M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Duties of the Families Descended from Levi’s Sons
4 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Take a census of the Levites who are descended from Kohath. List them by families and households. 3 Register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who are qualified to work at the tent of meeting.
4 “This is the work the Kohathites will do in the tent of meeting: They will take care of the most holy things. 5 When the camp is supposed to move, Aaron and his sons will go in and take down the canopy that hangs over the ark containing the words of God’s promise. First they will cover the ark with the canopy. 6 Over this they will put a covering of fine leather. On top of that they will spread a cloth made entirely of violet material. Then they will put the poles in place.
7 “They will spread a violet cloth over the table of the presence and put on it the plates, dishes, bowls, and pitchers for the wine offerings. The bread that is always in the Lord’s presence will also be on it. 8 They will spread a bright red cloth over everything on the table. They will cover all this with fine leather. Then they will put the poles in place.
9 “They will take a violet cloth and cover the lamp stand, as well as the lamps, tongs, trays, and all the containers for the olive oil used in the lamps. 10 Then they will put the lamp stand and all its utensils under a covering of fine leather and put them on a frame to carry them.
11 “They will spread a violet cloth over the gold altar and cover the cloth with fine leather. Then they will put the poles in place.
12 “They will take all the articles that are used in the holy place, put them in a violet cloth, cover that with fine leather, and put them on a frame to carry them.
13 “After they take the ashes away, they will spread a purple cloth over the altar. 14 Next, they will put all the accessories used at the altar on it. These are the trays, forks, shovels, and bowls—all the altar’s accessories. They will spread a covering of fine leather over all this. Then they will put the poles in place.
15 “When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy things and the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites will come to carry all the holy articles. They must never touch the holy things, or they will die. The Kohathites will carry all the things from the tent of meeting.
16 “Eleazar, son of the priest Aaron, will be in charge of the oil for the lamps, the sweet-smelling incense, the daily grain offering, and the anointing oil. He is in charge of the whole tent and everything in it, the holy place and its contents.”
17 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 18 “Don’t let the Kohathite families from Levi’s tribe be destroyed. 19 This is what you must do so that they won’t die when they come near the most holy things: Aaron and his sons will go into the holy place and tell each man what he will do and what he will carry. 20 But the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.”
21 The Lord said to Moses, 22 “Also take a census of the Gershonites. List them by households and families. 23 Register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who are qualified to serve at the tent of meeting.
24 “This is what the Gershonite families will do and what they will carry: 25 They will carry the sheets that are part of the inner tent and the tent of meeting. They will also carry the inner cover for the tent of meeting, the outer cover of fine leather that goes over it, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, 26 the curtains for the courtyard around the tent and the altar, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the equipment used to set up the curtains. The Gershonites will do everything that needs to be done with these things. 27 All their work, whatever they carry and all their duties, will be done under the direction of Aaron and his sons. You are in charge of telling them everything they’re supposed to carry. 28 This is the work of the Gershonite families in the tent of meeting. Ithamar, son of the priest Aaron, will be in charge of them.
29 “Register the Merarites by families and households. 30 Register all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who are qualified to serve at the tent of meeting. 31 These are their duties as they work at the tent of meeting: They will carry the framework for the inner tent, the crossbars, posts, and sockets, 32 the posts for the surrounding courtyard, the bases, pegs, and ropes. They must take care of all this equipment. Tell each man by name the things he will carry. 33 This is what the Merarite families will do as they work at the tent of meeting. Ithamar, son of the priest Aaron, will be in charge of them.”
34 Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of the community registered the Kohathites by their families and households. 35 They registered all the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to work at the tent of meeting. 36 The total of those who were registered was 2,750. They were listed by families. 37 This was the total of all those in the Kohathite families who served at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded Moses and registered the Kohathites.
38 The Gershonites were registered by families and households. 39 All the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to serve at the tent of meeting were registered. 40 The total of those who were registered was 2,630. They were listed by families and households. 41 This was the total of all those in the Gershonite families who worked at the tent of meeting. Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded Moses and registered the Gershonites.
42 The Merarites were registered by families and households. 43 All the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to serve at the tent of meeting were registered. 44 The total of all those who were registered was 3,200. They were listed by families. 45 This was the total of those registered in the Merarite families. Moses and Aaron did as the Lord had commanded Moses and registered the Merarites.
46 The grand total of all the Levites whom Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel registered was 8,580. They were listed by families and households. 47 These were the men between the ages of 30 and 50 who were qualified to do the work of serving and who carried the tent of meeting.[a] 49 At the Lord’s command through Moses each man was registered and told what to do and what to carry.
So they were registered as the Lord commanded Moses.
A psalm by David; to be kept in mind.
38 O Lord, do not angrily punish me
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have struck me.
Your hand has struck me hard.
3 No healthy spot is left on my body
because of your rage.
There is no peace in my bones
because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me.
Like a heavy load, it is more than I can bear.
