M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
6 [a] The Lord said to Moses, 2 If you sin:
by acting unfaithfully against the Lord;
by deceiving a fellow citizen concerning a deposit or pledged property;
by cheating a fellow citizen through robbery;
3 or, though you’ve found lost property, you lie about it;
or by swearing falsely about anything that someone might do and so sin,
4 at that point, once you have sinned and become guilty of sin, you must return the property you took by robbery or fraud, or the deposit that was left with you for safekeeping, or the lost property that you found, 5 or whatever it was that you swore falsely about. You must make amends for the principal amount and add one-fifth to it. You must give it to the owner on the day you become guilty. 6 You must bring to the priest as your compensation to the Lord a flawless ram from the flock at the standard value as a compensation offering. 7 The priest will make reconciliation for you before the Lord, and you will be forgiven for anything you may have done that made you guilty.
Priestly instructions
8 [b] The Lord said to Moses: 9 Command Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the entirely burned offering—the entirely burned offering that must remain on the altar hearth all night until morning, while the fire is kept burning. 10 The priest will dress in his linen robe, with linen undergarments on his body. Because the fire will have devoured the entirely burned offering on the altar, he must remove the ashes and place them beside the altar. 11 The priest will then take off his clothes, dress in a different set of clothes, and take the ashes outside the camp to a clean location. 12 The altar fire must be kept burning; it must not go out. Each morning the priest will burn wood on it, will lay out the entirely burned offering on it, and will completely burn the fat of the well-being offering on it. 13 A continuous fire must be kept burning on the altar; it must not go out.
14 This is the Instruction for the grain offering: Aaron’s sons will present it before the Lord in front of the altar. 15 The priest will remove a handful of the choice flour and oil from the grain offering, and all of the frankincense that is on it, and burn this token portion completely on the altar as a soothing smell to the Lord. 16 Aaron and his sons will eat the rest of it. It must be eaten as unleavened bread in a holy place; the priests must eat it in the meeting tent’s courtyard. 17 It must not be baked with leaven. I have made it the priests’ share from my food gifts. It is most holy like the purification offering and the compensation offering. 18 Only the males from Aaron’s descendants can eat it as a permanent portion from the Lord’s food gifts throughout your future generations. Anything that touches these food gifts will become holy.
19 The Lord said to Moses, 20 This is the offering that Aaron and his sons must present to the Lord on the day of his anointment: one-tenth of an ephah[c] of choice flour as a regular grain offering, half in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It must be prepared on a griddle with oil. You must bring it thoroughly mixed up and must present it as a grain offering of crumbled pieces[d] as a soothing smell to the Lord. 22 The priest who is anointed from among Aaron’s sons to succeed him will prepare the offering as a permanent portion for the Lord. It will be completely burned as a complete offering. 23 Every priestly grain offering must be a complete offering; it must not be eaten.
24 The Lord said to Moses, 25 Say to Aaron and his sons: This is the Instruction for the purification offering: The purification offering must be slaughtered before the Lord at the same place the entirely burned offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. 26 The priest who offers it as a purification offering will eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the meeting tent’s courtyard. 27 Anything that touches the purification offering’s flesh will become holy. If some of its blood splashes on a garment, you must wash the bloodied part in a holy place. 28 A pottery container in which the purification offering is cooked must be broken, but if it is cooked in a bronze container, that must be scrubbed and rinsed with water. 29 Any male priest can eat it; it is most holy. 30 But no purification offering can be eaten if blood from it is brought into the meeting tent to make reconciliation in the holy place; it must be burned with fire.
Psalm 5
For the music leader. For the flutes. A psalm of David.
5 Hear my words, Lord!
Consider my groans!
2 Pay attention to the sound of my cries, my king and my God,
because I am praying to you!
3 Lord, in the morning you hear my voice.
In the morning I lay it all out before you.
Then I wait expectantly.
4 Because you aren’t a God
who enjoys wickedness;
evil doesn’t live with you.
5 Arrogant people won’t last long
in your sight;
you hate all evildoers;
6 you destroy liars.
The Lord despises people who are violent and dishonest.
7 But me? I will enter your house
because of your abundant, faithful love;
I will bow down at your holy temple,
honoring you.
8 Lord, because of many enemies,
please lead me in your righteousness.
Make your way clear,
right in front of me.
9 Because there’s no truth in my enemies’ mouths,
all they have inside them is destruction.
Their throats are open graves;
their tongues slick with talk.
