M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Jobs of the Kohath Family
4 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Count the Kohathites among the Levites by family groups and families. 3 Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who come to serve in the Meeting Tent.
4 “The Kohathites are responsible for the most holy things in the Meeting Tent. 5 When the Israelites are ready to move, Aaron and his sons must go into the Holy Tent, take down the curtain, and cover the Ark of the Agreement with it. 6 Over this they must put a covering made from fine leather, then spread the solid blue cloth over that, and put the poles in place.
7 “Then they must spread a blue cloth over the table for the bread that shows a person is in God’s presence. They must put the plates, pans, bowls, and the jars for drink offerings on the table; they must leave the bread that is always there on the table. 8 Then they must put a red cloth over all of these things, cover everything with fine leather, and put the poles in place.
9 “With a blue cloth they must cover the lampstand, its lamps, its wick trimmers, its trays, and all the jars for the oil used in the lamps. 10 Then they must wrap everything in fine leather and put all these things on a frame for carrying them.
11 “They must spread a blue cloth over the gold altar, cover it with fine leather, and put the poles in place.
12 “They must gather all the things used for serving in the Holy Place and wrap them in a blue cloth. Then they must cover that with fine leather and put these things on a frame for carrying them.
13 “They must clean the ashes off the bronze altar and spread a purple cloth over it. 14 They must gather all the things used for serving at the altar—the pans for carrying the fire, the meat forks, the shovels, and the bowls—and put them on the bronze altar. Then they must spread a covering of fine leather over it and put the poles in place.
15 “When the Israelites are ready to move, and when Aaron and his sons have covered the holy furniture and all the holy things, the Kohathites may go in and carry them away. In this way they won’t touch the holy things and die. It is the Kohathites’ job to carry the things that are in the Meeting Tent.
16 “Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, will be responsible for the Holy Tent and for everything in it, for all the holy things it has: the oil for the lamp, the sweet-smelling incense, the continual grain offering, and the oil used to appoint priests and things to the Lord’s service.”
17 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 18 “Don’t let the Kohathites be cut off from the Levites. 19 Do this for the Kohathites so that they may go near the Most Holy Place and not die: Aaron and his sons must go in and show each Kohathite what to do and what to carry. 20 The Kohathites must not enter and look at the holy things, even for a second, or they will die.”
The Jobs of the Gershon Family
21 The Lord said to Moses, 22 “Count the Gershonites by families and family groups. 23 Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who have a job to do in the Meeting Tent.
24 “This is what the Gershonite family groups must do and what they must carry. 25 They must carry the curtains of the Holy Tent, the Meeting Tent, its covering, and its outer covering made from fine leather. They must also carry the curtains for the entrance to the Meeting Tent, 26 the curtains of the courtyard that go around the Holy Tent and the altar, the curtain for the entry to the courtyard, the ropes, and all the things used with the curtains. They must do everything connected with these things. 27 Aaron and his sons are in charge of what the Gershonites do or carry; you tell them what they are responsible for carrying. 28 This is the work of the Gershonite family group at the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.
The Jobs of the Merari Family
29 “Count the Merarite families and family groups. 30 Count the men from thirty to fifty years old, all who work at the Meeting Tent. 31 It is their job to carry the following as they serve in the Meeting Tent: the frames of the Holy Tent, the crossbars, the posts, and bases, 32 in addition to the posts that go around the courtyard, their bases, tent pegs, ropes, and everything that is used with the poles around the courtyard. Tell each man exactly what to carry. 33 This is the work the Merarite family group will do for the Meeting Tent. Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest, will direct their work.”
The Levite Families
34 Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted the Kohathites by families and family groups, 35 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. 36 There were 2,750 men in the family groups. 37 This was the total of the Kohath family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses.
38 Also, the Gershonites were counted by families and family groups, 39 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were given work at the Meeting Tent. 40 The families and family groups had 2,630 men. 41 This was the total of the Gershon family groups who worked at the Meeting Tent, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded.
42 Also, the men in the families and family groups of the Merari family were counted, 43 the men from thirty to fifty years old who were to work at the Meeting Tent. 44 The family groups had 3,200 men. 45 This was the total of the Merari family groups, whom Moses and Aaron counted as the Lord had commanded Moses.
46 So Moses, Aaron, and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by families and family groups. 47 They counted the men from thirty to fifty who were given work at the Meeting Tent and who carried the Tent. 48 The total number of these men was 8,580. 49 Each man was counted as the Lord had commanded Moses; each man was given his work and told what to carry as the Lord had commanded Moses.
A Prayer in Time of Sickness
A psalm of David to remember.
