M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Daily Offerings
28 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give this command to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Tell them: ‘Bring me food offerings made by fire, for a smell that is pleasing to me, and be sure to bring them at the ·right [appointed] time.’ 3 Say to them, ‘These are the offerings you must bring to the Lord: two male lambs, a year old, as a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] each day. They must have ·nothing wrong with them [no blemish]. 4 Offer one lamb in the morning and the other lamb ·at twilight [L between the two evenings]. 5 Also bring a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] of ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour, mixed with ·one quart [L one-fourth of a hin] of oil from pressed olives. 6 This is the daily burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] which began at Mount Sinai; its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 7 Offer ·one quart [L one-fourth of a hin] of wine with each lamb as a drink offering; pour it out to the Lord at the Holy Place. 8 Offer the second lamb at ·twilight [L between the two evenings]. As in the morning, also give a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] and a drink offering. This offering is made by fire, and its smell is pleasing to the Lord [Ex. 29:38–43].
Sabbath Offerings
9 “‘On the Sabbath day you must give two male lambs, a year old, that have ·nothing wrong with them [no blemish]. Also give a drink offering and a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1]; the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] must be four quarts of fine flour mixed with olive oil. 10 This is the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] for every Sabbath, in addition to the daily burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and drink offering.
Monthly Offerings
11 “‘On the first day of each month bring a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord. This will be two young bulls, one ·male sheep [ram], and seven male lambs a year old, and they must have ·nothing wrong with them [no blemish]. 12 Give a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with each bull of ·six quarts [L three-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with olive oil. Also give a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with the ·male sheep [ram]. It must be ·four quarts [L two-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with olive oil. 13 And give a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with each lamb of ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with olive oil. This is a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17], and its smell is pleasing to the Lord. 14 The drink offering with each bull will be ·two quarts [L half a hin] of wine, with the ·male sheep [ram] it will be ·one and one-third quarts [L one-third of a hin], and with each lamb it will be ·one quart [L one-fourth of a hin] of wine. This is the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] that must be offered each month of the year. 15 Besides the daily burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] and drink offerings, bring a ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3] of one goat to the Lord.
The Passover
16 “‘The Lord’s Passover will be on the fourteenth day of the first month [Ex. 12:1–20; Lev. 23:4–8; Deut. 16:1–8]. 17 The Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the fifteenth day of that month. For seven days, you may eat only bread made without ·yeast [leaven]. 18 Have a ·holy meeting [sacred/solemn convocation] on the first day of the festival, and don’t work that day. 19 Bring to the Lord an offering made by fire, a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] of two young bulls, one ·male sheep [ram], and seven male lambs a year old. They must have ·nothing wrong with them [no blemish]. 20 With each bull give a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] of ·six quarts [L three-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with olive oil. With the ·male sheep [ram] it must be ·four quarts [L two-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with oil. 21 With each of the seven lambs, it must be ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with oil. 22 Bring one goat as a ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3], to ·remove your sins so you will belong to God [make atonement for yourself]. 23 Bring these offerings in addition to the burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] you give every morning. 24 So bring food for the offering made by fire each day for seven days, for a smell that is pleasing to the Lord. Do it in addition to the daily burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and its drink offering. 25 On the seventh day have a holy meeting [sacred/solemn convocation], and don’t work that day.
The Feast of Weeks
26 “‘On the day of firstfruits when you bring new grain to the Lord during the Feast of Weeks [Lev. 23:15–23], have a ·holy meeting [sacred/solemn convocation]. Don’t work that day. 27 Bring this burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord: two young bulls, one ·male sheep [ram], and seven male lambs a year old. This smell is pleasing to the Lord. 28 Also, with each bull give a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] of ·six quarts [L three-tenths of an ephah] of ·fine [choice] flour mixed with oil. With the ·male sheep [ram], it must be ·four quarts [L two-tenths of an ephah] of flour, 29 and with each of the seven lambs offer ·two quarts [L one-tenth of an ephah] of flour. 30 Offer one male goat to ·remove your sins so you will belong to God [make atonement for yourself]. 31 Bring these offerings and their drink offerings in addition to the daily burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and its ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1]. The animals must have ·nothing wrong with them [no blemish].
A Prayer for the King
Of Solomon.
72 God, give the king your good judgment
and the king’s son your ·goodness [righteousness].
