M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Aaron’s Rod Buds
17 [a]Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and get from them a rod for each father’s household: twelve rods from all their leaders according to their fathers’ households. You shall write each name on his rod, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there is one rod for the head of each of their fathers’ households. 4 You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of (A)the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And it will come about that the rod of (B)the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will rid Myself of the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.” 6 Moses therefore spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ households, twelve rods, with the rod of Aaron among their rods. 7 So Moses deposited the rods before Yahweh in (C)the tent of the testimony.
8 Now it happened on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, (D)the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced flowers, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Moses then brought out all the rods from the presence of Yahweh to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 10 But Yahweh said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron (E)before the testimony [b]to be kept as a sign against the [c](F)rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.” 11 Thus Moses did; just as Yahweh had commanded him, so he did.
12 Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “(G)Behold, we are breathing our last breath, we are perishing, we are all perishing! 13 (H)Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of Yahweh, must die. Are we to breathe our utter last?”
Responsibilities of the Levites
18 So Yahweh said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall (I)bear the guilt [d]in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt [e]in connection with your priesthood. 2 But bring near with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be (J)joined with you and minister to you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 And they shall thus keep your responsibility and the responsibility of all the tent, but (K)they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and (L)the altar, so that neither they nor you will die. 4 And they shall be joined with you and keep the responsibility of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but [f]an outsider may not come near you. 5 So you shall keep the (M)responsibility of the sanctuary and the responsibility of the altar, (N)so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6 And behold, I Myself (O)have taken your brothers the Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are (P)a gift to you, given to Yahweh, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you shall (Q)keep your priesthood in everything that concerns the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as (R)a [g]bestowed service, but (S)the [h]outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
The Priests’ Portion
8 Then Yahweh spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you the responsibility of My [i](T)contributions, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual statute. 9 This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even (U)every grain offering and every (V)sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10 As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11 This also is yours, (W)the contribution from their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have (X)given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual statute. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 12 (Y)All the [j]best of the fresh oil and all the [k]best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to Yahweh, I give them to you. 13 (Z)The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to Yahweh, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 14 (AA)Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15 [l](AB)Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they bring near to Yahweh, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 Now as to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five [m]shekels in silver, according to the [n]shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But (AC)the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. (AD)You shall splash their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to Yahweh. 18 And their [o]meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the (AE)breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. 19 (AF)All the contributions of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel raise up to Yahweh, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual statute. It is (AG)an everlasting covenant of salt before Yahweh to you and your seed with you.” 20 Then Yahweh said to Aaron, “(AH)You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; (AI)I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.
21 “Now to the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the (AJ)tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. 22 (AK)And the sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bear sin and die. 23 Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall (AL)bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel (AM)they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they raise up as a contribution offering to Yahweh, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘(AN)They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’”
25 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel (AO)the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall raise up a contribution offering from it to Yahweh, a (AP)tithe of the tithe. 27 And your contribution offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. 28 So you shall also raise up a contribution offering to Yahweh from all your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the contribution offering of Yahweh to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts you shall raise up every contribution offering due to Yahweh, from all the [p]best of them, [q]the sacred part from them.’ 30 And you shall say to them, ‘When you have raised up from it the best of it, then the rest shall be accounted to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor and as the product of the wine vat. 31 And you may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 And you will bear no sin by reason of it when you have raised up the [r]best of it. But you shall not (AQ)profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, so that you will not die.’”
He Will Never Allow the Righteous to Be Shaken
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A [a]Maskil of David.
55 (A)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And (B)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give (C)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (D)complaint and [b](E)am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (F)pressure of the wicked;
For they (G)shake wickedness down upon me
And in anger they (H)bear a grudge against me.
4 My (I)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of (J)death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and (K)trembling come upon me,
And [c](L)horror has covered me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [d](M)be at rest.
7 Behold, I would wander far away,
I would (N)lodge in the wilderness. [e]Selah.
8 I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the (O)stormy wind and tempest.”
9 [f]Confuse, O Lord, (P)divide their tongues,
For I have seen (Q)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And wickedness and mischief are in her midst.
11 (R)Destruction is in her midst;
(S)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [g]streets.
12 For it is (T)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who (U)has magnified himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man [h]my equal,
My (V)close companion and my [i](W)familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet counsel together
(X)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let [j]death come (Y)deceitfully upon them;
Let them (Z)go down alive to Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
16 As for me, I shall (AA)call upon God,
And Yahweh will save me.
17 (AB)Evening and (AC)morning and at (AD)noon, I will bring my complaint and moan,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will (AE)redeem my soul in peace [k]from the battle which is against me,
For they are (AF)many who strive with me.
