M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Aaron’s Ministry Commences
9 Eight days later, Moses called Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel. 2 He told Aaron, “Take a young calf for a sin offering and a ram without defect for a whole burnt offering and bring them into the Lord’s presence.”
3 He also told the Israelis, “Bring a male goat for a sin offering, a calf, a year old lamb without defect for a whole burnt offering, 4 an ox, a ram for a peace offering to sacrifice in the Lord’s presence, and a grain offering with olive oil, because on that day the Lord will appear to you.” 5 So they brought what Moses had commanded to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The entire congregation drew near and stood in the Lord’s presence.
6 Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may be revealed to you.”
7 Moses then told Aaron, “Approach the altar and bring your sin and whole burnt offerings. Make atonement for yourself and the people. Then bring the people’s offering and make atonement for them, as the Lord commanded.”
8 So Aaron drew near to the altar and slaughtered the calf for a sin offering on behalf of himself. 9 Next, Aaron’s sons brought the blood to him and he dipped his fingers in the blood and placed it on the horns of the altar. As to the rest of the[a] blood, he poured it at the base of the altar. 10 He incinerated the fat, the kidneys, and the appendage from the liver of the sin offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 He also incinerated the meat and skin outside the camp. 12 And so the burnt offering was slaughtered, and Aaron’s sons secured for him the blood, which he poured on the altar and around it.
Aaron’s Burnt Offering
13 As for the burnt offering, they delivered it to Aaron[b] piece by piece, and he burned the head on the altar, 14 washed the internal organs and thighs, and incinerated them on the altar, along with the whole burnt offering. 15 He brought the people’s offering, presenting a goat for a sin offering on behalf of the people. He slaughtered it and offered it as the first sin offering. 16 Then he brought the whole burnt offering and offered it according to procedure.
17 Next, he brought the grain offering, filled his hand with it, and burned it on the altar next to the burnt offering for that morning. 18 He slaughtered the ox and ram for the peace offering sacrifice on behalf of the people. Aaron’s sons delivered the blood to him, which he poured on the altar and around it. 19 As to the fat from the ox and the ram—the tail, the fat covering the kidneys, and the appendage of the liver— 20 they placed the fat on the breast and burned the fat on the altar. 21 Aaron waved the breast and the right thigh as a raised offering in the Lord’s presence, just as Moses had commanded. 22 Aaron raised his hand toward the people and blessed them. Then he came down from the altar after[c] offering the sin, whole burnt, and peace offerings.
23 Moses and Aaron entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 A fire came down from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering on the altar as well as the fat. When the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
A Prayer for Judging the Wicked
10 [a]Why do you stand far away, Lord?
Why do you hide in times of distress?
2 The wicked one arrogantly pursues the afflicted,[b]
who are trapped in the schemes he devises.
3 For the wicked one boasts about his own desire;
he blesses the greedy
and despises the Lord.
4 With haughty arrogance, the wicked thinks,
“God will not seek justice.”[c]
He always presumes “There is no God.”
5 Their ways always seem prosperous.
Your judgments are on high,
far away from them.
They scoff at all their enemies.
6 They say to themselves,
“We will not be moved throughout all time,
and we will not experience adversity.”
7 Their mouth is full of curses, lies, and oppression,
their tongues[d] spread trouble and iniquity.
8 They wait[e] in ambush in the villages,
they kill the innocent in secret.
9 Their eyes secretly watch the helpless,
lying in wait like a lion in his den.
They lie in wait to catch the afflicted.
They catch the afflicted when they pull him into their net.
10 The victim[f] is crushed,
and he sinks down;
the helpless fall by their might.
11 The wicked say to themselves,
“God has forgotten,
he has hidden his face,
he will never see it.”
12 Rise up, Lord!
Raise your hand, God.
Don’t forget the afflicted!
13 Why do the wicked despise God
and say to themselves, “God[g] will not seek justice.”?[h]
14 But you do see!
You take note of trouble and grief
in order to take the matter into your own hand.
