M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Borders of Canaan
34 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give this command to the ·people [L sons/T children] of Israel: ‘You will soon enter Canaan and ·it will be yours. These shall be the borders [L …this is the land that will fall to you as an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its borders/boundaries]: 3 On the south you will get part of the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Zin near the border of Edom. On the east side your southern border will start at the south end of the ·Dead [L Salt] Sea, 4 cross south of ·Scorpion Pass [or the Ascent of Akrabbim], and go through the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Zin and south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon. 5 From Azmon it will go to the ·brook [wadi] of Egypt, and it will end at the ·Mediterranean Sea [L Sea].
6 “‘Your western border will be the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea.
7 “‘Your northern border will begin at the ·Mediterranean [L Great] Sea and ·go [L mark/draw a line] to Mount Hor. 8 From Mount Hor ·it will go [L mark/draw a line] to Lebo Hamath, and on to Zedad. 9 Then the border will go to Ziphron, and it will end at Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.
10 “‘Your eastern border will begin at Hazar Enan and ·go [L mark/draw a line] to Shepham. 11 From Shepham the border will go ·east of [L down to] Ain to Riblah and ·along [L go down to] the hills east of ·Lake [T the Sea of] ·Galilee [L Kinnereth]. 12 Then the border will go down along the Jordan River and end at the ·Dead [L Salt] Sea.
“‘These are the borders around your country.’”
13 So Moses gave this command to the Israelites: “This is the land you will ·receive [L inherit]. Throw lots [C perhaps the Urim and Thummim; Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8] to divide it among the nine and one-half tribes, because the Lord commanded that it should be theirs. 14 The tribes of ·Reuben [L the sons/descendants of Reuben] by their families [clans], ·Gad [L the sons/descendants of Gad] by their families [clans], and ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh have already ·received [L inherited] their land. 15 These two and one-half tribes received ·land [L their inheritance] east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho [32:1–42].”
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, 17 “These are the names of the men who will ·divide [apportion] the land for inheritance: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. 18 Also take one leader from each tribe to help ·divide [apportion] the land for inheritance. 19 These are the names of the leaders: from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh; 20 from the tribe of ·Simeon [L the sons/descendants of Simeon], Shemuel son of Ammihud; 21 from the tribe of Benjamin, Elidad son of Kislon; 22 from the tribe of ·Dan [L the sons/descendants of Dan], Bukki son of Jogli; 23 from the tribe of ·Manasseh [L the sons/descendants of Manasseh] son of Joseph, Hanniel son of Ephod; 24 from the tribe of ·Ephraim [L the sons/descendants of Ephraim] son of Joseph, Kemuel son of Shiphtan; 25 from the tribe of ·Zebulun [L the sons/descendants of Zebulun], Elizaphan son of Parnach; 26 from the tribe of ·Issachar [L the sons/descendants of Issachar], Paltiel son of Azzan; 27 from the tribe of ·Asher [L the sons/descendants of Asher], Ahihud son of Shelomi; 28 from the tribe of ·Naphtali [L the sons/descendants of Naphtali], Pedahel son of Ammihud.”
29 The Lord commanded these men to ·divide [apportion] for inheritance the land of Canaan among the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel].
38 Still God was ·merciful [compassionate].
He ·forgave their sins [made atonement for their guilt]
and did not destroy them.
Many times he held back his anger
and did not stir up all his ·anger [wrath].
39 He remembered that they were ·only human [flesh; 38:3; 56:4; 103:14–15; Gen. 6:3; Is. 2:22],
like a wind that blows and does not come back.
40 They ·turned [rebelled] against God so often in the ·desert [wilderness]
and grieved him ·there [L in the wasteland].
41 Again and again they tested God
and ·brought pain to [provoked] the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his ·power [L hand]
or the ·time [L day] he ·saved [ransomed] them from the ·enemy [foe].
43 They forgot the signs he did in Egypt
and his wonders in the fields of Zoan [v. 12].
