M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lampstand and the Holy Bread
24 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel to bring you pure oil from crushed olives. That oil is for the lamps so that these lamps may never go out. 3 Aaron will keep the lamps burning in the Meeting Tent from evening until morning before the Lord; this is ·in front of [L outside] the curtain of the ·Ark of the Agreement [Covenant; Treaty; L Testimony]. This ·law [statute; ordinance; regulation] will continue ·from now on [L throughout your generations]. 4 Aaron must always keep the lamps burning on the ·lampstand of pure gold [L pure lampstand/Menorah; Ex. 25:31–40] before the Lord.
5 “Take ·fine [choice] flour and bake twelve loaves of bread with it, using ·four quarts [L two-tenths of an ephah] of flour for each loaf. 6 Put them in two rows on the ·golden [L pure] table [Ex. 25:23–30] before the Lord, six loaves in each row. 7 Put pure incense on each row as the memorial portion to take the place of the bread. It is an offering made by fire to the Lord. 8 Every Sabbath day Aaron will put the bread in order before the Lord, as an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with the people of Israel that will continue forever. 9 That bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place, because it is a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the Lord. That bread is their share forever.”
The Man Who Cursed God
10 Now there was a son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father who ·was walking [L came out] among the Israelites. A fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11 The son of the Israelite woman began cursing and ·speaking against the Lord [L blaspheming the name], so the people took him to Moses. (The mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri from the family of Dan.) 12 The people ·held him as a prisoner [put him in custody] while they waited for the Lord’s ·command [decision; will] to be made clear to them.
13 Then the Lord said to Moses, 14 “Take the one who ·spoke against [L cursed; blasphemed] me outside the camp. Then all the people who heard him must put their hands on his head, and all the ·people [community; assembly; congregation] must ·throw stones at him and kill [stone] him. 15 Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel this: ‘If anyone curses his God, he is guilty of sin [Ex. 20:7; Deut. 5:11]. 16 Anyone who ·speaks against [L curses/blasphemes the name of] the Lord must be put to death; all the ·people [community; assembly; congregation] must ·kill him by throwing stones at [stone] him. ·Foreigners [Sojourners; Wanderers; Resident aliens] must be punished just like ·the people born in Israel [natives]; if they ·speak against the Lord [L curse/blaspheme the name], they must be put to death.
17 “‘Whoever ·kills [L strikes] another person must be put to death. 18 Whoever ·kills [L strikes] an animal that belongs to another person must give that person another animal to take its place. 19 And whoever causes an injury to a ·neighbor [countryman] must receive the same kind of injury in return: 20 Broken bone for broken bone, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Anyone who injures another person must be injured in the same way in return [Ex. 21:24]. 21 Whoever ·kills [L strikes] another person’s animal must give that person another animal to take its place. But whoever ·kills [strikes] another person must be put to death.
22 “‘The ·law [regulation; standard] will be the same for the ·foreigner [sojouner; wanderer; resident alien] as for ·those from your own country [the native]. I am the Lord your God.’”
23 Then Moses spoke to the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel, and they took the person who had cursed outside the camp and ·killed him by throwing stones at [stoned] him. So the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
A Prayer of Faith in Troubled Times
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
31 Lord, I ·trust [seek refuge] in you;
let me never be ·disgraced [shamed].
·Save [Rescue; T Deliver] me ·because you do what is right [in your righteousness].
2 ·Listen [L Incline your ear] to me
and ·save [rescue; T deliver] me quickly.
Be my rock of ·protection [refuge],
a strong ·city [fortress] to save me.
3 You are my rock and my ·protection [fortress].
For the ·good [sake] of your name, lead me and guide me.
4 Set me free from the ·trap [snare; net] they ·set [hid] for me,
because you are my ·protection [refuge].
5 ·I give you my life [L Into your hand I commend my spirit; Luke 23:46].
·Save [Redeem; or You have redeemed] me, Lord, ·God of truth [or faithful God].
6 I hate those who ·worship [serve; have concern for] ·false [worthless] gods.
I ·trust [have confidence] only in the Lord.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your ·love [loyalty; covenant love],
because you saw my ·suffering [affliction];
you knew ·my troubles [the distress of my soul].
8 You have not handed me over to my enemies
but have ·set me in a safe place [L made my feet stand in a broad place].
9 Lord, ·have mercy [be gracious], because I am in ·misery [distress; trouble].
My eyes ·are weak [waste away; are dim] from so much crying,
·and my whole being is tired [L as is my soul and my body] from grief.
10 My life is ending in ·sadness [sorrow],
and my years are spent ·in crying [L with sighs/moans].
