M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Clothes for Religious Leaders
28 “Take from among the people of Israel your brother Aaron and his sons, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, to work for Me as religious leaders. 2 Make holy clothing for your brother Aaron, for honor and for beauty. 3 Tell all the able workmen, whom I have given the spirit of wisdom, to make Aaron’s clothing to set him apart for My work. He will work for Me as a religious leader. 4 These are the clothes they will make: A breast-piece, a linen vest, a long piece of clothing, a long coat, a head-covering, and a wide belt. They will make holy clothing for your brother Aaron and his sons to work for Me as religious leaders. 5 They will use gold and blue and purple and red cloth and fine linen.
The Linen Vest
6 “They will use gold and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen to make the linen vest that holds the breast-piece. It will be the work of the able workman. 7 It will have two shoulder pieces to join it at the two ends. 8 The well-made belt on it will be made of the same gold and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen. 9 Take two onyx stones and cut on them the names of Israel’s sons. 10 Put six of their names on one stone, and the six names of the others on the other stone, from the oldest to the youngest. 11 As an able workman cuts words in a ring, cut the names of Israel’s sons on the two stones. Then set them into beautiful pieces of gold. 12 Put the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the linen vest, as stones for the family groups of Israel to be remembered. Aaron will carry their names on his two shoulders before the Lord, to be remembered. 13 Make beautiful pieces of gold 14 and two chains of pure gold. Make them like ropes are made. And put the chains on the pieces of gold.
The Breast-Piece
15 “Make a breast-piece to be used when judging. It is to be made by an able workman. Make it like the work of the linen vest, of gold, and blue, purple and red cloth and fine linen. 16 It will be as long as it is wide, with one half laid over the other. Make it as long and as wide as a man’s fingers can spread. 17 Put four straight rows of stones on it. The first row will be a ruby, a topaz and an emerald. 18 The second row will be a turquoise, a sapphire and a diamond. 19 The third row will be a jacinth, an agate and an amethyst. 20 And the fourth row will be a beryl, an onyx and a jasper. They will be set in beautiful pieces of gold. 21 There will be twelve stones, one for each name of the sons of Israel. The name of each family group will be cut on one of these special stones. 22 Make chains for the breast-piece, like ropes of pure gold. 23 And make two rings of gold and put them on the two ends of the breast-piece. 24 Join the two gold chains to the two rings at the ends of the breast-piece. 25 Join the other two ends of the two chains to the beautiful gold pieces that hold the two stones at the shoulders in the front. 26 Make two rings of gold to put on the two ends of the breast-piece, on the inside, next to the linen vest. 27 Then make two rings of gold and put them on the bottom of the two shoulder pieces of the linen vest in front, near where they join. They will be above the well-made belt of the linen vest. 28 Tie the rings of the breast-piece to the rings of the linen vest with a blue rope so the breast-piece may not come loose from the linen vest.
29 “Aaron will carry the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breast-piece of judging when he goes in the holy place, so they will be remembered before the Lord all the time.
Other Religious Leaders’ Clothes
30 “Put the Urim and the Thummim into the breast-piece over Aaron’s heart when he goes before the Lord. Aaron will carry the judging of the people of Israel over his heart before the Lord all the time.
31 “Make the long piece of clothing all of blue. 32 There will be an opening at its top in the center. Around the opening it will be sewed like the opening on heavy battle clothes, so it may not be torn. 33 Make pomegranates of blue and purple and red cloth to put all around the bottom of this clothing. And put bells of gold between them. 34 Put a gold bell and a pomegranate, then a gold bell and a pomegranate, all the way around the bottom of this clothing. 35 Aaron will wear it when he serves Me. The sound of the bells will be heard when he goes in the holy place and when he comes out so that he will not die.
36 “Make a plate of pure gold and write on it, ‘Holy to the Lord.’ 37 Put it to the front of the head covering with a blue rope. 38 It will be on Aaron’s forehead. Aaron will take away the sin of the holy things which the people of Israel set apart for the Lord as their holy gifts. It will always be on his forehead, so they may be received by the Lord. 39 Make the long coat of fine linen, a head covering of fine linen, and a wide belt, the work of an able workman.
40 “Make long coats for Aaron’s sons. And make belts and head coverings for them, for honor and for beauty. 41 Dress your brother Aaron and his sons in them. Then pour oil on them, set them apart and make them holy, so they may serve Me as religious leaders. 42 Make for them linen clothing to cover their flesh from their belts to their legs. 43 Aaron and his sons will wear them when they go into the meeting tent, or when they go near the altar to serve in the holy place. Then they will not be guilty and die. It will be a law for him and for his children forever.
The Brothers of Jesus Argue with Him
7 Jesus did not stay in the country of Judea because the Jews were trying to kill Him. After this He went from place to place in the country of Galilee. 2 A religious gathering of the Jews was near. This gathering was called the Supper of Tents. 3 The brothers of Jesus said to Him, “Leave here and go to the country of Judea. Let Your followers there see the things You do. 4 If a person wants others to know what he is doing, he does things to be seen. Since You are doing such things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 Not even His brothers were putting their trust in Him.
6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come. But any time is good for you. 7 The world cannot hate you but it hates Me. I speak against the world because of its sinful works. 8 You go to the religious gathering. I am not going yet. My time has not yet come.”
9 Jesus told His brothers this and then stayed in Galilee. 10 His brothers went to the religious gathering. He went later by Himself so He would not be seen there.
11 At the religious gathering the Jews were looking for Jesus. They were saying, “Where is He?” 12 There was much talk among the people about Him. Some said, “He is a good Man.” Others said, “No, He leads the people in the wrong way.” 13 No one spoke about Him in front of other people. They were afraid of the Jews.
Jesus Tells Where His Teaching Is From
14 The religious gathering was half over when Jesus went to the house of God and taught. 15 The Jews were surprised and wondered, saying, “How can this Man know so much when He has never been to school?”
16 Jesus said to them, “What I teach is not Mine. It is from God Who sent Me. 17 If anyone will do what God wants, he will know if My teaching is from God, or if I am speaking of Myself. 18 The man who speaks of himself is looking for greatness for himself. But He Who is looking for the greatness of the One Who sent Him is true. There is nothing false in Him. 19 Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. Why do you try to kill me?”
20 The people said, “You have a demon in You. Who is trying to kill You?”
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one work and you are surprised. 22 Moses gave you the religious act of becoming a Jew. (Yet it was not from Moses but from the early fathers.) You do this religious act on a man on the Day of Rest. 23 Now if you can do that, why are you angry with Me for healing a man on the Day of Rest? 24 Do not say a person is guilty by what you see. Be sure you know when you say what is right or wrong.”
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Is not this the Man the Jews want to kill? 26 But see! This Man is speaking out in the open. They are saying nothing to Him. Do the leaders know this is the true Christ? 27 We know where this Man came from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He comes from.”
28 Then Jesus spoke with a loud voice as He taught in the house of God. He said, “You know Me. You know where I came from. I have not come on My own. The One Who sent Me is true but you do not know Him. 29 I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me.”
30 Then they wanted to take Jesus but no one put his hands on Him. His time had not yet come. 31 Many of the people believed in Him. They said, “When Christ comes, will He do more powerful works than this Man?”
32 The proud religious law-keepers heard the people talking about Jesus. The religious leaders of the Jews and the proud religious law-keepers sent soldiers to take Him. 33 Jesus said to them, “I will be with you a little while yet. Then I will go back to Him Who sent Me. 34 You will look for Me but you will not find Me. Where I go, you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to themselves, “Where can He go that we will not find Him? Will He go to our people who live among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does He mean when He says, ‘You will look for Me but you will not find Me, and where I go, you cannot come’?”
Jesus Promises to Give the Holy Spirit
37 It was the last and great day of the religious gathering. Jesus stood up and spoke with a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 The Holy Writings say that rivers of living water will flow from the heart of the one who puts his trust in Me.” 39 Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit Who would come to those who put their trust in Him. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Jesus had not yet been raised to the place of honor.
The People Cannot Make Up Their Minds Who He Is
40 When many of the people heard His words, they said, “For sure, this is the One Who speaks for God.” 41 Others said, “He is the Christ!” Some said, “The Christ would not come from the country of Galilee, would He? 42 Do not the Holy Writings say that the Christ will come from the family of David? Will He not come from the town of Bethlehem where David lived?” 43 The people were divided in what they thought about Him. 44 Some of them wanted to take Him. But no one put their hands on Him.
45 The soldiers came back to the religious leaders of the Jews and to the proud religious law-keepers. They said to the soldiers, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The soldiers answered, “No man has ever spoken like this Man speaks.” 47 The proud religious law-keepers said, “Have you been led the wrong way also? 48 Has anyone of the leaders or anyone from our group believed in Him? 49 As for all these people, they do not know the Law. They are guilty and will be punished by God.”
50 (Nicodemus was one of the proud religious law-keepers. He had come to Jesus at another time.) Nicodemus said to them, 51 “Our Law does not say a man is guilty before he has been in court and before we know what he has done.” 52 They said to him, “Are you from Galilee also? Look into the Word of God yourself. You will see that no one who speaks for God comes from Galilee.” 53 *Then everyone went home.
