M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
5 1-2 Because Reuben slept with his father’s concubine, he forfeited his rights as the firstborn of Israel, his monetary inheritance and his political position as the leader of the nation of Israel. Although Reuben’s inheritance and birthright were given to Joseph, Judah’s descendants became the rulers of Israel.
3 Reuben’s sons (the firstborn of Israel) were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 4 The descendants of Joel were Shemaiah, Gog, Shimei, 5 Micah, Reaiah, Baal, 6 and Beerah. Beerah (who led the Reubenites) was exiled by Tilgath-pilneser, the king of Assyria who destroyed Israel and exiled the inhabitants. 7 His kinsmen led their families in the order of their generations: Jeiel was the first chief, then Zechariah, 8 Bela of Aroer (son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel), Nebo, and finally Baal-meon.
9 The Reubenite territory stretched to the Euphrates River Valley because their cattle had increased in the land of Gilead. 10 During Saul’s reign they slaughtered the Hagrites and seized their territory east of Gilead.
11 The Gadites lived across from the Reubenites between Bashan and Salecah. 12 Joel was the chief, and Shapham was his second in command, then Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. 13 There were seven clans in the tribe: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber. 14 These were the sons of Abihail (son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz). 15 Ahi (son of Abdiel and grandson of Guni) was chief of a clan. 16 These leaders lived in Gilead, in Bashan, and in its towns. Their pastures filled the lands of Sharon. 17 Their genealogies were recorded during the reigns of Jotham, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, king of Israel.
18-19 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh were skillful warriors who carried shields, wielded swords, and shot arrows. There were 44,760 who conquered the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They defeated the Hagrites and all who were with them because they asked for God’s help during the battle and trusted in Him, and their plea was granted. 21 They seized 100,000 men and their herds: 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. 22 Many of the enemies died because the men were fighting God’s battle. The tribes then lived in these conquered lands until the exile.
23 The numerous members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived between Bashan and Baal-hermon, between Senir and Mount Hermon. 24 The clan leaders were famous and glorious men: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. 25 But they disobeyed the God of their fathers, prostituting themselves to the pagan gods whom God had destroyed in front of them. 26 So the God of Israel awakened the king of Assyria, Pul or Tilgath-pilneser,[a] to exile the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. The people were taken from Israel to live in Halah, in Habor, in Hara, and by the river of Gozan, where they remain today.
6 Levi fathered Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 2 Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3 The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. Aaron fathered Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4 Eleazar’s lineage descended 21 generations until the exile: Phinehas, Abishua, 5 Bukki, Uzzi, 6 Zerahiah, Meraioth, 7 Amariah, Ahitub, 8 Zadok, Ahimaaz, 9 Azariah, Johanan, 10 Azariah (he was priest in Solomon’s temple which was constructed in Jerusalem), 11 Amariah, Ahitub, 12 Zadok, Shallum, 13 Hilkiah, Azariah, 14 Seraiah, and Jehozadak 15 (one of those from Jerusalem and Judah whom the Eternal One exiled by Nebuchadnezzar).
While the tribe of Judah boasts the kingly lineage, specifically Israel’s beloved kings David and Solomon, the tribe of Levi is the priestly tribe. These men are at the center of the worship of the Lord, performing the daily rituals and sacrifices required in the law.
16 These are the Levite clans according to their patronage: Levi fathered Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17 Gershom’s sons were Libni and Shimei. 18 Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 19 Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. These are the Levitical clans. 20 Gershom’s lineage descended seven generations: Libni, Jahath, Zimmah, 21 Joah, Iddo, Zerah, and Jeatherai. 22 Kohath’s lineage descended ten generations: Amminadab, Korah, Assir, 23 Elkanah, Ebiasaph, Assir, 24 Tahath, Uriel, Uzziah, and Shaul. 25 The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. 26 Elkanah’s lineage descended six generations: Zophai, Nahath, 27 Eliab, Jeroham, Elkanah, and Samuel. 28 Samuel’s sons were Joel (the firstborn) and Abijah (the second). 29 Merari’s lineage descended seven generations: Mahli, Libni, Shimei, Uzzah, 30 Shimea, Haggiah, and Asaiah.
31 After the chest of the covenant came to rest in the tent of the congregation, King David appointed the following Levites to be the musicians in the temple. 32 They ministered with songs with respect to their responsibilities outlined for them at the congregation tent until our king Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem. 33 These served with their sons: From the Kohathites was Heman the singer (son of Joel, son of Samuel, 34 son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, 35 son of Zuph, son of Elkanah, son of Mahath, son of Amasai, 36 son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, 37 son of Tahath, son of Assir, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, 38 son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Israel).
