M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
B. Instructions for the Priests
Chapter 6
The Daily Burnt Offering. 1 The Lord said to Moses: 2 [a](A)Give Aaron and his sons the following command: This is the ritual[b] for the burnt offering—the burnt offering that is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night until the next morning, while the fire is kept burning on the altar. 3 The priest, clothed in his linen robe and wearing linen pants underneath, shall take away the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar, and lay them at the side of the altar. 4 Then, having taken off these garments and put on other garments, he shall carry the ashes to a clean place outside the camp. 5 The fire on the altar is to be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest shall put firewood on it. On this he shall lay out the burnt offering(B) and burn the fat of the communion offering. 6 The fire is to be kept burning continuously on the altar; it must not go out.
The Grain Offering.[c] 7 This is the ritual of the grain offering. Aaron’s sons shall offer it before the Lord, in front of the altar. 8 A priest shall then take from the grain offering a handful of bran flour and oil, together with all the frankincense that is on it,(C) and this he shall burn on the altar as a token of the offering, a sweet aroma to the Lord. 9 The rest of it Aaron and his sons may eat; but it must be eaten unleavened in a sacred place:(D) in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. 10 It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it to them as their portion from the oblations for the Lord; it is most holy,(E) like the purification offering and the reparation offering. 11 Every male of Aaron’s descendants may eat of it perpetually throughout your generations as their rightful due from the oblations for the Lord. Whatever touches the oblations becomes holy.
High Priest’s Daily Grain Offering.[d] 12 The Lord said to Moses: 13 This is the offering that Aaron and his sons shall present to the Lord on the day he is anointed: one tenth of an ephah of bran flour for the regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 14 You shall bring it well kneaded and fried in oil on a griddle.(F) Having broken the offering into pieces, you shall present it as a sweet aroma to the Lord. 15 The anointed priest descended from Aaron who succeeds him shall do likewise. This is the Lord’s due forever. The offering shall be wholly burned.(G) 16 Every grain offering of a priest shall be a whole offering; it may not be eaten.
Purification Offerings.[e] 17 The Lord said to Moses: 18 (H)Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the ritual for the purification offering. At the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, there also, before the Lord, shall the purification offering be slaughtered. It is most holy.(I) 19 The priest who offers the purification offering shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a sacred place,(J) in the court of the tent of meeting. 20 Whatever touches its flesh becomes holy. If any of its blood spatters on a garment, the stained part must be washed in a sacred place. 21 A clay vessel in which it has been boiled shall be broken; if it is boiled in a copper vessel, this shall be scoured afterward and rinsed with water.(K) 22 Every male of the priestly line may eat it. It is most holy. 23 But no purification offering of which some blood has been brought into the tent of meeting(L) to make atonement in the sanctuary shall be eaten; it must be burned with fire.(M)
Psalm 5[a]
Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the leader; with wind instruments. A psalm of David.
I
2 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
understand my sighing.(A)
3 Attend to the sound of my cry,
my king and my God!
For to you I will pray, Lord;
4 in the morning you will hear my voice;
in the morning I will plead before you and wait.(B)
II
5 You are not a god who delights in evil;
no wicked person finds refuge with you;
6 the arrogant cannot stand before your eyes.
You hate all who do evil;
7 you destroy those who speak falsely.(C)
A bloody and fraudulent man
the Lord abhors.
III
8 But I, through the abundance of your mercy,[b]
will enter into your house.
I will bow down toward your holy sanctuary
out of fear of you.(D)
9 Lord, guide me in your justice because of my foes;
make straight your way before me.(E)
IV
10 For there is no sincerity in their mouth;
their heart is corrupt.
Their throat[c] is an open grave;(F)
on their tongue are subtle lies.
11 Declare them guilty, God;
make them fall by their own devices.(G)
Drive them out for their many sins;
for they have rebelled against you.
V
12 Then all who trust in you will be glad
and forever shout for joy.(H)
You will protect them and those will rejoice in you
who love your name.
13 For you, Lord, bless the just one;
you surround him with favor like a shield.
Psalm 6[d]
Prayer in Distress
1 For the leader; with stringed instruments, “upon the eighth.”[e]
A psalm of David.
