M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Camp Arrangement
2 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron: 2 “The Israelites should make their camps around the Meeting Tent. But they should not camp too close to it. Each person should camp under the flag of his division near the banner of his family group.”
3 The camp of Judah will be on the east side, where the sun rises. They will camp by divisions there under their flag. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. 4 There are 74,600 men in his division.
5 Next to them the tribe of Issachar will camp. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. 6 There are 54,400 men in his division.
7 Next is the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. 8 There are 57,400 men in his division.
9 There are a total of 186,400 men in the camp of Judah. They are in their divisions. They will be the first to march out of camp.
10 The divisions of the camp of Reuben will be south of the Holy Tent. They will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Reuben is Elizur son of Shedeur. 11 There are 46,500 men in his division.
12 Next to them the tribe of Simeon will camp. The leader of the people of Simeon is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai. 13 There are 59,300 men in his division.
14 Next is the tribe of Gad. The leader of the people of Gad is Eliasaph son of Deuel. 15 There are 45,650 men in his division.
16 There are a total of 151,450 men in the camp of Reuben. They are in their divisions. They will be the second group to march out of camp.
17 When the Levites move the Meeting Tent, they will be in between the other camps. The tribes will move in the same order as they camp. Each person will be with his family flag.
18 The divisions of the camp of Ephraim will be on the west side. They will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Ephraim is Elishama son of Ammihud. 19 There are 40,500 men in his division.
20 Next to them the tribe of Manasseh will camp. The leader of the people of Manasseh is Gamaliel son of Pedahzur. 21 There are 32,200 men in his division.
22 Next to them the tribe of Benjamin will camp. The leader of the people of Benjamin is Abidan son of Gideoni. 23 There are 35,400 men in his division.
24 There are a total of 108,100 men in the camp of Ephraim. They are in their divisions. They will be the third group to march out of camp.
25 The divisions of the camp of Dan will be on the north side. They will camp under their flag. The leader of the people of Dan is Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai. 26 There are 62,700 men in his division.
27 Next to them the tribe of Asher will camp. The leader of the people of Asher is Pagiel son of Ocran. 28 There are 41,500 men in his division.
29 Next is the tribe of Naphtali. The leader of the people of Naphtali is Ahira son of Enan. 30 There are 53,400 men in his division.
31 There are 157,600 men in the camp of Dan. They will be the last to march out of camp. They will travel under their own flag.
32 These are the Israelites who were counted by families. The total number of Israelites in the camps, counted by divisions, is 603,550. 33 Moses did not count the Levites among the other people of Israel. This is what the Lord had commanded.
34 So the Israelites obeyed everything the Lord commanded Moses. They camped under their flags. Each person traveled with his family and family group.
Wicked Men and a Good God
For the director of music. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
36 Sin speaks to the wicked man in his heart.
He has no fear of or respect for God.
2 He thinks too much of himself.
He doesn’t see his sin and hate it.
3 His words are wicked lies.
He is no longer wise or good.
4 At night he makes evil plans.
What he does leads to nothing good.
He doesn’t refuse things that are evil.
5 Lord, your love reaches to the heavens.
Your loyalty goes to the skies.
6 Your goodness is as high as the mountains.
Your justice is as deep as the great ocean.
Lord, you protect both men and animals.
7 God, your love is so precious!
You protect people as a bird protects her young under her wings.
8 They eat the rich food in your house.
You let them drink from your river of pleasure.
9 You are the giver of life.
Your light lets us enjoy life.
10 Continue to love those who know you.
And continue to do good to those who are good.
11 Don’t let proud people attack me.
Don’t let the wicked force me away.
12 Those who do evil have been defeated.
They are overwhelmed; they cannot do evil any longer.
The Problems of Old Age
12 Remember your Creator while you are young.
Your old age is coming
when you will have many troubles.
When that time comes,
you won’t have much to enjoy.
2 When you become old,
the light from the sun, moon and stars will seem dark to you.
It will seem as if the rain clouds never go away.
3 At that time your arms will lose their strength.
Your strong legs will become weak and bent.
Your teeth will fall out so you cannot chew.
Your eyes will not see clearly.
4 Your ears will be deaf to the noise in the streets.
You will barely hear singing.
The sound of the millstone grinding your grain will seem very quiet.
But you’ll wake up when a bird first starts singing!
5 You will fear high places.
And you will be afraid to go for a walk because you may fall.
Your hair will become white like the flowers on an almond tree.
You will limp along like a grasshopper when you walk.
Your desires will be gone.
Then you will go to your everlasting home.
And people will go to your funeral.
6 Remember God before your life is snapped like a silver chain.
Remember God before your life is broken like a golden bowl.
It will be as useless as a broken bucket at the spring.
It will be no good, like a broken wheel at a water well.
7 Your body will become part of the dust of the earth again.
But your spirit will return to God who gave it.
8 Everything is useless!
The Teacher says that everything is useless.
Conclusion
9 The Teacher was very wise. He taught the people what he knew. The Teacher very carefully thought about, studied and set in order many wise teachings. 10 The Teacher looked for just the right words. He wrote teachings that are dependable and true.
11 Words from wise men are like sharp sticks used to guide animals. These words are like nails that have been driven in firmly. They are wise teachings that come from God the Shepherd. 12 So be careful, my son, about other teachings. People are always writing books. And too much study will make you very tired.
13 Now, everything has been heard.
Here is my final advice:
Honor God and obey his commands.
This is the most important thing people can do.
14 God knows everything people do,
even the things done in secret.
He knows all the good and all the bad.
He will judge everything people do.
A Slave Becomes a Christian
1 From Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, our brother.
To Philemon, our dear friend and worker with us; 2 to Apphia, our sister; to Archippus, a worker with us; and to the church that meets in your home.
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon’s Love and Faith
4 I remember you in my prayers. And I always thank my God for you. 5 I hear about the love you have for all God’s holy people and the faith you have in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that the faith you share will make you understand every blessing that we have in Christ. 7 My brother, you have shown love to God’s people. You have made them feel happy. This has given me great joy and comfort.
Accept Onesimus as a Brother
8 There is something that you should do. And because of your love in Christ, I feel free to order you to do it. 9 But because I love you, I am asking you instead. I, Paul, am an old man now, and a prisoner for Christ Jesus. 10 I am asking you a favor for my son Onesimus. He became my son while I was in prison. 11 In the past he was useless to you. But now he has become useful for both you and me.
12 I am sending him back to you, and with him I am sending my own heart. 13 I wanted to keep him with me to help me while I am in prison for the Good News. By helping me he would be serving you. 14 But I did not want to do anything without asking you first. Then any favor you do for me will be because you want to do it, not because I forced you to do it.
15 Onesimus was separated from you for a short time. Maybe that happened so that you could have him back forever— 16 not to be a slave, but better than a slave, to be a loved brother. I love him very much. But you will love him even more. You will love him as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
17 If you think of me as your friend, then accept Onesimus back. Welcome him as you would welcome me. 18 If Onesimus has done anything wrong to you, charge that to me. If he owes you anything, charge that to me. 19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay back anything Onesimus owes. And I will say nothing about what you owe me for your own life. 20 So, my brother, I ask that you do this for me in the Lord. Comfort my heart in Christ. 21 I write this letter, knowing that you will do what I ask you and even more.
22 Also, please prepare a room for me to stay in. I hope that God will answer your prayers and I will be able to come to you.
Final Greetings
23 Epaphras is a prisoner with me for Christ Jesus. He sends greetings to you. 24 And also Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke send greetings. They are workers together with me.
25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.