M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Setting Up the Holy Tent
40 Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 “On the first day of the first month, set up the Holy Tent, which is the Meeting Tent. 3 Put the Ark of the Agreement in it and hang the curtain in front of the Ark. 4 Bring in the table and arrange everything on the table that should be there. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. 5 Put the gold altar for burning incense in front of the Ark of the Agreement, and put the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.
6 “Put the altar of burnt offerings in front of the entrance of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent. 7 Put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar, and put water in it. 8 Set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent, and put the curtain at the entry to the courtyard.
9 “Use the special olive oil and pour it on the Holy Tent and everything in it, in order to give the Tent and all that is in it for service to the Lord. They will be holy. 10 Pour the special oil on the altar for burnt offerings and on all its tools. Give the altar for service to God, and it will be very holy. 11 Then pour the special olive oil on the bowl and the base under it so that they will be given for service to God.
12 “Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, and wash them with water. 13 Then put the holy clothes on Aaron. Pour the special oil on him, and give him for service to God so that he may serve me as a priest. 14 Bring Aaron’s sons and put the inner robes on them. 15 Pour the special oil on them in the same way that you appointed their father as priest so that they may also serve me as priests. Pouring oil on them will make them a family of priests, they and their descendants from now on.” 16 Moses did everything that the Lord commanded him.
17 So the Holy Tent was set up on the first day of the first month during the second year after they left Egypt. 18 When Moses set up the Holy Tent, he put the bases in place, and he put the frames on the bases. Next he put the crossbars through the rings of the frames and set up the posts. 19 After that, Moses spread the cloth over the Holy Tent and put the covering over it, just as the Lord commanded.
20 Moses put the stone tablets that had the Agreement written on them into the Ark. He put the poles through the rings of the Ark and put the lid on it. 21 Next he brought the Ark into the Tent and hung the curtain to cover the Ark, just as the Lord commanded him.
22 Moses put the table in the Meeting Tent on the north side of the Holy Tent in front of the curtain. 23 Then he put the bread on the table before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him. 24 Moses put the lampstand in the Meeting Tent on the south side of the Holy Tent across from the table. 25 Then he put the lamps on the lampstand before the Lord, just as the Lord commanded him.
26 Moses put the gold altar for burning incense in the Meeting Tent in front of the curtain. 27 Then he burned sweet-smelling incense on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 28 Then he hung the curtain at the entrance to the Holy Tent.
29 He put the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance to the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, and offered a whole burnt offering and grain offerings on it, just as the Lord commanded him. 30 Moses put the bowl between the Meeting Tent and the altar for burnt offerings, and he put water in it for washing. 31 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons used this water to wash their hands and feet. 32 They washed themselves every time they entered the Meeting Tent and every time they went near the altar for burnt offerings, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
33 Then Moses set up the courtyard around the Holy Tent and the altar, and he put up the curtain at the entry to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.
The Cloud over the Holy Tent
34 Then the cloud covered the Meeting Tent, and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent. 35 Moses could not enter the Meeting Tent, because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Holy Tent.
36 When the cloud rose from the Holy Tent, the Israelites would begin to travel, 37 but as long as the cloud stayed on the Holy Tent, they did not travel. They stayed in that place until the cloud rose. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the Holy Tent during the day, and there was a fire in the cloud at night. So all the Israelites could see the cloud while they traveled.
19 Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be taken away and whipped. 2 The soldiers made a crown from some thorny branches and put it on Jesus’ head and put a purple robe around him. 3 Then they came to him many times and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and hit him in the face.
4 Again Pilate came out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find nothing against him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
6 When the leading priests and the guards saw Jesus, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
But Pilate answered, “Crucify him yourselves, because I find nothing against him.”
7 The leaders answered, “We have a law that says he should die, because he said he is the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. 9 He went back inside the palace and asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus did not answer him. 10 Pilate said, “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have power to set you free and power to have you crucified?”
11 Jesus answered, “The only power you have over me is the power given to you by God. The man who turned me in to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 After this, Pilate tried to let Jesus go. But some in the crowd cried out, “Anyone who makes himself king is against Caesar. If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.”
13 When Pilate heard what they were saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at the place called The Stone Pavement. (In the Hebrew language[a] the name is Gabbatha.) 14 It was about noon on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to the crowd, “Here is your king!”
15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to crucify your king?”
The leading priests answered, “The only king we have is Caesar.”
16 So Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified
The soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull, which in the Hebrew language[b] is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Jesus. They also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate wrote a sign and put it on the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 The sign was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. Many of the people read the sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. 21 The leading priests said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 After the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, with each soldier getting one part. They also took his long shirt, which was all one piece of cloth, woven from top to bottom. 24 So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. Let’s throw lots to see who will get it.” This happened so that this Scripture would come true:
“They divided my clothes among them,
and they threw lots for my clothing.” Psalm 22:18
So the soldiers did this.
25 Standing near his cross were Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the follower he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Dear woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the follower, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, the follower took her to live in his home.
