M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
25 Suppose two people don’t agree about something. Then they must take their case to court. The judges will decide the case. They will let the one who isn’t guilty go free. And they will punish the one who is guilty. 2 The guilty one might have done something that’s worthy of a beating. Then the judge will make them lie down and be beaten with a whip right there in court. The number of strokes should fit the crime. 3 But the judge must not give the guilty person more than 40 strokes. If more than that are used, you will have disrespected your Israelite neighbor.
4 Don’t stop an ox from eating while you use it to separate grain from straw.
5 Suppose two brothers are living near each other. And one of them dies without having a son. Then his widow must not marry anyone outside the family. Her husband’s brother should marry her. That’s what a brother-in-law is supposed to do. 6 Her first baby boy will be named after her first husband. Then the dead man’s name will continue in Israel.
7 But suppose the man doesn’t want to marry his brother’s wife. Then she will go to the elders at the gate of the town. She will say, “My husband’s brother refuses to keep his brother’s name alive in Israel. He won’t do for me what a brother-in-law is supposed to do.” 8 Then the elders in his town will send for him. They will talk to him. But he still might say, “I don’t want to marry her.” 9 Then his brother’s widow will go up to him in front of the elders. She’ll pull one of his sandals off his foot. She’ll spit in his face. And she’ll say, “That’s what we do to a man who won’t build up his brother’s family line.” 10 That man’s family line will be known in Israel as The Family of the Man Whose Sandal Was Pulled Off.
11 Suppose two men are fighting. And the wife of one of them comes to save her husband from his attacker. So she reaches out and grabs hold of his attacker’s private parts. 12 Then you must cut off her hand. Don’t feel sorry for her.
13 Don’t have two different scales. Don’t have scales that cause things to seem heavier or lighter than they really are. 14 And don’t have two different sets of measures. Don’t have measures that cause things to seem larger or smaller than they really are. 15 You must use weights and measures that are honest and exact. Then you will live a long time in the land the Lord your God is giving you. 16 He hates anyone who cheats.
17 Remember what the Amalekites did to you on your way out of Egypt. 18 You were tired and worn out. They met up with you on your journey. They attacked everyone who was lagging behind. They didn’t have any respect for God. 19 The Lord your God will give you peace and rest from all the enemies around you. He’ll do this in the land he’s giving you to take over as your very own. No one on earth will mention the Amalekites ever again because you will destroy them. Do not forget!
116 I love the Lord, because he heard my voice.
He heard my cry for his help.
2 Because he paid attention to me,
I will call out to him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me.
The horrors of the grave came over me.
I was overcome by sadness and sorrow.
4 Then I called out to the Lord.
I cried out, “Lord, save me!”
5 The Lord is holy and kind.
Our God is full of tender love.
6 The Lord takes care of those who are not aware of danger.
When I was in great need, he saved me.
7 I said to myself, “Be calm.
The Lord has been good to me.”
8 Lord, you have saved me from death.
You have dried the tears from my eyes.
You have kept me from tripping and falling.
9 So now I can enjoy life here with you
while I’m still living.
10 I trusted in the Lord even when I said to myself,
“I am in great pain.”
11 When I was terrified, I said to myself,
“No one tells the truth.”
12 The Lord has been so good to me!
How can I ever pay him back?
13 I will bring an offering of wine to the Lord
and thank him for saving me.
I will worship him.
14 In front of all the Lord’s people,
I will do what I promised him.
15 The Lord pays special attention
when his faithful people die.
16 Lord, I serve you.
I serve you just as my mother did.
You have set me free from the chains of my suffering.
17 Lord, I will sacrifice a thank offering to you.
I will worship you.
18 In front of all the Lord’s people,
I will do what I promised him.
19 I will keep my promise in the courtyards of the Lord’s temple.
I will keep my promise in Jerusalem itself.
Praise the Lord.
52 Wake up! Zion, wake up!
Dress yourself with strength as if it were your clothes.
Holy city of Jerusalem,
put on your clothes of glory.
Those who haven’t been circumcised will never enter you again.
Neither will those who are “unclean.”
2 Get up, Jerusalem! Shake off your dust.
Take your place on your throne.
