M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Aaron’s Rod Buds
17 [a]Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and get from them a rod for each father’s household: twelve rods, from all their leaders according to their fathers’ households. You shall write each name on his rod, 3 and write Aaron’s name on the rod of Levi; for there is one rod for the head of each of their fathers’ households. 4 You shall then deposit them in the tent of meeting in front of (A)the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 It will come about that the rod of (B)the man whom I choose will sprout. Thus I will lessen from upon Myself the grumblings of the sons of Israel, who are grumbling against you.” 6 Moses therefore spoke to the sons of Israel, and all their leaders gave him a rod apiece, for each leader according to their fathers’ households, twelve rods, with the rod of Aaron among their rods. 7 So Moses deposited the rods before the Lord in (C)the tent of the testimony.
8 Now on the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and behold, (D)the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Moses then brought out all the rods from the presence of the Lord to all the sons of Israel; and they looked, and each man took his rod. 10 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the rod of Aaron (E)before the testimony [b]to be kept as a sign against the [c](F)rebels, that you may put an end to their grumblings against Me, so that they will not die.” 11 Thus Moses did; just as the Lord had commanded him, so he did.
12 Then the sons of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “(G)Behold, we perish, we are dying, we are all dying! 13 (H)Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, must die. Are we to perish completely?”
Duties of Levites
18 So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father’s household with you shall (I)bear the guilt [d]in connection with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear the guilt [e]in connection with your priesthood. 2 But bring with you also your brothers, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may be (J)joined with you and serve you, while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 3 And they shall thus attend to your obligation and the obligation of all the tent, but (K)they shall not come near to the furnishings of the sanctuary and (L)the altar, or both they and you will die. 4 They shall be joined with you and attend to the obligations of the tent of meeting, for all the service of the tent; but an [f]outsider may not come near you. 5 So you shall attend to the (M)obligations of the sanctuary and the obligations of the altar, (N)so that there will no longer be wrath on the sons of Israel. 6 Behold, I Myself (O)have taken your [g]fellow Levites from among the sons of Israel; they are (P)a gift to you, [h]dedicated to the Lord, to perform the service for the tent of meeting. 7 But you and your sons with you shall (Q)attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and inside the veil, and you are to perform service. I am giving you the priesthood as (R)a [i]bestowed service, but (S)the [j]outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”
The Priests’ Portion
8 Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Now behold, I Myself have given you charge of My [k](T)offerings, even all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel I have given them to you as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual allotment. 9 This shall be yours from the most holy gifts reserved from the fire; every offering of theirs, even (U)every grain offering and every (V)sin offering and every guilt offering, which they shall render to Me, shall be most holy for you and for your sons. 10 As the most holy gifts you shall eat it; every male shall eat it. It shall be holy to you. 11 This also is yours, (W)the offering of their gift, even all the wave offerings of the sons of Israel; I have (X)given them to you and to your sons and daughters with you as a perpetual allotment. Everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 12 (Y)All the [l]best of the fresh oil and all the [m]best of the fresh wine and of the grain, the first fruits of those which they give to the Lord, I give them to you. 13 (Z)The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours; everyone of your household who is clean may eat it. 14 (AA)Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. 15 [n](AB)Every first issue of the womb of all flesh, whether man or animal, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours; nevertheless the firstborn of man you shall surely redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. 16 As to their redemption price, from a month old you shall redeem them, by your valuation, five [o]shekels in silver, according to the [p]shekel of the sanctuary, which is twenty gerahs. 17 But (AC)the firstborn of an ox or the firstborn of a sheep or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. (AD)You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall offer up their fat in smoke as an offering by fire, for a soothing aroma to the Lord. 18 Their [q]meat shall be yours; it shall be yours like the (AE)breast of a wave offering and like the right thigh. 19 (AF)All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and your daughters with you, as a perpetual allotment. It is (AG)an everlasting covenant of salt before the Lord to you and your [r]descendants with you.” 20 Then the Lord said to Aaron, “(AH)You shall have no inheritance in their land nor own any portion among them; (AI)I am your portion and your inheritance among the sons of Israel.
