M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Land for Zelophehad’s Daughters
36 The leaders of ·Gilead’s family group [L the clan of the sons/descendants of Gilead] went to talk to Moses and the leaders of the ·families [clans] of ·Israel [L sons/T children of Israel]. (Gilead was the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, the son of Joseph.) 2 They said, “The Lord commanded you, our ·master [lord], to give the land for inheritance to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] by throwing lots [C perhaps the Urim and Thummim; Ex. 28:30; Lev. 8:8], and the Lord commanded you, our master [lord], to give for inheritance the land of Zelophehad, our brother, to his daughters [27:1–11]. 3 But if his daughters marry ·men [L sons] from other tribes of ·Israel [L the sons/T children of Israel], then ·that land will leave our family [L their inheritance will be taken from the inheritance of our ancestors/fathers], and the people of the other tribes will get that land. So ·we will lose some of our land [L part of our allotted portion will be lost]. 4 When the time of Jubilee [C every fiftieth year; Lev. 25:8–55] comes for the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], their land will go to the tribes of the people they marry; ·their land will be taken away from us, the land we received from our fathers [L the inheritance of the tribe of our ancestors/fathers will be deprived of inheritance].”
5 Then Moses gave the ·Israelites [L the sons/T children of Israel] this command from the Lord: “These men from the ·tribe [L sons; descendants] of Joseph are right. 6 This is the Lord’s command to Zelophehad’s daughters: You may marry anyone you wish, as long as the person is from ·your [L a clan of your] own tribe. 7 In this way the ·Israelites’ land [L inheritance of the sons/T children of Israel] will not pass from tribe to tribe, and each ·Israelite [L son/child of Israel] will keep the land in the tribe that belonged to his ·ancestors [fathers]. 8 A woman who inherits her father’s land may marry, but she must marry someone from ·her own [L a clan of her own] tribe. In this way every ·Israelite [L son/child of Israel] will keep the land that belonged to his ·ancestors [fathers]. 9 The ·land [inheritance] must not pass from tribe to tribe, and each ·Israelite tribe [L tribe of the sons/T children of Israel] will keep the land it ·received [inherited] from its ·ancestors [fathers].”
10 Zelophehad’s daughters obeyed the Lord’s command to Moses.
11 So Zelophehad’s daughters—Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah—married ·their cousins, their father’s relatives [L sons of their father’s brothers]. 12 Their husbands were from the ·tribe of [L clan of the sons of] Manasseh son of Joseph, so their ·land [inheritance] stayed in their father’s ·family group [clan] and tribe.
13 These were the laws and commands that the Lord gave to the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] through Moses on the plains of Moab by the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
A Prayer to Bring Israel Back
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies of the Agreement.” A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
80 Shepherd of Israel, ·listen to us [give ear].
You ·lead [guide] the people of Joseph [C the northern empire of Israel] like a flock.
You sit on your throne between the ·gold creatures with wings [L cherubim; Ex. 25:18–22; 1 Kin. 8:7].
·Show your greatness [L Shine forth] 2 to the people of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
·Use [Arouse] your strength,
and come to ·save us [give us victory].
3 God, ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
4 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
how long will you ·be angry [L smoke/fume at us]
at the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed your people ·with tears [L the bread/food of tears];
you have made them drink ·many tears [tears by measure/L the third].
6 You made ·those around us fight over us [L us the strife of our neighbors],
and our enemies ·make fun of [ridicule] us.
7 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
8 You brought ·us out of Egypt as if we were a vine [L a vine out of Egypt; Gen. 49:22; Is. 5:1–7; 27:2–6; Jer. 2:21; 12:10; Ezek. 15:1–8; 19:10–14; Hos. 10:1].
You ·forced out [dispossessed] other nations and planted us in the land.
9 You cleared the ground for us.
We took root and filled the land.
10 We covered the mountains with our shade.
We had branches like the mighty cedar tree.
11 Our branches reached the Mediterranean Sea,
and our shoots went to the Euphrates River.
12 So why did you ·pull [break] down our walls?
Now everyone who passes by ·steals from us [picks our fruit].
13 Like ·wild pigs [L boars of the forest] they ·walk over us [ravage us; gobble us up];
like ·wild animals [L creatures of the field] they feed on us.
14 God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·come back [restore us].
Look down from heaven and see.
Take care of us, your vine.
15 You planted this ·shoot [root] with your own hands
and strengthened this child [C the king].
16 Now it is cut down and burned with fire;
you destroyed us by ·your angry looks [L the rebuke of your face].
17 ·With your hand,
strengthen the one you have chosen for yourself [L Let your hand be on the man of your right hand; C the king].
