M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Sins Which Require an Offering for Sin
5 ⌞The Lord continued,⌟ “Now, if you are a witness under oath and won’t tell what you saw or what you know, you are sinning and will be punished.
2 “If you touch anything unclean [a]—the unclean dead body of a wild or tame animal or the body of an unclean, swarming creature—and then ignore what you did, you are unclean and will be guilty.
3 “If you become unclean by touching human uncleanness of any kind and then ignore it (although you know what you did), you will be guilty.
4 “If you hastily take a vow about what you will or will not do (as some people do) and then ignore it (although you know what you said), you will be guilty.
5 “So if you are guilty of any of these sins, you must confess it. 6 Bring your guilt offering to the Lord for the sin you committed. It must be a female sheep or goat as an offering for sin. Then the priest will make peace with the Lord for what you did wrong.
If You Cannot Afford a Sheep
7 “Now, if you cannot afford a sheep, you must bring to the Lord two mourning doves or two pigeons as a guilt offering for the sin you committed. One will be an offering for sin, the other a burnt offering. 8 Bring them to the priest, and he will sacrifice the offering for sin first. He will break the bird’s neck without pulling its head off. 9 He will sprinkle some of the blood from the offering for sin on the side of the altar, and the rest of the blood will be drained at the bottom of the altar. It is an offering for sin. 10 Then, following the proper procedures, he will sacrifice the second bird as a burnt offering. So the priest will make peace with the Lord for what you did wrong.
If You Cannot Afford Two Mourning Doves
11 “But if you cannot afford two mourning doves or two pigeons, then bring eight cups of flour as an offering for the sin you committed. Never put olive oil on it or add incense to it, because it is an offering for sin. 12 Bring it to the priest. The priest will take a handful of it. He will burn it as a reminder on top of the offering by fire to the Lord on the altar. It is an offering for sin. 13 So the priest will make peace with the Lord for what you did wrong, and you will be forgiven. The offering will belong to the priest like the grain offering.”
For Unintentional Wrongdoing against the Lord’s Property
14 The Lord spoke to Moses, 15 “If any of you fail to do your duty by unintentionally doing something wrong with any of the Lord’s holy things, bring a guilt offering to the Lord. It must be a ram that has no defects or its value in silver weighed according to the official standards of the holy place. 16 Pay for whatever holy things you used plus one-fifth more. Give it to the priest. So the priest will use the ram sacrificed for the guilt offering to make peace with the Lord for what you did wrong, and you will be forgiven.
For Unintentionally Disobeying the Lord’s Commands
17 “If any of you do wrong—even one thing forbidden by any of the Lord’s commands, but you didn’t know it—when you realize your guilt, you must be punished. 18 You must bring the priest a ram that has no defects from the flock or its value in money for a guilt offering. The priest will make peace with the Lord for the wrong you did unintentionally (although you didn’t know what you did), and you will be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering because you are certainly guilty as far as the Lord is concerned.”
A psalm by David when he fled from his son Absalom.
3 O Lord, look how my enemies have increased!
Many are attacking me.
2 Many are saying about me,
“Even with God ⌞on his side⌟,
he won’t be victorious.” Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield that surrounds me.
You are my glory.
You hold my head high.
4 I call aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep.
I wake up again because the Lord continues to support me.
6 I am not afraid of the tens of thousands
who have taken positions against me on all sides.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
You have slapped all my enemies in the face.
You have smashed the teeth of wicked people.
8 Victory belongs to the Lord!
May your blessing rest on your people. Selah
For the choir director; with stringed instruments; a psalm by David.
4 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness.
You have freed me from my troubles.
Have pity on me, and hear my prayer!
2 You important people,
how long are you going to insult my honor?
How long are you going to love what is empty
and seek what is a lie? Selah
3 Know that the Lord singles out godly people for himself.
The Lord hears me when I call to him.
4 Tremble and do not sin.
Think about this on your bed and remain quiet. Selah
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness
by trusting the Lord.
6 Many are saying, “Who can show us anything good?”
Let the light of your presence shine on us, O Lord.
7 You put more joy in my heart
than when their grain and new wine increase.
8 I fall asleep in peace the moment I lie down
because you alone, O Lord, enable me to live securely.
20 Wine ⌞makes people⌟ mock,
liquor ⌞makes them⌟ noisy,
and everyone under their influence is unwise.
2 The rage of a king is like the roar of a lion.
Whoever makes him angry forfeits his life.
