M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Altar
38 Then he built the altar for burning offerings. He made the altar of acacia wood. The altar was square. It was 7½ feet long, 7½ feet wide and 4½ feet high. 2 He made each corner stick out like a horn. The horns and the altar were joined together in one piece. Then he covered the altar with bronze. 3 He made all the tools of bronze to use on the altar: the pots, shovels, bowls for sprinkling blood, meat forks and pans for carrying the fire. 4 He made a large bronze screen to hold the burning wood for the altar. He put the screen inside the altar, under its rim, halfway up from the bottom. 5 He made bronze rings for holding the poles for carrying the altar. He put the rings at the four corners of the screen. 6 Then he made poles of acacia wood and covered them with bronze. 7 He put the poles through the rings on both sides of the altar. They were used for carrying the altar. He made the altar of boards and left the inside hollow.
The Bronze Bowl
8 He made the bronze bowl for washing. He built it on a bronze stand. He used the bronze of mirrors. These mirrors belonged to the women who served at the entrance to the Meeting Tent.
The Courtyard of the Holy Tent
9 Then he made a wall of curtains to form a courtyard around the Holy Tent. On the south side the curtains were 150 feet long and were made of fine linen. 10 The curtains hung on silver hooks and bands. These were on 20 bronze posts on 20 bronze bases. 11 On the north side the wall of curtains was also 150 feet long. It hung on silver hooks and bands on 20 posts with 20 bronze bases.
12 On the west side of the courtyard, the wall of curtains was 75 feet long. It was held up by silver hooks and bands on 10 posts and 10 bases. 13 The east side was 75 feet wide. 14 On one side of the entry there was a wall of curtains that was 22½ feet long. It was held up by 3 posts and 3 bases. 15 On the other side of the entry there was a wall of curtains 22½ feet long. It was held up by 3 posts and 3 bases. 16 All the curtains around the courtyard were made of fine linen. 17 The bases for the posts were made of bronze. The hooks and the bands on the posts were made of silver. The tops of the posts were covered with silver also. All the posts in the courtyard had silver bands.
18 The curtain for the entry of the courtyard was made of blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen. It was sewn by a person who could sew well. The curtain was 30 feet long and 7½ feet high. It was the same height as the curtains around the courtyard. 19 The curtain was held up by 4 posts and 4 bronze bases. The hooks and bands on the posts were made of silver. The tops on the posts were covered with silver. 20 All the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and for the curtains around the courtyard were made of bronze.
21 This is a list of the metals used to make the Holy Tent. This is where the two flat stones with the Ten Commandments are kept. Moses ordered the Levites to make this list. Ithamar son of Aaron was in charge of keeping the list. 22 Bezalel son of Uri made everything the Lord commanded Moses. Uri was the son of Hur of the tribe of Judah. 23 Oholiab son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan helped him. Oholiab could cut designs into metal and stone. He was a designer. He was also skilled at sewing the blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen.
24 The total amount of gold used to build the Holy Tent was presented to the Lord. It weighed over 2,000 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure.
25 The silver was given by the members of the community who were counted. It weighed 7,550 pounds, as set by the Holy Place measure. 26 All the men 20 years old or older were counted. There were 603,550 men, and each man had to pay ⅕ ounce of silver. This is the weight as set by the Holy Place measure. 27 Of this silver, 7,500 pounds was used to make the 100 bases. These bases were for the Holy Tent and for the curtain. There was 75 pounds of silver in each base. 28 The other 50 pounds of silver was used to make the hooks for the posts. It was also used to cover the tops of the posts and to make the bands on the posts.
29 The bronze which was presented to the Lord weighed about 5,000 pounds. 30 They used the bronze to make the bases at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. They also used the bronze to make the altar and the bronze screen. And this bronze was used to make all the tools for the altar. 31 This bronze was also used to make bases for the wall of curtains around the courtyard. It was used for the bases for the curtains at the entry to the courtyard. And this bronze was used to make the tent pegs for the Holy Tent and curtains that surrounded the courtyard.
