M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Bezalel and Oholiab
31 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Look! I have chosen Bezalel, the son of Uri and the grandson of Hur. He belongs to the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with my Spirit so that he has special skills. He knows how to make many kinds of things. 4 He can draw pictures of beautiful things that he wants to make. Then he uses gold, silver or bronze to make them. 5 He knows how to cut valuable stones and make them look beautiful. He knows how to cut wood into different shapes. He is very clever at all kinds of work.
6 I have also chosen Oholiab to help Bezalel. Oholiab is the son of Ahisamach. He belongs to the tribe of Dan. I have also helped all the workers who have special skills. They will be able to make everything that I have commanded you to make. 7 They will make these things:
the Tent of Meeting,
the Covenant Box with its special lid,
the other things that will be in the tabernacle.
8 Those things include:
the special table with all its tools,
the pure gold lampstand with all its tools,
the altar for incense,
9 the altar for burnt offerings with all its tools,
the large bowl for water and its base,
10 the beautiful clothes for Aaron the priest,
the clothes for his sons as they serve as priests,
11 the special oil to show that things belong to me,
and the sweet incense for the Holy Place.
The workers must make all these things in the way that I have commanded you.’
The Sabbath day
12 Then the Lord said to Moses, 13 ‘Say to the Israelites, “You must keep my Sabbath days as special days. This will help you and your descendants to remember that you belong to me. You will remember that I, the Lord, have chosen you to be my people.
14 The Sabbath day must be special for you, because it is a holy day. If anyone does not make the Sabbath a special day, you must punish him with death. If anyone does any work on a Sabbath day, he can no longer belong to my people. 15 You may work for six days each week, but the seventh day is a day of rest. It is a holy day that is special to me, the Lord. If anyone does any work on a Sabbath day, you must punish him with death. 16 The Israelites must always keep the Sabbath as a special day. They must obey the rules for the Sabbath day. Those rules are part of my covenant with my people that continues for ever. 17 It will always be a sign that I have chosen the Israelites to be my people. You will remember that the Lord made the heavens and the earth in six days. Then, on the seventh day, he stopped working and he rested.” ’
18 The Lord finished speaking to Moses on Sinai mountain. Then he gave Moses the two flat stones with the special commands that God himself had written on them.
The story about the shepherd
10 Jesus then said, ‘I tell you this: A shepherd keeps his sheep in a safe place with a wall round it. There is a gate into that safe place. Anyone who gets into that place by another way, not through the gate, is not the shepherd. That person is a robber. He comes to take away the sheep for himself. 2 But the shepherd goes in through the gate. 3 The person who watches the gate opens it for the shepherd. The sheep recognize the shepherd's voice. He calls each of his own sheep by their name and he leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own sheep, he goes in front of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger. They will run away from a stranger because they do not recognize his voice.’
6 Jesus told this story like a picture to teach the people. But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
Jesus is like the good shepherd
7 So Jesus spoke again. He said, ‘I tell you this: I am like the gate for the sheep. 8 All other men who came before me were like robbers.[a] But the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am like the gate. Everyone who comes in through me will be safe. They will be free to come in and to go out. And they will find plenty of food. 10 The robber only wants to take away my sheep. He wants to kill them. He comes only to destroy them. But I have come so that they can have true life. And so that they can have everything that they need.
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd would die so that he can save his sheep. 12 Another man may take care of sheep so that he gets money. But the sheep do not belong to him. A man like that is not the shepherd. If a wolf comes, a man like that runs away when he sees it. He leaves the sheep in danger. Then the wolf attacks the sheep. It causes them to run away in all directions. 13 That man runs away because the sheep do not belong to him. He does not think that the sheep are important.
14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep, and they know me. 15 I know them in the same way that my Father knows me. And they know me in the same way that I know the Father. I will die so that I can save my sheep. 16 I also have other sheep, and I must bring them too. They do not belong to this group of sheep. But they also will listen to my voice. So all the sheep will become one group, and they will have one shepherd. 17 The Father loves me because I choose to die for my sheep. But after I give my life like that, I will become alive again. 18 Nobody can take my life away from me. Instead, I myself can choose to die. I have authority to do that. I also have authority to become alive again. My Father has said that I must do that.’
19 Again, the Jews could not agree about these things that Jesus said. 20 Many of them said, ‘He has a demon in him and he is crazy. You should not listen to him!’ 21 But other people said, ‘A man with a demon in him could not teach like this! A demon could not make blind people able to see!’
The Jewish leaders do not believe in Jesus
22 It was the time for the Jewish Festival called Hanukkah.[b] This happened in Jerusalem. It was winter.
23 Jesus was walking in the yard of the temple, under a place with a roof. The place was called Solomon's porch. 24 The Jewish leaders stood around him. They said to him, ‘We want to know who you are. When will you tell us? If you are the Messiah, tell us clearly.’ 25 Jesus answered, ‘I have already told you, but you do not believe. The things that I do by my Father's authority show you who I am. 26 But you refuse to believe, because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep recognize my voice. I know them and they follow me. 28 I give them life for ever with God. They will never die. Nobody can ever take them away from me. 29 My Father has given them to me. He is greater than all things. Nobody can ever take my sheep out of my Father's hand. 30 My Father and I are one.’
31 Then the Jewish leaders picked up stones again to throw at Jesus so that they could kill him. 32 Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good things. The Father sent me to do them, and I have shown them to you. Which of those good things make you want to kill me with stones?’ 33 The Jewish leaders answered, ‘We do not want to kill you because of any good things that you have done. We want to kill you because you are speaking against God. You are only a man, but you are saying that you are God.’
