M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
16 The Eternal One spoke to Moses after Aaron’s two sons died from entering into the Eternal’s presence.[a]
Eternal One (to Moses): 2 Go, talk to Aaron, and warn him that he cannot go whenever he wants beyond the veil to the holy place before the seat of mercy that covers the covenant chest. If he does, he will lose his life because I will appear in the cloud above the seat of mercy. 3 Instead, he may enter into the holy place with a bull from the herd for the purification offering for sin and a ram for the burnt offering. 4 Aaron will wash himself with water and then put on his sacred garments: the linen underclothes and the sacred linen tunic. He will tie the linen sash around his waist and put on his linen turban. 5 From the community of My people Israel, he will take two male goats as a purification offering for sin and a ram as a burnt offering. 6 Aaron will present the bull as a purification offering to cover himself and his family. 7 Then he will take the two goats and present them to Me at the entrance of the congregation tent. 8 There he will cast lots for the goats: one lot for Me and one lot for the scapegoat. 9 Whichever goat My lot falls upon, Aaron will offer that goat as a purification offering for sin. 10 Whichever goat the scapegoat’s lot falls upon, Aaron will keep it alive, bring it before Me as a covering for the people, and set it free into the wilderness.
There are two goats for the annual Day of Atonement. Lots are cast—perhaps the Urim and the Thummim—to see which goat is slaughtered for Israel’s purification before God and which goat is released into the desert. The meaning of the Hebrew term Azazel is translated “scapegoat” but is uncertain; Azazel may refer to the name of a wilderness demon or a place in the desert, or it may simply refer to the goat that takes Israel’s sin deep into the desert, that is, “scapegoat.”
Eternal One: 11 Aaron will offer the bull for the purification offering to cover his and his family’s sins; and he will slaughter it himself. 12 He will gather embers from My altar in a censer and also two handfuls of the finest, sweetest crushed incense and take it behind the veil.
13 He is to place the incense on the embers in My presence so that the cloud of incense engulfs the seat of mercy—where sins are atoned—on the covenant chest, so he will not die. 14 He must also dip his finger into the bull’s blood and sprinkle it on the east side of the seat of mercy; in all he is to sprinkle the blood seven times in front of the seat of mercy.
15 He will then slaughter the goat for the purification offering on behalf of the community’s sin, take its blood behind the veil, and do the same thing with it that he did with the bull’s blood. He will sprinkle it on and in front of the seat of mercy. 16 This is how he will cover the impurities of the sanctuary because the impurities, rebellion, and sin of the people of Israel have defiled it. He will perform the same ritual for the congregation tent since it stands in the heart of their uncleanness. 17 When the high priest enters the sanctuary to cover the impurities in the sacred space, no one else is allowed inside the tent until he comes outside again after atoning for himself, his family, and the entire community of Israel.
18 Then the priest will approach the altar that sits in My presence and cover any impurity it has by taking some of the bull’s and goat’s blood and placing it around the four horns of the altar. 19 Then he must sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times in order to purify it from the Israelites’ impurities and set it apart for My holy purposes.
20 When the priest has finished covering the impurities in the sanctuary, the entire congregation tent, and the altar, he must then present the living goat, the scapegoat. 21-22 Aaron will place both his hands on the goat’s head and confess aloud over it all the guilt, rebellion, and wrongdoings of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the sins of the people onto the goat’s head; then another man who has been selected for this special task will drive the goat into the wilderness. When the man releases the goat into the desert, it will carry all the offenses of God’s people away into the desolate wastelands.
23 Afterward, Aaron will enter the congregation tent, remove all of the linen clothing he put on when he entered, and leave them there. 24 He will wash himself with water in the sacred space, dress himself in his normal, priestly clothes, and present his own burnt offering and the burnt offering for the community to atone for himself and the community. 25 Then on the altar, he must offer up the fat of the purification offering as smoke. 26 As for the man who let the scapegoat go free, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and then he may reenter the community. 27 The remains of the bull and goat whose blood was used to purify the sacred space will be carried outside the camp. Their skins, meat, and dung must be burned up completely in a fire. 28 Whoever does the burning must wash his clothes and bathe in water, and then he may reenter the community.
29 This directive stands for all time: on the tenth day of the seventh month, all of you must humble yourselves and do no work—all native-born children of Israel as well as outsiders living among you. 30 This must be a day when the high priest comes before Me to cover your sins and cleanse you from all your impurities. 31 This day will be a Sabbath of sacred rest for you and you are to humble yourselves. This directive stands for all time. 32 The priest who is anointed and ordained as high priest—succeeding his father Aaron—is to make atonement and thereby cover the sins of the people. He will clothe himself in the sacred linen garments 33 and cover the impurities of the sanctuary, the congregation tent, and the altar. He will cover the priests and the entire community. 34 This directive stands for all time: atone for the sins of My people Israel once every year.
