M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rules About the Sabbath
35 Moses gathered all the Israelite community together. He said to them, “These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 You are to work for six days. But the seventh day will be a holy day, a Sabbath of rest to honor the Lord. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. 3 On the Sabbath day you must not light a fire in any of your houses.”
4 Moses said to all the Israelites, “This is what the Lord has commanded: 5 From what you have, take an offering for the Lord. Let everyone who is willing bring this offering to the Lord: gold, silver, bronze, 6 blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen, goat hair 7 and male sheep skins, colored red. And they may bring fine leather and acacia wood. 8 They may also bring olive oil for the lamps, spices for the special olive oil used for appointing priests and for the sweet-smelling incense. 9 And they may bring onyx stones and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and chest covering of the priests.
10 “Let all the skilled workers come and make everything the Lord commanded: 11 the Holy Tent, its outer tent and its covering, the hooks, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; 12 the Ark of the Covenant, its poles, lid and the curtain in front of it; 13 the table and its poles, all the things that go with the table and the bread that shows we are in God’s presence; 14 the lampstand for the light and all the things that go with it, the lamps and olive oil for the light; 15 the altar of incense and its poles, the special oil and the sweet-smelling incense, the curtain for the entrance of the Meeting Tent; 16 the altar of burnt offering and its bronze screen, its poles and all its tools, the bronze bowl and its base; 17 the curtains around the courtyard, their posts and bases, and the curtain at the entry to the courtyard; 18 the pegs of the Holy Tent and of the courtyard and their ropes; 19 the special clothes that the priest will wear in the Holy Place. These are the holy clothes for Aaron the priest and his sons to wear when they serve as priests.”
20 Then all the people of Israel went away from Moses. 21 Everyone who wanted to give came and brought a gift to the Lord. These gifts were used for making the Meeting Tent, all the things in the Tent and the special clothes. 22 All the men and women who wanted to give brought gold jewelry of all kinds. They brought pins, earrings, rings and bracelets. They all presented their gold to the Lord. 23 Everyone who had blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen came and gave it to the Lord. Anyone who had goat hair or male sheep skins colored red or fine leather brought them to the Lord. 24 Everyone who could give silver or bronze brought that as a gift to the Lord. Everyone who had acacia wood to be used in the work brought it. 25 Every skilled woman used her hands to make the blue, purple and red thread and fine linen. And they brought what they had made. 26 All the women who were skilled and wanted to help made thread of the goat hair. 27 The leaders brought onyx stones and other jewels. These stones and jewels were put on the holy vest and chest covering for the priest. 28 They also brought spices and olive oil. These were used for the sweet-smelling incense, the special oil and the oil to burn in the lamps. 29 All the men and women of Israel who wanted to help brought gifts to the Lord. They were used for all the work the Lord had commanded Moses and the people to do.
30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “Look, the Lord has chosen Bezalel. He is the son of Uri the son of Hur, from the tribe of Judah. 31 The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God. The Lord has given Bezalel the skill, ability and knowledge to do all kinds of work. 32 He is able to design pieces to be made of gold, silver and bronze. 33 He is able to cut stones and jewels and put them in metal. Bezalel can carve wood and do all kinds of work. 34 The Lord has given Bezalel and Oholiab the ability to teach others. Oholiab is the son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan. 35 The Lord has given them the skill to do all kinds of work. They are able to cut designs in metal and stone. They can plan and sew designs in the fine linen with the blue, purple and red thread. And they are also able to weave things.
Jesus Comforts His Followers
14 Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God. And trust in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you to be with me so that you may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”[a]
5 Thomas said to Jesus, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. So how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way. And I am the truth and the life. The only way to the Father is through me. 7 If you really knew me, then you would know my Father, too. But now you do know him, and you have seen him.”
8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”
9 Jesus answered, “I have been with you a long time now. Do you still not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. So why do you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you don’t come from me. The Father lives in me, and he is doing his own work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or believe because of the miracles I have done. 12 I tell you the truth. He who believes in me will do the same things that I do. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. 13 And if you ask for anything in my name, I will do it for you. Then the Father’s glory will be shown through the Son. 14 If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.
The Promise of the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will do the things I command. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper.[b] He will give you this Helper to be with you forever. 17 The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you and he will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you all alone like orphans. I will come back to you. 19 In a little while the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live, too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father. You will know that you are in me and I am in you. 21 He who knows my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me. And my Father will love him who loves me. I will love him and will show myself to him.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you plan to show yourself to us, but not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, then he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine. It is from my Father, who sent me.
25 “I have told you all these things while I am with you. 26 But the Helper will teach you everything. He will cause you to remember all the things I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name.
27 “I leave you peace. My peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going, but I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you should be happy that I am going back to the Father because he is greater than I am. 29 I have told you this now, before it happens. Then when it happens, you will believe. 30 I will not talk with you much longer. The ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me. 31 But the world must know that I love the Father. So I do exactly what the Father told me to do.
