M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rules for Discharges From the Body
15 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the Israelites: Whoever has a genital discharge is unclean. 3 The person is unclean whether the discharge continues to flow or whether it stops.
4 “If a man with a discharge lies on a bed, that bed becomes unclean. Everything he sits on will become unclean. 5 If you touch that bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water. You will be unclean until evening. 6 If you sit on anything that he sat on, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water. You will be unclean until evening. 7 If you touch him, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water. You will be unclean until evening. 8 If he spits on you, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water. You will be unclean until evening. 9 If that man sits on a saddle, it will become unclean. 10 If you touch or carry anything that was under him, you will be unclean until evening. 11 If he touches you, you must wash your clothes and bathe in water. You will be unclean until evening.
12 “If a man with a discharge touches a clay bowl, that bowl must be broken. If he touches a wooden bowl, that bowl must be washed in water.
13 “When it comes time for a man with a discharge to be made clean, he must wait seven days. Then he must wash his clothes and bathe his body in running water. Then he will become clean. 14 On the eighth day, he must take for himself two doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He will give the two birds to the priest. 15 The priest will offer the birds, one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make that man pure before the Lord.
16 “If a man has a flow of semen, he must bathe his whole body in water. He will be unclean until evening. 17 If the semen is on any clothing or leather, that clothing or leather must be washed with water. It will be unclean until evening. 18 If a woman has sexual relations with a man, and he has a flow of semen, both the man and the woman must bathe in water. They will be unclean until evening.
19 “If a woman has a discharge from her monthly time of bleeding, she will be unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Everything she lies on during her monthly time of bleeding will be unclean. And everything she sits on during that time will be unclean. 21 Whoever touches her bed must wash their clothes and bathe in water. They will be unclean until evening. 22 Whoever touches anything she has sat on must wash their clothes and bathe in water. They will be unclean until evening. 23 It doesn’t matter if they touched the woman’s bed or if they touched something she sat on, they will be unclean until evening.
24 “If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly time of bleeding, he will be unclean for seven days. Every bed he lies on will be unclean.
25 “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not during her time of monthly bleeding, or if she has a discharge after that time, she will be unclean, just as during the time of her monthly bleeding. She will be unclean for as long as she has a discharge. 26 Any bed she lies on during the time of her discharge will be like her bed during the time of her monthly bleeding. Everything she sits on will be unclean, just as it is during the time she is unclean from her monthly bleeding. 27 Whoever touches these things will be unclean until evening. They must wash their own clothes and bathe in water. 28 After the woman’s discharge stops, she must wait seven days. After that she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day, she must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 30 Then the priest must offer one bird for a sin offering and the other bird for a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make her pure before the Lord.
31 “So you must warn the Israelites about being unclean. If you don’t warn the people, they might make my Holy Tent unclean. And then they would have to die!”
32 These are the rules for anyone with a discharge from the body. These rules are for men who become unclean from a flow of semen. 33 And these rules are for women who become unclean from their monthly time of bleeding. And these are the rules for anyone who becomes unclean by sleeping with another person who is unclean.
[a] To the director: A song of David, the Lord’s servant. He sang this song to the Lord when the Lord saved him from Saul and all his other enemies.
18 I love you, Lord!
You are my strength.
2 The Lord is my Rock, my fortress, my place of safety.
He is my God, the Rock I run to for protection.
He is my shield; by his power I am saved.[b]
He is my hiding place high in the hills.
3 I called to the Lord for help,
and he saved me from my enemies!
He is worthy of my praise!
4 Death had its ropes wrapped around me.
A deadly flood was carrying me away.
5 The ropes of the grave wrapped around me.
Death set its trap right there in front of me.
6 In my trouble I called to the Lord.
Yes, I cried out to my God for help.
There in his temple he heard my voice.
He heard my cry for help.
7 The earth shook and shivered.
The foundations of the mountains trembled.
They shook because he was angry.
8 Smoke came from his nose.
Burning flames came from his mouth.
Red-hot coals fell from him.
9 He tore open the sky and came down!
He stood on a thick, dark cloud.
10 He flew across the sky, riding on a Cherub angel
racing on the wings of the wind.
11 He wrapped himself in darkness that covered him like a tent.
He was hidden by dark clouds heavy with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him,
hail broke through the clouds with flashes of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from the sky;
God Most High let his voice be heard.[c]
14 He scattered his enemies with his arrows—
the lightning bolts that threw them into confusion.
15 Lord, you shouted your command,
and a powerful wind began to blow.[d]
Then the bottom of the sea could be seen,
and the earth’s foundations were uncovered.
16 He reached down from above and grabbed me.
He pulled me from the deep water.
17 He saved me from my powerful enemies, who hated me.
They were too strong for me, so he saved me.
18 They attacked me in my time of trouble,
but the Lord was there to support me.
19 He was pleased with me, so he rescued me.
He took me to a safe place.
20 The Lord rewarded me for doing what is right.
He was good to me because I am innocent.
21 The Lord did this because I have obeyed him.
I have not turned against my God.
22 I always remembered his laws.
I never rejected his rules.
23 He knows I did nothing that was wrong.
I have kept myself from sinning.
24 So the Lord rewarded me for doing what is right.
He could see that I am innocent.
25 Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful.
You are good to those who are good.
26 You never do wrong to those who have done no wrong.
But you outsmart the wicked, no matter how clever they are.
27 You help those who are humble,
but you humiliate the proud.
28 Lord, you provide the flame for my lamp.
You, God, turn the darkness around me into light.