10 Condemn them, God!
Let them fail by their own plans.
Throw them out for their many sins
because they’ve rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you celebrate.
Let them sing out loud forever!
Protect them
so that all who love your name
can rejoice in you.
12 Because you, Lord, bless the righteous.
You cover them with favor like a shield.
Psalm 6
For the music leader. On stringed instruments. According to the eighth.[a] A psalm of David.
6 Please, Lord,
don’t punish me when you are angry;
don’t discipline me when you are furious.
2 Have mercy on me, Lord,
because I’m frail.
Heal me, Lord,
because my bones are shaking in terror!
3 My whole body[b] is completely terrified!
But you, Lord! How long will this last?
4 Come back to me, Lord! Deliver me!
Save me for the sake of your faithful love!
5 No one is going to praise you
when they are dead.
Who gives you thanks
from the grave?[c]
6 I’m worn out from groaning.
Every night, I drench my bed with tears;
I soak my couch all the way through.
7 My vision fails because of my grief;
it’s weak because of all my distress.
8 Get away from me, all you evildoers,
because the Lord has heard me crying!
9 The Lord has listened to my request.
The Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed
and completely terrified;
they will be defeated
and ashamed instantly.
21 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;
he directs it wherever he wants.
2 Everyone’s path is straight in their own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
3 Acting with righteousness and justice
is more valued by the Lord than sacrifice.
4 Prideful eyes, an arrogant heart, and
the lamp of the wicked are all sinful.
5 The plans of the diligent end up in profit,
but those who hurry end up with loss.
6 Those who gain treasure with lies
are like a drifting fog, leading to death.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
for they refuse to act with justice.
8 The ways of some people are twisted and strange,
but the behavior of those who do right is pure.
9 Better to live on the edge of a roof
than with a contentious woman in a large house.
10 Wicked people desire evil;
their neighbors receive no mercy from them.
11 When a mocker is punished, the naive person gains wisdom;
when insight comes to the wise, knowledge increases.
12 The righteous one observes the house of the wicked,
turning the wicked toward trouble.
13 Those who close their ears to the cries of the poor
will themselves call out but receive no answer.
14 A secret gift calms anger,
and a hidden bribe removes[a] furious wrath.
15 Acting justly is a joy to the righteous,
but dreaded by those who do evil.
16 People who wander from the path of insight
will rest in the company of the dead.
17 Those who love pleasure end up poor;
lovers of wine and oil won’t get rich.
18 The wicked are a ransom for the righteous;
the treacherous will be punished[b] in the place of the virtuous.
19 Better to live in a wilderness
than in a house with a contentious and angry woman.
20 Precious treasure and oil stay in the home of the wise,
but fools swallow them up.
21 Those who pursue righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise person fought a city of warriors
and brought down the stronghold in which they felt safe.
23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
guard themselves from trouble.
24 Incredibly proud—mockers are their name!
Their conduct involves excessive pride.
25 The desires of the lazy will kill them,
because their hands refuse to do anything.
26 The lazy desire things constantly,
but the righteous give without holding back.
27 The Lord detests the sacrifices of the wicked,
especially when brought with devious motives.
28 A lying witness will perish,
but one who listens will testify successfully.
29 The wicked person appears brash,
but the virtuous think about the path ahead.
30 No wisdom, understanding,
or advice can stand up against the Lord.
31 A horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory belongs to the Lord.
4 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves, knowing that you yourselves have a master in heaven.
2 Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray for us also. Pray that God would open a door for the word so we can preach the secret plan[a] of Christ—which is why I’m in chains. 4 Pray that I might be able to make it as clear as I ought to when I preach. 5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person.
Final greeting
7 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will inform you about everything that has happened to me. 8 This is why I sent him to you, so that you’ll know all about us and so he can encourage your hearts. 9 I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, says hello to you. So does Mark, Barnabas’ cousin (you received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him). 11 Jesus, called Justus, also says hello. These are my only fellow workers for God’s kingdom who are Jewish converts. They have been an encouragement to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. He’s a slave of Christ Jesus who always wrestles for you in prayers so that you will stand firm and be fully mature and complete in the entire will of God. 13 I can vouch for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas say hello.
15 Say hello to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, along with Nympha and the church that meets in her house. 16 After this letter has been read to you publicly, make sure that the church in Laodicea reads it and that you read the one from Laodicea. 17 And tell Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry that you received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, am writing this greeting personally. Remember that I’m in prison. Grace be with you.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible