M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The clothes for the priests
39 The workers used blue, purple and red material to make beautiful clothes for the priests. They would wear them when they served God in the Holy Place. They made these special clothes for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
The ephod
2 The workers used gold, and blue, purple and red material, as well as good linen, to make the ephod. 3 They used a hammer to hit the gold to make thin pieces. Then they cut these pieces into narrow strings. A worker with special skills used the gold strings to make the blue, purple and red material, and the good linen, look very beautiful. 4 The workers fixed pieces of cloth on the two edges of the ephod. These pieces went over the priest's shoulders to join the front and the back parts of the ephod.
5 They made the beautiful belt to tie around the ephod. The belt and the ephod were one piece of work. They used the same materials to make both of them: gold, blue, purple and red material and good linen. They made them in the way that the Lord had commanded Moses.
6 The workers fixed the onyx stones into beautiful gold around their edges. A worker used a sharp tool to write on them the names of the sons of Israel. 7 They fixed the two onyx stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod. They showed the names of the 12 sons of Israel, so that the Lord would remember to bless his people. The Lord had commanded Moses to do this.
The breastpiece
8 A worker used special skills to make the breastpiece, so that it looked beautiful. He made it like the ephod. He used gold, blue, purple and red material as well as good linen to make it. 9 They bent a piece of cloth over to make a square pocket, 22 centimetres long and 22 centimetres wide. 10 Then they fixed four rows of jewels on it.[a] These are the names of the jewels: A ruby, a topaz and a beryl in the first row. 11 A turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald in the second row. 12 A jacinth, an agate and an amethyst in the third row. 13 A chrysolite, an onyx and a jasper in the fourth row. They fixed each jewel into beautiful gold around its edges. 14 There were 12 jewels, one jewel for each of Israel's sons. They used a sharp tool to write one tribe's name on each jewel.
15 They used pure gold to make two thin chains like strings, to fix the breastpiece to the ephod 16 Then they made two gold rings with beautiful gold around the edges. They fixed the rings to the two top corners of the breastpiece. 17 They fixed the two gold chains to the rings on the corners of the breastpiece. 18 They fixed the other ends of the two chains to the shoulder pieces of the ephod, in the front. They joined them to the gold pieces that held the onyx stones.
19 They made two gold rings and they fixed them to the bottom corners of the breastpiece. They were on its inside edge, next to the ephod. 20 Then they made two more gold rings. They fixed them to the bottom edge of the shoulder pieces, on the front of the ephod. They put the rings just above the ephod's belt. 21 They used a string of blue material to tie the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod. They fixed them together above the ephod's belt, so that the breastpiece would not become separate. The workers made all these things as the Lord had commanded Moses.
The other clothes for the priests
22 The workers used only blue cloth to make the robe for the ephod.[b] 23 They made a hole in the top of the robe, in the middle. They made an edge around the hole so that it would not tear. The priest's head would go through this hole. 24 They used blue, purple and red materials and good linen to make pictures of pomegranates. These were around the bottom edge of the robe. 25 They used pure gold to make little bells. They fixed the bells between the pomegranates on the bottom edge of the robe. 26 So there was a bell, then a pomegranate, another bell then a pomegranate, all around the edge of the robe. The priest would wear this robe when he served the Lord, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
27 The workers made long shirts for Aaron and his sons, the priests. They used good linen to make cloth for the shirts. 28 They also used good linen to make Aaron's special hat, as well as hats for the other priests. They used special soft linen to make the trousers that they wore next to their skin. 29 A worker used special skills to make the long belt, so that it looked beautiful. He used blue, purple and red materials to make it, as the Lord had commanded Moses.
30 The workers used pure gold to make a thin plate as a holy sign. They wrote these words on it carefully with a sharp tool: ‘Holy to the Lord’. 31 They fixed a blue string to the plate, to tie it to the front of the special hat. The Lord had commanded Moses to do this.
Moses checks the tabernacle
32 So the workers finished making everything for the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. The Israelites made everything exactly as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses. They brought the tent and all the things that would be in it. They brought the hooks, boards, sticks, poles and bases. 34 They brought the red leather from sheep's skins, and the other kinds of good leather that covered the tent. They also brought the curtain that hid the Most Holy Place. 35 They brought the Covenant Box with its poles and its special lid. 36 They brought the special table with all its dishes, and the special bread to put on the table for the Lord.