Jesus Dies
28 After this, Jesus knew that everything had been done. So that the Scripture would come true, he said, “I am thirsty.”[c] 29 There was a jar full of vinegar there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. 30 When Jesus tasted the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.
31 This day was Preparation Day, and the next day was a special Sabbath day. Since the religious leaders did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day, they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken[d] and the bodies be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the man on the other cross beside Jesus. 33 But when the soldiers came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers stuck his spear into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (The one who saw this happen is the one who told us this, and whatever he says is true. And he knows that he tells the truth, and he tells it so that you might believe.) 36 These things happened to make the Scripture come true: “Not one of his bones will be broken.”[e] 37 And another Scripture says, “They will look at the one they stabbed.”[f]
Jesus Is Buried
38 Later, Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus, because he was afraid of some of the leaders.) Pilate gave his permission, so Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away. 39 Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night, went with Joseph. He brought about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. 40 These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth, which is how they bury the dead. 41 In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb that had never been used before. 42 The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was nearby, and they were preparing to start their Sabbath day.
16 People may make plans in their minds,
but only the Lord can make them come true.
2 You may believe you are doing right,
but the Lord will judge your reasons.
3 Depend on the Lord in whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord makes everything go as he pleases.
He has even prepared a day of disaster for evil people.
5 The Lord hates those who are proud.
They will surely be punished.
6 Love and truth bring forgiveness of sin.
By respecting the Lord you will avoid evil.
7 When people live so that they please the Lord,
even their enemies will make peace with them.
8 It is better to be poor and right
than to be wealthy and dishonest.
9 People may make plans in their minds,
but the Lord decides what they will do.
10 The words of a king are like a message from God,
so his decisions should be fair.
11 The Lord wants honest balances and scales;
all the weights are his work.
12 Kings hate those who do wrong,
because governments only continue if they are fair.
13 Kings like honest people;
they value someone who speaks the truth.
14 An angry king can put someone to death,
so a wise person will try to make him happy.
15 A smiling king can give people life;
his kindness is like a spring shower.
16 It is better to get wisdom than gold,
and to choose understanding rather than silver!
17 Good people stay away from evil.
By watching what they do, they protect their lives.
18 Pride leads to destruction;
a proud attitude brings ruin.
19 It is better to be humble and be with those who suffer
than to share stolen property with the proud.
20 Whoever listens to what is taught will succeed,
and whoever trusts the Lord will be happy.
21 The wise are known for their understanding.
Their pleasant words make them better teachers.
22 Understanding is like a fountain which gives life to those who use it,
but foolishness brings punishment to fools.
23 Wise people’s minds tell them what to say,
and that helps them be better teachers.
24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
making people happy and healthy.
25 Some people think they are doing right,
but in the end it leads to death.
26 The workers’ hunger helps them,
because their desire to eat makes them work.
27 Useless people make evil plans,
and their words are like a burning fire.
28 A useless person causes trouble,
and a gossip ruins friendships.
29 Cruel people trick their neighbors
and lead them to do wrong.
30 Someone who winks is planning evil,
and the one who grins is planning something wrong.
31 Gray hair is like a crown of honor;
it is earned by living a good life.
32 Patience is better than strength.
Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city.
33 People throw lots to make a decision,
but the answer comes from the Lord.
The Importance of Christ
3 My brothers and sisters, be full of joy in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it will help you to be more ready. 2 Watch out for those who do evil, who are like dogs, who demand to cut[a] the body. 3 We are the ones who are truly circumcised. We worship God through his Spirit, and our pride is in Christ Jesus. We do not put trust in ourselves or anything we can do, 4 although I might be able to put trust in myself. If anyone thinks he has a reason to trust in himself, he should know that I have greater reason for trusting in myself. 5 I was circumcised eight days after my birth. I am from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a Hebrew, and my parents were Hebrews. I had a strict view of the law, which is why I became a Pharisee. 6 I was so enthusiastic I tried to hurt the church. No one could find fault with the way I obeyed the law of Moses. 7 Those things were important to me, but now I think they are worth nothing because of Christ. 8 Not only those things, but I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him, I have lost all those things, and now I know they are worthless trash. This allows me to have Christ 9 and to belong to him. Now I am right with God, not because I followed the law, but because I believed in Christ. God uses my faith to make me right with him. 10 I want to know Christ and the power that raised him from the dead. I want to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death. 11 Then I have hope that I myself will be raised from the dead.
Continuing Toward Our Goal
12 I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I have not yet reached that goal, but there is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above.
15 All of us who are spiritually mature should think this way, too. And if there are things you do not agree with, God will make them clear to you. 16 But we should continue following the truth we already have.
17 Brothers and sisters, all of you should try to follow my example and to copy those who live the way we showed you. 18 Many people live like enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told you about them, and it makes me cry to tell you about them now. 19 In the end, they will be destroyed. They do whatever their bodies want, they are proud of their shameful acts, and they think only about earthly things. 20 But our homeland is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. 21 By his power to rule all things, he will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.