M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
25 1-2 While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord gave him these instructions for the people of Israel:
“When you come into the land I am going to give you, you must let the land rest before the Lord every seventh year. 3 For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, 4 but during the seventh year the land is to lie fallow before the Lord, uncultivated. Don’t sow your crops and don’t prune your vineyards during that entire year. 5 Don’t even reap for yourself the volunteer crops that come up, and don’t gather the grapes for yourself; for it is a year of rest for the land. 6-7 Any crops that do grow that year shall be free to all—for you, your servants, your slaves, and any foreigners living among you. Cattle and wild animals alike shall be allowed to graze there.
8 “Every fiftieth year, 9 on the Day of Atonement,[a] let the trumpets blow loud and long throughout the land. 10 For the fiftieth year shall be holy, a time to proclaim liberty throughout the land to all enslaved debtors, and a time for the canceling of all public and private debts. It shall be a year when all the family estates sold to others shall be returned to the original owners or their heirs.
11 “What a happy year it will be! In it you shall not sow, nor gather crops nor grapes; 12 for it is a holy Year of Jubilee for you. That year your food shall be the volunteer crops that grow wild in the fields. 13 Yes, during the Year of Jubilee everyone shall return home to his original family possession; if he has sold it, it shall be his again! 14-16 Because of this, if the land is sold or bought during the preceding forty-nine years, a fair price shall be arrived at by counting the number of years until the Jubilee. If the Jubilee is many years away, the price will be high; if few years, the price will be low; for what you are really doing is selling the number of crops the new owner will get from the land before it is returned to you.
17-18 “You must fear your God and not overcharge! For I am Jehovah. Obey my laws if you want to live safely in the land. 19 When you obey, the land will yield bumper crops and you can eat your fill in safety. 20 But you will ask, ‘What shall we eat the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?’ 21-22 The answer is, ‘I will bless you with bumper crops the sixth year that will last you until the crops of the eighth year are harvested!’ 23 And remember, the land is mine, so you may not sell it permanently. You are merely my tenants and sharecroppers!
24 “In every contract of sale there must be a stipulation that the land can be redeemed at any time by the seller. 25 If anyone becomes poor and sells some of his land, then his nearest relatives may redeem it. 26 If there is no one else to redeem it, and he himself gets together enough money, 27 then he may always buy it back at a price proportionate to the number of harvests until the Jubilee, and the owner must accept the money and return the land to him. 28 But if the original owner is not able to redeem it, then it shall belong to the new owner until the Year of Jubilee; but at the Jubilee year it must be returned again.
29 “If a man sells a house in the city,[b] he has up to one year to redeem it, with full right of redemption during that time. 30 But if it is not redeemed within the year, then it will belong permanently to the new owner—it does not return to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee. 31 But village houses—a village is a settlement without fortifying walls around it—are like farmland, redeemable at any time, and are always returned to the original owner in the Year of Jubilee.
32 “There is one exception: The homes of the Levites, even though in walled cities, may be redeemed at any time, 33 and must be returned to the original owners in the Year of Jubilee; for the Levites will not be given farmland like the other tribes, but will receive only houses in their cities, and the surrounding fields.[c] 34 The Levites are not permitted to sell the fields of common land surrounding their cities, for these are their permanent possession, and they must belong to no one else.
35 “If your brother becomes poor, you are responsible to help him; invite him to live with you as a guest in your home. 36 Fear your God and let your brother live with you; and don’t charge him interest on the money you lend him. 37 Remember—no interest; and give him what he needs, at your cost: don’t try to make a profit! 38 For I, the Lord your God, brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.
39 “If a fellow Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to you, you must not treat him as an ordinary slave, 40 but rather as a hired servant or as a guest; and he shall serve you only until the Year of Jubilee. 41 At that time he can leave with his children and return to his own family and possessions. 42 For I brought you from the land of Egypt, and you are my servants; so you may not be sold as ordinary slaves 43 or treated harshly; fear your God.
44 “However, you may purchase slaves from the foreign nations living around you, 45 and you may purchase the children of the foreigners living among you, even though they have been born in your land. 46 They will be permanent slaves for you to pass on to your children after you; but your brothers, the people of Israel, shall not be treated so.
