M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Directions for Setting Apart the Priests
29 “Here is what you must do to set apart Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Get a young bull and two rams. They must not have any flaws. 2 Get the finest wheat flour. Make round loaves of bread that do not have yeast in them. Make thick loaves of bread that do not have yeast in them. Mix olive oil into the thick loaves of bread. Also make thin loaves of bread that do not have yeast in them. Brush the thin loaves with olive oil. 3 Put everything in a basket. Offer them along with the bull and the two rams. 4 Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting. Wash them with water. 5 Take the inner robe, the outer robe of the linen apron, the apron itself and the chest cloth. Dress Aaron in them. Take the skillfully made waistband and tie the apron on him with it. 6 Put the turban on his head. Connect the sacred plate to the turban. 7 Take the anointing oil and pour it on his head. 8 Bring his sons and dress them in their inner robes. 9 Put caps on their heads. Tie belts on Aaron and his sons. The work of the priests belongs to them. This is my law that will last for all time to come.
“Then you must prepare Aaron and his sons to serve me.
10 “Bring the bull to the front of the tent of meeting. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. 11 Kill it in front of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 12 Dip your finger into some of the bull’s blood. Put it on the horns that stick out from the upper four corners of the altar. Pour the rest of it out at the base of the altar. 13 Then take all the fat on the inside parts. Take the long part of the liver. Get both kidneys with the fat on them. And burn all of it on the altar. 14 But burn the bull’s meat, hide and guts outside the camp. It is a sin offering.
15 “Get one of the rams. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. 16 Kill it. Take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. 17 Cut the ram into pieces. Wash the inside parts and the legs. Put them with the head and the other pieces. 18 Then burn the whole ram on the altar. It is a burnt offering to me. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.
19 “Get the other ram. Have Aaron and his sons place their hands on its head. 20 Kill it. Put some of its blood on the right earlobes of Aaron and his sons. Put some on the thumbs of their right hands. Also put some on the big toes of their right feet. Then splash the blood against the sides of the altar. 21 Get some of the blood from the altar. Also get some of the anointing oil. Sprinkle both of them on Aaron and his clothes and on his sons and their clothes. Then he and his sons and their clothes will be set apart to serve the Lord.
22 “Here is what you must take from this second ram. Take the fat, the fat tail and the fat around the inside parts. Take the long part of the liver. Also take both kidneys with the fat on them, and the right thigh. It is the ram you must use when you prepare the priests to serve the Lord. 23 Get one round loaf of bread and one thick loaf of bread with olive oil mixed in. Also get one thin loaf of bread. Take them from the basket of bread made without yeast. It is the one in front of the Lord. 24 Put all these things in the hands of Aaron and his sons. Tell them to lift them up and wave them in front of the Lord as a wave offering. 25 Then take all these things from their hands. Burn them on the altar along with the burnt offering. Its smell pleases the Lord. It is a food offering presented to the Lord. 26 Get the breast of the ram used when you prepare Aaron to serve the Lord. Wave it in front of the Lord as a wave offering. It will be your share of the meat.
27 “Here are the parts of the second ram that belong to Aaron and his sons. You must set apart the breast that was waved and the thigh that was offered. 28 It will be the regular share from the Israelites for Aaron and his sons. The people must give it to the Lord from their friendship offerings.
29 “Aaron’s sacred clothes will belong to his sons who will come after him. Then they can wear them when you anoint them and prepare them to serve the Lord. 30 The son who comes after Aaron as priest must wear them seven days. He will come and serve in the Holy Room in the tent of meeting.
31 “Get the ram sacrificed when you prepare Aaron and his sons to serve the Lord. Cook the meat in a sacred place. 32 Aaron and his sons must eat the ram’s meat. And they must eat the bread in the basket. They must eat all of it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 33 These are the offerings to pay for their sins. They must eat them. The offerings must be made when Aaron and his sons are set apart and prepared to serve the Lord. No one else can eat them. They are sacred. 34 When you prepare Aaron and his sons to serve me, you will sacrifice the ram and the bread. If any parts of the ram or bread are left until morning, burn them up. They must not be eaten. They are sacred.
35 “Do everything I have commanded you to do for Aaron and his sons. Take seven days when you prepare them to serve the Lord. 36 Sacrifice a bull each day. It is a sin offering to pay for their sins. Make the altar pure. Pour olive oil on it to set it apart. 37 Take seven days to make the altar pure. Set it apart. Then the altar will be a very holy place. Anything that touches it will be holy.
38 “Every day sacrifice on the altar two lambs that are a year old. 39 Sacrifice one in the morning and the other one when the sun goes down. 40 Along with the first lamb, offer three and a half pounds of fine flour. Mix it with a quart of oil made from pressed olives. Along with that, sacrifice a quart of wine as a drink offering. 41 Sacrifice the other lamb when the sun goes down. Sacrifice it along with the same grain offering and its drink offering as you do in the morning. It has a pleasant smell. It is a food offering presented to the Lord.
