M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Personal Sin Offerings
4 The Lord told Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelis and tell them that if a person inadvertently sins with respect to any of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, but nevertheless he disobeys one of them, 3 or if the anointed priest sins, thereby bringing guilt on the people, let him bring a young bull[a] without defect as a sin offering to the Lord for his sin that he had committed.
4 “He is to bring the bull to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, into the Lord’s presence, where he is to lay his hand on the head of the bull and slaughter it in the Lord’s presence. 5 The anointed priest is to take[b] blood from the bull to the Tent of Meeting. 6 The priest is to dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times in the Lord’s presence in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.
7 “The priest is then to put some blood on the horn of the altar that is near the Tent of Meeting as an incense of pleasing aroma in the Lord’s presence. He is to pour the rest of the bull’s blood[c] for a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 8 Then he is to remove all the fat from the bull for a sin offering—that is, the fat that covers the internal organs,[d] all of the fat that is inside the internal organs, 9 the two kidneys with the fat on them by the loins, and the fatty mass[e] surrounding the liver and kidneys— 10 just as it is taken from the bull for a peace offering. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar for burnt offerings.
11 “Now as for the bull’s hide, its flesh, its head, its legs, its internal organs, and its dung, 12 along with the rest of the bull, he is to bring it outside the camp to a clean place, where fat ashes are to be poured over it and then it is to be thoroughly burned over wood with fire. It is to be burned where the fat ashes are poured out.”
National Sin Offerings
13 “If the whole congregation of Israel goes astray, and if the sin is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and if they go astray from one of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, then they will stand guilty. 14 When the sin that they have committed becomes known, the entire congregation is to bring a young bull as a sin offering to the Tent of Meeting, 15 where the elders of the community are to lay their hands on the head of the bull in the Lord’s presence and slaughter it.[f] 16 The anointed priest is to take blood from the bull and bring it to the Tent of Meeting. 17 Then the priest is to dip his finger in the blood, sprinkle some of the blood seven times in front of the curtain in the Lord’s presence, 18 then put blood on the horn of the altar near the Tent of Meeting in the Lord’s presence. He is to pour the rest of the blood as a burnt offering at the base of the altar that is at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19 Then he is to remove all the fat from the bull for a sin offering and burn it on the altar. 20 He is to do to this bull what he did to the bull for the sin offering. He is to do it this way so that the priest will make atonement for them and they will be forgiven. 21 Then he is to bring the rest of the bull outside the camp and burn it just as he had burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the congregation.”
Sin Offerings for Rulers
22 “When a ruler inadvertently sins, disobeying any one of the commands of the Lord his God that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 23 When the sin that he had committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering: a male goat without defect. 24 He is then to lay his hand on the head of the goat and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered—in the Lord’s presence—as a sin offering. 25 Then the priest is to take blood from the sin offering with his finger, put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings, and then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar that is used for burnt offerings. 26 He is to burn all the fat on the altar as is done for the fat for the sacrifice of a peace offering. This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning his sin. It will be forgiven him.”
Sin Offerings for the People
27 “If any[g] of the common people of the land inadvertently sins by disobeying one of the Lord’s commands that should not be violated, he will be guilty. 28 When the sin that he committed is disclosed to him, he is to bring his offering for his sin that he had committed: a female goat without defect. 29 He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it[h] at the place for burnt offering. 30 Then the priest is to take blood with his finger, put it on the horn of the altar that is used for burnt offerings, and then pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 31 He is to remove all the fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice for the peace offering. Then the priest is to burn it on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. This is how the priest will make atonement for him. It will be forgiven him.
32 “If he brings a lamb for his offering, he is to bring a female without defect. 33 He is to lay his hand on the head of the offering and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. 34 Then the priest is to take blood with his finger and put it on the horn of the altar for burnt offering. Then he is to pour the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 35 Then the presenter is to remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of the peace offering. The priest is to burn it on the altar over the offerings made by fire to the Lord. This is how the priest will make atonement for him concerning the sin that he had committed. It will be forgiven him.”
BOOK I (Psalms 1-41)
The Righteous and the Wicked[a]
1 How blessed is the person,
who does not take[b] the advice of the wicked,
who does not stand on the path with sinners,
and who does not sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But he delights in the Lord’s instruction,[c]
and meditates in his instruction[d] day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in its season,
and whose leaf does not wither.
He will prosper in everything he does.
4 But this is not the case with the wicked.
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not escape[e] judgment,
nor will sinners have a place[f] in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
The Nations and God’s Anointed
2 Why are the nations in an uproar,
and their people involved in a vain plot?
2 As the kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his anointed one, they say,[g]
3 “Let us tear off their shackles from us,[h]
and cast off their chains.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 In his anger he rebukes them,
and in his wrath he terrifies them:
6 “I have set my king on Zion,
my holy mountain.”
The Anointed King Speaks
7 Let me announce the decree of the Lord
that he told me:
“You are my son,
today I have become your father.
