M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Duties in the Tent of Meeting(A)
24 Yahweh spoke to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to bring you pure, virgin olive oil for the lamp stand so that the lamps won’t go out. 3 In the tent of meeting, outside the canopy where the words of my promise are, Aaron must keep the lamps lit in Yahweh’s presence from evening until morning. It is a permanent law for generations to come. 4 Aaron must keep the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand lit in Yahweh’s presence.
5 “Also take flour and bake twelve rings of bread. Each ring will contain four quarts of flour. 6 Put them in two stacks of six each on the gold table in Yahweh’s presence. 7 Lay pure incense on top of each stack. The incense on the bread will be a reminder, an offering by fire to Yahweh. 8 Every day of worship a priest must arrange the bread in Yahweh’s presence. It is a continual reminder of my promise[a] to the Israelites. 9 The bread will belong to Aaron and his sons. They will eat it in a holy place. It is very holy, set apart from Yahweh’s offering by fire. This is a permanent law.”
The Man Who Cursed the Lord’s Name
10 A man, whose mother was Shelomith (daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan in Israel) and whose father was from Egypt, got into a quarrel with an Israelite in the camp. 11 The Israelite woman’s son began cursing Ha-shem and treating it with contempt. So they brought him to Moses.[b] 12 They kept him in custody until Yahweh told them what to do.
13 Yahweh spoke to Moses, 14 “The man who cursed my name must be taken outside the camp. All who heard him curse my name must lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation must stone him to death.
15 “Also tell the Israelites: Those who treat their Elohim with contempt will be punished for their sin. 16 But those who curse Yahweh’s name must be put to death. The whole congregation must stone them to death. It makes no difference whether they are Israelites or foreigners. Whoever curses Ha-shem must die.
17 “Whoever kills another person must be put to death. 18 Whoever kills an animal must replace it, life for life. 19 Whoever injures a neighbor must receive the same injury in return— 20 a broken bone for a broken bone, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Whoever injures another person must receive the same injury in return. 21 Whoever kills an animal must replace it. Whoever kills a person must be put to death. 22 The same rule applies to every one of you. It makes no difference whether you are a foreigner or an Israelite, because I am Yahweh your Elohim.”
23 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. So the man who had cursed Yahweh’s name was taken outside the camp. There they stoned him to death. The Israelites did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
Psalm 31
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 I have taken refuge in you, O Yahweh.
Never let me be put to shame.
Save me because of your righteousness.
2 Turn your ear toward me.
Rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong Metsuda to save me.
3 Indeed, you are my rock and my Metsuda.
For the sake of your name, lead me and guide me.
4 You are my refuge,
so pull me out of the net that they have secretly laid for me.
5 Into your hands I entrust my spirit.
You have rescued me, O Yahweh, El of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to false gods, but I trust Yahweh.
7 I will rejoice and be glad because of your mercy.
You have seen my misery.
You have known the troubles in my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy.
You have set my feet in a place where I can move freely.
9 Have pity on me, O Yahweh, because I am in distress.
My eyes, my soul, and my body waste away from grief.
10 My life is exhausted from sorrow,
my years from groaning.
My strength staggers under the weight of my guilt,
and my bones waste away.
11 I have become a disgrace because of all my opponents.
I have become someone dreaded by my friends,
even by my neighbors.
Those who see me on the street run away from me.
12 I have faded from memory as if I were dead
and have become like a piece of broken pottery.
13 I have heard the whispering of many people—
terror on every side—
while they made plans together against me.
They were plotting to take my life.
14 I trust you, O Yahweh.
I said, “You are my Elohim.”
15 My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from my enemies, from those who persecute me.
16 Smile on me.
Save me with your mercy.
17 O Yahweh, I have called on you, so do not let me be put to shame.
Let wicked people be put to shame.
Let them be silent in the grave.
18 Let their lying lips be speechless,
since they speak against righteous people with arrogance and contempt.
19 Your kindness is so great!
You reserve it for those who fear you.
Adam’s descendants watch
as you show it to those who take refuge in you.
20 You hide them in the secret place of your presence
from those who scheme against them.
You keep them in a shelter,
safe from quarrelsome tongues.
21 Thank Yahweh!
He has shown me the miracle of his mercy
in a city under attack.
22 When I was panic-stricken, I said,
“I have been cut off from your sight.”
But you heard my pleas for mercy when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love Yahweh, all you godly ones!