37 They brought the gold lampstand with its lamps, and the oil and the tools to make the lamps give light. 38 They brought the gold altar, the special oil, the sweet incense and the curtain for the entrance of the tabernacle. 39 They brought the bronze altar and its bronze net, with its poles and all its tools. They brought the large bowl for water and its base. 40 They brought the curtains for the yard and the curtain for the entrance to the yard, with their poles and their bases. They brought all the ropes and the pegs to fix those things to the ground. They brought everything that the priests needed to serve the Lord in the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting.
41 They also brought the special clothes for Aaron and his sons to wear when they served the Lord as priests in the Holy Place.
42 The Israelites did all the work in the way that the Lord had commanded Moses. 43 Moses carefully checked all the work. He saw that the workers had done it exactly as the Lord had commanded them.
When Moses saw this, he blessed the people.
Soldiers take Jesus to the leader of the priests
18 When Jesus had finished praying, he and his disciples went out. They went across the Kidron valley. On the other side, there was a garden. Jesus and his disciples went into it. 2 Judas, who sold Jesus to his enemies, knew the garden. He knew the place because Jesus and his disciples had met there often. 3 The leaders of the priests and the Pharisees sent a group of soldiers and some officers with Judas. He led these soldiers and officers to the garden.[a] The soldiers had weapons and they carried lights.
4 Jesus knew everything that would soon happen to him. He went towards them and he asked them, ‘Who are you looking for?’ 5 They answered, ‘Jesus, who comes from Nazareth.’ Jesus said, ‘That is who I am.’
Judas, who sold Jesus to his enemies, was standing there with the soldiers. 6 When Jesus said the words, ‘I am,’ the soldiers quickly moved away from him.[b] They fell down to the ground. 7 So Jesus asked them again, ‘Who are you looking for?’ They said, ‘Jesus, who comes from Nazareth.’ 8 Jesus replied, ‘I have told you already, that is who I am. Since it is me that you are looking for, let these other men go.’ 9 Jesus said this because earlier he had said, ‘I have lost none of those people that you gave to me.’ This made what he had spoken earlier really happen.
10 Simon Peter had a sword. He took hold of it and he attacked the servant of the leader of the priests. He cut off the servant's right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11 Then Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword away in its place! My Father has decided what great pain I must have. I will obey him completely.’
12 The group of soldiers, with their captain and the Jewish officers, took hold of Jesus. They tied him with ropes. 13 They led him first to Annas, who was the father of Caiaphas's wife. Caiaphas was the leader of the priests that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had already spoken to the Jewish leaders. He had told them, ‘It is better that one man should die on behalf of the people.’[c]
Peter says that he does not know Jesus
15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple and the leader of the priests knew each other. So that disciple went with Jesus into the yard of the house of the leader of the priests. 16 But Peter stayed outside by the gate. Then the other disciple went out again. He spoke to the girl who was watching at the gate. Then he brought Peter into the yard. 17 The girl who was at the gate asked Peter, ‘Are you another of this man's disciples?’ Peter replied, ‘No, I am not!’
18 It was cold. So the servants and the officers had made a fire. They were standing around it to make themselves warm. Peter went to stand with them, so that he could make himself warm too.
The leader of the priests asks Jesus questions
19 The leader of the priests asked Jesus questions about his disciples. He also asked about what Jesus taught. 20 Jesus answered him, ‘I have always taught in the Jewish meeting places, or at the temple. Those are public places where all the Jews meet together. I have said nothing secretly. 21 So you do not need to ask me these questions. You can ask the people who heard me when I taught them. They know what I said.’
22 When Jesus said this, one of the soldiers hit him on the face. The soldier said, ‘You should not speak to the leader of the priests like that!’ 23 Jesus replied, ‘If I said something wrong, tell us what it is. But if I said something that is true, you should not have hit me.’[d] 24 Then Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the leader of the priests.[e] Jesus still had ropes tied round his arms.
Peter says again that he does not know Jesus
25 Simon Peter was still standing there by the fire to make himself warm. The other people there said to him, ‘You must also be one of that man's disciples.’ But Peter said, ‘No, I am not.’
26 One of the people there was a servant of the leader of the priests. He belonged to the same family as the man whose ear Peter had cut off. This servant said to Peter, ‘I am sure that I saw you in the garden with Jesus.’ 27 Again, Peter said, ‘No, that is not true.’ Immediately a cockerel sang.