My ·troubles are using up my strength [L strength stumbles in my affliction/misery],
and my bones ·are getting weaker [waste away].
11 Because of all my ·troubles [distress], my enemies ·hate [scorn] me,
and even my neighbors look down on me.
When my ·friends [acquaintances] see me in public,
they are afraid and ·run [flee].
12 I am like a piece of a broken pot.
I am forgotten as if I were dead.
13 I have heard many ·insults [threats].
Terror is all around me.
They make plans against me
and ·want [plot] to kill me.
14 Lord, I ·trust [have confidence in] you.
I have said, “You are my God.”
15 My ·life is [times/fortunes are] in your hands.
·Save [Rescue; T Deliver] me from my enemies
and from those who are ·chasing [pursuing] me.
16 ·Show your kindness to me, [Shine your face on] your servant [Num. 6:25].
Save me because of your ·love [loyalty; covenant love].
17 Lord, I ·called [prayed] to you,
so do not let me be ·disgraced [shamed].
Let the wicked be ·disgraced [shamed]
and lie silent in ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol].
18 With pride and hatred
they speak against ·those who do right [the righteous].
So silence their lying lips.
19 How great is your goodness
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you have ·given to [L accomplished for] those who ·trust [have confidence in] you.
·You do this for all to see [L …before humanity].
20 You ·protect [hide] them ·by your [L in the shelter of your] presence
from what people plan against them.
You ·shelter them [L store them in shelter] from ·evil words [contentious/accusing tongues].
21 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord.
His ·love [loyalty; covenant love] to me was wonderful
when ·my city was attacked [or I was like a city under siege].
22 In my ·distress [alarm], I said,
“·God cannot see me [L I am cut off from your eyes]!”
But you heard my ·prayer [supplication]
when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you ·who belong to him [loyal ones; saints].
The Lord protects those who ·truly believe [are faithful],
but he ·punishes [repays] ·the proud as much as they have sinned [L those who act with pride].
24 All you who ·put your hope in [wait for] the Lord
be strong and ·brave [L let your heart be courageous].
Some Benefits of Serious Thinking
7 It is better to have ·respect [a good reputation/L name] than ·good [fine] ·perfume [oil].
The day of death is better than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to a ·funeral [L house of mourning]
than to a ·party [L drinking house].
·We all must die [L It is everyone’s end],
and everyone living should ·think about this [L take it to heart].
3 ·Sorrow [or Anger] is better than laughter,
and ·sadness has a good influence on you [in a troubled face the heart is made well].
4 ·A wise person thinks about death [The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning],
but ·a fool thinks only about having a good time [L the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure].
5 It is better to ·be criticized by a [hear the rebuke of a] wise person
than to ·be praised by a fool [L hear the song of fools].
6 The laughter of fools
is like the crackling of thorns ·in a cooking fire [L under the pot].
Both are useless [1:2].
7 Even wise people are fools
if they let ·money change their thinking [L a bribe distort their understanding].
8 It is better to ·finish [end] something
than to ·start [begin] it.
It is better to be patient
than to be proud.
9 Don’t ·become angry quickly [L be quick to anger in your spirit],
because ·getting angry is foolish [L anger resides in the bosom of fools].
10 Don’t ·ask [L say], “Why ·was life better in the ‘good old days’ [L were the former days better than these]?”
It is not ·wise [L from wisdom] to ask ·such questions [L this].
11 Wisdom is better when it comes with ·money [L an inheritance].
·They both help those who are alive [L It is an advantage to those who see the sun].
12 ·Wisdom is like money:
they both help [L The protection/shade of wisdom is in/or like the protection/shade of money].
But wisdom is better,
because it can ·save [give life to] whoever has it.
13 Look at ·what God has done [L the work/deeds of God]:
·No one [L Who can…?] straighten what he has bent [1:15].
14 When life is good, enjoy it.
But when life is hard, remember:
God gives good times and hard times,
and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.
It Is Impossible to Be Truly Good
15 In my useless [1:2] ·life [L days] I have seen both of these:
I have seen ·good [righteous] people die ·in spite of their goodness [L in their righteousness]
and ·evil [wicked] people live a long time in spite of their evil.
16 Don’t be ·too [overly] ·right [righteous; good],
and don’t ·be too [or pretend to be] wise.
Why ·destroy [ruin] yourself?
17 Don’t be ·too [overly] wicked,
and don’t be foolish.
Why die ·before [L when it is not] your time?
18 It is good to grab the one and not ·let go of [L relax your hand from] the other;
those who ·respect [or are afraid of; 5:7; 7:18; 8:12, 13] God will hold them both.
19 Wisdom makes a person stronger
than ten ·leaders [officials; rulers] in a city [9:13–16; Prov. 24:5–6].
