M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
38 The burnt-offering altar was also constructed of acacia wood; it was 7-1/2 feet square at the top, and 4-1/2 feet high. 2 There were four horns at the four corners, all of one piece with the rest. This altar was overlaid with bronze. 3 Then he made bronze utensils to be used with the altar—the pots, shovels, basins, meat hooks, and fire pans. 4 Next he made a bronze grating that rested upon a ledge about halfway up in the firebox.[a] 5 Four rings were cast for each side of the grating, to insert the carrying poles. 6 The carrying poles themselves were made of acacia wood, overlaid with bronze. 7 The carrying poles were inserted into the rings at the side of the altar. The altar was hollow, with plank siding.
8 The bronze washbasin and its bronze pedestal were cast from the solid bronze mirrors donated by the women who assembled at the entrance to the Tabernacle.
9 Then he constructed the courtyard. The south wall was 150 feet long; it consisted of drapes woven from fine-twined linen thread. 10 There were twenty posts to hold drapes, with bases of bronze and with silver hooks and rods. 11 The north wall was also 150 feet long, with twenty bronze posts and bases and with silver hooks and rods. 12 The west side was 75 feet wide; the walls were made from drapes supported by ten posts and bases, and with silver hooks and rods. 13 The east side was also 75 feet wide.
14-15 The drapes at either side of the entrance were 22-1/2 feet wide, each with three posts and three bases. 16 All the drapes making up the walls of the court were woven of fine-twined linen. 17 Each post had a bronze base, and all the hooks and rods were silver; the tops of the posts were overlaid with silver, and the rods to hold up the drapes were solid silver.
18 The drapery covering the entrance to the court was made of fine-twined linen, beautifully embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread.
It was 30 feet long and 7-1/2 feet wide, just the same as the drapes composing the walls of the court. 19 It was supported by four posts, with four bronze bases and with silver hooks and rods; the tops of the posts were also silver.
20 All the nails used in constructing the Tabernacle and court were bronze.
21 This summarizes the various steps in building the Tabernacle to house the Ark, so that the Levites could carry on their ministry. All was done in the order designated by Moses and was supervised by Ithamar, son of Aaron the priest. 22 Bezalel (son of Uri and grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah) was the master craftsman, 23 assisted by Oholiab (son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan); he too was a skilled craftsman and also an expert at engraving, weaving, and at embroidering blue, purple, and scarlet threads into fine linen cloth.
24 The people brought gifts of 3,140 pounds of gold, all of which was used throughout the Tabernacle.
25-26 The amount of silver used was 9,575 pounds, which came from the fifty-cent head tax collected from all those registered in the census who were twenty years old or older, a total of 603,550 men. 27 The bases for the frames of the sanctuary walls and for the posts supporting the veil required 9,500 pounds of silver, 95 pounds[b] for each socket. 28 The silver left over was used for the posts and to overlay their tops, and for the rods and hooks.
29-31 The people brought 7,540 pounds of bronze, which was used for casting the bases for the posts at the entrance to the Tabernacle, and for the bronze altar, the bronze grating, the altar utensils, the bases for the posts supporting the drapes enclosing the court, and for all the nails used in the construction of the Tabernacle and the court.
17 When Jesus had finished saying all these things he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Reveal the glory of your Son so that he can give the glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over every man and woman in all the earth. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth! 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to. 5 And now, Father, reveal my glory as I stand in your presence, the glory we shared before the world began.
6 “I have told these men all about you. They were in the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always yours, and you gave them to me; and they have obeyed you. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the commands you gave me; and they accepted them and know of a certainty that I came down to earth from you, and they believe you sent me.
9 “My plea is not for the world but for those you have given me because they belong to you. 10
13 “And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so that they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world, 19 and I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness.
20 “I am not praying for these alone but also for the future believers who will come to me because of the testimony of these. 21 My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind, just as you and I are, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.
22 “I have given them the glory you gave me—the glorious unity of being one, as we are— 23 I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one—so that the world will know you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want them with me—these you’ve given me—so that they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me before the world began!
25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you so that the mighty love you have for me may be in them, and I in them.”
14 A wise woman builds her house, while a foolish woman tears hers down by her own efforts.
2 To do right honors God; to sin is to despise him.
3 A rebel’s foolish talk should prick his own pride! But the wise man’s speech is respected.
4 An empty stable stays clean—but there is no income from an empty stable.
5 A truthful witness never lies; a false witness always lies.
6 A mocker never finds the wisdom he claims he is looking for, yet it comes easily to the man with common sense.
7 If you are looking for advice, stay away from fools.
8 The wise man looks ahead. The fool attempts to fool himself and won’t face facts.
9 The common bond of rebels is their guilt.[a] The common bond of godly people is goodwill.
10 Only the person involved can know his own bitterness or joy—no one else can really share it.
11 The work of the wicked will perish; the work of the godly will flourish.
12 Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road that seems right but ends in death.
