M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The People Are Counted
26 After the great sickness, the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. 2 He said, “Count the Israelites. Count all the men who are 20 years old or older and list them by families. These are the men who are able to serve in the army of Israel.”
3 At this time the people were camped in the Jordan Valley in Moab. This was near the Jordan River, across from Jericho. So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke to the people. They said, 4 “You must count every man who is 20 years old or older. The Lord gave Moses this command.”
Here is the list of the Israelites who came out of Egypt:
5 These are the people from the tribe of Reuben. (Reuben was the firstborn son of Israel.) The family groups were
Hanoch—the Hanochite family group;
Pallu—the Palluite family group;
6 Hezron—the Hezronite family group;
Carmi—the Carmite family group.
7 The total number of men in these family groups from the tribe of Reuben was 43,730.
8 Pallu’s son was Eliab. 9 Eliab had three sons—Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. Remember, Dathan and Abiram were the two leaders who turned against Moses and Aaron. They followed Korah when Korah turned against the Lord. 10 That was the time when the earth opened and swallowed Korah and all of his followers. And 250 men died! That was a warning to all the Israelites. 11 But the other people who were from the family of Korah did not die.
12 These are the family groups from the tribe of Simeon:
Nemuel—the Nemuelite family group;
Jamin—the Jaminite family group;
Jakin—the Jakinite family group;
13 Zerah—the Zerahite family group;
Shaul—the Shaulite family group.
14 The total number of men in these family groups from the tribe of Simeon was 22,200.
15 These are the family groups in the tribe of Gad:
Zephon—the Zephonite family group;
Haggi—the Haggite family group;
Shuni—the Shunite family group;
16 Ozni—the Oznite family group;
Eri—the Erite family group;
17 Arodi—the Arodite family group;
Areli—the Arelite family group.
18 The total number of men in these family groups from the tribe of Gad was 40,500.
19-20 These are the family groups from the tribe of Judah:
Shelah—the Shelanite family group;
Perez—the Perezite family group;
Zerah—the Zerahite family group.
(Two of Judah’s sons, Er and Onan, died in Canaan.)
21 These are the family groups from Perez:
Hezron—the Hezronite family group;
Hamul—the Hamulite family group.
22 These were the family groups from the tribe of Judah. The total number of men was 76,500.
23 The family groups from the tribe of Issachar were
Tola—the Tolaite family group;
Puah—the Puite family group;
24 Jashub—the Jashubite family group;
Shimron—the Shimronite family group.
25 These were the family groups from the tribe of Issachar. The total number of men was 64,300.
26 The family groups from the tribe of Zebulun were
Sered—the Seredite family group;
Elon—the Elonite family group;
Jahleel—the Jahleelite family group.
27 These were the family groups from the tribe of Zebulun. The total number of men was 60,500.
28 Joseph’s two sons were Manasseh and Ephraim. Each son became a tribe with its own family groups. 29 Manasseh’s family groups were
Makir—the Makirite family groups. (Makir was the father of Gilead.)
Gilead—the Gileadite family groups.
30 The family groups from Gilead were
Iezer—the Iezerite family group;
Helek—the Helekite family group;
31 Asriel—the Asrielite family group;
Shechem—the Shechemite family group;
32 Shemida—the Shemidaite family group;
Hepher—the Hepherite family group.
33 Zelophehad was the son of Hepher. But he had no sons—only daughters. His daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
34 These are all the family groups from the tribe of Manasseh. The total number of men was 52,700.
35 The family groups from the tribe of Ephraim were
Shuthelah—the Shuthelahite family group;
Beker—the Bekerite family group;
Tahan—the Tahanite family group.
36 Eran was from Shuthelah’s family group;
Eran—the Eranite family group.
37 These were the family groups from the tribe of Ephraim. The total number of men was 32,500.
These family groups of Manasseh and Ephraim are all the descendants of Joseph.
38 The family groups from the tribe of Benjamin were
Bela—the Belaite family group;
Ashbel—the Ashbelite family group;
Ahiram—the Ahiramite family group;
39 Shupham—the Shuphamite family group;
Hupham—the Huphamite family group;
40 The family groups from Bela were
Ard—the Ardite family group;
Naaman—the Naamanite family group.
41 These were all the family groups from the tribe of Benjamin. The total number of men was 45,600.
42 The family groups from the tribe of Dan were
Shuham—the Shuhamite family group.
That was the family group from the tribe of Dan. 43 There were many family groups in the Shuhamite tribe. The total number of men was 64,400.
44 The family groups from the tribe of Asher were
Imnah—the Imnite family group;
Ishvi—the Ishvite family group;
Beriah—the Beriite family group.
45 The family groups from Beriah were
Heber—the Heberite family group;
Malkiel—the Malkielite family group.
46 (Asher also had a daughter named Serah.) 47 These were the family groups in the tribe of Asher. The total number of men was 53,400.
