M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
God Destroys Nadab and Abihu
10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their pans for burning incense, put fire in them, and added incense; but they did not use the special fire Moses had commanded them to use in the presence of the Lord. 2 So fire came down from the Lord and destroyed Nadab and Abihu, and they died in front of the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord was speaking about when he said,
‘I must be respected as holy
by those who come near me;
before all the people
I must be given honor.’”
So Aaron did not say anything about the death of his sons.
4 Aaron’s uncle Uzziel had two sons named Mishael and Elzaphan. Moses said to them, “Come here and pick up your cousins’ bodies. Carry them outside the camp away from the front of the Holy Place.” 5 So Mishael and Elzaphan obeyed Moses and carried the bodies of Nadab and Abihu, still clothed in the special priest’s inner robes, outside the camp.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his other sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Don’t show sadness by tearing your clothes or leaving your hair uncombed. If you do, you will die, and the Lord will be angry with all the people. All the people of Israel, your relatives, may cry loudly about the Lord burning Nadab and Abihu, 7 but you must not even leave the Meeting Tent. If you go out of the entrance, you will die, because the Lord has appointed you to his service.” So Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar obeyed Moses.
8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons must not drink wine or beer when you go into the Meeting Tent. If you do, you will die. This law will continue from now on. 10 You must keep what is holy separate from what is not holy; you must keep what is clean separate from what is unclean. 11 You must teach the people all the laws that the Lord gave to them through Moses.”
12 Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Eat the part of the grain offering that is left from the sacrifices offered by fire to the Lord, but do not add yeast to it. Eat it near the altar because it is most holy. 13 You must eat it in a holy place, because this part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord belongs to you and your sons. I have been commanded to tell you this.
14 “Also, you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast and thigh of the fellowship offering that was presented to the Lord. You must eat them in a clean place; they are your share of the fellowship offerings given by the Israelites. 15 The people must bring the fat from their animals that was part of the offering made by fire, and they must present it to the Lord along with the thigh and the breast of the fellowship offering. They will be the regular share of the offerings for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”
16 Moses looked for the goat of the sin offering, but it had already been burned up. So he became very angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons. He said, 17 “Why didn’t you eat that goat in a holy place? It is most holy, and the Lord gave it to you to take away the guilt of the people, to remove their sins so they will belong to the Lord. 18 You didn’t bring the goat’s blood inside the Holy Place. You were supposed to eat the goat in a holy place, as I commanded!”
19 But Aaron said to Moses, “Today they brought their sin offering and burnt offering before the Lord, but these terrible things have still happened to me! Do you think the Lord would be any happier if I ate the sin offering today?” 20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
Trust in the Lord
For the director of music. Of David.
11 I trust in the Lord for protection.
So why do you say to me,
“Fly like a bird to your mountain.
2 Like hunters, the wicked string their bows;
they set their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from dark places
at those who are honest.
3 When the foundations for good collapse,
what can good people do?”
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord sits on his throne in heaven.
He sees what people do;
he keeps his eye on them.
5 The Lord tests those who do right,
but he hates the wicked and those who love to hurt others.
6 He will send hot coals and burning sulfur on the wicked.
A whirlwind is what they will get.
7 The Lord does what is right, and he loves justice,
so honest people will see his face.
A Prayer Against Liars
For the director of music. Upon the sheminith. A psalm of David.
12 Save me, Lord, because the good people are all gone;
no true believers are left on earth.
2 Everyone lies to his neighbors;
they say one thing and mean another.
3 The Lord will stop those flattering lips
and cut off those bragging tongues.
4 They say, “Our tongues will help us win.
We can say what we wish; no one is our master.”
5 But the Lord says,
“I will now rise up,
because the poor are being hurt.
Because of the moans of the helpless,
I will give them the help they want.”
6 The Lord’s words are pure,
like silver purified by fire,
like silver purified seven times over.
7 Lord, you will keep us safe;
you will always protect us from such people.
8 But the wicked are all around us;
everyone loves what is wrong.
More Wise Sayings of Solomon
25 These are more wise sayings of Solomon, copied by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah.
2 God is honored for what he keeps secret.
Kings are honored for what they can discover.
3 No one can measure the height of the skies or the depth of the earth.
So also no one can understand the mind of a king.
4 Remove the scum from the silver,
so the silver can be used by the silversmith.
5 Remove wicked people from the king’s presence;
then his government will be honest and last a long time.
6 Don’t brag to the king
and act as if you are great.
7 It is better for him to give you a higher position
than to bring you down in front of the prince.
Because of something you have seen,
8 do not quickly take someone to court.
What will you do later
when your neighbor proves you wrong?
9 If you have an argument with your neighbor,
don’t tell other people what was said.
10 Whoever hears it might shame you,
and you might not ever be respected again.
11 The right word spoken at the right time
is as beautiful as gold apples in a silver bowl.
12 A wise warning to someone who will listen
is as valuable as gold earrings or fine gold jewelry.
13 Trustworthy messengers refresh those who send them,
like the coolness of snow in the summertime.
14 People who brag about gifts they never give
are like clouds and wind that give no rain.
15 With patience you can convince a ruler,
and a gentle word can get through to the hard-headed.
16 If you find honey, don’t eat too much,
or it will make you throw up.
17 Don’t go to your neighbor’s house too often;
too much of you will make him hate you.
18 When you lie about your neighbors,
it hurts them as much as a club, a sword, or a sharp arrow.
19 Trusting unfaithful people when you are in trouble
is like eating with a broken tooth or walking with a crippled foot.
20 Singing songs to someone who is sad
is like taking away his coat on a cold day
or pouring vinegar on soda.
21 If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
If he is thirsty, give him a drink.
22 Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 As the north wind brings rain,
telling gossip brings angry looks.
24 It is better to live in a corner on the roof[a]
than inside the house with a quarreling wife.
25 Good news from a faraway place
is like a cool drink when you are tired.
26 A good person who gives in to evil
is like a muddy spring or a dirty well.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor does it bring you honor to brag about yourself.
28 Those who do not control themselves
are like a city whose walls are broken down.
A Life that Pleases God
4 Brothers and sisters, we taught you how to live in a way that will please God, and you are living that way. Now we ask and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live that way even more. 2 You know what we told you to do by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 God wants you to be holy and to stay away from sexual sins. 4 He wants each of you to learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable. 5 Don’t use your body for sexual sin like the people who do not know God. 6 Also, do not wrong or cheat another Christian in this way. The Lord will punish people who do those things as we have already told you and warned you. 7 God called us to be holy and does not want us to live in sin. 8 So the person who refuses to obey this teaching is disobeying God, not simply a human teaching. And God is the One who gives us his Holy Spirit.
9 We do not need to write you about having love for your Christian family, because God has already taught you to love each other. 10 And truly you do love the Christians in all of Macedonia. Brothers and sisters, now we encourage you to love them even more.
11 Do all you can to live a peaceful life. Take care of your own business, and do your own work as we have already told you. 12 If you do, then people who are not believers will respect you, and you will not have to depend on others for what you need.
The Lord’s Coming
13 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about those Christians who have died so you will not be sad, as others who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and that he rose again. So, because of him, God will raise with Jesus those who have died. 15 What we tell you now is the Lord’s own message. We who are living when the Lord comes again will not go before those who have already died. 16 The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel,[b] and with the trumpet call of God. And those who have died believing in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive will be gathered up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.