. “For whom then do I labor and deprive my soul of enjoyment?” This also is vanity. Yes, it is a miserable business.

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. ¹⁰ For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up. ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth; but how can one keep warm alone? ¹² If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

¹³ Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who doesn’t know how to receive admonition any more. ¹⁴ For out of prison he came out to be king; yes, even in his kingdom he was born poor. ¹⁵ I saw all the living who walk under the sun, that they were with the youth, the other, who succeeded him. ¹⁶ There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was—yet those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

6 Let as many as are bondservants under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and the doctrine not be blasphemed. ² Those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brothers, but rather let them serve them, because those who partake of the benefit are believing and beloved. Teach and exhort these things.

³ If anyone teaches a different doctrine and doesn’t consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, ⁴ he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions, ⁵ constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such.^[a]

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out. ⁸ But having food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. ¹³ I command you before God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate testified the good confession, ¹⁴ that you keep the commandment without spot, blameless until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which at the right time he will show, who is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. ¹⁶ He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen.

¹⁷ Charge those who are rich in this present age that they not be arrogant, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy; ¹⁸ that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share; ¹⁹ laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of eternal life.

²⁰ Timothy, guard that which is committed to you, turning away from the empty chatter and oppositions of what is falsely called knowledge, ²¹ which some profess, and thus have wandered from the faith.

Grace be with you. Amen.