M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Israel’s First Census
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai in the tent of meeting on the first day of the second month in the second year after they went out from the land of Egypt, saying: 2 Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls, 3 from twenty years old and upward, all who are able to go out to war in Israel. You and Aaron will number them by their armies. 4 With you there will be a man of every tribe, each one the head of his father’s house. 5 These are the names of the men who will stand with you:
of the tribe of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur;
6 of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai;
7 of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab;
8 of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar;
9 of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon;
10 of the children of Joseph:
of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud;
of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur;
11 of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni;
12 of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai;
13 of Asher, Pagiel the son of Okran;
14 of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel;
15 of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.
16 These were the renowned of the congregation, leaders of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thousands in Israel.
17 Moses and Aaron took these men who had been mentioned by name, 18 and they assembled all the congregation on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees according to their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19 As the Lord commanded Moses, so he numbered them in the Wilderness of Sinai.
20 The children of Reuben, the oldest son of Israel,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 21 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Reuben, were forty-six thousand five hundred.
22 Of the children of Simeon,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, those who were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 23 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Simeon, were fifty-nine thousand three hundred.
24 Of the children of Gad,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 25 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Gad, were forty-five thousand six hundred and fifty.
26 Of the children of Judah,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 27 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were seventy-four thousand six hundred.
28 Of the children of Issachar,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 29 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Issachar, were fifty-four thousand four hundred.
30 Of the children of Zebulun,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 31 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Zebulun, were fifty-seven thousand four hundred.
32 Of the children of Joseph,
namely, of the children of Ephraim,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 33 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand five hundred.
34 Of the children of Manasseh,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 35 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty-two thousand two hundred.
36 Of the children of Benjamin,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 37 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Benjamin, were thirty-five thousand four hundred.
38 Of the children of Dan,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 39 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Dan, were sixty-two thousand seven hundred.
40 Of the children of Asher,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 41 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Asher, were forty-one thousand five hundred.
42 Of the children of Naphtali,
by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war, 43 those who were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Naphtali, were fifty-three thousand four hundred.
44 These are those who were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the leaders of Israel, being twelve men. Each one was for the house of his fathers. 45 So were all those who were numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war in Israel. 46 Even all they who were numbered were six hundred and three thousand five hundred and fifty.
47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them. 48 For the Lord had spoken to Moses, saying: 49 Only you will not number the tribe of Levi, nor take the census of them among the children of Israel, 50 but you will appoint the Levites over the tent of the testimony, and over all its vessels, and over all things that belong to it. They will carry the tabernacle, and all its vessels, and they will minister to it, and will camp around the tabernacle. 51 When the tabernacle sets out, the Levites will take it down, and when the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites will set it up, and the foreigner that approaches will be put to death. 52 The children of Israel will pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own standard, throughout their armies. 53 But the Levites will camp around the tabernacle of the testimony, so there will be no wrath on the congregation of the children of Israel. And the Levites will keep the charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.
54 Thus the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses.
Psalm 35
A Psalm of David.
1 Plead my cause, O Lord, with my adversaries;
fight those who fight me.
2 Take hold of the large shield and small shield,
and rise up for my help.
3 Draw the spear and javelin
against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul,
“I am Your salvation.”
4 May those who seek my life
be ashamed and humiliated;
may those who plan my injury
be turned back and put to shame.
5 May they be as chaff before the wind,
and may the angel of the Lord cast them down.
6 May their way be dark and slippery,
and may the angel of the Lord pursue them.
7 For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,
which they have dug without cause for my soul.
8 Let destruction come on him without warning,
and let the net that he hid ensnare him;
let him fall into it, to his destruction.
9 My soul will be joyful in the Lord;
it will rejoice in His salvation.
10 All my bones will say,
“Lord, who is like You,
who delivers the poor from a stronger one,
the poor and the needy from the one who robs them?”
11 Witnesses intent on violence rose up;
they accused me of things I knew nothing about.
12 They rewarded me evil for good,
the bereavement of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I humbled my soul with fasting;
and my prayer returns to my own heart.
14 I paced as though he were my friend or brother;
I bowed down lamenting,
as one who mourns for a mother.
15 But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together;
assailants gathered together against me, though I was unaware;
they tore me apart and did not stop;
16 with hypocritical mockers in feasts,
they gnashed on me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long will You look on?
Rescue my soul from their destructions,
my life from the lions.
18 I will give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will praise You among a mighty people.
19 May my deceitful enemies
not rejoice over me;
nor may those who hate me without cause
wink with their eye.
20 For they do not speak peace,
but they devise deceitful matters
against the restful ones in the land.
21 They opened their mouth wide against me,
and said, “Aha, aha, our eye has seen it.”
22 This You have seen, O Lord; do not be silent;
O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Rouse Yourself and awake for my judgment,
for my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness,
and may they not rejoice over me.
25 May they not say in their hearts, “Ah, we have our soul’s desire.”
May they not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
26 May those who rejoice at my harm be ashamed
and altogether put to shame;
may they be clothed with shame and dishonor
who magnify themselves against me.
27 May those who favor my righteous cause
shout for joy and be glad;
may they say continually, “The Lord be magnified,
who delights in the peace of His servant.”
28 My tongue will speak of Your righteousness
and of Your praise all the day long.
The Value of Diligence
11 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even eight,
for you do not know what calamity may happen on the earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty out on the land;
and if a tree falls to the north or south,
in the place that the tree falls, there it will be.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way of the wind,
or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child;
likewise you do not know the work of God
who has made everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed,
and in the evening do not let your hand rest;
because you do not know which activity will find success,
this way or that way,
or if the both will be good.
Remember Your Creator in Your Youth
7 Light is sweet,
and good for the eyes to see the sun;
8 for if a man lives many years,
may he rejoice in all of them.
But let him also remember
that the days of darkness are many.
Everything that comes is vanity.
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
and in your early years may your heart do you good;
walk in the path of your heart
and the desire of your eyes;
but know that in all these things
God will bring you into judgment.
10 Take away anger from your heart,
and remove distress from your body,
for youth and the dawn are vanity.
Maintain Good Deeds
3 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey them, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, but gentle, showing all humility toward everyone.
3 We also were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various desires and pleasures, living in evil and envy, filled with hatred and hating each other. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of rebirth and the renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, being justified by His grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you constantly to affirm, so that those who have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to everyone.
9 But avoid foolish debates, genealogies, contentions, and arguments about the law, for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after a first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.
Personal Instructions and Greetings
12 When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, be diligent to come to me in Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. 13 Diligently send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey. See that they lack nothing. 14 And let our people also learn to continue doing good works to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unproductive.
15 All who are with me greet you. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with you all. Amen.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.