M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Cleansing after Skin Diseases
14 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “These are the instructions for making a person clean after a skin disease. He must be taken to the priest. 3 The priest will go outside the camp and examine him. If the person is healed, 4 the priest will order someone to get two living, clean birds, some cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig to use for the cleansing. 5 Then the priest will order someone to kill one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water. 6 The priest will take the living bird, the cedar wood, the red yarn, and the hyssop sprig and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. 7 He will sprinkle the blood seven times on the one to be cleansed and will declare that person clean. Then he will let the living bird fly away into the open country.
8 “The one to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash. Then he will be clean. After that he may go into the camp. However, for seven days he will live outside his tent. 9 On the seventh day he must shave off all the hair on his head, his beard, and his eyebrows, and he must wash his clothes and body. Then he will be clean.
10 “On the eighth day he must take two male lambs that have no defects and a one-year-old female lamb that has no defects. He must also take eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering along with a quart of olive oil. 11 The priest who will declare him clean must bring the person and his offerings into the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 The priest will take one of the male lambs and the quart of olive oil and present them to the Lord as a guilt offering. 13 He will slaughter the lamb in the holy place where he slaughters the offering for sin and the burnt offering. He will do this because the guilt offering, like the offering for sin, belongs to the priest. It is very holy. 14 Then the priest will take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. 15 The priest will also take some of the olive oil and pour it into his own left hand. 16 He will dip his right finger in the oil in his left hand, and with his finger sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the Lord’s presence. 17 The priest will put some of the oil that is still in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. 18 The priest will put the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed. So he will make peace with the Lord for that person in the Lord’s presence. 19 The priest will also sacrifice the offering for sin to make peace with the Lord for the one who is being cleansed from his impurity. After that, he will slaughter the burnt offering. 20 The priest will sacrifice the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. So the priest will make peace with the Lord for that person, and the person who had the skin disease will be clean.
Cleansing for a Poor Person after a Skin Disease
21 “But if the one to be cleansed is poor and cannot afford that much, he must take one male lamb, present it to make peace with the Lord for himself, and use it for his guilt offering. He will take only eight cups of flour mixed with olive oil as a grain offering, a quart of olive oil, 22 and two mourning doves or two pigeons (whatever he can afford). The one will be an offering for sin and the other a burnt offering. 23 On the eighth day he will take them to the priest for his cleansing at the entrance to the tent of meeting in the Lord’s presence. 24 The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering and the quart of olive oil and present them to the Lord. 25 He will slaughter the lamb as a guilt offering. Then the priest will take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. 26 The priest will pour some of the olive oil into his own left hand. 27 With his right finger he will sprinkle some of the oil seven times in the Lord’s presence. 28 The priest will put some of the oil that is in his hand on the right ear lobe, on the right thumb, and on the big toe of the right foot of the one to be cleansed. These are the same places he had put the blood of the guilt offering. 29 In the Lord’s presence, the priest will pour the rest of the oil in his hand on the head of the one to be cleansed in order to make a payment for him. 30 Then the one to be cleansed must take one of the mourning doves or pigeons (whichever he can afford),[a] 31 and sacrifice it as an offering for sin. He will take the other and sacrifice it as a burnt offering together with the grain offering. So in the Lord’s presence the priest will make peace with the Lord for the one who is being cleansed. 32 These are the instructions for one who has an infectious skin disease but cannot afford what is needed for his cleansing.”
Mildew in Houses
33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you come to Canaan that I am going to give to you, mildew may appear in a house. 35 The owner of that house must come and tell the priest that there is something that looks like mildew in his house.
36 “Before the priest examines the house, he will order everything taken out of it so that nothing in the house will become unclean. Then the priest will go inside to examine the house. 37 He will examine the mildew area on the walls. If it is green and red in sunken areas that are deeper than the rest of the wall, 38 the priest will go out to the door of the house and close up the house for seven days. 39 On the seventh day the priest will go back and examine it again. If the mildew in the walls of the house has spread, 40 the priest must order the stones that have the mildew to be torn out and thrown outside the city in an unclean place. 41 He must have the entire inside of the house scraped. The plaster dust scraped off the walls must be dumped in an unclean place outside the city. 42 The stones must be replaced, and the house must be plastered again. 43 If the mildew develops again in the house after all this, 44 the priest will examine it one more time. If it is a spreading type of mildew, the house is unclean. 45 The house—stones, wood, and all the plaster—must be torn down and taken to an unclean place outside the city. 46 Whoever goes into the house any time it is closed up will be unclean until evening. 47 Whoever sleeps or eats in the house must wash his clothes. 48 But if the priest comes and makes an examination and the mildew has not spread in the house after it is plastered again, the priest must declare the house clean. The mildew is gone.
49 “The priest must take two birds, cedar wood, red yarn, and a hyssop sprig and use them to make the house clean. 50 He must kill the one bird over a clay bowl containing fresh water. 51 He must take the cedar wood, the hyssop sprig, the red yarn, and the living bird and dip them in the fresh water containing the blood of the bird that was killed. He must sprinkle the house seven times. 52 So he must use the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the living bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the red yarn to make the house clean. 53 Then he will let the living bird fly from the city into the open country. He will make peace with the Lord for the house, and it will be clean.
54 “These are the instructions for any kind of mildew or fungus 55 that infects clothing or houses 56 and for skin diseases where there is a sore, a rash, or an irritated area. 57 These instructions for skin diseases and mildew help you distinguish between what is clean and what is unclean.”
A prayer by David.
17 Hear my plea for justice, O Lord.
Pay attention to my cry.
Open your ears to my prayer,
⌞which comes⌟ from lips free from deceit.