“Come now, let us go.
11 The Lord hates dishonest scales.
But he is pleased with correct weights.
2 Pride leads only to shame.
It is wise not to be proud.
3 Good people will be guided by honesty.
But dishonesty will destroy those who are not trustworthy.
4 Riches will not help when it’s time to die.
But doing what is right will save you from dying too soon.
5 The goodness of an innocent person makes his life easier.
But a wicked person will be destroyed by his wickedness.
6 Doing what is right brings freedom to honest people.
But those who are not trustworthy will be caught by their own desires.
7 When a wicked person dies, his hope is gone.
The hopes he placed in his riches will come to nothing.
8 The good man is saved from trouble.
It comes to the wicked instead.
9 By his words an evil person can destroy his neighbor.
But a good person will escape by being smart.
10 When good people succeed, the city is happy.
When evil people die, there are shouts of joy.
11 The influence of good people makes a city great.
But the wicked can destroy it with their words.
12 A person without good sense finds fault with his neighbor.
But a person with understanding keeps quiet.
13 A person who gossips can’t keep secrets.
But a trustworthy person can keep a secret.
14 Without leadership a nation will be defeated.
But when many people give advice, it will be safe.
15 Whoever guarantees to pay what somebody else owes will suffer.
It is safer to avoid such promises.
16 A kind woman is respected.
But cruel men get wealth.
17 A kind person is doing himself a favor.
But a cruel person brings trouble on himself.
18 An evil person really gains nothing from what he earns.
But a good person will surely be rewarded.
19 Those who are truly good will live.
But those who chase after evil will die.
20 The Lord hates those with evil hearts.
But he is pleased with those who are innocent.
21 You can be sure that evil people will be punished.
But those who do what is right will not be punished.
22 A beautiful woman without good sense
is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.
23 The wishes of those who do right will come true.
But the hopes of the wicked will be defeated by God’s anger.
24 Some people give much but get back even more.
But others don’t give what they should, and they end up poor.
25 A person who gives to others will get richer.
Whoever helps others will himself be helped.
26 People curse someone who keeps all the grain for himself.
But they bless a person who is willing to sell it.
27 Whoever looks for good will find kindness.
But whoever looks for evil will find trouble.
28 Those who trust in riches will be ruined.
But a good person will be as healthy as a green leaf.
29 Whoever brings trouble to his family will be left with nothing but the wind.
And a foolish person will become a servant to the wise.
30 As a tree makes fruit, a good person gives life to others.
The wise person shows others how to be wise.
31 Good people will be rewarded on earth.
So the wicked and the sinners will also be punished.
The Unity of the Body
4 I am in prison because I belong to the Lord. God chose you to be his people. I tell you now to live the way God’s people should live. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love. 3 You are joined together with peace through the Spirit. Do all you can to continue together in this way. Let peace hold you together. 4 There is one body and one Spirit. And God called you to have one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 6 There is one God and Father of everything. He rules everything. He is everywhere and in everything.
7 Christ gave each one of us a special gift. Each one received what Christ wanted to give him. 8 That is why it says in the Scriptures,
“When he went up to the heights,
he led a parade of captives.
And he gave gifts to people.” Psalm 68:18
9 When it says, “He went up,” what does it mean? It means that he first came down to the earth. 10 So Jesus came down, and he is the same One who went up. He went up above all the heavens. Christ did that to fill everything with himself. 11 And Christ gave gifts to men—he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God’s people. 12 Christ gave those gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving. He gave those gifts to make the body of Christ stronger. 13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge about the Son of God. We must become like a mature person—we must grow until we become like Christ and have all his perfection.
14 Then we will no longer be babies. We will not be tossed about like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from men who are trying to fool us. Those men make plans and try any kind of trick to fool people into following the wrong path. 15 No! We will speak the truth with love. We will grow up in every way to be like Christ, who is the head. 16 The whole body depends on Christ. And all the parts of the body are joined and held together. Each part of the body does its own work. And this makes the whole body grow and be strong with love.
The Way You Should Live
17 In the Lord’s name, I tell you this. I warn you: Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. 18 They do not understand. They know nothing, because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives. 19 They have lost their feeling of shame. And they use their lives for doing evil. More and more they want to do all kinds of evil things. 20 But the things you learned in Christ were not like this. 21 I know that you heard about him, and you are in him; so you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to leave your old self—to stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse and worse because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do. 23 But you were taught to be made new in your hearts. 24 You were taught to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God—made to be truly good and holy.
25 So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth because we all belong to each other in the same body.[a] 26 When you are angry, do not sin. And do not go on being angry all day. 27 Do not give the devil a way to defeat you. 28 If a person is stealing, he must stop stealing and start working. He must use his hands for doing something good. Then he will have something to share with those who are poor.
29 When you talk, do not say harmful things. But say what people need—words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will help those who listen to you. 30 And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God’s proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the time comes. 31 Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.