Captured people of Zion,
remove the chains from your neck.
3 The Lord says,
“When you were sold as slaves, no one paid anything for you.
Now no one will pay any money to set you free.”
4 The Lord and King continues,
“Long ago my people went down to Egypt.
They lived there for a while.
Later, Assyria crushed them without any reason.
5 “Now look at what has happened to them,” announces the Lord.
“Once again my people have been taken away.
And no one paid anything for them.
Those who rule over them brag about it,”
announces the Lord.
“All day long without stopping,
people speak evil things against my name.
6 So the day will come when my people will really know the meaning of my name.
They will know what kind of God I am.
They will know that I told them ahead of time they would return to their land.
They will know that it was I.”
7 What a beautiful sight it is
to see messengers coming with good news!
How beautiful to see them coming down from the mountains
with a message about peace!
How wonderful it is when they bring the good news
that we are saved!
How wonderful when they say to Zion,
“Your God rules!”
8 Listen! Those on guard duty are shouting out the message.
With their own eyes
they see the Lord returning to Zion.
So they shout for joy.
9 Burst into songs of joy together,
you broken-down buildings in Jerusalem.
The Lord has comforted his people.
He has set Jerusalem free.
10 The Lord will use the power of his holy arm to save his people.
All the nations will see him do it.
Everyone from one end of the earth to the other will see it.
11 You who carry the objects that belong to the Lord’s temple, leave Babylon!
Leave it! Get out of there!
Don’t touch anything that isn’t pure and “clean.”
Come out of Babylon and be pure.
12 But this time you won’t have to leave in a hurry.
You won’t have to rush away.
The Lord will go ahead of you and lead you.
The God of Israel will follow behind you and guard you.
The Suffering and Glory of the Lord’s Servant
13 The Lord says, “My servant will act wisely and accomplish his task.
He will be highly honored. He will be greatly respected.
14 Many people were shocked when they saw him.
He was so scarred that he no longer looked like a person.
His body was so twisted that he did not look like a human being anymore.
15 But many nations will be surprised when they see what he has done.
Kings will be so amazed that they will not be able to say anything.
They will understand things they were never told.
They will know the meaning of things they never heard.”
The Earth Is Made Like New Again
22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life. It was as clear as crystal. It flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 It flowed down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing 12 crops of fruit. Its fruit was ripe every month. The leaves of the tree bring healing to the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city. God’s servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face. His name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. The Lord God will give them light. They will rule for ever and ever.
John and the Angel
6 The angel said to me, “You can trust these words. They are true. The Lord is the God who gives messages to the prophets. He sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.”
7 “Look! I am coming soon! Words of prophecy are written in this book. Blessed is the person who obeys them.”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. After that, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel. He is the one who had been showing me these things. 9 But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I serve God, just as you do. I am God’s servant, just like the other prophets. And I serve God along with all who obey the words of this book. Worship God!”
10 Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy in this book. These things are about to happen. 11 Let the person who does wrong keep on doing wrong. Let the evil person continue to be evil. Let the person who does right keep on doing what is right. And let the holy person continue to be holy.”
The Revelation Ends With Warnings and Blessings
12 “Look! I am coming soon! I bring my rewards with me. I will reward each person for what they have done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the First and the Last. I am the Beginning and the End.
14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will have the right to come to the tree of life. They will be allowed to go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside the city are those who are impure. These people include those who practice witchcraft. Outside are also those who commit sexual sins and murder. Outside are those who worship statues of gods. And outside is everyone who loves and does what is false.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this witness for the churches. I am the Root and the Son of David. I am the bright Morning Star.”
17 The Holy Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And the person who hears should say, “Come!” Anyone who is thirsty should come. Anyone who wants to take the free gift of the water of life should do so.
18 I am warning everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. Suppose someone adds anything to them. Then God will add to that person the plagues told about in this book. 19 Suppose someone takes away any words from this book of prophecy. Then God will take away from that person the blessings told about in this book. God will take away their share in the tree of life. God will also take away their place in the Holy City.
20 Jesus is a witness about these things. He says, “Yes. I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21 May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
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