M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
14 The Eternal One spoke to Moses.
Eternal One: 2-3 These are the instructions for determining when an infected person has recovered from a skin disease and should be pronounced clean. The priest must go outside the camp and examine the infected person. If the priest determines the skin disease has been healed, 4 then he will prescribe that two healthy birds—both ritually pure—some cedar wood, scarlet string, and hyssop be brought for the cleansing ritual. 5 The priest will direct that one of the birds be killed in a clay jar over running water. 6 He will then take the living bird along with the cedar, the scarlet string, and the hyssop and dip them in the blood of the first bird killed over running water. 7 Then the priest will sprinkle the one who is being cleansed from his skin disease seven times with the blood, pronounce that he is once again clean, and set the living bird free in a wide, open field. 8 The person who is presented for cleansing will wash his clothes, shave all the hair from his body, and wash himself with water; then he will be clean. After all this is done, he is permitted to enter the community but he must remain outside of his tent for seven days. 9 When the seventh day arrives, he must shave all the hair from his body again—his head, beard, and eyebrows—and he has to wash his clothes again and bathe in water. This is how he is to be made clean.
10 On the eighth day, the person must bring two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished year-old ewe lamb, six quarts of the finest flour mixed with oil to act as a grain offering, and ⅔ pint of oil. 11 The priest who pronounces the person clean will bring the man and his offering into My presence at the entrance of the congregation tent. 12 The priest is then to take one male lamb as the guilt offering, along with the ⅔ pint of oil, and lift them up as a wave offering in My presence. 13 Then he must slaughter the lamb in the same area of the sanctuary where they kill the purification offering for sin and the burnt offering. The guilt offering, like the purification offering, belongs to the priest. They are most sacred. 14 The priest will then collect some of the blood of the guilt offering and place it on the right ear lobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person who is being cleansed. 15 The priest will take some of the ⅔ pint of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand, 16 and then he will dip his right finger into the oil in his left hand and sprinkle drops of it with his finger seven times before Me. 17 He will then take some of the oil from his left hand and place it on the right ear lobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person being cleansed and on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 The priest should take any remaining oil from his left hand and put it on the head of the person being cleansed. Then the priest must perform the atoning sacrifice before Me to cover the person’s sins. 19 The priest is to offer the purification offering to cover the sin of the one being cleansed. After this, the priest must present the sacrifice for the burnt offering 20 along with the grain offering on the altar. This is how the priest will cover the sin, guilt, and uncleanness of the person seeking to be cleansed; this person must be considered clean once again.
Taken together, these rituals and sacrifices allow the formerly unclean person to reenter the life of the community.
21 If the person who comes for cleansing is poor and cannot afford the prescribed offerings, then he may be covered by bringing one male lamb as a guilt offering to be lifted up as a wave offering. He should also present four pints of the finest flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, along with ⅔ pint of oil. 22 He should also bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford. One of the birds will be for the purification offering and the other one will be for the burnt offering. 23 When the eighth day arrives (which is the day after he shaves the second time), the person must present them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance of the congregation tent in My presence. 24 The priest will receive the lamb for the guilt offering and the ⅔ pint of oil, and lift them as a wave offering before Me. 25 Afterward, he will kill the lamb for the guilt offering, collect some of its blood, and place it on the right ear lobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person being cleansed. 26 The priest is to pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand 27 and sprinkle drops of it with his right finger seven times in My presence. 28 The priest will then take some of the oil from his left hand and place it on the right ear lobe, the right thumb, and the right big toe of the person being cleansed and on top of the blood from the guilt offering. 29 The priest should take any remaining oil from his left hand and put it on the head of the person being cleansed to cover him before Me. 30-31 He will then present one of the turtledoves or young pigeons—whichever he can afford—one for the purification offering and the other for the burnt offering that accompanies the grain offering. The priest will cover the sin, guilt, and uncleanness before Me of the person seeking to be cleansed. 32 These instructions explain what to do when someone with a serious skin disease cannot afford all the items for his cleansing.
33 The Eternal One spoke to Moses and Aaron.
Eternal One: 34 When you go into the land of Canaan—the land which I am giving you as your own—and I contaminate or infect one of the houses in your land, 35 the owner of the house must go inform the priest, “I have just noticed a spot in my house.” 36 The priest must then order the person to remove all the contents from the house before he comes to examine the spot. This saves the person from possibly having everything in the house declared unclean. After this is done, the priest can go inside and inspect the spot. 37 If he sees that the spot has greenish or reddish depressions and appears to go deep beneath the surface of the wall, 38 then the priest will exit the house through the door and quarantine the house for seven days. 39 When the seventh day arrives, the priest will go back into the house and inspect it again. If the discolored spot has shown up on other places on the walls, 40 the priest will direct them to remove all the stones that have any suspicious spots on them and discard them in the impure refuse pile outside the camp. 41 They are also to scrape off any suspicious-looking plaster and discard it in the impure refuse pile outside the camp. 42 Then they are to go out and find other stones to replace the ones they removed and then replaster the walls.