38 Lord, don’t correct me when you are angry.
Don’t punish me when you are furious.
2 Your arrows have wounded me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 My body is sick from your punishment.
Even my bones are not healthy because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me;
like a load it weighs me down.
5 My sores stink and become infected
because I was foolish.
6 I am bent over and bowed down;
I am sad all day long.
7 I am burning with fever,
and my whole body is sore.
8 I am weak and faint.
I moan from the pain I feel.
9 Lord, you know everything I want;
my cries are not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, and my strength is gone.
I am losing my sight.
11 Because of my wounds, my friends and neighbors avoid me,
and my relatives stay far away.
12 Some people set traps to kill me.
Those who want to hurt me plan trouble;
all day long they think up lies.
13 I am like the deaf; I cannot hear.
Like the mute, I cannot speak.
14 I am like those who do not hear,
who have no answer to give.
15 I trust you, Lord.
You will answer, my Lord and God.
16 I said, “Don’t let them laugh at me
or brag when I am defeated.”
17 I am about to die,
and I cannot forget my pain.
18 I confess my guilt;
I am troubled by my sin.
19 My enemies are strong and healthy,
and many hate me for no reason.
20 They repay me with evil for the good I did.
They lie about me because I try to do good.
21 Lord, don’t leave me;
my God, don’t go away.
22 Quickly come and help me,
my Lord and Savior.
The Woman Speaks Again
2 I am a rose in the Plain of Sharon,
a lily in the valleys.
The Man Speaks Again
2 Among the young women, my darling
is like a lily among thorns!
The Woman Answers
3 Among the young men, my lover
is like an apple tree in the woods!
I enjoy sitting in his shadow;
his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banquet room,
and his banner over me is love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
and refresh me with apples,
because I am weak with love.
6 My lover’s left hand is under my head,
and his right arm holds me tight.
The Woman Speaks to the Friends
7 Women of Jerusalem, promise me
by the gazelles and the deer
not to awaken
or excite my feelings of love
until it is ready.
The Woman Speaks Again
8 I hear my lover’s voice.
Here he comes jumping across the mountains,
skipping over the hills.
9 My lover is like a gazelle or a young deer.
Look, he stands behind our wall
peeking through the windows,
looking through the blinds.
10 My lover spoke and said to me,
“Get up, my darling;
let’s go away, my beautiful one.
11 Look, the winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Blossoms appear through all the land.
The time has come to sing;
the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
13 There are young figs on the fig trees,
and the blossoms on the vines smell sweet.
Get up, my darling;
let’s go away, my beautiful one.”
The Man Speaks
14 My beloved is like a dove hiding in the cracks of the rock,
in the secret places of the cliff.
Show me your face,
and let me hear your voice.
Your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.
15 Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards
while they are in blossom.
The Woman Speaks
16 My lover is mine, and I am his.
He feeds among the lilies
17 until the day dawns
and the shadows disappear.
Turn, my lover.
Be like a gazelle or a young deer
on the mountain valleys.
Our Salvation Is Great
2 So we must be more careful to follow what we were taught. Then we will not stray away from the truth. 2 The teaching God spoke through angels was shown to be true, and anyone who did not follow it or obey it received the punishment that was earned. 3 So surely we also will be punished if we ignore this great salvation. The Lord himself first told about this salvation, and those who heard him testified it was true. 4 God also testified to the truth of the message by using wonders, great signs, many kinds of miracles, and by giving people gifts through the Holy Spirit, just as he wanted.
Christ Became like Humans
5 God did not choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming, which is what we have been talking about. 6 It is written in the Scriptures,
“Why are people even important to you?
Why do you take care of human beings?
7 You made them a little lower than the angels
and crowned them with glory and honor.[a]
8 You put all things under their control.” Psalm 8:4–6
When God put everything under their control, there was nothing left that they did not rule. Still, we do not yet see them ruling over everything. 9 But we see Jesus, who for a short time was made lower than the angels. And now he is wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. And by God’s grace, he died for everyone.
10 God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory, so he made the One who leads people to salvation perfect through suffering.
11 Jesus, who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are from the same family. So he is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 He says,
“Then, I will tell my brothers and sisters about you;
I will praise you in the public meeting.” Psalm 22:22
13 He also says,
“I will trust in God.” Isaiah 8:17
And he also says,
“I am here, and with me are the children God has given me.” Isaiah 8:18
14 Since these children are people with physical bodies, Jesus himself became like them. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death—the devil— 15 and free those who were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps, but the people who are from Abraham.[b] 17 For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way so he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could die in their place to take away their sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted, because he himself suffered and was tempted.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.