13 Laughter cannot mask a heavy heart. When the laughter ends, the grief remains.
14 The backslider gets bored with himself; the godly man’s life is exciting.
15 Only a simpleton believes everything he’s told! A prudent man understands the need for proof.
16 A wise man is cautious and avoids danger; a fool plunges ahead with great confidence.
17 A short-tempered man is a fool. He hates the man who is patient.
18 The simpleton is crowned with folly; the wise man is crowned with knowledge.
19 Evil men shall bow before the godly.
20-21 Even his own neighbors despise the poor man, while the rich have many “friends.” But to despise the poor is to sin. Blessed are those who help them.
22 Those who plot evil shall wander away and be lost, but those who plan good shall be granted mercy and quietness.
23 Work brings profit; talk brings poverty!
24 Wise men are praised for their wisdom; fools are despised for their folly.
25 A witness who tells the truth saves good men from being sentenced to death, but a false witness is a traitor.
26 Reverence for God gives a man deep strength; his children have a place of refuge and security.
27 Reverence for the Lord is a fountain of life; its waters keep a man from death.
28 A growing population is a king’s glory; a dwindling nation is his doom.
29 A wise man controls his temper. He knows that anger causes mistakes.
30 A relaxed attitude lengthens a man’s life; jealousy rots it away.
31 Anyone who oppresses the poor is insulting God who made them. To help the poor is to honor God.
32 The godly have a refuge when they die, but the wicked are crushed by their sins.
33 Wisdom is enshrined in the hearts of men of common sense, but it must shout loudly before fools will hear it.
34 Godliness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
35 A king rejoices in servants who know what they are doing; he is angry with those who cause trouble.
1 From: Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ.
To: The pastors and deacons and all the Christians in the city of Philippi.
2 May God bless you all. Yes, I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give each of you his fullest blessings and his peace in your hearts and your lives.
3 All my prayers for you are full of praise to God! 4 When I pray for you, my heart is full of joy 5 because of all your wonderful help in making known the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.
7 How natural it is that I should feel as I do about you, for you have a very special place in my heart. We have shared together the blessings of God, both when I was in prison and when I was out, defending the truth and telling others about Christ. 8 Only God knows how deep is my love and longing for you—with the tenderness of Jesus Christ. 9 My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight, 10 for I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong, and to be inwardly clean, no one being able to criticize you from now until our Lord returns. 11 May you always be doing those good, kind things that show you are a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.
12 And I want you to know this, dear brothers: Everything that has happened to me here has been a great boost in getting out the Good News concerning Christ. 13 For everyone around here, including all the soldiers over at the barracks, knows that I am in chains simply because I am a Christian. 14 And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here seem to have lost their fear of chains! Somehow my patience has encouraged them, and they have become more and more bold in telling others about Christ.
15 Some, of course, are preaching the Good News because they are jealous of the way God has used me. They want reputations as fearless preachers! But others have purer motives, 16-17 preaching because they love me, for they know that the Lord has brought me here to use me to defend the Truth. And some preach to make me jealous, thinking that their success will add to my sorrows here in jail! 18 But whatever their motive for doing it, the fact remains that the Good News about Christ is being preached, and I am glad.
19 I am going to keep on being glad, for I know that as you pray for me, and as the Holy Spirit helps me, this is all going to turn out for my good. 20 For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that will cause me to be ashamed of myself but that I will always be ready to speak out boldly for Christ while I am going through all these trials here, just as I have in the past; and that I will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must die. 21 For to me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying—well, that’s better yet! 22 But if living will give me more opportunities to win people to Christ, then I really don’t know which is better, to live or die! 23 Sometimes I want to live, and at other times I don’t, for I long to go and be with Christ. How much happier for me than being here! 24 But the fact is that I can be of more help to you by staying!
25 Yes, I am still needed down here, and so I feel certain I will be staying on earth a little longer, to help you grow and become happy in your faith; 26 my staying will make you glad and give you reason to glorify Christ Jesus for keeping me safe when I return to visit you again.
27 But whatever happens to me, remember always to live as Christians should, so that whether I ever see you again or not, I will keep on hearing good reports that you are standing side by side with one strong purpose—to tell the Good News 28 fearlessly, no matter what your enemies may do. They will see this as a sign of their downfall, but for you it will be a clear sign from God that he is with you, and that he has given you eternal life with him. 29 For to you has been given the privilege not only of trusting him but also of suffering for him. 30 We are in this fight together. You have seen me suffer for him in the past; and I am still in the midst of a great and terrible struggle now, as you know so well.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.