M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
24 Balaam saw that ·the Lord wanted [L it was good in the eyes/sight of the Lord] to bless Israel, so he did not try to use any ·magic [divination] but looked toward the ·desert [wilderness]. 2 When Balaam ·saw [L lifted his eyes and saw] the Israelites camped in their tribes, the Spirit of God ·took control of [L was on] him, 3 and he gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“This is the ·message [utterance] of Balaam son of Beor,
the ·message [utterance] of a man ·who sees clearly [L whose eye is open];
4 this is the ·message [utterance] of a man who hears the words of God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
5 ·Your tents are beautiful [L How beautiful/fair are your tents], people of Jacob!
·So are your homes [L Your dwellings], Israel!
6 Your tents spread out like ·valleys [wadis],
like gardens beside a river.
They are like ·spices [L aloes] planted by the Lord,
like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 Israel’s water buckets will always ·be full [or flow],
and their ·crops [L seed] will have plenty of water.
Their king will be greater than Agag [C perhaps a dynastic name of the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8–13); 1 Sam. 15:7–9, 32–33];
their kingdom will be very great.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
they are ·as strong as [L like the horns of] a wild ox.
They will defeat their enemies
and break their enemies’ bones;
they will ·shoot [L strike] them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, they lie waiting to attack;
like a lioness, ·no one would be brave enough to wake [L who will rouse…?] them.
Anyone who blesses you will be blessed,
and anyone who curses you will be cursed [Gen. 12:3].”
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he ·pounded his fist [or struck his hands together]. He said to Balaam, “I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times. 11 Now go home! I said I would ·pay you well [make you wealthy], but the Lord has ·made you lose [denied you] your reward.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “When you sent messengers to me, ·I told [L did I not tell…?] them, 13 ‘Balak could give me his ·palace [L house] filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot ·go against [transgress] the Lord’s commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the Lord says.’ 14 Now I am going back to my own people, but I will ·tell [L advise] you what these people will do to your people in the ·future [L later days].”
Balaam’s Final Message
15 Then Balaam gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“This is the ·message [utterance] of Balaam son of Beor,
the ·message [utterance] of a man ·who sees clearly [L whose eye is open];
16 this is the ·message [utterance] of a man who hears the words of God.
I know well the Most High God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
17 I see someone ·who will come someday [L but not now],
·someone who will come, but not soon [L I see him, but not near].
A star will come from Jacob;
a ·ruler [L scepter] will rise from Israel [C Saul, then David and his descendants, including the Messiah].
He will crush the heads of the Moabites
and smash the skulls of the sons of Sheth [C identity uncertain].
18 Edom will be conquered;
his enemy Edom will be conquered,
but Israel will grow ·wealthy [or valiant].
19 A ruler will come from the descendants of Jacob
and will destroy those left in the city.”
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and gave this message:
“Amalek was the most important nation,
but Amalek will be destroyed at last [C the book of Esther tells the story of the final destruction of Amalek; Haman is a descendant of Agag; 24:7].”
21 Then Balaam saw the Kenites and gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“Your home is ·safe [enduring],
like a nest on a ·cliff [rock].
22 But you Kenites will be burned up;
·Assyria will [L How long will Assyria…?] keep you captive.”
23 Then Balaam gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“·No one [L Who…?] can live when God does this.
24 Ships will sail from the shores of ·Cyprus [Kittim]
and ·defeat [afflict] Assyria and Eber,
but they will also be destroyed.”
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.
Praise God for What He Has Done
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
66 Everything on earth, shout with joy to God!
2 ·Sing [Make a psalm] about ·his glory [L the glory of his name]!
Make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, “Your works are ·amazing [majestic]!
Because your power is great,
your enemies ·fall [cringe; cower] before you.
4 All the earth ·worships [bows down to] you
and ·sings praises to [makes a psalm for] you.
They ·sing praises to [make a psalm for] your name [Phil. 2:10–12].” ·
5 Come and see what God has done,
the ·amazing [majestic] things he has done for people.
6 He turned the sea into dry land [Ex. 14–15].
The people crossed the river on foot [Josh. 3].
So let us rejoice because of what he did.
7 He rules forever with his power.
·He keeps his eye [L His eyes keep watch] on the nations,
so ·people should not turn [the rebellious might not rise] against him. ·
8 You people, ·praise [bless] our God;
·loudly sing his praise [L let the sound of his praise be heard].
9 He ·protects our lives [L sets our lives among the living]
and does not let ·us be defeated [L our feet be moved].
10 God, you have ·tested [examined] us;
you have ·purified [refined] us like silver [C removing the dross].
11 You ·let us be trapped [brought us into the net]
and put ·a heavy load on us [L misery on our backs].