19 God will (AG)hear and [l]answer them—
Even the one (AH)who [m]sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
Because they [n]do not change,
And (AI)do not fear God.
20 [o]My companion has put forth his hands against (AJ)those who were at peace with him;
He has [p](AK)violated his covenant.
21 His [q]speech was (AL)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were (AM)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn (AN)swords.
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz
7 Now it happened in the days of (A)Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that (B)Rezin the king of Aram and (C)Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but (D)could not [a]conquer it. 2 When it was told to the (E)house of David, saying, “[b]The Arameans (F)have camped in (G)Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
3 Then Yahweh said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son [c]Shear-jashub, at the end of the (H)conduit of the upper pool, to the highway of the [d]fuller’s field, 4 and say to him, ‘Take care and stay (I)quiet, have no (J)fear and (K)do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering (L)firebrands, on account of the burning anger of Rezin and Aram and the (M)son of Remaliah. 5 Because (N)Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has counseled evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and [e]terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in [f]its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says Lord Yahweh: “(O)It shall not stand, nor shall it happen. 8 For the head of Aram is (P)Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), 9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. (Q)If you do not [g]establish your faith in Yahweh, you surely shall not [h]be established.”’”
The Sign of Immanuel
10 Then Yahweh spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a (R)sign for yourself from Yahweh your God; [i]make it deep as Sheol or high as [j]heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not test Yahweh!” 13 Then he said, “[k]Listen now, O (S)house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will (T)try the patience of (U)my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, (V)the [l]virgin [m]will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name [n](W)Immanuel. 15 He will eat (X)curds and honey [o]in order that He will know to refuse evil and choose good. 16 (Y)For before the boy will know to refuse evil and choose good, (Z)the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken. 17 Yahweh will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house days which have never come since the day that (AA)Ephraim separated from Judah—the (AB)king of Assyria!”
Trials to Come for Judah
18 And it will be in that day, that Yahweh will (AC)whistle for the fly that is in the [p](AD)remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 And they will all come and rest upon the steep [q]ravines, on the (AE)crevices of the cliffs, (AF)on all the thorn bushes, and on all the [r]watering places.
20 In that day, the Lord will (AG)shave with a (AH)razor—one (AI)hired from regions beyond (AJ)the [s]River (that is, the king of Assyria)—the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.
21 And it will be in that day, that a man may keep alive a (AK)heifer and a pair of sheep; 22 and because of the abundance of the milk produced, he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat (AL)curds and honey.
23 And it will be in that day, (AM)that every place where there used to be one thousand vines, valued at [t]one thousand shekels of silver, will become (AN)briars and thorns. 24 People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25 As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for [u](AO)pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.
Testing Your Faith
1 [a](A)James, a (B)slave of God and (C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To (D)the twelve tribes who are in the (E)Dispersion: (F)Greetings.
2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter (H)various [b]trials, 3 knowing that (I)the testing of your (J)faith brings about (K)perseverance. 4 And let (L)perseverance have its perfect work, so that you may be [c](M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you (N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [d]without reproach, and (O)it will be given to him. 6 But he must (P)ask in faith, (Q)doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, (R)driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a [e](S)double-minded man, (T)unstable in all his ways.
9 (U)But the [f]brother of humble circumstances is to boast in his high position; 10 and the rich man is to boast in his humiliation, because (V)like [g]flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with [h](W)a scorching heat and (X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 (Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has [i]been approved, he will receive (Z)the crown of life which the Lord (AA)has promised to those who (AB)love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “(AC)I am being tempted [j]by God”; for God cannot be tempted [k]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then (AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when (AE)sin is fully matured, it brings forth death. 16 (AF)Do not be [l]deceived, (AG)my beloved brothers. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is (AH)from above, coming down from (AI)the Father of lights, (AJ)with whom there is no variation or [m]shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of (AK)His will He (AL)brought us forth by (AM)the word of truth, so that we would be [n]a kind of (AN)first fruits [o]among His creatures.
Doers of the Word
19 [p](AO)Know this, (AP)my beloved brothers. But everyone must be quick to hear, (AQ)slow to speak and (AR)slow to anger; 20 for (AS)the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, (AT)laying aside all filthiness and all [q]that remains of wickedness, in gentleness receive (AU)the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 (AV)But become doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [r]natural face (AW)in a mirror; 24 for once he looked at himself and has gone away, [s]he immediately forgot what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, (AX)the law of freedom, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this man will be (AY)blessed in [t]what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious while not [u](AZ)bridling his tongue but deceiving his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion (BA)before our God and Father is this: to (BB)visit (BC)orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained [v]by (BD)the world.
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