M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Parashat D’varim
Devarim: The Words that Moses Spoke
1 These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan—in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth and Di-Zahab. 2 It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh-barnea.
3 Now Moses spoke to Bnei-Yisrael, according to all Adonai had commanded him for them—in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, 4 after he had struck down Sihon king of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon, and Og king of the Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth and Edrei.
5 Across the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Torah saying, 6 “Adonai our God spoke to us at Horeb saying: ‘You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7 Turn, journey on, and enter the hill country of the Amorites and all their neighbors, in the Arabah, the hill country, the lowland, the Negev, and by the seashore—the land of the Canaanites and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8 See, I have set the land before you. Enter and possess the land that Adonai swore to your fathers—to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob—to give to them and to their descendants after them.’[a]
Bad Report and Poor Response
9 “I spoke to you at that time saying: ‘I am not able to bear the burden of you by myself. 10 Adonai your God has multiplied you—and here you are today, like the stars of the heavens in number.
11 “‘May Adonai, God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times as many as you are, and may He bless you just as He has promised you! 12 How can I bear your load and burden and bickering by myself? 13 Choose for yourselves wise and discerning men, well known to your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’
14 “You answered me and said: ‘The thing you have said to do is good.’ 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, men who were wise and well known, and appointed them as heads over you—leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officials for your tribes.
16 “I commanded your judges at that time saying: ‘Hear cases between your brothers, and judge fairly[b] between a man and his brother or the outsider with him. 17 You must not show partiality in judgment[c]—you must hear the small and the great alike. Fear no man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me and I will hear it.’
18 “I commanded you at that time everything you should do.
19 “Then we journeyed from Horeb and went through all that great and terrible wilderness that you saw on the way to the hill country of the Amorites, as Adonai our God commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh-barnea. 20 I said to you: ‘You have come to the hill country of the Amorites, which Adonai our God is giving to us. 21 See, Adonai your God has set the land before you—go up, take possession, as Adonai God of your fathers has promised you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.’
22 “Then all of you came near to me and said: ‘Let’s send men ahead of us to explore the land for us and bring us back word about the way we should go up and the cities we will enter.’
23 “The idea seemed good to me, so I took twelve men from among you—one man for each tribe. 24 They turned and went up into the hill country, and they came to the Wadi Eshcol and spied it out. 25 They took in their hands some of the fruit of the land and brought it down to us. They also brought back word to us and said, ‘Good is the land that Adonai our God is giving to us.’
26 “Yet you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of Adonai your God. 27 In your tents you grumbled and said: ‘Because Adonai hates us, He has brought us out from the land of Egypt to hand us over to the Amorites, to destroy us! 28 Where are we going? Our brothers have discouraged our hearts saying, “The people are greater and taller than we are! The cities are great and fortified up to the heavens! Besides, we have even seen the children of Anakim there!”’
29 “Then I said to you, ‘Don’t tremble or be afraid of them. 30 Adonai your God, who goes before you, He Himself will fight for you—just as He did for you in Egypt before your own eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you saw how Adonai your God carried you as a man carries his son, everywhere you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet for all this you did not trust in Adonai your God— 33 the One who goes before you on the way to scout out a place for you to camp and to show you the way you should go, in fire by night and in the cloud by day.
34 “When Adonai heard the tone[d] of your words, He was angry and swore an oath saying, 35 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation will see the good land that I swore to give your fathers— 36 except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He will see it—yet to him and his children I will give the land that he has walked on, because he has followed Adonai wholeheartedly.’
37 “Adonai was even angry with me on your account, saying, ‘You will not enter there, either. 38 Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter there—encourage him, for he will enable Israel to inherit it.
39 “‘Moreover, your little ones—whom you said would become plunder, and your children who today have no knowledge of good or evil—they will enter there. To them I will give it and they will possess it. 40 But as for you, turn around and journey into the wilderness by way of the Sea of Reeds[e].’
41 “Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against Adonai. We will go up and fight, just as Adonai our God commanded us.’ So each of you strapped on his weapons of war, figuring it was easy to go up to the hill country.
42 “But Adonai said to me, ‘Tell them, “Do not go up and fight—for I am not with you, and you will be defeated by your enemies.”’
43 “So I told you, but you would not listen—you rebelled against the command of Adonai and presumptuously went up into the hill country. 44 The Amorites who lived in that hill country came out against you, and they chased you as bees do and scattered you from Seir to Hormah. 45 Then you returned and wept before Adonai, but Adonai did not listen to your voice or pay attention to you.
46 “So you stayed in Kadesh many days—like the days you had spent before.
Hear O Israel
Psalm 81
1 For the music director, on the Gittite lyre, of Asaph.
2 Sing for joy to God our strength,
shout to the God of Jacob!
3 Lift up a song and sound a tambourine,
a sweet lyre with a harp.
4 Blow the shofar at the New Moon,
at the full moon for the day of our festival.
5 For it is a decree for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
6 He set it up as a testimony in Joseph,
when He went throughout the land of Egypt,
I heard a language I did not understand.
7 “I relieved his shoulder of the burden,
his hands were set free from the basket.
8 You called out in trouble, and I rescued you.
I answered you from the hiding place of thunder.
I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
9 Hear, My people, I will admonish you—
if you would listen to Me, O Israel!
10 Let there be no foreign god among you,
and you shall not worship any alien god.