Yahweh protects faithful people,
but he pays back in full those who act arrogantly.
24 Be strong, all who wait with hope for Yahweh,
and let your heart be courageous.
Proverbs about Life
7 A good name is better than expensive perfume, and the day you die is better than the day you’re born. 2 It is better to go to a funeral than to a banquet because that is where everyone will end up. Everyone who is alive should take this to heart! 3 Sorrow is better than laughter because, in spite of a sad face, the heart can be joyful. 4 The minds of wise people think about funerals, but the minds of fools think about banquets.
5 It is better to listen to wise people who reprimand you than to fools who sing your praises. 6 The laughter of a fool is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot. Even this is pointless.
7 Oppression can turn a wise person into a fool, and a bribe can corrupt the mind.
8 The end of something is better than its beginning. It is better to be patient than arrogant.
9 Don’t be quick to get angry, because anger is typical of fools. 10 Don’t ask, “Why were things better in the old days than they are now?” It isn’t wisdom that leads you to ask this!
Wisdom Gives Life
11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance. It is an advantage to everyone who sees the sun. 12 Wisdom protects us just as money protects us, but the advantage of wisdom is that it gives life to those who have it.
13 Consider what Elohim has done! Who can straighten what Elohim has bent?
A Truth for Every Situation
14 When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, consider this: Elohim has made the one time as well as the other so that mortals cannot predict their future.
Mortals Don’t Get What They Deserve
15 I have seen it all in my pointless life:
Righteous people die in spite of being righteous.
Wicked people go on living in spite of being wicked.
16 Don’t be too virtuous, and don’t be too wise. Why make yourself miserable? 17 Don’t be too wicked, and don’t be a fool. Why should you die before your time is up? 18 It’s good to hold on to the one and not let go of the other, because the one who fears Elohim will be able to avoid both extremes.
The Advantages of Wisdom
19 Wisdom will help a wise person more than ten rulers can help a city. 20 Certainly, there is no one so righteous on earth that he always does what is good and never sins.
21 Don’t take everything that people say to heart, or you may hear your own servant cursing you. 22 Your conscience knows that you have cursed others many times.
23 I used wisdom to test all of this. I said, “I want to be wise, but it is out of my reach.” 24 Whatever wisdom may be, it is out of reach. It is deep, very deep. Who can find out what it is? 25 I turned my attention to study, to explore, and to seek out wisdom and the reason for things. I learned that wickedness is stupid and foolishness is madness.
26 I find that a woman whose thoughts are like traps and snares is more bitter than death itself. Even her hands are like chains. Whoever pleases Elohim will escape her, but she will catch whoever continues to sin.
27 The spokesman said, “This is what I’ve found: I added one thing to another in order to find a reason for things. 28 I am still seeking a reason for things, but have not found any. I found one man out of a thousand who had it, but out of all these I didn’t find one woman. 29 I have found only this: Elohim made people decent, but they looked for many ways to avoid being decent.”[a]
Watch Out for Sinful People
3 You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time. 2 People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy, 3 and lack normal affection for their families. They will refuse to make peace with anyone. They will be slanderous, lack self-control, be brutal, and have no love for what is good. 4 They will be traitors. They will be reckless and conceited. They will love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will appear to have a godly life, but they will not let its power change them. Stay away from such people.
6 Some of these men go into homes and mislead weak-minded women who are burdened with sins and led by all kinds of desires. 7 These women are always studying but are never able to recognize the truth.
8 As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men oppose the truth. Their minds are corrupt, and the faith they teach is counterfeit. 9 Certainly, they won’t get very far. Like the stupidity of Jannes and Jambres, their stupidity will be plain to everyone.
Teach the Truth
10 But you know all about my teachings, my way of life, my purpose, my faith, my patience, my love, and my endurance. 11 You also know about the kind of persecutions and sufferings which happened to me in the cities of Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions, and the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 Those who try to live a godly life because they believe in Christ Yeshua will be persecuted. 13 But evil people and phony preachers will go from bad to worse as they mislead people and are themselves misled.
14 However, continue in what you have learned and found to be true. You know who your teachers were. 15 From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures. They have the power to give you wisdom so that you can be saved through faith in Christ Yeshua. 16 Every Scripture passage is inspired by God. All of them are useful for teaching, pointing out errors, correcting people, and training them for a life that has God’s approval. 17 They equip God’s servants so that they are completely prepared to do good things.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.