M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Destroying Altars to False Gods
12 “These are the statutes and ordinances that you must carefully observe in the land that the Lord God of your ancestors has given you to possess every day that you live on the earth. 2 Be sure you destroy there all the places where the nations that you’re going to dispossess serve their gods—upon the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. 3 Tear down their altars, then cut down their sacred poles[a] and burn them. Cut down the carved images of their gods in order to destroy their names from that place.”
Sacrifice at the Central Sanctuary
4 “You must not act like this with respect to the Lord your God. 5 Instead, you must seek to enter only the place that the Lord your God will choose among your tribes. There he will establish his name and live. 6 Bring your burnt offerings there, along with your sacrifices, your tithes, your hand-carried gifts, your offerings in fulfillment of promises, your freely-given offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 Then you and your household will eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with all the things you have made by your own effort[b] and with which he[c] blessed you.
8 “You must not act as we have been doing here today, where everyone acts as they see fit, 9 since you haven’t arrived yet to your allotted place[d] that the Lord your God is about to give you. 10 But after you have crossed the Jordan River and settled in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and after you have received relief from the enemies around you and are living securely, 11 then bring to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling place—where he will establish his name—everything that I’m commanding you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your hand-carried gifts, and all your best offerings in fulfillment of promises that you pledged to the Lord.
12 “Rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your city—because there is no territorial allotment[e] for him as you have. 13 Be careful not to offer burnt offerings at any location you happen to see[f] 14 instead of at the place the Lord will choose in one of the tribal areas. There you may offer burnt offerings, and there you may do everything that I’m commanding you.”
Instructions Pertaining to Food
15 “You may slaughter and eat as much meat as you desire,[g] according to the blessing of the Lord your God, when he provides for you in all your cities.[h] Both ritually unqualified and qualified people[i] may eat it as they would gazelle and deer. 16 However, you are not to consume the blood;[j] instead, you are to pour it out on the ground as you would water.
17 “You won’t be allowed to eat your tithe of grain, new wine, or oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, your voluntary offerings that you pledged, your free-will offerings, or the works of your hands in your own cities. 18 You’ll eat only in the presence of the Lord your God at the place that he[k] will choose—you, your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your cities.[l] Rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God in everything you undertake.[m] 19 Be careful not to forget the descendant of Levi while you live[n] in the land. 20 When the Lord your God enlarges your territory—just as he told you—and you say ‘I want to eat meat’ since you desire to eat it,[o] you may do so as much as you please.[p]
21 “If the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish his name is distant from you, then you may slaughter from your herd and your flock what the Lord has provided for you, as he instructed you. You may consume them in your cities[q] as much as you please. 22 You may eat them just as you would gazelle and deer. Ritually unqualified and qualified people may eat them. 23 Only be sure to refrain from eating blood, because blood is the source of[r] life and you are not to consume blood with the meat. 24 You are not to eat it; instead, you are to pour it on the ground as you would water. 25 You are not to eat it, so that life may go well for you and for your children after you. Then you’ll do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
26 “You may carry and bring only your consecrated gifts and offerings in fulfillment of promises to the place that the Lord will choose. 27 You must offer your burnt offerings—both the meat and the blood—on the altar of the Lord your God. You are to offer the blood by pouring it on the altar of the Lord your God while you consume the meat. 28 Be sure to observe all these words that I’m commanding you, in order that life may go well for you and your children after you forever, for this is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.”
Don’t Become Ensnared
29 “When the Lord your God eliminates the nations that you are about to dispossess so you can live in their land, 30 after they have been destroyed in your sight, be careful not to be ensnared as they were. Otherwise, you will seek their gods and ask yourselves, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.’ 31 You must not do the same to the Lord your God, because they practiced in the presence of their gods every sort of abomination that the Lord hates. Moreover, they sacrificed[s] their sons and daughters to their gods. 32 [t]Now as to everything I’m commanding you, you must be careful to observe it. Don’t add to or subtract from it.”
The Lord is King
97 The Lord reigns!
Let the earth rejoice!
May many islands be glad!
2 Thick clouds are all around him;
righteousness and justice are his throne’s foundation.
3 Fire goes out from his presence
to consume his enemies on every side.
4 His lightning bolts light the world;
the earth sees and shakes.
5 Mountains melt like wax in the Lord’s presence—
In the presence of the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness
so that all the nations see his glory.
7 All who serve carved images—
and those who praise idols—will be humiliated.
Worship him, all you “gods”!
8 Zion hears and rejoices;
the towns[a] of Judah rejoice
on account of your justice, Lord.
9 For you, Lord, are the Most High above all the earth;
you are exalted high above all divine beings.[b]
10 Hate evil, you who love the Lord!
He guards the lives of those who love him,[c]
delivering them from domination by[d] the wicked.
11 Light shines on the righteous;
gladness on the morally upright.[e]
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones!
Give thanks at the mention of his holiness!
A psalm
Sing Praise to the King
98 Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done awesome deeds!
His right hand and powerful[f] arm[g]
have brought him victory.
2 The Lord has made his deliverance known;
he has disclosed his justice before the nations.
