M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Moses Sets Up the Holy Tent
40 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “On the first day of the first month, set up the Holy Tent, that is, the Meeting Tent. 3 Put the Box of the Agreement in the Holy Tent. Cover the Box with the curtain. 4 Then bring in the table. Put the things on the table that should be there. Then put the lampstand in the Tent. Put the lamps on the lampstand in the right places. 5 Put the golden altar for offering incense in the Tent in front of the Box of the Agreement. Then put the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.
6 “Put the altar for burning offerings in front of the entrance of the Holy Tent, that is, the Meeting Tent. 7 Put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar. Put water in the bowl. 8 Set up the wall of curtains around the courtyard. Then put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.
9 “Use the anointing oil and anoint the Holy Tent and everything in it. When you put the oil on these things, you will make them holy. 10 Anoint the altar for burning offerings. Anoint everything on the altar. You will make the altar holy. It will be very holy. 11 Then anoint the bowl and the base under it to make these things holy.
12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. Wash them with water. 13 Then put the special clothes on Aaron. Anoint him with the oil and make him holy. Then he can serve me as a priest. 14 Then put the clothes on his sons. 15 Anoint the sons in the same way you anointed their father. Then they can also serve me as priests. When you anoint them, they will become priests. That family will continue to be priests for all time to come.” 16 Moses obeyed the Lord. He did everything that the Lord commanded him.
17 So the Holy Tent was set up at the right time. It was the first day of the first month during the second year from the time they left Egypt. 18 Moses set up the Holy Tent just as the Lord had said. He put the bases down first. Then he put the frames on the bases. Then he put the braces on and set up the posts. 19 After that Moses put the outer tent over the Holy Tent. Then he put the covering over the outer tent. He did these things just as the Lord had commanded.
20 Moses took the Agreement and put it in the Holy Box. He put the poles on the Box and put the mercy-cover on it. 21 Then Moses put the Holy Box into the Holy Tent. He hung the curtain in the right place to protect it. In this way he protected the Box of the Agreement behind the curtain just as the Lord had commanded him. 22 Then Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the Holy Tent. He put it in the Holy Place, in front of the curtain. 23 Then he put the bread on the table before the Lord. He did this just as the Lord had commanded him. 24 Then Moses put the lampstand in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the Tent, across from the table. 25 Then Moses put the lamps on the lampstand before the Lord. He did this just as the Lord had commanded him.
26 Then Moses put the golden altar in the Meeting Tent, in front of the curtain. 27 Then he burned sweet-smelling incense on the altar. He did this as the Lord had commanded him. 28 Then Moses put the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.
29 Moses put the altar for burning offerings at the entrance to the Holy Tent, that is, the Meeting Tent. Then Moses offered a burnt offering on that altar. He also offered grain offerings to the Lord. He did these things just as the Lord had commanded him.
30 Then Moses put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar. He put water in the bowl for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons used this bowl to wash their hands and feet. 32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent. They also washed themselves every time they went near the altar. They did these things just as the Lord commanded Moses.
33 Then Moses set up the curtains around the courtyard of the Holy Tent. He put the altar in the courtyard. Then he put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. So he finished all the work.
The Glory of the Lord
34 Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent and the Glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent. 35 Moses could not go into the Meeting Tent because the cloud had settled on it, and the Glory of the Lord had filled the Holy Tent.
36 When the cloud rose from the Holy Tent, the Israelites would begin to travel. 37 But when the cloud stayed on the Holy Tent, the people did not try to move. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the Holy Tent during the day, and at night there was a fire in the cloud. So all the Israelites could see the cloud while they traveled.
19 Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be taken away and whipped. 2 The soldiers made a crown from thorny branches and put it on his head. Then they put a purple robe around him. 3 They kept coming up to him and saying, “Hail to the king of the Jews!” And they hit him in the face.
4 Again Pilate came out and said to the Jewish leaders, “Look! I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find nothing I can charge him with.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is the man!”