Pilate asks Jesus questions
28 The Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas's house to the Roman ruler's big house.[f] It was early in the morning. The Jewish leaders wanted to follow the Jewish rules so that they could eat the Passover meal. They did not go into the ruler's house, because it would have made them unclean.[g]
29 So Pilate, the Roman ruler, went outside to meet them. He asked them, ‘What wrong thing do you say that this man has done?’ 30 They replied, ‘We would not have brought him to you if he had done nothing wrong.’ 31 Pilate said to them, ‘You yourselves take him away. You should judge him by your own laws.’ The Jewish leaders replied, ‘We do not have authority to kill anyone when they have done something bad.’[h] 32 Jesus had already told people how he would die. These things happened to make his words become true.[i]
33 Pilate went back inside his palace. He told Jesus to come and stand in front of him. He asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ 34 Jesus said, ‘Is that your own idea, or have other people spoken to you about me?’ 35 Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? It was your own people and the leaders of your priests who brought you to me. What have you done?’
36 Jesus said, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it did, my disciples would have fought for me. They would have fought so that the Jewish leaders could not take hold of me. No, my kingdom belongs to another place.’ 37 Pilate said to him, ‘So that means you really are a king!’
Jesus answered, ‘You have said that I am a king! I was born for this reason: I came into the world to tell people the truth about God. Everyone who believes the truth listens to my message.’ 38 Pilate said, ‘I do not know what truth is.’
When Pilate had said that, he went outside again to the Jewish people there. He said to them, ‘I do not see that this man is guilty of anything wrong. I have no reason to punish him. 39 But every year we do something for you Jews. We let one man go free from the prison at the time of your Passover festival. Do you want me to let the king of the Jews go free?’ 40 They shouted their answer, ‘No, we do not want him! Let Barabbas go free!’ (Barabbas was a man who had attacked people and robbed them.)
15 If you answer people in a kind way, it stops them being angry.
But if you say cruel things, it makes people angry.
2 When wise people speak, they show that knowledge is good.
But when fools speak, they only say foolish things.
3 The Lord sees what happens everywhere.
He is watching what evil people do, and good people too.
4 Kind words are like the fruit of a tree that gives life.
But words that are not honest make people sad and weak.
5 A fool hates his father's rules.
But a wise child learns when his father warns him.
6 Righteous people have many valuable things in their homes.
But the riches of wicked people bring trouble to them.
7 When wise people speak, they give knowledge,
but the minds of fools have nothing to give.
8 When wicked people offer sacrifices to the Lord, he hates it.
But he is pleased when good people pray to him.
9 The Lord hates the way that wicked people live.
But he loves people who want to do what is right.
10 If you leave God's way, you will receive strong punishment.
When people warn you, accept it or you will die.
11 The Lord sees clearly into the deep hole of death.
So you can be sure that he knows people's secret thoughts.
12 Proud people do not like it when someone warns them.
They will not ask wise people to give them advice.
13 When someone is happy, their face smiles.
But when someone is sad, their spirit hurts.
14 Wise people want to learn more.
But fools only want to know useless things.
15 Every day is difficult, if you have trouble in your mind.
But if you are happy, every day is like a feast.
16 You may be poor, but you respect and obey the Lord.
That is better than if you are very rich, but you have a lot of trouble.
17 It is better to eat vegetables with people who love each other
than to eat good meat with people who hate each other.
18 Angry people bring quarrels,
but patient people bring peace.
19 A lazy person always has problems,
as if he is walking through thorn bushes.
But an honest person walks on a straight road through life.
20 A wise child makes his father happy.
But a foolish person does not respect his mother.
21 Stupid people are happy when they do foolish things.
But wise people walk on a straight path.
22 Without good advice, your ideas will never happen.
But you will do well if you have many advisors.
23 It makes you happy when you give a good answer to a question.
It is good when you find the right thing to say at the right time.
24 A wise person walks on a path that leads him up to a long life.
He keeps away from the path that would lead him down to death.
25 The Lord destroys the homes of proud men.
But he keeps the land of widows safe.
26 The Lord hates the thoughts of wicked people.
But kind words please him.
27 Anyone who cheats people to become rich
will cause trouble for his family.
But anyone who refuses to accept bribes
will live safely.
28 Righteous people think carefully before they answer someone.
But when wicked people speak, the result is only trouble.
