M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Dealing with False Prophets
13 [a]“A prophet or a diviner of dreams may arise among you, give you an omen or a miracle 2 that takes place, and then he may tell you, ‘Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them.’ Even though the sign or portent comes to pass, 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or that diviner of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to make known whether or not you’ll continue to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. 4 You must follow the Lord your God, fear him, observe his commandments, listen to his voice, serve him, and cling to him. 5 That prophet or diviner of dreams must be executed, because he advocated rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and because he lured you from the way in which the Lord your God instructed you to live. Purge the evil from among you.”
Dealing with Idolaters
6 “Your own blood brother,[b] your son, your daughter, your beloved wife, or your friend who is like your soul mate may entice you quietly. He may tell you, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods’ (whom neither you nor your ancestors have known 7 from the gods of the people that surround you—whether near or far from you—from one end of the earth to the other). 8 You are not to yield to him, listen to him, look with pity on him, show compassion to him, or even cover up for him. 9 Instead, you are surely to execute him. You must be the first to put him to death with your own hand, and then the hands of the whole community. 10 Stone him to death, because he sought to lure you from the Lord your God, who brought you from the land of Egypt, from the land of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear about it, be afraid, and won’t do this evil thing again among you.
12 “You may hear in one of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you to inhabit 13 that worthless men[c] have come from among you to entice those who live in the towns. They may say, ‘Let’s go and serve other gods that you haven’t known.’ 14 You must thoroughly investigate and inquire if it is true that this detestable thing exists among you. If it is so,[d] 15 then put the inhabitants of the town to death by the sword. Devote everything in it to divine destruction—even its livestock—by the sword. 16 Gather whatever you’ve taken as spoils at the public square of the town, then burn the town, along with whatever you’ve taken, as an offering to the Lord your God. It will remain a permanent mound of ruins, never to be rebuilt again. 17 Moreover, you must never take any item from those condemned things, so the Lord may yet relent from his burning anger and extend compassion, have mercy, and cause you to increase in number—as he promised by an oath to your ancestors— 18 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God by observing all his commands that I’m commanding you today. Do what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.”
Refrain from Cutting Yourselves
14 “You are children of the Lord your God. You must not lacerate yourselves or shave your foreheads on account of the dead, 2 because you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord chose to make you his precious possession from among all the nations[e] of the earth.”
Refrain from Unclean Food
3 “You must not eat any detestable food. 4 These are the animals that you may eat: ox, sheep, goat, 5 deer, gazelle, roebuck, wild goat, ibex, antelope, and mountain sheep. 6 You may eat every animal with a divided hoof—those with split cloven hooves—that chews the cud. 7 However, you must not eat these animals that chew the cud or have a divided hoof: the camel, hare, and rock badger. Even though they chew the cud, their hooves are not divided. Therefore, they are unclean for you. 8 And also the pig, because even though its hoof is divided, it does not chew the cud. It is therefore unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or even touch their carcasses.
9 “You may choose to eat from these creatures in the water: you may eat anything with fin and scale, 10 but you may not eat anything without fin and scale, since it is unclean to you.
11 “You may eat all clean birds, 12 but you must not eat any of these: the eagle, vulture, osprey, 13 buzzard, any kind of kite, 14 any kind of raven, 15 the ostrich, night hawk, seagull, any kind of falcon, 16 the little owl, great owl, horned owl, 17 pelican, carrion vulture, cormorant, 18 stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 19 Any winged, swarming insect is unclean to you—they are not to be eaten. 20 You may eat every bird that is clean.
21 “You must not eat any carcass,[f] but you may give it to the alien in your cities[g] so he may either consume it or sell it to a foreigner, since you are a people that is holy to the Lord your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”
Remember to Tithe
22 “Be sure to tithe annually from everything you plant that yields a harvest in the field. 23 Then in the presence of the Lord your God, in the place where he’ll choose to establish his name, you may consume the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your livestock and flock, so that you’ll learn to revere the Lord your God all your life. 24 Now the way may be distant from you, so that you are unable to transport your tithe because you have been blessed by the Lord your God and the place where the Lord your God chooses to establish his name may be distant from you. 25 In that case, convert it into cash, secure the money,[h] and then bring it to the place where the Lord will choose. 26 You may spend the money to your heart’s content to buy livestock, flocks, wine, strong drink, and whatever you desire. You and your household may eat there and rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God.”
