M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Levites’ Towns
35 The Lord spoke to Moses on the plains of Moab. This was across from Jericho by the Jordan River. He said, 2 “Command the Israelites to give the Levites cities to live in. These will be cities in the land they receive. Also give the Levites the pastureland around these cities. 3 Then the Levites will have cities where they may live. And they will have pastureland for their cattle, sheep and other animals. 4 The pastureland you give the Levites will extend 1,500 feet from the city wall. 5 Also measure 3,000 feet in each direction from the city wall. Measure 3,000 feet east of the city. Measure 3,000 feet south of the city. Measure 3,000 feet west of the city. And measure 3,000 feet north of the city. The city will be in the center. This will be pastureland for the Levites’ cities.
Cities of Safety
6 “Six of the cities you give the Levites will be cities of safety. A person might accidentally kill someone. If he does, he may run to one of those cities for safety. You must also give 42 other cities to the Levites. 7 Give the Levites a total of 48 cities and their pastures. 8 The larger tribes of Israel must give more cities. The smaller tribes must give fewer cities. Each tribe must give some of its cities to the Levites. The number of cities they give will depend on the size of their land.”
9 Then the Lord said to Moses, 10 “Tell the Israelites these things: ‘You will cross the Jordan River and go into Canaan. 11 You must choose cities to be cities of safety. If a person accidentally kills someone, he may run to them for safety. 12 There he will be safe from the dead person’s relative who has the duty of punishing the killer. He will not die before he is judged in court. 13 The six cities you give will be cities of safety. 14 Give three cities east of the Jordan River. And give three cities in Canaan as cities of safety. 15 These six cities will be places of safety for citizens of Israel. And they will be for foreigners and other people living with you. Any of these people may run to one of these cities if he accidentally kills someone.
16 “‘If a person uses an iron weapon to kill someone, he is a murderer. He must be put to death. 17 A person might take a rock that could kill someone. If he kills a person with it, he is a murderer. He must be put to death. 18 A person might pick up a piece of wood that could kill someone. If he kills someone with it, he is a murderer. He must be put to death. 19 A relative of the dead person must put the murderer to death. When he finds the murderer, he must kill him. 20 A person might shove someone and kill him. Or he might throw something at someone and kill him. 21 Or he might hit someone with his hand and kill him. If he did that from hate, he is a murderer. He must be put to death. A relative of the dead person must kill the murderer when he finds him.
22 “‘But a person might suddenly shove someone. He did not hate the person. Or he might accidentally throw something and hit someone. 23 Or he might drop a rock that could kill someone. It might fall on someone he did not see. And it might kill that person. He didn’t plan to hurt anyone. He didn’t hate the person he killed. 24 If that happens, the community must decide what to do. They must decide between the relative of the dead person and the killer. Here are the rules. 25 They must protect the killer from the dead person’s relative. They must send the killer back to the city of safety that he ran to. He must stay there until the high priest dies. The high priest had the holy oil poured on him.
26 “‘That man must never go outside the limits of his city of safety. 27 If a relative of the dead person finds him outside the city, the relative may kill him. He will not be guilty of murder. 28 The killer must stay in his city of safety until the high priest dies. After the high priest dies, he may go back to his own land.
29 “‘These laws are for you from now on, wherever you live.
30 “‘A killer may be put to death only if he is a murderer. And there must be witnesses. No one may be put to death with only one witness.
31 “‘A murderer should die. Don’t take money to spare his life. He must be put to death.
32 “‘A person might run to a city of safety. Don’t take money to let him go back home before the high priest dies.
33 “‘Don’t let murder spoil your land. There is only one way to remove the sin of killing an innocent person. The murderer must be put to death. 34 I am the Lord. I live among the Israelites. I live in that land with you. So do not spoil it with murder.’”
The Nation Cries for Jerusalem
A song of Asaph.
79 God, nations have come against your people.
They have ruined your holy Temple.
They have turned Jerusalem into ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants
as food to the wild birds.
They have given the bodies of those who worship you
to the wild animals.
3 They have spilled blood like water
all around Jerusalem.
No one was left to bury the dead.
4 We are a bad joke to the other nations.
They laugh and make fun of us.
5 Lord, how long will this last? Will you be angry forever?
How long will your jealousy burn like a fire?
6 Be angry with the nations that do not know you.
Be angry with the kingdoms that do not honor you.
7 They have destroyed the people of Jacob.
Those nations have destroyed the people’s land.
8 Don’t punish us for the sins of our ancestors.
Show your mercy to us soon.
We are helpless!
9 God our Savior, help us
so people will praise you.
Save us and forgive our sins
so people will honor you.
10 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Tell the other nations in our presence
that you punish those who kill your servants.
11 Hear the moans of the prisoners.
Use your great power
to save those sentenced to die.
12 Repay those around us seven times over
for their insults to you, Lord.
13 We are your people, the sheep of your flock.
We will thank you always.
Forever and ever we will praise you.
27 At that time the Lord will judge Leviathan, the gliding snake.
He will punish Leviathan, the coiled snake.
The Lord will use his great sword,
his hard and powerful sword.
He will kill the monster in the sea.
2 In that day
people will sing about the pleasant vineyard.
3 “I, the Lord, will care for that vineyard.
I will water it at the right time.
No one will hurt it.
I will guard it day and night.
4 I am not angry.
If anyone builds a wall of thornbushes in war,
I will march to it and burn it.
5 But if anyone comes to me for safety
and wants to make peace with me,
he should come and make peace with me.”
6 In the days to come, the people of Jacob will be like a plant with good roots.
Israel will grow like a plant beginning to bloom.
Then the world will be filled with their children.
God “Divorces” Israel
7 The Lord has not hurt his people as he hurt their enemies.
His people have not been killed like those who tried to kill them.
8 The Lord will settle his argument with Israel by sending it far away.
Like a hot desert wind, he will drive Israel away.
9 This is how Israel’s guilt will be forgiven.
This is how its sins will be taken away.
Israel will crush the rocks of the altar to dust.
No statues or altars will be left standing for the Asherah idols.
10 At that time the strong, walled city will be empty.
It will be like a desert.
Calves will eat grass there.
They will lie down there.
They will eat leaves from the branches.
11 The limbs will become dry and break off.
Women will use them for firewood.
The people refuse to understand.
So God will not comfort them.
Their Maker will not be kind to them.
12 At that time the Lord will begin gathering his people one by one. He will gather all his people from the Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt. He will separate them from others as grain is separated from chaff. 13 Many of my people are now lost in Assyria. Some of my people have run away to Egypt. But at that time a great trumpet will be blown. And all those people will come back to Jerusalem. They will bow down before the Lord on that holy mountain.
Faith in the Son of God
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is God’s child. The person who loves the Father also loves the Father’s children. 2 How do we know that we love God’s children? We know because we love God and we obey his commands. 3 Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us. 4 Everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. It is our faith that wins the victory against the world. 5 So the one who conquers the world is the person who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
6 Jesus Christ is the One who came with water[a] and with blood.[b] He did not come by water only. He came by both water and blood. And the Spirit says that this is true. The Spirit is the truth. 7 So there are three witnesses:[c] 8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These three witnesses agree. 9 We believe people when they say something is true. But what God says is more important. And he has told us the truth about his own Son. 10 Anyone who believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. Anyone who does not believe makes God a liar. He does not believe what God told us about his Son. 11 This is what God told us: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life. But the person who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
We Have Eternal Life Now
13 I write this letter to you who believe in the Son of God. I write so that you will know that you have eternal life now. 14 We can come to God with no doubts. This means that when we ask God for things (and those things agree with what God wants for us), then God cares about what we say. 15 God listens to us every time we ask him. So we know that he gives us the things that we ask from him.
16 Suppose someone sees his brother in Christ sinning (sin that does not lead to eternal death). That person should pray for his brother who is sinning. Then God will give the brother life. I am talking about people whose sin does not lead to eternal death. There is sin that leads to death. I do not mean that a person should pray about that sin. 17 Doing wrong is always sin. But there is sin that does not lead to eternal death.
18 We know that anyone who is God’s child does not continue to sin. The Son of God keeps him safe, and the Evil One cannot hurt him. 19 We know that we belong to God. But the Evil One controls the whole world. 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding. Now we can know God, the One who is true. And our lives are in that true God and in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and he is eternal life. 21 So, dear children, keep yourselves away from false gods.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.