18 Then we will not ·turn away from [deviate from; be disloyal to] you.
Give us life again, and we will call ·to you for help [L on your name].
19 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], ·take us back [restore us].
·Show us your kindness [L Make your face shine on us; 31:16; 67:1; Num. 6:24–26] so we can ·be saved [have victory].
Warnings to Israel
28 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] Samaria [C the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel], the pride of ·Israel’s [L Ephraim’s] drunken people!
That beautiful ·crown [wreath; garland] of flowers is ·just a dying plant [fading]
set on ·a hill above [L the head of] a rich valley ·where drunkards live [of those overcome with wine].
2 Look, the Lord has someone who is strong and powerful.
Like a storm of hail and ·strong [destructive] wind,
like a sudden flood of water pouring over the country,
he will throw Samaria down to the ground [L with his hand].
3 That city, the pride of ·Israel’s [L Ephraim’s] drunken people,
will be trampled underfoot.
4 That beautiful ·crown [wreath; garland] of flowers is ·just a dying plant [fading]
set on ·a hill above [L the head of] a rich valley.
That city will be like the first ripe fig of summer.
Anyone who sees it
quickly ·picks it [takes it in hand] and ·eats [swallows] it.
5 ·At that time [L In that day] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]
·will be like [L will be] a beautiful crown,
·like a wonderful [a beautiful] ·crown of flowers [wreath; garland; diadem]
for ·his people who are left alive [the remnant of his people].
6 Then he will give ·wisdom [a spirit of justice/judgment] to ·the judges who must decide cases [L those who sit in judgment]
and strength to those who battle at the city gate.
7 But now those leaders ·are drunk [reel] with wine;
they ·stumble [stagger] from drinking too much ·beer [T strong drink; C alcoholic beverage made from grain].
The priests and prophets ·are drunk [stagger] with ·beer [T strong drink]
and are ·filled with [swallowed by; or confused because of] wine.
They stumble from too much ·beer [T strong drink].
·The prophets [L They] ·are drunk [stagger] when they see their visions;
·the judges [they] stumble ·when they make their decisions [in judgment].
8 Every table is covered with vomit,
so there is not a clean place anywhere.
9 ·The Lord is trying to teach the people a lesson [L Who is he teaching knowledge?];
·he is trying to make them understand his teachings [L To whom is he explaining the message?].
·But the people are like babies too old for breast milk [Those weaned from milk?],
·like those who no longer nurse at their mother’s breast [Those taken from the breast?].
10 So ·they make fun of the Lord’s prophet and say [or the Lord must repeat himself again and again; L For it is]:
“·A command here, a command there [T Precept upon precept, precept upon precept].
·A rule here, a rule there [T Line upon line, line upon line; C Hebrew: tsav latsav tsav latsav / kav lakav kav lakav; it may be the people mocking the words of the prophets as nonsense; or it may refer to God repeating himself because the people will not listen].
A little lesson here, a little lesson there [L A little there, a little there].”
11 So the Lord will use ·strange words [mocking/stammering lips] and foreign ·languages [tongues]
to speak to these people.
12 God said to them,
“Here is a place of rest;
let the ·tired people [weary] come and rest.
This is the place of peace.”
But the people would not listen.
13 So the words of the Lord will be,
“·A command here, a command there [T Precept upon precept, precept upon precept].
·A rule here, a rule there [T Line upon line, line upon line].
·A little lesson here, a little lesson there [L A little there, a little there; C see v. 10; God now uses the same words to mimic the foreign language of the Assyrian invaders].”
They will fall back and be ·defeated [broken];
they will be ·trapped and captured [snared and taken].
14 So listen to the Lord’s message, you who ·brag [mock; scoff; Prov. 1:22; 9:7, 8, 12; 13:1],
you ·leaders [L who rule this people] in Jerusalem.
15 You say, “We have made an ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with death;
we have a ·contract [agreement; pact] with ·death [or the grave; L Sheol].
When ·terrible punishment [an overwhelming scourge/flood] passes by,
it won’t ·hurt [touch; reach] us.
Our lies ·will keep us safe [L are our refuge],
and ·our tricks [falsehood] ·will hide us [is our refuge/shelter].”
16 Because of these things, this is what the Lord God says:
“I will ·put [lay; establish] a stone in the ground in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
a tested stone.
·Everything will be built on this important and precious rock [L …a precious cornerstone for a firm foundation].
Anyone who trusts in it will never ·be disappointed [or panic; waver; be shaken; Rom. 9:33; 1 Pet. 2:6].
17 I will use justice as a measuring line
and ·goodness [righteousness] as the ·standard [plumb line].