39 On Heman’s right stood his cousin Asaph (son of Berechiah, son of Shimea, 40 son of Michael, son of Baaseiah, son of Malchijah, 41 son of Ethni, son of Zerah, son of Adaiah, 42 son of Ethan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei, 43 son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi).
44 On Heman’s left stood their cousin from the Merarites, Ethan (son of Kishi, son of Abdi, son of Malluch, 45 son of Hashabiah, son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah, 46 son of Amzi, son of Bani, son of Shemer, 47 son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi).
48 Their cousins from other Levitical clans served the congregation tent of the house of God. 49 Aaron and his sons performed the holiest work: they gave burnt offerings and incense offerings. These offerings atoned for Israel, according to all God’s servant Moses had commanded. 50 The lineage of Aaron descended 11 generations: Eleazar, Phinehas, Abishua, 51 Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, 52 Meraioth, Amariah, Ahitub, 53 Zadok, and Ahimaaz.
64 Because the Levites were a priestly tribe without their own land, the other tribes each gave them cities and pastures.[b] 54 These are their territories and the pasturelands in these settlements: To the descendants of Aaron of the Kohathite clan (the highest clan) 65 the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin gave 9 cities 55 including Hebron in the territory of Judah and those cities’ surrounding pastures. 56 But the fields of Hebron and its villages still belonged to Caleb (son of Jephunneh). 57-59 The descendants of Aaron received Hebron, a city of escape, and they also lived in the cities of Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth-shemesh with their surrounding pastures. 60 The tribe of Benjamin gave 4 cities and their pastures including Gibeon,[c] Geba, Allemeth, and Anathoth. The descendants of Aaron held 13 cities; 61 the half-tribe of Manasseh gave 10 cities to the remaining Kohathite clan.
62 The tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh gave 13 cities in Bashan to the Gershomites.
63 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun gave 12 cities to the Merarites.
66-69 The tribe of Ephraim also gave cities and surrounding pastures to the Kohathites. These cities of refuge included Shechem (in the hill country of Ephraim), Gezer, Jokmeam, Beth-horon, Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon. 70 The half-tribe of Manasseh gave the cities and pastures of Aner and Bileam to the rest of the Kohathites.
71 The half-tribe of Manasseh gave these cities and surrounding pastures to the Gershomites: Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth. 72-73 The tribe of Issachar gave Kedesh, Daberath, Ramoth, and Anem. 74-75 The tribe of Asher gave these cities and their pastures: Mashal, Abdon, Hukok, and Rehob. 76 The tribe of Naphtali gave the cities and pastures of Kedesh (in Galilee), Hammon, and Kiriathaim.
77 The tribe of Zebulun gave these cities and pastures to the Merarites: Rimmono, Tabor, 78-79 and Jericho (beyond the Jordan River on the east side). The tribe of Reuben gave the cities and pastures of Bezer, Jahzah, Kedemoth, and Mephaath. 80-81 The tribe of Gad gave the cities and pastures of Ramoth (in Gilead), Mahanaim, Heshbon, and Jazer.
He who embodied the sins of the world carries His own blood into the holy presence.
10 We have seen how the law is simply a shadow of the good things to come. Since it is not the perfect form of these ultimate realities, the offering year after year of these imperfect sacrifices cannot bring perfection to those who come forward to worship. 2 If they had served this purpose, wouldn’t the repetition of these sacrifices have become unnecessary? If they had worked—and cleansed the worshipers—then one sacrifice would have taken away their consciousness of sin. 3 But these sacrifices actually remind us that we sin again and again, year after year. 4 In the end, the blood of bulls and of goats is powerless to take away sins. 5 So when Jesus came into the world, He said,
Sacrifices and offerings were not what You wanted,
but instead a body that You prepared for Me.
6 Burnt offerings and sin offerings
were not what pleased You.
7 Then I said, “See, I have come to do Your will, God,
as it is inscribed of Me in the scroll of the book.”[a]
8 Now when it says that God doesn’t want and takes no real pleasure in sacrifices, burnt offerings, and sin offerings (even though the law calls for them), 9 and follows this with “See, I have come to do Your will,”[b] He effectively takes away the first—animal sacrifice—in order to establish the second, more perfect sacrifice. 10 By God’s will, we are made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus the Anointed once and for all time.