2 Help him judge your people ·fairly [rightly]
and decide what is ·right [just] for the poor.
3 Let there be ·peace [or prosperity] on the mountains
and ·goodness [righteousness] on the hills for the people.
4 Help him be ·fair [just] to the poor
and ·save [give victory to] the ·needy [or children of the needy]
and ·punish [crush] those who ·hurt [oppress; exploit] them.
5 May they ·respect [fear] you as long as the sun
and as long as the moon, throughout the generations.
6 Let him ·be [L come down] like rain on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7 Let ·goodness [righteousness] ·be plentiful [bloom forth] while he lives.
Let ·peace [or prosperity] continue ·as long as there is a [L until there is no] moon.
8 ·Let his kingdom go [L May he have dominion/rule] from sea to sea,
and from the ·Euphrates River [L river] to the ends of the earth.
9 Let the people of the ·desert [wilderness] ·bow down to [cringe/cower before] him,
and make his enemies lick the dust.
10 Let the kings of Tarshish [48:7] and the ·faraway lands [L islands]
bring him ·gifts [tribute].
Let the kings of Sheba [C an unknown location, perhaps present-day Yemen, Eritrea, or Ethiopia; see 1 Kin. 10:1–13] and Seba [C either in southern Egypt or further south; Gen. 10:7; Is. 43:3; 45:14]
bring their ·presents [tribute] to him.
11 Let all kings ·bow down [bend the knee] to him
and all nations serve him [Ps. 2].
12 He will ·help [protect] the poor when they cry out
and the needy when no one else will help.
13 He will ·be kind to [take pity on] the poor and the needy,
and he will ·save their lives [give victory to the needy].
14 He will ·save [redeem] them from ·cruel people who try to hurt them [L violence and oppression],
because their ·lives [L blood] are precious to ·him [L his eyes].
15 Long live the king!
Let him receive gold from Sheba [v. 10].
Let people always pray for him
and ·bless [praise] him all day long.
16 Let ·the fields grow plenty of grain [L there be much grain in the land/earth]
and ·the hills be covered with crops [L let there be abundance on the top of the mountains; or let it wave on the top of the mountains].
·Let the land be as fertile as Lebanon [L May its fruit be like that of Lebanon],
and let the cities grow like the grass in a field.
17 Let ·the king be famous [L his name/fame be] forever;
let ·him be remembered as long as the sun shines [L his name/fame continue as long as the sun].
Let the nations be ·blessed [praised] because of him,
and may they all ·bless [praise] him [Gen. 12:3].
18 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does such ·miracles [wonderful things].
19 Praise his glorious name forever.
Let his glory [C manifest presence] fill the whole world.
Amen and amen.
20 This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse [C at one time it did, but see other Davidic psalms at Ps. 101, 103, 108–110, and others].
God’s Message to Egypt
19 This is a ·message [prophecy; oracle; burden] about Egypt:
Look, the Lord is coming on a ·fast [swift] cloud
to enter Egypt.
The idols of Egypt will tremble before him,
and Egypt’s ·courage [heart] will melt away.
2 The Lord says, “I will ·cause the Egyptians to fight against themselves [L provoke Egypt against Egypt].
People will fight with their ·relatives [brothers];
neighbors will fight neighbors;
cities will fight cities;
kingdoms will fight kingdoms.
3 The Egyptians will ·be afraid [lose heart],
and I will ·ruin their plans [confuse their counsel].
They will ·ask advice from [consult] their idols and spirits of the dead,
from their mediums and ·fortune-tellers [magicians; necromancers].”
4 The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says,
“I will hand Egypt ·over to [L into the hand of] a hard master,
and a ·powerful [fierce] king will rule over them.”
5 The ·sea [or river; L waters] will become dry,
and the ·water will disappear from the Nile River [L river will be parched and dry].
6 The canals will stink;
the streams of Egypt will decrease and dry up.
All the ·water plants [L reeds and bulrushes] will rot;
7 all the plants along the banks of the Nile will die.
Even the ·planted [cultivated] fields by the Nile
will dry up, blow away, and disappear [C catastrophic, since the Nile was essential to Egypt’s existence].
8 The fishermen, all those who ·catch fish from [L cast hooks into] the Nile,
will groan and ·cry [lament];
those who ·fish in the Nile [L spread nets on the water] will ·be sad [grieve; lose heart].