6 When the leading priests and the Jewish guards saw Jesus they shouted, “Kill him on a cross! Kill him on a cross!”
But Pilate answered, “You take him and nail him to a cross yourselves. I find nothing I can charge him with.”
7 The Jewish leaders answered, “We have a law that says he must die, because he said he is the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was more afraid. 9 So he went back inside the palace and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus did not answer him. 10 Pilate said, “You refuse to speak to me? Remember, I have the power to make you free or to kill you on a cross.”
11 Jesus answered, “The only power you have over me is the power given to you by God. So the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 After this, Pilate tried to let Jesus go free. But the Jewish leaders shouted, “Anyone who makes himself a king is against Caesar. So if you let this man go free, that means you are not Caesar’s friend.”
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out to the place called “The Stone Pavement.” (In Aramaic the name is Gabbatha.) Pilate sat down on the judge’s seat there. 14 It was now almost noon on Preparation day of Passover week. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king!”
15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Kill him on a cross!”
Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to kill your king on a cross?”
The leading priests answered, “The only king we have is Caesar!”
16 So Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be killed on a cross.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross(A)
The soldiers took Jesus. 17 He carried his own cross to a place called “The Place of the Skull.” (In Aramaic the name of this place is “Golgotha.”) 18 There they nailed Jesus to the cross. They also nailed two other men to crosses. They put them on each side of Jesus with him in the middle.
19 Pilate told them to write a sign and put it on the cross. The sign said, “ jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews.” 20 The sign was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the Jews read this sign, because the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross was near the city.
21 The leading Jewish priests said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate answered, “I will not change what I have written.”
23 After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts. Each soldier got one part. They also took his tunic. It was all one piece of cloth woven from top to bottom. 24 So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. Let’s throw lots to see who will get it.” This happened to make clear the full meaning of what the Scriptures say:
“They divided my clothes among them,
and they threw lots for what I was wearing.” (B)
So the soldiers did this.
25 Jesus’ mother stood near his cross. Her sister was also standing there with Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 Jesus saw his mother. He also saw the follower he loved very much standing there. He said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the follower, “Here is your mother.” So after that, this follower took Jesus’ mother to live in his home.
Jesus Dies(C)
28 Later, Jesus knew that everything had been done. To make the Scriptures come true he said, “I am thirsty.”[a] 29 There was a jar full of sour wine there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. 30 When he tasted the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.
31 This day was Preparation day. The next day was a special Sabbath day. The Jewish leaders did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day. So they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken. And they asked that the bodies be taken down from the crosses. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs[b] of the two men on the crosses beside Jesus. 33 But when the soldiers came close to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead. So they did not break his legs.
34 But one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side. Immediately blood and water came out. 35 (The one who saw this happen has told about it. He told about it so that you also can believe. The things he says are true. He knows that he tells the truth.) 36 These things happened to give full meaning to the Scriptures that said, “None of his bones will be broken”[c] 37 and “People will look at the one they stabbed.”[d]
Jesus Is Buried(D)
38 Later, a man named Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a follower of Jesus, but he did not tell anyone, because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders.) Pilate said Joseph could take Jesus’ body, so he came and took it away.
39 Nicodemus went with Joseph. He was the man who had come to Jesus before and talked to him at night. He brought about 100 pounds[e] of spices—a mixture of myrrh and aloes. 40 These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in pieces of linen cloth with the spices. (This is how the Jews bury people.) 41 In the place where Jesus was killed on the cross, there was a garden. In the garden there was a new tomb. No one had ever been buried there before. 42 The men put Jesus in that tomb because it was near, and the Jews were preparing to start their Sabbath day.
