M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Miriam and Aaron Speak Against Moses
12 Miriam and Aaron began to say bad things about Moses. That’s because Moses had married a woman from Cush. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” The Lord heard what they said.
3 Moses was a very humble man. In fact, he was more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.
4 The Lord spoke to Moses, Aaron and Miriam. He said, “All three of you, come out to the tent of meeting.” So they did. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud. He stood at the entrance to the tent. And he told Aaron and Miriam to come to him. The two of them stepped forward. 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to my words.
“Suppose there is a prophet among you.
I, the Lord, make myself known to them in visions.
I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses.
He is faithful in everything he does in my house.
8 With Moses I speak face to face.
I speak with him clearly. I do not speak in riddles.
I let him see something of what I look like.
So why were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”
9 The Lord was very angry with them. And he left them.
10 When the cloud went up from above the tent, there stood Miriam. She had a disease that made her skin as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her. He saw that she had a skin disease. 11 So he said to Moses, “We have committed a very foolish sin. Please don’t hold it against us. 12 Don’t let Miriam be like a baby that was born dead. Don’t let her look like a dead baby whose body is half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord. He said, “Please, God, heal her!”
14 The Lord answered Moses. He said, “Suppose her father had spit in her face. Then she would have been put to shame for seven days. So keep her outside the camp for seven days. After that, you can bring her back.” 15 So Miriam was kept outside the camp for seven days. The people didn’t move on until she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth. They camped in the Desert of Paran.
Twelve Men Check Out the Land of Canaan
13 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to check out the land of Canaan. I am giving it to the Israelites. Send one leader from each of Israel’s tribes.”
3 So Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. He sent them as the Lord had commanded. All of them were leaders of the Israelites.
4 Here are their names.
There was Shammua from the tribe of Reuben. Shammua was the son of Zakkur.
5 There was Shaphat from the tribe of Simeon. Shaphat was the son of Hori.
6 There was Caleb from the tribe of Judah. Caleb was the son of Jephunneh.
7 There was Igal from the tribe of Issachar. Igal was the son of Joseph.
8 There was Hoshea from the tribe of Ephraim. Hoshea was the son of Nun.
9 There was Palti from the tribe of Benjamin. Palti was the son of Raphu.
10 There was Gaddiel from the tribe of Zebulun. Gaddiel was the son of Sodi.
11 There was Gaddi from the tribe of Manasseh. Gaddi was the son of Susi. Manasseh was a tribe of Joseph.
12 There was Ammiel from the tribe of Dan. Ammiel was the son of Gemalli.
13 There was Sethur from the tribe of Asher. Sethur was the son of Michael.
14 There was Nahbi from the tribe of Naphtali. Nahbi was the son of Vophsi.
15 There was Geuel from the tribe of Gad. Geuel was the son of Maki.
16 Those are the men Moses sent to check out the land. He gave the name Joshua to Hoshea, the son of Nun.
17 Moses sent the 12 men to check out Canaan. He said, “Go up through the Negev Desert. Go on into the central hill country. 18 See what the land is like. See whether the people who live there are strong or weak. See whether they are few or many. 19 What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Do the towns have high walls around them or not? 20 How is the soil? Is it rich land or poor land? Are there trees in it or not? Do your best to bring back some of the fruit of the land.” It was the season for the first ripe grapes.
21 So the men went up and checked out the land. They went from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob. It was in the direction of Lebo Hamath. 22 They went up through the Negev Desert and came to Hebron. That’s where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai lived. They belonged to the family line of Anak. Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan. Zoan was a city in Egypt. 23 The men came to the Valley of Eshkol. There they cut off a branch that had a single bunch of grapes on it. Two of them carried it on a pole between them. They carried some pomegranates and figs along with it. 24 That place was called the Valley of Eshkol. That’s because the men of Israel cut off a bunch of grapes there. 25 At the end of 40 days, the men returned from checking out the land.
The Men Report on What They Found
26 The men came back to Moses, Aaron and the whole community of Israel. The people were at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There the men reported to Moses and Aaron and all the people. They showed them the fruit of the land. 27 They gave Moses their report. They said, “We went into the land you sent us to. It really does have plenty of milk and honey! Here’s some fruit from the land. 28 But the people who live there are powerful. Their cities have high walls around them and are very large. We even saw members of the family line of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites live in the Negev Desert. The Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the central hill country. The Canaanites live near the Mediterranean Sea. They also live along the Jordan River.”
