M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Shares for Priests and Levites
18 The priests are from the tribe of Levi, and that tribe will not ·receive a share of the land [L have an allotment or inheritance] with the Israelites. They will eat the offerings made to the Lord by fire, which is their ·share [L inheritance]. 2 They will not inherit any of the land like their brothers [Num. 26:62; Josh. 13:14; 14:4–5; 21], but they will inherit the Lord himself [10:9; Ex. 32:25–29; Josh. 18:7], as he has promised them.
3 When you offer a bull or sheep as a sacrifice, you must share with the priests, giving them the shoulder, the ·cheeks [jowls], and the ·inner organs [stomach]. 4 Give them the first of your grain, new wine, and oil, as well as the first wool you cut from your sheep. 5 The Lord your God has chosen the priests and their ·descendants [sons] out of all your tribes to stand and serve ·the [L in the name of the] Lord ·always [L all their days; 33:8–11].
6 If a Levite moves from one of your ·towns [L gates] anywhere in Israel where he ·lives [resides; sojourns] and comes to the place the Lord will choose [12:4–7], because ·he wants [L his soul desires] to serve the Lord there, 7 he may serve ·the [L the name of the] Lord his God. He will be like his ·fellow [L brother] Levites who ·serve [L stand] there before the Lord. 8 They all will have an equal share of the food. That is separate from what he has received from the sale of family possessions.
Do Not Follow Other Nations
9 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, don’t learn to do the ·hateful [detestable; abhorrent; abominable] things the other nations do. 10 Don’t let anyone among you offer a son or daughter as a sacrifice in the fire [12:30–31]. Don’t let anyone use ·magic [divination; Ex. 7:11; Ezek. 21:21] or witchcraft, or ·try to explain the meaning of signs [augury or sorcery]. 11 Don’t let anyone ·try to control others with magic [cast spells], and don’t let them ·be mediums [consult/inquire of ghosts or spirits] or try to ·talk with the spirits of [consult] dead people [1 Sam. 28]. 12 The Lord ·hates [detests] anyone who does these things. Because the other nations do these things, the Lord your God will ·force [dispossess] them out of the land ahead of you. 13 But you must be ·innocent [blameless] in the presence of the Lord your God.
The Lord’s Special Prophet
14 The nations you will ·force out [dispossess] listen to people who use ·magic [divination] and witchcraft, but the Lord your God will not let you do those things. 15 The Lord your God will ·give [L raise up for] you a prophet like me, who is one of your own ·people [relatives; brothers; C ultimately Jesus]. Listen to him [Acts 3:25–26; 7:37]. 16 This is what you asked the Lord your God to do when you were ·gathered [assembled] at ·Mount Sinai [Horeb; 1:6]. You said, “Don’t make ·us [L me] listen to the voice of the Lord ·our [L my] God again, and don’t make ·us [L me] look at this ·terrible [great] fire anymore, or ·we [L I] will die [5:23–27].”
17 So the Lord said to me, “What they have said is good. 18 So I will ·give [L raise up for] them a prophet like you, who is one of their own ·people [relatives; brothers]. I will ·tell him what to say [L put my words in his mouth], and he will tell them everything I command. 19 This prophet will speak for me; anyone who does not listen when he speaks in my name will ·answer [be accountable] to me. 20 But if a prophet ·says something I did not tell him to say as though he were speaking for me [L speaks presumptuously in my name a word I did not command him to speak], or if a prophet speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must be killed [Jer. 28:15–17].”
21 You might be ·thinking [L saying in your heart/mind], “How can we know if a message is not from the Lord?” 22 If what a prophet says in the name of the Lord does not happen, it is not the Lord’s message. That prophet was speaking ·his own ideas [presumptuously]. Don’t be afraid of him.
God’s Love for Israel
105 Give thanks to the Lord and ·pray to him [L call on his name].
·Tell [L Make known among] the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him; ·sing praises [make a psalm] to him.
Tell about all his ·miracles [wonderful acts].
3 ·Be glad that you are his [L Exult/Glory in his holy name];
let ·those [L the heart of those] who seek the Lord ·be happy [rejoice].