2 Let the verdict of my innocence come directly from you.
Let your eyes observe what is fair.
3 You have probed my heart.
You have confronted me at night.
You have tested me like silver,
but you found nothing wrong.
I have determined that my mouth will not sin.
4 I have avoided cruelty because of your word.
In spite of what others have done,
5 my steps have remained firmly in your paths.
My feet have not slipped.
6 I have called on you because you answer me, O God.
Turn your ear toward me.
Hear what I have to say.
7 Reveal your miraculous deeds of mercy,
O Savior of those who find refuge by your side
from those who attack them.
8 Guard me as if I were the pupil in your eye.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
9 Hide me from wicked people who violently attack me,
from my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They have shut out all feeling.
Their mouths have spoken arrogantly.
11 They have tracked me down.
They have surrounded me.
They have focused their attention on throwing me to the ground.
12 Each one of them is like a lion eager to tear ⌞its prey⌟ apart
and like a young lion crouching in hiding places.
13 Arise, O Lord; confront them!
Bring them to their knees!
With your sword rescue my life from wicked people.
14 With your power rescue me from mortals, O Lord,
from mortals who enjoy their inheritance only in this life.
You fill their bellies with your treasure.
Their children are satisfied ⌞with it⌟,
and they leave what remains to their children.
15 I will see your face when I am declared innocent.
When I wake up, I will be satisfied ⌞with seeing⌟ you.
28 A wicked person flees when no one is chasing him,
but righteous people are as bold as lions.
2 When a country is in revolt, it has many rulers,
but only with a person who has understanding and knowledge
will it last a long time.
3 A poor person who oppresses poorer people
is like a driving rain that leaves no food.
4 Those who abandon ⌞God’s⌟ teachings praise wicked people,
but those who follow ⌞God’s⌟ teachings oppose wicked people.
5 Evil people do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand everything.
6 Better to be a poor person who has integrity
than to be rich and double-dealing.
7 Whoever follows ⌞God’s⌟ teachings is a wise son.
Whoever associates with gluttons disgraces his father.
8 Whoever becomes wealthy through ⌞unfair⌟ loans and interest
collects them for the one who is kind to the poor.
9 Surely the prayer of someone who refuses
to listen to ⌞God’s⌟ teachings is disgusting.
10 Whoever leads decent people into evil will fall into his own pit,
but innocent people will inherit good things.
11 A rich person is wise in his own eyes,
but a poor person with understanding sees right through him.
12 When righteous people triumph, there is great glory,
but when wicked people rise, people hide themselves.
13 Whoever covers over his sins does not prosper.
Whoever confesses and abandons them receives compassion.
14 Blessed is the one who is always fearful ⌞of sin⌟,
but whoever is hard-hearted falls into disaster.
15 ⌞Like⌟ a roaring lion and a charging bear,
⌞so⌟ a wicked ruler is a threat to poor people.
16 A leader without understanding taxes ⌞his people⌟ heavily,
but those who hate unjust gain will live longer.
17 A person burdened with the guilt of murder
will be a fugitive down to his grave.
No one will help him.
18 Whoever lives honestly will be safe.
Whoever lives dishonestly will fall all at once.
19 Whoever works his land will have plenty to eat.
Whoever chases unrealistic dreams will have plenty of nothing.
20 A trustworthy person has many blessings,
but anyone in a hurry to get rich will not escape punishment.
21 Showing partiality is not good,
because some people will turn on you even for a piece of bread.
22 A stingy person is in a hurry to get rich,
not realizing that poverty is about to overtake him.
23 Whoever criticizes people will be more highly regarded in the future
than the one who flatters with his tongue.
24 The one who robs his father or his mother
and says, “It isn’t wrong!” is a companion to a vandal.
25 A greedy person stirs up a fight,
but whoever trusts the Lord prospers.
26 Whoever trusts his own heart is a fool.
Whoever walks in wisdom will survive.
27 Whoever gives to the poor lacks nothing.
Whoever ignores the poor receives many curses.
28 When wicked people rise, people hide.
When they die, righteous people increase.
Don’t Be Deceived about the Day of the Lord
2 Brothers and sisters, we have this request to make of you about our Lord Jesus Christ’s coming and our gathering to meet him. 2 Don’t get upset right away or alarmed when someone claims that we said through some spirit, conversation, or letter that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you about this in any way. ⌞That day cannot come unless⌟ a revolt takes place first, and the man of sin, the man of destruction, is revealed. 4 He opposes every so-called god or anything that is worshiped and places himself above them, sitting in God’s temple and claiming to be God.
5 Don’t you remember that I told you about these things when I was still with you? 6 You know what it is that now holds him back, so that he will be revealed when his time comes. 7 The mystery of this sin is already at work. But it cannot work effectively until the person now holding it back gets out of the way. 8 Then the man of sin will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will destroy him by what he says. When the Lord Jesus comes, his appearance will put an end to this man.
9 The man of sin will come with the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous and wonderful signs. But they will be lies. 10 He will use everything that God disapproves of to deceive those who are dying, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. 11 That’s why God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe a lie. 12 Then everyone who did not believe the truth, but was delighted with what God disapproves of, will be condemned.
Paul Encourages the Thessalonians
13 We always have to thank God for you, brothers and sisters. You are loved by the Lord and we thank God that in the beginning he chose you to be saved through a life of spiritual devotion and faith in the truth. 14 With this in mind he called you by the Good News which we told you so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15 Then, brothers and sisters, firmly hold on to the traditions we taught you either when we spoke to you or in our letter.
16 God our Father loved us and by his kindness [a] gave us everlasting encouragement and good hope. Together with our Lord Jesus Christ, 17 may he encourage and strengthen you to do and say everything that is good.
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