M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Aaron and His Sons Offer Sacrifices
9 On the eighth day after the time of appointing, Moses called for Aaron and his sons and for the elders of Israel. 2 He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf and a male sheep that have nothing wrong with them, and offer them to the Lord. The calf will be a sin offering, and the male sheep will be a whole burnt offering. 3 Tell the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering and a calf and a lamb for a whole burnt offering; each must be one year old, and it must have nothing wrong with it. 4 Also take a bull and a male sheep for fellowship offerings, along with a grain offering mixed with oil. Offer all these things to the Lord, because the Lord will appear to you today.’”
5 So all the people came to the front of the Meeting Tent, bringing the things Moses had commanded them to bring, and they stood before the Lord. 6 Moses said, “You have done what the Lord commanded, so you will see the Lord’s glory.”
7 Then Moses told Aaron, “Go to the altar and offer sin offerings and whole burnt offerings. Do this to remove your sins and the people’s sins so you will belong to God. Offer the sacrifices for the people and perform the acts to remove their sins for them so they will belong to the Lord, as the Lord has commanded.”
8 So Aaron went to the altar and killed the bull calf as a sin offering for himself. 9 Then his sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the corners of the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the bottom of the altar. 10 Aaron took the fat, the kidneys, and the best part of the liver from the sin offering and burned them on the altar, in the way the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 The meat and skin he burned outside the camp.
12 Then Aaron killed the animal for the whole burnt offering. His sons brought the blood to him, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. 13 As they gave him the pieces and head of the burnt offering, Aaron burned them on the altar. 14 He also washed the inner organs and the legs of the burnt offering and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.
15 Then Aaron brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat of the people’s sin offering and killed it and offered it for the sin offering, just as he had done the first sin offering.
16 Then Aaron brought the whole burnt offering and offered it in the way that the Lord had commanded. 17 He also brought the grain offering to the altar. He took a handful of the grain and burned it on the altar, in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
18 Aaron also killed the bull and the male sheep as the fellowship offerings for the people. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. 19 Aaron’s sons also brought to Aaron the fat of the bull and the male sheep—the fat tail, the fat covering the inner organs, the kidneys, and the best part of the liver. 20 Aaron’s sons put them on the breasts of the bull and the sheep. Then Aaron burned these fat parts on the altar. 21 He presented the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as the priests’ share of the offering, as Moses had commanded.
22 Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. When he had finished offering the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the fellowship offering, he stepped down from the altar.
23 Moses and Aaron went into the Meeting Tent. Then they came out and blessed the people, and the Lord’s glory came to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the Lord and burned up the burnt offering and fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and bowed facedown on the ground.
A Complaint About Evil People
10 Lord, why are you so far away?
Why do you hide when there is trouble?
2 Proudly the wicked chase down those who suffer.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
3 They brag about the things they want.
They bless the greedy but hate the Lord.
4 The wicked people are too proud.
They do not look for God;
there is no room for God in their thoughts.
5 They always succeed.
They are far from keeping your laws;
they make fun of their enemies.
6 They say to themselves, “Nothing bad will ever happen to me;
I will never be ruined.”
7 Their mouths are full of curses, lies, and threats;
they use their tongues for sin and evil.
8 They hide near the villages.
They look for innocent people to kill;
they watch in secret for the helpless.
9 They wait in hiding like a lion.
They wait to catch poor people;
they catch the poor in nets.
10 The poor are thrown down and crushed;
they are defeated because the others are stronger.
11 The wicked think, “God has forgotten us.
He doesn’t see what is happening.”
12 Lord, rise up and punish the wicked.
Don’t forget those who need help.
13 Why do wicked people hate God?
They say to themselves, “God won’t punish us.”
14 Lord, surely you see these cruel and evil things;
look at them and do something.
People in trouble look to you for help.
You are the one who helps the orphans.
15 Break the power of wicked people.
Punish them for the evil they have done.
16 The Lord is King forever and ever.
Destroy from your land those nations that do not worship you.