4 ·Depend on [Seek] the Lord and his strength;
always ·go to him for help [L seek his face].
5 Remember the ·miracles [wonderful acts] he has done;
remember his ·wonders [signs] and ·his decisions [L the judgments of his mouth].
6 You are ·descendants [L seed] of his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3],
the children of Jacob, his chosen people.
7 He is the Lord our God.
His ·laws [justice; judgments] are for all the world.
8 He will ·keep [L remember] his ·agreement [covenant; treaty] forever;
·he will keep his promises always [L the word which he commanded, for a thousand generations].
9 He will keep the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] he ·made [L cut] with Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3; 17:23]
and the ·promise [oath] he made to Isaac [Gen. 26:3–5].
10 He made it a ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] for the people of Jacob;
he made it an ·agreement [covenant; agreement] with Israel to last forever.
11 The Lord said, “I will give you the land of Canaan [Gen. 15:18],
·and it will belong to you [L as a portion of your inheritance].”
12 Then ·God’s people [L they] were few in number.
They were ·strangers [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] in the land.
13 They went from one nation to another,
from one kingdom to another.
14 But the Lord did not let anyone ·hurt [exploit; oppress] them;
he warned kings ·not to harm them [L concerning them].
15 He said, “Don’t touch my ·chosen [anointed] people,
and don’t harm my prophets.”
16 ·God [He] ·ordered [proclaimed] a ·time of hunger [famine] in the land,
and he ·destroyed all the food [L broke every staff of bread; Gen. 41:54].
17 Then he sent a man ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave [Gen. 37; 45:5; 50:20].
18 They ·put chains around his feet [L afflicted his feet with chain]
and an iron ·ring [collar] around his neck.
19 ·Then the time he had spoken of came,
and the Lord’s words proved that Joseph was right [or Until the time he had spoken of came, the words of the Lord kept testing him].
20 The king [C of Egypt] sent for Joseph and ·freed [released] him;
the ruler of the people set him free [Gen. 41:14, 40].
21 He made him the ·master [lord] of his house;
Joseph was in charge of his riches [Acts 7:10].
22 He could ·order [bind] the princes as he wished.
He taught the older men to be wise.
23 Then Israel [C another name for Jacob, Joseph’s father] came to Egypt;
Jacob lived in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
24 The Lord made his people ·grow in number [fruitful; Ex. 1:7],
and he ·made them stronger than [strengthened them against] their ·enemies [foes].
25 He ·caused the Egyptians [L turned their hearts] to hate his people
and to ·make plans [L act deceptively] against his servants [Ex. 1:8].
26 Then he sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen [Ex. 3:1—4:17].
27 They did many signs among the Egyptians
and worked ·wonders [miracles; C the plagues; Ex. 7–12] in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
28 The Lord sent darkness and made the land dark,
but the Egyptians ·turned against what he said [rebelled against his word; Ex. 10:21–29].
29 He changed their water into blood
and made their fish die [Ex. 7:14–25].
30 Then their country ·was filled [swarmed] with frogs,
even in the bedrooms of their ·rulers [L kings; Ex. 8:1–17].
31 The Lord spoke and flies came [Ex. 8:20–32],
and gnats were everywhere in the country [Ex. 8:16–19].
32 He made hail fall like rain
and sent lightning through their land.
33 He struck down their grapevines and fig trees,
and he ·destroyed [shattered] every tree in the country [Ex. 9:13–35].
34 He spoke and ·grasshoppers [locusts] came;
the ·locusts [young locusts] ·were too many to count [L without number].
35 They ate all the ·plants [vegetation] in the land
and ·everything the earth produced [L the fruit of the ground; Ex. 10:1–20].
36 ·The Lord [L He] also ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn sons in the land,
the oldest son of each family [L the first of their virility; Ex. 11:1—12:30].
37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold [Ex. 12:35–36].
·Not one of his people stumbled [L There was no stumbling among the tribe].
38 The Egyptians ·were glad [rejoiced] when they left,
because ·the Egyptians were afraid of them [L dread of them fell on them; C because of the plagues].
