M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Clean and Unclean Animals(A)
11 The Lord told Moses and Aaron,[a] 2 “Tell the Israelis that these are the living creatures that you may eat among the animals of the earth: 3 You may eat any animal that has divided hooves with cloven feet and that ruminates its cud, 4 except you are not to eat the following animals that have divided hooves or ruminate their cud: the camel (because it chews the cud but doesn’t have divided hooves, it is to be unclean for you), 5 the rock badger (because it chews its cud but its hooves aren’t divided, it is to be unclean for you), 6 the hare (because it chews its cud, but its hooves aren’t divided, it is to be unclean for you), 7 and the pig (because it has divided hooves and is therefore cloven-footed, but it doesn’t ruminate its cud, it is to be unclean for you). 8 You are not to eat their flesh or even touch their carcasses. They are to be unclean for you.”
Clean and Unclean Seafood
9 “You may eat anything that lives in the water—that is, you may eat anything that has fins and scales either from the seas or from the rivers. 10 But anything that doesn’t have fins or scales—whether from the seas or the rivers—any of the swarming creatures and living creatures in the waters are detestable for you. 11 They are to remain detestable for you. You are not to eat of their meat and you are to detest their carcasses. 12 Anything that doesn’t have fins or scales in the waters is a detestable thing for you.”
Clean and Unclean Winged Creatures
13 “These are detestable things for you among winged creatures that you are not to eat, because they are detestable for you: the eagle, vulture, osprey, 14 red kite, falcons of any kind, 15 every kind of raven, 16 ostrich, nighthawk, seagull, hawks of every kind, 17 owls, cormorants, the ibis, 18 water-hens, pelicans, carrion, 19 storks, herons of every kind, the hoopoe, bata, 20 and any winged insect that crawls on four legs is detestable for you. 21 However, you may eat winged creatures that crawl on four legs that extend over its head and by which it hops on the ground. 22 These creatures that you may eat include the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. 23 But any other winged insect that has four legs is detestable for you 24 and is unclean. Anyone who touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening. 25 And anyone who carries their carcasses is to wash his clothes, since he will remain unclean until evening.”
Summary of Clean and Unclean
26 “Any animal that has divided hooves and is cloven-footed but doesn’t chew the cud is unclean for you. Anyone who touches them is unclean. 27 Among the animals, anything that walks on their paws and on four legs is unclean for you. Anyone who touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening. 28 Whoever carries their carcass is to wash their clothes, because they’ve become unclean until evening. They’re unclean for you.
29 “These are unclean for you among the swarming creatures that crawl over the land: the rat,[b] mouse, lizards of every kind, 30 the gecko, crocodile, lizard, sand lizard, and chameleon. 31 These are unclean for you among the swarming creatures, so anyone who touches them when they’re dead becomes unclean until evening. 32 Furthermore, anything on which they fall when they’re dead becomes unclean, whether on an article of wood, clothing, skin, or a sack. And any vessel used for any work is to be washed in water, because it has become unclean until evening. 33 Any earthen vessel into which any of these things fall becomes unclean, along with everything in it. You are to destroy it, along with all its contents.”
Clean and Unclean Vessels
34 “Any food that may be eaten, but into which water has soaked, becomes unclean. Any drink that may be drunk in any of these vessels becomes unclean, 35 and anything into which their carcass falls becomes unclean. An oven or stove is to be broken in pieces. They’re unclean and therefore unclean for you.
36 “A spring or a cistern that holds water is clean, but whoever touches the carcass of an unclean animal will be unclean. 37 If their carcass falls on a seed, which is for sowing, what is to be sown is clean. 38 But if water is put on the seed and part of their carcass falls on it, then it has become unclean for you.
39 “If any of the animals that you may eat dies, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 40 The one who eats from its carcass is to wash his clothes, because he has become unclean until evening. Even the one who carries the carcass is to wash his clothes, because he has become unclean until evening.”
Unclean Swarming Animals
41 “Every swarming thing that swarms the land is detestable for you. It is not to be eaten. 42 You are not to eat anything that crawls on its belly, anything that walks on four legs, anything that has many legs, or any of the swarming creatures that swarm the land, because they’re detestable. 43 You are not to make yourselves detestable on account of any swarming creature that swarms the land, and you are not to defile yourselves and become unclean due to them, 44 because I, the Lord, am your God. Set yourselves apart and be holy, because I am holy. You are not to defile yourselves with any of the swarming creatures that swarm the earth. 45 I am the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You are to be holy, because I am holy. 46 This is the law concerning animals, every living creature that moves on the waters or swarms[c] on land. 47 You are to differentiate between the clean and unclean, between the living creature that can be eaten and the living creature that is not to be eaten.”
Post-Natal Purification
12 The Lord told Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelis that a woman who conceives and bears a son is unclean for seven days. Just like the days of her menstruation,[d] she is unclean. 3 On the eighth day, the flesh of the baby’s foreskin is to be circumcised. 4 For 33 days after this, she is to remain in purification due to her blood loss.[e] She is not to touch any sacred thing or enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification have been completed.
