M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Altar for Special Perfume
30 “Make an altar for burning special perfume. Make it of acacia wood. 2 It will be as long and as wide as a man’s arm and as high as a man’s waist. Its horns will be of one piece with it. 3 Cover its top, all its sides and its horns with pure gold. And make a piece of gold to go around it. 4 Then make two gold rings for the altar to put under this piece. Put one on each side of the altar so it can hold the long pieces of wood used for carrying it. 5 Make the long pieces of acacia wood and cover them with gold. 6 Put this altar in front of the curtain that is by the box of the Law, in front of the mercy-seat that is over the box of the Law. There I will meet with you. 7 Aaron will burn special perfume on it every morning when he takes care of the lamps. 8 And when Aaron takes care of the lamps in the evening, he will burn special perfume. There will be a burning of special perfume before the Lord for all your people for all time. 9 Do not give upon this altar any perfume, burnt gift or grain gift that is not holy. And do not pour out a drink gift on it. 10 Once a year Aaron will give a gift for sin on its horns to take away sin. He will give the blood of the sin gift to make it holy once a year for all your people for all time. It is most holy to the Lord.”
Tax for the Meeting Tent
11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “When you number the people of Israel, each one of them will pay a price for his life to the Lord. Then no trouble will come upon them when you number them. 13 Every one who is numbered will give one piece of silver, by the weight decided upon for the holy place. One piece of silver will be a gift to the Lord. 14 Every one who is numbered, twenty years old and older, will give the gift to the Lord. 15 The rich will not pay more and the poor will not pay less than one piece of silver. It will be a gift to the Lord so you will be forgiven of sin. 16 Receive this money from the people of Israel and use it for the work of the meeting tent. Then it will be remembered before the Lord that the people of Israel gave a gift to take away their sin of being numbered.”
The Pot of Brass for Washing
17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Make a pot of brass for washing. Make its base of brass also. Put it between the meeting tent and the altar, and put water in it. 19 Aaron and his sons will wash their hands and feet with water from it. 20 When they go into the meeting tent, they will wash with water, so they will not die. And they will wash when they go near the altar to give a gift made by fire to the Lord. 21 They will wash their hands and their feet, so they will not die. It will always be a law for Aaron and his children forever.”
The Holy Oil for Pouring
22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Take the best spices: a heavy weight of flowing myrrh, half that weight of sweet-smelling cinnamon and of sweet-smelling cane, 24 and a heavy weight of cassia, the weight decided upon by the holy place, and a large jar of olive oil. 25 Mix these to make a holy oil for holy use, mixed like perfume made by an able workman. It will be a holy oil for holy use. 26 Pour it on the meeting tent and the box of the Law, 27 the table and all its objects, the lamp-stand and all its objects, the altar of special perfume, 28 the altar of burnt gifts and all its objects, and the washing pot and its base. 29 Set them apart so they may be most holy. Whatever touches them will be holy. 30 Pour oil on Aaron and his sons. Set them apart so they may serve as religious leaders for Me. 31 Say to the people of Israel, ‘This will be a holy oil to Me for all your people for all time. 32 It will not be poured on the flesh of man. And you will not mix any like it. It is holy. It will be holy to you. 33 Whoever mixes any like it, or puts any of it on a man who is not a religious leader, will be cut off from his people.’”
34 The Lord said to Moses, “Take sweet spices, stacte, onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense. Take the same amount of each. 35 Mix them to make a special perfume, salted, pure and holy, the work of an able workman. 36 Beat some of it very fine. And put some of it in front of the special box of the agreement in the meeting tent, where I will meet with you. It will be most holy to you. 37 Do not mix this special perfume in the same way for yourselves. It will be holy for you to the Lord. 38 Whoever makes any like it to use as perfume will be cut off from his people.”
Jesus Heals a Man Who Was Born Blind
9 As Jesus went on His way, He saw a man who had been born blind. 2 His followers asked Him, “Teacher, whose sin made this man to be born blind? Was it the sin of this man or the sin of his parents?” 3 Jesus answered, “The sin of this man or the sin of his parents did not make him to be born blind. He was born blind so the work of God would be seen in him. 4 We must keep on doing the work of Him Who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no man can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
6 After Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground. He mixed it with dust and put that mud on the eyes of the blind man. 7 Then Jesus said to him, “Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.” (Siloam means Sent.) The man went away and washed. When he came back, he could see.
