M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Day of Atonement
16 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons when they had approached the Lord and died. 2 The Lord told Moses, “Remind[a] your brother Aaron that at no time is he to enter the sacred place from the room that contains the curtain into the presence of the Mercy Seat[b] on top of the ark. Otherwise, he’ll die, because I will appear in a cloud at the Mercy Seat. 3 Aaron is to enter the sacred place with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a whole burnt offering. 4 He is to wear a sacred linen tunic and linen undergarments that will cover his genitals. He is to clothe himself with a sash and wrap his head with a linen turban. Because they are sacred garments, he is to wash himself with water before putting them on.”
The Atonement and Scapegoat Lots
5 “He is to take two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a whole burnt offering from the assembly of the Israelis. 6 Then Aaron is to bring the bull as a sin offering for himself and make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he is to take the two male goats and present them in the Lord’s presence at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 Aaron is to cast lots over the two male goats—one lot for the Lord and the other one for the scapegoat.[c] 9 Aaron is then to bring the male goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and offer it as a sin offering. 10 The male goat on which the lot fell for the scapegoat is to be brought alive into the Lord’s presence to make atonement for himself. Then he is to send it into the wilderness.”
The Sin Offering
11 “Aaron is then to bring the bull for a sin offering for himself, thus making atonement for himself and his household. He is to slaughter the ox for himself. 12 Then he is to take a censer and fill it with coals from the fire on the altar in the Lord’s presence. With his hands full of spiced and refined incense, he is to bring it beyond the curtain.
13 “Then he is to place the incense over the fire in the Lord’s presence, ensuring that the smoke[d] from the incense covers the Mercy Seat, according to regulation, so he won’t die. 14 He is to take blood from the ox and sprinkle it with his forefinger toward the surface of the Mercy Seat. Then he is to sprinkle the blood on the surface of the Mercy Seat with his forefinger seven times.
15 “He is to slaughter the male goat as a sin offering for the people and bring its blood beyond the curtain and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull: He is to sprinkle it on the Mercy Seat—that is, over the surface of the Mercy Seat. 16 Then he is to make atonement on the sacred[e] place on account of the uncleanness of the Israelis, their transgressions, and all their sins. This is how he is to act in the Tent of Meeting, which will remain with them in the middle of their uncleanness.
17 “No person[f] is to be there when he enters the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the sacred place, until he comes out and has made atonement on account of himself, his household, and the entire assembly of Israel. 18 When he goes to the altar in the Lord’s presence to make atonement for himself, he is to take some of the blood from the bull and the male goat, place it around the horns of the altar, 19 and sprinkle it with the blood on his forefinger seven times, cleansing and sanctifying it from Israel’s sins.”
The Scapegoat Offering
20 “When he has completed making atonement at the sacred place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, then he is to present the live male goat. 21 Aaron is to lay his two hands upon the head of the male goat and confess over it the sins of Israel, all their transgressions, and all their sins, thus placing them on the head of the male goat that he’ll then send out to the wilderness by the hand of a man capable of carrying out this task.[g] 22 The male goat will bear on itself all their sins to a solitary land as Aaron sends the goat out to the wilderness.
23 “Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off his white linen clothes that he had put on when he entered the sacred place, and leave them there. 24 He is to wash his body with water at the sacred place and put on his clothes. Then he is to go out and offer a whole burnt offering for himself and a whole burnt offering for the people, thereby making atonement on account of himself and on account of the people.
25 “As to the fat from the burnt offering, he is to incinerate it on the altar. 26 The one who sent away the male goat as a scapegoat[h] is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water. After doing so, he may enter the camp.
27 “The bull for the sin offering and the male goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the sacred place, are to be taken outside the camp. Their skin, meat, and offal are to be incinerated. 28 The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water. After doing so, he may enter the camp.”
The Perpetual Statute
29 “This is to be a perpetual statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you (including both the native born and the resident alien) are to humble yourselves by not doing any work, 30 because on that day, atonement will be made[i] for you to cleanse you from all your sins. You are to be clean in the Lord’s presence. 31 It’s the Sabbath of all Sabbaths for you, so humble yourselves. This is to be a perpetual statute. 32 The priest who has been anointed and consecrated to be priest after his father is to make the atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen clothing 33 and make atonement for the sacred sanctuary, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar where atonement is carried out. He is also to make atonement for the priests and the people of the entire assembly. 34 This will be a perpetual statute for you as you make atonement once a year for the Israelis on account of all their sins.”
So Moses did just as the Lord had commanded him.
To the Director: A Davidic Psalm.
God’s Revelation in the Heavens
19 The heavens are declaring the glory of God,
and their expanse shows the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech,
night after night they reveal knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor are there words—
their voice is not heard—
4 yet their message[a] goes out into all the world,
and their words to the ends of the earth.
He has set up a tent for the sun in the heavens,[b]
5 which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
or like a champion who rejoices at the beginning of a race.
6 Its circuit is from one end of the sky to the other,
and nothing is hidden from its heat.
God’s Revelation in the Law
7 The Law of the Lord is perfect,
restoring life.
The testimony of the Lord is steadfast,
making foolish people wise.
8 The precepts of the Lord are upright,
making the heart rejoice.
The commandment of the Lord is pure,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is clean,
standing forever.
The judgments of the Lord are true;
they are altogether righteous.
10 They are more desirable than gold,
even much fine gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even the drippings from a honeycomb.