Jesus Prays for His Followers
17 After Jesus said these things he looked toward heaven. Jesus prayed, “Father, the time has come. Give glory to your Son so that the Son can give glory to you. 2 You gave the Son power over all people so that the Son could give eternal life to all those people you have given to him. 3 And this is eternal life: that men can know you, the only true God, and that men can know Jesus Christ, the One you sent. 4 I finished the work you gave me to do. I brought you glory on earth. 5 And now, Father, give me glory with you. Give me the glory I had with you before the world was made.
6 “You gave me some men from the world. I have shown them what you are like. Those men belonged to you, and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your teaching. 7 Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. 8 I gave these men the teachings that you gave me. They accepted those teachings. They know that I truly came from you. 9 I pray for them now. I am not praying for the people in the world. But I am praying for those men you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And my glory is shown through these men. 11 Now I am coming to you. I will not stay in the world now. But these men are still in the world. Holy Father, keep them safe. Keep them safe by the power of your name (the name you gave me), so that they will be one, the same as you and I are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them safe. I kept them safe by the power of your name—the name you gave me. I protected them. And only one of them, the one who is going to hell, was lost. He was lost so that what was said in the Scripture would happen.
13 “I am coming to you now. But I pray these things while I am still in the world. I say these things so that these men can have my joy. I want them to have all of my joy. 14 I have given them your teaching. And the world has hated them. The world hated these men, because they don’t belong to the world, the same as I don’t belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world. But I am asking that you keep them safe from the Evil One. 16 They don’t belong to the world, the same as I don’t belong to the world. 17 Make them ready for your service through your truth. Your teaching is truth. 18 I have sent them into the world, the same as you sent me into the world. 19 I am making myself ready to serve. I do this for them so that they can truly be ready for your service.
20 “I pray for these men. But I am also praying for all people who will believe in me because of the teaching of these men. 21 Father, I pray that all people who believe in me can be one. You are in me and I am in you. I pray that these people can also be one in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22 I have given these people the glory that you gave me. I gave them this glory so that they can be one, the same as you and I are one. 23 I will be in them and you will be in me. So they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me. And the world will know that you loved these people the same as you loved me.
24 “Father, I want these people that you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory. This is the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made. 25 Father, you are the One who is good. The world does not know you, but I know you. And these people know that you sent me. 26 I showed them what you are like. And again I will show them what you are like. Then they will have the same love that you have for me. And I will live in them.”
14 A wise woman strengthens her family.
But a foolish woman destroys hers by what she does.
2 People who live good lives show respect for the Lord.
But those who live evil lives show no respect for him.
3 A foolish person will be punished for his proud words.
But a wise person’s words will protect him.
4 When there are no oxen, there is no food in the barn.
But with the strength of an ox, much grain can be grown.
5 A truthful witness does not lie.
But a false witness tells nothing but lies.
6 Those who make fun of wisdom look for it but do not find it.
But the person with understanding easily finds knowledge.
7 Stay away from a foolish person.
You won’t learn anything from him.
8 What makes a person wise is understanding what to do.
But what makes a person foolish is dishonesty.
9 Foolish people don’t care if they sin.
But honest people work at being right with others.
10 No one else can know your sadness.
Strangers cannot share your joy.
11 The wicked person’s house will be destroyed.
But a good person’s tent will still be standing.
12 Some people think they are doing what’s right.
But what they are doing will really kill them.
13 When someone is laughing, he may be sad inside.
And when the laughter is over, there is sorrow.
14 Evil people will be paid back for their evil ways.
And good people will be rewarded for their good ones.
15 A foolish person will believe anything.
But a wise person thinks about what he does.
16 A wise person is careful and stays out of trouble.
But a foolish person is quick to act and careless.
17 A person who quickly loses his temper does foolish things.
But a person with understanding remains calm.
18 Foolish people get nothing for their work but more foolishness.
But wise people are rewarded with knowledge.
19 Evil people will have to bow down to good people.
The wicked will bow down at the door of those who do right.
20 The poor are rejected, even by their neighbors.
But rich people have many friends.
21 It is a sin to hate your neighbor.
But being kind to the needy brings happiness.