I
2 Do not reprove me in your anger, Lord,
nor punish me in your wrath.(I)
3 Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are shuddering.(J)
4 My soul too is shuddering greatly—
and you, Lord, how long…?[f](K)
5 Turn back, Lord, rescue my soul;
save me because of your mercy.
6 For in death there is no remembrance of you.
Who praises you in Sheol?[g](L)
II
7 I am wearied with sighing;
all night long I drench my bed with tears;
I soak my couch with weeping.
8 My eyes are dimmed with sorrow,
worn out because of all my foes.(M)
III
Chapter 21
1 A king’s heart is channeled water in the hand of the Lord;
God directs it where he pleases.[a]
2 All your ways may be straight in your own eyes,
but it is the Lord who weighs hearts.(A)
3 To do what is right and just(B)
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.[b]
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the lamp of the wicked will fail.[c]
5 The plans of the diligent end in profit,
but those of the hasty end in loss.[d]
6 Trying to get rich by lying
is chasing a bubble over deadly snares.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is right.
8 One’s path may be winding and unfamiliar,
but one’s conduct is blameless and right.[e]
9 It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop
than in a mansion with a quarrelsome woman.[f](C)
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
their neighbor finds no pity in their eyes.
11 When scoffers are punished the naive become wise;
when the wise succeed, they gain knowledge.(D)
12 The Righteous One appraises the house of the wicked,
bringing down the wicked to ruin.[g]
13 Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor
will themselves call out and not be answered.
14 A secret gift allays anger,
and a present concealed, violent wrath.[h]
15 When justice is done it is a joy for the just,
downfall for evildoers.[i](E)
16 Whoever strays from the way of good sense
will abide in the assembly of the shades.[j]
17 The lover of pleasure will suffer want;
the lover of wine and perfume will never be rich.
18 The wicked serve as ransom for the just,
and the faithless for the upright.[k](F)
19 It is better to dwell in a wilderness
than with a quarrelsome wife and trouble.
20 Precious treasure and oil are in the house of the wise,
but the fool consumes them.
21 Whoever pursues justice and kindness
will find life and honor.[l]
22 The wise person storms the city of the mighty,
and overthrows the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Those who guard mouth and tongue
guard themselves[m] from trouble.(G)
24 Proud, boastful—scoffer is the name:
those who act with overbearing pride.
25 The desire of sluggards will slay them,
for their hands refuse to work.[n]
26 Some are consumed with avarice all the day,
but the just give unsparingly.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
the more so when they offer it with bad intent.(H)
28 The false witness will perish,(I)
but one who listens will give lasting testimony.
29 The face of the wicked hardens,
but the upright maintains a straight course.[o]
30 No wisdom, no understanding,
no counsel prevail against the Lord.
31 The horse is equipped for the day of battle,
but victory is the Lord’s.
Chapter 4
1 Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, realizing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Prayer and Apostolic Spirit. 2 Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;(A) 3 at the same time, pray for us, too, that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak of the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison,(B) 4 that I may make it clear, as I must speak. 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.(C) 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each one.
V. Conclusion[a]
Tychicus and Onesimus. 7 Tychicus,[b] my beloved brother, trustworthy minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will tell you all the news of me.(D) 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 together with Onesimus, a trustworthy and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.(E)
From Paul’s Co-Workers. 10 Aristarchus,[c] my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions; if he comes to you, receive him),(F) 11 and Jesus,[d] who is called Justus, who are of the circumcision; these alone are my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras[e] sends you greetings; he is one of you, a slave of Christ [Jesus], always striving for you in his prayers so that you may be perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.(G) 13 For I can testify that he works very hard for you and for those in Laodicea[f] and those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke[g] the beloved physician sends greetings, as does Demas.(H)
A Message for the Laodiceans. 15 Give greetings to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nympha and to the church in her house.[h] 16 And when this letter is read before you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and you yourselves read the one from Laodicea.[i] 17 And tell Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry[j] that you received in the Lord.”(I)
18 The greeting is in my own hand,[k] Paul’s. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.(J)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.