8 Neighbors and others had seen him begging. They said, “Is not this the man who sat and begged?” 9 Some said, “This is the one.” Others said, “No, but he looks like him.” But the man who had been blind said, “I am the man.” 10 They said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “A Man called Jesus made mud and put it on my eyes. Then He said to me, ‘Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.’ I went and washed and I can see.” 12 Then they asked him, “Where is He?” He answered, “I do not know.”
The Proud Religious Law-Keepers Are Troubled about This Healing
13 They took the man who had been born blind to the proud religious law-keepers. 14 It was the Day of Rest when Jesus had made mud and opened his eyes. 15 Again the proud religious law-keepers asked the man who had been born blind how he had been made to see. He answered them, “Jesus put mud on my eyes. I washed and now I see!” 16 Some of the proud religious law-keepers said, “The Man Who did this is not from God because He worked on the Day of Rest.” Others said, “How can a sinful man do powerful works?” They could not agree about Jesus. 17 They spoke again to the blind man, saying, “What do you say about Him since He opened your eyes?” He answered, “He is One Who speaks for God.”
18 The Jews did not believe this man had been blind and had been made to see. They called his parents 19 and asked them, “Is this your son? Do you say he was born blind? How does he see now?” 20 They answered, “We know this is our son and we know he was born blind. 21 But we do not know how it is that he can see now. We do not know who opened his eyes. He is old enough, ask him. He can tell you himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews. The Jews had talked among themselves. They had agreed that the person who said that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the Jewish place of worship. 23 That is why his parents said, “He is old enough, ask him.”
24 The proud religious law-keepers asked the man again, who had been blind, to come. They said to him, “Give thanks to God. We know this man is a sinner.” 25 The man who had been blind said to them, “I do not know if He is a sinner or not. One thing I know. I was blind, but now I can see.” 26 They asked him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already. You did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His followers also?”
28 The proud religious law-keepers became angry at him and said, “You are a follower of Jesus. We are followers of Moses. 29 We know God spoke to Moses. We do not know where this Man is from.” 30 The man said to them, “This is strange! You do not know where He came from and yet He opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. We know if anyone loves and worships God, and does what He wants, God listens to him. 32 From the beginning of the world no one has ever heard of anyone opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this Man were not from God, He would not be able to do anything like this.”
34 They said to him, “You were born in sin. Are you trying to teach us?” Then they put him out of the place of worship.
Jesus Speaks Sharp Words to the Proud Religious Law-Keepers
35 Jesus heard that the proud religious law-keepers had put the man who had been healed out of the place of worship. He found the man and said to him, “Do you put your trust in the Son of God?” 36 He said, “Who is He, Sir? Tell me so that I can put my trust in Him.” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen Him. He is talking with you.” 38 He said, “I do put my trust in You, Lord.” Then he bowed down before Jesus and worshiped Him.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world to say what is right from wrong. I came so those who do not see might see, and those who do see might be made blind.” 40 Some of the proud religious law-keepers who were with Him heard this. They said to Him, “Are we blind also?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin. But because you say, ‘We see,’ you still are guilty of your sin.
A Father Talks to His Son
6 My son, if you have put yourself as a trust for what your neighbor owes to another, or if you have made a promise for a stranger, 2 you have been trapped with the words of your lips. You have been caught with the words of your mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and get yourself out of trouble, for you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go without pride and beg your neighbor to let you go. 4 Do not let your eyes sleep. Do not let your eyes close. 5 Take yourself away like a deer from the man who kills animals, and like a bird from the hand of the man who catches birds.
6 Go to the ant, O lazy person. Watch and think about her ways, and be wise. 7 She has no leader, head or ruler, 8 but she gets her food ready in the summer, and gathers her food at the right time. 9 How long will you lie down, O lazy person? When will you rise up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands to rest, 11 and being poor will come upon you like a robber, and your need like a man ready to fight.
