M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord’s Instructions for Setting up the Tent
40 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tent of the Tent of Meeting. 3 You are to put the Ark of the Testimony there, and screen off the ark with the curtain. 4 You are to bring in the table and properly arrange what goes on it.[a] Then you are to bring in the lamp stand and set up its lamps.
5 “You are to put the golden altar for incense in front of the Ark of the Testimony and then set up the screen for the doorway to the tent. 6 You are to put the altar for burnt offerings in front of the doorway of the tent of the Tent of Meeting. 7 You are to put the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it.[b] 8 You are to set up the court all around, and hang up the screen for the gate of the court. 9 You are to take the anointing oil and anoint the tent and all that is in it. You are to consecrate it and all its furnishings and it will be holy.
10 “You are to anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils. You are to consecrate the altar and the altar will be most holy. 11 You are to anoint the basin and its base and consecrate it. 12 Then you are to bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, and wash them with water. 13 You are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, you are to anoint him, and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. 14 You are to bring his sons and clothe them with tunics. 15 You are to anoint them just as you anointed their father so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing is to qualify them[c] to belong to a perpetual priesthood from generation to generation.”
Moses Obeys God’s Instructions
16 Moses did everything that the Lord had commanded him, so he did. 17 And so in the first month of the second year, on the first day of the month, the tent was set up. 18 Moses set up the tent. He installed its sockets and set its boards in place. He inserted its bars and set up its pillars. 19 He spread the tent over the tent and put the covering of the tent on top of it, just as the Lord had commanded him.[d] 20 Then he took the Testimony, put it into the ark, and placed the poles on the ark. He then put the Mercy Seat on top of the ark. 21 He brought the ark into the tent, set up the curtain, and screened off the Ark of the Testimony, just as the Lord had commanded him.[e] 22 He put the table in the Tent of Meeting, on the north side of the tent, outside the curtain, 23 and properly arranged the bread on it in the Lord’s presence, just as the Lord had commanded him.[f]
24 Then he put the lamp stand in the Tent of Meeting, opposite the table on the south side of the tent, 25 and set up the lamps in the Lord’s presence, just as the Lord had commanded him.[g] 26 He put the golden altar in the Tent of Meeting in front of the curtain 27 and burned aromatic incense on it, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.
28 He set up the screen for the doorway of the tent. 29 He put the altar for burnt offerings at the doorway of the tent of the Tent of Meeting, and offered the burnt offering and the grain offering on it, just as the Lord had commanded him.[h] 30 He put the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet from it. 32 When they entered the Tent of Meeting and approached the altar, they washed, just as the Lord had commanded him.[i] 33 He set up the court all around the tent and the altar, and hung up the screen for the gate of the court. And so Moses finished the work.
The Glory of the Lord Fills the Completed Tent
34 The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tent. 35 Moses was not able to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tent. 36 Whenever the cloud was lifted up from the tent, the Israelis would set out on their journey, 37 but if the cloud was not lifted up, they would not set out until[j] it was lifted up, 38 since the cloud of the Lord was over the tent by day, and the fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel in all their journeys.
Jesus is Sentenced to Death(A)
19 Then Pilate had Jesus taken away and whipped. 2 The soldiers twisted some thorns into a victor’s crown, put it on his head, and threw a purple robe on him. 3 They kept coming up to him and saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” Then they began to slap him on the face.
4 Pilate went outside again and told the Jews,[a] “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 Then Jesus came outside, wearing the victor’s crown of thorns and the purple robe.
Pilate told them, “Here is the man!”
6 When the high priests and the officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate told them, “You take him and crucify him. I find no basis for a charge against him.”
7 The Jewish leaders[b] answered Pilate,[c] “We have a law, and according to that Law he must die because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he became even more afraid. 9 Returning to his headquarters,[d] he asked Jesus, “Where are you from?”
But Jesus did not answer him.
10 So Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to speak to me? You realize, don’t you, that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered him, “You have no authority over me at all, except what was given to you from above. That’s why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders[e] kept shouting, “If you release this fellow, you’re not a friend of Caesar! Anyone who claims to be a king is defying Caesar!”
13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat in a place called The Pavement, which in Hebrew is called Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day for the Passover, about noon.[f] He told the Jewish leaders,[g] “Here is your king!”
15 Then they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Should I crucify your king?”
The high priests responded, “We have no king but Caesar!” 16 Then Pilate[h] handed him over to be crucified, and they took Jesus away.
Jesus is Crucified(B)
17 Carrying the cross all by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of a Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, along with two others, one on each side of him with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus from Nazareth,[i] the King of the Jews.” 20 Many Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
21 Then the Jewish high priests told Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this fellow said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate replied, “What I have written I have written.”
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier, and took his cloak[j] as well. The cloak was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. 24 So they told each other, “Let’s not tear it. Instead, let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture that says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they threw dice.”[k]
So that is what the soldiers did.
25 Meanwhile, standing near Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.[l] 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he kept loving standing there, he told his mother, “Dear lady,[m] here is your son.” 27 Then he told the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(C)
28 After this, when Jesus realized that everything was now completed, he said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), “I’m thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 After Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.
