M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Offerings Are Holy
22 The Lord told Moses 2 to say to Aaron and his sons:
I am the Lord God, and I demand that you honor my holy name by showing proper respect for the offerings brought to me by the people of Israel. 3 If any of you are unclean when you accept an offering for me, I will no longer let you serve as a priest. 4 None of you may take part in the sacred meals while you have a skin disease or an infected penis, or after you have been near a dead body or have had a flow of semen, 5 or if you have touched an unclean creature of any sort, including an unclean person. 6-7 Once you are unclean, you must take a bath, but you still cannot eat any of the sacred food until evening. 8 I command you not to eat anything that is killed by a wild animal or dies a natural death. This would make you unclean. 9 Obey me, or you will die on duty for disgracing the place of worship. Remember—I am the Lord, the one who makes a priest holy.
10 Only you priests and your families may eat the food offerings; these are too sacred for any of your servants. 11 However, any slave that you own, including those born into your household, may eat this food. 12 If your daughter marries someone who isn't a priest, she can no longer have any of this food. 13 But if she returns to your home, either widowed or divorced, and has no children, she may join in the meal. Only members of a priestly family can eat this food, 14 and anyone else who accidentally does so, must pay for the food plus a fine of 20 percent.
15 I warn you not to treat lightly the offerings that are brought by the people of Israel. 16 Don't let them become guilty of eating this sacred food. Remember—I am the Lord, the one who makes these offerings holy.
Acceptable Sacrifices
17 The Lord told Moses 18 to tell Aaron and his sons and everyone else the rules for offering sacrifices. He said:
The animals that are to be completely burned on the altar 19-20 (A) must have nothing wrong with them, or else I won't accept them. Bulls or rams or goats[a] are the animals to be used for these sacrifices.
21 When you offer a sacrifice to ask my blessing,[b] there must be nothing wrong with the animal. This is true, whether the sacrifice is part of a promise or something you do voluntarily. 22 Don't offer an animal that is blind or injured or that has an infection or a skin disease. 23 If one of your cattle or lambs has a leg that is longer or shorter than the others, you may offer it voluntarily, but not as part of a promise. 24 As long as you live in this land, don't offer an animal with injured testicles. 25 And don't bring me animals you bought from a foreigner. I won't accept them, because they are no better than one that has something wrong with it.
26 The Lord told Moses to say:
27 Newborn cattle, sheep, or goats must remain with their mothers for seven days, but on the eighth day, you may send them up in smoke to me, and I will accept the offering. 28 Don't sacrifice a newborn animal and its mother on the same day.
29 When you offer a sacrifice to give thanks[c] to me, you must do it in a way that is acceptable. 30 Eat all of the meat that same day and don't save any for the next day. I am the Lord your God!
31 Obey my laws and teachings—I am the Lord. 32-33 I demand respect from the people of Israel, so don't disgrace my holy name. Remember—I am the one who chose you to be priests and rescued all of you from Egypt, so that I would be your Lord.
(By David.)
A Prayer for Help
1 Only you, Lord,
are a mighty rock![a]
Don't refuse to help me
when I pray.
If you don't answer me,
I will soon be dead.
2 Please listen to my prayer
and my cry for help,
as I lift my hands
toward your holy temple.
3 Don't drag me away, Lord,
with those cruel people,
who speak kind words,
while planning trouble.
4 (A) Treat them as they deserve!
Punish them for their sins.
5 They don't pay any attention
to your wonderful deeds.
Now you will destroy them
and leave them in ruin.
6 I praise you, Lord,
for answering my prayers.
7 You are my strong shield,
and I trust you completely.
You have helped me,
and I will celebrate
and thank you in song.
8 You give strength
to your people, Lord,
and you save and protect
your chosen ones.
9 Come save us and bless us.
Be our shepherd and always
carry us in your arms.
(A psalm by David.)
The Voice of the Lord in a Storm
1 (B) All you angels[b] in heaven,
honor the glory and power
of the Lord!
2 Honor the wonderful name
of the Lord,
and worship the Lord
most holy and glorious.[c]
3 The voice of the Lord
echoes over the oceans.
The glorious Lord God
thunders above the roar
of the raging sea,
4 and his voice is mighty
and marvelous.
5 The voice of the Lord
destroys the cedar trees;
the Lord shatters cedars
on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon
skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon
jump like a wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord
makes lightning flash
8 and the desert tremble.
