M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Laws about Skin Diseases

14 The Lord said to Moses, ² “This is the law of the person with a bad skin disease when he is made clean. He will be brought to the religious leader. ³ The religious leader will go away from the tents and look at him. If the sick person has been healed of the bad skin disease, ⁴ the religious leader must have two live clean birds, cedar wood, a red string and hyssop brought for the one who is to be made clean. ⁵ The religious leader will have one of the birds killed in a clay pot over flowing water. ⁶ Then he will take the living bird with the cedar wood, the red string and the hyssop. He will put them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the flowing water. ⁷ He will put blood seven times on the one who is to be made clean from the bad skin disease. And he will say he is clean. Then he will let the live bird go free over the open field. ⁸ The one to be made clean will wash his clothes, cut off all his hair, wash himself in water, and be clean. After that he may go among the tents. But he must stay outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day he will cut off his hair. He will cut the hair from his head and face, all his hair. Then he will wash his clothes and wash himself in water, and be clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day he is to take two male lambs that are perfect, a year old female lamb that is perfect, three-tenths part of a basket of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain gift, and one jar of oil. ¹¹ The religious leader who makes him clean will set the man who is to be made clean and these things before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. ¹² Then the religious leader will take the one male lamb and bring it for a guilt gift with the jar of oil. He will give them as a wave gift before the Lord. ¹³ He will kill the lamb in the holy place where they kill the sin gifts and the burnt gifts. For the guilt gift belongs to the religious leader like the sin gift. It is most holy. ¹⁴ Then the religious leader will take some of the blood of the guilt gift. He will put it on the bottom part of the right ear of the person to be made clean. And he will put it on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵ Then the religious leader will take some of the oil in the jar and pour it into his left hand. ¹⁶ The religious leader will put a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ Then the religious leader will put some of the rest of the oil upon the blood of the guilt gift on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean. ¹⁸ The rest of the oil in the religious leader’s hand will be put on the head of the person to be made clean. So the religious leader will pay for the person’s sins before the Lord. ¹⁹ The religious leader will then give the sin gift to pay for the sins of the person to be made clean. After that he will kill the burnt gift. ²⁰ The religious leader will give the burnt gift and the grain gift on the altar. So the religious leader will pay for the person’s sins, and he will be clean.

²¹ “But if he is poor and does not have enough money for so much, he will take one male lamb for a guilt gift, a wave gift, to pay for his sins. And he will take one-tenth part of a basket of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain gift, a jar of oil, ²² and two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, whatever he is able to buy. One will be a sin gift and the other a burnt gift. ²³ On the eighth day he will bring them to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent before the Lord so he can be made clean. ²⁴ The religious leader will take the lamb of the guilt gift and the jar of oil. And the religious leader will wave them as the wave gift before the Lord. ²⁵ Then he will kill the lamb of the guilt gift. The religious leader will take some of the blood of the guilt gift and put it on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean. ²⁶ The religious leader will pour some of the oil into his left hand. ²⁷ The religious leader will put a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in the left hand seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ Then the religious leader will put some of the oil in his hand on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean. It will be put on the place where he has put the blood of the guilt gift. ²⁹ The rest of the oil in the religious leader’s hand will be put on the head of the person to be made clean, to pay for his sins before the Lord. ³⁰ Then he will give one of the turtle-doves or young pigeons that he was able to buy. ³¹ He will give what he is able to give, one for a sin gift and the other for a burnt gift, together with the grain gift. So the religious leader will pay for the sins of the person to be made clean before the Lord. ³² This is the law for him who had a bad skin disease and is not able to buy what is needed for making him clean.”

