M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
36 “Let Bezalel, Oholiab, and every other skilled worker whom the Lord has given skill, ability, and knowledge for the work of building the sanctuary do all that the Lord has commanded.”
2 Moses then called together Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person whom the Lord had given skill and who was eager to come and do the work. 3 Moses gave them all the gift offerings that the Israelites had contributed to the work on the sanctuary. They kept bringing him spontaneous gifts, morning after morning.
4 Finally, all the skilled workers building the sanctuary left their work that they were doing one by one to come 5 and say to Moses, “The people are contributing way too much material for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.”
6 So Moses issued a command that was proclaimed throughout the camp: “Every man and woman should stop making gift offerings for the sanctuary project.” So the people stopped bringing anything more 7 because what they had already brought was more than enough to do all the work.
Construction of the dwelling
8 All the skilled workers made the dwelling out of ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue, purple, and deep red yarns, with figures of winged heavenly creatures worked into their design. 9 Each curtain was forty-two feet long and six feet wide. All the curtains were the same size.
10 They joined five of the curtains to each other and joined the other five curtains to each other. 11 They made loops of blue thread on the edge of the outer curtain of the first set. They did the same on the edge of the outer curtain of the second set. 12 They made fifty loops on the one curtain and fifty loops on the outer curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite each other. 13 They also made fifty gold clasps, and they used the clasps to join the curtains to each other so that the dwelling was one whole structure.
14 They also made curtains of goats’ hair for a tent over the dwelling. They made eleven curtains. 15 Each curtain was forty-five feet long and each curtain six feet wide. All eleven curtains were the same size. 16 They joined five curtains together and the six other curtains together. 17 They made fifty loops on the edge of the outer curtain of the one set and fifty loops on the edge of the other set of curtains. 18 They made fifty copper clasps to join the tent together so that it would be one whole structure. 19 They also made a covering for the tent of rams’ skins dyed red and an outer covering of beaded leather.
20 Then they made acacia-wood boards to stand upright as a frame for the dwelling. 21 Each board was fifteen feet long and twenty-seven inches wide. 22 Each board had two pegs for joining them to each other. They did this for all the dwelling’s boards. 23 They made twenty boards for the dwelling’s southern side. 24 They made forty silver bases under the twenty boards, with two bases under the first board for its two pegs, two bases under the next board for its two pegs, and so on. 25 For the dwelling’s other side on the north, they made twenty boards 26 and forty silver bases, two bases under the first board, two bases under the next board, and so on. 27 For the back of the dwelling on the west, they made six boards. 28 They made two additional boards for the dwelling’s rear corners. 29 They were spread out at the bottom but joined together at the top with one ring. In this way, these two boards formed the two corners. 30 And so there were eight boards with their sixteen silver bases, with two bases under every board.
31 They also made acacia-wood bars: five for the boards on one side of the dwelling, 32 five bars for the boards on the other side of the dwelling, and five bars for the boards on the back wall of the dwelling on the west. 33 They made the middle bar, which was halfway up the boards, run from one end to the other. 34 They covered the boards with gold. They made gold rings to house the bars and covered the bars with gold.
35 They made the veil of blue, purple, and deep red yarns and fine twisted linen, with figures of winged heavenly creatures worked into its design. 36 They made for it four acacia-wood posts covered in gold with gold hooks and cast four silver bases for them. 37 They made a screen for the entrance to the tent of blue, purple, and deep red yarns and fine twisted linen, decorated with needlework. 38 They made its five posts with hooks. They covered their tops and bands with gold, but made their five bases out of copper.
I am the true vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. 6 If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified when you produce much fruit and in this way prove that you are my disciples.
Love each other
9 “As the Father loved me, I too have loved you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete. 12 This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I don’t call you servants any longer, because servants don’t know what their master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you could go and produce fruit and so that your fruit could last. As a result, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. 17 I give you these commandments so that you can love each other.
If the world hates you
18 “If the world hates you, know that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, I have chosen you out of the world, and you don’t belong to the world. This is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘Servants aren’t greater than their master.’ If the world harassed me, it will harass you too. If it kept my word, it will also keep yours. 21 The world will do all these things to you on account of my name, because it doesn’t know the one who sent me.