3 Avoiding a quarrel is honorable.
After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight.
4 A lazy person does not plow in the fall.[a]
He looks for something in the harvest but finds nothing.
5 A motive in the human heart is like deep water,
and a person who has understanding draws it out.
6 Many people declare themselves loyal,
but who can find someone who is ⌞really⌟ trustworthy?
7 A righteous person lives on the basis of his integrity.
Blessed are his children after he is gone.
8 A king who sits on his throne to judge sifts out every evil with his eyes.
9 Who can say,
“I’ve made my heart pure.
I’m cleansed from my sin”?
10 A double standard of weights and measures—
both are disgusting to the Lord.
11 Even a child makes himself known by his actions,
whether his deeds are pure or right.
12 The ear that hears,
the eye that sees—
the Lord made them both.
13 Do not love sleep or you will end up poor.
Keep your eyes open, and you will have plenty to eat.
14 “Bad! Bad!” says the buyer.
Then, as he goes away, he brags ⌞about his bargain⌟.
15 There are gold and plenty of jewels,
but the lips of knowledge are precious gems.
16 Hold on to the garment of one who guarantees a stranger’s loan,
and hold responsible the person who makes a loan on behalf of a foreigner.
17 Food gained dishonestly tastes sweet to a person,
but afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravel.
18 Plans are confirmed by getting advice,
and with guidance one wages war.
19 Whoever goes around as a gossip tells secrets.
Do not associate with a person whose mouth is always open.
20 The lamp of the person who curses his father and mother
will be snuffed out in total darkness.[b]
21 An inheritance quickly obtained in the beginning
will never be blessed in the end.
22 Do not say, “I’ll get even with you!”
Wait for the Lord, and he will save you.
23 A double standard of weights is disgusting to the Lord,
and dishonest scales are no good.
24 The Lord is the one who directs a person’s steps.
How then can anyone understand his own way?
25 It is a trap for a person to say impulsively, “This is a holy offering!”
and later to have second thoughts about those vows.
26 A wise king scatters the wicked
and then runs them over.
27 A person’s soul is the Lord’s lamp.
It searches his entire innermost being.
28 Mercy and truth protect a king,
and with mercy he maintains his throne.
29 While the glory of young men is their strength,
the splendor of older people is their silver hair.
30 Brutal beatings cleanse away wickedness.
Such beatings cleanse the innermost being.
Live as God’s People
3 Since you were brought back to life with Christ, focus on the things that are above—where Christ holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. 2 Keep your mind on things above, not on worldly things. 3 You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 Christ is your life. When he appears, then you, too, will appear with him in glory.
5 Therefore, put to death whatever is worldly in you: your sexual sin, perversion, passion, lust, and greed (which is the same thing as worshiping wealth). 6 It is because of these sins that God’s anger comes on those who refuse to obey him.[a] 7 You used to live that kind of sinful life. 8 Also get rid of your anger, hot tempers, hatred, cursing, obscene language, and all similar sins. 9 Don’t lie to each other. You’ve gotten rid of the person you used to be and the life you used to live, 10 and you’ve become a new person. This new person is continually renewed in knowledge to be like its Creator. 11 Where this happens, there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, uncivilized person, slave, or free person. Instead, Christ is everything and in everything.
12 As holy people whom God has chosen and loved, be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 13 Put up with each other, and forgive each other if anyone has a complaint. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 Above all, be loving. This ties everything together perfectly. 15 Also, let Christ’s peace control you. God has called you into this peace by bringing you into one body. Be thankful. 16 Let Christ’s word with all its wisdom and richness live in you. Use psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to teach and instruct yourselves about ⌞God’s⌟ kindness.[b] Sing to God in your hearts. 17 Everything you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Advice for Wives and Husbands, Parents and Children, Slaves and Masters
18 Wives, place yourselves under your husbands’ authority. This is appropriate behavior for the Lord’s people. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and don’t be harsh with them.
20 Children, always obey your parents. This is pleasing to the Lord. 21 Fathers, don’t make your children resentful, or they will become discouraged.
22 Slaves, always obey your earthly masters. Don’t obey them only while you’re being watched, as if you merely wanted to please people. Be sincere in your motives out of respect for your real master. 23 Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans. 24 You know that your real master will give you an inheritance as your reward. It is Christ, your real master, whom you are serving. 25 The person who does wrong will be paid back for the wrong he has done. God does not play favorites.
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