Jesus’ Side is Pierced
31 Since it was the Preparation Day, the Jewish leaders[n] did not want to leave the bodies on the crosses during the Sabbath, because that was a particularly important Sabbath. So they asked Pilate to have the men’s legs broken and the bodies[o] removed. 32 So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water immediately came out. 35 The one who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows he is telling the truth so that you, too, may believe, 36 because these things happened so that the Scripture might be fulfilled:
“None of his bones will be broken.”[p]
37 In addition, another passage of Scripture says,
“They will look on the one whom they pierced.”[q]
Jesus is Buried(D)
38 Later on, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders),[r] asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, and he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, the man who had first come to Jesus at night, also arrived, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about 100 litra.[s] 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths along with spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 A garden was located in the place where he was crucified, and in that garden was a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. 42 Because it was the Jewish Preparation Day, and because the tomb was nearby, they put Jesus there.
Wisdom’s Blessings
2 Everything a person does seems pure in his own opinion,
but the Lord weighs intentions.
3 Entrust your work to the Lord,
and your planning will succeed.
4 The Lord made everything answerable to him,
including the wicked at the time of trouble.[c]
5 The Lord detests those who are proud;
truly they will not go unpunished.
6 Iniquity is atoned for by gracious love and truth,
and through fear of the Lord people[d] turn from evil.
7 When a person’s ways please the Lord,
even his enemies will be at peace with him.
8 A little gain[e] with righteousness is better
than great income without justice.
9 A person plans his way,
but the Lord directs his steps.
10 When a king is ready to speak officially,[f]
what he says should not err with respect to justice.
11 Honest scales and balances are from the Lord;
he made all the weights in the bag.
12 Kings detest wrongdoing,
for through righteousness the throne is established.
13 Kings take pleasure in righteous speech;
they treasure a person who speaks what is upright.
14 The king’s wrath results in a death sentence,
but whoever is wise will appease him.
15 When a king is pleased,[g] there is life,
and his favor is like a cloud that brings spring rain.
16 How much better than gaining gold is the acquisition of wisdom,
the attainment of wisdom better than silver!
17 The road of the upright circumvents evil,
and whoever watches how he lives[h] preserves his life.
18 Pride precedes destruction;
an arrogant spirit appears before a fall.
19 Better to be humble among the poor,
than to share what is stolen with the proud.
20 Whoever listens to a word of instruction prospers,
and anyone who trusts in the Lord is blessed.
21 The wise-hearted person is told to be discerning,
and that pleasant speech promotes instruction.
22 Anyone who has understanding is a fountain of life,
but foolishness brings punishment to fools.
23 A wise person’s thoughts[i] control his words,
and his speech promotes instruction.
24 Pleasant words are honey from a honeycomb—
sweet to the soul and healing for the body.[j]
Advice to the Wise
25 There is a road that seems right for a man to travel,[k]
but in the end it’s the road to death.
26 The appetite of the laborer motivates him;
indeed, his hunger drives him on.
27 A worthless person concocts evil gossip[l]—
his lips are like a burning fire.
28 A deceitful man stirs dissension,
and anyone who gossips separates friends.
29 A violent man entices his companion
and leads him on a path that is not good.
30 Whoever winks knowingly[m] is plotting[n] deceit;
anyone who purses his lips is bent towards evil.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is obtained by following[o] a righteous path.
32 Whoever controls his temper is better than a warrior,
and anyone who has control of his spirit is better
than someone who captures a city.
33 The dice is cast into someone’s lap,
but the outcome is from the Lord.
Warning against Pride
3 So then,[a] my brothers, keep on rejoicing in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you; indeed, it is for your safety.
2 Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil workers! Beware of the mutilators![b] 3 For it is we who are the circumcision[c]—we who worship in the Spirit of God[d] and find our joy in the Messiah[e] Jesus. We have not placed any confidence in the flesh, 4 although I could have confidence in the flesh. If anyone thinks he can place confidence in the flesh, I have more reason to think so.[f] 5 Having been circumcised on the eighth day, I am of the nation of Israel, from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. As far as the Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee. 6 As for my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church. As far as righteousness in the Law is concerned, I was blameless.
7 But whatever things were assets to me, these I now consider a loss for the sake of the Messiah.[g] 8 What is more, I continue to consider all these things to be a loss for the sake of what is far more valuable, knowing the Messiah[h] Jesus, my Lord. It is because of him that I have experienced the loss of all those things. Indeed, I consider them rubbish[i] in order to gain the Messiah[j] 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the Law, but one that comes through the faithfulness[k] of the Messiah,[l] the righteousness that comes from God and that depends on faith. 10 I want to know the Messiah[m]—what his resurrection power is like and what it means to share in his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 though I hope to experience the resurrection from the dead.
Pursuing the Goal
12 It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already become perfect. But I keep pursuing it, hoping somehow to embrace it just as I have been embraced by the Messiah[n] Jesus. 13 Brothers, I do not consider myself to have embraced it yet.[o] But this one thing I do: Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I keep pursuing the goal to win the prize[p] of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah[q] Jesus.
15 Therefore, those of us who are mature[r] should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will show you how to think.[s] 16 However, we should live up to what we have achieved so far.
True and False Teachers
17 Join together in imitating me, brothers, and pay close attention to those who live by the example we have set for you.[t] 18 For I have often told you, and now tell you even with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of the Messiah.[u] 19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on worldly things.
20 Our citizenship, however, is in heaven, and it is from there that we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[v] 21 He will change our unassuming bodies and make them like his glorious body through the power that enables him to bring everything under his authority.
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