17 Lord, you have heard what the poor people want.
Do what they ask, and listen to them.
18 Protect the orphans and put an end to suffering
so they will no longer be afraid of evil people.
24 Don’t envy evil people
or try to be friends with them.
2 Their minds are always planning violence,
and they always talk about making trouble.
3 It takes wisdom to have a good family,
and it takes understanding to make it strong.
4 It takes knowledge to fill a home
with rare and beautiful treasures.
5 Wise people have great power,
and those with knowledge have great strength.
6 So you need advice when you go to war.
If you have lots of good advice, you will win.
7 Foolish people cannot understand wisdom.
They have nothing to say in a discussion.
8 Whoever makes evil plans
will be known as a troublemaker.
9 Making foolish plans is sinful,
and making fun of wisdom is hateful.
10 If you give up when trouble comes,
it shows that you are weak.
11 Save those who are being led to their death;
rescue those who are about to be killed.
12 If you say, “We don’t know anything about this,”
God, who knows what’s in your mind, will notice.
He is watching you, and he will know.
He will reward each person for what he has done.
13 My child, eat honey because it is good.
Honey from the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 In the same way, wisdom is pleasing to you.
If you find it, you have hope for the future,
and your wishes will come true.
15 Don’t be wicked and attack a good family’s house;
don’t rob the place where they live.
16 Even though good people may be bothered by trouble seven times, they are never defeated,
but the wicked are overwhelmed by trouble.
17 Don’t be happy when your enemy is defeated;
don’t be glad when he is overwhelmed.
18 The Lord will notice and be displeased.
He may not be angry with them anymore.
19 Don’t envy evil people,
and don’t be jealous of the wicked.
20 An evil person has nothing to hope for;
the wicked will die like a flame that is put out.
21 My child, respect the Lord and the king.
Don’t join those people who refuse to obey them.
22 The Lord and the king will quickly destroy such people.
Those two can cause great disaster!
More Words of Wisdom
23 These are also sayings of the wise:
It is not good to take sides when you are the judge.
24 Don’t tell the wicked that they are innocent;
people will curse you, and nations will hate you.
25 But things will go well if you punish the guilty,
and you will receive rich blessings.
26 An honest answer is as pleasing
as a kiss on the lips.
27 First, finish your outside work
and prepare your fields.
After that, you can build your house.
28 Don’t testify against your neighbor for no good reason.
Don’t say things that are false.
29 Don’t say, “I’ll get even;
I’ll do to him what he did to me.”
30 I passed by a lazy person’s field
and by the vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere.
The ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone walls had fallen down.
32 I thought about what I had seen;
I learned this lesson from what I saw.
33 You sleep a little; you take a nap.
You fold your hands and lie down to rest.
34 Soon you will be as poor as if you had been robbed;
you will have as little as if you had been held up.
3 When we could not wait any longer, we decided it was best to stay in Athens alone 2 and send Timothy to you. Timothy, our brother, works with us for God and helps us tell people the Good News about Christ. We sent him to strengthen and encourage you in your faith 3 so none of you would be upset by these troubles. You yourselves know that we must face these troubles. 4 Even when we were with you, we told you we all would have to suffer, and you know it has happened. 5 Because of this, when I could wait no longer, I sent Timothy to you so I could learn about your faith. I was afraid the devil had tempted you, and perhaps our hard work would have been wasted.
6 But Timothy now has come back to us from you and has brought us good news about your faith and love. He told us that you always remember us in a good way and that you want to see us just as much as we want to see you. 7 So, brothers and sisters, while we have much trouble and suffering, we are encouraged about you because of your faith. 8 Our life is really full if you stand strong in the Lord. 9 We have so much joy before our God because of you. We cannot thank him enough for all the joy we feel. 10 Night and day we continue praying with all our heart that we can see you again and give you all the things you need to make your faith strong.
11 Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus prepare the way for us to come to you. 12 May the Lord make your love grow more and multiply for each other and for all people so that you will love others as we love you. 13 May your hearts be made strong so that you will be holy and without fault before our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.