M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Warnings About Various Sins
20 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “You must also tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel these things: ‘If a person in your country gives one of his children to Molech [18:21], that person must be ·killed [put to death]. It doesn’t matter if he is a ·citizen [L son of Israel] or a ·foreigner living [L resident alien sojourning] in Israel; you must ·throw stones at [stone] him and ·kill him [put him to death]. 3 I will be against him and cut him off from his people, because he gave his children to Molech. He showed that he ·did not respect [profaned] my holy name, and he made my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] unclean. 4 The people of the ·community [L land] might ·ignore [close their eyes to; or connive with] that person and not kill the one who gave his children to Molech. 5 But I will ·be [L set my face] against him and his family, and I will cut him off from his people. I will do this to anyone who follows him in ·being unfaithful to me [L prostituting himself] by worshiping Molech.
6 “‘I will ·be [L set my face] against anyone who ·goes [turns] to mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards] for advice, because that person is ·being unfaithful to [L prostituting himself against] me. So I will cut him off from his people.
7 “‘Be my holy people. Be holy because I am the Lord your God. 8 ·Remember [Keep; Guard] and obey my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements]. I am the Lord, and I have ·made you holy [consecrated you].
9 “‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother, so he has brought his own ·death [L blood] on himself [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16].
Punishments for Sexual Sins
10 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [commits adultery] with his neighbor’s wife, both the ·man and the woman are guilty of adultery and [L adulterer and the adulteress] must be put to death [18:20; Deut. 22:22]. 11 If a man ·has sexual relations [L lies] with his father’s wife, ·he has shamed [L exposing/revealing the nakedness of] his father, and both the man and his father’s wife must be put to death. They have brought ·it [L blood] on themselves [18:8; Deut. 22:30].
12 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [L lies] with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is ·not natural [perverted]. They have brought ·their own deaths [L blood] on themselves.
13 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [L lies] with another man as a man does with a woman, these two men have ·done a hateful sin [committed an abomination]. They must be put to death. They have brought ·it [blood] on themselves [18:22].
14 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations with [or marries; L takes] both a woman and her mother, this is ·evil [lewd; depraved]. The people must burn that man and the two women in fire so that your people will not be ·evil [lewd; depraved].
15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death. You must also kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They have brought ·it [blood] on themselves [18:23; Ex. 22:19; Deut. 27:21].
17 “‘It is shameful for a brother to ·marry [L take] his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and ·to have sexual relations with her [L he sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness]. In front of everyone they must both be cut off from their people. The man has ·shamed [L exposed/revealed the nakedness of] his sister, and he is guilty of sin [18:9].
18 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [L lies] with a woman during her monthly period, both the woman and the man must be cut off from their people. They sinned because ·they showed the source of her blood [L he uncovered her fountain and she has revealed the fountain of her blood; 18:19].
19 “‘Do not ·have sexual relations with [L uncover the nakedness of] your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, because that would ·shame a close relative [L expose one’s own flesh]. Both of you are guilty of this sin [18:12–13].
20 “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [L lies] with his uncle’s wife, he has ·shamed [L exposed/revealed the nakedness of] his uncle. That man and his uncle’s wife will die without children; they are guilty of sin.
21 “‘It is unclean [C in a ritual sense] for a man to ·marry [L take] his brother’s wife. That man has ·shamed [L exposed/revealed the nakedness of] his brother, and they will have no children [18:16].
22 “‘·Remember [Keep; Guard] all my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·rules [regulations], and obey them. I am leading you to your own land, and if you obey my laws and rules, that land will not ·throw [vomit] you out. 23 I am ·forcing [driving] out ahead of you the people who live there. Because they did all these sins, I have hated them. Do not live ·the way those people lived [L according to the statutes/ordinances/requirements of that nation].
24 “‘I have told you that you will ·get [inherit] their land, which I will give to you as your ·very own [possession]; it is a ·fertile land [L land flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]. I am the Lord your God, and I have set you apart from other people and made you my own. 25 So you must treat clean [C in a ritual sense] animals and birds differently from unclean animals and birds. Do not make yourselves detestable by any of these unclean birds or animals or things that crawl on the ground, which I have made unclean for you [11:1–47]. 26 So you must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from other people to be my own.
27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or a ·fortune-teller [wizard] must be put to death. You must stone them to death; they have brought ·it [L blood] on themselves [19:31; 20:6].’”
A Prayer for God to Guide
Of David.
25 Lord, I ·give myself [L lift my soul] to you;
2 my God, I ·trust [have confidence in] you.
Do not let me be ·disgraced [shamed];
do not let my enemies ·laugh at [triumph/exult over] me.
