M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Duties of the People Toward God
19 Yahweh spoke to Moses, 2 “Tell the whole congregation of Israel: Be holy because I, Yahweh your Elohim, am holy.
3 “Respect your mother and father. Observe my days of worship. I am Yahweh your Elohim.
4 “Don’t turn to worthless gods or cast metal idols. Never make any gods for yourselves. I am Yahweh your Elohim.
5 “When you bring a fellowship offering to Yahweh, sacrifice it properly so that you will be accepted. 6 Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over. 7 If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted. 8 Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to Yahweh. They must be excluded from the people.
Duties of the People Toward Each Other
9 “When you harvest the grain in your land, don’t harvest the grain in the corners of your fields or gather what is left after you’re finished. 10 Don’t harvest your vineyard a second time or pick up fallen grapes. Leave them for poor people and foreigners. I am Yahweh your Elohim.
11 “Never steal, lie, or deceive your neighbor.
12 “Never swear by my name in order to deceive anyone. This dishonors the name of your Elohim. I am Yahweh.
13 “Never oppress or rob your neighbor. Never keep the pay you owe a hired worker overnight. 14 Never curse deaf people or put anything in the way of blind people to make them stumble. Instead, fear your Elohim. I am Yahweh.
15 “Don’t be corrupt when administering justice. Never give special favors to poor people, and never show preference to important people. Judge your neighbor fairly. 16 Never gossip. Never endanger your neighbor’s life. I am Yahweh.
17 “Never hate another Israelite. Be sure to correct your neighbor so that you will not be guilty of sinning along with him. 18 Never get revenge. Never hold a grudge against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself. I am Yahweh.
Other Duties
19 “Obey my laws. Never crossbreed different kinds of animals. Never plant two kinds of crops in your field. Never wear clothes made from two kinds of material.
20 “If a man has sexual intercourse with a female slave who is engaged to another man and if her freedom was never bought or given to her, they should not be put to death. He will only pay a fine because she is a slave. 21 He must bring a ram for his guilt offering to Yahweh at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22 In Yahweh’s presence the priest will use them to make peace with the Lord for this sin. The man will be forgiven for this sin.
23 “When you come into the land and plant all kinds of fruit trees, you must not eat the fruit for the first three years. 24 In the fourth year all the fruit will be a holy offering of praise to Yahweh. 25 In the fifth year you may eat the fruit. Do this to make the trees produce more for you. I am Yahweh your Elohim.
26 “Never eat any meat with blood still in it.
“Never cast evil spells, and never consult fortunetellers.
27 “Never shave the hair on your foreheads, and never cut the edges of your beard. 28 Never slash your body to mourn the dead, and never get a tattoo. I am Yahweh.
29 “Never dishonor your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the country will turn to prostitution and be filled with people who are perverted.
30 “Observe my days of worship and respect my holy tent. I am Yahweh.
31 “Don’t turn to psychics or mediums to get help. That will make you unclean. I am Yahweh your Elohim.
32 “Show respect to the elderly, and honor older people. In this way you show respect for your Elohim. I am Yahweh.
33 “Never mistreat a foreigner living in your land. 34 Foreigners living among you will be like your own people. Love them as you love yourself, because you were foreigners living in Egypt. I am Yahweh your Elohim.
35 “Don’t be corrupt when administering justice concerning length, weight, or measuring liquid. 36 Use honest scales, honest weights, and honest measures. I am Yahweh your Elohim who brought you out of Egypt.
37 “Obey all my laws and all my rules, and live by them. I am Yahweh.”
Psalm 23
A psalm by David.
1 Yahweh is my Roeh.
I am never in need.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside peaceful waters.
3 He renews my soul.
He guides me along the paths of righteousness
for the sake of his name.
4 Even though I walk through the dark valley of death,
because you are with me, I fear no harm.
Your rod and your staff give me courage.
5 You prepare a banquet for me while my enemies watch.
You anoint my head with oil.
My cup overflows.
6 Certainly, goodness and mercy will stay close to me all the days of my life,
and I will remain in Yahweh’s house for days without end.
Psalm 24
A psalm by David.
1 The earth and everything it contains are Yahweh’s.
The world and all who live in it are his.
2 He laid its foundation on the seas
and set it firmly on the rivers.
3 Who may go up Yahweh’s mountain?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart
and does not long for what is false[a]
or lie when he is under oath.
5 This person will receive a blessing from Yahweh
and righteousness from Elohim, his savior.
6 This is the person who seeks him,
who searches for the face of the El of Jacob.[b] Selah
7 Lift your heads, you gates.
Be lifted, you ancient doors,
so that the Melek of glory may come in.
8 Who is this Melek of glory?
Yahweh, strong and mighty!
Yahweh, heroic in battle!