Laws about the House Where the Person with a Bad Skin Disease Lived

³³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for your own, and I put a mark of a bad skin disease on a house in your land, ³⁵ then the one who owns the house will come and tell the religious leader, ‘I see something like a mark of a bad skin disease in my house.’ ³⁶ Then the religious leader will tell them to empty the house before he goes in to look at the mark, so he will not say that everything in the house is unclean. After this the religious leader will go in to look at the house. ³⁷ He will look at the mark of the disease. If the mark is in the walls of the house with green or red spots deep in the walls, ³⁸ the religious leader will go out the door and shut up the house for seven days. ³⁹ He will come again on the seventh day and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ the religious leader will tell them to tear out the stones with the disease in them and throw them away outside the city at an unclean place. ⁴¹ He will have the walls and floors of the house cleaned inside. And they will take the pieces that are rubbed off to an unclean place outside the city. ⁴² Then they will take other stones to put in the place of those stones. And he will cover the walls with a new covering.

⁴³ “If the disease comes again in the house, after he has taken out the stones, cleaned the house inside and covered the walls again, ⁴⁴ then the religious leader will come and look. If the disease has spread in the house, it is a very bad disease in the house. It is unclean. ⁴⁵ He will tear down the house, its stones, wood, and all the covering of the house. And he will take the pieces outside the city to an unclean place. ⁴⁶ Anyone who goes into the house during the time it is shut up will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Whoever lies down in the house will wash his clothes. And whoever eats in the house will wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ “But the religious leader may come in and find that the disease has not spread in the house after its walls have been covered again. Then the religious leader will say the house is clean, because the mark of the disease cannot be seen. ⁴⁹ He will take two birds, cedar wood, a red string and hyssop to make the house clean. ⁵⁰ He will kill one of the birds in a clay pot over flowing water. ⁵¹ Then he will take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the red string, with the live bird, and put them in the blood of the killed bird and in the flowing water. And he will put some of the blood and water on the house seven times. ⁵² He will make the house clean with the blood of the bird, the flowing water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the red string. ⁵³ He will let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he will take away sin from the house, and it will be clean.”

⁵⁴ This is the law for any very bad skin disease, even a sore, ⁵⁵ and for a disease in clothing or in a house, ⁵⁶ and for a growing sore, and what is left of a sore, and for a bright spot. ⁵⁷ It is to teach when they are unclean, and when they are clean. This is the law of the very bad skin disease.

Prayer for Help in Time of Trouble

17 Hear what is right, O Lord. Listen to my cry. Hear my prayer, for it does not come from lying lips. ² May You decide in my favor. May Your eyes see what is right. ³ You have tested my heart. You have visited me during the night. You have tested me and have found nothing wrong. I have decided that my mouth will not sin. ⁴ As for the actions of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept myself from the paths of those who want to hurt others. ⁵ My steps have followed Your paths. My feet have not turned from them.

⁶ I have called to You, O God, for You will answer me. Listen to me and hear my words. ⁷ Show Your great loving-kindness. You save by Your right hand the people that come to You for help from those who hate them. ⁸ Keep me safe as You would Your own eye. Hide me in the shadow of Your wings, ⁹ from the sinful who fight against me, those who would kill me and are all around me. ¹⁰ They have closed their fat hearts to pity. And their mouths speak with pride. ¹¹ They have followed our every step and are all around us. They are watching for a way to bring us down to the ground. ¹² He is like a hungry lion, like a young lion hiding and waiting.

¹³ Rise up, O Lord. Stand against him. Bring him down. Save me from the sinful with Your sword. ¹⁴ O Lord, save me by Your hand from such men. Their riches are in this life. Their stomach is filled with what you have stored for them. Their children are filled. Let them leave some for their babies. ¹⁵ As for me, I will see Your face in what is right and good. I will be happy to see You when I awake.

28 The sinful run away when no one is trying to catch them, but those who are right with God have as much strength of heart as a lion.

² When a nation sins, it has many rulers, but with a man of understanding and much learning, it will last a long time.

³ A poor man who makes it hard for the poor is like a heavy rain which leaves no food.

⁴ Those who turn away from the law praise the sinful, but those who keep the law fight against them.

⁵ Sinful men do not understand what is right and fair, but those who look to the Lord understand all things.

