M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Who Can Join in Worship With the Lord’s People?
23 No man whose sex organs have been crushed or cut can join in worship with the Lord’s people.
2 No one born to an unmarried woman can join in worship with the Lord’s people. That also applies to the person’s children for all time to come.
3 The people of Ammon and Moab can’t join in worship with the Lord’s people. That also applies to their children after them for all time to come. 4 The Ammonites and Moabites didn’t come to meet you with food and water on your way out of Egypt. They even hired Balaam from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to put a curse on you. Balaam was the son of Beor. 5 The Lord your God wouldn’t listen to Balaam. Instead, he turned the curse into a blessing for you. He did it because he loves you. 6 So don’t make a peace treaty with the Ammonites and Moabites as long as you live.
7 Don’t hate the people of Edom. They are your relatives. Don’t hate the people of Egypt. After all, you lived as outsiders in their country. 8 The great-grandchildren of the Edomites and Egyptians can join in worship with the Lord’s people.
Keep the Camp of the Soldiers Pure and “Clean”
9 There will be times when you are at war with your enemies. And your soldiers will be in camp. Then keep away from anything that isn’t pure and “clean.” 10 Suppose semen flows from the body of one of your soldiers during the night. Then that will make him “unclean.” He must go outside the camp and stay there. 11 But as evening approaches, he must wash himself. When the sun goes down, he can return to the camp.
12 Choose a place outside the camp where you can go to the toilet. 13 Keep a shovel among your tools. When you go to the toilet, dig a hole. Then cover up your waste. 14 The Lord your God walks around in your camp. He’s there to keep you safe. He’s also there to hand your enemies over to you. So your camp must be holy. Then he won’t see anything among you that is shameful. He won’t turn away from you.
Several Other Laws
15 If a slave comes to you for safety, don’t hand them over to their master. 16 Let them live among you anywhere they want to. Let them live in any town they choose. Don’t treat them badly.
17 A man or woman in Israel must not become a temple prostitute. 18 The Lord your God hates the money that men and women get for being prostitutes. So don’t take that money into the house of the Lord to pay what you promised to give.
19 Don’t charge your own people any interest. Don’t charge them when they borrow money, food or anything else. 20 You can charge interest to people from another country. But don’t charge your own people. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do. He will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your own.
21 Don’t put off giving to the Lord your God everything you promise him. He will certainly require it from you. And you will be guilty of committing a sin. 22 But if you don’t make a promise, you won’t be guilty. 23 Make sure you do what you promised to do. With your own mouth you made the promise to the Lord your God. No one forced you to do it.
24 When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, you can eat all the grapes you want. But don’t put any of them in your basket. 25 When you enter your neighbor’s field, you can pick heads of grain. But don’t cut down their standing grain.
112 Praise the Lord.
Blessed are those who have respect for the Lord.
They find great delight when they obey God’s commands.
2 Their children will be powerful in the land.
Because they are honest, their children will be blessed.
3 Their family will have wealth and riches.
They will always be blessed for doing what is right.
4 Even in the darkness light shines on honest people.
It shines on those who are kind and tender and godly.
5 Good things will come to those who are willing to lend freely.
Good things will come to those who are fair in everything they do.
6 Those who do what is right will always be secure.
They will be remembered forever.
7 They aren’t afraid when bad news comes.
They stand firm because they trust in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are secure. They aren’t afraid.
In the end they will see their enemies destroyed.
9 They have spread their gifts around to poor people.
Their good works continue forever.
They will be powerful and honored.
10 Evil people will see it and be upset.
They will grind their teeth and become weaker and weaker.
What evil people long to do can’t succeed.
113 Praise the Lord.
Praise him, you who serve the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let us praise the name of the Lord,
both now and forever.
3 From the sunrise in the east to the sunset in the west,
may the name of the Lord be praised.
4 The Lord is honored over all the nations.
His glory reaches to the highest heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God?
