M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Ritual Purity
19 The Lord spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the entire assembly of Israel that they are to be holy, since I, the Lord your God, am holy.
3 “Each of you is to fear his mother and father.
“Observe my Sabbaths. I am the Lord your God.
4 “You are not to turn to their idols or cast gods out of melted metal for yourselves. I am the Lord your God.
5 “When you offer a peace offering to the Lord, you are to offer it for your acceptance. 6 Your sacrifice is to be eaten on that day and the next day. Anything that remains to the third day is to be incinerated. 7 If it is eaten on the third day, it’s unclean. It won’t be accepted. 8 Anyone who eats it will bear the punishment of his sin, since he will have defiled himself regarding the Lord’s holy things. That person[a] is to be eliminated from contact with his people.”[b]
Harvesting and Gleaning
9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to completely finish harvesting the corners of the field—that is, you are not to pick what remains after you have reaped your harvest. 10 You are not to gather your vineyard or pick up the fallen grapes of your vineyard. Leave something for the poor and the resident alien who lives among you. I am the Lord your God.”
Just Dealings
11 “You are not to steal or lie or deal falsely with your neighbor.
12 “You are not to use my name to deceive, thereby defiling the name of your God. I am the Lord.
13 “You are not to oppress your neighbor or rob him.[c]
“The wages of a hired laborer are not to remain in your possession until morning.
14 “You are not to curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block before the blind.
“You are to fear God. I am the Lord.
15 “You are not to be unjust in deciding a case. You are not to show partiality to the poor or honor the great. Instead, decide the case of your neighbor with righteousness.”
Social Responsibility
16 “You are not to go around slandering your people.
“You are not to stand idle[d] when your neighbor’s life is at stake.[e] I am the Lord.
17 “You are not to hate your relative in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor if you must, but you are not to incur guilt on account of him.
18 “You are not to seek vengeance or hold a grudge against the descendants of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
On Preserving Distinctiveness
19 “Observe my statutes.
“You are not to let your cattle breed with a different species.[f]
“You are not to sow your fields with two different kinds of seeds.[g]
“You are not to wear clothing made from two different kinds of material.
20 “When a person has sexual relations[h] with a woman servant who is engaged to another man, but she has not been completely redeemed nor has her freedom been granted to her, there is to be an inquiry, but they won’t be put to death, since she has not been freed. 21 The perpetrator[i] is to bring his guilt offering to the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting—that is, a ram as a guilt offering. 22 Then the priest is to make atonement for him with the ram as a guilt offering in the Lord’s presence on account of his sin which he has committed, but which will be forgiven him.”
Restrictions on Initial Harvests
23 “When you have entered the land and planted all sorts of trees for food, regard its fruit as uncircumcised for the first three years for you. It is not to be eaten. 24 During the fourth year, all its fruit is to be offered as a holy token of praise to the Lord. 25 But on the fifth year, you may eat its fruits to increase its produce for you.”
Prohibited Practices
26 “You are not to eat anything containing blood, engage in occult practices,[j] or practice fortune telling.[k]
27 “You are not to cut your hair in ritualistic patterns[l] on your head or deface the edges of your beard.
28 “You are not to make incisions in your flesh on account of the dead nor submit to cuts or tattoos. I am the Lord.
29 “You are not to defile your daughter by engaging her in prostitution so the land won’t become filled with wickedness.
30 “Observe my Sabbath and stand in awe of my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
31 “You are to consult neither mediums nor familiar spirits. You are never to seek them—you’ll just be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
32 “Rise in the presence of the aged[m] and honor the elderly face-to-face.
“Fear your God. I am the Lord.
33 “If a resident alien lives with you in your land, you are not to mistreat him. 34 You are to treat the resident alien the same way you treat the native born among you—love him like yourself, since you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
35 “You are not to act unjustly in deciding a case[n] or when measuring weight and quantity. 36 You are to maintain just balances and reliable standards for weights, dry volumes, and liquid volumes.[o] I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Observe all my statutes and all my ordinances in order to practice them. I am the Lord.”
A Davidic Psalm.
The Lord Shepherds His People
23 The Lord is the one who is shepherding me;
I lack nothing.
2 He causes me to lie down in pastures of green grass;
he guides me beside quiet waters.
3 He revives my life;
he leads me in pathways that are righteous
for the sake of his name.[a]
4 Even when I walk through a valley of deep darkness,[b]
I will not be afraid
because you are with me.
Your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me,
even in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Truly, goodness and gracious love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will remain in[c] the Lord’s Temple forever.[d]
A Davidic Psalm.