9 All the people who make cloth from flax will ·be sad [despair; or be ashamed],
and those who weave linen will ·lose hope [turn pale].
10 Those who ·weave cloth [or are its foundations] will be broken.
All those who work for ·money [wages] will be ·sad [L grieved in their soul].
11 The officers of the city of Zoan [C probably Tanis, the Egyptian city nearest Israel] are fools;
the wise ·men who advise the king of Egypt [counselors/advisors of Pharaoh] give ·wrong [senseless; stupid] advice.
How can you say to him, ‘I am ·wise [L a son of the wise]’?
How can you say, ‘I am ·from the old family of the kings [a son of ancient kings; C “son of” may mean “an expert in the ways of”]’?
12 Egypt, where are your wise men?
Let them show you
what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has planned for Egypt.
13 The officers of Zoan [v. 11] have ·been fooled [become fools];
the ·leaders [princes] of Memphis [C prominent city in northern Egypt] ·have believed false things [are deceived/deluded].
So the ·leaders of Egypt [L cornerstones of her tribes]
lead that nation ·the wrong way [astray].
14 The Lord has ·made the leaders confused [L mixed into them a spirit of distortion].
They have led Egypt to ·wander in the wrong ways [or err in all it does],
like drunk people stumbling in their own vomit.
15 There is nothing Egypt can do;
·no one there can help [L head or tail, palm branch or reed; C no one, high or low, could help Egypt].
16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women [C physically weak and vulnerable]. They will ·be afraid of [tremble with fear at] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], because he will raise his hand to strike them down. 17 The land of Judah will ·bring fear [be a terror] to Egypt. Anyone there who hears the name Judah will be afraid, because the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has planned terrible things for them. 18 ·At that time [L In that day] five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan [C Hebrew or Aramaic, evidence of Israel’s dominance over Egypt], and they will ·promise to be loyal [swear allegiance] to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. One of these cities will be named the City of Destruction.[a] 19 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be an altar for the Lord in the middle of Egypt and a ·monument [or sacred pillar] to the Lord at the border of Egypt. 20 This will be a sign and a witness to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] in the land of Egypt. When the people cry to the Lord for help, he will send a savior and defender, who will rescue them.
21 So the Lord will ·show himself [make himself known] to the Egyptians, and ·then [L in that day] they will ·know he is [acknowledge; know] the Lord. They will ·worship [serve] God ·and offer many sacrifices [with sacrifices and offerings]. They will make ·promises [vows] to the Lord and will keep them. 22 The Lord will ·punish [L strike] the Egyptians, but then he will heal them. They will ·come back [return] to the Lord, and he will listen to their ·prayers [pleas] and heal them.
23 ·At that time [L In that day] there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians will go to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship God together. 24 ·At that time [L In that day] ·Israel, Assyria, and Egypt will join together [L Israel will be the third, with Egypt and Assyria; C a great power like them], which will be a blessing for the earth. 25 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will bless them, saying, “Egypt, you are my people. Assyria, ·I made you [L the work of my hands]. Israel, ·I own you [my inheritance]. You are all blessed!”
Assyria Will Defeat Egypt and Cush
20 [L In the year that; C about 712 bc] Sargon king of Assyria sent ·a military commander [or his commander-in-chief] to Ashdod [C a Philistine city] to attack that city. So the commander attacked and captured it. 2 ·Then [L At that time] the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Take the ·rough cloth [burlap; sackcloth; C a sign of mourning] off your body, and take your sandals off your feet.” So Isaiah obeyed and walked around ·naked [stripped] and barefoot.
3 Then the Lord said, “[L Just as] Isaiah my servant has walked around naked and barefoot for three years as a ·sign [L sign and omen/portent] against Egypt and Cush [18:1]. 4 [L So; Thus] The king of Assyria will carry away prisoners from Egypt and ·captives [exiles] from Cush. Old people and young people will be led away ·naked [stripped] and barefoot, with their buttocks bare. So the Egyptians will be shamed. 5 People who ·looked to Cush for help [trusted/put hope in Cush] will be ·afraid [dismayed; disillusioned], and those who ·were amazed by [boasted/took pride in] Egypt’s glory will be shamed. 6 People who live ·near the sea [in this coastland] will say, ‘Look at what happened to those ·we trusted in for help [in whom we hoped]. We ·ran [fled] to them so they would ·save [rescue] us from the king of Assyria. So how will we be able to escape?’”
