M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Keep Your Promises to the Lord
27 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘Suppose someone makes a special promise to set a person apart to serve the Lord. Here is how much it will cost to set that person free from the promise to serve. 3 The cost for a male between the ages of twenty and sixty is 20 ounces of silver. It must be weighed out in keeping with the standard weights that are used in the sacred tent. 4 The cost for a female of the same age is 12 ounces of silver. 5 The cost for a male between the ages of five and twenty is 8 ounces of silver. The cost for a female of the same age is 4 ounces of silver. 6 The cost for a male between the ages of one month and five years is 2 ounces of silver. The cost for a female of the same age is 1 ounce of silver. 7 The cost for a male who is sixty years old or more is 6 ounces of silver. The cost for a female of the same age is 4 ounces of silver. 8 But suppose the one who makes the special promise is too poor to pay the required amount. Then they must bring to the priest the person who will be set free. The priest will decide the right value for that person. It will be based on how much the one who makes the promise can afford.
9 “ ‘Suppose what they promised is an animal that the Lord will accept as an offering. Then the animal given to the Lord becomes holy. 10 The one who makes the promise must not trade it. They must not trade a good animal for a bad one. And they must not trade a bad animal for a good one. Suppose they choose one animal instead of another. Then both animals become holy. 11 Suppose the animal they promised is not “clean.” Suppose the Lord will not accept it as an offering. Then the animal must be brought to the priest. 12 He will decide whether it is good or bad. Its value will be what he decides it will be. 13 Suppose the owner wants to buy the animal back. Then a fifth must be added to its cost.
14 “ ‘Suppose someone sets apart their house as something holy to the Lord. Then the priest will decide whether it is good or bad. Its value will remain what he decides it will be. 15 Suppose the person sets apart their house. And suppose later they want to buy it back. Then they must add a fifth to its value. The house will belong to them again.
16 “ ‘Suppose someone sets apart a piece of their family’s land to the Lord. Then here is how its value must be decided. It must be based on the number of seeds that are required to grow a full crop on it. That value will be 20 ounces of silver for every 300 pounds of barley seeds. 17 Suppose they set apart their field during the Year of Jubilee. Then the value that has been decided will not be changed. 18 But suppose they set apart their field after the Year of Jubilee. Then here is how the priest will decide its value. It will be based on the number of years that are left until the next Year of Jubilee. The value decided will be reduced. 19 Suppose the one who set apart their field wants to buy it back. Then they must add a fifth to its value. The field will belong to them again. 20 But suppose they do not buy back the field. Instead, suppose they sell it to someone else. Then they can never buy it back. 21 When the field is set free in the Year of Jubilee, it will become holy. It will be like a field set apart to the Lord. It will become the property of the priests.
22 “ ‘Suppose someone sets apart to the Lord a field they have bought. And suppose it is not part of their family’s land. 23 Then here is how the priest will decide its value. It will be based on the number of years that are left until the Year of Jubilee. The owner must pay that value on the day it is decided. The money is holy. It is set apart for the Lord. 24 In the Year of Jubilee the field will go back to the person it was bought from. That person is the one who had owned the land before. 25 Every amount of money must be weighed out in keeping with the standard weights used in the sacred tent.
26 “ ‘But no one can set apart the first male animal born to its mother. That animal already belongs to the Lord. It does not matter whether it is an ox or a sheep. It belongs to the Lord. 27 Suppose it is an “unclean” animal. Then the owner may buy it back at the value that has been decided. And they must add a fifth to its value. But suppose it is not bought back. Then it must be sold at the value that has been decided.
28 “ ‘But nothing a person owns and sets apart to the Lord can be sold or bought back. It does not matter whether it is a human being or an animal or a family’s land. Everything set apart to the Lord is very holy to him.
29 “ ‘No one set apart in a special way to be destroyed can be bought back. They must be put to death.
30 “ ‘A tenth of everything the land produces belongs to the Lord. That includes grain from the soil and fruit from the trees. It is holy. It is set apart for him. 31 Suppose someone wants to buy back some of their tenth. Then they must add a fifth of the cost to it. 32 Every tenth part of herds and flocks will be holy. They will be set apart for the Lord. That includes every tenth animal that its shepherd marks with his wooden staff. 33 No one may pick out the good animals from the bad. They must not choose one animal instead of another. But if anyone does, both animals become holy. They can’t be bought back.’ ”
34 The Lord gave Moses all these commands on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.
A psalm of David when he was with Abimelek and pretended to be out of his mind. Abimelek drove him away, and David left.
34 I will thank the Lord at all times.
My lips will always praise him.
2 I will find my glory in knowing the Lord.
Let those who are hurting hear me and be joyful.