11 Moreover your servant is warned by them;
and there is great reward in keeping them.
12 Who can detect his own[c] mistake?
Cleanse me from hidden sin.
13 Preserve your servant from arrogant people;[d]
do not let them rule over me.
Then I will be upright[e]
and acquitted of great wickedness.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
The Oracle
30 A discourse by the faithful collector.[a]
This is what this valiant man declared to the God with me,
to the God with me, who then prevailed:[b]
2 Surely I am beyond the senselessness of any man;
I do not perceive things[c] the way human beings do.
3 I never acquired wisdom,
but I know what the Holy One knows.
4 Who has ascended to heaven,
and then descended?
Who has collected the wind in his hands?
Who has wrapped up waters in a garment?
Who has established all the farthest points of the earth?
What is his name,
and what is his son’s name?
Surely you know!
5 Everything God says is pure;
he is a shield for those who take refuge in him.
6 Don’t add to his words,
or he will rebuke you,
and you will be shown to be a liar.
On Contentment in Life
7 God,[d] I have asked you for two things—
don’t refuse me before I die—
8 Keep deception and lies far away from me,
and give me neither poverty nor wealth.
Feed me with food that I need for today,[e]
9 so that I don’t become overfed and deny you by saying,
“Who is the Lord?”
or so that I don’t become poor and steal,
and then misuse the name of my God.
On Different Kinds of People
10 Don’t lie about a servant to his master,
or that servant[f] will curse you and you will pay for it.
11 Some people[g] curse their fathers
and won’t bless their mothers.
12 Some people[h] view themselves as pure,
but haven’t been cleansed from their own filth.
13 Some people[i]—what an arrogant look they have!—
raise their eyebrows haughtily.
14 Some people[j] have swords for teeth
and knives for fangs
to devour the afflicted from the earth
and the needy from among mankind.
15 The leech has two daughters:
“Give” and “Give”.
Three things will never be satisfied;
four will never say “Enough”—
16 The afterlife,[k] the barren womb,
earth that still demands water,
and fire—they never say, “Enough”.
17 The eye that mocks a father
and looks with a disobedient attitude at[l] a mother—
the valley ravens will pluck it out;
and vultures will eat it.
What Causes Wonder
18 Three things cause wonder for me;
four are beyond my understanding:
19 The way an eagle flies in the sky,
the way of a serpent on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a young woman.
20 This is what an immoral woman is like:
she eats, wipes her mouth, then says
“I’ve done nothing wrong.”
21 Under three things the earth trembles,
under four it cannot remain steady:
22 Under a slave when he becomes a king,
a fool when he is overfed,
23 an unloved woman when she finds a husband,
and a servant girl who inherits from her mistress.
24 Four things on earth are small,
but they are very, very wise:
25 Ants aren’t a strong species,[m]
yet they prepare their food in the summer.
26 The rock badgers aren’t a strong species[n] either,
yet they build their dens in the rocks.
27 Locusts have no king,
but they all swarm in ranks.
28 Spiders can be caught by the hand,
yet they’re found in kings’ palaces.
29 Three things are stately in procession,
four which are stately in their gait:
30 The lion, mighty among the beasts,
retreats before nothing.
31 The strutting rooster, as well as the goat,
and a king with his army.
32 If you’ve foolishly exalted yourself
or if you’ve plotted evil,
put your hand over your mouth.
33 Just as whipping milk produces butter,
and twisting the nose causes bleeding,
so also stirring up anger produces contention.
Greetings
1 From:[a] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus, by the command of God our Savior and the Messiah[c] Jesus, our hope.
2 To: Timothy, my genuine child in the faith.
May grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Messiah[d] Jesus, our Lord, be yours!
A Warning against False Teachers
3 When I was on my way to Macedonia, I urged you to stay in Ephesus so that you could instruct certain people to stop teaching false doctrine 4 and occupying themselves with myths and endless genealogies. These things promote controversies rather than God’s ongoing purpose, which involves faith. 5 The goal of this instruction is love that flows from a pure heart, from a clear conscience, and from a sincere faith. 6 Some people have left these qualities behind and have turned to fruitless discussion. 7 They want to be teachers of the Law, yet they do not understand either what they are talking about or the things about which they speak so confidently.
8 Of course, we know that the Law is good if a person uses it legitimately, 9 that is, if he understands that the Law is not intended for righteous[e] people but for lawbreakers and rebels, for ungodly people and sinners, for those who are unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers, their mothers, or other people, 10 for those involved in sexual immorality, for homosexuals, for kidnappers,[f] for liars, for false witnesses, and for whatever else goes against the healthy teaching 11 that agrees with the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
12 I thank the Messiah[g] Jesus, our Lord, who gives me strength, that he has considered me faithful and has appointed me to his service. 13 In the past I was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent[h] man. But I received mercy because I acted ignorantly in my unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed toward me,[i] along with the faith and love that are in the Messiah[j] Jesus. 15 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance:[k]
I am the worst of them. 16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the worst sinner,[n] the Messiah[o] Jesus might demonstrate all of his patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King Eternal—the immortal, invisible, and only God—be honor and glory forever and ever! Amen.
Guidelines for Behavior in the Church
18 Timothy, my child, I am instructing you in keeping with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may continue to fight the good fight 19 with faith and a good conscience. By ignoring their consciences,[p] some people have destroyed their faith like a wrecked ship. 20 These include Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I handed over to Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme.
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