11 I am Adonai your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
12 But My people did not listen to My voice.
Israel was not willing to be Mine.
13 So I gave them over
to the stubbornness of their heart,
to walk in their own counsels.
14 Oh that My people would listen to Me,
that Israel would walk in My ways!
15 I would soon subdue their enemies,
and turn My hand against their foes.
16 Those who hate Adonai would cringe before Him—
their time of doom would be forever.
17 But you would be fed with the finest wheat,
with honey out of a rock would I satisfy you.”
A Rebuke for Unjust Judges
Psalm 82
1 A psalm of Asaph.
God takes His stand in the assembly of God.
He judges among the ‘gods’:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the poor and fatherless.
Be just to the afflicted and destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and needy.
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know nothing;
they understand nothing—
they walk about in darkness.
All of earth’s foundations are shaken.
6 I said: ‘You are ‘gods’,
and you are all sons of Elyon,[a]
7 yet you will die like men,
and will fall like any of the princes.’”
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth!
For You possess all the nations.
Night Vision of Ariel
29 Oy, Ariel[a], Ariel! City where David camped.
Year to year again—festivals in a cycle.
2 But I will distress Ariel.
There will be lamenting and moaning—
then will she be like Ariel to Me?
3 I will encamp against you all around,
I will set up siege-works against you
and will raise up ramps against you.
4 You will be brought low, you will speak from the ground.
From the dust where you are prostrate your speech will come.
Your voice will be like a ghost out of the ground,
and your speech will whisper out of the dust.
5 Yet the multitude of your foes will become like fine dust,
and the multitude of the terrifying like chaff that passes away.
It will happen in an instant, suddenly.
6 You will be visited by Adonai-Tzva’ot
with thunder, earthquake, huge noise,
whirlwind and storm-wind, and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 It will be like a dream, a night vision:
the multitude of all the nations warring against Ariel,
yes, all warring against her,
the ramparts around her and her besiegers.
8 It will be like a hungry man dreaming and behold, he is eating,
but awakes with his hunger unsatisfied,
or like a thirsty man dreaming and behold, he is drinking,
but awakes faint, his soul thirsting.
So it will be with the multitude of all the nations
warring against Mount Zion.
9 Wait, and be astounded!
Blind yourselves, and be blind!
Drunk, but not with wine,
Stagger, but not with strong drink.
10 For Adonai has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep,
and has shut your eyes—the prophets,
and covered your heads—the seers.
11 So this entire vision is for you like the words of a sealed scroll, which they give to one who knows books, saying, “Read this, please,” but he says, “I can’t, because it’s sealed.” 12 Then the scroll is given to one who does not know books, saying, “Read this, please,” but he says, “I don’t know books.”
13 So Adonai says,
“Since these people draw near with their mouths
and honor Me with their lips,
yet their hearts are far from Me,
and their fear of Me is a mitzvah taught by men.[b]
14 Therefore, behold, once more I will do a marvelous work among this people—
a marvel and a wonder—
so the wisdom of their wise will perish,
and the discernment of their discerning will be concealed.”
15 Oy, those who go to great depths
to hide their plans from Adonai!
Their works are in the dark.
They say, “Who sees us?
Who knows us?”
16 Your perversity!
Should the potter be regarded the same as the clay?
Should the thing made say to its maker,
“You did not make me”?
Or the thing formed say of its former,
“You have no understanding?”[c]
17 Will it not be just a very little while
before Lebanon turns into a garden,
and a garden will seem like a forest?
18 In that day the deaf will hear words of a book,
and out of gloom and darkness
the eyes of the blind will see.
19 The meek will add to their joy in Adonai,
and the needy of humanity will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the ruthless will come to an end
and the scorner will be finished,
and all watching to do evil cut off.
21 Those who make a man out to be guilty with a word,
and trap him who reproves at the gate,
and deny justice with meaninglessness.
22 Therefore, thus says Adonai, Redeemer of Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
no longer will his face grow pale;
23 for when he sees his children,
the work of My hands in his midst,
they will sanctify My Name;
they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
and stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who go astray in spirit will come to understanding,
and those who murmur will learn instruction.”
The Joys of Walking Out the Truth
1 The elder.
To Gaius the loved one, whom I love in truth:
2 Loved ones, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. 3 For I was overjoyed when some brethren came and testified of the truth in you—how you are walking in truth. 4 I have no greater joy than this—to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
Support Faithful Kingdom Truth Tellers
5 Loved ones, you are acting faithfully in whatever you do for the brethren and especially for strangers. [a] 6 They have testified to your love before Messiah’s community. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. 7 For on behalf of the Name they went out, accepting nothing from the pagans. 8 Therefore we ought to support such people, so we might become co-workers in the truth.
The Lust for Power Condemned
9 I wrote something to Messiah’s community, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t welcome us. 10 So if I do come, I will call attention to what he is doing—slandering us with wicked words. Not even content with that, he refuses to welcome the brethren, and even forbids those who want to do so—throwing them out of the community!
Do Good Like God Does
11 Loved ones, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God.
Virtue Is Honorable
12 Demetrius has a good testimony from everyone, even from the truth itself. We also vouch for him—and you know that our testimony is true.
Fellowship Is Desirable
13 I have much to write you, but I don’t want to write to you with ink and pen. 14 But I hope to see you soon, and we will speak face to face.
15 Shalom aleichem. The friends here send their greetings. Greet the friends there by name.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.