M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rules About a Man’s Body
15 The Lord also said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the people of Israel: ‘When a fluid comes from a man’s body, he is unclean. 3 It doesn’t matter if the fluid flows freely or if it is blocked from flowing.
4 “‘The man who discharges the body fluid may lie on a bed. If he does, that bed becomes unclean. Everything he sits on becomes unclean. 5 Also anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water. This person will be unclean until evening. 6 Someone might sit on something that the man who discharges the fluid sat on. If he does, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening. 7 Anyone who touches the man who discharges the body fluid must wash his clothes and bathe in water. The person will be unclean until evening.
8 “‘The man who discharges the body fluid might spit on a clean person. If so, the person who was clean must wash his clothes. He must bathe in water. The person will be unclean until evening. 9 Everything on which the man who is unclean has ridden will become unclean. 10 Someone might touch something that was under the man who discharges a body fluid. If he does, he will be unclean until evening. Someone might carry these things that were under the man who discharges a body fluid. This person must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening.
11 “‘The man who discharges a body fluid may not have washed his hands in water. If he touches another person, that person must wash his clothes. That person must bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening.
12 “‘A man who discharges a body fluid may touch a clay bowl. That bowl must be broken. If he touches a wooden bowl, that bowl must be washed in water.
13 “‘A man who discharges a body fluid may be made clean. He must count seven days for himself for his cleansing. He must wash his clothes and bathe his body in fresh water. Then he will be clean. 14 On the eighth day he must take two doves or two young pigeons. He must come before the Lord at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. He will give the two birds to the priest. 15 The priest will offer the birds. One bird is for a sin offering. The other is for a burnt offering. So the priest will make that man clean so he can belong to the Lord again.
16 “‘If semen[a] goes out from a man, he must bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening. 17 If the fluid gets on any clothing or leather, it must be washed with water. It will be unclean until evening.
18 “‘If a man has physical relations with a woman and semen comes out, both people must bathe in water. They will be unclean until evening.
Rules About a Woman’s Body
19 “‘When a woman has her monthly period, she is unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything she lies on during this time will be unclean. Everything she sits on during that time will be unclean. 21 Anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe in water. That person will be unclean until evening. 22 Anyone who touches something she has sat on must wash his clothes and bathe in water. That person will be unclean until evening. 23 It does not matter if the person touched the woman’s bed or something she sat on. That person will be unclean until evening.
24 “‘A man might have physical relations with a woman during her monthly period. If he does, he will be unclean for seven days. Every bed he lies on will also be unclean.
25 “‘A woman might have a loss of blood for many days. It may not be during her regular monthly period. Or she may continue to have a loss of blood after her regular period. If she does, she will be unclean, as she is during her monthly period. She will be unclean for as long as she continues to bleed. 26 Any bed she lies on during all the time of her bleeding will be like her bed during her regular monthly period. Everything she sits on will be unclean. It will be like during her regular monthly period.
27 “‘If anyone touches those things, that person will be unclean. He must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening. 28 When the woman becomes clean from her bleeding, she must wait seven days. After this she will be clean. 29 Then on the eighth day she must take two doves or two young pigeons. She must bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. 30 Then the priest must offer one bird for a sin offering. He must offer the other bird for a whole burnt offering. So the priest will make her clean so she can belong to the Lord again.
31 “‘So you must warn the people of Israel to stay separated from things that make them unclean. If you don’t warn the people, they might make my Holy Tent unclean. And then they would have to die!’”
32 These are the teachings for the man who discharges a body fluid. These are the teachings for men who become unclean from semen[b] coming out of their bodies. 33 These are the teachings for women who become unclean from their monthly period. These are the teachings for anyone who becomes unclean by having physical relations with another person who is unclean.
A Song of Victory
For the director of music. By the Lord’s servant, David. David sang this song to the Lord. He sang it when the Lord had saved him from Saul and all his other enemies.
18 I love you, Lord. You are my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my protection, my Savior.
My God is my rock.
I can run to him for safety.
He is my shield and my saving strength, my high tower.
3 I will call to the Lord.
He is worthy of praise.
And I will be saved from my enemies.
4 The ropes of death bound me.
The deadly rivers overwhelmed me.
5 The ropes of death wrapped around me.
The traps of death were before me.
6 In my trouble I called to the Lord.
I cried out to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice.
My call for help reached his ears.
7 The earth trembled and shook.
The foundations of the mountains began to shake.
They shook because the Lord was angry.
8 Smoke came out of his nose.
Burning fire came out of his mouth.
Burning coals went before him.
9 He tore open the sky and came down.
Dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He rode a creature with wings and flew.
He flew on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his shelter around him,
surrounded by fog and clouds.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence came clouds.
They came with hail and lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven.
God Most High raised his voice.
And there was hail and lightning.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies.
His many bolts of lightning confused them with fear.
15 Lord, you spoke strongly.
The wind blew from your nose.
The valleys of the sea appeared.
The foundations of the earth were seen.
16 The Lord reached down from above and took me.
He pulled me from the deep water.
17 He saved me from my powerful enemies.
Those who hated me were too strong for me.
18 They attacked me at my time of trouble.
But the Lord supported me.
19 He took me to a safe place.
Because he delights in me, he saved me.
20 The Lord spared me because I did what was right.
Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me.
21 I have followed the ways of the Lord.
I have not done evil by turning away from my God.
22 I remember all his laws.
I have not broken his rules.
23 I am innocent before him.
I have kept myself from doing evil.
24 The Lord rewarded me because I did what was right.
I did what the Lord said was right.