43 If there is another outbreak after they have removed all the suspicious-looking stones and plaster and then replastered the walls, 44 the priest must enter the house and inspect it once again. If he finds that the spots have reappeared, then the house has a chronic outbreak and is unclean. 45 The owner must demolish the house and take all its stones, wood, and plaster to the impure refuse pile outside the camp. 46 Whoever enters the house while the house is quarantined by the priest will become unclean until dusk. 47 Also anyone who sleeps or eats inside the house must wash their clothes.
48 If the priest enters the house to inspect it and the spot has not reappeared after the walls have been rebuilt and replastered, the priest will declare the house clean because the spot has not returned. 49 To cleanse the house from its contamination, the priest must take two birds, some cedar wood, scarlet string, and hyssop, 50 and slaughter one bird in a clay jar over running water. 51 He will then dip the cedar wood, hyssop, scarlet string, and the living bird in the blood of the first bird and in running water and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 This is how the priest will cleanse the house from the outbreak using the blood of the sacrificed bird, running water, the living bird, cedar wood, hyssop, and scarlet string. 53 He will set the living bird free over a wide, open field outside the camp. In this way, the priest will cover over the impurity of the house, and the house will be declared clean.
54-57 These are God’s instructions for how to deal with suspicious-looking spots: for scaly areas, swelling, rashes, and discolored spots on the skin and for discolored spots on clothing or in a house. With these instructions, priests are able to determine whether they are clean or unclean.
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
1 Listen, O Eternal One, to my cry for justice.
These words of mine are true—turn Your ear toward me.
2 Announce that I am free of all the charges against me—only You can see into my heart to know that to be true.
Treat me with fairness; look at me with justice.
3 You have searched me—my heart and soul—awakened me from dreaming and tested me.
You’ve found nothing against me.
I have resolved not to sin in what I say.
4 The path violent men have followed,
I will not travel. Violence is not my way.
Your ways and Your voice now guide my journey.
5 I will press on—moving steadfastly forward along Your path.
I will not look back. I will not stumble.
6 I am crying aloud to You, O True God, for I long to know Your answer.
Hear me, O God. Hear my plea. Hear my prayer for help.
7 Put Your marvelous love on display for all to see.
Liberator of those who long for shelter beside You,
set them safely away from their enemies, ever welcomed by grace.
8 Keep close watch over me as the apple of Your eye;
shelter me in the shadow of Your wings.
9 Protect me from the wicked who are poised to attack,
from the enemies swarming around me and closing in quickly.
10 Like clay baking in the sun, their hearts have hardened;
arrogance spills from their mouths.
11 They’ve tracked me down like quarry.
They’re surrounding me
and are poised to throw me down into the dirt.
12 Like a lion—crouching in the brush—they are ready to tear me apart.
Like young lions in their hiding places, they are poised to strike.
13 Rise up and confront them, O Eternal One! Make them pay.
By Your sword, set me free from my wicked enemies!
14 May Your rescue find me here.
By Your hand, save me from my enemies, Eternal One.
Save me from men whose hopes are rooted in this world.
But as for those You cherish,
may they feast on all You have set aside for them;
may their children never be in need;
may they have enough so their children will inherit their wealth.
15 But as for me, my hope is to see Your face.
When I am vindicated, I will look upon the holy face of God,
and when I awake, the longing of my soul will be satisfied in the glow of Your presence.
28 The wicked run away even when no one is chasing them;
the right-living, however, stand their ground as boldly as lions.
2 Where there is rebellion in a land,
there are many petty and contending rulers;
But where there is a wise and intelligent leader,
peace and order endure.
3 A poor person who oppresses others who are poor
is like a driving rain that destroys the crops and leaves no food.
4 Those who turn their backs on God’s teaching applaud the wicked,
while those who observe His instruction oppose them at every turn.
5 Evil people are not able to understand justice,
but those who pursue the Eternal understand it completely.
6 It is better to be a pauper walking in integrity
than a dishonest man, even if he is rich.
7 Whoever follows God’s teaching is a wise child,
but the one who spends time with gluttons and drunks disgraces his parents.
8 Anyone who increases his wealth by charging a high rate of interest
is only collecting it for another who will deal more liberally with the poor.
9 The one who turns his ear from hearing God’s instruction
will find that even his prayers are detestable to God.