34 Jesus answered them, ‘It is written in your own books of God's Law that God said, “You are gods.”[c] 35 God called the people to whom he spoke “gods”. And you know that the Bible always remains true. 36 So, when I said that I am God's Son, why am I wrong? The Father chose me for himself. And he sent me into the world. So you should not say that I am speaking bad things against God. 37 If I am not doing my Father's work, do not believe me. 38 But if I am doing his work, you should believe that work. Even if you do not believe me, you should believe the things that I do. Then you will know certainly that the Father is in me. And you will know that I am in the Father.’
39 Again, the Jewish leaders tried to take hold of Jesus. But he escaped from them.
40 After that, Jesus returned across the Jordan River. He went to the place where John had earlier baptized people. Jesus stayed there. 41 Many people came to him. They said to each other, ‘John did not do any miracles. But everything that he said about this man was true.’ 42 So, in that place, many people believed in Jesus.
More danger![a]
7 My child, remember what I say. Keep my commands in your mind.
2 Obey my commands, so that you live well. Keep my teaching safe. It is as valuable as your own eyes. 3 Keep it always in front of you. Think about my message all the time, as if you have written it on your heart.
4 Love wisdom in the same way that you love your sister. Be very careful to understand what is right. 5 If you do that, it will keep you safe from sin. You will not agree to sleep with an adulteress or a prostitute when she speaks sweet words to you.
The adulteress[b]
6 Once I was looking out through the window of my house. 7 I saw a group of silly young men. One of them was not wise at all. 8 He was walking along the street near the house of a bad woman. 9 It was in the evening after it had become dark. 10 Then the woman came out to meet him! She was wearing the clothes of a prostitute. She knew what she wanted to do.
11 This was a woman who did not respect anyone. She was not ashamed of the bad things that she did. She never stayed at her home. 12 Instead she would stand in the streets and in the market place. She would wait at the corners of the streets to find a man.
13 Now she took hold of the young man and she kissed him. She looked into his eyes without any shame. 14 She said to him, ‘I offered a sacrifice to God today and I have the meat at my home. 15 That is why I came out to meet you. I was looking for you, and now I have found you!
16 I have covered my bed with beautiful blankets and with valuable cloths from Egypt. 17 I have splashed many kinds of perfume on my bed, like myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. 18 So come and join me for the night. We can lie in each other's arms. All night, we can enjoy as much sex as we like. 19 My husband is not at home. He has gone away on a long journey. 20 He took a big bag of money with him. He will not come back until later this month.’
21 With those sweet words she deceived the young man. She made him want to be with her. 22 Suddenly he hurried to follow her! He went like an ox that men are leading to its death. He went like a deer that is running towards a trap. 23 Then an arrow will go straight into its body and kill it! The young man was like a bird that is flying into a trap. He did not know that his life was in danger.
24 So listen to me, my sons. Listen carefully to what I am saying. 25 Do not let that kind of woman spoil your mind. Do not let her lead you away from what is right. 26 She has caused many men to fall. Because of her, too many men have thrown away their lives.
27 If you go to her house, you are on the road to death. You will soon be in your grave.
Be kind and good to each other
6 My friends, if you see that someone among you is doing a wrong thing, you must warn that person. Those of you who have help from God's Spirit should tell that person how to live in a good way. But you must be patient and respect him. Be very careful yourselves, so that you do not also want to do wrong things. 2 When anyone among you has troubles, you must help each other. If you do that, you will be obeying Christ's rule.[a] 3 You must not think that you are too important to help other people. If you are not really so important, you are thinking a false thought. 4 Everyone should think carefully about the things that they themselves do. If those things are good, that is a reason to be proud. A person like that does not need to think about whether he is better than anyone else. 5 Each person must live in a way that they know is right for them.
6 Everyone who is learning about God's message from a teacher should help his teacher. The student should share all the good things that he has with his teacher.
7 Nobody can hide the things that he does from God. Do not think a false thought like that! It is like a farmer who plants seeds in his field. The same kind of crops will grow as the seeds which he plants. That will be his harvest. 8 A person may do things only to make himself happy. That person's harvest will be God's punishment and death. Or a person may do the things that God's Spirit wants. That person will receive a harvest from God's Spirit. The harvest will be life with God for ever. 9 We must continue to do things that are good and we should not get tired. If we do not feel weak and stop doing good things, then we will receive a good harvest at the proper time.
10 Because of all that, we must help everyone when we have the chance. Certainly we must do good things to help our friends who believe in Christ, as we do.
Paul finishes his letter
11 Now I am writing these last words to you myself. You can see how large the letters are, when I write them with my own hand!
12 Do not agree with those people who want to make you obey the Jewish rules. They say that you must let someone circumcise you. They want other people to think that they are important. They do not want to receive any trouble from others. They are afraid to teach that Christ's death on the cross is enough to save us. 13 Even those men that someone has circumcised do not obey all the Jewish rules. They want to circumcise you only to make themselves seem important. They want to show that they have authority over your bodies. 14 But I do not want to say any great things about myself. The only thing that makes me great is our Lord Jesus Christ's death on the cross. Because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, it is like I have also died. The things that belong to this world have become dead to me, and I have become dead to them. 15 It does not matter whether anyone has circumcised you or not. What matters is that God has made you a new person.
16 I pray that God will bless everyone who lives by that rule. I pray that God will give them peace in their minds and that he will be kind to them. I pray this for all who belong to God's true people.
17 I want to receive no more trouble from anyone after this. The marks on my body show that I am Jesus' servant.
18 My Christian friends, I pray that our Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be very kind to you. I pray that he will help you in your spirits. Amen. This is true!
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