12 A person of no worth, a sinful man, is he who goes about telling lies. 13 He winks with his eyes, makes signs with his feet, and makes certain moves with his fingers. 14 He always plans to do sinful things because of his sinful heart. He causes arguing among people. 15 So trouble will come upon him all at once. Right then he will be broken, and there will be no healing.
16 There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven that are hated by Him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that kill those who are without guilt, 18 a heart that makes sinful plans, feet that run fast to sin, 19 a person who tells lies about someone else, and one who starts fights among brothers.
20 My son, keep the teaching of your father, and do not turn away from the teaching of your mother. 21 Hold them always to your heart. Tie them around your neck. 22 They will lead you when you walk. They will watch over you when you sleep, and they will talk with you when you wake up. 23 For the word is a lamp. The teaching is a light, and strong words that punish are the way of life. 24 They keep you from the sinful woman, from the smooth tongue of a sinful woman. 25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart. Do not let her catch you with her eyes. 26 For because of a woman who sells the use of her body, one is brought down to a loaf of bread. A sinful woman hunts to take a man’s very life. 27 Can a man carry fire in his arms, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can a man walk on hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will be punished. 30 Men do not hate a robber who steals food for himself when he is hungry. 31 But if he is caught, he must pay seven times what he took. He must give up all the things in his house. 32 He who does sex sins with a woman does not think well. He who does it is destroying himself. 33 He will be hurt and ashamed, and his shame will not be taken away. 34 Jealousy makes a man angry. He will show no pity for the wrong that was done to him. 35 He will not take pay, and he will not be happy even if you give him many gifts.
Christ Made Us Free
5 Christ made us free. Stay that way. Do not get chained all over again in the Law and its kind of religious worship.
2 Listen to me! I, Paul, tell you that if you have the religious act of becoming a Jew done on you, Christ will be of no use to you at all. 3 I say it again. Every man who has the religious act of becoming a Jew done on him must obey every Law. 4 If you expect to be made right with God by obeying the Law, then you have turned away from Christ and His loving-favor. 5 We are waiting for the hope of being made right with God. This will come through the Holy Spirit and by faith. 6 If we belong to Jesus Christ, it means nothing to have or not to have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. But faith working through love is important.
7 You were doing well. Who stopped you from obeying the truth? 8 Whatever he used did not come from the One Who chose you to have life. 9 It only takes a little yeast to make the whole loaf of bread rise. 10 I feel I can trust you because of what the Lord has done in your life. I believe you will not follow another way. Whoever is trying to lead you in the wrong way will suffer for it. 11 Christian brothers, if I would still preach that people must go through the religious act of becoming a Jew to be a Christian, I would not be suffering from those who are making it hard for me. If I preached like that, the Jews would have no reason to be against the cross of Christ. 12 I wish those who are so willing to cut your bodies would complete the job by cutting themselves off from you.
13 Christian brother, you were chosen to be free. Be careful that you do not please your old selves by sinning because you are free. Live this free life by loving and helping others. 14 You obey the whole Law when you do this one thing, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (A) 15 But if you hurt and make it hard for each other, watch out or you may be destroyed by each other.
16 I say this to you: Let the Holy Spirit lead you in each step. Then you will not please your sinful old selves. 17 The things our old selves want to do are against what the Holy Spirit wants. The Holy Spirit does not agree with what our sinful old selves want. These two are against each other. So you cannot do what you want to do. 18 If you let the Holy Spirit lead you, the Law no longer has power over you. 19 The things your sinful old self wants to do are: sex sins, sinful desires, wild living, 20 worshiping false gods, witchcraft, hating, fighting, being jealous, being angry, arguing, dividing into little groups and thinking the other groups are wrong, false teaching, 21 wanting something someone else has, killing other people, using strong drink, wild parties, and all things like these. I told you before and I am telling you again that those who do these things will have no place in the holy nation of God. 22 But the fruit that comes from having the Holy Spirit in our lives is: love, joy, peace, not giving up, being kind, being good, having faith, 23 being gentle, and being the boss over our own desires. The Law is not against these things. 24 Those of us who belong to Christ have nailed our sinful old selves on His cross. Our sinful desires are now dead.
25 If the Holy Spirit is living in us, let us be led by Him in all things. 26 Let us not become proud in ways in which we should not. We must not make hard feelings among ourselves as Christians or make anyone jealous.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.