3 Join me in giving glory to the Lord.
Let us honor him together.
4 I looked to the Lord, and he answered me.
He saved me from everything I was afraid of.
5 Those who look to him have joyful faces.
They are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called out, and the Lord heard him.
He saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord stands guard
around those who have respect for him.
And he saves them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Blessed is the person who goes to him for safety.
9 You holy people of God, have respect for the Lord.
Those who respect him have everything they need.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry.
But those who look to the Lord have every good thing they need.
11 My children, come. Listen to me.
I will teach you to have respect for the Lord.
12 Do you love life
and want to see many good days?
13 Then keep your tongues from speaking evil.
Keep your lips from telling lies.
14 Turn away from evil, and do good.
Look for peace, and go after it.
15 The Lord looks with favor on those who are godly.
His ears are open to their cry.
16 But the Lord doesn’t look with favor on those who do evil.
He removes all memory of them from the earth.
17 Godly people cry out, and the Lord hears them.
He saves them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to those whose hearts have been broken.
He saves those whose spirits have been crushed.
19 The person who does what is right may have many troubles.
But the Lord saves him from all of them.
20 The Lord watches over all his bones.
Not one of them will be broken.
21 Sinners will be killed by their own evil.
The enemies of godly people will be judged.
22 The Lord will save those who serve him.
No one who goes to him for safety will be found guilty.
10 Dead flies give perfume a bad smell.
And a little foolishness can make a lot of wisdom useless.
2 The hearts of wise people lead them on the right path.
But the hearts of foolish people take them down the wrong path.
3 Foolish people don’t have any sense at all.
They show everyone they are foolish.
They do it even when they are walking along the road.
4 Suppose a ruler gets very angry with you.
If he does, don’t quit your job in the palace.
Being calm can overcome what you have done against him.
5 Here’s something evil I’ve seen on this earth.
And it’s the kind of mistake that rulers make.
6 Foolish people are given many important jobs.
Rich people are given unimportant ones.
7 I’ve seen slaves on horseback.
I’ve also seen princes who were forced to walk as if they were slaves.
8 Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
Anyone who breaks through a wall might be bitten by a snake.
9 Anyone who removes stones from rock pits might get hurt.
Anyone who cuts logs might get wounded.
10 Suppose the blade of an ax is dull.
And its edge hasn’t been sharpened.
Then more effort is needed to use it.
But skill will bring success.
11 Suppose a snake bites before it is charmed.
Then the snake charmer receives no payment.
12 Wise people say gracious things.
But foolish people are destroyed by what their own lips speak.
13 At first what they say is foolish.
In the end their words are very evil.
14 They talk too much.
No one knows what lies ahead.
Who can tell someone else what will happen after they are gone?
15 The work foolish people do makes them tired.
They don’t even know the way to town.
16 How terrible it is for a land whose king used to be a servant!
How terrible if its princes get drunk in the morning!
17 How blessed is the land whose king was born into the royal family!
How blessed if its princes eat and drink at the proper time!
How blessed if they eat and drink to become strong and not to get drunk!
18 When a person won’t work, the roof falls down.
Because of hands that aren’t busy, the house leaks.
19 People laugh at a dinner party.
And wine makes life happy.
People think money can buy everything.
20 Don’t say bad things about the king.
Don’t even think about those things.
Don’t curse rich people.
Don’t even curse them in your bedroom.
A bird might fly away and carry your words.
It might report what you said.
Doing Good Because of the Good News
2 But what you teach must agree with true teaching. 2 Tell the older men that in anything they do, they must not go too far. They must be worthy of respect. They must control themselves. They must have true faith. They must love others. They must not give up.
3 In the same way, teach the older women to lead a holy life. They must not tell lies about others. They must not let wine control them. Instead, they must teach what is good. 4 Then they can advise the younger women to love their husbands and children. 5 The younger women must control themselves and be pure. They must take good care of their homes. They must be kind. They must follow the lead of their husbands. Then no one will be able to speak evil things against God’s word.
6 In the same way, help the young men to control themselves. 7 Do what is good. Set an example for them in everything. When you teach, be honest and serious. 8 No one can question the truth. So teach what is true. Then those who oppose you will be ashamed. That’s because they will have nothing bad to say about us.
9 Teach slaves to obey their masters in everything they do. Tell them to try to please their masters. They must not talk back to them. 10 They must not steal from them. Instead, they must show that they can be trusted completely. Then they will make the teaching about God our Savior appealing in every way.
11 God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people. 12 His grace teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful desires. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world. 13 That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in his glory. He is our great God and Savior. 14 He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to desire to do what is good.
15 These are the things you should teach. Encourage people and give them hope. Correct them with full authority. Don’t let anyone look down on you.
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