39 ·The Lord covered them with a cloud [L He spread out a cloud as a covering]
and ·lit up the night with fire [L a fire to illuminate the night; Ex. 13:21–22].
40 When they asked, he brought them quail
and filled them with bread from heaven [Ex. 16].
41 God ·split [L opened] the rock, and water flowed out;
it ran like a river through the ·desert [wasteland; Ex. 17:1–7].
42 He remembered his holy ·promise [word]
to his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3].
43 So God brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them lands of other nations,
so they received ·what others had worked for [L the labors of peoples].
45 This was so they would ·keep [observe; guard] his ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
and ·obey [protect] his ·teachings [instructions; laws].
Praise the Lord!
God Chooses Cyrus to Free Israel
45 This is what the Lord says to Cyrus [44:28], his ·appointed king [anointed one; messiah]:
“I hold your right hand
and will help you ·defeat [subdue] nations
and ·take away other kings’ power [or remove kings’ armor; L open the loins of kings].
I will open doors for you
so city gates will not ·stop you [be shut].
2 I will go before you
and ·make the mountains flat [level mountains; 40:4].
I will ·break down [shatter; smash] the bronze gates of the cities
and cut through their iron bars.
3 I will give you the ·wealth that is stored away [L treasures of darkness]
and the ·hidden riches [hoards in secret places]
so you will know I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 I do these things for ·my servants, the people of Jacob [L the sake of Jacob my servant],
and for ·my chosen people, the Israelites [Israel, my chosen].
·Cyrus, I call [L I call] you by name,
and I give you a title of honor even though you don’t know me.
5 I am the Lord. There is no other God;
I am the only God.
I will ·make you strong [or arm you for battle; L gird you],
even though you don’t know me,
6 so that everyone will know
there is ·no other God [none besides me].
From the ·east [rising of the sun] to ·the west [its setting] they will know
I alone am the Lord.
7 I make the light
and create the darkness.
I bring ·peace [prosperity; wholeness; C Hebrew shalom], and I ·cause [create] ·troubles [disaster; calamity].
I, the Lord, do all these things.
8 “·Sky [Heavens] above, make ·victory [or righteousness] fall like rain;
clouds, pour down ·victory [or righteousness].
Let the earth ·receive it [open up],
and let salvation grow,
and let ·victory [or righteousness] grow with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] those who argue with ·the God who made them [their Maker].
·They are like a piece of broken pottery [L A potsherd] among ·many pieces [L potsherds of the earth].
·The clay does not [L Does the clay…?] ask the potter [64:8; Rom. 9:20],
‘What are you doing?’
The thing that is made doesn’t say to its maker,
‘You have no ·hands [or skill].’
10 ·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the child who says to his father,
‘·Why are you giving me life [or What have you fathered]?’
·How terrible it will be for [L Woe to] the child who says to his mother,
‘·Why are you giving birth to me [or What have you given birth to]?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel [1:4], and its Maker, says:
“You ask me about what will happen.
·You [or Do you…?; or How dare you…!] question me about my children.
·You [or Do you…?; or How dare you…!] give me orders about ·what I have made [the work of my hands].
12 I made the earth
and all the people living on it.
With my own hands I stretched out the ·skies [heavens],
and I commanded all ·the armies in the sky [or the stars in the sky; T their host].
13 I will ·bring [raise/stir up] ·Cyrus [L him; 44:28] ·to do good things [or for my righteous purpose; in my righteousness],
and I will make his ·work easy [ways/paths straight].
He will rebuild my city
and set my ·people [L exiles] free
without any payment or ·reward [gift; or bribe].
The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says this.”
14 The Lord says,
“The ·goods made in [L labor of] Egypt and the ·products [merchandise; or revenue] of ·Cush [Ethiopia]
and the tall people of Seba [43:3]
will ·come to [or be brought to] you
and will become yours.
·The Sabeans [L They] will walk behind you,
coming along in chains [C Israel is depicted as a great empire, receiving tribute from other nations].
They will bow down before you
and pray to you [C because they recognize Israel as God’s representative], saying,
‘God is with you,
and there is no other God.’”