25 Lord, you are loyal to those who are loyal.
You are good to those who are good.
26 You are pure to those who are pure.
But you are against those who are bad.
27 You save those who are not proud.
But you make humble those who are proud.
28 Lord, you give light to my lamp.
My God brightens the darkness around me.
29 With your help I can attack an army.
With God’s help I can jump over a wall.
30 The ways of God are without fault.
The Lord’s words are pure.
He is a shield to those who trust him.
31 Who is God? Only the Lord.
Who is the Rock? Only our God.
32 God is my protection.
He makes my way free from fault.
33 He makes me like a deer, which does not stumble.
He helps me stand on the steep mountains.
34 He trains my hands for battle.
So my arms can bend a bronze bow.
35 You protect me with your saving shield.
You support me with your right hand.
You have stooped to make me great.
36 You give me a wide path on which to walk.
My feet have not slipped.
37 I chased my enemies and caught them.
I did not quit till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so they couldn’t rise up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
39 You gave me strength in battle.
You made my enemies bow before me.
40 You made my enemies turn back.
I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They called for help,
but no one came to save them.
They called to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
42 I beat my enemies into pieces.
They were like dust in the wind.
I poured them out like mud in the streets.
43 You saved me when the people attacked me.
You made me the leader of nations.
People I never knew serve me.
44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me.
Foreigners obey me.
45 They all become afraid.
They tremble in their hiding places.
46 The Lord lives!
May my Rock be praised.
Praise the God who saves me!
47 God gives me victory over my enemies.
He brings people under my rule.
48 He saves me from my enemies.
You set me over those who hate me.
You saved me from cruel men.
49 So I will praise you, Lord, among the nations.
I will sing praises to your name.
50 The Lord gives great victories to his king.
He is loyal to his appointed king,
to David and his descendants forever.
29 Some people are still stubborn after they have been corrected many times.
But they will suddenly be hurt beyond cure.
2 When good people do well, everyone is happy.
But when evil people rule, everyone groans.
3 Whoever loves wisdom makes his father happy.
But the one who makes friends with prostitutes wastes his money.
4 If a king is fair, he makes his country strong.
But if he takes money dishonestly, he tears his country down.
5 Anyone who gives false praise to his neighbor
is setting a trap for him.
6 An evil person is trapped by his own sin.
But a good person can sing and be happy.
7 Good people are concerned that the poor are treated fairly.
But the wicked don’t care.
8 People who make fun of others cause trouble in a city.
But wise people calm anger down.
9 A wise man should not take a foolish person to court.
The fool will only shout or laugh at him. There will be no peace.
10 Murderers hate honest people.
But those who do right try to protect them.
11 A foolish person loses his temper.
But a wise person controls his anger.
12 If a ruler pays attention to lies,
then all his officers will become wicked.
13 The poor person and the cruel person are alike in this way:
The Lord gave eyes to both of them.
14 A king should judge poor people fairly.
Then his government will continue forever.
15 Punishment and correction make a child wise.
If he is left to do as he pleases, he will disgrace his mother.
16 When there are many wicked people, there is much sin.
But those who do right will see them destroyed.
17 Correct your child, and you will be proud of him.
He will give you pleasure.
18 Where there is no word from God, people are uncontrolled.
But those who obey what they have been taught are happy.
19 Words alone cannot correct a servant.
Even if he understands, he won’t respond.
20 Sometimes you see people who speak too quickly.
There is more hope for a foolish person than for them.
21 Don’t spoil your servant when he is young.
If you do, he will bring you grief later on.
22 An angry person causes trouble.
A person who easily gets angry sins a lot.
23 A man’s pride will ruin him.
But a person who is humble will be honored.
24 The partner of a thief is his own worst enemy.
He has to testify in court, but he is afraid to say anything.
25 Being afraid of people can get you into trouble.
But if you trust the Lord, you will be safe.
26 Many people want to be heard by a ruler.
But fairness comes from the Lord.
27 Good people hate those who are dishonest.
And the wicked hate those who are honest.
Pray for Us
3 And now, brothers, pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s teaching will continue to spread quickly. And pray that people will give honor to that teaching, just as happened with you. 2 And pray that we will be protected from bad and evil people. (Not all people believe in the Lord.)
3 But the Lord is faithful. He will give you strength and protect you from the Evil One. 4 The Lord makes us feel sure that you are doing the things we told you. And we know that you will continue to do those things. 5 We pray that the Lord will lead your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s patience.
The Duty to Work
6 Brothers, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ we command you to stay away from any believer who refuses to work. People who refuse to work are not following the teaching that we gave them. 7 You yourselves know that you should live as we live. We were not lazy when we were with you. 8 And when we ate another person’s food, we always paid for it. We worked and worked so that we would not be a trouble to any of you. We worked night and day. 9 We had the right to ask you to help us. But we worked to take care of ourselves so that we would be an example for you to follow. 10 When we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If anyone will not work, he will not eat.”
11 We hear that some people in your group refuse to work. They do nothing. And they busy themselves in other people’s lives. 12 We command those people to work quietly and earn their own food. In the Lord Jesus Christ we beg them to do this. 13 Brothers, never become tired of doing good.
14 If anyone does not obey what we tell you in this letter, then remember who he is. Do not associate with him. Then maybe he will feel ashamed. 15 But do not treat him as an enemy. Warn him as a brother.
Final Words
16 We pray that the Lord of peace will give you peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with all of you.
17 I am Paul, and I end this letter now in my own handwriting. All my letters have this to show they are from me. This is the way I write.
18 May our Lord Jesus Christ show all of you his grace.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.