M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Taking a Special Vow
6 Yahweh said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: A man or a woman may make a special vow to live as a Nazirite dedicated to Yahweh. 3 Nazirites must never drink wine, liquor, vinegar made from wine or liquor, or any kind of grape juice, and they must never eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they are Nazirites, they must never eat anything that comes from a grapevine, not even grape seeds or skins.
5 “As long as they are under the Nazirite vow, no razor may touch their heads. During the entire time that they are dedicated to Yahweh as Nazirites, they will be holy. They must let their hair grow long. 6 While they are dedicated to Yahweh as Nazirites, they must never go near a dead body. 7 Even if their own father, mother, brother, or sister dies, they must not make themselves unclean[a] by going near them. Nazarites show their vow to Elohim with their long hair. 8 As long as they are Nazirites, they will be holy to Yahweh.
9 “Someone might suddenly drop dead next to a Nazirite and make the Nazirite’s hair unclean. Seven days later he must shave his head in order to be declared clean.[b] 10 On the eighth day he must bring two mourning doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 11 The priest will sacrifice one as an offering for sin and the other one as a burnt offering. The priest will make peace with the Lord for the person who touched the dead body. That same day the person must dedicate his head again. 12 Once again he will dedicate himself to Yahweh as a Nazirite for the same length of time as before. He must bring a one-year-old male lamb as an offering for guilt. The first time period won’t count. He has to start over from when he became unclean.
13 “These are the instructions for Nazirites who complete their vows: They must come to the entrance of the tent of meeting. 14 They must bring these offerings to Yahweh: a one-year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, a one-year-old female lamb as an offering for sin, and a ram as a fellowship offering. All of these animals must have no defects. 15 They must also bring a basket of unleavened bread containing some rings of bread made with olive oil and wafers of unleavened bread brushed with olive oil, along with other grain offerings and wine offerings.
16 “The priest will bring these offerings to Yahweh and make the offering for sin and the burnt offering. 17 He will sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to Yahweh, offer the basket of unleavened bread along with it, and make the grain offerings and wine offerings.
18 “Then the Nazirites will shave their heads at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair as proof that they had made this vow, and put it on the fire under the fellowship offering.
19 “Then the priest will take one of the shoulders from a boiled ram, one ring of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread and hand them to the Nazirites after they have shaved off their hair. 20 The priest will present them as an offering to Yahweh. They are holy and belong to the priest, along with the ram’s breast that is presented and the thigh that is given. After that, the Nazirites may drink wine.
21 “These are the instructions for those who have vowed to bring their offerings to Yahweh because they were Nazirites. They must bring these offerings in addition to anything else they can afford. They must fulfill the requirements of these instructions for Nazirites and finish whatever they vowed to do.”
How Aaron and His Sons Will Bless the Israelites
22 Yahweh said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you will bless the Israelites. Say to them:
24 Yahweh will bless you and watch over you.
25 Yahweh will smile on you and be kind to you.
26 Yahweh will look on you with favor and give you peace.’
27 “So whenever they use my name to bless the Israelites, I will bless them.”
Psalm 40
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 I waited patiently for Yahweh.
He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
2 He pulled me out of a horrible pit,
out of the mud and clay.
He set my feet on a rock
and made my steps secure.
3 He placed a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our Elohim.
Many will see this and worship.
They will trust Yahweh.
4 Blessed is the person
who places his confidence in Yahweh
and does not rely on arrogant people
or those who follow lies.
5 You have done many miraculous things, O Yahweh my Elohim.
You have made many wonderful plans for us.
No one compares to you!
I will tell others about your miracles,
which are more than I can count.
6 You were not pleased with sacrifices and offerings.
You have dug out two ears for me.[a]
You did not ask for burnt offerings or sacrifices for sin.
7 Then I said, “I have come!
(It is written about me in the scroll of the book.)
8 I am happy to do your will, O my Elohim.”
Your teachings are deep within me.
9 I will announce the good news of righteousness
among those assembled for worship.
I will not close my lips.
You know that, O Yahweh.
10 I have not buried your righteousness deep in my heart.
I have been outspoken about your faithfulness and your salvation.
I have not hidden your mercy and your truth
from those assembled for worship.
11 Do not withhold your compassion from me, O Yahweh.
May your mercy and your truth always protect me.
12 Countless evils have surrounded me.
My sins have caught up with me so that I can no longer see.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
I have lost heart.
13 O Yahweh, please rescue me!
Come quickly to help me, O Yahweh![b]
14 Let all those who seek to end my life
be confused and put to shame.
Let those who want my downfall
be turned back and disgraced.
15 Let those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be stunned by their own shame.
16 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad because of you.