Moses did exactly what the Eternal commanded him.
Psalm 19
For the worship leader. A song of David.
1 The celestial realms announce God’s glory;
the skies testify of His hands’ great work.
2 Each day pours out more of their sayings;
each night, more to hear and more to learn.
3 Inaudible words are their manner of speech,
and silence, their means to convey.
4 Yet from here to the ends of the earth, their voices[a] have gone out;
the whole world can hear what they say.[b]
God stretched out in these heavens a tent for the sun,
5 And the sun is like a groom
who, after leaving his room, arrives at the wedding in splendor;
He is the strong runner
who, favored to win in his race, is eager to face his challenge.
6 He rises at one end of the skies
and runs in an arc overhead;
nothing can hide from his heat, from the swelter of his daily tread.
7 The Eternal’s law is perfect,
turning lives around.
His words are reliable and true,
instilling wisdom to open minds.
8 The Eternal’s directions are correct,
giving satisfaction to the heart.
God’s commandments are clear,
lending clarity to the eyes.
9 The awe of the Eternal is clean,
sustaining for all of eternity.
The Eternal’s decisions are sound;
they are right through and through.
10 They are worth more than gold—
even more than abundant, pure gold.
They are sweeter to the tongue than honey
or the drippings of the honeycomb.
11 In addition to all that has been said,
Your servant will find, hidden in Your commandments, both a strong warning
and a great reward for keeping them.
12 Who could possibly know all that he has done wrong?
Forgive my hidden and unknown faults.
13 As I am Your servant, protect me from my bent toward pride,
and keep sin from ruling my life.
If You do this, I will be without blame,
innocent of the great breach.
14 May the words that come out of my mouth and the musings of my heart
meet with Your gracious approval,
O Eternal, my Rock,
O Eternal, my Redeemer.
30 These are the words of Agur, son of Jakeh. An oracle of wisdom.
He says, “I am weary, God.
I am weary and spent, O God.”[a]
2 Certainly I am a stupid man, as dumb as an ox.
I don’t understand the way that most people do.
3 I have never learned wisdom,
and I have no knowledge at all of the Holy One.
4 Who has ascended into the heavens and then come back down?
Who has collected the winds in the palm of His hand?
Who has wrapped up the vast oceans in His coat?
Who has plotted the ends of the earth and then fashioned them?
What is His name?
What is His son’s name?
Do you know? Indeed, you do.
The answer to all these questions, of course, is “no one but God.” Agur, like Job, understands the limits of human strength and knowledge. Unlike many, he freely confesses his need and takes refuge in the one True God.
5 Every word of God will be put to the test and proven true;
He is a defense for those who trust in Him.
6 Take care. Add nothing to what He has said;
for if you do, He will correct you and expose you as a liar.
7 Two things I ask, O God.
Sometime before I die, grant these humble requests:
8 Eliminate any hint of worthless and deceitful words from my lips.
Do not make me poor or rich,
but give me each day what I need;
9 For if I have too much, I might forget You are the One who provides,
saying, “Who is the Eternal One?”
Or if I do not have enough, I might become hungry and turn to stealing
and thus dishonor the good name of my God.
Wealth and poverty have something in common. Both situations can lead us to forget God. If we are rich, then it is easy to think it was our skill, our strength, and our hard work that got us there. We forget it was God who gave us the time and talent to succeed. If we are poor, then it is easy to steal and then make excuses for what we did. We forget that God said, “You are not to take what is not yours” (Exodus 20:15). When God’s people violate His teaching, God is the one who gets a black eye.
10 Never run down a servant to his master
because the slave might curse you and you would suffer as a result.
11 There is a kind of person who curses his father
and pronounces no blessing upon his mother;
12 A kind of person who is without fault in his own estimation
but has not been scrubbed clean of his own sordidness;
13 A kind whose look is too haughty,
whose eyebrows arch as he looks down on others;
14 A kind whose very teeth cut like swords
and whose jaws sever like knives,
All the better to consume the poor of the earth
and the oppressed among men.
15 The leech has twin suckers;
“More blood! More blood,” they demand.
Three other things are just as insatiable,
no, make it four that never say, “Enough”:
16 The grave, the childless woman who cannot bear,
the parched earth that cries for rain,
and the fire, which never says, “Enough!”