44 He turned their rivers to blood
so no one could drink ·the water [L from their streams; 105:29; Ex. 7:17–20; Rev. 16:4].
45 He sent flies that ·bit [L consumed] the people [Ex. 8:20–32].
He sent frogs that destroyed them [Ex. 7:25—8:15].
46 He gave their crops to grasshoppers
and ·what they worked for [L their labor] to locusts [Ex. 10:1–20].
47 He ·destroyed [L killed] their vines with hail
and their ·sycamore [or fig] trees with ·sleet [or frost; or floods; Ex. 9:13–35].
48 He ·killed their animals with [L handed over their beasts to the] hail
and their cattle with lightning [Ex. 9:1–7].
49 He ·showed [L sent against] them his hot anger.
He sent his strong anger against them,
his ·destroying angels [or messengers of evil/harm].
50 He ·found a way to show [L made a path for] his anger.
He did not ·keep them from dying [L hold back their lives from death]
but ·let them die by a terrible disease [L handed their lives over to plague].
51 God ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn sons in Egypt [Ex. 12],
the ·oldest son of each family [L first of their virility in the tents] of Ham [C the ancestor of the Egyptians; Gen. 10:6].
52 But God led his people out like sheep
and he guided them like a flock through the ·desert [wilderness].
53 He led them to safety so they had nothing to fear,
but ·their enemies drowned in the sea [L the sea covered their enemies].
54 So God brought them to his holy ·land [L boundary],
to the mountain country ·he took with his own power [L his hand acquired].
55 He ·forced out [dispossessed before them] the other nations,
and he ·had his people inherit the land [L alloted the land as an inheritance].
He let the tribes of Israel settle there in tents.
56 But they tested God
and ·turned [rebelled] against God Most High;
they did not ·keep [observe; guard] his ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
57 They ·turned away [recoiled] and were disloyal just like their ·ancestors [fathers].
They ·were like [turned into] a ·crooked bow that does not shoot straight [slack bow; C unreliable and ineffective].
58 They made God angry ·by building places to worship gods [L with their high places; C worship sites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God; Deut. 12:2–3];
they made him jealous with their idols.
59 When God heard them, he became very angry
and rejected the people of Israel completely.
60 He ·left [cast off] his dwelling at Shiloh,
the Tent where he lived among the people.
61 He let his ·Power [Strength; C the Ark] be captured;
he let his ·glory [beauty; C the Ark] be taken by ·enemies [L the hand of the foe; 1 Sam. 4–5].
62 He ·let his people be killed [L handed his people over to the sword];
he was very angry with his ·children [L inheritance].
63 The young men ·died [L were consumed] by fire,
and the young women ·had no one to marry [had no wedding songs; or could not sing a lament for them].
64 Their priests fell by the sword [1 Sam. 4:12–22],
but their widows were not allowed to cry.
65 Then the Lord ·got up [awoke] as if he had been asleep;
·he awoke like a man [L like a soldier] who had been ·drunk with [shouting/singing because of] wine.
66 He struck ·down [L back] his enemies
and ·disgraced them forever [L placed on them eternal scorn/reproach].
67 But God rejected the ·family [L tent] of Joseph [C the tribe of Ephraim];
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim [C the most important northern tribe, here representing the house of Saul].
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah
and Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple], which he loves.
69 And he built his ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place] ·high like the mountains [or like the high heavens].
Like the earth, ·he built it to last [L its foundations are] forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant
and took him from the sheep pens.
71 He brought him from tending the ·sheep [L ewes]
so he could ·lead the flock, [shepherd] the people of Jacob,
his ·own people [inheritance], the people of Israel.
72 And David ·led [shepherded] them with an ·innocent [blameless] heart
and guided them with skillful hands.
A Song of Praise to God
26 ·At that time [L In that day] this song will be sung in Judah:
We have a strong city.
·God protects us with [L His salvation/deliverance is] its strong walls and defenses.