3 He has remembered his gracious love;
his faithfulness toward the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth saw our God’s deliverance.
4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Break forth into joyful songs of praise!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with a lyre—
with a lyre and a melodious song!
6 With trumpets and the sound of a ram’s horn
shout in the presence of the Lord, the king!
7 Let the sea and everything in it shout,[h]
along with the world and its inhabitants;
8 let the rivers clap their hands in unison;
and let the mountains sing for joy
9 in the Lord’s presence, who comes to judge the earth;
He’ll judge the world righteously;
and its people fairly.
God Comforts His People
40 “Comfort! Yes, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her heavy service has been completed,
that her penalty has been paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”
3 A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
and[a] in the desert a straight highway for our God.’
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be lowered;
the rough ground will become level,
and the mountain ridges made a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all humanity will see it at once;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Endures Forever
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
So I[b] asked, “What am I to cry out?”
“All humanity is grass,
and all its loyalty[c] is like the flowers of the field.
7 Grass withers and flowers fade away
when the Lord’s breath blows on them;
surely the people are like grass.[d]
8 Grass withers and flowers fade away,
when the Lord’s breath blows on them,
but the word of[e] our God will stand forever.”
Here is Your God
9 “Climb up a high mountain,
you messenger of good news to Zion!
Lift up your voice with strength,
you messenger to Jerusalem!
Lift it up!
Don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
10 Look! The Lord God comes with strength,
and his arm[f] rules for him.
Look! His reward is with him,
and his payment accompanies him.
11 Like a shepherd, he tends his flock.
He gathers the lambs in his arms,
carries them close to his heart,
and gently leads the mother sheep.”
Who is Like the Lord?
12 “Who has measured the waters of the sea[g]
in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens
by the width of his hand?[h]
Who has enclosed the dust of the earth
in a measuring bowl,
or weighed the mountains
in scales
and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has fathomed the Spirit of the Lord,
or as his counselor has taught him?[i]
14 With whom did he consult
to enlighten and instruct him on the path of justice?
Or who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of wisdom?
15 “Look! The nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and are reckoned as dust on the scales.
Look! He even lifts up the islands like powder!
16 Lebanon would not provide enough fuel,
nor are its animals enough for a burnt offering.[j]
17 All the nations are as nothing before him—
they are reckoned by him as[k] nothing and chaos.
18 “To whom, then, will you compare me,[l] the One who is[m] God?
Or to what image will you liken me?[n]
19 To an idol? A craftsman makes[o] the image,
and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
and casts silver chains.
20 To the impoverished person?
He prepares[p] an offering—[q]
wood that won’t rot—
Or to the one who chooses a skilled craftsman[r]
and[s] seeks[t] to erect an idol that won’t topple?”
The Majesty of the Lord
21 “You know, don’t you?
You have heard, haven’t you?
Hasn’t it been told you from the beginning?
Haven’t you understood from the foundations of the[u] earth?
22 He’s the one who sits above the disk of the earth,
and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He’s the one who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them like a tent to live in,
23 who brings princes to nothing,
and makes void the rulers of the earth.
24 No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner have[v] their stems taken root in the earth,
than[w] he blows on them, and they wither,
and the tempest sweeps them away like stubble.
25 “To[x] whom, then, will you compare me,
and to whom should I be equal?”
asks the Holy One.
26 “Lift your eyes up to heaven and see
who created all these—
the one who leads out their vast array of stars by number,
calling them all by name—
because of his great might
and his[y] powerful strength[z]—
and[aa] not one is missing.”
The Lord Watches Israel
27 “Jacob, why do you say—
and Israel, why do you complain—
‘My predicament is hidden from the Lord,
and my cause is ignored by my God.’?
28 Don’t you know?
Haven’t you heard?
The Lord is the eternal God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not grow tired or weary;
and[ab] his understanding cannot be fathomed.
29 He’s the[ac] one who gives might to the faint,
renewing strength for the powerless.
30 Even boys grow tired and weary,
and young men collapse and fall,
31 but those who keep waiting for the Lord will renew their strength.
Then[ad] they’ll soar on wings like eagles;
they’ll run and not grow weary;
they’ll walk and not grow tired.”
The Vision of the Powerful Angel
10 Then I saw another powerful angel come down from heaven. He was dressed in a cloud, and there was a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, and his legs were like columns of fire. 2 He held a small, opened scroll in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3 he shouted in a loud voice as a lion roars. When he shouted, the seven thunders spoke with voices of their own. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I was going to write, but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and don’t write it down.”
5 Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven. 6 He swore an oath by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and everything in it, the earth and everything in it, and the sea and everything in it: “There will be no more delay. 7 When the time approaches[a] for the seventh angel to blow his trumpet, God’s secret plan[b] will be fulfilled, as he had announced to his servants, the prophets.”
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go and take the opened scroll from the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the small scroll. “Take it and eat it,” he told me. “It will turn bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”
10 So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, it turned bitter in my stomach. 11 Then the seven thunders[c] told me, “You must prophesy again about many people, nations, languages, and kings.”
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