22 Those who make evil plans will be ruined.
But people love and trust those who plan to do good.
23 Those who work hard make a profit.
But those who only talk will be poor.
24 Wise people are rewarded with wealth.
But foolish people will only be rewarded with more foolishness.
25 A truthful witness saves lives.
But a false witness is a traitor.
26 A person who respects the Lord will have security.
And his children will be protected.
27 Respect for the Lord gives life.
It is like a fountain of water that can save people from death.
28 A king is honored when he has many people to rule.
But a prince is ruined if he has none.
29 A person who does not quickly get angry shows that he has understanding.
But a person who quickly loses his temper shows his foolishness.
30 Peace of mind means a healthy body.
But jealousy will rot your bones.
31 Whoever is cruel to the poor insults their Maker.
But anyone who is kind to the needy honors God.
32 The wicked are ruined by their own evil.
But those who do what is right are protected by their honesty.
33 The person who has understanding has wisdom.
And even fools recognize it.
34 Doing what is right makes a nation great.
But sin will bring disgrace to any people.
35 A king is pleased with a wise servant.
But he will become angry with one who causes him shame.
Serve Others with Joy
1 From Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ.
To all of God’s holy people in Christ Jesus who live in Philippi. And to your overseers and deacons.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul’s Prayer
3 I thank God every time I remember you. 4 And I always pray for all of you with joy. 5 I thank God for the help you gave me while I preached the Good News. You helped from the first day you believed until now. 6 God began doing a good work in you. And he will continue it until it is finished when Jesus Christ comes again. I am sure of that.
7 And I know that I am right to think like this about all of you. I am sure because I have you in my heart. All of you share in God’s grace with me. You share in God’s grace with me while I am in prison, while I am defending the Good News, and while I am proving the truth of the Good News. 8 God knows that I want to see you very much. I love all of you with the love of Christ Jesus.
9 This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; 10 that you will see the difference between good and bad and choose the good; that you will be pure and without wrong for the coming of Christ; 11 that you will be filled with the good things produced in your life by Christ to bring glory and praise to God.
Paul’s Troubles Help the Work
12 Brothers, I want you to know that what has happened to me has helped to spread the Good News. 13 I am in prison because I am a believer in Christ. All the palace guards and everyone else knows this. 14 I am still in prison, but most of the believers feel better about it now. And so they are much braver about telling the Good News about Christ.
15 It is true that some preach about Christ because they are jealous and bitter. But others preach about Christ because they want to help. 16 They preach because they have love, and they know that God gave me the work of defending the Good News. 17 But others preach about Christ because they are selfish. Their reason for preaching is wrong. They want to make trouble for me in prison.
18 But I do not care if they make trouble for me. The important thing is that they are preaching about Christ. They should do it for the right reasons. But I am happy even if they do it for wrong reasons. And I will continue to be happy. 19 You are praying for me, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me. So I know that this trouble will bring my freedom. 20 The thing I want and hope for is that I will not fail Christ in anything. I hope that I will have the courage now, as always, to show the greatness of Christ in my life here on earth. I want to do that if I die or if I live. 21 To me the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be profit for me. 22 If I continue living in the body, I will be able to work for the Lord. But what should I choose—living or dying? I do not know. 23 It is hard to choose between the two. I want to leave this life and be with Christ. That is much better. 24 But you need me here in my body. 25 I know that you need me, and so I know that I will stay with you. I will help you grow and have joy in your faith. 26 You will be very happy in Christ Jesus when I am with you again.
27 Be sure that you live in a way that brings honor to the Good News of Christ. Then whether I come and visit you or am away from you, I will hear good things about you. I will hear that you continue strong with one purpose and that you work together as a team for the faith of the Good News. 28 And you will not be afraid of those who are against you. All of these things are proof from God that you will be saved and that your enemies will be lost. 29 God gave you the honor both of believing in Christ and suffering for Christ. Both these things bring glory to Christ. 30 When I was with you, you saw the struggles I had. And you hear about the struggles I am having now. You yourselves are having the same kind of struggles.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.