2 Open the gates,
and the ·good people [righteous nation] will enter,
those who ·follow God [remain faithful].
3 You, Lord, ·give [preserve/keep in] ·true peace [complete peace; L peace, peace]
·to those who depend on you [T whose mind is stayed on you; L whose purpose is firm],
because they trust you.
4 So, trust the Lord always,
because ·he [L in Yah, the Lord/Yahweh; C Yah is a shorter version of Yahweh] is our ·Rock forever [eternal rock].
5 He will ·destroy [humble; bring down] ·the people of that proud city [L those who dwell on a high place],
He will bring that ·high [lofty; arrogant] city down to the ground
and throw it down into the dust.
6 ·Then those who were hurt by the city will walk on its ruins [L The foot tramples it down, the feet of the oppressed];
·those who were made poor by the city will trample it under their feet [L the footsteps of the poor (will trample it)].
7 The ·path [way] of life is level for ·those who are right with God [the righteous];
·Lord [or Upright One], you make the way of life ·smooth [straight; level] for those people.
8 But, Lord, we are waiting
·for your [or in the] ·way of justice [or path/way of your judgments].
Our souls ·want to remember [or desire; or wish to see glorified]
·you [your renown; your remembrance] and your name.
9 My soul ·wants to be with [longs/yearns for] you at night,
and my spirit ·wants to be with [seeks; longs for] you ·at the dawn of every day [in the morning].
When your ·way of justice [judgment] comes to the ·land [earth],
·people [the inhabitants] of the world will learn ·the right way of living [righteousness; justice].
10 Evil people will not learn ·to do good [righteousness; justice]
even if you show them ·kindness [mercy; grace].
They will continue ·doing evil [acting unjustly], even if they live in a ·good world [land of uprightness];
they never see the Lord’s ·greatness [majesty].
11 Lord, ·you are ready to punish those people [L your hand is lifted up; C ready to strike],
but they do not see that.
·Show them your strong love for your people [L They will see your zeal for your people; or They will see your zealous judgment against mankind].
·Then those who are evil [L …and they] will be ashamed.
·Burn [Consume] them in the fire
·you have prepared for [L of] your ·enemies [adversaries].
12 Lord, all our ·success is [accomplishments/works are] because of what you have done,
·so give us peace [or and you give us peace/security].
13 Lord, our God, other masters besides you have ruled us,
but we ·honor [praise; remember] only ·you [L your name].
14 ·Those masters are now dead [L They are dead, never to live];
their ·ghosts [spirits] will not rise from death.
You punished and destroyed them
and erased any memory of them.
15 Lord, you ·multiplied the number of your people [enlarged/made great the nation];
you ·multiplied them [enlarged/made great the nation] and brought ·honor [glory] to yourself.
You ·widened [enlarged; extended] the borders of the land.
16 Lord, people ·remember [seek; come to] you when they are in trouble;
they ·say quiet prayers to you [or utter incantations] when you punish them.
17 Lord, ·when we are with you [or because of you],
we are like a woman giving birth to a baby;
she cries and has pain from the birth.
18 ·In the same way [L We were pregnant/conceived], we ·had pain [writhed; strained].
We gave birth, but only to wind.
We ·don’t bring [or can’t bring; haven’t brought] salvation to the ·land [earth]
·or given birth to new people for the world [L nor have the inhabitants of the earth fallen].
19 Your dead will live again;
their bodies will rise from death.
You who ·lie in the ground [L dwell in the dust],
wake up and ·be happy [shout joyfully]!
·The dew covering you [L Your dew] is ·like the dew of a new day [L a dew of lights];
the ·ground [earth] will give birth to the dead.
Judgment: Reward or Punishment
20 My people, go into your ·rooms [chambers; inner rooms]
and shut your doors behind you.
Hide in your rooms for a short time
until God’s anger ·is finished [has passed by].
