M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 21

Sanctity of the Priesthood. ^1 [a]The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, Aaron’s sons, and tell them: None of you shall make himself unclean for any dead person among his kindred,^{(A) 2} except for his nearest relatives, his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother^{(B) 3} or his unmarried sister, who is of his own family while she remains single; for these he may make himself unclean. ⁴ But as a husband among his kindred^[b] he shall not make himself unclean and thus profane himself.

⁵ The priests shall not make bald the crown of their head, nor shave the edges of their beard, nor lacerate their body.^{(C) 6} They shall be holy to their God, and shall not profane their God’s name, since they offer the oblations of the Lord, the food of their God; so they must be holy.

^7 [c]A priest shall not marry a woman debased by prostitution, nor a woman who has been divorced by her husband; for the priest is holy to his God.^{(D) 8} Honor him as holy for he offers the food^(E) of your God; he shall be holy to you, because I, the Lord, am holy who make you holy.

⁹ If a priest’s daughter debases herself by prostitution, she thereby debases her father; she shall be burned with fire.^(F)

¹⁰ The most exalted of the priests, upon whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been ordained to wear the special vestments, shall not dishevel his hair or rend his garments, ¹¹ nor shall he go near any dead person.^(G) Not even for his father or mother may he thus become unclean; ¹² nor shall he leave the sanctuary and profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him.^(H) I am the Lord.

¹³ He shall marry only a woman who is a virgin. ¹⁴ He shall not marry a widow or a woman who has been divorced or one who has been debased by prostitution, but only a virgin, taken from his kindred, he shall marry,^{(I) 15} so that he not profane his offspring among his kindred. I, the Lord, make him holy.

Priestly Blemishes.^{[d] 16} The Lord said to Moses: ¹⁷ Say to Aaron: None of your descendants, throughout their generations, who has any blemish shall come forward to offer the food of his God. ¹⁸ Anyone who has any of the following blemishes may not come forward:^(J) he who is blind, or lame, or who has a split lip, or a limb too long, ¹⁹ or a broken leg or arm, ²⁰ or who is a hunchback or dwarf or has a growth in the eye, or who is afflicted with sores, scabs, or crushed testicles. ²¹ No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any such blemish may draw near to offer the oblations of the Lord; on account of his blemish he may not draw near to offer the food of his God. ²² He may, however, eat the food of his God: of the most sacred as well as sacred offerings.^{(K) 23} Only, he may not enter through the veil nor draw near to the altar on account of his blemish; he shall not profane my sacred precincts, for it is I, the Lord, who make them holy.

²⁴ Moses, therefore, told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

Psalm 26^[a]

Prayer of Innocence

¹ Of David.

I

II

III

Psalm 27^[d]

Trust in God

^1 (J)Of David.

A

I

II

B

I

II

Chapter 4

Vanity of Toil. ¹ Again I saw all the oppressions that take place under the sun: the tears of the victims with none to comfort^[a] them! From the hand of their oppressors comes violence, and there is none to comfort them!^{(A) 2} And those now dead, I declared more fortunate in death than are the living to be still alive.^{(B) 3} And better off than both is the yet unborn, who has not seen the wicked work that is done under the sun. ⁴ Then I saw that all toil and skillful work is the rivalry of one person with another. This also is vanity and a chase after wind.

Companions and Successors. ⁷ Again I saw this vanity under the sun: ⁸ those all alone with no companion, with neither child nor sibling—with no end to all their toil, and no satisfaction from riches. For whom do I toil and deprive myself of good things? This also is vanity and a bad business. ⁹ Two are better than one: They get a good wage for their toil. ¹⁰ If the one falls, the other will help the fallen one. But woe to the solitary person! If that one should fall, there is no other to help. ¹¹ So also, if two sleep together, they keep each other warm. How can one alone keep warm? ¹² Where one alone may be overcome, two together can resist. A three-ply cord^[c] is not easily broken.

^13 [d]Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows caution; ¹⁴ for from a prison house he came forth to reign; despite his kingship he was born poor. ¹⁵ I saw all the living, those who move about under the sun, with the second youth who will succeed him.^{[e] 16} There is no end to all this people, to all who were before them; yet the later generations will not have joy in him. This also is vanity and a chase after wind.

Vanity of Many Words. ^17 (C)Guard your step when you go to the house of God.^[f] Draw near for obedience, rather than for the fools’ offering of sacrifice; for they know not how to keep from doing evil.

Chapter 6

Rules for Slaves. ^1 [a]Those who are under the yoke of slavery must regard their masters as worthy of full respect, so that the name of God and our teaching^[b] may not suffer abuse.^{(A) 2} Those whose masters are believers must not take advantage of them because they are brothers but must give better service because those who will profit from their work are believers and are beloved.^(B)

V. False Teaching and True Wealth

Teach and urge these things.^{[c] 3} Whoever teaches something different and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the religious teaching^{(C) 4} is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid disposition for arguments and verbal disputes. From these come envy, rivalry, insults, evil suspicions, ⁵ and mutual friction among people with corrupted minds, who are deprived of the truth, supposing religion to be a means of gain.^{(D) 6 [d]}Indeed, religion with contentment is a great gain.^{(E) 7} For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it.^{(F) 8} If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that.^{(G) 9} Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.^{(H) 10} For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.

Exhortations to Timothy.^{[e] 11} But you, man of God,^[f] avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness.^{(I) 12} Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.^{(J) 13} I charge [you] before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,^{(K) 14} to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ ¹⁵ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords,^{(L) 16} who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.^(M)

Right Use of Wealth.^{[g] 17} Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God, who richly provides us with all things for our enjoyment.^{(N) 18} Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, ¹⁹ thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life.^(O)

VI. Final Recommendation and Warning^[h]

²⁰ O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid profane babbling and the absurdities of so-called knowledge.^{(P) 21} By professing it, some people have deviated from the faith.

Grace be with all of you.^(Q)