M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rules About What May Be Eaten
11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Tell the Israelites this: ‘These are the land animals you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has split hoofs completely divided and that chews the cud.
4 “‘Some animals only chew the cud or only have split hoofs, and you must not eat them. The camel chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 5 The rock badger chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 6 The rabbit chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. 7 Now the pig has a split hoof that is completely divided, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat the meat from these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.
9 “‘Of the animals that live in the sea or in a river, if the animal has fins and scales, you may eat it. 10 But whatever lives in the sea or in a river and does not have fins and scales—including the things that fill the water and all other things that live in it—you should hate. 11 You must not eat any meat from them or even touch their dead bodies, because you should hate them. 12 You must hate any animal in the water that does not have fins and scales.
13 “‘Also, these are the birds you are to hate. They are hateful and should not be eaten. You must not eat eagles, vultures, black vultures, 14 kites, any kind of falcon, 15 any kind of raven, 16 horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk, 17 little owls, cormorants, great owls, 18 white owls, desert owls, ospreys, 19 storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or bats.
20 “‘Don’t eat insects that have wings and walk on all four feet; they also are to be hated.
21 “‘But you may eat certain insects that have wings and walk on four feet. You may eat those that have legs with joints above their feet so they can jump. 22 These are the insects you may eat: all kinds of locusts, winged locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. 23 But all other insects that have wings and walk on four feet you are to hate. 24 Those insects will make you unclean, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these insects will become unclean until evening. 25 Anyone who picks up one of these dead insects must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
26 “‘Some animals have split hoofs, but the hoofs are not completely divided; others do not chew the cud. They are unclean for you, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean. 27 Of all the animals that walk on four feet, the animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean until evening. 28 Anyone who picks up their dead bodies must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; these animals are unclean for you.
29 “‘These crawling animals are unclean for you: moles, rats, all kinds of great lizards, 30 geckos, crocodiles, lizards, sand reptiles, and chameleons. 31 These crawling animals are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.
32 “‘If an unclean animal dies and falls on something, that item will also become unclean. This includes anything made from wood, cloth, leather, or rough cloth, regardless of its use. Whatever the animal falls on must be washed with water and be unclean until evening; then it will become clean again. 33 If the dead, unclean animal falls into a clay bowl, anything in the bowl will become unclean, and you must break the bowl. 34 If water from the unclean clay bowl gets on any food, that food will become unclean. 35 If any dead, unclean animal falls on something, it becomes unclean. If it is a clay oven or a clay baking pan, it must be broken into pieces. These things will be unclean; they are unclean for you.
36 “‘A spring or well that collects water will stay clean, but anyone who touches the dead body of any unclean animal will become unclean. 37 If a dead, unclean animal falls on a seed to be planted, that seed is still clean. 38 But if you put water on some seeds and a dead, unclean animal falls on them, they are unclean for you.
39 “‘Also, if an animal which you use for food dies, anyone who touches its body will be unclean until evening. 40 Anyone who eats meat from this animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up the animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 “‘Every animal that crawls on the ground is to be hated; it must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat any of the animals that crawl on the ground, including those that crawl on their stomachs, that walk on all four feet, or on many feet. They are to be hated. 43 Do not make yourself unclean by these animals; you must not become unclean by them. 44 I am the Lord your God. Keep yourselves holy for me because I am holy. Don’t make yourselves unclean with any of these crawling animals. 45 I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt to be your God; you must be holy because I am holy.
46 “‘These are the teachings about all of the cattle, birds, and other animals on earth, as well as the animals in the sea and those that crawl on the ground. 47 These teachings help people know the difference between unclean animals and clean animals; they help people know which animals may be eaten and which ones must not be eaten.’”
Rules for New Mothers
12 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel this: ‘If a woman gives birth to a son, she will become unclean for seven days, as she is unclean during her monthly period. 3 On the eighth day the boy must be circumcised. 4 Then it will be thirty-three days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood. She must not touch anything that is holy or enter the Holy Tent until her time of cleansing is finished. 5 But if she gives birth to a daughter, the mother will be unclean for two weeks, as she is unclean during her monthly period. It will be sixty-six days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood.
6 “‘After she has a son or daughter and her days of cleansing are over, the new mother must bring certain sacrifices to the Meeting Tent. She must give the priest at the entrance a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a dove or young pigeon for a sin offering. 7 He will offer them before the Lord to make her clean so she will belong to the Lord again; then she will be clean from her loss of blood. These are the teachings for a woman who gives birth to a boy or girl.
8 “‘If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering. In this way the priest will make her clean so she will belong to the Lord again, and she will be clean.’”
A Prayer for God to Be Near
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
13 How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?
How long will you hide from me?
2 How long must I worry
and feel sad in my heart all day?
How long will my enemy win over me?
3 Lord, look at me.
Answer me, my God;
tell me, or I will die.