21 “To the sons of Levi, behold, I have given all the (AJ)tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting. 22 (AK)The sons of Israel shall not come near the tent of meeting again, or they will bear sin and die. 23 Only the Levites shall perform the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall (AL)bear their iniquity; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the sons of Israel (AM)they shall have no inheritance. 24 For the tithe of the sons of Israel, which they offer as an offering to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance; therefore I have said concerning them, ‘(AN)They shall have no inheritance among the sons of Israel.’”
25 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 26 “Moreover, you shall speak to the Levites and say to them, ‘When you take from the sons of Israel (AO)the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present an offering from it to the Lord, a (AP)tithe of the tithe. 27 Your offering shall be reckoned to you as the grain from the threshing floor or the full produce from the wine vat. 28 So you shall also present an offering to the Lord from your tithes, which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the Lord’s offering to Aaron the priest. 29 Out of all your gifts you shall present every offering due to the Lord, from all the [s]best of them, [t]the sacred part from them.’ 30 You shall say to them, ‘When you have [u]offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing floor, and as the product of the wine vat. 31 You may eat it anywhere, you and your households, for it is your compensation in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 32 You will bear no sin by reason of it when you have [v]offered the [w]best of it. But you shall not (AQ)profane the sacred gifts of the sons of Israel, or you will die.’”
Prayer for the Destruction of the Treacherous.
For the choir director; on stringed instruments. A [a]Maskil of David.
55 (A)Give ear to my prayer, O God;
And (B)do not hide Yourself from my supplication.
2 Give (C)heed to me and answer me;
I am restless in my (D)complaint and [b](E)am surely distracted,
3 Because of the voice of the enemy,
Because of the (F)pressure of the wicked;
For they (G)bring down [c]trouble upon me
And in anger they (H)bear a grudge against me.
4 My (I)heart is in anguish within me,
And the terrors of (J)death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and (K)trembling come upon me,
And [d](L)horror has overwhelmed me.
6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and [e](M)be at rest.
7 “Behold, I would wander far away,
I would (N)lodge in the wilderness. [f]Selah.
8 “I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the (O)stormy wind and tempest.”
9 [g]Confuse, O Lord, (P)divide their tongues,
For I have seen (Q)violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls,
And iniquity and mischief are in her midst.
11 (R)Destruction is in her midst;
(S)Oppression and deceit do not depart from her [h]streets.
12 For it is (T)not an enemy who reproaches me,
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who hates me who (U)has exalted himself against me,
Then I could hide myself from him.
13 But it is you, a man [i]my equal,
My (V)companion and my [j](W)familiar friend;
14 We who had sweet [k]fellowship together
(X)Walked in the house of God in the throng.
15 Let [l]death come (Y)deceitfully upon them;
Let them (Z)go down alive to [m]Sheol,
For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.
16 As for me, I shall (AA)call upon God,
And the Lord will save me.
17 (AB)Evening and (AC)morning and at (AD)noon, I will complain and murmur,
And He will hear my voice.
18 He will (AE)redeem my soul in peace [n]from the battle which is against me,
For they are (AF)many who strive with me.
19 God will (AG)hear and [o]answer them—
Even the one (AH)who [p]sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there [q]is no change,
And who (AI)do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against (AJ)those who were at peace with him;
He has [r](AK)violated his covenant.
21 His [s]speech was (AL)smoother than butter,
But his heart was war;
His words were (AM)softer than oil,
Yet they were drawn (AN)swords.