⁶ A poor man who walks in his honor is better than a rich man who is sinful in his ways.

⁷ He who keeps the law is a wise son, but a friend of men who eat too much puts his father to shame.

⁸ He who gets money by being paid much for the use of it, gathers it for him who will be kind to the poor.

⁹ He who turns his ear away from listening to the law, even his prayer is a hated thing.

¹⁰ He who leads good people into a sinful way will fall into his own deep hole, but good will come to those without blame.

¹¹ The rich man is wise in his own eyes, but the poor man who has understanding sees through him.

¹² When those who are right with God win, there is great honor, but when the sinful rule, men hide themselves.

¹³ It will not go well for the man who hides his sins, but he who tells his sins and turns from them will be given loving-pity.

¹⁴ Happy is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who makes his heart hard will fall into trouble.

¹⁵ A sinful ruler over poor people is like a lion making noise or a bear running to fight.

¹⁶ A ruler who takes much from the people who have little does not have understanding. But he who hates wanting something that belongs to someone else will live a long time.

¹⁷ A man who is loaded down with the guilt of human blood will run in fear until death. Let no one help him.

¹⁸ He who walks without blame will be kept safe, but he who is sinful will fall all at once.

¹⁹ He who works his land will have more than enough food, but he who wastes his time will become very poor.

²⁰ A faithful man will have many good things, but he who hurries to be rich will be punished for it.

²¹ To show favor is not good, because a man will sin for a piece of bread.

²² A man with a sinful eye hurries to be rich. He does not know that he will be in need.

²³ He who speaks strong words to a man will later find more favor than he who gives false respect with his tongue.

²⁴ He who robs his father or his mother, and says, “It is not a sin,” is the friend of a man who destroys.

²⁵ A proud man starts fights, but all will go well for the man who trusts in the Lord.

²⁶ He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be kept safe.

²⁷ He who gives to the poor will never want, but many bad things will happen to the man who shuts his eyes to the poor.

²⁸ When the sinful rule, men hide themselves, but when they pass away, those who do what is right become many.

Some People Will Believe a Lie

2 Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. We will be gathered together to meet Him. But we ask you, Christian brothers, ² do not be troubled in mind or worried by the talk you hear. Some say that the Lord has already come. People may say that I wrote this in a letter or that a spirit told them. ³ Do not let anyone fool you. For the Lord will not come again until many people turn away from God. Then the leader of those who break the law will come. He is the man of sin. ⁴ He works against and puts himself above every kind of god that is worshiped. He will take his seat in the house of God and say that he himself is God. ⁵ Do you not remember that while I was with you, I told you this? ⁶ You know the power that is keeping the man of sin back now. The man of sin will come only when his time is ready. ⁷ For the secret power of breaking the law is already at work in the world. But that secret power can only do so much until the One Who keeps back the man of sin is taken out of the way. ⁸ Then this man of sin will come. The Lord Jesus will kill him with the breath of His mouth. The coming of Christ will put an end to him. ⁹ Satan will use this man of sin. He will have Satan’s power. He will do strange things and many powerful works that will be false. ¹⁰ Those who are lost in sin will be fooled by the things he can do. They are lost in sin because they did not love the truth that would save them. ¹¹ For this reason, God will allow them to follow false teaching so they will believe a lie. ¹² They will all be guilty as they stand before God because they wanted to do what was wrong.

You Belong to Those Who Believe the Truth

¹³ Christian brothers, the Lord loves you. We always thank God for you. It is because God has chosen you from the beginning to save you from the punishment of sin. He chose to make you holy by the Holy Spirit and to give you faith to believe the truth. ¹⁴ It was by our preaching the Good News that you were chosen. He chose you to share the shining-greatness of our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ So then, Christian brothers, keep a strong hold on what we have taught you by what we have said and by what we have written.

¹⁶ Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loves us. Through His loving-favor He gives us comfort and hope that lasts forever. ¹⁷ May He give your hearts comfort and strength to say and do every good thing.