M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Israelis Collect Material for the Tent
35 Moses assembled the entire congregation of the Israelis and told them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do:[a] 2 For six days work is to be done, but on the seventh day you are to have a holy day, a Sabbath of complete rest in dedication to the Lord. Anyone who does work on that day is to be executed. 3 You are not to light a fire in any of your dwellings on the Sabbath.”
4 Then Moses told the entire congregation of the Israelis, “This is what the Lord has commanded, 5 ‘Take from among yourselves an offering for the Lord. Everyone whose heart is willing is to bring as an offering for the Lord: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue, purple, and scarlet material;[b] fine linen and goat hair; 7 ram skins dyed red,[c] dolphin[d] skins, acacia wood, 8 oil for lighting, spices for the anointing oil and for aromatic incense, 9 onyx stones, and stones for setting in the ephod and the breast piece.
10 “‘Let everyone who is skilled[e] among you come and make everything that the Lord has commanded: 11 the tent, its tent, its covering, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, and its sockets, 12 the ark, its poles, the Mercy Seat, the curtain,[f] 13 the table, its poles, all its furnishings, and the bread of the presence, 14 the lamp stand for light, its furnishings, its lamps, and oil for the light, 15 the altar of incense, its poles, the anointing oil, the aromatic incense, and the screen for the doorway at the entrance to the tent, 16 the altar for burnt offerings, the bronze lattice for it, its poles, and all its furnishings, the basin and its base, 17 the hangings for the court, its pillars, its sockets,[g] the screen for the gate of the court, 18 the pegs for the tent, the pegs for the court, and their cords, 19 the woven garments for ministering in the Holy Place, the holy garments of Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons for serving as priests.’”
20 Then the entire congregation of the Israelis withdrew from Moses’ presence, 21 and every person whose heart moved him and all whose spirits prompted them, brought an offering to the Lord for constructing[h] the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 Both the men and women came—all whose hearts prompted them—and brought brooches, earrings, rings, pendants, and all kinds of gold jewelry. Every person presented a wave offering of gold to the Lord.
23 Everyone who had blue, purple, and scarlet material, fine linen, goat hair, ram skins dyed red,[i] and dolphin[j] skins brought them. 24 Everyone who could give an offering of silver and bronze brought it as a contribution for the Lord. Also all who had acacia wood for any use in the work[k] brought it.
25 Every skilled[l] woman spun with her hands, and brought what she had spun: blue, purple, and scarlet material, and fine linen. 26 All the women who were skilled artisans[m] spun the goat hair.
27 The leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set in the ephod and the breast piece, 28 spices and oil for the light and for the anointing oil and the aromatic incense. 29 Each Israeli man and woman whose heart was prompted brought something[n] as a freewill offering to the Lord for all the work that the Lord had commanded them to do through[o] Moses.
Craftsmen for Building the Tent
30 Moses told the Israelis, “Look, the Lord has called[p] Uri’s son Bezalel, grandson of Hur, from the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, and with knowledge of all kinds of work, 32 to make artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 to cut stones for setting, to carve wood, and to engage in all kinds of artistic work. 34 And he has given both him and Ahisamach’s son Oholiab from the tribe of Dan the ability to teach. 35 He has equipped them[q] to do all kinds of work done by an engraver, designer, embroider in blue, purple and scarlet material and in fine linen, or as a weaver. They were able to do[r] all kinds of work and were skilled designers.
Jesus the Way to the Father
14 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Believe[a] in God, believe also in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. If there weren’t, I wouldn’t have told you that I am going away to prepare a place for you, would I? 3 And since[b] I’m going away to prepare a place for you, I’ll come back again and welcome you into my presence, so that you may be where I am. 4 You know where I am going, and you know the way.”
5 Thomas asked him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have known me, you will also know my Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip told him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will satisfy us.”
9 “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me?” Jesus asked him. “The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 You believe, don’t you, that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I don’t speak on my own. It is the Father who dwells in me and who carries out his work. 11 Believe me, I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe me[c] because of what I’ve been doing.[d] 12 Truly, I tell all of you[e] emphatically, the one who believes in me will also do what I’m doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I’m going to the Father. 13 I’ll do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me[f] for anything in my name, I will do it.”
The Promise of the Helper
15 “If you love me, keep[g] my commandments. 16 I will ask the Father to give[h] you another Helper, to be with you always. 17 He is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor recognizes him. But you recognize him, because he lives with you and will be in[i] you. 18 I’m not going to forsake you like orphans. I will come back to you.