9 Lift your heads, you gates.
Be lifted, you ancient doors,
so that the Melek of glory may come in.
10 Who, then, is this Melek of glory?
Yahweh Tsebaoth is the Melek of glory! Selah
The Spokesman Studies Laughter
2 I thought to myself, “Now I want to experiment with pleasure and enjoy myself.” But even this was pointless.
2 I thought, “Laughter doesn’t make any sense. What does pleasure accomplish?”
The Spokesman Studies Wine
3 I explored ways to make myself feel better by drinking wine. I also explored ways to do some foolish things. During all that time, wisdom continued to control my mind. I was able to determine whether this was good for mortals to do during their brief lives under heaven.
The Spokesman Studies Personal Achievements
4 I accomplished some great things:
I built houses for myself.
I planted vineyards for myself.
5 I made gardens and parks for myself.
I planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
6 I made pools to water the forest of growing trees.
7 I bought male and female slaves.
In addition, slaves were born in my household.
I owned more herds and flocks
than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8 I also gathered silver and gold for myself.
I gathered the treasures of kings and provinces.
I provided myself with male and female singers
and the pleasures men have with one concubine[a] after another.
9 So I grew richer than anyone in Jerusalem before me. Yet, my wisdom remained with me. 10 If something appealed to me, I did it. I allowed myself to have any pleasure I wanted, since I found pleasure in my work. This was my reward for all my hard work.
11 But when I turned to look at all that I had accomplished and all the hard work I had put into it, I saw that it was all pointless. It was like trying to catch the wind. I gained nothing from any of my accomplishments under the sun.
Death Is the Common Destiny of All Life
12 Then I turned my attention to experience wisdom, madness, and foolishness. For instance, what can the man who replaces the king do? Only what has already been done. 13 But I saw that wisdom has an advantage over foolishness as light has an advantage over darkness. 14 A wise person uses the eyes in his head, but a fool walks in the dark. But I have also come to realize that the same destiny waits for both of them.
15 I thought to myself, “If the destiny that waits for the fool waits for me as well, then what is the advantage in being wise?” So I thought that even this is pointless.
Without God Everything Is Pointless
16 Neither the wise person nor the fool will be remembered for long, since both will be forgotten in the days to come. Both the wise person and the fool will die. 17 So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. It was like trying to catch the wind.
18 I came to hate everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun, because I will have to leave it to the person who replaces me. 19 Who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? He will still have control over everything under the sun for which I worked so hard and used my wisdom. Even this is pointless.
20 Then I fell into despair over everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun. 21 Here is someone who had worked hard with wisdom, knowledge, and skill. Yet, he must turn over his estate to someone else, who didn’t work for it. Even this is pointless and a terrible tragedy.
22 What do people get from all of their hard work and struggles under the sun? 23 Their entire life is filled with pain, and their work is unbearable. Even at night their minds don’t rest. Even this is pointless.
With God Even the Simplest Things Have a Point
24 There is nothing better for people to do than to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in their work. I saw that even this comes from the hand of Elohim. 25 Who can eat or enjoy themselves without Elohim? 26 Elohim gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to anyone who pleases him. But to the person who continues to sin, he gives the job of gathering and collecting wealth. The sinner must turn his wealth over to the person who pleases Elohim. Even this is pointless. It’s like trying to catch the wind.
A Prophecy about the Last Times
4 The Spirit says clearly that in later times some believers will desert the Christian faith. They will follow spirits that deceive, and they will believe the teachings of demons. 2 These people will speak lies disguised as truth. Their consciences have been scarred as if branded by a red-hot iron. 3 They will try to stop others from getting married and from eating certain foods. God created food to be received with prayers of thanks by those who believe and know the truth. 4 Everything God created is good. Nothing should be rejected if it is received with prayers of thanks. 5 The word of God and prayer set it apart as holy.
Guidelines for Serving Christ
6 You are a good servant of Christ Yeshua when you point these things out to our brothers and sisters. Then you will be nourished by the words of the Christian faith and the excellent teachings which you have followed closely. 7 Don’t have anything to do with godless myths that old women like to tell. Rather, train yourself to live a godly life. 8 Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come. 9 This is a statement that can be trusted and deserves complete acceptance. 10 Certainly, we work hard and struggle to live a godly life, because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 Insist on these things and teach them. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you for being young. Instead, make your speech, behavior, love, faith, and purity an example for other believers. 13 Until I get there, concentrate on reading Scripture in worship, giving encouraging messages, and teaching people. 14 Don’t neglect the gift which you received through prophecy when the spiritual leaders[a] placed their hands on you to ordain you. 15 Practice these things. Devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress. 16 Focus on your life and your teaching. Continue to do what I’ve told you. If you do this, you will save yourself and those who hear you.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.