M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
36 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person will do the work the Lord has commanded, because he gave them the wisdom and understanding to do all the skilled work needed to build the Holy Tent.”
2 Then Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled people to whom the Lord had given skills, and they came because they wanted to help with the work. 3 They received from Moses everything the people of Israel had brought as gifts to build the Holy Tent. The people continued to bring gifts each morning because they wanted to. 4 So all the skilled workers left the work they were doing on the Holy Tent, 5 and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than we need to do the work the Lord commanded.”
6 Then Moses sent this command throughout the camp: “No man or woman should make anything else as a gift for the Holy Tent.” So the people were kept from giving more, 7 because what they had was already more than enough to do all the work.
The Holy Tent
8 Then the skilled workers made the Holy Tent. They made the ten curtains of blue, purple, and red cloth, and they sewed designs of creatures with wings on the curtains. 9 Each curtain was the same size—forty-two feet long and six feet wide. 10 Five of the curtains were fastened together to make one set, and the other five were fastened together to make another set. 11 Then they made loops of blue cloth along the edge of the end curtain on the first set of five, and they did the same thing with the other set of five. 12 There were fifty loops on one curtain and fifty loops on the other curtain, with the loops opposite each other. 13 They made fifty gold hooks to join the two curtains together so that the Holy Tent was joined together as one piece.
14 Then the workers made another tent of eleven curtains made of goat hair, to put over the Holy Tent. 15 All eleven curtains were the same size—forty-five feet long and six feet wide. 16 The workers sewed five curtains together into one set and six together into another set. 17 They made fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of one set and fifty loops along the edge of the outside curtain of the other set. 18 Then they made fifty bronze rings to join the two sets of cloth together and make the tent one piece. 19 They made two more coverings for the outer tent—one made of male sheepskins colored red and the other made of fine leather.
20 Then they made upright frames of acacia wood for the Holy Tent. 21 Each frame was fifteen feet tall and twenty-seven inches wide, 22 and there were two pegs side by side on each one. Every frame of the Holy Tent was made this same way. 23 They made twenty frames for the south side of the Tent, 24 and they made forty silver bases that went under the twenty frames. There were two bases for every frame—one for each peg of each frame. 25 They also made twenty frames for the north side of the Holy Tent 26 and forty silver bases—two to go under each frame. 27 They made six frames for the rear or west end of the Holy Tent 28 and two frames for the corners at the rear of the Holy Tent. 29 These two frames were doubled at the bottom and joined at the top with a metal ring. They did this for each of these corners. 30 So there were eight frames and sixteen silver bases—two bases under each frame.
31 Then they made crossbars of acacia wood to connect the upright frames of the Holy Tent. Five crossbars held the frames together on one side of the Tent, 32 and five held the frames together on the other side. Also, five crossbars held the frames together on the west end, at the rear of the Tent. 33 They made the middle crossbar run along the entire length of each side and rear of the Tent. It was set halfway up the frames. 34 They made gold rings on the sides of the frames to hold the crossbars, and they covered the frames and the crossbars with gold.
35 Then they made the curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. A skilled craftsman sewed designs of creatures with wings on it. 36 They made four posts of acacia wood for it and covered them with gold. Then they made gold hooks for the posts, as well as four silver bases in which to set the posts. 37 For the entrance to the Tent, they made a curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and fine linen. A person who sewed well sewed designs on it. 38 Then they made five posts and hooks for it. They covered the tops of the posts and their bands with gold, and they made five bronze bases for the posts.
Jesus Is Like a Vine
15 “I am the true vine; my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. And he trims and cleans every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the words I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in the vine. In the same way, you cannot produce fruit alone but must remain in me.
5 “I am the vine, and you are the branches. If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without me they can do nothing. 6 If any do not remain in me, they are like a branch that is thrown away and then dies. People pick up dead branches, throw them into the fire, and burn them. 7 If you remain in me and follow my teachings, you can ask anything you want, and it will be given to you. 8 You should produce much fruit and show that you are my followers, which brings glory to my Father. 9 I loved you as the Father loved me. Now remain in my love. 10 I have obeyed my Father’s commands, and I remain in his love. In the same way, if you obey my commands, you will remain in my love. 11 I have told you these things so that you can have the same joy I have and so that your joy will be the fullest possible joy.