He sits on his throne in heaven.
6 He bends down to look
at the heavens and the earth.
7 He raises poor people up from the trash pile.
He lifts needy people out of the ashes.
8 He causes them to sit with princes.
He causes them to sit with the princes of his people.
9 He gives children to the woman who doesn’t have any children.
He makes her a happy mother in her own home.
Praise the Lord.
Israel Sins but the Lord’s Servant Obeys
50 The Lord says to the people in Jerusalem,
“Do you think I divorced your people who lived before you?
Is that why I sent them away?
If it is, show me the letter of divorce.
I did not sell you into slavery to pay someone I owe.
You were sold because you sinned against me.
Your people were sent away because of their lawless acts.
2 When I came to save you, why didn’t anyone welcome me?
When I called out to you, why didn’t anyone answer me?
Wasn’t I powerful enough to set you free?
Wasn’t I strong enough to save you?
I dry up the sea with a single command.
I turn rivers into a desert.
Then fish rot because they do not have any water.
They die because they are thirsty.
3 I make the sky turn dark.
It looks as if it’s dressed in clothing sad people wear.”
4 The Lord and King has taught me what to say.
He has taught me how to help those who are tired.
He wakes me up every morning.
He makes me want to listen like a good student.
5 The Lord and King has unplugged my ears.
I’ve always obeyed him.
I haven’t turned away from him.
6 I let my enemies beat me on my bare back.
I let them pull the hair out of my beard.
I didn’t turn my face away
when they made fun of me and spit on me.
7 The Lord and King helps me.
He won’t let me be dishonored.
So I’ve made up my mind to keep on serving him.
I know he won’t let me be put to shame.
8 He is near. He will prove I haven’t done anything wrong.
So who will bring charges against me?
Let’s face each other in court!
Who can bring charges against me?
Let him come and face me!
9 The Lord and King helps me.
So who will judge me?
My enemies will be like clothes that moths have eaten up.
My enemies will disappear.
10 Does anyone among you have respect for the Lord?
Does anyone obey the message of the Lord’s servant?
Let the person who walks in the dark
trust in the Lord.
Let the one who doesn’t have any light to guide them
depend on their God.
11 But all you sinners who light fires
should go ahead and walk in their light.
You who carry flaming torches
should walk in their light.
Here’s what I’m going to do to you.
I’ll make you lie down in great pain.
The Thousand Years
20 I saw an angel coming down out of heaven. He had the key to the Abyss. In his hand he held a heavy chain. 2 He grabbed the dragon, that old serpent. The serpent is also called the devil, or Satan. The angel put him in chains for 1,000 years. 3 Then he threw him into the Abyss. He locked it and sealed him in. This was to keep Satan from causing the nations to believe his lies anymore. Satan will be locked away until the 1,000 years are ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
4 I saw thrones. Those who had been given authority to judge were sitting on them. I also saw the souls of those whose heads had been cut off. They had been killed because they had spoken what was true about Jesus. They had also been killed because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its statue. They had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and ruled with Christ for 1,000 years. 5 This is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the 1,000 years were ended. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them. They will be priests of God and of Christ. They will rule with him for 1,000 years.
Satan Is Judged
7 When the 1,000 years are over, Satan will be set free from his prison. 8 He will go out to cause the nations to believe lies. He will gather them from the four corners of the earth. He will bring Gog and Magog together for battle. Their troops are as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the whole earth. They surrounded the place where God’s holy people were camped. It was the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and burned them up. 10 The devil had caused them to believe lies. He was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. That is where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will all suffer day and night for ever and ever.
The Dead Are Judged
11 I saw a great white throne. And I saw God sitting on it. When the earth and sky saw his face, they ran away. There was no place for them. 12 I saw the dead, great and small, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened. Then another book was opened. It was the book of life. The dead were judged by what they had done. The things they had done were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it. And Death and Hell gave up their dead. Each person was judged by what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hell were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
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