M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Zelophehad’s Daughters
27 Then the daughters of Zelophehad came near. Zelophehad was the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh. Zelophehad’s daughters belonged to the family groups of Manasseh son of Joseph. The daughters’ names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 2 They went to the entrance of the Meeting Tent and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders, and all the people. They said, 3 “Our father died in the desert. He was not one of Korah’s followers who came together against the Lord, but he died because of his own sin, and he had no sons. 4 Our father’s name will die out because he had no sons. Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case to the Lord, 6 and the Lord said to him, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right; they should certainly get what their father owned. Give them property among their father’s relatives.
8 “Tell the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and has no son, then everything he owned should go to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, then everything he owned should go to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, then everything he owned should go to his father’s brothers. 11 And if his father had no brothers, then everything he owned should go to the nearest relative in his family group. This should be a rule among the people of Israel, as the Lord has given this command to Moses.’”
Joshua Is the New Leader
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Climb this mountain in the Abarim Mountains, and look at the land I have given to the Israelites. 13 After you have seen it, you will die and join your ancestors as your brother Aaron did, 14 because you both acted against my command in the Desert of Zin. You did not honor me as holy before the people at the waters of Meribah.” (This was at Meribah in Kadesh in the Desert of Zin.)
15 Moses said to the Lord, 16 “The Lord is the God of the spirits of all people. May he choose a leader for these people, 17 who will go in and out before them. He must lead them out like sheep and bring them in; the Lord’s people must not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, because my Spirit is in him. Put your hand on him, 19 and have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people. Then give him his orders as they watch. 20 Let him share your honor so that all the Israelites will obey him. 21 He must stand before Eleazar the priest, and Eleazar will get advice from the Lord by using the Urim. At his command all the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will all come in.”
22 Moses did what the Lord told him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the people, 23 and he put his hands on him and gave him orders, just as the Lord had told him.
A Cry for God to Help Quickly
For the director of music. A psalm of David. To help people remember.
70 God, come quickly and save me.
Lord, hurry to help me.
2 Let those who are trying to kill me
be ashamed and disgraced.
Let those who want to hurt me
run away in disgrace.
3 Let those who make fun of me
stop because of their shame.
4 But let all those who worship you
rejoice and be glad.
Let those who love your salvation
always say, “Praise the greatness of God.”
5 I am poor and helpless;
God, hurry to me.
You help me and save me.
Lord, do not wait.
An Old Person’s Prayer
71 In you, Lord, is my protection.
Never let me be ashamed.
2 Because you do what is right, save and rescue me;
listen to me and save me.
3 Be my place of safety
where I can always come.
Give the command to save me,
because you are my rock and my strong, walled city.
4 My God, save me from the power of the wicked
and from the hold of evil and cruel people.
5 Lord, you are my hope.
Lord, I have trusted you since I was young.
6 I have depended on you since I was born;
you helped me even on the day of my birth.
I will always praise you.
7 I am an example to many people,
because you are my strong protection.
8 I am always praising you;
all day long I honor you.
9 Do not reject me when I am old;
do not leave me when my strength is gone.
10 My enemies make plans against me,
and they meet together to kill me.
11 They say, “God has left him.
Go after him and take him,
because no one will save him.”
12 God, don’t be far off.
My God, hurry to help me.
13 Let those who accuse me
be ashamed and destroyed.
Let those who are trying to hurt me
be covered with shame and disgrace.
14 But I will always have hope
and will praise you more and more.
15 I will tell how you do what is right.
I will tell about your salvation all day long,
even though it is more than I can tell.
16 I will come and tell about your powerful works, Lord God.
I will remind people that only you do what is right.
17 God, you have taught me since I was young.
To this day I tell about the miracles you do.
18 Even though I am old and gray,
do not leave me, God.
I will tell the children about your power;
I will tell those who live after me about your might.
19 God, your justice reaches to the skies.
You have done great things;
God, there is no one like you.
20 You have given me many troubles and bad times,
but you will give me life again.
When I am almost dead,
you will keep me alive.
21 You will make me greater than ever,
and you will comfort me again.
22 I will praise you with the harp.
I trust you, my God.
I will sing to you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23 I will shout for joy when I sing praises to you.
You have saved me.
24 I will tell about your justice all day long.
And those who want to hurt me
will be ashamed and disgraced.
God’s Message to Aram
17 This is a message about Damascus:
“The city of Damascus will be destroyed;
only ruins will remain.