47 “If a foreigner living among you becomes rich, and an Israelite becomes poor and sells himself to the foreigner or to the foreigner’s family, 48 he may be redeemed by one of his brothers, 49 his uncle, nephew, or anyone else who is a near relative. He may also redeem himself if he can find the money. 50 The price of his freedom shall be in proportion to the number of years left before the Year of Jubilee—whatever it would cost to hire a servant for that number of years. 51 If there are still many years until the Jubilee, he shall pay almost the amount he received when he sold himself; 52 if the years have passed and only a few remain until the Jubilee, then he will repay only a small part of the amount he received when he sold himself. 53 If he sells himself to a foreigner, the foreigner must treat him as a hired servant rather than as a slave or as property. 54 If he has not been redeemed by the time the Year of Jubilee arrives, then he and his children shall be freed at that time. 55 For the people of Israel are my servants; I brought them from the land of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.
32 1-2 What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.
3 There was a time when I wouldn’t admit what a sinner I was.[a] But my dishonesty made me miserable and filled my days with frustration. 4 All day and all night your hand was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water on a sunny day 5 until I finally admitted all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, “I will confess them to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.
6 Now I say that each believer should confess his sins to God when he is aware of them, while there is time to be forgiven. Judgment will not touch him[b] if he does.
7 You are my hiding place from every storm of life; you even keep me from getting into trouble! You surround me with songs of victory. 8 I will instruct you (says the Lord) and guide you along the best pathway for your life; I will advise you and watch your progress. 9 Don’t be like a senseless horse or mule that has to have a bit in its mouth to keep it in line!
10 Many sorrows come to the wicked, but abiding love surrounds those who trust in the Lord. 11 So rejoice in him, all those who are his,[c] and shout for joy, all those who try to obey him.
8 How wonderful to be wise, to understand things, to be able to analyze them and interpret them. Wisdom lights up a man’s face, softening its hardness.
2-3 Obey the king as you have vowed to do. Don’t always be trying to get out of doing your duty, even when it’s unpleasant. For the king punishes those who disobey. 4 The king’s command is backed by great power, and no one can withstand it or question it. 5 Those who obey him will not be punished. The wise man will find a time and a way to do what he says. 6-7 Yes, there is a time and a way for everything, though man’s trouble lies heavy upon him; for how can he avoid what he doesn’t know is going to happen?
8 No one can hold back his spirit from departing; no one has the power to prevent his day of death, for there is no discharge from that obligation and that dark battle. Certainly a man’s wickedness is not going to help him then.
9-10 I have thought deeply about all that goes on here in the world, where people have the power of injuring each other. I have seen wicked men buried, and as their friends returned from the cemetery, having forgotten all the dead man’s evil deeds, these men were praised in the very city where they had committed their many crimes! How odd! 11 Because God does not punish sinners instantly, people feel it is safe to do wrong. 12 But though a man sins a hundred times and still lives, I know very well that those who fear God will be better off, 13 unlike the wicked, who will not live long, good lives—their days shall pass away as quickly as shadows because they don’t fear God.
14 There is a strange thing happening here upon the earth: Providence seems to treat some good men as though they were wicked, and some wicked men as though they were good. This is all very vexing and troublesome!
15 Then I decided to spend my time having fun because I felt that there was nothing better in all the earth than that a man should eat, drink, and be merry, with the hope that this happiness would stick with him in all the hard work that God gives to mankind everywhere.
16-17 In my search for wisdom I observed all that was going on everywhere across the earth—ceaseless activity, day and night. (Of course, only God can see everything, and even the wisest man who says he knows everything, doesn’t!)
4 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus—who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom— 2 to preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever you get the chance, in season and out, when it is convenient and when it is not. Correct and rebuke your people when they need it, encourage them to do right, and all the time be feeding them patiently with God’s Word.
3 For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear. 4 They won’t listen to what the Bible says but will blithely follow their own misguided ideas.
5 Stand steady, and don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Bring others to Christ. Leave nothing undone that you ought to do.
6 I say this because I won’t be around to help you very much longer. My time has almost run out. Very soon now I will be on my way to heaven. 7 I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. 8 In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again.
9 Please come as soon as you can, 10 for Demas has left me. He loved the good things of this life and went to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for I need him. 12 (Tychicus is gone too, as I sent him to Ephesus.) 13 When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left at Troas with Brother Carpus, and also the books, but especially the parchments.
14 Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm. The Lord will punish him, 15 but be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said.
16 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was here to help me. Everyone had run away. I hope that they will not be blamed for it. 17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me the opportunity to boldly preach a whole sermon for all the world to hear. And he saved me from being thrown to the lions.[a] 18 Yes, and the Lord will always deliver me from all evil and will bring me into his heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Please say hello for me to Priscilla and Aquila and those living at the home of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.
21 Do try to be here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the others. 22 May the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Farewell, Paul
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.