22 “If I hadn’t come and spoken to the people of this world, they wouldn’t be sinners. But now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me also hates the Father. 24 If I hadn’t done works among them that no one else had done, they wouldn’t be sinners. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 This fulfills the word written in their Law, They hated me without a reason.[a]
26 “When the Companion[b] comes, whom I will send from the Father—the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. 27 You will testify too, because you have been with me from the beginning.
12 Those who love discipline love knowledge,
and those who hate correction are stupid.
2 The Lord favors good people,
but he condemns schemers.
3 No one is established by wicked acts,
but the roots of the righteous can’t be disturbed.
4 A strong woman is a crown to her husband,
but a disgraceful woman is like rot in his bones.
5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the guidance of the wicked is deceptive.
6 The words of the wicked are a deathtrap,
but the speech of those who do right rescues them.
7 The wicked are destroyed and are no more,
but the family of the righteous will endure.
8 A person is praised for his insight,
but a warped mind leads to contempt.
9 Better to be held in low regard and have a servant
than to be conceited and lack food.
10 The righteous care about their livestock’s needs,
but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
11 Those who work their land will have plenty to eat,
but those who engage in empty pursuits have no sense.
12 Desiring evil is a trap for the wicked,
but the root of the righteous endures.[a]
13 The wicked are trapped by the transgressions of their lips,
but the righteous escape from distress.
14 From the fruit of their speech, people are well satisfied;
their work results in reward.
15 Fools see their own way as right,
but the wise listen to advice.
16 Fools reveal their anger right away,
but the shrewd hide their contempt.
17 Those who state the truth speak justly,
but a false witness deceives.
18 Some chatter on like a stabbing sword,
but a wise tongue heals.
19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only for a moment.
20 Deceit is in the heart of those who plan evil,
but there is joy for those who advise peace.
21 No harm happens to the righteous,
but the wicked receive their fill of trouble.
22 The Lord detests false lips;
he favors those who do what is true.
23 The shrewd conceal their knowledge,
but the heart of fools proclaims their stupidity.
24 A hard worker is in charge,
while a lazy one will be sentenced to hard labor.
25 Anxiety leads to depression,
but a good word encourages.
26 The righteous offer guidance to their neighbors,[b]
but the path of the wicked makes them wander.
27 The lazy don’t roast[c] their prey,
but hard workers receive precious riches.
28 The way of the righteous leads to life,
but the detestable[d] path leads to death.
5 Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. 2 Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God.
3 Sexual immorality, and any kind of impurity or greed, shouldn’t even be mentioned among you, which is right for holy persons. 4 Obscene language, silly talk, or vulgar jokes aren’t acceptable for believers. Instead, there should be thanksgiving. 5 Because you know for sure that persons who are sexually immoral, impure, or greedy—which happens when things become gods—those persons won’t inherit the kingdom of Christ and God.
Be children of light
6 Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing. 7 So you shouldn’t have anything to do with them. 8 You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. 9 Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. 10 Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, 11 and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. 12 It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. 13 But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. 14 Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper![a] Get up from the dead,[b] and Christ will shine on you.[c]
Be filled with the Spirit
15 So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly. 16 Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. 17 Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will. 18 Don’t get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: 19 speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts; 20 always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 and submit to each other out of respect for Christ. 22 For example, wives should submit to their husbands as if to the Lord. 23 A husband is the head of his wife like Christ is head of the church, that is, the savior of the body. 24 So wives submit to their husbands in everything like the church submits to Christ. 25 As for husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. 26 He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. 27 He did this to present himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. 28 That’s how husbands ought to love their wives—in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself. 29 No one ever hates his own body, but feeds it and takes care of it just like Christ does for the church 30 because we are parts of his body. 31 This is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two of them will be one body.[d] 32 Marriage is a significant allegory,[e] and I’m applying it to Christ and the church. 33 In any case, as for you individually, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and wives should respect[f] their husbands.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible