M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Laws for the Levites
18 The Levitical priests—in fact, the whole tribe of Levi—will receive no land or property of their own like the rest of the Israelites. They will eat what has been sacrificed to Yahweh. These sacrifices will be what they receive.[a] 2 So the Levites will have no land of their own like the other Israelites. Yahweh will be their inheritance, as he promised them.
3 This is what the people owe the priests whenever they sacrifice an ox, a sheep, or a goat: the shoulder, jaws, and stomach. 4 Also, give them the first produce harvested: grain, new wine, olive oil, and the first wool you shear from your sheep. 5 Out of all your tribes, Yahweh your Elohim has chosen the Levites and their descendants to do the work of serving in the name of Yahweh forever.
6 A Levite from any of your cities in Israel may come from where he has been living to the place Yahweh will choose. He may come as often as he wants 7 and may serve in the name of Yahweh his Elohim like all the other Levites who do their work in Yahweh’s presence. 8 If he does, he’ll get the same amount of food as they do, in addition to what he gets from selling his family’s goods.[b]
Laws about Prophets
9 When you come to the land that Yahweh your Elohim is giving you, never learn the disgusting practices of those nations. 10 You must never sacrifice your sons or daughters by burning them alive, practice black magic, be a fortuneteller, witch, or sorcerer, 11 cast spells, ask ghosts or spirits for help, or consult the dead. 12 Whoever does these things is disgusting to Yahweh. Yahweh your Elohim is forcing these nations out of your way because of their disgusting practices. 13 You must have integrity in dealing with Yahweh your Elohim. 14 These nations you are forcing out listen to fortunetellers and to those who practice black magic. But Yahweh your Elohim won’t let you do anything like that.
15 Yahweh your Elohim will send you a prophet, an Israelite like me. You must listen to him. 16 This is what you asked Yahweh your Elohim to give you on the day of the assembly at Mount Horeb. You said, “We never want to hear the voice of Yahweh our Elohim or see this raging fire again. If we do, we’ll die!”
17 Yahweh told me, “What they’ve said is good. 18 So I will send them a prophet, an Israelite like you. I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. 19 Whoever refuses to listen to the words that prophet speaks in my name will answer to me. 20 But any prophet who dares to say something in my name that I didn’t command him to say or who speaks in the name of other gods must die.”
21 You may be wondering, “How can we recognize that Yahweh didn’t speak this message?” 22 If a prophet speaks in Yahweh’s name and what he says doesn’t happen or come true, then it didn’t come from Yahweh. That prophet has spoken on his own authority. Never be afraid of him.
Psalm 105
1 Give thanks to Yahweh.
Call on him.
Make known among the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him.
Make music to praise him.
Meditate on all the miracles he has performed.
3 Brag about his holy name.
Let the hearts of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.
4 Search for Yahweh and his strength.
Always seek his presence.
5 Remember the miracles he performed,
the amazing things he did, and the judgments he pronounced,
6 you descendants of his servant Abraham,
you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is Yahweh our Elohim.
His judgments are pronounced throughout the earth.
8 He always remembers his promise,[a]
the word that he commanded for a thousand generations,
9 the promise that he made to Abraham,
and his sworn oath to Isaac.
10 He confirmed it as a law for Jacob,
as an everlasting promise to Israel,
11 by saying, “I will give you the land of Canaan.
It is your share of the inheritance.”
12 While the people of Israel were few in number,
a small group of foreigners living in that land,
13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
14 He didn’t permit anyone to oppress them.
He warned kings about them:
15 “Do not touch my anointed ones
or harm my prophets.”
16 He brought famine to the land.
He took away their food supply.
17 He sent a man ahead of them.
He sent Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 They hurt his feet with shackles,
and cut into his neck with an iron collar.
19 Yahweh’s promise tested him through fiery trials
until his prediction came true.
20 The king sent someone to release him.
The ruler of nations set him free.
21 He made Joseph the master of his palace
and the ruler of all his possessions.
22 Joseph trained the king’s officers the way he wanted
and taught his respected leaders wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt.
Jacob lived as a foreigner in the land of Ham.
24 Yahweh made his people grow rapidly in number
and stronger than their enemies.
25 He changed their minds so that they hated his people,
and they dealt treacherously with his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses, and he sent Aaron, whom he had chosen.
27 They displayed his miraculous signs among them
and did amazing things in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness and made their land dark.
They did not rebel against his orders.
29 He turned their water into blood
and caused their fish to die.
30 He made their land swarm with frogs,
even in the kings’ bedrooms.
31 He spoke, and swarms of flies and gnats
infested their whole territory.
32 He gave them hail and lightning
instead of rain throughout their land.
33 He struck their grapevines and fig trees
and smashed the trees in their territory.
34 He spoke, and countless locusts and grasshoppers came.
35 They devoured all the plants in the land.
They devoured the crops in the fields.
36 He killed all the firstborn sons,
the first ones born in the land when their fathers were young.
37 He brought Israel out with silver and gold,
and no one among his tribes stumbled.
38 The Egyptians were terrified of Israel,
so they were glad when Israel left.
39 He spread out a cloud as a protective covering
and a fire to light up the night.
40 The Israelites asked, and he brought them quail
and filled them with bread from heaven.
41 He opened a rock, and water gushed
and flowed like a river through the dry places.
42 He remembered his holy promise to his servant Abraham.
43 He brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with a song of joy.
44 He gave them the lands of other nations,
and they inherited what others had worked for
45 so that they would obey his laws
and follow his teachings.
Hallelujah!
45 This is what Yahweh says about Cyrus, his[a] anointed one:
I have held him by his right hand
so he could conquer the nations ahead of him,
strip kings of their power,
and open doors ahead of him
so that the gates would not be shut.
2 I will go ahead of you, Cyrus, and smooth out the rough places.
I will break down the bronze doors and cut through the iron bars.
3 I will give you treasures from dark places and hidden stockpiles.
Then you will know that I, Yahweh Elohim of Israel,
have called you by name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
Israel, my chosen one,
I have called you by name.
I have given you a title of honor, although you don’t know me.
5 I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
There is no other Elohim besides me.
I will strengthen you, although you don’t know me,
6 so that from the east to the west people will know
that there is no Elohim except me.
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
7 I make light and create darkness.
I make blessings and create disasters.
I, Yahweh, do all these things.
8 Rain down from above, you heavens,
and pour down righteousness, you skies.
Let the earth open.
Let salvation and righteousness sprout.
Let them spring up.
I, Yahweh, have created them.
9 How horrible it will be for the one who quarrels with his maker.
He is pottery among other earthenware pots.
Does the clay ask the one who shapes it, “What are you making?”
Does your work say to you, “There are no handles”?
10 How horrible it will be for the one
who says to his father, “Why did you conceive me?”
or to his mother, “Why did you go through labor pains for me?”
11 Yahweh is the Holy One and the maker of Israel.
This is what Yahweh says:
Ask me about what is going to happen to my children!
Are you going to give me orders concerning my handiwork?
12 I made the earth and created humans on it.
I stretched out the heavens with my own hands.
I commanded all the stars to shine.
13 I prepared Cyrus for my righteous purpose.
I will make all his roads straight.
He will build my city and let my exiles go free
without any payment or any reward, says Yahweh Tsebaoth.
14 This is what Yahweh says:
The products from Egypt, the merchandise from Sudan,
and the important Sabaeans will come to you.
They will belong to you.
They will follow you.
They will come to you in chains.
They will bow to you and pray to you,
“Certainly El is with you alone, and there is no other Elohim.”
15 Certainly, you are an El who has hidden himself.
You are the Elohim of Israel, the Savior!
16 Those who make idols will be ashamed and disgraced.
They will go away completely disgraced.
17 Israel has been saved by Yahweh forever.
You will never again be ashamed or disgraced.
18 Yahweh created the heavens.
Elohim formed the earth and made it.
He set it up.
He did not create it to be empty
but formed it to be inhabited.
This is what Yahweh says:
I am Yahweh, and there is no other.
19 I haven’t spoken privately or in some dark corner of the world.
I didn’t say to Jacob’s descendants,
“Search for me in vain!”
I, Yahweh, speak what is fair and say what is right.
20 Come here, you refugees from the nations.
Ignorant people carry wooden idols
and pray to gods that cannot save anyone.
21 Speak and present your case. Yes, let them consult one another.
Who revealed this in the distant past and predicted it long ago?
Wasn’t it I, Yahweh?
There is no other Elohim except me.
There is no other righteous God and Savior besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved, all who live at the ends of the earth,
because I am El, and there is no other.
23 I have bound myself with an oath.
A word has gone out from my righteous mouth
that will not be recalled,
“Every knee will bow to me
and every tongue will swear allegiance.”
24 It will be said of me,
“Certainly, righteousness and strength are found in Yahweh alone.”
All who are angry with him will come to him and be ashamed.
25 All the descendants of Israel will be declared righteous,
and they will praise Yahweh.
Seven Angels with Seven Plagues
15 I saw another sign in heaven. It was spectacular and amazing. There were seven angels with the last seven plagues which are the final expression of God’s anger.
2 Then I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. Those who had won the victory over the beast, its statue, and the number of its name were standing on the glassy sea. They were holding God’s harps 3 and singing the song of God’s servant Moses and the song of the lamb. They sang,
“The things you do are spectacular and amazing, Lord God Almighty.
The way you do them is fair and true, King of the Nations.
4 Lord, who won’t fear and praise your name?
You are the only holy one,
and all the nations will come to worship you
because they know about your fair judgments.”
5 After these things I looked, and I saw that the temple of the tent containing the words of God’s promise was open in heaven. 6 The seven angels with the seven plagues came out of the temple wearing clean, shining linen with gold belts around their waists. 7 One of the four living creatures gave seven gold bowls full of the anger of God, who lives forever and ever, to the seven angels. 8 The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and his power. No one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels came to an end.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.