M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Rules for Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell these things to Aaron’s sons, the priests: A priest must not make himself unclean by touching a dead person. ² But if the dead person was one of his close relatives, he can touch the dead body. The priest can make himself unclean if the dead person is his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother or ³ his unmarried^[a] sister. (This sister is close to him because she has no husband. So the priest may make himself unclean for her if she dies.) ⁴ But a priest must not make himself unclean if the dead person was only one of his slaves.^[b]

⁵ “Priests must not shave their heads bald. They must not shave off the edges of their beards. They must not make any cuts in their bodies. ⁶ Priests must be holy for their God. They must show respect for God’s name. They offer the bread and special gifts to the Lord, so they must be holy.

⁷ “A priest serves God in a special way, so he must not marry a woman who has had sexual relations with any other man. He must not marry a prostitute or a divorced woman. ⁸ A priest serves God in a special way. So you must treat him in a special way, because he carries holy things. He brings the holy bread to me, and I am holy. I am the Lord, and I make you holy.

⁹ “If a priest’s daughter becomes a prostitute, she ruins her reputation and brings shame to her father. She must be burned to death in the fire!

¹⁰ “The high priest was chosen from among his brothers. The anointing oil was poured on his head. In this way he was chosen for the special job of being high priest. He was chosen to wear the special clothes, so he must not do things to show his sadness in public. He must not let his hair grow wild. He must not tear his clothes. ¹¹ He must not make himself unclean by touching a dead body. He must not go near a dead body, even if it is his own father or mother. ¹² The high priest must not leave God’s holy place, because he might become unclean and then make God’s holy place unclean. The anointing oil was poured on the high priest’s head. This separated him from the rest of the people. I am the Lord.

¹³ “The high priest must marry a woman who is a virgin. ¹⁴ He must not marry a woman who has had sexual relations with any man. He must not marry a prostitute, a divorced woman, or a widow. The high priest must marry a virgin from his own people. ¹⁵ In this way people will show respect for his children.^[c] I, the Lord, have separated the high priest for his special work.”

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Tell Aaron: If any of your descendants have anything wrong with them, they must not carry the special bread to God. ¹⁸ Any man who has something wrong with him must not serve as priest and bring sacrifices to me. These men cannot serve as priests: blind men, crippled men, men with bad scars on their faces, men with arms or legs that are too long, ¹⁹ men with broken feet or hands, ²⁰ men with bent backs, men who are dwarfs,^[d] men who are cross-eyed, men with rashes or bad skin diseases, and men with crushed testicles.

²¹ “If one of Aaron’s descendants has something wrong with him, he cannot approach the altar to bring gifts to the Lord. And he cannot carry the special bread to God. ²² He is from the family of priests, so he can eat the holy bread. He can also eat the very holy bread. ²³ But he cannot go through the curtain into the Most Holy Place and he cannot go near the altar. This is because he has something wrong with him. He must not make my holy places unholy. I am the Lord, and I make these places holy.”

²⁴ So Moses told these things to Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and all the Israelites.

A song of David.

A song of David.

Is It Better to Be Dead?

4 Again I saw that many people are treated badly. I saw their tears, and I saw that there was no one to comfort them. I saw that cruel people had all the power, and I saw that there was no one to comfort the people they hurt. ² I decided that it is better for those who have died than for those who are still alive. ³ And it is even better for those who die at birth, because they never saw the evil that is done in this world.^[a]

Why Work So Hard?

⁴ Then I thought, “Why do people work so hard?” I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. They do this because they are jealous. They don’t want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.^[b]

⁵ Some people say, “It is foolish to fold your hands and do nothing. If you don’t work, you will starve to death.” ⁶ Maybe that is true. But I say it is better to be satisfied with the few things you have than to always be struggling to get more.