42 “For all time to come, this burnt offering must be sacrificed regularly. Sacrifice it at the entrance to the tent of meeting in front of the Lord. There I will meet with you and speak to you. 43 There I will also meet with the people of Israel. My glory will make the place holy.
44 “So I will set apart the tent of meeting and the altar. And I will set apart Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will live among the people of Israel. And I will be their God. 46 They will know that I am the Lord their God. They will know that I brought them out of Egypt so I could live among them. I am the Lord their God.
8 1 But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At sunrise he arrived again in the temple courtyard. All the people gathered around him there. He sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman. She had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of the group. 4 They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught sleeping with a man who was not her husband. 5 In the Law, Moses commanded us to kill such women by throwing stones at them. Now what do you say?” 6 They were trying to trap Jesus with that question. They wanted to have a reason to bring charges against him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 They kept asking him questions. So he stood up and said to them, “Has any one of you not sinned? Then you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 He bent down again and wrote on the ground.
9 Those who heard what he had said began to go away. They left one at a time, the older ones first. Soon only Jesus was left. The woman was still standing there. 10 Jesus stood up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Hasn’t anyone found you guilty?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then I don’t find you guilty either,” Jesus said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
Challenge to What Jesus Says About Himself
12 Jesus spoke to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in darkness. They will have that light. They will have life.”
13 The Pharisees argued with him. “Here you are,” they said, “appearing as your own witness. But your witness does not count.”
14 Jesus answered, “Even if I am a witness about myself, what I say does count. I know where I came from. And I know where I am going. But you have no idea where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge by human standards. I don’t judge anyone. 16 But if I do judge, what I decide is true. This is because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. 17 Your own Law says that the witness of two people proves the truth about something. 18 I am a witness about myself. The other witness about me is the Father, who sent me.”
19 Then they asked him, “Where is your father?”
“You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 He spoke these words while he was teaching in the temple courtyard. He was near the place where the offerings were put. But no one arrested him. That’s because the time for him to die had not yet come.
Challenge to Who Jesus Claims to Be
21 Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away. You will look for me, and you will die in your sin. You can’t come where I am going.”
22 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘You can’t come where I am going’?”
23 But Jesus said, “You are from below. I am from heaven. You are from this world. I am not from this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins. This will happen if you don’t believe that I am he. If you don’t believe, you will certainly die in your sins.”
25 “Who are you?” they asked.
“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. 26 “I have a lot to say that will judge you. But the one who sent me can be trusted. And I tell the world what I have heard from him.”
27 They did not understand that Jesus was telling them about his Father. 28 So Jesus said, “You will lift up the Son of Man. Then you will know that I am he. You will also know that I do nothing on my own. I speak just what the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” 30 Even while Jesus was speaking, many people believed in him.
Challenge to the Claim to Be Children of Abraham
31 Jesus spoke to the Jews who had believed him. “If you obey my teaching,” he said, “you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth. And the truth will set you free.”
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s children. We have never been slaves of anyone. So how can you say that we will be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave has no lasting place in the family. But a son belongs to the family forever. 36 So if the Son of Man sets you free, you will really be free. 37 I know that you are Abraham’s children. But you are looking for a way to kill me. You have no room for my word. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. You are doing what you have heard from your father.”
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
Jesus said, “Are you really Abraham’s children? If you are, you will do what Abraham did. 40 But you are looking for a way to kill me. I am a man who has told you the truth I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do the things you want to do. 41 You are doing what your own father does.”
“We have the right to claim to be God’s children,” they objected. “The only Father we have is God himself.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me. I have come here from God. I have not come on my own. God sent me. 43 Why aren’t my words clear to you? Because you can’t really hear what I say. 44 You belong to your father, the devil. You want to obey your father’s wishes. From the beginning, the devil was a murderer. He has never obeyed the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his natural language. He does this because he is a liar. He is the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you don’t believe me! 46 Can any of you prove I am guilty of sinning? Am I not telling the truth? Then why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you don’t hear is that you don’t belong to God.”
Jesus Makes Claims About Himself
48 The Jews answered Jesus, “Aren’t we right when we say you are a Samaritan? Aren’t you controlled by a demon?”
49 “I am not controlled by a demon,” said Jesus. “I honor my Father. You do not honor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself. But there is one who brings glory to me. He is the judge. 51 What I’m about to tell you is true. Whoever obeys my word will never die.”
52 Then they cried out, “Now we know you are controlled by a demon! Abraham died. So did the prophets. But you say that whoever obeys your word will never die. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died. So did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
54 Jesus replied, “If I bring glory to myself, my glory means nothing. You claim that my Father is your God. He is the one who brings glory to me. 55 You do not know him. But I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him. And I obey his word. 56 Your father Abraham was filled with joy at the thought of seeing my day. He saw it and was glad.”
57 “You are not even 50 years old,” they said to Jesus. “And you have seen Abraham?”
58 “What I’m about to tell you is true,” Jesus answered. “Before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 When he said this, they picked up stones to kill him. But Jesus hid himself. He slipped away from the temple area.