5 “If she gives birth to a female, then she is to remain unclean for two weeks, just like her menstruation. She is to remain in purification for 66 days due to her blood loss.[f] 6 When the days of her purification have been completed, whether for her son or daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a one year old lamb for a whole burnt offering or a young dove for a sin offering. 7 He is to offer it in the Lord’s presence and make atonement for her so that she becomes clean from her blood loss. This is the law concerning the bearing of a male or female child. 8 If she cannot afford a goat, then two turtledoves or two young doves—one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering—will serve for him to make atonement for her, so that she becomes clean.”
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
A Prayer for Deliverance
13 How long? Lord, will you forget me forever?[a]
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I struggle in my soul at night
and have sorrow in my heart during the day?
How long will my enemy rise up against me?
3 Look at me!
Answer me, Lord, my God!
Give light to my eyes!
Otherwise, I will sleep in death;
4 Otherwise, my enemy will say,
“I have overcome him;”
Otherwise, my persecutor will rejoice
when I am shaken.
5 As for me, I have trusted in your gracious love,
my heart will rejoice in your deliverance.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
for he has dealt bountifully with me.
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
The Fool and God’s Response
14 Fools say to themselves, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt and commit evil deeds;
not one of them practices what is good.
2 The Lord looks down from the heavens upon humanity[b]
to see if anyone shows discernment as he searches for God.
3 All have turned away,
together they have become corrupt;
no one practices what is good, not even one.
4 Will those who do evil ever learn?
They devour my people like they devour bread,
and never call on the Lord.
5 There they are seized with terror,
because God is with those who are[c] righteous.
On Fools
26 Like snowfall in summer or rain at harvest time,
so honor is inappropriate for a fool.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow
or a swallow in flight,
a curse without cause will not alight.
3 A whip is for the horses,
a bridle is for the donkey,
a rod is for the back of fools.
4 Don’t answer a fool according to his foolishness,
or you will be just like him.
5 Answer a fool according to his foolishness,
or he will think himself to be wise.
6 Whoever sends a message by the hand of a fool
cuts off his own[a] feet and drinks violence.
7 Useless legs to the lame—
that’s what a proverb quoted by a fool is.
8 Tying a stone to a sling—
that’s what giving honor to a fool is.
9 A thorn in the hand of a drunkard—
that’s what a proverb quoted by a fool is.
10 An archer who shoots at anyone—
is like someone who hires a fool or anyone who passes by.
11 A dog that returns to its vomit
is like a fool who reverts to his folly.
12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own opinion?
There’s more hope for a fool than for him.
On Laziness
13 The lazy person claims, “There is a lion in the road!
There’s a lion in the streets!”
14 The door turns on its hinges—
as does the lazy person on his bed.
15 The lazy person buries his hand in the dish,
but he’s too tired to bring it to his mouth again.
16 The lazy person is wiser in his own opinion
than seven men who can give an appropriate response.
17 Picking up a dog by the ears—
that’s what someone is like who[b] meddles in another’s fight.
18 Like the maniac who shoots
fiery darts and deadly arrows—
19 that’s what someone is like who lies to his neighbor
and then says, “I was joking, wasn’t I?”
On Gossip and Backbiting
20 Without wood, the fire goes out.
Without a gossip, contention stops.
21 Charcoal is to hot coals
as wood is to fire;
so also a quarrelsome man fuels strife.
22 The words of a gossip are like delicate morsels;
they sink down deep within.
23 A clay vessel plated with a thin veneer of silver—
that’s what smooth[c] lips with a wicked heart are.
24 Someone who hates hides behind his words,
harboring deceit within himself.
25 Though he speaks graciously, don’t believe him,
for there are seven detestable things in his heart.
26 Though malice disguises itself with deception,
its evil will be exposed publicly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and the stone will come back
on whoever starts it rolling.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
Be Ready for the Day of the Lord
5 Now you do not need to have anything written to you about times and dates, brothers, 2 for you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When people[a] say, “There is peace and security,” destruction will strike them as suddenly as labor pains come[b] to a pregnant woman, and they will not be able to escape.
4 However, brothers, you are not in the darkness, in order that the Day of the Lord[c] might surprise you like a thief. 5 For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to darkness. 6 Therefore, let’s not fall asleep like others do, but let’s stay awake and be sober. 7 For people who go to sleep, go to sleep at night; and people who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let’s be sober. We must put on the breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 9 For God has not destined us to receive[d] wrath but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[e] 10 who died for us in order that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 So then, encourage one another and build each other up, as you are doing.
Paul Gives Final Instructions to the Church
12 Brothers, we ask you to show your appreciation for those who work among you, set an example for you in the Lord, and instruct[f] you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard, loving them because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 We urge you, brothers, to admonish[g] those who are idle,[h] cheer up those who are discouraged, and help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that no one pays back evil for evil. Instead, always pursue what is good for each other and for everyone else. 16 Always be joyful. 17 Continually be prayerful. 18 In everything be thankful, because this is God’s will for you in the Messiah[i] Jesus. 19 Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.[j] 20 Do not despise prophecies. 21 Instead, test everything. Hold on to what is good. 22 Keep away from every kind of evil.
Final Greeting
23 May the God of peace himself make you holy in every way. And may your whole being—spirit, soul, and body—remain blameless when our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[k] appears. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will continue to be faithful.[l] 25 Brothers, pray[m] for us. 26 Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27 I order you by the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. 28 May the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[n] be with you! Amen.[o]
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