M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Forbidden Sexual Practices
18 Yahweh spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh your Elohim. 3 You used to live in Egypt. Don’t live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don’t live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. 4 Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am Yahweh your Elohim. 5 Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am Yahweh.
6 “Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am Yahweh.
7 “Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her. 8 Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father. 9 Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house. 10 Never have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, because she is related to you. 11 Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister. 12 Never have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister. She is your paternal aunt. 13 Never have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister. She is your maternal aunt. 14 Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father’s brother. She, too, is your aunt. 15 Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her. 16 Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother’s wife. 17 Never have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted. 18 While your wife is living, never marry her sister as a rival wife and have sexual intercourse with her.
19 “Never have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is unclean during her monthly period. 20 Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife and become unclean with her. 21 Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech by burning them alive. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your Elohim. I am Yahweh. 22 Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting. 23 Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.
Punishment for Sexual Sins
24 “Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean. 25 The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it. 26 Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things. 27 The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean. 28 If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you. 29 Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people. 30 So you must follow my instructions. Don’t live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”
Psalm 22
For the choir director; according to ayyeleth hashachar;[a] a psalm by David.
1 My El, my El,
why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away from helping me,
so far away from the words of my groaning?
2 My Elohim,
I cry out by day, but you do not answer—
also at night, but I find no rest.
3 Yet, you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
4 Our ancestors trusted you.
They trusted, and you rescued them.
5 They cried to you and were saved.
They trusted you and were never disappointed.
6 Yet, I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned by humanity and despised by people.
7 All who see me make fun of me.
Insults pour from their mouths.
They shake their heads and say,
8 “Put yourself in Yahweh’s hands.
Let Yahweh save him!
Let Yahweh rescue him since he is pleased with him!”
9 Indeed, you are the one who brought me out of the womb,
the one who made me feel safe at my mother’s breasts.
10 I was placed in your care from birth.
From my mother’s womb you have been my El.
11 Do not be so far away from me.
Trouble is near, and there is no one to help.
12 Many bulls have surrounded me.
Strong bulls from Bashan have encircled me.
13 They have opened their mouths to attack me
like ferocious, roaring lions.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart is like wax.
It has melted within me.
15 My strength is dried up like pieces of broken pottery.
My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
You lay me down in the dust of death.
16 Dogs have surrounded me.
A mob has encircled me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.
17 I can count all my bones.
People stare.
They gloat over me.
18 They divide my clothes among themselves.
They throw dice for my clothing.
19 Do not be so far away, O Yahweh.
Come quickly to help me, O my strength.
20 Rescue my soul from the sword,
my life from vicious dogs.
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion
and from the horns of wild oxen.
You have answered me.
22 I will tell my people about your name.
I will praise you within the congregation.
23 All who fear Yahweh, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify him!
Stand in awe of him, all you descendants of Israel.
24 Yahweh has not despised or been disgusted
with the plight of the oppressed one.
He has not hidden his face from that person.
Yahweh heard when that oppressed person
cried out to him for help.
25 My praise comes from you while I am among those assembled for worship.
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear Yahweh.
26 Oppressed people will eat until they are full.
Those who look to Yahweh will praise him.
May you live forever.
27 All the ends of the earth will remember and return to Yahweh.
All the families from all the nations will worship you
28 because the kingdom belongs to Yahweh
and he rules the nations.
29 All prosperous people on earth will eat and worship.
All those who go down to the dust will kneel in front of him,
even those who are barely alive.
30 There will be descendants who serve him,
a generation that will be told about Adonay.
31 They will tell people yet to be born about his righteousness—
that he has finished it.
Introducing the Spokesman
1 The words of the spokesman, the son of David and the king in Jerusalem.
The Theme
2 “Absolutely pointless!” says the spokesman. “Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless.”
Life Is an Endless Circle
3 What do people gain from all their hard work under the sun?
4 Generations come, and generations go,
but the earth lasts forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun sets,
and then it rushes back to the place where it will rise again.
6 The wind blows toward the south and shifts toward the north.
Round and round it blows. It blows in a full circle.
7 All streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full.
The water goes back to the place where the streams began
in order to start flowing again.
8 All of these sayings are worn-out phrases. They are more than anyone can express, comprehend, or understand.
9 Whatever has happened before will happen again. Whatever has been done before will be done again. There is nothing new under the sun. 10 Can you say that anything is new? It has already been here long before us. 11 Nothing from the past is remembered. Even in the future, nothing will be remembered by those who come after us.
The Spokesman Begins to Study Everything under Heaven
12 I, the spokesman, have been king of Israel in Jerusalem. 13 With all my heart I used wisdom to study and explore everything done under heaven.
The Spokesman’s General Conclusion
Mortals are weighed down with a terrible burden that Elohim has placed on them. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun. Look at it! It’s all pointless. It’s like trying to catch the wind.
15 No one can straighten what is bent.
No one can count what is not there.
The Spokesman Begins to Study Life
16 I thought to myself, “I have grown wiser than anyone who has ruled Jerusalem before me. I’ve had a lot of experience with wisdom and knowledge.” 17 I’ve used my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge as well as madness and stupidity. Now I know that this is like trying to catch the wind.
18 With a lot of wisdom comes a lot of heartache.
The greater your knowledge, the greater your pain.
Guidelines for Leaders in the Church
3 This is a statement that can be trusted: If anyone sets his heart on being a bishop,[a] he desires something excellent. 2 A bishop must have a good reputation. He must have only one wife, be sober, use good judgment, be respectable, be hospitable, and be able to teach. 3 He must not drink excessively or be a violent person, but he must be gentle. He must not be quarrelsome or love money. 4 He must manage his own family well. His children should respectfully obey him. 5 (If a man doesn’t know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) 6 He must not be a new Christian, or he might become arrogant like the devil and be condemned. 7 People who are not Christians must speak well of him, or he might become the victim of disgraceful insults that the devil sets as traps for him.
8 Deacons[b] must also be of good character. They must not be two-faced or addicted to alcohol. They must not use shameful ways to make money. 9 They must have clear consciences about possessing the mystery of the Christian faith. 10 First, a person must be evaluated. Then, if he has a good reputation, he may become a deacon.
11 Their wives must also be of good character. They must not be gossips, but they must control their tempers and be trustworthy in every way.
12 A deacon must have only one wife. Deacons must manage their children and their families well. 13 Those deacons who serve well gain an excellent reputation and will have confidence as a result of their faith in Christ Yeshua.
14 I hope to visit you soon. However, I’m writing this to you 15 in case I’m delayed. I want you to know how people who are members of God’s family must live. God’s family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
16 The mystery that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great:
He[c] appeared in his human nature,
was approved by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was announced throughout the nations,
was believed in the world,
and was taken to heaven in glory.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.