17 One who derides his father
and fails to honor his mother in old age
Will die in contempt: his eyes will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the young vultures when his unburied body lies on the trash heap.
18 There are three mysteries I find absolutely amazing,
no, make it four I cannot comprehend:
19 The way an eagle flies through the sky,
the way a snake moves over a rock,
The way a boat glides through the middle of the sea,
and the way a man becomes one with his virgin wife.
20 An adulterous woman is so cavalier by nature.
When she’s done, it is as if she washed after eating
and then says, “I have done nothing wrong.”
21 Three situations disturb the earth,
no, make it four that it cannot endure:
22 When a slave is elevated to king,
when a fool is full of fine food,
23 When a hated woman finally marries,
and when a serving girl takes possession of her mistress’s wealth.
24 There are four creatures on earth that are small,
but they are very wise and we can learn from them:
25 While ants are hardly a strong species,
they work constantly to store up food during the summer;
26 While badgers are animals without many defenses,
they are wise enough to make their homes in the rocky cliffs;
27 While locusts live without a ruler,
they all know how to move in formation;
28 While a lizard is easy enough to catch in your hand,
it is shrewd enough to enter the palaces of kings.
29 There are three creatures with majesty in their stride,
no, make it four that move with grace:
30 The lion, which is the strongest of the animals,
does not back down from any other creature;
31 The strutting rooster, the male goat,
and a king as he goes out with his army.[b]
32 If you have been foolish enough to insinuate yourself in some high position
or if you have concocted some sort of evil plan,
clamp your hand tightly over your mouth;
33 For pressing down milk makes butter,
pressing your nose makes it bleed,
and pressing anger makes trouble.
1 Paul, an emissary[a] of Jesus the Anointed commissioned by order of God our Savior and Jesus the Anointed, our living and certain hope), 2 to you, Timothy, my true son in the faith.
May the grace, mercy, and peace that come only from God the Father and our Lord Jesus the Anointed mark your life.
3 As I said that day I left for Macedonia, stay in Ephesus and instruct the unruly people in the church, once and for all, to stop teaching a different doctrine. 4 Tell them to turn away from fables and endless genealogies. These activities just cause more arguments and confusion. Instead, they should concern themselves with welcoming in and bringing about the reign of God, which is all about faith. 5 Our teaching about this journey is intended to bring us to a single destination—a place where self-giving love reigns from a pure heart, a clean conscience, and a genuine faith. 6 Yes, some have walked away from these traits and have fallen into a life of endless blabber and nonsense— 7 they wish to become scholars of the law, but they don’t know what they are talking about, and they make these grand pronouncements but clearly don’t understand what they just said.
8 You and I know the law is good (if used in the right way), and 9 we also know the law was not designed for law-abiding people but for lawbreakers and criminals, the ungodly and sin-filled, the unholy and worldly, the father killers and mother killers, the murderers, 10 the sexually immoral and homosexuals, slave dealers, liars, perjurers, and anyone else who acts against the sound doctrine 11 laid out in the glorious, holy, and pure good news of the blessed God that has been entrusted to me.
12 I thank our Lord Jesus the Anointed who empowers me, because He saw me as faithful and appointed me to this ministry. 13 Despite the fact that at one time I was slandering the things of God, persecuting and attacking His people, He was still merciful to me because I acted in ignorance apart from faith. 14 But He poured His grace over me, and I was flooded in an abundance of the grace and faith and love that can only be found in Jesus the Anointed.
15 Here’s a statement worthy of trust: Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King, came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them all. 16 But it is for this reason I was given mercy: by displaying His perfect patience in me, the very worst of all sinners, Jesus the Anointed could show that patience to all who would believe in Him and gain eternal life. 17 May the King eternal, immortal, and invisible—the one and only God—now be honored and glorified forever and ever. Amen.
It is fair to say that Paul never got over the fact that he violently persecuted the church. Even though his rampage against the first followers of Jesus had ended over 20 years earlier, he still grieved because of what he had done. But when Paul was older, he was moved to celebration and praise because God’s mercy is always greater than sin. The Lord Jesus called Paul in the midst of his campaign against Him so that he became a public display of Jesus’ patient love. So, if we think somehow we are too far from God’s mercy, then we should think again.
18 Timothy, my dear child, I am placing before you a charge for the mission ahead. It is in total agreement with the prophecies once spoken over you. Here it is: with God’s message stirring and directing you, fight the good fight, 19 armed with faith and a good conscience. Some have tried to silence their consciences, wrecking their lives and ruining their faiths. 20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are among these; I have had to hand them over to Satan so they might learn not to speak against God.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.