21 [L For look/T behold] The Lord ·will leave [is coming out of] his place
to punish the ·people [inhabitants] of the world for their sins.
The earth will ·show [reveal; disclose] ·the blood of the people who have been killed [L its blood];
it will not cover ·the dead [its slain] any longer.
Warning Against False Teachers
4 ·My dear friends [L Beloved], many false prophets [Deut. 13:1–5; 18:14–22; Mark 13:22] have gone out into the world. So do not ·believe [trust] every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are from God [C the false teachers evidently claimed that their teaching was from the Spirit; 1 Cor. 12:1–3; 14:29; 1 Thess. 5:19–21]. 2 This is how you can ·know [recognize] God’s Spirit: Every spirit [C a teacher/prophet claiming inspiration from the Spirit] who ·confesses [acknowledges] that Jesus Christ came ·to earth as a human [L in the flesh] is from God. 3 And every spirit who ·refuses to say this about Jesus [L does not confess/acknowledge Jesus] is not from God [2 John 7]. It is the spirit of the ·enemy of Christ [L antichrist; 2:18, 22], which you have heard is coming, and now he is already in the world.
4 ·My dear children [2:1], you ·belong to [L are from] God and have ·defeated [conquered; overcome] them [C the antichrists/false teachers]; because ·God’s Spirit, who is in you, is greater than the devil, who is in the world [L that which is in you is greater than that which is in the world]. 5 And they ·belong to [L are from] the world, so what they say is from the world, and the world ·listens to [hears; obeys] them. 6 But we ·belong to [are from] God, and those who know God ·listen to [hear; obey] us. But those who are not from God do not ·listen to [hear; obey] us. That is how we ·know [recognize] the Spirit that is true and the spirit that ·is false [deceives; errs].
Love Comes from God
7 ·Dear friends [L Beloved], ·we should [let us] love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has ·become God’s child [L been begotten/fathered by God] and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God ·showed [revealed] his love to us: He sent his one and only Son into the world so that we could have life through him. 10 This is what real love is: It is not our love for God; it is God’s love for us. He sent his Son ·to die in our place to take away our sins [as the atoning sacrifice/T propitiation for our sins; see 2:2].
11 ·Dear friends [Beloved], if God loved us ·that much [or in this way; John 3:16] we also should love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God [C God the Father; John 1:18], but if we love each other, God ·lives [remains; abides] ·in [or among] us, and his love ·is made perfect [is made complete; comes to full expression] in us.
13 [L By this] We know that we ·live [abide; remain] in God and he ·lives [abides; remains] in us, because he gave us [L of; from; 3:24] his Spirit [C we share in his Spirit]. 14 We have seen and can ·testify [witness; proclaim] that the Father sent his Son ·to be [or as] the Savior of the world. 15 Whoever ·confesses [acknowledges] that Jesus is the Son of God has God ·living [abiding; remaining] inside, and that person ·lives [abides; remains] in God. 16 And so we ·know [have come to know] the love that God has for us, and we ·trust [believe; rely on] that love.
God is love. Those who ·live [abide; remain] in love ·live [abide; remain] in God, and God ·lives [abides; remains] in them. 17 This is how love ·is made perfect [is made complete; comes to full expression] ·in [or among] us: that we can ·be without fear [have boldness; have confidence; 2:28; 3:21; 5:14] on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him [C probably referring to Christ, our example of love]. 18 ·Where God’s love is, there is no fear [L There is no fear in love], because ·God’s perfect love drives out fear [T perfect love casts out fear]. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made ·perfect [complete] in the person who fears [C fear of punishment, not an appropriate fear of God; compare Prov. 1:7; 2 Cor. 7:15; Phil. 2:12].
19 We love because ·God [L he] first loved us. 20 If people say, “I love God,” but hate their brothers or sisters [C fellow believers], they are liars. [L For] Those who do not love their brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen. 21 And ·God gave us this command [L we have this command from him]: Those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters [C fellow believers; John 13:34].
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