M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Balaam’s Oracles
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 2 So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord[a] will meet with me. I will tell you whatever He reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill.
4 God[b] met with him and Balaam said to Him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
6 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.
Balaam’s First Oracle
7 Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak brought me from Aram;(A)
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel!”(B)
8 How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone;(C)
it does not consider itself among the nations.
10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob
or numbered the dust clouds[c] of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright;
let the end of my life be like theirs.
11 “What have you done to me?” Balak asked Balaam. “I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them!”
12 He answered, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth?”(D)
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.” 14 So Balak took him to Lookout Field[d] on top of Pisgah, built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek the Lord over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then He said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
17 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak, get up and listen;
son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!
19 God is not a man who lies,
or a son of man who changes His mind.
Does He speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfill?(E)
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
since He has blessed,[e] I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Jacob;
He sees no trouble for Israel.[f]
The Lord their God is with them,(F)
and there is rejoicing over the King among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
He is like the horns of a wild ox for them.[g](G)
23 There is no magic curse against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said about Jacob and Israel,
“What great things God has done!”
24 A people rise up like a lioness;
They rouse themselves like a lion.(H)
They will not lie down until they devour the prey
and drink the blood of the slain.
25 Then Balak told Balaam, “Don’t curse them and don’t bless them!”
26 But Balaam answered him, “Didn’t I tell you: Whatever the Lord says, I must do?”(I)
Balaam’s Third Oracle
27 Again Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.[h](J)
29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”(K) 30 So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Psalm 64
Protection from Evildoers
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.
1 God, hear my voice when I complain.(A)
Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.(B)
2 Hide me from the scheming of wicked people,(C)
from the mob of evildoers,(D)
3 who sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim bitter words like arrows,(E)
4 shooting from concealed places at the innocent.
They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.(F)
5 They encourage each other in an evil plan;[a][b]
they talk about hiding traps and say,
“Who will see them?”[c](G)
6 They devise crimes and say,
“We have perfected a secret plan.”(H)
The inner man and the heart are mysterious.
7 But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly, they will be wounded.(I)
8 They will be made to stumble;
their own tongues work against them.
All who see them will shake their heads.(J)
9 Then everyone will fear
and will tell about God’s work,
for they will understand what He has done.(K)
10 The righteous one rejoices in the Lord
and takes refuge in Him;
all those who are upright in heart
will offer praise.(L)
Psalm 65
God’s Care for the Earth
For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song.
1 Praise is rightfully Yours,[d]
God, in Zion;
vows to You will be fulfilled.(M)
2 All humanity will come to You,
the One who hears prayer.(N)
3 Iniquities overwhelm me;
only You can atone for[e] our rebellions.(O)
4 How happy is the one You choose
and bring near to live in Your courts!
We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
the holiness of Your temple.[f](P)
5 You answer us in righteousness,
with awe-inspiring works,
God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the distant seas.(Q)
6 You establish the mountains by Your[g] power,
robed with strength.(R)
7 You silence the roar of the seas,
the roar of their waves,
and the tumult of the nations.(S)
8 Those who live far away are awed by Your signs;
You make east and west shout for joy.(T)
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly,
enriching it greatly.
God’s stream is filled with water,
for You prepare the earth[h] in this way,
providing people with grain.(U)
10 You soften it with showers and bless its growth,
soaking its furrows and leveling its ridges.(V)
11 You crown the year with Your goodness;
Your ways overflow with plenty.[i](W)
12 The wilderness pastures overflow,
and the hills are robed with joy.(X)
13 The pastures are clothed with flocks
and the valleys covered with grain.(Y)
They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.(Z)
An Oracle against Babylon
13 An oracle(A) against Babylon(B) that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2 Lift up a banner on a barren mountain.(C)
Call out to them.
Wave your hand, and they will go
through the gates of the nobles.
3 I have commanded My chosen ones;
I have also called My warriors,
who exult in My triumph,
to execute My wrath.(D)
4 Listen, a tumult on the mountains,
like that of a mighty people!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations being gathered together!
The Lord of Hosts is mobilizing an army for war.