20 Surely there is not a ·good [righteous] person on earth
who always does good and never sins [1 Kin. 8:46; Ps. 143:2; Prov. 20:9; Rom. 3:10–18].
21 Don’t ·listen [L give your heart] to everything people say,
or you might hear your servant insulting you.
22 ·You know [L Your heart knows] that many times
you have insulted others.
23 I ·used wisdom to test [L tested with/or by wisdom] all these things.
I said, “I ·want to [or will] be wise,”
but it was ·too hard for [L far from] me.
24 ·I cannot understand why things are as they are [L That which is, is far off].
It is ·too hard for anyone to understand [L deep, deep, who can find it?].
25 ·I studied and tried very hard to find wisdom,
to find some meaning for everything [L I and my heart turned to understand and to explore and to seek wisdom and the sum of things].
I learned that it is foolish to be evil,
and it is crazy to act like a fool.
26 I found that ·some women [or women] are ·worse [L more bitter] than death
and are ·as dangerous as traps [L a trap/snare].
Their ·love is like [L heart is] a net,
and their ·arms hold men like [L hands are] chains.
A man who pleases God will ·be saved from [escape] them,
but ·a sinner [or someone who offends him] will be caught by them.
27 The ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1] says, “This is what I ·learned [L found]:
·I added all these things together
to find some meaning for everything [L One to one to find the sum/scheme of things].
28 While I was searching and not finding,
I found one man among a thousand.
But I did not find a woman among all these [C that is a good woman].
29 One thing I have ·learned [L found]:
God made people ·good [virtuous; upright],
but they have ·found all kinds of ways to be bad [L sought out many devices].”
The Last Days
3 ·Remember [Know] this! In the last days there will be ·many troubles [L difficult/terrible times], 2 because people will love themselves, love money, ·brag [boast], and be ·proud [arrogant]. They will ·say evil things against others [speak abusively; or blaspheme] and will not obey their parents or be ·thankful [grateful] or be ·the kind of people God wants [holy; pious]. 3 They will not love others, will refuse to ·forgive [reconcile], will ·gossip [slander], and will not control themselves. They will be ·cruel [brutal], will ·hate [L not love] what is good, 4 will ·turn against their friends [be treacherous/traitors], and will ·do foolish things without thinking [be reckless]. They will be conceited, will love pleasure instead of God, 5 ·and will act as if they serve God [L having a form/appearance of godliness/piety] but will ·not have his [or deny his/its] power. ·Stay away from [Avoid] those people. 6 [L For] Some of them ·go [sneak; worm their way; talk their way] into homes and ·get control of [captivate; gain influence over] ·silly [vulnerable; or idle] women who are ·full of [or burdened with (the guilt of)] sin and are ·led [swayed; controlled] by ·many [all kinds of] evil desires. 7 These women are always ·learning [or seeking out] new teachings, but they are never able to ·understand [arrive at] the truth fully. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres were against Moses [C the traditional names (not found in the OT) of the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses; Ex. 7:11], these people are against the truth. Their ·thinking has been ruined [minds/thoughts are corrupted/depraved], and they ·have failed in trying to follow the faith [or are teaching a counterfeit faith]. 9 But they will not ·be successful in what they do [or get much further], because as with Jannes and Jambres, everyone will see ·that they are foolish [their folly/ignorance].
Obey the Teachings
10 But you have followed what I teach, the way I live, my ·goal [purpose/aim (in life)], faith, patience, and love. ·You know I never give up [L …my endurance]. 11 ·You know how I have been hurt and have suffered […my persecution and suffering], as in Antioch [Acts 13:14–52], Iconium [Acts 14:1–5], and Lystra [Acts 14:6–20]. I have ·suffered [L endured such persecutions], but the Lord ·saved [rescued; delivered] me from all those troubles. 12 [L Indeed; In fact] Everyone who wants to live ·as God desires [in a godly manner], in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted. 13 But people who are evil and ·cheat others [impostors; charlatans] will go from bad to worse. ·They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves [L …deceiving and being deceived].
14 But you should continue following the teachings you learned. You ·know [are confident] they are true, ·because you trust those who taught you [L knowing from whom you learned them]. 15 Since you were a ·child [infant] you have known the ·Holy Scriptures [or sacred writings] which are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is ·inspired by God [breathed out by God; L God-breathed] and is useful for teaching, for ·showing people what is wrong in their lives [refuting error; rebuking], for correcting faults, and for ·teaching how to live right [training in righteousness]. 17 ·Using the Scriptures, [L …so that] ·the person who serves God [L God’s person] will be ·capable [competent], ·having all that is needed [fully equipped] to do every good work.
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