M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Worship of Baal of Peor
25 While Israel remained encamped in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality with Moabite women, 2 who also invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods. So the people ate what they had sacrificed[a] and then worshipped their gods. 3 The people joined the Baal-peor cult.[b] As a result, the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel, 4 so the Lord told Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute[c] them in broad daylight for the Lord, so the Lord’s burning anger may be withdrawn from Israel.”
5 Then Moses ordered the judges of Israel, “Each one of you is to execute the men in his own tribe[d] who joined the Baal-peor cult.”
6 That very moment, one of the Israelis arrived, bringing to his brothers one of the Midianite women, right in front of Moses and the entire community of Israel, while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting! 7 When Eleazar’s son Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up from the middle of the community, grabbed a javelin in his hand, 8 followed the Israeli man inside his tent,[e] and impaled the two of them—the Israeli man and the woman—right through both of them and into her abdomen. Then the plague infecting the Israelis was brought to a halt. Nevertheless, 9 24,000 people died because of the plague.
God Commends Phinehas
10 The Lord told Moses, 11 “Eleazar’s son Phinehas, grandson of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from Israel. Because his zealousness reflected my own zeal for them, I didn’t consume Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore, I’m certainly going to be giving him my covenant of peace, 13 for him and for his descendants after him, too, a covenant of perpetual priesthood, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelis.”
14 Now the name of the Israeli man who was slain, along with the Midianite woman, was Salu’s son Zimri, a leader from the tribe of Simeon. 15 The woman who was slain, that is, the Midianite woman, was named Cozbi. She was the daughter of Zur, a leader[f] of one of the ancestral houses of Midian.
God Orders the Destruction of Midian
16 Later, the Lord ordered Moses, 17 “Attack the Midianites and execute them, 18 because they’ve acted deceitfully, bringing trouble to you in this incident at Peor with Cozbi, daughter of a prince from Midian, who was killed during the plague that came about because of the incident at Peor.”
To the Director of music: A Psalm. A song.
A Song of Praise to God
68 God arises,
and his enemies are scattered.
Those who hate him flee from his presence.[a]
2 As smoke is driven away, so you drive them away.
As wax melts in the presence of fire,
so the wicked die in the presence of God.
3 But the righteous rejoice and exult before God;
they are overwhelmed with joy.
4 Sing to God!
Sing praise to his name!
Exalt the one who rides on the clouds.
The Lord is his name.
Be jubilant in his presence.
5 A father to orphans and an advocate for widows
is God in his holy dwelling place.
6 God causes the lonely to dwell in families.[b]
He leads prisoners into prosperity,
but rebels live on parched land.
7 God, when you led out your people,
when you marched through the desert,
8 the land quaked.
Indeed, the heavens poured down rain
from the presence of God,
this God of Sinai,
from the presence of God,
the God of Israel.
9 God, you poured out abundant rain on your inheritance.
When Israel[c] was weary, you sustained her.
10 Your people live[d] there;
you sustain the needy[e] with your goodness, God.
11 The Lord issues a command.
Numerous are the women who announce the news:
12 “Kings of armies retreat and flee,
while the lady of the house divides the spoil.
13 When you men lie down among the sheepfolds,
you are like[f] the wings of the dove covered with silver,
with its feathers in glittering gold.”
14 When the Almighty scattered the kings there,
there was snow on Mt. Zalmon.
15 The mountain of God is as the mountain of Bashan;
a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.
16 You mountains of many peaks, why do you watch with envy
the mountain in which God has chosen to dwell?
Indeed, the Lord will live there forever.
17 God’s chariots were many thousands.
The Lord was there with them at Sinai in holiness.
18 You ascended to the heights,
you took captives.
You received gifts among mankind,
even the rebellious,
so the Lord God may live there.[g]
19 Blessed be the Lord who daily carries us.
God is our deliverer.
20 God is for us the God of our deliverance.
The Lord God rescues us from death.
21 God surely strikes the heads of his enemies,
even the hairy heads of those who continue in their guilt.
22 The Lord says, “From Bashan I will bring them,
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,
23 that your feet may wade through blood.
The tongues of your dogs will have their portions
from your enemies.”
24 They have observed your processions, God,
the processions of my God,
my king, in the sanctuary.
25 The singers are in front,
the musicians follow,
strumming their stringed instruments
among the maidens who are playing their tambourines.