4 Otherwise my enemy will say, “I have won!”
Those against me will rejoice that I’ve been defeated.
5 I trust in your love.
My heart is happy because you saved me.
6 I sing to the Lord
because he has taken care of me.
The Unbelieving Fool
For the director of music. Of David.
14 Fools say to themselves,
“There is no God.”
Fools are evil and do terrible things;
there is no one who does anything good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven on all people
to see if anyone understood,
if anyone was looking to God for help.
3 But all have turned away.
Together, everyone has become evil.
There is no one who does anything good,
not even one.
4 Don’t the wicked understand?
They destroy my people as if they were eating bread.
They do not ask the Lord for help.
5 But the wicked are filled with terror,
because God is with those who do what is right.
6 The wicked upset the plans of the poor,
but the Lord will protect them.
7 I pray that victory will come to Israel from Mount Zion!
May the Lord bring them back.
Then the people of Jacob will rejoice,
and the people of Israel will be glad.
26 It shouldn’t snow in summer or rain at harvest.
Neither should a foolish person ever be honored.
2 Curses will not harm someone who is innocent;
they are like sparrows or swallows that fly around and never land.
3 Whips are for horses, and harnesses are for donkeys,
so paddles are good for fools.
4 Don’t answer fools when they speak foolishly,
or you will be just like them.
5 Answer fools when they speak foolishly,
or they will think they are really wise.
6 Sending a message by a foolish person
is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
7 A wise saying spoken by a fool
is as useless as the legs of a crippled person.
8 Giving honor to a foolish person
is like tying a stone in a slingshot.
9 A wise saying spoken by a fool
is like a thorn stuck in the hand of a drunk.
10 Hiring a foolish person or anyone just passing by
is like an archer shooting at just anything.
11 A fool who repeats his foolishness
is like a dog that goes back to what it has thrown up.
12 There is more hope for a foolish person
than for those who think they are wise.
13 The lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the road!
There’s a lion in the streets!”
14 Like a door turning back and forth on its hinges,
the lazy person turns over and over in bed.
15 Lazy people may put their hands in the dish,
but they are too tired to lift the food to their mouths.
16 The lazy person thinks he is wiser
than seven people who give sensible answers.
17 Interfering in someone else’s quarrel as you pass by
is like grabbing a dog by the ears.
18 Like a madman shooting
deadly, burning arrows
19 is the one who tricks a neighbor
and then says, “I was just joking.”
20 Without wood, a fire will go out,
and without gossip, quarreling will stop.
21 Just as charcoal and wood keep a fire going,
a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going.
22 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food;
people like to gobble them up.
23 Kind words from a wicked mind
are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.
24 Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words,
but in their minds they are planning evil.
25 People’s words may be kind, but don’t believe them,
because their minds are full of evil thoughts.
26 Lies can hide hate,
but the evil will be plain to everyone.
27 Whoever digs a pit for others will fall into it.
Whoever tries to roll a boulder down on others will be crushed by it.
28 Liars hate the people they hurt,
and false praise can ruin others.
Be Ready for the Lord’s Coming
5 Now, brothers and sisters, we do not need to write you about times and dates. 2 You know very well that the day the Lord comes again will be a surprise, like a thief that comes in the night. 3 While people are saying, “We have peace and we are safe,” they will be destroyed quickly. It is like pains that come quickly to a woman having a baby. Those people will not escape. 4 But you, brothers and sisters, are not living in darkness, and so that day will not surprise you like a thief. 5 You are all people who belong to the light and to the day. We do not belong to the night or to darkness. 6 So we should not be like other people who are sleeping, but we should be alert and have self-control. 7 Those who sleep, sleep at night. Those who get drunk, get drunk at night. 8 But we belong to the day, so we should control ourselves. We should wear faith and love to protect us, and the hope of salvation should be our helmet. 9 God did not choose us to suffer his anger but to have salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 Jesus died for us so that we can live together with him, whether we are alive or dead when he comes. 11 So encourage each other and give each other strength, just as you are doing now.
Final Instructions and Greetings
12 Now, brothers and sisters, we ask you to appreciate those who work hard among you, who lead you in the Lord and teach you. 13 Respect them with a very special love because of the work they do.
Live in peace with each other. 14 We ask you, brothers and sisters, to warn those who do not work. Encourage the people who are afraid. Help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 15 Be sure that no one pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to do what is good for each other and for all people.
16 Always be joyful. 17 Pray continually, 18 and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not hold back the work of the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecy as if it were unimportant. 21 But test everything. Keep what is good, 22 and stay away from everything that is evil.
23 Now may God himself, the God of peace, make you pure, belonging only to him. May your whole self—spirit, soul, and body—be kept safe and without fault when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. 24 You can trust the One who calls you to do that for you.
25 Brothers and sisters, pray for us.
26 Give each other a holy kiss when you meet. 27 I tell you by the authority of the Lord to read this letter to all the believers.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.