15 God and Savior of Israel,
·you are [or how, then, can you be…?] a God ·that people cannot see [L who hides himself].
16 All the people who make idols will be put to great shame;
they will go off together in ·disgrace [humiliation; or confusion].
17 But Israel will be saved by the Lord,
and that salvation will continue forever.
Never again will Israel be ·put to shame [shamed; disgraced].
18 The Lord created the heavens.
He is the God who formed the earth and made it.
He did not ·want [create] it to be ·empty [or formless; chaotic; Gen. 1:2],
but he ·wanted life on the earth [L formed it to be inhabited].
This is what the Lord says:
“I am the Lord. There is no other God.
19 I did not speak in secret
or hide my words in some dark place.
I did not tell the ·family [descendants; offspring; seed] of Jacob
to ·look for me in empty places [or seek me in vain].
I am the Lord, and I speak the truth;
I say what is right.
20 “You ·people who have escaped [fugitives; refugees] from other nations,
gather together and come before me;
come near together.
People who carry idols of wood ·don’t know what they are doing [know nothing; or are fools].
They pray to a god who cannot save them.
21 ·Tell these people to come to me [or Declare and bring your case].
Let them ·talk about these things [take counsel] together.
Who told you long ago that this would happen?
Who told about it long ago?
I, the Lord, said these things.
There is no other God besides me.
I am the only good God. I am the Savior.
There is no other God.
22 “All ·people everywhere [the ends of the earth],
·follow [turn] and be saved.
I am God. There is no other God.
23 I ·will make a promise by my own power [L have sworn by myself],
and ·my promise is true [L a righteous/right/true word goes out of my mouth];
what I say will not ·be changed [be revoked; L return].
·I promise that everyone will bow before me [L For to me every knee will bow]
and ·will promise to follow me [L every tongue will swear; C allegiance; Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10].
24 People will say about me, ‘·Goodness [Righteousness; or Deliverance] and ·power [strength]
come only from the Lord.’”
Everyone who has been angry with him
will come to him and be ashamed.
25 But with the Lord’s help, the ·people [descendants; offspring; seed] of Israel
will be ·found to be good [justified; vindicated; or victorious],
and they will ·praise [boast/glory in] him.
The Last Troubles
15 Then I saw another ·wonder [sign; miracle; portent] in heaven that was great and amazing. There were seven angels bringing seven ·disasters [plagues]. These are the last ·disasters [plagues], because ·after [or in] them, God’s ·anger [wrath] is ·finished [completed; ended].
2 I saw what looked like a sea of glass [1 Kin. 7:23–26; Ezek. 1:22] mixed with fire [19:20; 20:10]. All of those who had ·won the victory over [conquered] the beast and his ·idol [image] and over the number of his name [13:17] were standing by the sea of glass. They had harps ·that God had given them [L of/from God]. 3 They sang the song of Moses [Ex. 15:1; Deut. 31:30], the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
“·You do great and wonderful things [L Great and marvelous/amazing are your works; Ps. 111:2],
Lord God ·Almighty [All-powerful].
·Everything the Lord does is [L Your ways are] ·right [just] and true [Ps. 145:17],
King of the nations.[a]
4 ·Everyone will respect you [L Who will not fear you…?], Lord [Jer. 10:7],
and ·will honor you [L honor/glorify your name].
[L Because; For] Only you are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship [L before] you [Ps. 86:9–10],
because the right things you have done
are now made known [Deut. 32:4].”
5 After ·this [L these things] I saw that the temple (the ·Tent [Tabernacle] of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Covenant Law]) in heaven was opened. 6 And the seven angels bringing the seven ·disasters [plagues] came out of the temple. They were dressed in ·clean [pure], ·shining [bright] linen and wore golden ·bands [sashes] tied around their chests [C garments worn by priests]. 7 Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the ·anger [wrath] of God, who lives forever and ever. 8 The temple was filled with smoke [C smoke often symbolizes the presence of God; Ex. 40:34–38] from the glory and the power of God, and no one could enter the temple until the seven ·disasters [plagues] of the seven angels were ·finished [completed; ended; C accomplished their purpose].
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