19 “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that time, you’ll know that I am in my Father, that you are in me, and that I am in you. 21 The person who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love him and reveal myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) asked him, “Lord, how is it that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. Then my Father will love him, and we will go to him and make our home within him. 24 The one who doesn’t love me doesn’t keep my words. The words that you’re hearing me say are not mine, but come from the Father who sent me.
25 “I have told you this while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you. 27 I’m leaving you at peace. I’m giving you my own peace. I’m not giving it to you as the world gives. So don’t let your hearts be troubled, and don’t be afraid. 28 You have heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, but I’m coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I’m going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am. 29 I’ve told you this now, before I leave, so that when I do leave, you will believe. 30 I won’t talk with you much longer, because the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me.[j] 31 But I’m doing what the Father has commanded me, to let the world know that I love the Father. Get up! Let us leave this place.”
The Value of Righteousness
11 The Lord hates false scales,
but he delights in accurate weights.
2 When pride appears, disgrace accompanies it,
but humility is present with wisdom.
3 The integrity of the righteous guides them,
but the hypocrisy of the treacherous destroys them.
4 Wealth won’t help in the time of judgment,[a]
but righteousness will deliver from death.
5 The righteousness of the innocent creates a level path,
but the wicked fall by their wickedness.
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the treacherous are trapped by their evil desires.
7 When a wicked person dies, his hope vanishes;[b]
and what he[c] expected from his scheming comes to nothing.
8 The righteous person is delivered from trouble;
it comes upon the wicked instead.
9 By what he says, the godless person can destroy his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.
10 The city rejoices when the righteous prosper,
and when the wicked perish there is jubilation.
11 Through the blessing of the righteous a city is built up,
but what the wicked say tears it down.
12 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
but the discerning man controls his comments.
13 Whoever spreads gossip betrays secrets,
but the trustworthy person[d] keeps a confidence.
14 A nation falls through a lack of guidance,
but victory comes through the counsel of many.[e]
15 Securing a loan for a stranger will bring suffering,
but by refusing to do so, one remains safe.
16 A gracious woman attains honor,[f]
but[g] ruthless men attain[h] wealth.
17 A gracious man benefits himself,
but the cruel person damages himself.
18 Evil people earn deceptive wages,
but those who plant righteousness are truly rewarded.
19 Genuine righteousness leads to life,
but whoever pursues evil will die.
20 Devious minds are abhorrent to the Lord,
but those whose ways are innocent are his delight.
21 Be sure of this:[i] the wicked will not go unpunished,
but the descendants of the righteous will go free.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without discretion.
23 The desire of the righteous is to seek good,
but the hope of the wicked results in wrath.
24 Those who give freely gain even more;
others hold back what they owe, becoming even poorer.
25 A generous person will prosper,
and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return.
26 People will curse whoever withholds grain,
but blessing will come to whoever is selling.
27 The person seeking good will find favor,
but anyone who searches for evil—it will find him!
28 The person who trusts in his wealth will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.
29 Whoever troubles his household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be a servant to the wise.
The Messiah’s Gifts to the Church
4 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love. 3 Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit. Likewise, you were called to the one hope of your calling.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is above all, through all, and in all.
7 Now to each one of us grace has been given proportionate to the measure of the Messiah’s[a] gift. 8 That is why God[b] says,
“When he went up to the highest place,
he led captives into captivity
and gave gifts to people.”[c]
9 Now what does this “he went up” mean except that he also had gone[d] down into the lower parts of the earth?[e] 10 The one who went down is the same one who went up above all the heavens so that all things would be fulfilled. 11 And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers, 12 to equip[f] the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah[g] 13 until all of us are united in the faith and in the full knowledge of God’s Son, and until we attain mature adulthood and the full standard of development in the Messiah.[h] 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, or by clever strategies that would lead us astray. 15 Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely and become one with the head, that is, one with the Messiah,[i] 16 in whom the whole body is united and held together by every ligament with which it is supplied. As each individual part does its job, the body builds itself up in love.
The Old Life and the New
17 Therefore, I tell you and insist on[j] in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.[k] 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. 19 Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint. 20 However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah.[l] 21 Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus. 22 Regarding your former way of life, you were taught[m] to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires, 23 to be renewed in your mental attitude, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God’s image[n] in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Therefore, stripping off falsehood, “let each of us speak the truth to his neighbor,”[o] for we belong to one another. 26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.”[p] Do not let the sun set while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the Devil an opportunity to work.[q] 28 The thief must no longer steal but must work hard and do what is good with his own hands, so that he might earn something to give to the needy.
29 Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment.[r] This way you will administer grace to those who hear you. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. 32 And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you[s] in the Messiah.[t]
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