11 In the first covenant, every day every officiating priest stands at his post serving, offering over and over those same sacrifices that can never take away sin. 12 But after He stepped up to offer His single sacrifice for sins for all time, He sat down in the position of honor at the right hand of God. 13 Since then, He has been waiting for the day when He rests His feet on His enemies’ backs,[c] as the psalm says. 14 With one perfect offering, Jesus has perfected forever those who are being made holy, 15 as the Holy Spirit keeps testifying to us through the prophet Jeremiah. After he says,
16 “But when those days are over,” says the Eternal One, “I will make
this kind of covenant with the people of Israel:
I will put My laws in their hearts
and write them upon their minds,”[d]
then He adds,
17 I will erase their sins and wicked acts out of My memory
as though they had never existed.[e]
18 When there is forgiveness such as this, there is no longer any need to make an offering for sin.
19 So, my friends, Jesus by His blood gives us courage to enter the most holy place. 20 He has created for us a new and living way through the curtain, that is, through His flesh. 21 Since we have a great High Priest who presides over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with true hearts full of faith, with hearts rinsed clean of any evil conscience, and with bodies cleansed with pure water. 23 Let us hold strong to the confession of our hope, never wavering, since the One who promised it to us is faithful. 24 Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, 25 not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches.
The word translated “church” in English Bibles means literally “assembly of the called”; it implies that members have said “yes” to God’s call in their lives. We assemble because we are called into being by God Himself. Some people, for reasons only they know, choose to live their Christian faiths in isolation. When they do, they cut themselves off from the gifts, encouragement, and vitality of others. And perhaps, just as tragically, they deprive the church of the grace and life God has invested in them.
26 Now if we willfully persist in sin after receiving such knowledge of the truth, then there is no sacrifice left for those sins— 27 only the fearful prospect of judgment and a fierce fire that will consume God’s adversaries. 28 Remember that those who depart from the law of Moses are put to death without mercy based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.[f] 29 Just think how much more severe the punishment will be for those who have turned their backs on the Son of God, trampled on the blood of the covenant by which He made them holy, and outraged the Spirit of grace with their contempt. 30 For we know the God who said, “Vengeance belongs to Me—I will repay,”[g] also said, “The Eternal One will judge His people.”[h] 31 It is truly a frightening thing to be on the wrong side of the living God.
32 Instead, think back to the days after you were first enlightened and understood who Jesus was: when you endured all sorts of suffering in the name of the Lord, 33 when people held you up for public scorn and ridicule, or when they abused your partners and companions in the faith. 34 Remember how you had compassion for those in prison and how you cheerfully accepted the seizure of your possessions, knowing that you have a far greater and more enduring possession. 35 Remember this, and do not abandon your confidence, which will lead to rich rewards. 36 Simply endure, for when you have done as God requires of you, you will receive the promise. 37 As the prophet Habakkuk said,
In a little while, only a little longer,
the One who is coming will come without delay.
38 But My righteous one must live by faith,
for if he gives up his commitment,
My soul will have no pleasure in him.[i]
39 My friends, we are not those who give up hope and so are lost; but we are of the company who live by faith and so are saved.
4 Hear this word, you cows on the fertile pastures of Bashan,
who grow fat and happy on the hillsides of Samaria,
Who oppress the poor and destroy the needy
while you order your husbands to do your own work.
2 The Eternal Lord has made a vow by His own holiness:
Eternal One: The day will come when your enemy will drag you away
with hooks like sides of beef—will subdue you with fishhooks, each and every one of you.
3 You’ll be forced to leave through breached walls,
each one of you taken straight out and cast into Harmon, a place of exile.
4 I dare you: Come to My shrine at Bethel and do wrong;
come, worship Me at Gilgal, and watch your sins multiply.
Go ahead, bring your ritual sacrifices there every morning
and ten percent of your earnings every three days.
5 Burn a thanksgiving offering of leavened bread,
boast about your freewill offerings, and let everyone know
because these things are what you love to do, people of Israel.
So says the Eternal Lord.
6 Eternal One: I kept your teeth clean and your stomachs empty
when famine struck all your cities and no food could be found in your towns,
But still you did not come back to Me.
7 I held back the rain from your fields
when there were still three months left until harvest.
I would send rain on one city
but not on another.
I would send rain on one field
but not on another, so the dry field withered.
8 So people from two or three towns stumbled to one
that had water to drink, but they were still thirsty.
And still you did not return to Me.