5 My wounds smell rotten.
They fester because of my stupidity.
6 I am bent over and bowed down very low.
All day I walk around in mourning.
7 My insides are filled with burning pain,
and no healthy spot is left on my body.
8 I am numb and completely devastated.
I roar because my heart’s in turmoil.
9 You know all my desires, O Lord,
and my groaning has not been hidden from you.
10 My heart is pounding.
I have lost my strength.
Even the light of my eyes has left me.
11 My loved ones and my friends keep their distance
and my relatives stand far away because of my sickness.
12 Those who seek my life lay traps for me.
Those who are out to harm me talk about ruining me.
All day long they think of ways to deceive me.
13 But I am like a person who cannot hear
and like a person who cannot speak.
14 I am like one who cannot hear
and who can offer no arguments.
15 But I wait with hope for you, O Lord.
You will answer, O Lord, my God.
16 I said, “Do not let them gloat over me.
When my foot slips,
do not let them promote themselves at my expense.”
17 I am ready to fall.
I am continually aware of my pain.
18 I confess my guilt.
My sin troubles me.
19 My mortal enemies are growing stronger.
Many hate me for no reason.
20 They pay me back with evil instead of good,
and they accuse me because I try to do what is good.
21 Do not abandon me, O Lord.
O my God, do not be so distant from me.
22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord, my savior.
2 I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily ⌞growing⌟ in the valleys.
[ GROOM ]
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my true love among the young women.
[ BRIDE ]
3 Like an apple tree among the trees in the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
I want to sit in his shadow.
His fruit tastes sweet to me.
4 He leads me into a banquet room
and looks at me with love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins
and refresh me with apples
because I am weak from love.
6 His left hand is under my head.
His right hand caresses me.
7 Young women of Jerusalem, swear to me
by the gazelles
or by the does in the field
that you will not awaken love
or arouse love before its proper time.
The Young Woman Remembers One Spring Day with Her Beloved
[ BRIDE ]
8 I hear my beloved’s voice.
Look! Here he comes,
sprinting over the mountains,
racing over the hills.
9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall,
peeking through the window,
looking through the lattice.
10 My beloved said to me,
“Get up, my true love, my beautiful one, and come with me.
11 Look! The winter is past.
The rain is over and gone.
12 Blossoms appear in the land.
The time of the songbird has arrived.
The cooing of the mourning dove is heard in our land.
13 The green figs ripen.
The grapevines bloom and give off a fragrance.
Get up, my true love, my beautiful one, and come with me.
14 My dove, in the hiding places of the rocky crevices,
in the secret places of the cliffs,
let me see your figure and hear your voice.
Your voice is sweet, and your figure is lovely.”
15 Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that ruin vineyards.
Our vineyards are blooming.
16 My beloved is mine, and I am his.
He is the one who grazes his flock among the lilies.
17 When the day brings a cooling breeze and the shadows flee,
turn around, my beloved.
Run like a gazelle or a young stag
on the mountains that separate us!
Everything Is under Jesus’ Control
2 For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard. Then we won’t drift away ⌞from the truth⌟. 2 After all, the message that the angels brought was reliable, and every violation and act of disobedience was properly punished. 3 So how will we escape punishment if we reject the important message, the message that God saved us? First, the Lord told this saving message. Then those who heard him confirmed that message. 4 God verified what they said through miraculous signs, amazing things, other powerful acts, and with other gifts from the Holy Spirit as he wanted.
5 He didn’t put the world that will come (about which we are talking) under the angels’ control. 6 Instead, someone has declared this somewhere in Scripture:
“What is a mortal that you should remember him,
or the Son of Man [a] that you take care of him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels.
You crowned him with glory and honor.
8 You put everything under his control.”
When God put everything under his Son’s control, nothing was left out.
However, at the present time we still don’t see everything under his Son’s control. 9 Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, but we see him crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. Through God’s kindness [b] he died on behalf of everyone. 10 God is the one for whom and through whom everything exists. Therefore, while God was bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was the right time to bring Jesus, the source of their salvation, to the end of his work through suffering.
Jesus Became One of Us to Help Us
11 Jesus, who makes people holy, and all those who are made holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus isn’t ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. 12 He says,
“I will tell my people about your name.
I will praise you within the congregation.”
13 In addition, Jesus says,
“I will trust him.”
And Jesus says,
“I am here with the sons and daughters God has given me.”
14 Since all of these sons and daughters have flesh and blood, Jesus took on flesh and blood to be like them. He did this so that by dying he would destroy the one who had power over death (that is, the devil). 15 In this way he would free those who were slaves all their lives because they were afraid of dying. 16 So Jesus helps Abraham’s descendants rather than helping angels. 17 Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters so that he could be merciful. He became like them so that he could serve as a faithful chief priest in God’s presence and make peace with God for their sins. 18 Because Jesus experienced temptation when he suffered, he is able to help others when they are tempted.
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