1 From ·Simon [L Simeon; C a version of Simon closer to the Hebrew name] Peter, a ·servant [slave] and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To ·you [L those] who have received a faith as ·valuable [precious; privileged] as ours, ·because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right [or through the righteousness/justice of our God and Savior Jesus Christ].
2 [May] Grace and peace be ·given to you more and more [lavished upon you; multiplied to you], ·because you truly know [or as you grow in your knowledge; L through/in the knowledge of] God and Jesus our Lord.
God Has Given Us Blessings
3 ·Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us [L His divine power has given us] everything we need ·to live and to serve God [or to live a godly life; L for life and godliness]. We have these things ·because we know [or as we better come to know; L through the knowledge of] ·Jesus, who called us [L the one who called us; C may refer to Jesus or God the Father] by his glory and ·goodness [virtue; moral excellence]. 4 Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. [L …so that] With these gifts you can ·share in [partake of; participate in] ·God’s nature [L the divine nature; C which enables us to live forever], ·and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires [or having escaped the world’s decay that was caused by its evil desires].
5 ·Because you have these blessings [L For this very reason; C the reasons stated in vv. 3–4], ·do your best [make every effort; strive] to ·add these things to [or increase these things in] your lives: to your faith, add ·goodness [virtue; moral excellence]; and to your ·goodness [virtue; moral excellence], add knowledge; 6 and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add ·patience [or perseverance]; and to your ·patience [or perseverance], add ·service for God [devotion; piety; godliness]; 7 and to your ·service for God [devotion; piety; godliness], add ·kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ [affection for fellow believers; L brotherly love/affection; C Greek: philadelphia]; and to ·this kindness [affection; L brotherly love/affection], add love [C Greek: agapē]. 8 If all these things are in you and are ·growing [increasing], they will ·help you to be useful and productive [L keep you from being ineffective/idle and unfruitful/unproductive] in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 ·But [or For] anyone who does not have these things ·cannot see clearly [is nearsighted]. He is blind [1 John 2:11; Rev. 3:17] ·and [or because he] has forgotten that he was made clean from his past sins.
10 [L Therefore] My brothers and sisters, ·try hard [make every effort; strive] to ·be certain that you really are called and chosen by God [L confirm your calling and election]. [L For] If you do all these things, you will never ·fall [stumble]. 11 ·And [For in this way] you will be given a very ·great [rich; lavish] ·welcome [entrance; arrival] into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 You know these things, and you are ·very strong [established] in the truth [that has come to you; that you now have], but I will always ·help you remember [remind you of] them. 13 I think it is right for me to ·help you remember [L arouse you with a reminder] as long as I am in this ·body [L tent; C a metaphor for the transitory earthly body]. 14 I know I must soon ·leave this body [L put off my tent; C die; 1:13; 2 Cor. 5:1, 4], as our Lord Jesus Christ ·has shown [made clear to] me [John 21:18]. 15 I will ·try my best [make every effort; strive] so that you may be able [L always] to remember these things even after ·I am gone [L my departure; C Peter’s death].
We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 [L For] When we ·told [made known to] you about the ·powerful coming [or power and coming] of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not ·telling [following; repeating] ·just clever stories that someone invented [or cleverly-concocted myths]. But we ·saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes [L were eyewitness of his majesty]. 17 [L For] ·Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory [L When that voice came to him from the Majestic Glory], when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him [C a reference to the Transfiguration; Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35].” 18 We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the ·holy [sacred] mountain.
19 ·This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave [or And we also have a reliable message from the prophets; L And we have the prophetic word confirmed; C probably referring to the Old Testament]. ·It is good for you [You do well] to follow closely what they said as you would follow a ·light [L lamp] shining in a dark place, until the day ·begins [L dawns] and the morning star rises in your hearts [Num. 24:17; Rev. 22:16; C the planet Venus as seen before sunrise, here symbolizing Christ]. 20 ·Most [First] of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ·ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation [or is a matter of one’s own interpretation]. 21 No prophecy ever came from ·what a person wanted to say [L human will/intention], but people ·led [carried; moved] by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God. [C True prophecy originates with God, not with the prophet.]
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