A Song for the King of Glory
24 The earth and everything in it exists for the Lord—
the world and those who live in it.
2 Indeed, he founded it upon the seas,
he established it upon deep waters.[e]
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?[f]
Who may stand in his Holy Place?
4 The one who has innocent hands and a pure heart;
the person who does not delight in what is false
and does not swear an oath deceitfully.
5 This person[g] will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation that seeks him.
Those who seek your face
are the true seed of[h] Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads,[i] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of Glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads,[j] gates!
Be lifted up, ancient doors,
so the King of Glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of Glory?
The Lord of the heavenly armies—
He is the King of Glory.
A Testimony to Self-Indulgence
2 I told myself, “I will test you with pleasure, so enjoy yourself.” But this was pointless. 2 “Senseless,” said I concerning laughter and pleasure, “How practical is this?” 3 I decided to indulge in wine, while still remaining committed to wisdom. I also tried to indulge in foolishness, just enough to determine whether it was good for human beings under heaven given the short time of their lives.
A Testimony to Extravagant Works
4 With respect to my extravagant works, I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. 5 I constructed gardens and orchards for myself, and within them I planted all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built for myself water reservoirs to irrigate forests that produce trees.
A Testimony to Extravagant Possessions
7 I acquired male and female slaves, and had other slaves born in my house. I also acquired for myself increasing numbers of herds and flocks—more than anyone who had lived before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also accumulated silver, gold, and the wealth of kings and their kingdoms. I gathered around me both male and female singers, along with what delights a man—all sorts of mistresses.
A Testimony to Extravagant Position
9 So I became great, greater than anyone who had lived before me in Jerusalem. Throughout all of this, I remained wise. 10 Whenever I wanted something I had seen, I never refused that desire. Instead, I enjoyed everything I did, and this became the reward in what I had undertaken. 11 Then I examined all of my accomplishments that I had brought about by my own efforts, including the work that I had labored so hard to complete—and it was all pointless, like chasing after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained on earth.
12 Next I turned to examine wisdom, insanity, and foolishness, because what can a person do who succeeds the king except what has already been accomplished? 13 I concluded that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than darkness. 14 The wise use their eyes, but the fool walks in darkness. I also perceived that the same outcome affects them all.
The Pointlessness of Life
15 Then I told myself, “Whatever happens to the fool will happen also to me. Therefore what’s the point in being so wise?” And I told myself that this also is pointless. 16 For neither the wise nor the fool will be long remembered, since in days to come everything will be forgotten. The wise man dies the same way as the fool, does he not? 17 So I hated life, because whatever is done on earth causes me trouble—it’s all pointless, like chasing after the wind.
The Pointlessness of Labor
18 Then I despised everything I had worked for on earth, that is, the things that I will leave to the person who will succeed me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Either way, he will take possession of everything that I have done on earth, especially where I have excelled. This also is pointless. 20 So I came to be in despair about everything I had accomplished on earth. 21 For sometimes people who strive to obtain wisdom, knowledge, and equity leave everything as an inheritance to a person who never worked for it. This, too, is pointless and greatly troublesome.
22 For what does a person gain from everything that he accomplishes and from his inner life struggles that he undergoes while working on earth? 23 Indeed, all of his days are filled with sorrow, and his struggles bring grief. In fact, his mind remains restless throughout the night. This is pointless, too!
The Central Point of Life
24 The only worthwhile thing for a human being is to eat, drink, and enjoy life’s goodness that he finds in what he accomplishes. This, I observed, is also from the hand of God himself, 25 for who can eat or enjoy life apart from him? 26 After all, to the person who is good in God’s sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind.
A Prophecy about the Future
4 Now the Spirit says clearly that in the last times some people will abandon the faith by following deceitful spirits, the teachings of demons, 2 and the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences have been burned by a hot iron. 3 They will try to stop people from marrying and from eating certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
How to be a Good Servant of the Messiah Jesus
6 If you continue to point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good servant of the Messiah[a] Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the healthy teaching that you have followed closely. 7 Do not have anything to do with godless myths and fables of old women. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8 Physical exercise is of limited value, but
Godliness is very dear,
a pledge of life, both there and here.
9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves complete acceptance.[b] 10 To this end we work hard and struggle,[c] because we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, that is, of those who believe.
11 These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12 Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faithfulness,[d] and purity. 13 Until I arrive, give your full concentration to the public reading of Scripture,[e] to exhorting, and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect[f] the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy when the elders laid their hands on you. 15 Think on these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress. 16 Pay close attention to your life and your teaching. Persevere in these things, because if you do so, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.
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