8 Ask of me, and I will give you
the nations as your inheritance,
the ends of the earth as your possession.
9 You will break them with an iron rod,
you will shatter them like pottery.”
10 Therefore, kings, act wisely!
Earthly rulers, be warned!
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss[i] the son before he becomes[j] angry,
and you die where you stand.[k]
Indeed, his wrath can flare up quickly.
How blessed are those who take refuge in him.
The Priorities of Life Contrasted
19 A poor man who walks blamelessly is better
than a fool who speaks perversely.
2 Furthermore, it isn’t good to be ignorant,[a]
and whoever rushes into things[b] misses the mark.
3 A man’s foolishness ruins his life,[c]
yet his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth brings many friends,
but a poor man is deserted by his friend.
5 A witness to lies will not go unpunished;
the teller of falsehoods will not escape.
6 Many curry favor of an official;
everyone is a friend of the gift giver.
7 All the relatives of a poor person shun him—
how much more do his friends avoid him!
Though he runs after them pleading,
they aren’t around.
8 Whoever obtains wisdom loves himself,
and whoever treasures understanding will prosper.
9 A witness to lies will not go unpunished;
the teller of falsehoods will perish.
10 It’s not fitting for a fool to live in luxury;
neither is it for a servant to rule over princes.
11 A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
and it is to his credit that he ignores an offence.
12 The king’s anger is like the roaring of a lion,
but his goodwill is like dew on the grass.
13 A father’s ruin is a foolish son,
and a wife’s quarreling is like[d] dripping water that never stops.
14 A house and self-sufficiency are a father’s inheritance,
but from the Lord comes an insightful wife.
15 Laziness puts one to sleep,
and an idle person will go hungry.
16 Whoever obeys a commandment keeps himself safe,[e]
but someone who is contemptuous in conduct[f] will die.
17 Whoever is kind to the poor is lending to the Lord—
the benefit of his gift will return to him in abundance.
18 Discipline your son while there is still hope—
but don’t set your heart on his destruction.
19 The person who has great anger must pay the consequences,
because if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and you’ll be wise for the rest of your life.[g]
21 Many plans occupy the mind[h] of a man,
but the Lord’s purposes will prevail.[i]
22 Human beings long for grace,
and it’s better to be poor than a man of deceit.
23 The fear of the Lord leads[j] to life;
whoever is satisfied with it will rest,
untouched by evil.
24 The lazy person buries his hand in his dish
and doesn’t bother to bring it back to his mouth.
25 If you scourge a scoffer,
the simple person may learn to be discreet;
rebuke a discerning man
and he will gain understanding.
26 Whoever mistreats his father
and alienates his mother
is a son who brings both shame and disrespect.
27 My son, if you stop listening to instruction,
you will stray from the principles of knowledge.
28 A corrupt witness[k] mocks justice,
and the wicked person feeds on iniquity.
29 Condemnation is appropriate for mockers,
just as beatings are for the backs of fools.
2 For I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who have never seen me face to face.[a] 2 Because they are united in love, I pray[b] that their hearts may be encouraged by all the riches that come from a complete understanding of the full knowledge of the Messiah,[c] who is[d] the mystery of God. 3 In him are stored all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this so that no one will mislead you with nice-sounding rhetoric. 5 For although I am physically absent, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see how stable you are and how firm your faith in the Messiah[e] is.
Fullness of Life
6 So then, just as you have received the Messiah[f] Jesus the Lord, continue to live dependent on him. 7 For you have been rooted in him and are being built up and strengthened in the faith, just as you were taught, while you continue to be thankful. 8 See to it that no one enslaves you through philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the basic principles of the world,[g] and not according to the Messiah,[h] 9 because all the essence[i] of deity inhabits him in bodily form. 10 And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. 11 In union with him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without human[j] hands by stripping off the corrupt nature by the circumcision performed by the Messiah.[k] 12 When you were buried with the Messiah[l] in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 Even when you were dead because of your offenses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God[m] made you alive with him when he forgave us all of our offenses, 14 having erased the charges that were brought against us, along with their obligations that were hostile to us. He took those charges away when he nailed them to the cross. 15 And when he had disarmed the rulers and the authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.[n]
16 Therefore, let no one judge you in matters of food and drink or with respect to a festival, a New Moon, or Sabbath days.[o] 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality[p] belongs to the Messiah.[q] 18 Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels cheat you out of the prize by rejoicing about what he has seen.[r] Such a person is puffed up for no reason by his carnal mind. 19 He does not hold on to the head, from whom the whole body, which is nourished and held together by its joints and ligaments, grows as God enables it.
The New Life in the Messiah
20 If you have died with the Messiah[s] to the basic principles of the world,[t] why are you submitting to its decrees as though you still lived in the world? 21 “Don’t handle this! Don’t taste or touch that!” 22 All of these things will be destroyed as they are used, because they are based on human commands and teachings. 23 These things have the appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion, humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they have no value against self-indulgence.
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