12 “This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me; I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go and produce fruit, fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Jesus Warns His Followers
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, so you don’t belong to it. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If people did wrong to me, they will do wrong to you, too. And if they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours, too. 21 They will do all this to you on account of me, because they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me also hates my Father. 24 I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done these works, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen what I have done, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that what is written in their law would be true: ‘They hated me for no reason.’[a]
26 “I will send you the Helper[b] from the Father; he is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will tell about me, 27 and you also must tell people about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.
12 Anyone who loves learning accepts correction,
but a person who hates being corrected is stupid.
2 The Lord is pleased with a good person,
but he will punish anyone who plans evil.
3 Doing evil brings no safety at all,
but a good person has safety and security.
4 A good wife is like a crown for her husband,
but a disgraceful wife is like a disease in his bones.
5 The plans that good people make are fair,
but the advice of the wicked will trick you.
6 The wicked talk about killing people,
but the words of good people will save them.
7 Wicked people die and they are no more,
but a good person’s family continues.
8 The wisdom of the wise wins praise,
but there is no respect for the stupid.
9 A person who is not important but has a servant is better off
than someone who acts important but has no food.
10 Good people take care of their animals,
but even the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.
11 Those who work their land will have plenty of food,
but the one who chases empty dreams is not wise.
12 The wicked want what other evil people have stolen,
but good people want to give what they have to others.
13 Evil people are trapped by their evil talk,
but good people stay out of trouble.
14 People will be rewarded for what they say,
and they will also be rewarded for what they do.
15 Fools think they are doing right,
but the wise listen to advice.
16 Fools quickly show that they are upset,
but the wise ignore insults.
17 An honest witness tells the truth,
but a dishonest witness tells lies.
18 Careless words stab like a sword,
but wise words bring healing.
19 Truth will continue forever,
but lies are only for a moment.
20 Those who plan evil are full of lies,
but those who plan peace are happy.
21 No harm comes to a good person,
but an evil person’s life is full of trouble.
22 The Lord hates those who tell lies
but is pleased with those who keep their promises.
23 Wise people keep what they know to themselves,
but fools can’t keep from showing how foolish they are.
24 Hard workers will become leaders,
but those who are lazy will be slaves.
25 Worry is a heavy load,
but a kind word cheers you up.
26 Good people take advice from their friends,
but an evil person is easily led to do wrong.
27 The lazy catch no food to cook,
but a hard worker will have great wealth.
28 Doing what is right is the way to life,
but there is another way that leads to death.
Living in the Light
5 You are God’s children whom he loves, so try to be like him. 2 Live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But there must be no sexual sin among you, or any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God’s holy people. 4 Also, there must be no evil talk among you, and you must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes. These things are not right for you. Instead, you should be giving thanks to God. 5 You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God who sins sexually, or does evil things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is serving a false god.
6 Do not let anyone fool you by telling you things that are not true, because these things will bring God’s anger on those who do not obey him. 7 So have nothing to do with them. 8 In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. 9 Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. 10 Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the things done in darkness, which are not worth anything. But show that they are wrong. 12 It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret. 13 But the light makes all things easy to see, 14 and everything that is made easy to see can become light. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper!
Rise from death,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise, but live wisely. 16 Use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. 17 So do not be foolish but learn what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, but be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. 20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wives and Husbands
21 Yield to obey each other as you would to Christ.
22 Wives, yield to your husbands, as you do to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. And he is the Savior of the body, which is the church. 24 As the church yields to Christ, so you wives should yield to your husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for it 26 to make it belong to God. Christ used the word to make the church clean by washing it with water. 27 He died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be pure and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other wrong thing in it. 28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 No one ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it. And that is what Christ does for the church, 30 because we are parts of his body. 31 The Scripture says, “So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one body.”[a] 32 That secret is very important—I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself, and a wife must respect her husband.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.