M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 23
1 A man shall not marry his father’s wife,[a] nor shall he dishonor his father’s bed.(A)
Membership in the Assembly. 2 [b]No one whose testicles have been crushed or whose penis has been cut off may come into the assembly of the Lord.(B) 3 No one born of an illicit union may come into the assembly of the Lord, nor any descendant of such even to the tenth generation may come into the assembly of the Lord.(C) 4 (D)No Ammonite or Moabite may ever come into the assembly of the Lord, nor may any of their descendants even to the tenth generation come into the assembly of the Lord, 5 because they would not come to meet you with food and water on your journey after you left Egypt, and because they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor in Aram Naharaim, to curse you. 6 The Lord, your God, would not listen to Balaam but turned his curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord, your God, loves you. 7 Never seek their welfare or prosperity as long as you live.(E) 8 (F)Do not abhor the Edomite: he is your brother. Do not abhor the Egyptian: you were a resident alien in his country. 9 Children born to them may come into the assembly of the Lord in the third generation.
Cleanliness in Camp. 10 When in camp during an expedition against your enemies, you shall keep yourselves from anything bad. 11 (G)If one of you becomes unclean because of a nocturnal emission, he shall go outside the camp; he shall not come back into the camp. 12 Toward evening, he shall bathe in water; then, when the sun has set, he may come back into the camp. 13 Outside the camp you shall have a place set aside where you shall go. 14 You shall keep a trowel in your equipment and, when you go outside to relieve yourself, you shall dig a hole with it and then cover up your excrement. 15 Since the Lord, your God, journeys along in the midst of your camp to deliver you and to give your enemies over to you, your camp must be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent in your midst and turn away from you.(H)
Various Precepts. 16 (I)You shall not hand over to their master any slaves who have taken refuge with you from their master. 17 Let them live among you in any place they choose, in any one of your communities[c] that seems good to them. Do not oppress them.
18 There shall be no temple prostitute[d] among the Israelite women, nor a temple prostitute among the Israelite men.(J) 19 You shall not offer a prostitute’s fee or a dog’s pay[e] as any kind of votive offering in the house of the Lord, your God; both these things are an abomination to the Lord, your God.(K)
20 (L)You shall not demand interest from your kindred on a loan of money or of food or of anything else which is loaned. 21 From a foreigner you may demand interest, but you may not demand interest from your kindred, so that the Lord, your God, may bless you in all your undertakings on the land you are to enter and possess.
22 (M)When you make a vow to the Lord, your God, you shall not delay in fulfilling it; for the Lord, your God, will surely require it of you and you will be held guilty. 23 Should you refrain from making a vow, you will not be held guilty. 24 But whatever your tongue utters you must be careful to do, just as you freely vowed to the Lord, your God, with your own mouth.
25 When you go through your neighbor’s vineyard, you may eat as many grapes as you wish, until you are satisfied, but do not put them in your basket. 26 When you go through your neighbor’s grainfield, you may pluck some of the ears with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.
Psalm 112[a]
The Blessings of the Just
1 Hallelujah!
Blessed the man who fears the Lord,
who greatly delights in his commands.(A)
2 His descendants shall be mighty in the land,
a generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house;
his righteousness[b] shall endure forever.
4 Light shines through the darkness for the upright;(B)
gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
5 It is good for the man gracious in lending,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 For he shall never be shaken;
the righteous shall be remembered forever.(C)
7 He shall not fear an ill report;
his heart is steadfast, trusting the Lord.
8 His heart is tranquil, without fear,
till at last he looks down on his foes.
9 Lavishly he gives to the poor;
his righteousness shall endure forever;(D)
his horn[c] shall be exalted in honor.
10 The wicked sees and is angry;
gnashes his teeth and wastes away;
the desire of the wicked come to nothing.
Psalm 113[d]
Praise of God’s Care for the Poor
1 Hallelujah!
I
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.(E)
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
both now and forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting(F)
let the name of the Lord be praised.
II
4 High above all nations is the Lord;
above the heavens his glory.(G)
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
enthroned on high,
6 (H)looking down on heaven and earth?
7 He raises the needy from the dust,
lifts the poor from the ash heap,(I)
8 Seats them with princes,
the princes of the people,
9 Gives the childless wife a home,
the joyful mother of children.(J)
Hallelujah!
Chapter 50
Salvation Through the Lord’s Servant
1 Thus says the Lord:
Where is the bill of divorce
with which I dismissed your mother?[a]
Or to which of my creditors
have I sold you?
It was for your sins you were sold,
for your rebellions your mother was dismissed.(A)
2 Why was no one there when I came?
Why did no one answer when I called?[b]
Is my hand too short to ransom?
Have I not the strength to deliver?
See, with my rebuke I dry up the sea,
I turn rivers into wilderness;
Their fish rot for lack of water,
and die of thirst.(B)
3 I clothe the heavens in black,
and make sackcloth their covering.
4 [c]The Lord God has given me
a well-trained tongue,
That I might know how to answer the weary
a word that will waken them.
Morning after morning
he wakens my ear to hear as disciples do;
5 The Lord God opened my ear;
I did not refuse,
did not turn away.[d]
6 I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who tore out my beard;[e]
My face I did not hide
from insults and spitting.(C)
7 The Lord God is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
Therefore I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.(D)
8 He who declares my innocence is near.
Who will oppose me?
Let us appear together.
Who will dispute my right?
Let them confront me.
9 See, the Lord God is my help;
who will declare me guilty?
See, they will all wear out like a garment,
consumed by moths.(E)
10 Who among you fears the Lord,[f]
heeds his servant’s voice?
Whoever walk in darkness,
without any light,
Yet trust in the name of the Lord
and rely upon their God!(F)
11 All you who kindle flames
and set flares alight,
Walk by the light of your own fire
and by the flares you have burnt!
This is your fate from my hand:
you shall lie down in a place of torment.
Chapter 20
The Thousand-year Reign. 1 [a]Then I saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss[b] and a heavy chain.(A) 2 He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan,[c] and tied it up for a thousand years(B) 3 and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years are completed. After this, it is to be released for a short time.
4 Then I saw thrones; those who sat on them were entrusted with judgment. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image nor had accepted its mark[d] on their foreheads or hands. They came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.(C) 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed[e] and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over these; they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for [the] thousand years.
7 [f]When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,[g] to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.(D) 9 They invaded the breadth of the earth[h] and surrounded the camp of the holy ones and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them.(E) 10 The Devil who had led them astray was thrown into the pool of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The Large White Throne.[i] 11 Next I saw a large white throne and the one who was sitting on it. The earth and the sky fled from his presence and there was no place for them.(F) 12 I saw the dead, the great and the lowly, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Then another scroll was opened, the book of life.[j] The dead were judged according to their deeds, by what was written in the scrolls.(G) 13 The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades[k] gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds. 14 (H)Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.[l]) 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the pool of fire.
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.