26 Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord who is the fountain of Israel.
27 Little Benjamin is there, leading them,
and the princes of Judah all together
with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Summon the power of your God,
the power, God, that you have shown us.
29 Because of your Temple in Jerusalem,
kings bring tribute to you.
30 Rebuke the wildlife that lives among the reeds,
the nations that congregate like bulls and cows,
humbling themselves with pieces of silver,
for God[h] scatters the nations that delight in battle.
31 Envoys will come from Egypt.
Let the Ethiopians stretch out their hands to God.
32 You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God!
Sing praises to the Lord,
33 to the one who rides the heavens, the ancient heavens.
Behold! He thunders with a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose glory is over Israel,
whose power is in the skies.
35 You are awesome, God, from your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel is the one
who gives strength and power to the people.
Blessed be God!
Moab’s Pending Judgment
15 A message[a] concerning Moab:
“For Ir[b] in Moab is destroyed in a night,
and Moab[c] is ruined!
Because Ir[d] in Moab is destroyed in a single night,
Moab is ruined!
2 He has gone up to the temple, and to Dibon,
to the high places to weep;
over Nebo and over Medeba
Moab wails.
His head is completely[e] bald,
and[f] every beard is shaved off.
3 In its streets they wear sackcloth;
on its rooftops and in its squares
everyone wails and falls down[g] weeping.
4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
their voices are heard as far as Jahaz;
therefore the loins[h] of Moab cry aloud;
its heart quakes for itself.
5 My heart cries out over Moab;
her fugitives flee as far as Zoar,
as far as Eglath-shelishiyah.
For at the ascent to Luhith
they go up weeping;
on the road to Horonaim
they raise a cry of destruction.
6 The Nimrim waters are desolate;
the grass is withered,
its vegetation gone;
there is[i] no foliage left.
7 Therefore the wealth they have acquired
and what they have stored up—
they carry them away
over the Arab[j] Wadi.[k]
8 For the cry has gone out
along the border of Moab;
her wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,
her wailing reaches as far as Beer-elim.
9 The Dibon[l] streams are full of blood;
but I will bring upon Dibon[m] even more—
a lion will pounce[n] upon those of Moab who escape,
upon[o] those who remain in the land.”
Wives and Husbands
3 In a similar way, you wives must submit yourselves to your husbands so that, even if some of them refuse to obey the word, they may be won over without a word through your conduct as wives 2 when they see your pure and reverent lives.
3 Your beauty should not be an external one, consisting of braided hair or the wearing of gold ornaments and dresses. 4 Instead, it should be the inner disposition of the heart, consisting in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which God values greatly.[a] 5 After all, this is how holy women who set their hope on God used to make themselves beautiful in the past. They submitted themselves to their husbands, 6 just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters by doing good and by not letting anything terrify you.
7 In a similar way, you husbands must live with your wives in an understanding manner, as with a most delicate partner.[b] Honor them as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing may interfere with your prayers.
When You are Wronged
8 Finally, all of you must live in harmony, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not pay others back evil for evil or insult for insult. Instead, keep blessing them, because you were called to inherit a blessing.
10 “For the person who wants to love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from speaking deceit.
11 He must turn away from evil and do good.
He must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the Lord[c] watches the righteous,[d]
and he pays attention to their prayers.[e]
But the Lord[f] opposes those[g] who do wrong.”[h]
13 Who will harm you if you are devoted to doing what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. “Never be afraid of their threats, and never get upset. 15 Instead, exalt[i] the Messiah”[j] as Lord in your lives.[k] Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you to explain the hope you have. 16 But do this[l] gently and respectfully, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak evil of your good conduct in the Messiah[m] will be ashamed of slandering you. 17 After all, if it is the will of God, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.
18 For the Messiah[n] also suffered[o] for sins once for all,
an innocent person for the guilty,
so that he could bring you[p] to God.
He was put to death in a mortal body
but was brought to life by the Spirit,
19 in which he went and made a proclamation to those imprisoned spirits 20 who disobeyed long ago in the days of Noah, when God waited patiently while the ark was being built. In it a few, that is, eight persons, were saved by water. 21 Baptism, which is symbolized by that water, now saves you also, not by removing dirt from the body, but by asking God for a clear[q] conscience based on the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah,[r] 22 who has gone to heaven and is at the right hand of God, where angels, authorities, and powers have been made subject to him.
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