⁷ Again I saw something else that didn’t make sense: ⁸ I saw a man who has no family, not a son or even a brother. But he continues to work very hard. He is never satisfied with what he has. And he works so hard that he never stops and asks himself, “Why am I working so hard? Why don’t I let myself enjoy my life?” This is also a very bad and senseless thing.

Friends and Family Give Strength

⁹ Two people are better than one. When two people work together, they get more work done.

¹⁰ If one person falls, the other person can reach out to help. But those who are alone when they fall have no one to help them.

¹¹ If two people sleep together, they will be warm. But a person sleeping alone will not be warm.

¹² An enemy might be able to defeat one person, but two people can stand back-to-back to defend each other. And three people are even stronger. They are like a rope that has three parts wrapped together—it is very hard to break.

People, Politics, and Popularity

¹³ A young leader who is poor but wise is better than a king who is old but foolish. That old king does not listen to warnings. ¹⁴ Maybe the young ruler was born a poor man in the kingdom. And maybe he came from prison to rule the country. ¹⁵ But I have watched people in this life,^[c] and I know this: People will follow that young man. He will become the new king. ¹⁶ Many people will follow this young man. But later, those same people will not like him. This is also senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind.

Special Instructions for Slaves

6 All those who are slaves should show full respect to their masters. Then God’s name and our teaching will not be criticized. ² Some slaves have masters who are believers, so they are brothers. Does this mean they should show their masters any less respect? No, they should serve them even better, because they are helping believers, people they should love.

This is what you must teach and tell everyone to do.

False Teaching and True Riches

³ Some people will teach what is false and will not agree with the true teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. They will not accept the teaching that produces a life of devotion to God. ⁴ They are proud of what they know, but they understand nothing. They are sick with a love for arguing and fighting about words. And that brings jealousy, quarrels, insults, and evil mistrust. ⁵ They are always making trouble, because they are people whose thinking has been confused. They have lost their understanding of the truth. They think that devotion to God is a way to get rich.

⁶ Devotion to God is, in fact, a way for people to be very rich, but only if it makes them satisfied with what they have. ⁷ When we came into the world, we brought nothing. And when we die, we can take nothing out. ⁸ So, if we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with that. ⁹ People who want to be rich bring temptations to themselves. They are caught in a trap. They begin to want many foolish things that will hurt them. These things ruin and destroy people. ¹⁰ The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have turned away from what we believe because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves a lot of pain and sorrow.

Some Things to Remember

¹¹ But you belong to God. So you should stay away from all those things. Always try to do what is right, to be devoted to God, and to have faith, love, patience, and gentleness. ¹² We have to fight to keep our faith. Try as hard as you can to win that fight. Take hold of eternal life. It is the life you were chosen to have when you confessed your faith in Jesus—that wonderful truth that you spoke so openly and that so many people heard. ¹³ Before God and Christ Jesus I give you a command. Jesus is the one who confessed that same wonderful truth when he stood before Pontius Pilate. And God is the one who gives life to everything. Now I tell you this: ¹⁴ Do what you were commanded to do without fault or blame until the time when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. ¹⁵ God will make that happen at the right time. God is the blessed and only Ruler. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. ¹⁶ God is the only one who never dies. He lives in light so bright that people cannot go near it. No one has ever seen him; no one is able to see him. All honor and power belong to him forever. Amen.

¹⁷ Give this command to those who are rich with the things of this world. Tell them not to be proud. Tell them to hope in God, not their money. Money cannot be trusted, but God takes care of us richly. He gives us everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ Tell those who are rich to do good—to be rich in good works. And tell them they should be happy to give and ready to share. ¹⁹ By doing this, they will be saving up a treasure for themselves. And that treasure will be a strong foundation on which their future life will be built. They will be able to have the life that is true life.

²⁰ Timothy, God has trusted you with many things. Keep these things safe. Stay away from people who talk about useless things that are not from God and who argue against you with a “knowledge” that is not knowledge at all. ²¹ Some people who claim to have that “knowledge” have gone completely away from what we believe.

God’s grace be with you all.