10 Whoever tries to deceive a good person into taking the path of evil
will fall into the pit he himself made,
but the truly honest shall be the heirs of all that is good.
11 A rich man may be wise in his own sight,
but a perceptive pauper will see right through him.
12 There is much glory when just men celebrate;
but when the wicked gain power, people take cover.
13 Whoever tries to hide his sins will not succeed,
but the one who confesses his sins and leaves them behind will find mercy.
14 Happy is the one who always fears the Lord,
but the person who hardens his heart to God falls into misfortune.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear,
so is a wicked man ruling over an impoverished people.
16 A leader who lacks intelligence cruelly oppresses the people,
but one who hates corruption will prosper and live a long life.
17 A man guilty of murder is a fugitive,
fleeing to the nearest hole in the ground but not escaping death’s cold pit.
Don’t do anything to save him.
18 Whoever walks in honesty will be safe,
but whoever travels the crooked path will suddenly fall.
19 Whoever cultivates his land will have plenty of food in the harvest,
but whoever cultivates worthless ventures will have poverty in abundance.
20 A reliable person will not escape blessings,
but one who wants to get rich quick will not escape trouble.
21 Showing favoritism is not good;
some will desert the truth for a measly crust of bread.
22 A greedy person is in a hurry to get rich,
but he is ignorant of the loss that is about to overtake him.
23 A person who offers constructive criticism will, in the end, be appreciated more
than a person who engages in empty flattery.
24 One who robs his father or his mother
and says, “There’s nothing wrong with that! I had it coming!”
walks in the company of murderers.
25 When the greedy want more, they stir up trouble;
but when a person trusts in the Eternal, he’s sure to prosper.
26 Anyone who puts confidence only in himself is a fool,
but the person who follows wisdom will be kept safe.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will have what he needs,
but the one who shuts his eyes to their plight will face curse after curse.
28 When the wicked have the upper hand, people go into hiding;
but when they perish, the good folk will begin to increase.
On that day—though men and women have spent lifetimes scanning the skies hoping that “perhaps today” is the day of salvation—on that day, the confessed lovers of God and Jesus will glow with all the wonder of children at Christmas.
There are clear premonitions in the Bible about what we can expect on that day; but can anyone, with our rudimentary human knowledge, know what to expect? Jesus confessed that even He did not know the day or the hour when these final moments will play out, so how can we truly know? Likely this fear of the unknown is what took root and began to spread like weeds within the Thessalonians’ community. Where fear takes root, faith withers; and people who once focused on the bright hope of the Son turn away.
2 Since, brothers and sisters, we are on the topic of the coming of our Lord Jesus the Anointed and how we will all gather together to meet Him, we ask 2 that you don’t let your minds get quickly rattled or become anxious because of someone else’s so-called “spiritual revelation” or because someone gave you a message or claimed to know of a letter allegedly from us reporting that the day of the Lord has already come! 3 Don’t be deceived by anyone! That day, that amazing day, won’t come until after the great rebellion and the unveiling of the rebellious one.[a] As the spawn of death, he delights in destruction. 4 He sets himself up as the great adversary of God and vies for a place above all other so-called gods or objects of worship. If it were possible, he would even take a seat—yes, exalt himself—in the temple of the one true God, declaring that he himself is God! 5 Don’t you remember me telling you all this the last time we were together? 6 You know what restrains him now and what will hold him until the exact time when he will be revealed. 7 For the mystery of sin is already working its way through the world; He who holds him back now will continue to suppress him only until He is pulled out of the way. 8 It is then that this rebellious one will be finally unleashed. But the Lord will slay him with the breath of His mouth; and with the splendor of His coming, He will bring him to his predetermined end. 9 Still the rebellious one arrives with all sorts of power, performing signs and fake miracles sanctioned by Satan; 10 he employs every manner of wicked deception to wile away those who are destined for eternal death because they reject the love of the truth that leads to salvation. 11 Because of this, God sends a deceptive influence over them so they will wander from the truth and believe the lie. 12 As a result, God will judge all of those who did not entrust themselves to the truth when it faced them but instead reveled in wickedness.
13 But this is not you, dearly beloved brothers and sisters of the Lord. We cannot help but thank God for you at all times, because from the beginning He handpicked you for salvation through the Spirit’s sanctifying work and your belief in the truth. 14 He called you to this when we shared our good news with you. Now you can take part in the glory of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. 15 So, brothers and sisters, all you need to do now is stand firm and hold tight to the line of teachings we have passed on to you, whether in person or in a letter. 16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus (the Anointed One Himself) and God our Father (who has loved us, comforted us eternally, and given us a good hope by His grace) bring comfort to your hearts and strengthen your wills to accomplish every good work and word.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.