A Warning Against Committing Adultery
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom.
Listen carefully to my wise sayings.
2 Then you will continue to have good sense.
Your lips will keep on speaking words of knowledge.
3 A woman who commits adultery has lips that drip honey.
What she says is smoother than olive oil.
4 But in the end she is like bitter poison.
She cuts like a sword that has two edges.
5 Her feet go down to death.
Her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She doesn’t give any thought to her way of life.
Her paths have no direction, but she doesn’t realize it.
7 My sons, listen to me.
Don’t turn away from what I say.
8 Stay on a path far away from that evil woman.
Don’t even go near the door of her house.
9 If you do, you will lose your honor to other people.
You will give your self-respect to someone who is mean.
10 Strangers will use up all your wealth.
Your hard work will make someone else rich.
11 At the end of your life you will groan.
Your skin and your body will be worn out.
12 You will say, “How I hated to take advice!
How my heart refused to be corrected!
13 I would not obey my teachers.
I wouldn’t listen to those who taught me.
14 I was soon in deep trouble.
It happened right in front of the whole assembly of God’s people.”
15 Drink water from your own well.
Drink running water from your own spring.
16 Should your springs pour out into the streets?
Should your streams of water pour out in public places?
17 No! Let them belong to you alone.
Never share them with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed.
May the wife you married when you were young make you happy.
19 She is like a loving doe, a graceful deer.
May her breasts always satisfy you.
May you always be captured by her love.
20 My son, why be captured by another man’s wife?
Why hug a woman who has gone astray?
21 The Lord watches your ways.
He studies all your paths.
22 Sinners are trapped by their own evil acts.
They are held tight by the ropes of their sins.
23 They will die because they refused to be corrected.
Their sins will capture them because they were very foolish.
4 Here is what I have been saying. As long as your own children are young, they are no different from slaves in your house. They are no different, even though they will own all the property. 2 People are in charge of the property. And other people are in charge of the children. The children remain under their care until they become adults. At that time their fathers give them the property. 3 It is the same with us. When we were children, we were slaves to the basic spiritual powers of the world. 4 But then the chosen time came. God sent his Son. A woman gave birth to him. He was born under the authority of the law. 5 He came to set free those who were under the authority of the law. He wanted us to be adopted as children with all the rights children have. 6 Because you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. He is the Holy Spirit. By his power we call God Abba. Abba means Father. 7 So you aren’t a slave any longer. You are God’s child. Because you are his child, God gives you the rights of those who are his children.
Paul’s Concern for the Believers in Galatia
8 At one time you didn’t know God. You were slaves to gods that are really not gods at all. 9 But now you know God. Even better, God knows you. So why are you turning back to those weak and worthless powers? Do you want to be slaves to them all over again? 10 You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid for you. I am afraid that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.
12 I make my appeal to you, brothers and sisters. I’m asking you to become like me. After all, I became like you. You didn’t do anything wrong to me. 13 Remember when I first preached the good news to you? Remember I did that because I was sick. 14 And my sickness was hard on you. But you weren’t mean to me. You didn’t make fun of me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God. You welcomed me as if I were Christ Jesus himself. 15 So why aren’t you treating me the same way now? Suppose you could have torn out your own eyes and given them to me. Then you would have done it. I am a witness to this. 16 Have I become your enemy now by telling you the truth?
17 Those people are trying hard to win you over. But it is not for your good. They want to take you away from us. They want you to commit yourselves to them. 18 It is fine to be committed to something, if the purpose is good. And you shouldn’t be committed only when I am with you. You should always be committed. 19 My dear children, I am in pain for you like I was when we first met. I have pain like a woman giving birth. And my pain will continue until Christ makes you like himself. 20 I wish I could be with you now. I wish I could change my tone of voice. As it is, I don’t understand you.
Hagar and Sarah
21 You who want to be under the authority of the law, tell me something. Don’t you know what the law says? 22 It is written that Abraham had two sons. The slave woman gave birth to one of them. The free woman gave birth to the other one. 23 Abraham’s son by the slave woman was born in the usual way. But his son by the free woman was born because of God’s promise.
24 These things are examples. The two women stand for two covenants. One covenant comes from Mount Sinai. It gives birth to children who are going to be slaves. It is Hagar. 25 Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia. She stands for the present city of Jerusalem. That’s because she and her children are slaves. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free. She is our mother. 27 It is written,
“Be glad, woman,
you who have never had children.
Shout for joy and cry out loud,
you who have never had labor pains.
The woman who is all alone has more children
than the woman who has a husband.” (Isaiah 54:1)
28 Brothers and sisters, you are children because of God’s promise just as Isaac was. 29 At that time, the son born in the usual way tried to hurt the other son. The other son was born by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman. Get rid of her son. The slave woman’s son will never have a share of the family’s property. He’ll never share it with the free woman’s son.” (Genesis 21:10) 31 Brothers and sisters, we are not the slave woman’s children. We are the free woman’s children.
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