3 No one who ·trusts [hopes in; waits on] you will be ·disgraced [shamed],
but those who ·sin [betray; are treacherous] without excuse will be ·disgraced [shamed].
4 Lord, ·tell me [make me know] your ways.
·Show [L Teach] me ·how to live [L your paths].
5 ·Guide [Lead] me in your truth,
and teach me, my God, my ·Savior [Helper; Victor].
I ·trust [hope in; wait on] you all day long.
6 Lord, remember your ·mercy [compassion] and ·love [loyalty; covenant love]
that you have shown since long ago.
7 Do not remember the sins
and ·wrong things I did when I was young [transgressions of my youth].
But remember ·to love me [L according to your love/loyalty/covenant love] always
·because you are good [on account of your goodness], Lord.
8 The Lord is good and ·right [upright; virtuous];
he ·points [instructs] sinners to the right way.
9 He shows those who are humble how to do right,
and he teaches them his ways.
10 All the Lord’s ·ways [paths] are ·loving [loyal] and ·true [reliable]
for those who ·follow [keep; guard] the demands of his ·agreement [covenant].
11 For the sake of your ·name [reputation], Lord,
forgive my many sins.
12 ·Are there [L Who are…?] those who ·respect [fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7]?
He will ·point [teach] them ·to the best way [L the way they should choose].
13 ·They will enjoy a good life [L Their soul will dwell/lodge in goodness],
and their ·children [L seed] will inherit the ·land [or earth].
14 The Lord ·tells his secrets to [confides in; or makes friends with] those who ·respect [fear] him;
he ·tells them about [makes known to them] his ·agreement [covenant].
15 My eyes are always ·looking to the Lord for help [L toward the Lord].
He will ·keep me [L remove my feet] from any traps.
16 Turn to me and ·have mercy on [L be gracious to] me,
because I am lonely and hurting.
17 ·My troubles have [L The distress of my heart has] ·grown larger [widened];
·free me from [bring me out of] my ·problems [anguish; distress].
18 Look at my ·suffering [affliction] and troubles,
and ·take away [forgive] all my sins.
19 Look at how many enemies I have!
See how ·much [L violently] they hate me!
20 Protect me and ·save [rescue; T deliver] me.
I ·trust [find refuge in] you, so do not let me be ·disgraced [shamed].
21 My hope is in you,
so may ·goodness [blamelessness; innocence] and ·honesty [virtue] guard me.
22 God, ·save [redeem; ransom] Israel from all their ·troubles [distress]!
There Is a Time for Everything
3 There is a ·time [season] for everything,
and ·everything [every activity] ·on earth [L under heaven] has its ·special season [time].
2 There is a time to be born
and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
and a time to ·pull up plants [uproot what has been planted].
3 There is a time to kill
and a time to heal.
There is a time to ·destroy [tear down]
and a time to build.
4 There is a time to cry
and a time to laugh.
There is a time to ·be sad [mourn]
and a time to dance.
5 There is a time to throw away stones
and a time to gather them.
There is a time to ·hug [embrace]
and a time ·not to hug [to refrain from embracing].
6 There is a time to ·look for something [seek]
and a time to ·stop looking for it [L give up as lost; or lose].
There is a time to keep things
and a time to throw things away.
7 There is a time to tear apart
and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent
and a time to speak.
8 There is a time to love
and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
and a time for peace.
God Controls His World
9 ·Do [L What do] people really ·gain anything [profit] from their ·work [toil; 1:3]? 10 I saw the ·hard work [task] God has given people to ·do [keep them occupied; 1:13]. 11 God has ·given them a desire to know the future [L placed eternity/an awareness of time/or ignorance in their hearts]. He ·does everything just right and on time [L makes everything appropriate/beautiful in its time], but people can never ·completely understand what he is doing [L discover/find the work that God does from beginning to end; C humans cannot discern the “right time”]. 12 So I ·realize [know] that ·the best thing [L there is nothing better] for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. 13 God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their ·work [toil], which are gifts from God [2:24–26; 3:22; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–10; C the little pleasures are distractions from the meaningless world]. 14 I know that everything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to what God has done, and they cannot take anything away from it. God does it this way to make people ·respect [or be afraid of; 5:7; 7:18; 8:12, 13] him.
15 What happens now has happened in the past,
and what will happen in the future has happened before.
God makes the same things happen again and again.
Unfairness on Earth
16 I also saw this ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3]:
·Where there should have been justice [L The place of judgment], there was evil;
·where there should have been right [L the place of righteousness; C the courtroom], there was evil.
17 I said ·to myself [L in my heart],
·God has planned [L There is] a time for every ·thing [activity] and every action,
so he will judge both ·good people and bad [the righteous and the evil/wicked].