16 People might plan what they want to say, but it is the Lord who gives them the right words.
2 People think that whatever they do is right, but the Lord judges their reason for doing it.
3 Turn to the Lord for help in everything you do, and you will be successful.
4 The Lord has a plan for everything. In his plan, the wicked will be destroyed.
5 The Lord hates those who are proud. You can be sure he will punish them all.
6 Faithful love and loyalty will remove your guilt.[a] Respect the Lord, and you will stay far away from evil.
7 When people live to please the Lord, even their enemies will be at peace with them.
8 It is better to be poor and do right than to be rich and do wrong.
9 People can plan what they want to do, but it is the Lord who guides their steps.
10 When a king speaks, his words are law. So when he makes a decision, it is never a mistake.
11 The Lord wants all scales and balances to be right; he wants all business agreements to be fair.
12 Kings hate to see anyone doing wrong,[b] because kingdoms grow strong only when everyone is honest and fair.
13 Kings want to hear the truth. They like those who are honest.
14 When a king gets angry, he can put someone to death. So it is wise to keep the king happy.
15 When the king is happy, life is better for everyone. When he is pleased, it is like a refreshing spring rain.
16 Wisdom is worth much more than gold. Understanding is worth much more than silver.
17 Good people try to avoid evil. They watch what they do and protect themselves.
18 Pride is the first step toward destruction. Proud thoughts will lead you to defeat.
19 It is better to be a humble person living among the poor than to share the wealth among the proud.
20 Good things happen to those who learn from their experiences, and the Lord blesses those who trust him.
21 People will know if someone is wise. Those who choose their words carefully can be very convincing.
22 Good sense is a spring of fresh water to those who have it, but fools can offer only foolishness.
23 Wise people always think before they speak, so what they say is worth listening to.
24 Kind words are like honey; they are easy to accept and good for your health.
25 There is a way that seems right to people, but that way leads only to death.
26 The thought of hunger keeps the workers working so that they can eat.
27 Troublemakers create disasters. Their advice destroys like a wildfire.
28 Troublemakers are always causing problems. Their gossip breaks up the closest of friends.
29 Cruel people trick their neighbors and make them do wrong. 30 With a wink of the eye, they plan to trick someone. With a grin, they make plans to hurt their friends.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory on people who have lived good lives. It is earned by living right.
32 It is better to be patient than to be a strong soldier. It is better to control your anger than to capture a city.
33 People might throw lots to make a decision, but the answer always comes from the Lord.
Christ Is More Important Than Anything
3 And now, my brothers and sisters, be filled with joy in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again. I want to be sure that you are prepared.
2 Be careful of the dogs—those men whose work does only harm. They want to cut on everyone who isn’t circumcised.[a] 3 But we are the ones who have the true circumcision[b]—we who worship God through his Spirit. We don’t trust in ourselves or anything we can do. We take pride only in Christ Jesus. 4 Even if I am able to trust in myself, still I don’t do it. If anyone else thinks they have a reason to trust in themselves, they should know that I have a greater reason for doing so. 5 I was circumcised on the eighth day after my birth. I am from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Jew, and so were my parents. The law was very important to me. That is why I became a Pharisee. 6 I was so eager to defend my religion[c] that I persecuted the church. And no one could find fault with the way I obeyed the Law of Moses.
7 At one time all these things were important to me. But because of Christ, I decided that they are worth nothing. 8 Not only these things, but now I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all these things, and now I know that they are all worthless trash. All I want now is Christ. 9 I want to belong to him. In Christ I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in[d] Christ to make me right with him. 10 All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. I want to share in his sufferings and be like him even in his death. 11 Then there is hope that I myself will somehow be raised from death.
Trying to Reach the Goal
12 I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.
15 All of us who have grown to be spiritually mature should think this way too. And if there is any of this that you don’t agree with, God will make it clear to you. 16 But we should continue following the truth we already have.
17 Brothers and sisters, join together in following my example. Also, learn by watching those who are living the way we showed you. 18 There are many who live like enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told you about them. And it makes me cry to tell you about them now. 19 The way they live is leading them to destruction. They have replaced God with their own desires. They do shameful things, and they are proud of what they do. They think only about earthly things. 20 But the government that rules us is in heaven. We are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from there. 21 He will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body. Christ can do this by his power, with which he is able to rule everything.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International