M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Appointed Feast Days
23 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Here are my appointed feast days. They are the appointed feast days of the Lord. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred assemblies.
The Sabbath Day
3 “ ‘There are six days when you can work. But the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest. You must rest on it. Come together on that sacred day. You must not do any work on it. No matter where you live, it is a Sabbath day to honor the Lord.
Passover and Unleavened Bread
4 “ ‘Here are the Lord’s appointed feasts. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred gatherings at their appointed times. 5 The Lord’s Passover begins when the sun goes down on the 14th day of the first month. 6 The Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread begins on the 15th day of that month. For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day you must come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day. 8 On each of the seven days bring a food offering to the Lord. On the seventh day come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day.’ ”
The First Share of Israel’s Crops Belongs to the Lord
9 The Lord said to Moses, 10 “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you, bring an offering to the Lord. Gather your crops. Bring the first bundle of grain to the priest. 11 He must lift up the grain and wave it in front of the Lord. Then the Lord will accept it from you. The priest must wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12 On the day he waves the grain for you, you must sacrifice a burnt offering to me. It must be a lamb that does not have any flaws. It must be a year old. 13 You must bring it together with its grain offering. The grain offering must be seven pounds of the finest flour. Mix it with olive oil. It is a food offering presented to the Lord. It has a pleasant smell. You must offer a drink offering along with the burnt offering. It must be a quart of wine. 14 You must not eat any bread until the day you bring your offering to the Lord your God. You must not eat any cooked grain or any of your first grain until that time. This is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.
The Feast of Weeks
15 “ ‘The day you brought the grain for the wave offering was the day after the Sabbath. Count off seven full weeks from that day. 16 Count off 50 days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath. On that day bring to the Lord an offering of your first grain. 17 Bring two loaves of bread that are made with seven pounds of the finest flour. They must be baked with yeast. Bring them to me as a wave offering from the first share of your crops. That applies no matter where you live. 18 Together with the bread, bring seven male lambs. Each lamb must be a year old. It must not have any flaws. Also bring one young bull and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the Lord. They will be offered together with their grain offerings and drink offerings. They are food offerings. Their smell pleases the Lord. 19 Then sacrifice one male goat for a sin offering. Also sacrifice two lambs for a friendship offering. Each of the lambs must be a year old. 20 The priest must lift up the two lambs and wave them in front of me as a wave offering. He must offer them together with the bread made out of the first share of your crops. They are a sacred offering to the Lord. They will be given to the priest. 21 On that same day tell the people that they must come together for a special worship service. They must not do any regular work. That is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live.
22 “ ‘Suppose you are gathering your crops. Then do not harvest all the way to the edges of your field. And do not pick up the grain you missed. Leave some for the poor people and the outsiders who live among you. I am the Lord your God.’ ”
The Feast of Trumpets
23 The Lord said to Moses, 24 “Say to the Israelites, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you must have a day of sabbath rest. It must be a special service announced with trumpet blasts. 25 Do not do any regular work on that day. Instead, bring a food offering to the Lord.’ ”
The Day When Sin Is Paid For
26 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 27 “The tenth day of the seventh month is the day when sin is paid for. Come together for a special service. Do not eat any food. Bring a food offering to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work on that day. It is the day when sin is paid for. On that day your sin will be paid for in my sight. I am the Lord your God. 29 Suppose you do eat food on that day. Then you will be separated from your people. 30 I will destroy anyone among your people who does any work on that day. 31 You must not do any work at all. This is a law that will last for all time to come. It applies no matter where you live. 32 That day is a day of sabbath rest for you. You must rest on it. You must not eat anything on that day. You must follow the rules of the sabbath rest. Follow them from the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening.”
The Feast of Booths
33 The Lord said to Moses, 34 “Say to the Israelites, ‘On the 15th day of the seventh month the Lord’s Feast of Booths begins. It lasts for seven days. 35 On the first day you must come together for a special service. Do not do any regular work on that day. 36 On each of the seven days bring a food offering to the Lord. On the eighth day come together for a special service. Bring a food offering to the Lord. That special service is the closing service. Do not do any regular work on that day.
37 “ ‘These are the Lord’s appointed feasts. Tell the people that they must come together for these sacred assemblies. During those times, the people must bring food offerings to the Lord. They are burnt offerings and grain offerings. They are sacrifices and drink offerings. Each offering must be brought at its required time. 38 The offerings are in addition to those of the days of sabbath rest. The offerings are also in addition to your gifts and anything you have promised. They are also in addition to all the offerings you choose to give to the Lord.
39 “ ‘Begin with the 15th day of the seventh month. That is after you have gathered your crops. On that day celebrate the Lord’s Feast of Booths for seven days. The first day is a day of rest. The eighth day is also a day of rest. 40 On the first day you must get branches from palms, willows and other leafy trees. You must be filled with joy in front of the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate the Lord’s Feast of Booths for seven days each year. This is a law that will last for all time to come. Celebrate the feast in the seventh month. 42 Live in booths for seven days. All the Israelites must live in booths. 43 Then your children after you will know that I made the Israelites live in booths. I made them do it after I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ ”
44 So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the Lord.
A psalm of David. A song for setting apart the completed temple to God.