29 The Lord does not answer the prayers of wicked people.
But when righteous people pray, he listens.
30 If someone smiles at you, it makes you happy.
Good news makes you feel strong.
31 If anyone accepts teaching that helps him to live in a good way,
he becomes a friend of wise people.
32 If you refuse to accept it when people warn you,
you are hurting yourself.
But if you agree to listen,
you will learn to do what is right.
33 If you respect and obey the Lord,
that will teach you wisdom.
If you want to receive honour,
first learn to be humble.
Be more like Christ
2 You belong to Christ, and he makes you brave. His love makes you strong. You are able to help one another because his Spirit is in you. You can be kind to each other, and you can forgive each other. 2 Because of that, this is how you can make me completely happy: In your mind, think about things in the same way as one another. Love one another completely. In your spirit, agree with one another. And work together for the same purpose. 3 In the way that you live, do not just try to help yourself. Do not be proud. Instead, respect other people. Think about other people as more important than yourself. 4 Do not think only about the things that you want to do for yourself. Each of you should think also about how you can help other people.
5 You should think about things in the same way that Christ Jesus thought:
6 Christ had the same nature as God.
He was completely equal with God.
But he did not try to keep hold of that.
7 Instead, he chose to leave heaven.
He took for himself the nature of a slave.
He became like a human.
8 And when he lived as a man,
he made himself even less important.
He obeyed God completely, so that he died.
He even died on a cross![a]
9 Because of that, God then raised Jesus Christ to the most important place.
God gave him the name that is greater than every other name.
10 As a result, when people hear Jesus' name, they must worship him.
Everyone will have to go down on their knees in front of him.
That includes everything that is in heaven,
everything on the earth and everything under the earth.
11 Everyone will have to agree that Jesus Christ is Lord.
When they say that aloud, they will show that God the Father is very great.[b]
Christians must be like lights in the world
12 So, my friends, you must continue to obey God.[c] When I was with you, you always obeyed. Now that I am not with you, that is even more important. God has saved you. You must always live in a way which shows that is true. Respect God and obey him. Remember that he is great and powerful. 13 It is God himself who is working in you. Now you want to obey him, and he makes you strong to do that. When you obey him, that makes him very happy.
14 Whatever you are doing, do not complain. And do not argue. 15 Then you will not be guilty of anything that is wrong. You will be clean inside yourselves. You will be living in a completely good way, as God's children should. In this world, you are living among bad people who have turned away from what is good. But you must bring light into this dark place, like stars that shine in the night. 16 Tell people the true message that can give them life with God. Then I will know that my work among you had good results. Because of that, I will be very happy on the day when Christ returns.
17 You believe in Christ, and you are his servants. That is like you are offering yourselves as a sacrifice to God. Perhaps I will soon have to die. Then my blood would be like drink that I am pouring on your sacrifice, to please God. So, if I have to die now, I will be happy. And we should all be happy together. 18 Yes, it is right that you should be happy, and I will also be happy with you.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I want to send Timothy to come to you soon. I hope that the Lord Jesus will let me do that. Then, when Timothy returns to me, he can tell me news about you. And that will make me happy. 20 Timothy really loves you, as I do. There is nobody else here with me like him. 21 Everyone else thinks only about themselves. They have no interest in the things that are important to Jesus Christ. 22 But you know what Timothy is like. He has worked with me like a son works to help his father. Together we have taught people God's good news. 23 That is why I hope to send him to you soon. But first, I want to know what will happen to me here. 24 The Lordhas helped me to hope that I will soon come to you myself.
25 Whatever happens, I think I must send Epaphroditus to come back to you.[d] He is our true Christian brother. He has worked with me to serve God together. We have worked hard, like soldiers. When I needed help, you sent him to me. He has helped me on your behalf. 26 Now he wants very much to see all of you again. He became very sad, because you heard the message that he was ill. 27 Certainly, he was very ill, and he almost died. But God was kind to him. And God was kind to me too. If Epaphroditus had died, I would have become even more sad. 28 So I want even more to send him back to you. Then you can be really happy, and I will not feel sad any more.
29 Receive Epaphroditus well when he comes, and be happy. Like you, he belongs to the Lord's people. You should respect people like him and be kind to them. 30 He nearly died because he was working to serve Christ. He came to help me, because you could not help me yourselves. He was even ready to die so that he could do that on your behalf.[e]
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