30 Then Caleb interrupted the men speaking to Moses. He said, “We should go up and take the land. We can certainly do it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him spoke. They said, “We can’t attack those people. They are stronger than we are.” 32 The men spread a bad report about the land among the Israelites. They said, “The land we checked out destroys those who live in it. All the people we saw there are very big and tall. 33 We saw the Nephilim there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. And that’s also how we seemed to them.” The family line of Anak came from the Nephilim.
For the director of music. A psalm of the Sons of Korah.
49 Hear this, all you nations.
Listen, all you who live in this world.
2 Listen, people, whether you are ordinary or important.
Listen, people, whether you are rich or poor.
3 My mouth will speak wise words.
What I think about in my heart will give you understanding.
4 I will pay attention to a proverb.
I will explain my riddle as I play the harp.
5 Why should I be afraid when trouble comes?
Why should I fear when sinners are all around me?
They are the kind of people who want to take advantage of me.
6 They trust in their wealth.
They brag about how rich they are.
7 No one can pay for the life of anyone else.
No one can give God what that would cost.
8 The price for a life is very high.
No payment is ever enough.
9 No one can pay enough to live forever
and not rot in the grave.
10 Everyone can see that even wise people die.
People who are foolish and who have no sense also pass away.
All of them leave their wealth to others.
11 Their tombs will remain their houses forever.
Their graves will be their homes for all time to come.
Naming lands after themselves won’t help either.
12 Even though people may be very rich, they don’t live on and on.
They are like the animals. They die.
13 That’s what happens to those who trust in themselves.
It also happens to their followers, who agree with what they say.
14 They are like sheep and will end up in the grave.
Death will be their shepherd.
But when honest people come to power, a new day will dawn.
The bodies of sinners will waste away in the grave.
They will end up far away from their princely houses.
15 But God will save me from the place of the dead.
He will certainly take me to himself.
16 Don’t get too upset when other people become rich.
Don’t be troubled when they become more and more wealthy.
17 They won’t take anything with them when they die.
Their riches won’t go down to the grave with them.
18 While they lived, they believed they were blessed.
People praised them when things were going well for them.
19 But they will die, like their people of long ago.
They will never again see the light of life.
20 People who have riches but don’t understand
are like the animals. They die.
People From Many Nations Will Worship at Mount Zion
2 Here is a vision that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw about Judah and Jerusalem.
2 In the last days
the mountain where the Lord’s temple is located will be famous.
It will be the highest mountain of all.
It will be raised above the hills.
All the nations will go to it.
3 People from many nations will go there. They will say,
“Come. Let us go up to the Lord’s mountain.
Let’s go to the temple of Jacob’s God.
He will teach us how we should live.
Then we will live the way he wants us to.”
The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion.
His message will go out from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations.
He’ll settle problems among many of them.
They will hammer their swords into plows.
They’ll hammer their spears into pruning tools.
Nations will not go to war against one another.
They won’t even train to fight anymore.
5 People of Jacob, come.
Let us live the way the Lord has taught us to.
The Day of the Lord Is Coming
6 Lord, you have deserted the people of Jacob.
They are your people.
The land is full of false beliefs from the east.
The people practice evil magic, just as the Philistines do.
They do what ungodly people do.
7 Their land is full of silver and gold.
There is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses.
There is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is full of statues of gods.
Their people bow down to what their own hands have made.
They bow down to what their fingers have shaped.
9 So people will be brought low.
Everyone will be made humble.
Do not forgive them.
10 Go and hide in caves in the rocks, you people!
Hide in holes in the ground.
Hide from the terrifying presence of the Lord!
Hide when he comes in glory and majesty!
11 Anyone who brags will be brought low.
Anyone who is proud will be made humble.
The Lord alone will be honored at that time.
12 The Lord who rules over all has set apart a day when he will judge.
He has set it apart for all those who are proud and think they are important.
He has set it apart for all those who brag about themselves.
All of them will be brought low.
13 The Lord has set that day apart for all the cedar trees in Lebanon.
They are very tall.
He has set that day apart for all the oak trees in Bashan.
14 He has set it apart for all the towering mountains.
He has set it apart for all the high hills.
15 He has set it apart for every high tower
and every strong wall.
16 He has set it apart for every trading ship
and every beautiful boat.
17 Anyone who brags will be brought low.
Anyone who is proud will be made humble.
The Lord alone will be honored at that time.
18 And the statues of gods will totally disappear.
19 People will run and hide in caves in the rocks.
They will go into holes in the ground.