18 I ·decided [L said in my heart concerning the human race] that God ·leaves it the way it is to test people and [L tests them] to show them they are just like animals. 19 The ·same thing happens to animals and to people [L fate of people and the fate of animals are the same/one fate]; they both have the same breath, so they both die. People ·are no better off than [have no advantage over] the animals, because everything is useless [1:2]. 20 ·Both end up the same way [All go to the same place]; both came from dust and both will go back to dust. 21 Who ·can be sure [knows] that the human spirit goes up above and that the spirit of an animal goes down into the ground? 22 So I saw that ·the best thing people can do is [L there is nothing better for people than] to ·enjoy [rejoice in] their work, because that is ·all they have [L their reward; 2:24–26; 3:12–14; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–10; C the little pleasures are distractions from the meaningless world]. ·No one can help another person [L Who can bring them to…?] see what will happen in the future.
Rules for Living with Others
5 Do not ·speak angrily to [rebuke; speak harshly to] an older man, but ·plead with [exhort; encourage] him as if he were your father. Treat younger men like brothers, 2 older women like mothers, and younger women like sisters. ·Always treat them in a pure way [L …with complete purity].
3 ·Take care of [Provide support for; or Honor; Show respect to; C both honor and financial help are likely in mind] widows who are truly widows. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to ·do their duty to [or practice their piety/godliness toward] their own ·family [household] and to repay their parents or grandparents. [L For] That pleases God. 5 The true widow, who is all alone, puts her hope in God and continues ·to pray night and day for God’s help [L in petitions and prayers night and day]. 6 But the widow who ·uses her life to please herself [lives in luxury; is self-indulgent] is really dead while she is alive. 7 ·Tell [Command; Instruct] the believers to do these things so that ·no one can criticize them [they may be blameless/above reproach]. 8 Whoever does not care for his ·own relatives [L own], especially his own family members, has ·turned against [denied; rejected] the faith and is worse than ·someone who does not believe in God [L an unbeliever].
9 To be on the list of widows [C probably a list of those widows who received regular support from the church], a woman must be at least sixty years old. She must have been ·faithful to her husband [or married only once; or the wife of one husband]. 10 She must be known for her good works—works such as raising her children, ·welcoming strangers [practicing hospitality], washing the feet of ·God’s people [T the saints], helping those in ·trouble [distress; hardship], and ·giving [devoting] her life to do all kinds of good deeds.
11 But do not put younger widows on that list. After they give themselves to Christ, they are pulled away from him by their physical desires, and then they want to marry again. 12 They will be judged for ·not doing what they first promised to do [breaking/despising their first pledge]. 13 Besides that, they learn to ·waste their time [be idle], going from house to house. And they not only ·waste their time [are idlers] but also begin to gossip and ·busy themselves with other people’s lives [become busybodies/meddlers], saying things they should not say. 14 So I want the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their homes. Then ·no enemy will [or the adversary will not; C Satan] have any ·reason [or opportunity] ·to criticize them [or for maligning/slandering (us/them)]. 15 But some have already ·turned [wandered; strayed] away to follow Satan.
16 If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should ·care for [provide support for] them herself. The church should not ·have to care for them [L carry this burden]. Then it will be able to ·take care of [support] those who are truly widows.
17 The elders who lead the church well should receive ·double honor [or both honor and remuneration; C probably includes both respect and financial support; see v. 3], especially those who work hard by ·speaking [preaching] and teaching, 18 because the Scripture says: “When an ox is ·working in the grain [threshing], do not ·cover its mouth to keep it from eating [muzzle it; Deut. 25:4],” and “A worker ·should be given his pay [deserves his wages; T is worthy of his hire; Luke 10:7].”
19 Do not listen to someone who accuses an elder, without two or three witnesses [Deut. 19:15]. 20 ·Reprimand [Rebuke] those who continue sinning. Do this in front of the whole church so that the others will ·have a warning [L fear; or show reverence].
21 Before God and Christ Jesus and the ·chosen [elect] angels, I ·command [solemnly charge] you to ·do [keep; guard] these things without ·taking sides [prejudice] or showing favoritism of any kind.
22 ·Think carefully before you [L Do not quickly/hastily] ·appoint someone to leadership [L lay your hands on anyone; 4:14; C a way of dedicating someone to Christian service], and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
23 Stop drinking only water, but drink a little wine to help your stomach and your frequent sicknesses.
24 The sins of some people are ·easy to see [obvious; evident] ·even before they are judged [or arriving at the judgment before they do; or preceding them into court; L going before them to judgment], but the sins of others ·are seen only later [arrive later; L follow after]. 25 So also good deeds are ·easy to see [obvious; evident], but even those that are not easily seen cannot stay hidden [C since they will be revealed on judgment day].
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