30 Lord, I will give you honor.
You brought me out of deep trouble.
You didn’t give my enemies the joy of seeing me die.
2 Lord my God, I called out to you for help.
And you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from the place of the dead.
You kept me from going down into the pit.
4 Sing the praises of the Lord, you who are faithful to him.
Praise him, because his name is holy.
5 His anger lasts for only a moment.
But his favor lasts for a person’s whole life.
Weeping can stay for the night.
But joy comes in the morning.
6 When I felt safe, I said,
“I will always be secure.”
7 Lord, when you gave me your help,
you made Mount Zion stand firm.
But when you took away your help,
I was terrified.
8 Lord, I called out to you.
I cried to you for mercy.
9 I said, “What good will come if I become silent in death?
What good will come if I go down into the grave?
Can the dust of my dead body praise you?
Can it tell how faithful you are?
10 Lord, hear me. Have mercy on me.
Lord, help me.”
11 You turned my loud crying into dancing.
You removed my clothes of sadness and dressed me with joy.
12 So my heart will sing your praises. I can’t keep silent.
Lord, my God, I will praise you forever.
6 I’ve seen another evil thing on this earth. And it’s a heavy load on human beings. 2 God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor. They have everything their hearts desire. But God doesn’t let them enjoy those things. Instead, strangers enjoy them. This doesn’t have any meaning. It’s a very evil thing.
3 A man might have a hundred children. He might live a long time. But suppose he can’t enjoy his wealth. And suppose he isn’t buried in the proper way. Then it doesn’t matter how long he lives. I’m telling you that a baby that is born dead is better off than that man is. 4 That kind of birth doesn’t have any meaning. The baby dies in darkness and leaves this world. And in darkness it is forgotten. 5 It didn’t even see the sun. It didn’t know anything at all. But it has more rest than that man does. 6 And that’s true even if he lives for 2,000 years but doesn’t get to enjoy his wealth. All people die and go to the grave, don’t they?
7 People eat up everything they work to get.
But they are never satisfied.
8 What advantage do wise people have
over those who are foolish?
What do poor people gain
by knowing how to act toward others?
9 Being satisfied with what you have
is better than always wanting more.
That doesn’t have any meaning either.
It’s like chasing the wind.
10 God has already planned what now exists.
He has already decided what a human being is.
No one can argue with someone
who is stronger.
11 The more words people use,
the less meaning there is.
And that doesn’t help anyone.
12 Who knows what’s good for a person? They live for only a few meaningless days. They pass through life like a shadow. Who can tell them what will happen on earth after they are gone?
Paul Again Encourages Timothy to Be Faithful
2 My son, be strong in the grace that is yours in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach in front of many witnesses. Pass on to people you can trust the things you’ve heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others also. 3 Like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, join with me in suffering. 4 A soldier does not take part in things that don’t have anything to do with the army. Instead, he tries to please his commanding officer. 5 It is the same for anyone who takes part in a sport. They don’t receive the winner’s crown unless they play by the rules. 6 The farmer who works hard should be the first to receive a share of the crops. 7 Think about what I’m saying. The Lord will help you understand what all of it means.
8 Remember Jesus Christ. He came from David’s family line. He was raised from the dead. That is my good news. 9 I am suffering for it. I have even been put in chains like someone who has committed a crime. But God’s word is not held back by chains. 10 So I put up with everything for the good of God’s chosen people. Then they also can be saved. Christ Jesus saves them. He gives them glory that will last forever.
11 Here is a saying you can trust.
If we died with him,
we will also live with him.
12 If we don’t give up,
we will also rule with him.
If we say we don’t know him,
he will also say he doesn’t know us.
13 Even if we are not faithful,
he remains faithful.
He must be true to himself.
What to Do About False Teachers
14 Keep reminding God’s people of these things. While God is watching, warn them not to argue about words. That doesn’t have any value. It only destroys those who listen. 15 Do your best to please God. Be a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed. Teach the message of truth correctly. 16 Stay away from godless chatter. Those who take part in it will become more and more ungodly. 17 Their teaching will spread like a deadly sickness. Hymenaeus and Philetus are two of those teachers. 18 They have turned away from the truth. They say that the time when people will rise from the dead has already come. They destroy the faith of some people. 19 But God’s solid foundation stands firm. Here is the message written on it. “The Lord knows who his own people are.” (Numbers 16:5) Also, “All who say they believe in the Lord must turn away from evil.”
20 In a large house there are things made out of gold and silver. But there are also things made out of wood and clay. Some have special purposes. Others have common purposes. 21 Suppose someone stays away from what is common. Then the Master will be able to use them for special purposes. They will be made holy. They will be ready to do any good work.
22 Run away from the evil things that young people long for. Try hard to do what is right. Have faith, love and peace. Do these things together with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with arguing. It is dumb and foolish. You know it only leads to fights. 24 Anyone who serves the Lord must not be hard to get along with. Instead, they must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach. The one who serves must not hold anything against anyone. 25 They must gently teach those who are against them. Maybe God will give a change of heart to those who are against you. That will lead them to know the truth. 26 Maybe they will come to their senses. Maybe they will escape the devil’s trap. He has taken them as prisoners to do what he wanted.
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