The lies you ·hide behind [take refuge in] will be ·destroyed [swept away] as if by hail.
·They [Your hiding place/shelter] will be washed away as if in a flood.
18 Your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with death will be ·erased [annulled];
your contract with ·death [or the grave; L Sheol] will not ·help you [stand; last].
When ·terrible punishment [overwhelming scourge/flood] comes,
you will be ·crushed [beaten down] by it.
19 Whenever ·punishment [L it] comes, it will take you away.
It will come morning after morning;
it will ·defeat you [sweep through] by day and by night.
Those who understand this punishment will be terrified.”
20 ·You will be like the person who tried to sleep
on a bed that was too short [L For the bed is too short to stretch out on]
and ·with a blanket that [L the blanket] was too narrow
to wrap around himself.
21 The Lord will ·fight [L rise up] as he did at Mount Perazim [2 Sam. 5:20].
He will be ·angry [rouse himself] as he was in the Valley of Gibeon [Josh. 10:10–14].
He will do his work, his ·strange [peculiar] work.
He will finish his job, his ·strange [unusual] job.
22 Now, ·you must not make fun of these things [do not mock; or stop your mocking],
or the ·ropes [or chains; bonds] around you will become ·tighter [or heavier].
The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has ·told me [decreed to me]
how the whole ·earth [land] will be destroyed.
The Lord Punishes Fairly
23 Listen closely to ·what I tell you [my voice];
·listen carefully to [pay attention to; heed] what I say.
24 ·A farmer does not [L Does the plower…?] plow his field all the time;
·he does not [L does he…?] go on working the soil.
25 ·He makes [Does he not make…?] the ground flat and smooth.
Then he plants the dill and scatters the cumin.
·He plants [Does he not plant…?] the wheat in rows,
the barley in its special place,
and other wheat as a border around the field.
26 His God ·teaches [instructs] him
and ·shows [teaches] him the right way.
27 A farmer doesn’t use ·heavy boards to crush [a sledge to thresh] dill;
he doesn’t use a wagon wheel to crush cumin.
He uses a small stick to break open the dill,
and with a ·stick [rod; flail] he opens the cumin.
28 The grain is ground to make bread.
People do not ruin it by ·crushing [threshing] it forever.
The farmer separates the wheat from the chaff with his cart,
but he does not let his horses ·grind [crush] it.
29 This lesson [C that the Lord’s punishment fits the sin] also comes from the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
who gives wonderful ·advice [counsel; 9:6], who ·is very wise [or gives excellent/great wisdom].
Do Not Help False Teachers
1 From the ·Elder [or old man; C Greek: presbyteros, referring to advanced age, a church office, or both; 1 Tim. 5:17; Titus 1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1; see 3 John 1].
To the ·chosen [elect] lady [C most likely a metaphor for a church] and her children [C the members of that church]:
I love all of you in the truth [C the truth about the Gospel of Jesus Christ], and all those who know the truth love you. 2 We love you because of the truth that ·lives [abides; remains] in us and will be with us forever.
3 Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, will be with us in truth and love.
4 I ·was very happy [rejoiced greatly] to learn that some of your children are ·following the way of [living by; L walking in] truth [C living as the Gospel requires], as the Father commanded us. 5 And now, dear lady, this is not a new command [L I am writing] but is the same command we have had from the beginning. I ask you that we all love each other. 6 And ·love means [L this is love:] ·living the way God commanded us to live [L walking according to his commands]. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is this: ·Live a life of love [L You must walk in it; C that is, in love; Rom. 13:1–10].
7 [L For] Many ·false teachers [deceivers] ·are in [L have gone out into] the world now [Mark 13:5–6, 22] who do not confess that Jesus Christ came to earth ·as a human [T in the flesh]. Anyone who does not confess this is ·a false teacher [L the deceiver] and ·an enemy of Christ [L the antichrist; C one who radically opposes Christ; 1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3]. 8 ·Be careful [Watch] yourselves that you do not lose everything you[a] have worked for, but that you receive your full reward.
9 Anyone who ·goes beyond [runs ahead of] Christ’s teaching and does not ·continue to follow only his teaching [L abide/remain in it] does not have God. But whoever ·continues to follow [L abides/remains in] ·the teaching of Christ [L the teaching] has both the Father and the Son. 10 If someone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not ·greet [welcome] that person or ·accept [receive] them into your house. 11 If you welcome such a person, you ·share [participate] in the evil work.
12 I have many things to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to ·come to [visit] you and talk face to face so ·we can be full of joy [our joy can be complete]. 13 The children of your ·chosen [elect] sister [see 1:1; C probably refers to another church] greet you [3 John 13–14].
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