The Levitical Tithe
27 “But you must not forget the descendant of Levi in your town,[i] because there is no tribal allotment[j] for him as there is for you. 28 Every third year, bring all the tithes of your produce of that year and store them in your cities 29 so the descendants of Levi—who have no tribal allotment as you do—foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your cities may come, eat, and be satisfied. That way, the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.”[k]
The Lord is Holy
99 The Lord reigns—
let people tremble;
he is seated above the cherubim—
let the earth quake.
2 The Lord is great in Zion
and is exalted above all peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
He is holy!
4 A mighty king who loves justice,
you have established fairness.
You have exercised justice
and righteousness over Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
worship and bow down at his footstool;
He is holy!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;
Samuel also was among those who invoked his name.
When they called on the Lord,
he answered them.
7 In a pillar of cloud he spoke to them;
they obeyed his decrees
and the Law that he gave them.
8 Lord our God, you answered them;
you were their God who forgave[a] them,
but also avenged their evil deeds.
9 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy!
A psalm of thanksgiving
Give Thanks to the Lord
100 Shout to the Lord all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with joy.
Come before him with a joyful shout!
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
He made us and we belong to him;
we are his people
and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise.
Thank him and bless his name,
5 for the Lord is good
and his gracious love stands forever.
His faithfulness remains from generation to generation.
A Davidic Psalm
Remembering God’s Love
101 I will sing about gracious love and justice;
Lord, I will sing praise to you.
2 I will pay attention to living a life of integrity—
when will I attain it?
I will live with integrity of heart in my house.
3 I will not even think about doing anything lawless;
I hate to do evil deeds;
I will have none of it.
4 I will not allow anyone with a perverted mind in my presence;
I will not be involved with[b] anything evil.
5 I will destroy the one who secretly slanders a friend.
I will not allow the proud and haughty to prevail.
6 My eyes are looking at the faithful of the land,
so they may live with me;
The one who lives a life of integrity will serve me.
7 A deceitful person will not sit in my house;
A liar will not remain in my presence.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
eliminating everyone who practices iniquity from the Lord’s city.
The Lord Comes as Judge
41 “Be silent before me, you coastlands,
and let the people renew their strength!
Let them come forward,
then let them speak together—
let’s draw near for a ruling.
2 Who has aroused victory from the east,
and[a] has summoned it to his service,
and[b] has handed over nations to him?
Who brings down kings,
and[c] turns them into dust with his sword,
into windblown stubble with his bow?
3 And[d] who pursues them
and[e] moves on unscathed
by a path that his feet don’t know?[f]
4 Who has performed and carried this out,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord—the first
and will be with the last
—I am the One!”
Idolaters Encourage Each Other
5 “The coastlands have looked and are afraid;
the ends of the earth have drawn near together[g]
and come forward.
6 Each helps his neighbor,
saying[h] to each other, ‘Be strong!’
7 The craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
and the hammersmith[i] encourages the one who strikes the anvil.
He says[j] about the welding, ‘It’s good!’
and he reinforces it with nails so that it won’t topple.”
The Lord Encourages Israel
8 “But as for you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I’ve chosen,
the offspring of my friend Abraham—
9 you whom I encouraged from the ends of the earth
and called from its farthest corners,
and told you, ‘You’re my servant,
I’ve chosen you
and haven’t cast you aside.’
10 Don’t be afraid,
because I’m with you;
don’t be anxious,
because I am your God.
I keep on strengthening you;
I’m truly helping you.
I’m surely upholding you
with my victorious right hand.”
The Coming Defeat of God’s Enemies
11 “Look! All who are enraged at you
will be put to shame and disgraced;
those who contend with you
will all die.[k]
12 Those who quarrel with you[l]
will be as nothing;
those who fight you
like nothing at all!”
A Call to Courage
13 “For I am the Lord your God,
who takes hold of your right hand,
who says to you, ‘Don’t be afraid.
I’ll help you.
14 Don’t be afraid, you little worm Jacob,
and[m] you insects of Israel!
I myself will help you,’[n] declares the Lord,
your[o] Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.”