5 They are coming from a far land,
from the distant horizon—
the Lord and the weapons of His wrath—
to destroy the whole country.[a]
6 Wail! For the day of the Lord is near.(E)
It will come like destruction from the Almighty.(F)
7 Therefore everyone’s hands will become weak,
and every man’s heart will melt.
8 They will be horrified;
pain and agony will seize them;
they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.(G)
They will look at each other,
their faces flushed with fear.
9 Look, the day(H) of the Lord is coming—
cruel, with rage and burning anger—
to make the earth a desolation
and to destroy the sinners on it.(I)
10 Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellations[b]
will not give their light.
The sun will be dark when it rises,
and the moon will not shine.(J)
11 I will bring disaster on the world,
and their own iniquity,(K) on the wicked.
I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant(L)
and humiliate the insolence of tyrants.
12 I will make man scarcer than gold,
and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir.(M)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will shake from its foundations(N)
at the wrath of the Lord of Hosts,
on the day of His burning anger.
14 Like wandering gazelles
and like sheep without a shepherd,(O)
each one will turn to his own people,
each one will flee to his own land.
15 Whoever is found will be stabbed,
and whoever is caught will die by the sword.
16 Their children will be smashed to death before their eyes;(P)
their houses will be looted,
and their wives raped.
17 Look! I am stirring up the Medes against them,(Q)
who cannot be bought off with[c] silver
and who have no desire for gold.
18 Their bows will cut young men to pieces.
They will have no compassion on little ones;
they will not look with pity on children.
19 And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms,
the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans,
will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
when God overthrew them.(R)
20 It will never be inhabited
or lived in from generation to generation;(S)
a nomad will not pitch his tent there,
and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.
21 But desert creatures will lie down there,
and owls will fill the houses.
Ostriches will dwell there,
and wild goats will leap about.(T)
22 Hyenas will howl in the fortresses,
and jackals, in the luxurious palaces.
Babylon’s time is almost up;
her days are almost over.
Greeting
1 Peter,(A) an apostle of Jesus Christ:
To the temporary residents(B) dispersed[a](C) in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,(D) chosen(E) 2 according to the foreknowledge(F) of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit(G) for obedience(H) and for sprinkling with the blood(I) of Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
A Living Hope
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.(J) According to His great mercy,(K) He has given us a new birth(L) into a living hope(M) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead(N) 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable,(O) uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven(P) for you. 5 You are being protected by God’s power(Q) through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.(R) 6 You rejoice in this,[b] though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials(S) 7 so that the genuineness of your faith(T)—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire(U)—may result(V) in[c] praise, glory, and honor(W) at the revelation of Jesus Christ.(X) 8 You love Him,(Y) though you have not seen(Z) Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice(AA) with inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 because you are receiving the goal of your[d] faith, the salvation of your souls.[e]
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets(AB) who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. 11 They inquired into what time or what circumstances[f] the Spirit of Christ(AC) within them was indicating when He testified in advance(AD) to the messianic sufferings[g](AE) and the glories(AF) that would follow.[h] 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you(AG) by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.(AH) Angels desire to look into these things.
A Call to Holy Living
13 Therefore, with your minds ready for action,[i](AI) be serious(AJ) and set your hope(AK) completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation(AL) of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children,(AM) do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. 15 But as the One who called you(AN) is holy,(AO) you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.(AP)[j]
17 And if you address as Father the One who judges impartially(AQ) based on each one’s work,(AR) you are to conduct yourselves in fear(AS) during the time of your temporary residence. 18 For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life(AT) inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,(AU) 19 but with the precious blood of Christ,(AV) like that of a lamb(AW) without defect or blemish. 20 He was chosen[k](AX) before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times(AY) for you 21 who through Him are believers in God,(AZ) who raised Him from the dead(BA) and gave Him glory,(BB) so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 By obedience to the truth,[l] having purified yourselves[m] for sincere love of the brothers, love one another(BC) earnestly[n] from a pure[o] heart,(BD) 23 since you have been born again(BE)—not of perishable seed(BF) but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.(BG) 24 For
All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory(BH) like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.(BI)[p]
And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you.
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