12 You let our enemies ·walk on [L ride over] our heads.
We went through fire and ·flood [L water],
but you brought us to a place with ·good things [abundance].
13 I will come to your ·Temple [L house] with burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17].
I will ·give you what I promised [repay my vows],
14 ·things I promised when I was in trouble [L which my lips poured out and my mouth said when I was in distress].
15 I will bring you burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] of fat animals,
and ·I will offer sheep, bulls, and goats [L with the smoke of rams, I will offer bulls and goats]. ·
16 All of you who fear God [Prov. 1:7], come and listen,
and I will tell you what he has done for me.
17 I ·cried out [called] to him with my mouth
and ·praised [exalted] him with my tongue.
18 If I had ·known of [L seen] any sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened to me.
19 But God has listened;
he has ·heard [L paid attention to the sound of] my prayer.
20 ·Praise [Blessed be] God,
who did not ·ignore [turn aside from] my prayer
or hold back his ·love [loyalty] from me.
Everyone Should Praise God
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
67 God, ·have mercy on [be gracious to] us and bless us
and ·show us your kindness [L make your face shine on us; Num. 6:24–26] ·
2 so the world will ·learn [know] your ways,
and all nations ·will learn that you can save [L your salvation/victory].
3 God, the people should ·praise [thank] you;
all people should ·praise [thank] you.
4 The ·nations [peoples] should be glad and sing
because you judge people fairly.
You ·guide [lead] all the ·nations [peoples] on earth. ·
5 God, the people should ·praise [thank] you;
all people should ·praise [thank] you.
6 The land has given its ·crops [bounty].
God, our God, blesses us.
7 God blesses us
so people all over the earth will fear him [Prov. 1:7].
Israel Will Return Home
14 The Lord will ·show mercy to [have compassion on] the ·people of Jacob [L Jacob], and he will again choose ·the people of Israel [L Israel]. He will settle them in their own land. Then ·non-Israelite people [foreigners; strangers] will join the Israelites and will ·become a part of [unite with; attach to] the ·family [L house] of Jacob. 2 Nations will take the Israelites back to their ·land [place]. Then those men and women from the other nations will become ·slaves [servants] to Israel in the Lord’s land. Israel will capture those who had captured them and will rule over ·those who had ruled them [their oppressors].
The King of Babylon Will Fall
3 The Lord will ·take away the Israelites’ hard work and will comfort them [L give you rest/relief from your suffering/pain and turmoil]. ·They [L You] will no longer have to work hard as slaves. 4 On that day ·Israel [L you] will sing this ·song about [or taunt against] the king of Babylon:
The ·cruel king who ruled us [L oppressor] is finished;
his ·angry rule [arrogant fury; hostility] is finished!
5 The Lord has ·taken away the power [broken the club/rod/staff] of the wicked
and the ·scepter [staff] of evil rulers
6 ·The king of Babylon [L …which] struck ·people [or nations] in anger
·again and again [with endless blows].
He ruled nations in anger
·and continued to hurt them [with unrelenting oppression/aggression].
7 But now, the whole world rests and is quiet.
Now the people begin to sing.
8 Even the ·pine trees [junipers; evergreens; cypresses] ·are happy [rejoice at you],
and the cedar trees of Lebanon rejoice.
They say, “The king has ·fallen [been laid low],
so no ·one [woodcutter] will ever cut us down again.”
9 ·The place of the dead [or The grave; L Sheol] is ·excited [stirred up]
to meet you when you come.
It wakes the ·spirits of the dead [ghosts],
the ·leaders [L rams] of the world.
It makes kings of all nations
·stand up from their thrones to greet you [L rise up from their thrones].
10 All these leaders will ·make fun of you [L respond]
and will say,
“Now you are weak, as we are.
Now you are just like us.”
11 Your ·pride [or pomp; splendor] has been sent down to ·the place of the dead [or the grave; L Sheol].
The music from your harps goes with it.
·Flies [or Maggots] are spread out like your bed beneath you,
and worms cover your body like a blanket.
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
·morning star [or day star; or shining one; C still addressing the king of Babylon, though sometimes applied to Satan],
·even though you were as bright as the rising sun [L son of the dawn]!
In the past all the nations on earth ·bowed down before you [or were laid low by you],
but now you have been cut down.
13 You told yourself,
“I will ·go up to heaven [or ascend to the sky].
I will put my throne
above God’s stars.
I will ·sit [or rule] on the mountain of the ·gods [L assembly],
on the slopes of ·the sacred mountain [or the north; or Mount Zaphon; C known as the mountain of Baal].
14 I will ·go up [ascend] above the ·tops [or high places] of the clouds.
I will be like God Most High.”
15 But you were brought down to ·the grave [or the place of the dead; L Sheol],
to the deep places ·where the dead are [L of the pit].
