M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Laws about Animals for Food
11 The Lord spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(A)These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. 3 Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. 4 Nevertheless, (B)you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you. 5 Likewise, the [a]shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you; 6 the [b]rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you; 7 and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.
9 ‘(C)These you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. 10 (D)But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you, 11 and they shall be [c]abhorrent to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest. 12 Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is [d]abhorrent to you.
Avoid the Unclean
13 ‘These, moreover, (E)you shall detest among the birds; they are [e]abhorrent, not to be eaten: the [f]eagle and the vulture and the [g]buzzard, 14 and the kite and the falcon in its kind, 15 every raven in its kind, 16 and the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind, 17 and the little owl and the cormorant and the [h]great owl, 18 and the white owl and the [i]pelican and the carrion vulture, 19 and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 ‘All the [j]winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21 Yet these you may eat among all the [k]winged insects which walk on all fours: those which have above their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth. 22 These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds. 23 But all other [l]winged insects which are four-footed are detestable to you.
24 ‘By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, 25 and (F)whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 26 Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean. 27 Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, 28 and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.
29 ‘Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole, and the mouse, and the [m]great lizard in its kinds, 30 and the gecko, and the [n]crocodile, and the lizard, and the [o]sand reptile, and the chameleon. 31 These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. 32 Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article, or clothing, or a skin, or a sack—any article [p]of which use is made—(G)it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean. 33 As for any (H)earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break [q]the vessel. 34 Any of the [r]food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any [s]liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean. 35 Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a [t]stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you. 36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern [u]collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. 37 If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean. 38 Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39 ‘Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 40 (I)He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 ‘(J)Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable, not to be eaten. 42 Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable. 43 (K)Do not render [v]yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean. 44 For (L)I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and (M)be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. 45 (N)For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus (O)you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”
46 This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth, 47 (P)to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.
Laws of Motherhood
12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:
‘When a woman [w]gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, (Q)as in the days of [x]her menstruation she shall be unclean. 3 On (R)the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4 Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. 5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her [y]menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.
6 ‘(S)When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove (T)for a sin offering. 7 Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the [z]flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 8 But if [aa]she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take (U)two turtledoves or two young pigeons, (V)the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the (W)priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”
Prayer for Help in Trouble.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
13 How long, O Lord? Will You (A)forget me forever?
How long (B)will You hide Your face from me?
2 How long shall I (C)take counsel in my soul,
Having (D)sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (E)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(F)Enlighten my eyes, or I will (G)sleep the sleep of death,
4 And my enemy will (H)say, “I have overcome him,”
And (I)my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
5 But I have (J)trusted in Your lovingkindness;
My heart shall (K)rejoice in Your salvation.
6 I will (L)sing to the Lord,
Because He has (M)dealt bountifully with me.
Folly and Wickedness of Men.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
14 The fool has (N)said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable [a]deeds;
There is (O)no one who does good.
2 The Lord has (P)looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who [b](Q)understand,
Who (R)seek after God.
3 They have all (S)turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is (T)no one who does good, not even one.
Similitudes, Instructions
26 Like snow in summer and like (A)rain in harvest,
So honor is not (B)fitting for a fool.
2 Like a (C)sparrow in its [a]flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
So a (D)curse without cause does not [b]alight.
3 A (E)whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
And a (F)rod for the back of fools.
4 (G)Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Or you will also be like him.
5 (H)Answer a fool as his folly deserves,
That he not be (I)wise in his own eyes.
6 He cuts off his own feet and drinks violence
Who sends a message by the hand of a fool.
7 Like the legs which [c]are useless to the lame,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
8 Like [d]one who binds a stone in a sling,
So is he who gives honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn which [e]falls into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
10 [f]Like an archer who wounds everyone,
So is he who hires a fool or who hires those who pass by.
11 Like (J)a dog that returns to its vomit
Is a fool who (K)repeats [g]his folly.
12 Do you see a man (L)wise in his own eyes?
(M)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
13 The (N)sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!
A lion is [h]in the open square!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the (O)sluggard on his bed.
15 The (P)sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
16 The sluggard is (Q)wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can [i]give a discreet answer.
17 Like one who takes a dog by the ears
Is he who passes by and [j]meddles with (R)strife not belonging to him.
18 Like a madman who throws
(S)Firebrands, arrows and death,
19 So is the man who (T)deceives his neighbor,
And says, “(U)Was I not joking?”
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
And where there is no (V)whisperer, (W)contention quiets down.
21 Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
So is a (X)contentious man to kindle strife.
22 The (Y)words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels,
And they go down into the [k]innermost parts of the body.
23 Like an earthen (Z)vessel overlaid with silver (AA)dross
Are burning lips and a wicked heart.
24 He who (AB)hates disguises it with his lips,
But he lays up (AC)deceit in his [l]heart.
25 When [m]he (AD)speaks graciously, do not believe him,
For there are seven abominations in his heart.
26 Though his hatred (AE)covers itself with guile,
His wickedness will be (AF)revealed before the assembly.
27 He who (AG)digs a pit will fall into it,
And he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him.
28 A lying tongue hates [n]those it crushes,
And a (AH)flattering mouth works ruin.
The Day of the Lord
5 Now as to the (A)times and the epochs, brethren, you (B)have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that (C)the day of the Lord [a]will come (D)just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “(E)Peace and safety!” then [b](F)destruction [c]will come upon them suddenly like (G)labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in (H)darkness, that the day would overtake you [d](I)like a thief; 5 for you are all (J)sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of (K)darkness; 6 so then let us not (L)sleep as [e](M)others do, but let us be alert and [f](N)sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get (O)drunk at night. 8 But since (P)we are of the day, let us (Q)be [g]sober, having put on the (R)breastplate of (S)faith and love, and as a (T)helmet, the (U)hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for (V)wrath, but for (W)obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 (X)who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore [h]encourage one another and (Y)build up one another, just as you also are doing.
Christian Conduct
12 But we request of you, brethren, that you [i](Z)appreciate those (AA)who diligently labor among you, and (AB)have charge over you in the Lord and give you [j]instruction, 13 and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. (AC)Live in peace with one another. 14 We urge you, brethren, admonish (AD)the [k]unruly, encourage (AE)the fainthearted, help (AF)the weak, be (AG)patient with everyone. 15 See that (AH)no one repays another with evil for evil, but always (AI)seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 (AJ)Rejoice always; 17 (AK)pray without ceasing; 18 in everything (AL)give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 (AM)Do not quench the Spirit; 20 do not despise (AN)prophetic [l]utterances. 21 But (AO)examine everything carefully; (AP)hold fast to that which is good; 22 abstain from every [m]form of evil.
23 Now (AQ)may the God of peace (AR)Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your (AS)spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, (AT)without blame at (AU)the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 (AV)Faithful is He who (AW)calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
25 Brethren, (AX)pray for us[n].
26 (AY)Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I adjure you by the Lord to (AZ)have this letter read to all the (BA)brethren.
28 (BB)The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.