Let those who love your salvation continually say,
“Yahweh is great!”
17 But I am oppressed and needy.
May Adonay think of me.
You are my help and my savior.
O my Elohim, do not delay!
Psalm 41
For the choir director; a psalm by David.
1 Blessed is the one who has concern for helpless people.
Yahweh will rescue him in times of trouble.
2 Yahweh will protect him and keep him alive.
He will be blessed in the land.
Do not place him at the mercy of his enemies.
3 Yahweh will support him on his sickbed.
You will restore this person to health when he is ill.
4 I said, “O Yahweh, have pity on me!
Heal my soul because I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies say terrible things about me:
“When will he die, and when will his family name disappear?”
6 When one of them comes to visit me, he speaks foolishly.
His heart collects gossip.
Then he leaves to tell others.
7 Everyone who hates me whispers about me.
They think evil things about me and say,
8 “A devilish disease has attached itself to him.
He will never leave his sickbed.”
9 Even my closest friend whom I trusted,
the one who ate my bread,
has lifted his heel against me.
10 Have pity on me, O Yahweh!
Raise me up so that I can pay them back
11 and my enemy cannot shout in triumph over me.
When you do this, I know that you are pleased with me.
12 You defend my integrity,
and you set me in your presence forever.
13 Thank Yahweh Elohim of Israel through all eternity!
Amen and amen!
Solomon Is Charmed by the Young Woman
[Groom]
4 Look at you! You are beautiful, my true love.
Look at you! You are so beautiful.
Your eyes behind your veil are like doves.
Your hair is like a flock of goats moving down Mount Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep about to be sheared,
sheep that come up from the washing.
All of them bear twins, and not one has lost its young.
3 Your lips are like scarlet thread.
Your mouth is lovely.
Your temples behind your veil are like slices of pomegranate.
4 Your neck is like David’s beautifully-designed[a] tower.
A thousand round shields belonging to soldiers
are hung on it.
5 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin gazelles grazing among the lilies.
6 When the day brings a cool breeze and the shadows flee,
I will go to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of incense.
7 You are beautiful in every way, my true love.
There is no blemish on you.
8 You will come with me from Lebanon,
from Lebanon as my bride.
You will travel with me
from the peak of Mount Amana,
from the mountain peaks in Senir and Hermon,
from the lairs of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.
9 My bride, my sister, you have charmed me.[b]
You have charmed me
with a single glance from your eyes,
with a single strand of your necklace.
10 How beautiful are your expressions of love, my bride, my sister!
How much better are your expressions of love than wine
and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice.
11 Your lips drip honey, my bride.
Honey and milk are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your clothing is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 My bride, my sister is a garden that is locked,
a garden that is locked,
a spring that is sealed.
13 You are paradise that produces
pomegranates and the best fruits,
henna flowers and nard,
14 nard and saffron,
calamus,[c] cinnamon, and all kinds of incense,[d]
myrrh, aloes, and all the best spices.
15 You are a spring for gardens,
a well of living water flowing from Lebanon.
[Bride]
16 Awake, north wind!
Come, south wind!
Blow on my garden!
Let its spices flow from it.
Let my beloved come to his garden,
and let him eat his own precious fruit.
We Will Enter God’s Place of Rest
4 God’s promise that we may enter his place of rest still stands. We are afraid that some of you think you won’t enter his place of rest. 2 We have heard the same Good News that your ancestors heard. But the message didn’t help those who heard it in the past because they didn’t believe.
3 We who believe are entering that place of rest. As God said, “So I angrily took a solemn oath that they would never enter my place of rest.” God said this even though he had finished his work when he created the world. 4 Somewhere in Scripture God has said this about the seventh day: “On the seventh day God rested from all his work.”
5 God also said in the same passage, “They will never enter my place of rest.” 6 However, some people enter that place of rest. Those who heard the Good News in the past did not enter God’s place of rest because they did not obey God. 7 So God set another day. That day is today. Many years after your ancestors failed to enter that place of rest God spoke about it through David in the passage already quoted: “If you hear God speak today, don’t be stubborn.” 8 If Joshua had given the people rest, God would not have spoken about another day. 9 Therefore, a time of rest and worship exists for God’s people. 10 Those who entered his place of rest also rested from their work as God did from his.
11 So we must make every effort to enter that place of rest. Then no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey.
12 God’s word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions. 13 No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for him to see. We must answer to him.
Christ Is Superior to Other Chief Priests
14 We need to hold on to our declaration of faith: We have a superior chief priest who has gone through the heavens. That person is Yeshua, the Son of God. 15 We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn’t sin. 16 So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness[a] to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.