They will run away from the terrifying presence of the Lord.
They will run when he comes in glory and majesty.
When he comes, he will shake the earth.
20 People had made some statues of gods out of silver.
They had made others out of gold.
Then they worshiped them.
But when the Lord comes,
they will throw the statues away to the moles and bats.
21 Those people will run and hide in caves in the rocks.
They will go into holes in the cliffs.
They will run away from the terrifying presence of the Lord.
They will run when he comes in glory and majesty.
When he comes, he will shake the earth.
22 Stop trusting in mere human beings, who can’t help you.
They only live for a little while.
What good are they?
Christ’s Sacrifice Is Once and for All Time
10 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming. It is not the real things themselves. The same sacrifices have to be offered over and over again. They must be offered year after year. That’s why the law can never make perfect those who come near to worship. 2 If the law could, wouldn’t the sacrifices have stopped being offered? The worshipers would have been made “clean” once and for all time. They would not have felt guilty for their sins anymore. 3 But those offerings remind people of their sins every year. 4 It isn’t possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 So when Christ came into the world, he said,
“You didn’t want sacrifices and offerings.
Instead, you prepared a body for me.
6 You weren’t pleased
with burnt offerings and sin offerings.
7 Then I said, ‘Here I am. It is written about me in the book.
I have come to do what you want, my God.’ ” (Psalm 40:6–8)
8 First Christ said, “You didn’t want sacrifices and offerings. You didn’t want burnt offerings and sin offerings. You weren’t pleased with them.” He said this even though they were offered in keeping with the law. 9 Then he said, “Here I am. I have come to do what you want.” He did away with the shadow of the good things that were coming. He did it to put in place the good things themselves. 10 We have been made holy by what God wanted. We have been made holy because Jesus Christ offered his body once and for all time.
11 Day after day every priest stands and does his special duties. He offers the same sacrifices again and again. But they can never take away sins. 12 Jesus our priest offered one sacrifice for sins for all time. Then he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 And since that time, he waits for his enemies to be put under his control. 14 By that one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15 The Holy Spirit also speaks to us about this. First he says,
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts.
I will write my laws on their minds.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
17 Then he adds,
“I will not remember their sins anymore.
I will not remember the evil things they have done.” (Jeremiah 31:34)
18 Where these sins have been forgiven, an offering for sin is no longer necessary.
An Appeal and Warning to Remain Faithful
19 Brothers and sisters, we are not afraid to enter the Most Holy Room. We enter boldly because of the blood of Jesus. 20 His way is new because he lives. It has been opened for us through the curtain. I’m talking about his body. 21 We also have a great priest over the house of God. 22 So let us come near to God with a sincere heart. Let us come near boldly because of our faith. Our hearts have been sprinkled. Our minds have been cleansed from a sense of guilt. Our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold firmly to the hope we claim to have. The God who promised is faithful. 24 Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works. 25 And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as you see Christ’s return approaching.
26 What if we keep sinning on purpose? What if we do it even after we know the truth? Then there is no offering for our sins. 27 All we can do is to wait in fear for God to judge. His blazing fire will burn up his enemies. 28 Suppose someone did not obey the law of Moses. And suppose two or three witnesses made charges against them. That person would die without mercy. 29 People who deserve even more punishment include those who have hated the Son of God. They include people who have said no to him. They include people who have treated as unholy the blood of the covenant that makes them holy. They also include people who have disrespected the Holy Spirit who brings God’s grace. Don’t you think people like this should be punished more than anyone else? 30 We know the God who said, “I am the God who judges people. I will pay them back.” (Deuteronomy 32:35) Scripture also says, “The Lord will judge his people.” (Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalm 135:14) 31 It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32 Remember those earlier days after you received the light. You remained strong in a great battle that was full of suffering. 33 Sometimes people spoke badly about you in front of others. Sometimes you were treated badly. At other times you stood side by side with people being treated like this. 34 You suffered along with people in prison. When your property was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew that God had given you better and more lasting things. 35 So don’t throw away your bold faith. It will bring you rich rewards.
36 You need to be faithful. Then you will do what God wants. You will receive what he has promised.
37 “In just a little while,
he who is coming will come.
He will not wait any longer.”
38 And,
“The one who is right with God will live by faith.
And I am not pleased with
the one who pulls back.” (Habakkuk 2:3,4)
39 But we don’t belong to the people who pull back and are destroyed. We belong to the people who believe and are saved.
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