16 Those who see you stare at you.
They ·think about [ponder] what has happened to you
and say, “Is this the same man who ·caused great fear on [L shook the] earth,
who ·shook [made to tremble] the kingdoms,
17 who turned the world into a desert,
who ·destroyed [overthrew] its cities,
who captured people in war
and would not let them go home?”
18 Every king of the nations ·has been buried with honor [lies in glory],
each in his own ·grave [L house].
19 But you are thrown out of your grave,
like an ·unwanted [loathed; rejected] branch.
·You are covered by bodies [L Clothed with the slain]
that ·died in battle [L were pierced with a sword],
by bodies to be buried in a rocky pit.
You are like a ·dead body other soldiers walk on [trampled corpse].
20 You will not be buried with those bodies,
because you ruined your own country
and killed your own people.
·The children [or May the offspring/descendants] of evil people
will never be mentioned again.
21 Prepare to ·kill his children [execute/slaughter his sons],
·because their father is guilty [for the sins of their fathers/ancestors].
They will never ·again take control of [L rise and possess] the earth;
they will never again fill the ·world [surface/L face of the earth/world] with their cities.
22 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says this:
“I will ·fight [L rise up] against those people;
I will ·destroy [L cut off from] Babylon ·and its people [L its name and remnant/survivors],
its ·children [offspring] and their ·descendants [posterity],” says the Lord.
23 “I will make Babylon fit only for ·owls [or hedgehogs; or porcupines]
and for swamps.
I will sweep Babylon as with a broom of destruction,”
says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
God Will Punish Assyria
24 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] has ·made this promise [sworn this oath]:
“These things will happen exactly as I planned them;
they will happen exactly as I ·set them up [purposed them].
25 I will ·destroy [crush; break] ·the king of Assyria [L Assyria] in my ·country [land];
I will trample him on my mountains.
His yoke [C oppressive rule] will be taken off my people,
And his burden will be removed from their shoulders.
26 “This is what I plan to do for all the earth.
And this is the hand that I have ·raised [stretched out] over all nations.”
27 When the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] makes a plan,
·no one [L who…?] can stop it.
When the Lord ·raises his hand to punish people [L stretches out his hand],
·no one [L who…?] can stop it.
God’s Message to Philistia
28 This message was given in the year that King Ahaz died [C about 715 bc]:
29 Country of Philistia, don’t ·be happy [rejoice]
that the ·king [L club; rod] who struck you is now ·dead [broken; C either the king of Assyria or Ahaz, king of Judah].
He is like a snake that will give birth to another dangerous snake [L For from the snake’s/serpent’s root will come a viper/adder].
·The new king will be like a quick, dangerous snake to bite you [L its offspring/fruit will be a darting/flying poisonous/fiery adder].
30 Even the ·poorest of my people [or firstborn of the poor] will ·be able to eat safely [find pasture; graze in pasure],
and people in need will be able to lie down in safety.
But I will kill your ·family [L root] with ·hunger [famine],
and ·all your people who are left will die [L it will slay your survivors/remnant].
31 ·People near the city gates, cry out [L Wail, gate, and cry out, city]!
Philistines, ·be frightened [melt away],
because a cloud of ·dust [or smoke] comes from the north [C evidence of an approaching army].
·Full of men ready to fight [L And there is no straggler/loner in its ranks].
32 What shall we tell the messengers ·from Philistia [L of the nation]?
Say that the Lord has made ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] strong
and that his ·poor [oppressed; afflicted] people will go there for ·safety [refuge].
Jesus Is the Living Stone
2 So then, rid yourselves of all evil, all ·lying [deceit], hypocrisy, ·jealousy [envy], and ·evil speech [slander; C all traits that destroy relationships; Rom. 13:13; Eph. 4:25–32; Col. 3:8]. 2 As newborn babies want milk, you should want the ·pure [sincere; unadulterated] and ·simple [or spiritual] ·teaching [L milk; C probably referring to the word of God; see 1:23–25]. By it you can ·mature [grow; reach maturity] in your salvation, 3 because you have already ·examined and seen [L tasted] how good the Lord is [Ps. 34:8].
4 Come to the Lord Jesus, the ·“stone” that lives [L a living stone; C Jesus is the most important stone in the spiritual temple described in v. 5]. ·The people of the world did not want this stone, but he was the stone God chose, and he was precious [L …rejected by people, but chosen and precious/valuable to God]. 5 You also are like living stones, so let yourselves be used to build a spiritual ·temple [house]—to be holy priests who offer spiritual sacrifices that are ·acceptable [pleasing] to God ·through [or because they are mediated by] Jesus Christ. 6 The Scripture ·says [L contains]:
“[L See; Look,] I will ·put a stone in the ground in Jerusalem [L lay a stone in Zion; C Zion is a poetic term for Jerusalem].