A Father’s Teaching
4 O sons, hear the teaching of a father. Listen so you may get understanding. 2 For I give you good teaching. Do not turn away from it. 3 When I was a much loved and only son of my mother and father, 4 he taught me, saying, “Hold my words close to your heart. Keep my teachings and live. 5 Get wisdom and understanding. Do not forget or turn away from the words of my mouth. 6 Do not leave her alone, and she will keep you safe. Love her, and she will watch over you. 7 The beginning of wisdom is: Get wisdom! And with all you have gotten, get understanding. 8 Honor her and she will honor you. She will honor you if you hold her to your heart. 9 She will put on your head a crown of loving-favor and beauty.”
10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. 11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you on the right paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be stopped. If you run, you will not trip. 13 Take hold of teaching. Do not let go. Watch over her, for she is your life. 14 Do not go on the path of the sinful. Do not walk in the way of bad men. 15 Stay away from it. Do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they do wrong. They are robbed of sleep unless they make someone fall. 17 For they eat the bread of sin, and drink the wine of wrong-doing. 18 But the way of those who are right is like the early morning light. It shines brighter and brighter until the perfect day. 19 The way of the sinful is like darkness. They do not know what they trip over.
20 My son, listen to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them leave your eyes. Keep them in the center of your heart. 22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. 23 Keep your heart pure for out of it are the important things of life. 24 Put false speaking away from you. Put bad talk far from you. 25 Let your eyes look straight in front of you, and keep looking at what is in front of you. 26 Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not turn to the right or to the left. Turn your foot away from sin.
3 You foolish Galatians! What strange powers are trying to lead you from the way of faith in Christ? We made it plain for you to see that Jesus Christ was put on a cross to die. 2 There is one thing I want to know. Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the Law? Or did you receive Him by hearing about Christ? 3 How foolish can you be? You started the Christian life by the Holy Spirit. Do you think you are going to become better Christians by your old way of worship? 4 You suffered so much because of the Good News you received. Was this all of no use? 5 He gave you the Holy Spirit and did powerful works among you. Does He do it because you do what the Law says or because you hear and believe the truth?
6 It was the same with Abraham. He put his trust in God. This made Abraham right with God. 7 Be sure to remember that all men who put their trust in God are the sons of Abraham. 8 The Holy Writings said long ago that God would save the people who are not Jews from the punishment of sin also. Before this time the Holy Writings gave the Good News to Abraham in these words, “All nations will be happy because of you.” (A) 9 So then, all those who have faith will be happy, along with Abraham who had faith.
10 All those who expect the Law to save them from the punishment of sin will be punished. Because it is written, “Everyone who does not keep on doing all the things written in the Book of the Law will be punished.” (B) 11 No one is made right with God by doing what the Law says. For, “The man right with God will live by faith.” (C) 12 The Law does not use faith. It says, “You must obey all the Law or you will die.” (D) 13 Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from the Law. In that way, the Law could not punish us. Christ did this by carrying the load and by being punished instead of us. It is written, “Anyone who hangs on a cross is hated and punished.” (E) 14 Because of the price Christ Jesus paid, the good things that came to Abraham might come to the people who are not Jews. And by putting our trust in Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit He has promised.
15 Christian brothers, let me show you what this means. If two men agree to something and sign their names on a paper promising to stay true to what they agree, it cannot be changed. 16 Now the promise was made to Abraham and to his son. He does not say, “And to sons,” speaking of many. But instead, “And to your Son,” which means Christ. 17 This is what I am saying: The Law which came 430 years later could not change the promise. The promise had already been made by God. The Law could not put that promise aside. 18 If it had been possible to be saved from the punishment of sin by obeying the Law, the promise God gave Abraham would be worth nothing. But since it is not possible to be saved by obeying the Law, the promise God gave Abraham is worth everything.
19 Then why do we have the Law? It was given because of sin. It was to be used until Christ came. The promise had been made looking toward Christ. The Law was given by angels through Moses who stood between God and man. 20 But when the promise was given to Abraham, God gave it without anyone standing between them. 21 Is the Law against the promise of God? No! Never! If it had been possible to be saved from the punishment of sin by obeying the Law, then being right with God would have come by obeying the Law. 22 But the Holy Writings say that all men are guilty of sin. Then that which was promised might be given to those who put their trust in Christ. It will be because their faith is in Him.
23 Before it was possible to be saved from the punishment of sin by putting our trust in Christ, we were held under the Law. It was as if we were being kept in prison. We were kept this way until Christ came. 24 The Law was used to lead us to Christ. It was our teacher, and so we were made right with God by putting our trust in Christ. 25 Now that our faith is in Christ, we do not need the Law to lead us. 26 You are now children of God because you have put your trust in Christ Jesus. 27 All of you who have been baptized to show you belong to Christ have become like Christ. 28 God does not see you as a Jew or as a Greek. He does not see you as a servant or as a person free to work. He does not see you as a man or as a woman. You are all one in Christ. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you have become the true children of Abraham. What God promised to him is now yours.
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