29 With your help I can defeat an army.
If my God is with me, I can climb over enemy walls.
30 God’s way is perfect.
The Lord’s promise always proves to be true.
He protects those who trust in him.
31 There is no God except the Lord.
There is no Rock except our God.
32 God is the one who gives me strength.
He clears the path I need to take.
33 He makes my feet as steady as those of a deer.
Even on steep mountains he keeps me from falling.
34 He trains me for war
so that my arms can bend the most powerful bow.
35 Lord, you have given me your shield to protect me.
You support me with your right hand.
It is your help that has made me great.
36 You cleared a path for my feet
so that I could walk without stumbling.
37 I chased my enemies and caught them.
I did not stop until they were destroyed.
38 I struck them down, and they could not get up again.
They fell under my feet.
39 God, you made me strong in battle.
You made my enemies fall before me.
40 You made my enemies turn and run away.
I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried out for help,
but there was no one to save them.
They cried out to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them to pieces like dust blown by the wind.
I smashed them like mud in the streets.
43 You saved me from those who fought against me.
You made me the ruler over nations.
People I never knew now serve me.
44 As soon as they heard about me, they were ready to obey.
Those foreigners fall helpless before me!
45 They lose all their courage
and come out of their hiding places shaking with fear.
46 The Lord lives!
I praise my Rock, the God who saves me.
How great he is!
47 He is the God who punishes my enemies for me,
the one who puts people under my control.
48 He saves me from my enemies!
You, Lord, help me defeat those who attack me.
You save me from cruel people.
49 Lord, that is why I praise you among the nations.
That is why I sing songs of praise to your name.
50 The Lord helps his king win battle after battle.
He shows his faithful love to his chosen one,[e]
to David and his descendants forever.
29 Some people refuse to bend when someone corrects them. Eventually they will break, and there will be no one to repair the damage.
2 When the rulers are good, the people are happy. When the rulers are evil, the people complain.
3 A son who loves wisdom makes his father happy. One who wastes his money on prostitutes will lose his wealth.
4 A nation will be strong when it has a fair and just king. A nation will be weak when it has a king who is selfish and demands gifts.
5 If you give false praise to others in order to get what you want, you are only setting a trap for yourself.
6 Evil people are defeated by their sin, but good people will sing and be happy.
7 Good people want to do what is right for the poor, but the wicked don’t care.
8 Proud people who laugh at what is right cause problems that divide whole cities, but people who are wise are able to calm those who are angry.
9 If someone who is wise tries to settle a problem with a fool, the fool will argue and say stupid things, and they will never agree.
10 If you always try to be honest, murderers will hate you, but those who do what is right will want you to be their friend.
11 Fools are quick to express their anger, but wise people are patient and control themselves.
12 If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be evil.
13 In one way the poor and those who steal from them are the same—the Lord made them both.
14 If a king judges the poor fairly, he will rule for a long time.
15 Punishment and discipline can make children wise, but children who are never corrected will bring shame to their mother.
16 If the wicked are ruling the nation, sin will be everywhere, but those who live right will win in the end.
17 Correct your children whenever they are wrong. Then you will always be proud of them. They will never make you ashamed.
18 If a nation is not guided by God, the people will lose self-control, but the nation that obeys God’s law will be happy.
19 Servants will not learn a lesson if you only talk to them. They might understand you, but they will not obey.
20 There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.
21 Give your servants everything they want, and they will learn to be wasteful.
22 An angry person causes arguments, and someone who is quick-tempered is guilty of many sins.
23 Your pride can bring you down. Humility will bring you honor.
24 You are your own worst enemy if you take part in a crime. You will not be able to tell the truth even when people threaten you.
25 Fear can be a trap, but if you trust in the Lord, you will be safe.
26 Many people want the friendship of a ruler, but the Lord is the only one who judges people fairly.
27 Good people think the wicked are disgusting, and the wicked feel disgust for those who are honest.
Pray for Us
3 And now, brothers and sisters, pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s teaching will continue to spread quickly. And pray that people will give honor to that teaching, the same as happened with you. 2 And pray that we will be protected from crooked and evil people. Not everyone believes in the Lord, you know.
3 But the Lord is faithful. He will give you strength and protect you from the Evil One. 4 The Lord gives us confidence that you are doing what we told you and that you will continue to do it. 5 We pray that the Lord will cause you to feel God’s love and remember Christ’s patient endurance.
The Obligation to Work
6 Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ we tell you to stay away from any believer who refuses to work. People who refuse to work are not following the teaching that we gave them. 7 You yourselves know that you should live like we do. We were not lazy when we were with you. 8 We never accepted food from anyone without paying for it. We worked and worked so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We worked night and day. 9 We had the right to ask you to help us. But we worked to take care of ourselves so that we would be an example for you to follow. 10 When we were with you, we gave you this rule: “Whoever will not work should not be allowed to eat.”
11 We hear that some people in your group refuse to work. They are doing nothing except being busy in the lives of others. 12 Our instruction to them is to stop bothering others, to start working and earn their own food. It is by the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ that we are urging them to do this. 13 Brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.
14 If there are some there who refuse to do what we tell you in this letter, remember who they are. Don’t associate with them. Then maybe they will feel ashamed. 15 But don’t treat them as enemies. Counsel them as fellow believers.
Final Words
16 We pray that the Lord of peace will give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17 Here’s my greeting in my own handwriting— Paul. I do this in all my letters to show they are from me. This is the way I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International