And because of the Lord,
the desert near Kadesh
shivers and shakes.
9 The voice of the Lord
makes deer give birth
before their time.[d]
Forests are stripped of leaves,
and the temple is filled
with shouts of praise.
10 The Lord rules on his throne,
king of the flood[e] forever.
11 Pray that our Lord
will make us strong
and give us peace.
Be Careful How You Worship
5 Be careful what you do when you enter the house of God. Fools go there to offer sacrifices, because all they do is sin.[a] But it's best just to listen when you go to worship. 2 Don't talk before you think or make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so don't talk too much. 3 If you keep thinking about something, you will dream about it. If you talk too much, you will say the wrong thing.
4 (A) God doesn't like fools. So don't be slow to keep your promises to God. 5 It's better not to make a promise at all than to make one and not keep it. 6 Don't let your mouth get you in trouble! And don't say to the worship leader,[b] “I didn't mean what I said.” God can destroy everything you have worked for, so don't say something that makes God angry.
7 Respect and obey God! Daydreaming leads to a lot of senseless talk.[c]
8 Don't be surprised if the poor of your country are abused, and injustice takes the place of justice. After all, the lower officials must do what the higher ones order them to do. 9 And since the king is the highest official, he benefits most from the taxes paid on the land.[d]
10 If you love money and wealth, you will never be satisfied with what you have. This doesn't make a bit of sense. 11 The more you have, the more everyone expects from you. Your money won't do you any good—others will just spend it for you. 12 If you have to work hard for a living, you can rest well at night, even if you don't have much to eat. But if you are rich, you can't even sleep.
13 I have seen something terribly unfair. People get rich, but it does them no good. 14 Suddenly they lose everything in a bad business deal, then have nothing to leave for their children. 15 (B) They came into this world naked, and when they die, they will be just as naked. They can't take anything with them, and they won't have anything to show for all their work. 16 That's terribly unfair. They leave the world just as they came. They gained nothing from running after the wind. 17 Besides all this, they are always gloomy at mealtime, and they are troubled, sick, and bitter.[e]
18 What is the best thing to do in the short life God has given us? I think we should enjoy eating, drinking, and working hard. This is what God intends for us to do. 19 Suppose you are very rich and able to enjoy everything you own. Then go ahead and enjoy working hard—this is God's gift to you. 20 God will keep you so happy that you won't have time to worry about each day.
1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus.
God himself chose me to be an apostle, and he gave me the promised life that Jesus Christ makes possible.
2 (A) Timothy, you are like a dear child to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Christ Jesus will be kind and merciful to you and will bless you with peace!
Do Not Be Ashamed of the Lord
3 Night and day I mention you in my prayers. I am always grateful for you, as I pray to the God my ancestors and I have served with a clear conscience. 4 I remember how you cried, and I want to see you, because this would make me truly happy. 5 (B) I also remember the genuine faith of your mother Eunice. Your grandmother Lois had the same sort of faith, and I am sure you have it as well. 6 So I ask you to make full use of the gift God gave you when I placed my hands on you.[a] Use it well. 7 God's Spirit[b] doesn't make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.
8 Don't be ashamed to speak for our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, just because I am in jail for serving him. Use the power that comes from God and join with me in suffering for telling the good news.
9 God saved us and chose us
to be his holy people.
We did nothing
to deserve this,
but God planned it
because he is so kind.
Even before time began
God planned for Christ Jesus
to show kindness to us.
10 Now Christ Jesus has come
to offer us God's gift
of undeserved grace.
Christ our Savior defeated death
and brought us
the good news.
It shines like a light
and offers life
that never ends.
11 (C) My work is to be a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher.[c] 12 This is why I am suffering now. But I am not ashamed! I know the one I have faith in, and I am sure he can guard until the last day what he has trusted me with.[d] 13 Now follow the example of the correct teaching I gave you, and let the faith and love of Christ Jesus be your model. 14 You have been trusted with a wonderful treasure. Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives within us.
15 You know that everyone in Asia has turned against me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes.
16 I pray that the Lord will be kind to the family of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up and wasn't ashamed of me when I was put in jail. 17 Then after he arrived in Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me. 18 I pray that the Lord Jesus will ask God to show mercy to Onesiphorus on the day of judgment. You know how much he helped me in Ephesus.
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