48 The family groups from the tribe of Naphtali were
Jahzeel—the Jahzeelite family group;
Guni—the Gunite family group;
49 Jezer—the Jezerite family group;
Shillem—the Shillemite family group.
50 These were the family groups from the tribe of Naphtali. The total number of men was 45,400.
51 So the total number of men of Israel was 601,730.
52 The Lord said to Moses, 53 “The land will be divided and given to these people. Each tribe will get enough land for all the people who were counted. 54 A large tribe will get much land, and a small tribe will get less land. The land that they get will be equal to the number of people who were counted. 55 But you must use lots to decide which tribe gets which part of the land. Each tribe will get its share of the land, and that land will be given the name of that tribe. 56 Land will be given to each tribe—large and small. And you will throw lots to make the decisions.”
57 They also counted the tribe of Levi. These are the family groups from the tribe of Levi:
Gershon—the Gershonite family group;
Kohath—the Kohathite family group;
Merari—the Merarite family group.
58 These are also family groups from the tribe of Levi:
the Libnite family group;
the Hebronite family group;
the Mahlite family group;
the Mushite family group;
the Korahite family group.
Amram was from the Kohath family group. 59 Amram’s wife was named Jochebed. She was also from the tribe of Levi. She was born in Egypt. Amram and Jochebed had two sons, Aaron and Moses. They also had a daughter, Miriam.
60 Aaron was the father of Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 61 But Nadab and Abihu died. They died because they made an offering to the Lord with fire that was not allowed.
62 The total number of males one month or older from the tribe of Levi was 23,000. But these men were not counted with the other Israelites. They did not get a share of the land that the Lord gave to the other people.
63 Moses and Eleazar the priest counted all these people. They counted the Israelites while they were in the Jordan Valley in Moab. This was near the Jordan River across from Jericho. 64 Many years before, in the desert of Sinai, Moses and Aaron the priest counted the Israelites. But all these people were dead. Not one of them was still alive, 65 because the Lord told them that they would all die in the desert. The only two men who were left alive were Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.
To the director: To the tune “The Lilies.” A song of David.
69 God, save me from all my troubles!
The rising water has reached my neck.
2 I have nothing to stand on.
I am sinking down, down into the mud.
I am in deep water,
and the waves are about to cover me.
3 I am getting weak from calling for help.
My throat is sore.
I have waited and looked for your help
until my eyes are hurting.
4 I have more enemies than the hairs on my head.
They hate me for no reason.
They try hard to destroy me.
My enemies tell lies about me.
They say I stole from them
and they demand that I pay for things I did not steal.
5 God, you know my faults.
I cannot hide my sins from you.
6 My Lord God All-Powerful, don’t let me embarrass your followers.
God of Israel, don’t let me bring disgrace to those who worship you.
7 My face is covered with shame.
I carry this shame for you.
8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger.
They act as if I came from a foreign land.
9 My strong devotion to your Temple is destroying me.
Those who insult you are also insulting me.
10 When I spend time crying and fasting,
they make fun of me.
11 When I wear sackcloth to show my sorrow,
they tell jokes about me.
12 They talk about me in public places.
The beer drinkers make up songs about me.
13 As for me, Lord, this is my prayer to you:
Please accept me!
God, I want you to answer me with love.
I know I can trust you to save me.
14 Pull me from the mud,
and don’t let me sink down deeper.
Save me from those who hate me.
Save me from this deep water.
15 Don’t let the waves drown me.
Don’t let the deep sea swallow me
or the grave close its mouth on me.
16 Answer me, Lord, from the goodness of your faithful love.
Out of your great kindness turn to me and help me!
17 Don’t turn away from your servant.
I am in trouble, so hurry and help me!
18 Come save my soul.
Rescue me from my enemies.
19 You know the shame I have suffered.
You know all my enemies.
You saw how they humiliated me.
20 I feel the pain of their insults.
The shame makes me feel like dying!
I wanted some sympathy,
but there was none.
I waited for someone to comfort me,
but no one came.
21 They gave me poison, not food.
They gave me vinegar, not wine.
22 Their tables are covered with food.
Let their fellowship meals destroy them.
23 Let them go blind and their backs become weak.
24 Show them how angry you are.
Let them feel what your anger can do.
25 Make their homes empty.
Don’t let anyone live there.
26 They try to hurt people you have already punished.
They tell everyone about the suffering you gave them.
27 Punish them for the bad things they have done.
Don’t show them how good you can be.
28 Erase their names from the book of life.
Don’t let their names appear on the list of those who do what is right.
29 I am sad and hurting.
God, lift me up and save me!
30 I will praise God’s name in song.
I will honor him by giving him thanks.
31 The Lord will be happier with this
than with the offering of an ox or a full-grown bull as a sacrifice.