War against Jerusalem
7 Now it came about in the days of (A)Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that (B)Rezin the king of Aram and (C)Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war against it, but (D)could not [a]conquer it. 2 When it was reported to the (E)house of David, saying, “The Arameans [b](F)have camped in (G)Ephraim,” his heart and the hearts of his people shook as the trees of the forest shake [c]with the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son [d]Shear-jashub, at the end of the (H)conduit of the upper pool, on the highway to the [e]fuller’s field, 4 and say to him, ‘Take care and be (I)calm, have no (J)fear and (K)do not be fainthearted because of these two stubs of smoldering (L)firebrands, on account of the fierce anger of Rezin and Aram and the (M)son of Remaliah. 5 Because (N)Aram, with Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, has planned evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and [f]terrorize it, and make for ourselves a breach in [g]its walls and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it,” 7 thus says the Lord [h]God: “(O)It shall not stand nor shall it come to pass. 8 For the head of Aram is (P)Damascus and the head of Damascus is Rezin (now within another 65 years Ephraim will be shattered, so that it is no longer a people), 9 and the head of Ephraim is Samaria and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah. (Q)If you will not believe, you surely shall not [i]last.”’”
The Child Immanuel
10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 “Ask a (R)sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [j]make it deep as Sheol or high as [k]heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!” 13 Then he said, “Listen now, O (S)house of David! Is it too slight a thing for you to try the patience of men, that you will (T)try the patience of (U)my God as well? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, (V)a [l]virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name [m](W)Immanuel. 15 He will eat (X)curds and honey [n]at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. 16 (Y)For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, (Z)the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken.
Trials to Come for Judah
17 The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have never come since the day that (AA)Ephraim separated from Judah, the (AB)king of Assyria.”
18 In that day the Lord will (AC)whistle for the fly that is in the [o](AD)remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria. 19 They will all come and settle on the steep [p]ravines, on the (AE)ledges of the cliffs, (AF)on all the thorn bushes and on all the [q]watering places.
20 In that day the Lord will (AG)shave with a (AH)razor, (AI)hired from regions beyond (AJ)the [r]Euphrates (that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.
21 Now in that day a man may keep alive a (AK)heifer and a pair of sheep; 22 and because of the abundance of the milk produced he will eat curds, for everyone that is left within the land will eat (AL)curds and honey.
23 And it will come about in that day, (AM)that every place where there used to be a thousand vines, valued at a thousand shekels of silver, will become (AN)briars and thorns. 24 People will come there with bows and arrows because all the land will be briars and thorns. 25 As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns; but they will become a place for [s](AO)pasturing oxen and for sheep to trample.
Testing Your Faith
1 [a](A)James, a (B)bond-servant of God and (C)of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To (D)the twelve tribes who are [b](E)dispersed abroad: (F)Greetings.
2 (G)Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter (H)various [c]trials, 3 knowing that (I)the testing of your (J)faith produces [d](K)endurance. 4 And let [e](L)endurance have its perfect [f]result, so that you may be [g](M)perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
5 But if any of you (N)lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [h]without reproach, and (O)it will be given to him. 6 But he must (P)ask in faith (Q)without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, (R)driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 being a [i](S)double-minded man, (T)unstable in all his ways.
9 (U)But the [j]brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10 and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because (V)like [k]flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with [l](W)a scorching wind and (X)withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away.
12 (Y)Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has [m]been approved, he will receive (Z)the crown of life which the Lord (AA)has promised to those who (AB)love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “(AC)I am being tempted [n]by God”; for God cannot be tempted [o]by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then (AD)when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when (AE)sin [p]is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16 (AF)Do not be [q]deceived, (AG)my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is (AH)from above, coming down from (AI)the Father of lights, (AJ)with whom there is no variation or [r]shifting shadow. 18 In the exercise of (AK)His will He (AL)brought us forth by (AM)the word of truth, so that we would be [s]a kind of (AN)first fruits [t]among His creatures.
19 [u]This (AO)you know, (AP)my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, (AQ)slow to speak and (AR)slow to anger; 20 for (AS)the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, (AT)putting aside all filthiness and all [v]that remains of wickedness, in [w]humility receive (AU)the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. 22 (AV)But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [x]natural face (AW)in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [y]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, (AX)the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but [z]an effectual doer, this man will be (AY)blessed in [aa]what he does.
26 If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not [ab](AZ)bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion (BA)in the sight of our God and Father is this: to (BB)visit (BC)orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained [ac]by (BD)the world.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.