A Promise of Victory
15 “See, I’m making you[p] into
a new, sharp, and multi-tooth threshing sledge.
You’ll thresh and crush the mountains,
and make the hills like chaff.
16 You’ll winnow them, and the wind will lift them up,
and a tempest will blow them away.
Then you’ll rejoice in the Lord,
and[q] you’ll make your boast in the Holy One of Israel.”
17 “As for the poor, the needy, those seeking[r] water—
when there is none
and their tongues are parched from thirst—
I, the Lord, will answer them.
I, the God of Israel, won’t abandon them.
18 I’ll open up rivers on the barren heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys.
I’ll turn the[s] desert into a pool of water,
and the parched land into springs of water.
19 I’ll put cedar trees in the wilderness,
along with acacia, myrtle, and olive trees.
I’ll plant cypresses in the desert—
box[t] trees, and pine trees together—
20 all so that people may see and recognize,
perceive,[u] consider, and comprehend at the same time,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
and that the Holy One of Israel has created it.”
Can God’s Enemies Predict the Future?
21 “Put forward your case!” says the Lord.
“Submit your arguments!” says Jacob’s King.
22 Let them approach and ask us,
‘What will happen?
As to the former things, what were they?
Tell us, so that we may consider them and know.
Or[v] the latter things or the things to come—
let us hear.
23 Tell us what the future holds,
so we may know that you are gods!
Yes, do something good or something bad,
so we may hear[w] and gaze at it together.’”
24 “Look! You and your work are less than nothing;[x]
whoever finds you pleasing is disgusting.”
25 “You are stirring up[y] one from the north,
and they are coming[z] from the rising of the sun;
and[aa] he will be called by his[ab] name.
Rulers will arrive like mud;[ac]
just[ad] like a potter, he will trample the clay.
26 Who told of this from the beginning,
so we could know,
or beforehand, so we could ask,
‘Is it right?’[ae]
Indeed, no one told of this,
no one made an announcement,
and no one heard your words:
27 First, to Zion: “There is slumber.”[af]
And to Jerusalem: “I’ll send a messenger with good news.”
28 But when I look, there is no one—
among them there’s no one to give counsel,
no one to give an answer when I ask them.
29 See, none of them exist, and their deeds are nothing.[ag]
Their metal images are only wind and confusion.’”
The Vision of the Two Witnesses
11 Then I was given a stick like a measuring rod. I was told, “Stand up and measure the Temple of God and the altar, and count[a] those who worship there. 2 But don’t measure the courtyard outside the Temple. Leave that out, because it is given to the nations, and they will trample the Holy City[b] for 42 months. 3 I will give my two witnesses who wear sackcloth the authority to prophesy for 1,260 days.”
4 These witnesses[c] are the two olive trees and the two lamp stands standing in the presence of the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone should want to hurt them, fire comes out of their mouths and burns up their enemies. If anyone wants to hurt them, he must be killed in this manner. 6 These witnesses[d] have authority to close the heavens in order to keep rain from falling while they are[e] prophesying. They also have authority to turn bodies of water into blood and to strike the earth with any plague, as often as they desire.
7 When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the bottomless pit[f] will wage war against them, conquer them, and kill them. 8 Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some members of the people, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies and will not allow them to be placed in a tomb. 10 Those living on earth will gloat over them, celebrate, and send gifts to each other, because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.
The Resurrection of the Witnesses
11 But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Those who watched them were terrified. 12 Then the witnesses[g] heard a loud voice from heaven calling to them, “Come up here!” So they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14 The second catastrophe is over. The third catastrophe is coming very soon.
The Vision of the Seventh Angel Blowing His Trumpet
15 When the seventh angel blew his trumpet, there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
“The world’s kingdom has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,[h]
and he will rule forever and ever.”
16 Then the twenty-four elders who were sitting on their thrones in God’s presence fell on their faces and worshipped God. 17 They said,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
because you have taken your great power
and have begun to rule.
18 The nations were angry,
but the time for[i] your wrath has come.
It is time for the dead to be judged—
to reward your servants, the prophets, the saints, and all who fear your name,
both unimportant and important,
and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 Then the Temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen inside his Temple. There were flashes of lightning, noises, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.
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