9 I struck your crops with disease and mildew.
Whatever survived in your gardens and vineyards,
Whatever remained of your fig and olive trees, the locusts devoured;
and still you did not return to Me.
10 I sent plagues on you like the plagues I unleashed upon Egypt.
I slaughtered your young men in battle,
Stole away your horses, and sent the stench
of those bodies rotting in your camps reeking into your nostrils;
And still you did not return to Me.
11 I destroyed some of you as I destroyed the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
and those who survived were like a smoking branch plucked from the fire;
And still you did not return to Me.
12 So this is what I am going to do to you, Israel.
Because of what I am planning, prepare to meet your God, people of Israel!
13 Witness the One who shapes the mountains and fashions the wind,
who reveals His thoughts to human beings,
Who changes dawn to darkness
and treads upon the high places of the earth.
The Eternal God, Commander of heavenly armies, is His name.
Psalm 148
1 Praise the Eternal!
All you in the heavens, praise the Eternal;
praise Him from the highest places!
2 All you, His messengers and His armies in heaven:
praise Him!
3 Sun, moon, and all you brilliant stars above:
praise Him!
4 Highest heavens and all you waters above the heavens:
praise Him!
5 Let all things join together in a concert of praise to the name of the Eternal,
for He gave the command and they were created.
6 He put them in their places to stay forever—
He declared it so, and it is final.
7 Everything on earth, join in and praise the Eternal;
sea monsters and creatures of the deep,
8 Lightning and hail, snow and foggy mists,
violent winds all respond to His command.
9 Mountains and hills,
fruit trees and cedar forests,
10 All you animals both wild and tame,
reptiles and birds who take flight:
praise the Lord.
11 All kings and all nations,
princes and all judges of the earth,
12 All people, young men and women,
old men and children alike,
praise the Lord.
13 Let them all praise the name of the Eternal!
For His name stands alone above all others.
His glory shines greater than anything above or below.
14 He has made His people strong;
He is the praise of all who are godly,
the praise of the children of Israel, those whom He holds close.
Praise the Eternal!
Psalm 149
1 Praise the Eternal!
Write new songs; sing them to Him with all your might!
Gather with His faithful followers in joyful praise;
2 Let all of Israel celebrate their Maker, their God, their friend;
let the children of Zion find great joy in their true King.
3 So let the music begin; praise His name—dance and sing
to the rhythm of the tambourine, and to the tune of the harp.
4 For the Eternal is listening, and nothing pleases Him more than His people;
He raises up the poor and endows them with His salvation.
5 Let His faithful followers erupt in praise,
singing triumphantly wherever they are, even as they lie down for sleep in the evening.
6 With the name of God and praise in their mouths,
with a two-edged sword in their hands,
7 Let them take revenge on all nations who deny God.
Let them punish the peoples.
8 Kings and nobles will be locked up,
and their freedom will be bound in iron shackles.
9 This judgment against them, decreed by a holy God, will be carried out.
It’s an honor for all His faithful followers to serve Him.
Praise the Eternal!
Psalm 150
If Psalm 150 is any indication, then the worship of the one True God ought to be full of life and energy. Consider what it must have looked and sounded like in those days: voices lifted, shouting for joy, trumpets blaring, stringed instruments playing, people dancing, pipes humming, tambourines keeping rhythm, cymbals crashing. There are times when worship ought to break out in joy. Is it possible that our worship is too quiet, too reserved, too structured?
1 Praise the Eternal!
Praise the True God inside His temple.
Praise Him beneath massive skies, under moonlit stars and rising sun.
2 Praise Him for His powerful acts, redeeming His people.
Praise Him for His greatness that surpasses our time and understanding.
3-4 Praise Him with the blast of trumpets high into the heavens,
and praise Him with harps and lyres
and the rhythm of the tambourines skillfully played by those who love and fear the Eternal.
Praise Him with singing and dancing;
praise Him with flutes and strings of all kinds!
5 Praise Him with crashing cymbals,
loud clashing cymbals!
6 No one should be left out;
Let every man and every beast—
every creature that has the breath of the Lord—praise the Eternal!
Praise the Eternal!
This doxology not only closes Book Five, but it also closes the entire Book of Psalms. Up until now, the songs in this book have reminded us of all the reasons we should praise God. Some songs have even commanded us to praise Him. But this closing remark takes the command to praise one step further: everything alive—humans, animals, and heaven’s creatures—must praise Him. Praise is what God created us to do; it is one of our highest purposes in life. So it is no wonder that the longest book of the Bible is purely devoted to helping us do just that.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.