·Everything will be built on this important and precious rock [L a chosen and precious cornerstone; C the stone that supports the others].
Anyone who ·trusts [believes; has faith] in him
will never be ·disappointed [L put to shame; Is. 28:16].”
7 ·This stone is worth much to you who believe [or You who believe see the honor/value/preciousness of the stone; L The honor is to you who believe]. But to the people who do not believe,
“the stone that the builders rejected
has become ·the cornerstone [L head of the corner; C the precise meaning is uncertain, but clearly refers to the most important stone in a building; Ps. 118:22; compare Mark 12:10–11; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:20–22].”
8 ·Also, he is [L And]
“a stone that causes people to stumble,
a rock that ·makes them fall [trips them; snares them; causes them to sin; offends them; Is. 8:14; Rom. 9:32–33].”
They stumble because they do not obey ·what God says [the message/word], which is what God ·planned to happen to [destined/appointed for] them.
9 But you are a chosen ·people [or generation; Is. 43:21], royal ·priests [L priesthood], a holy nation, a people ·for God’s own possession [who belong to God; Ex. 19:5–6]. You were chosen to ·tell about the wonderful acts of God, who [proclaim the praises/virtues of him who] called you out of darkness into his ·wonderful [marvelous] light. 10 At one time you were not a people, but now you are God’s people. In the past you had ·never [L not] received mercy, but now you have received God’s mercy [Hos. 2:23].
Live for God
11 ·Dear friends [L Beloved], I ·beg [urge; exhort] you as ·foreigners [strangers; sojourners; resident aliens; 1:17] and ·strangers in this world [exiles; temporary residents; refugees; foreigners; 1:1; Gen. 23:4] to ·avoid [abstain from] the ·evil things your bodies want to do [L fleshly/worldly desires] that fight against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among unbelievers [L the Gentiles/pagans] that, even though they might ·say that you are doing wrong [slander you; accuse you of doing evil], they will see the good things you do and will give glory to God ·on the day when Christ comes again [when Christ comes to judge; L on the day of visitation].
Yield to Every Human Authority
13 For the Lord’s sake, ·yield [submit; be subject] to ·the people who have authority in this world [or every human institution/creation; Rom. 13:1–7; Titus 3:1]: the ·king [or emperor], who is the ·highest [supreme] authority, 14 and the ·leaders [governors] who are ·sent [commissioned] by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 [L For; Because] It is ·God’s desire [L the will of God] that by doing good you should ·stop foolish people from saying stupid things about you [L silence the ignorant talk of foolish people]. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as an ·excuse [cover-up; pretext] to do evil. Live as ·servants [slaves] of God. 17 ·Show respect for [Honor] all people: Love the ·brothers and sisters of God’s family [community of believers; brotherhood], ·respect [fear] God [Prov. 1:7], honor the king [or emperor; Rom. 13:1].
Follow Christ’s Example
18 ·Slaves [Servants; C the term refers to household slaves], ·yield [submit; be subject; C put the other person’s interests first] to the authority of your masters with all ·respect [fear; deference; Eph. 6:5–9; Col. 3:22—4:1], not only those who are good and ·kind [gentle; considerate], but also those who are ·dishonest [or cruel; L crooked]. 19 A person might have to suffer even when it is ·unfair [unjust], but if ·through awareness of God [or because of his God-given conscience] he endures the ·pain [grief], ·God is pleased [or this is commendable; L this is favor/credit/grace]. 20 If you are beaten for ·doing wrong [sin], ·there is no reason to praise you [what credit/honor is that for you…?] for ·being patient in your punishment [enduring it]. But if you suffer for doing good, and you ·are patient [endure it], ·then God is pleased [this is commendable to God; L this is favor/credit/grace from God]. 21 [L For] This is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you ·and gave you [leaving you] an example to follow. So you should ·do as he did [L follow in his footsteps].
22 “He ·had never sinned [committed no sin],
and ·he had never lied [L no deceit was found in his mouth; Is. 53:9].”
23 People ·insulted [abused; reviled] Christ, but he did not ·insult [abuse; revile] them in return. Christ suffered, but he did not threaten. ·He let God, the One who judges rightly, take care of him [L He delivered/entrusted himself to the One who judges justly/rightly]. 24 Christ [L himself] ·carried [bore] our sins in his body on the ·cross [L tree; Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13] so we would ·stop living for [die to] sin and start living for ·what is right [righteousness]. And you are healed ·because of [by] his wounds. 25 [L For] You were like sheep that wandered away [Is. 53:6], but now you have come back to the Shepherd and ·Overseer [Guardian] of your souls.
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