32 Poor people, you came to worship God.
You will be happy to know these things.
33 The Lord listens to poor, helpless people.
He does not turn away from those who are in prison.
34 Praise him, heaven and earth!
Sea and everything in it, praise him!
35 God will save Zion.
He will rebuild the cities of Judah.
The people will settle there again and own the land.
36 The descendants of his servants will get that land.
Those who love his name will live there.
16 You people should send a gift to the king of the land. You should send a lamb from Sela, through the desert, to the mountain in the city of Jerusalem.[a]
2 The women of Moab try to cross the river Arnon.
They run around looking for help,
like little birds that have fallen from their nest.
3 They say, “Help us!
Tell us what to do.
Protect us from our enemies
as shade protects us from the noon sun.
We are running from our enemies.
Hide us!
Don’t give us to our enemies.
4 People from Moab were forced to leave their homes.
So let them live in your land.
Hide them from their enemies.”
The robbing will stop.
The enemy will be defeated.
The men who hurt the people will be gone from the land.
5 Then a new king will come.
He will be from David’s family.[b]
He will be loyal, loving, and kind.
He will be a king who judges fairly.
He will do what is right and good.
6 We have heard that the people of Moab
are very proud and conceited.
They are hot-tempered braggers,
but their boasts are only empty words.
7 Because of their pride, everyone in Moab will mourn.
They will wish for the way things used to be.
They will wish for the raisin cakes from Kir Hareseth.[c]
8 The fields of Heshbon and the vines of Sibmah no longer grow grapes.
Foreign rulers have destroyed the vines.
The enemy has reached Jazer
and has spread into the desert and down to the sea.[d]
9 I will cry with the people of Jazer and Sibmah,
because the grapes have been destroyed.
I will cry with the people of Heshbon and Elealeh
because there will be no harvest.
There will be no summer fruit,
and there will be no shouts of joy for the harvest.
10 There will be no joy and happiness in the orchard.
I will end the happy singing and shouting in the vineyard.
The grapes are ready to make wine,
but they will all be ruined.
11 So I will hum a sad song for Moab and Kir Heres,[e]
like a harp playing a funeral song.
12 The people of Moab will go
to their high places to worship.
They will go to their temple to pray,
but it will not help them.
13 The Lord said these things about Moab many times. 14 And now the Lord says, “In three years (counting as exactly as a hired helper would) all those people and the things they are proud of will be gone. Only a few of their weakest people will be left.”
Changed Lives
4 Christ suffered while he was in his body. So you should strengthen yourselves with the same kind of thinking Christ had. The one who accepts suffering in this life has clearly decided to stop sinning. 2 Strengthen yourselves so that you will live your lives here on earth doing what God wants, not the evil things that people want to do. 3 In the past you wasted too much time doing what those who don’t know God like to do. You were living immoral lives, doing the evil things you wanted to do. You were always getting drunk, having wild drinking parties, and doing shameful things in your worship of idols.
4 Now those “friends” think it is strange that you no longer join them in all the wild and wasteful things they do. And so they say bad things about you. 5 But they will have to face God to explain what they have done. He is the one who will soon judge everyone—those who are still living and those who have died. 6 Some were told the Good News before they died. They were criticized by others in their life here on earth. But it was God’s plan that they hear the Good News so that they could have a new life through the Spirit.[a]
Be Good Managers of God’s Gifts
7 The time is near when all things will end. So keep your minds clear, and control yourselves. This will help you in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, love each other deeply, because love makes you willing to forgive many sins. 9 Open your homes to each other and share your food without complaining. 10 God has shown you his grace in many different ways. So be good servants and use whatever gift he has given you in a way that will best serve each other. 11 If your gift is speaking, your words should be like words from God. If your gift is serving, you should serve with the strength that God gives. Then it is God who will be praised in everything through Jesus Christ. Power and glory belong to him forever and ever. Amen.
Suffering as a Follower of Christ
12 My friends, don’t be surprised at the painful things that you are now suffering, which are testing your faith. Don’t think that something strange is happening to you. 13 But you should be happy that you are sharing in Christ’s sufferings. You will be happy and full of joy when Christ shows his glory. 14 When people say bad things to you because you follow Christ, consider it a blessing. When that happens, it shows that God’s Spirit, the Spirit of glory, is with you. 15 You may suffer, but don’t let it be because you murder, steal, make trouble, or try to control other people’s lives. 16 But if you suffer because you are a “Christ-follower,” don’t be ashamed. You should praise God for that name. 17 It is time for judging to begin. That judging will begin with God’s family. If it begins with us, then what will happen to those who don’t accept the Good News of God?
18 “If it is hard for even a good person to be saved,
what will happen to the one who is against God and full of sin?” (A)
19 So if God wants you to suffer, you should trust your lives to him. He is the one who made you, and you can trust him. So continue to do good.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International