2 People will leave the cities of Aroer.
Flocks will wander freely in those empty towns,
and there will be no one to bother them.
3 The strong, walled cities of Israel will be destroyed.
The government in Damascus will end.
Those left alive of Aram will be
like the glory of Israel,” says the Lord All-Powerful.
4 “At that time Israel’s wealth will all be gone.
Israel will be like someone who has lost much weight from sickness.
5 That time will be like the grain harvest in the Valley of Rephaim.
The workers cut the wheat.
Then they cut the heads of grain from the plants
and collect the grain.
6 That time will also be like the olive harvest,
when a few olives are left.
Two or three olives are left in the top branches.
Four or five olives are left on full branches,” says the Lord, the God of Israel.
7 At that time people will look to God, their Maker;
their eyes will see the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will not trust the altars they have made,
nor will they trust what their hands have made,
not even the Asherah idols and altars.
9 In that day all their strong cities will be empty. They will be like the cities the Hivites and the Amorites left when the Israelites came to take the land. Everything will be ruined.
10 You have forgotten the God who saves you;
you have not remembered that God is your place of safety.
You plant the finest grapevines
and grapevines from faraway places.
11 You plant your grapevines one day and try to make them grow,
and the next day you make them blossom.
But at harvest time everything will be dead;
a sickness will kill all the plants.
12 Listen to the many people!
Their crying is like the noise from the sea.
Listen to the nations!
Their crying is like the crashing of great waves.
13 The people roar like the waves,
but when God speaks harshly to them, they will run away.
They will be like chaff on the hills being blown by the wind,
or like tumbleweeds blown away by a storm.
14 At night the people will be very frightened.
Before morning, no one will be left.
So our enemies will come to our land,
but they will become nothing.
God’s Message to Cush
18 How terrible it will be for the land beyond the rivers of Cush.
It is filled with the sound of wings.
2 That land sends messengers across the sea;
they go on the water in boats made of reeds.
Go, quick messengers,
to a people who are tall and smooth-skinned,
who are feared everywhere.
They are a powerful nation that defeats other nations.
Their land is divided by rivers.
3 All you people of the world, look!
Everyone who lives in the world, look!
You will see a banner raised on a mountain.
You will hear a trumpet sound.
4 The Lord said to me,
“I will quietly watch from where I live,
like heat in the sunshine,
like the dew in the heat of harvest time.”
5 The time will come, after the flowers have bloomed and before the harvest,
when new grapes will be budding and growing.
The enemy will cut the plants with knives;
he will cut down the vines and take them away.
6 They will be left for the birds of the mountains
and for the wild animals.
Birds will feed on them all summer,
and wild animals will eat them that winter.”
7 At that time a gift will be brought to the Lord All-Powerful
from the people who are tall and smooth-skinned,
who are feared everywhere.
They are a powerful nation that defeats other nations.
Their land is divided by rivers.
These gifts will be brought to the place of the Lord All-Powerful,
to Mount Zion.
The Flock of God
5 Now I have something to say to the elders in your group. I also am an elder. I have seen Christ’s sufferings, and I will share in the glory that will be shown to us. I beg you to 2 shepherd God’s flock, for whom you are responsible. Watch over them because you want to, not because you are forced. That is how God wants it. Do it because you are happy to serve, not because you want money. 3 Do not be like a ruler over people you are responsible for, but be good examples to them. 4 Then when Christ, the Chief Shepherd, comes, you will get a glorious crown that will never lose its beauty.
5 In the same way, younger people should be willing to be under older people. And all of you should be very humble with each other.
“God is against the proud,
but he gives grace to the humble.” Proverbs 3:34
6 Be humble under God’s powerful hand so he will lift you up when the right time comes. 7 Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you.
8 Control yourselves and be careful! The devil, your enemy, goes around like a roaring lion looking for someone to eat. 9 Refuse to give in to him, by standing strong in your faith. You know that your Christian family all over the world is having the same kinds of suffering.
10 And after you suffer for a short time, God, who gives all grace, will make everything right. He will make you strong and support you and keep you from falling. He called you to share in his glory in Christ, a glory that will continue forever. 11 All power is his forever and ever. Amen.
Final Greetings
12 I wrote this short letter with the help of Silas, who I know is a faithful brother in Christ. I wrote to encourage you and to tell you that this is the true grace of God. Stand strong in that grace.
13 The church in Babylon, who was chosen like you, sends you greetings. Mark, my son in Christ, also greets you. 14 Give each other a kiss of Christian love when you meet.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.