The helpless one commits himself[i] to you;
you have been the orphan’s helper.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
so that when you seek out his wickedness
you will find it no more.
16 The Lord is king forever and ever;
nations will perish from his land.
Benefits of Wisdom
24 Don’t be envious of wicked men
or wish you were with them,
2 because they[a] plan violence,
and they are always talking[b] about trouble.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
it is made secure through understanding.
4 By knowledge its rooms are furnished
with all sorts of expensive and beautiful goods.
5 A wise man is strong,[c]
and a knowledgeable man grows in strength.
6 For through wise counsel you will wage your war,
and victory lies in an abundance of advisors.
7 Wisdom lies beyond reach of the fool;
he has nothing to say in court.[d]
8 The person who plans on doing evil
will be called a schemer.
9 To devise folly is sin,
and people detest a scoffer.
10 If you grow weary when times are troubled,
your strength is limited.[e]
11 Rescue those who are being led away to death,
and save those who stumble toward slaughter.
12 If you say, “Look here, we didn’t know about this,”
doesn’t God,[f] who examines motives,[g] discern it?
Doesn’t the one who guards your soul
know about it?
Won’t he repay each person
according to what he has done?
13 My son, eat honey, because it’s good for you;[h]
indeed, drippings from the honeycomb are sweet to your taste;
14 Keep in mind that wisdom is like that for your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future for you,
and what you hope for won’t be cut short.
15 Don’t lie in wait like an outlaw
to attack where the righteous live;
16 for though a righteous man falls seven times,
he will rise again,
but the wicked stumble into calamity.
17 Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls;
don’t let yourself be glad when he stumbles.
18 Otherwise the Lord will observe and disapprove,
and he will turn his anger away from him.
19 Don’t be anxious about those who practice evil,
and don’t be envious of the wicked.
20 For the wicked man has no future;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear both the Lord and the king,
and don’t keep company with rebels.
22 They will be destroyed suddenly,
and who knows what kind of punishment will come from these two?
Sayings of the Wise
23 Here are some more proverbs from wise people:
It isn’t good to show partiality in judgment.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You’re in the right,”
will be cursed by people and hated by nations.
25 But as for people who rebuke the wicked;[i]
a good blessing will fall upon them.
26 A kiss on the lips—
that’s what someone who gives an honest answer deserves.[j]
27 First do your outside work,
preparing your land for yourself.
After that, build your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor without a cause,
and don’t lie when you speak.[k]
29 Don’t say, “I’ll do to him like he did to me,
I’ll be sure to pay him back for what he did.”
30 I went by the field belonging to a lazy man,
by a vineyard belonging to a senseless person.
31 There it was, overgrown with thistles,
the ground covered with thorns,
its stone wall collapsed.
32 As I observed, I thought about it;
I watched, and learned a lesson:
33 “A little sleep! A little slumber!
A little folding of my hands to rest!”
34 Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber,
your need like an armed bandit.
3 Therefore, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to remain alone in Athens 2 and send Timothy, our brother who works with us for God in the gospel of the Messiah,[a] to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one would be shaken by these persecutions, for which you are aware that we were destined. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we told you ahead of time that we were going to suffer persecution. And as you know, that is what happened. 5 But when I could stand it no longer, I sent Timothy[b] to find out about your faith. I was afraid that the tempter had tempted you in some way, and that our work had been a waste of time.
Paul Rejoices about the Thessalonians
6 But Timothy has just now returned from visiting[c] you and has told us the good news about your faith and love. He also told us that you always have fond memories of us and want to see us, just as we want to see you. 7 That’s why, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you by your faith. 8 For now we can go on living, as long as you continue to stand firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we have in God’s presence because of you? 10 We pray very hard night and day that we may see you again face to face, so that we may equip you with[d] whatever is lacking in your faith.
11 Now may our God and Father and our Lord Jesus provide a way for us to visit you. 12 May the Lord greatly increase your love[e] for each other and for all people, just as we love you.[f] 13 Then your hearts will be strong, blameless, and holy in the presence of God, who is our Father, when our Lord Jesus appears with all his saints.[g]
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