M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Ordinance of the Red Heifer
19 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the sons of Israel that they bring you an (A)unblemished red heifer in which is no defect and (B)on which a yoke has never [a]been placed. 3 You shall give it to (C)Eleazar the priest, and it shall (D)be brought outside the camp and be slaughtered in his presence. 4 Next Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and (E)sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 Then the heifer shall be burned in his sight; (F)its hide and its flesh and its blood, with its refuse, shall be burned. 6 The priest shall take (G)cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet material and cast it into the midst of the [b]burning heifer. 7 The priest (H)shall then wash his clothes and bathe his [c]body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest shall be unclean until evening. 8 The one who burns it shall also wash his clothes in water and bathe his [d]body in water, and shall be unclean until evening. 9 Now a man who is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a clean place, and [e]the congregation of the sons of Israel shall keep it as (I)water to remove impurity; it is [f]purification from sin. 10 The one who gathers the ashes of the heifer (J)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; and it shall be a perpetual statute to the sons of Israel and to the alien who sojourns among them.
11 ‘(K)The one who touches the corpse of any [g]person shall be unclean for seven days. 12 That one shall (L)purify himself from uncleanness with [h]the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and then he will be clean; but if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean. 13 (M)Anyone who touches a corpse, the [i]body of a man who has died, and does not purify himself, (N)defiles the [j]tabernacle of the Lord; and that person shall be cut off from Israel. Because the water for impurity was not [k](O)sprinkled on him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.
14 ‘This is the law when a man dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean for seven days. 15 Every open vessel, which has no covering [l]tied down on it, shall be unclean. 16 (P)Also, anyone who in the open field touches one who has been slain with a sword or who has died naturally, or a human bone or a grave, shall be unclean for seven days. 17 Then for the unclean person they shall take some of the [m]ashes of the [n]burnt [o](Q)purification from sin and [p]flowing water shall be [q]added to them in a vessel. 18 A clean person shall take hyssop and dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there, and on the one who touched the bone or the one slain or the one dying naturally or the grave. 19 Then the clean person (R)shall sprinkle on the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him from uncleanness, and he shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and shall be clean by evening.
20 ‘But the man who is unclean and does not purify himself from uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he has (S)defiled the sanctuary of the Lord; the water for impurity has not been sprinkled on him, he is unclean. 21 So it shall be a perpetual statute for them. And he (T)who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and he who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. 22 (U)Furthermore, anything that the unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening.’”
Supplication for Deliverance and Grateful Trust in God.
For the choir director; according to [a]Jonath elem rehokim. A [b]Mikhtam of David, [c]when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
56 Be gracious to me, O God, for man has [d](A)trampled upon me;
[e]Fighting all day long he (B)oppresses me.
2 My foes have [f](C)trampled upon me all day long,
For [g]they are many who (D)fight proudly against me.
3 [h]When I am (E)afraid,
[i]I will (F)put my trust in You.
4 (G)In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid.
(H)What can mere [j]man do to me?
5 All day long they [k](I)distort my words;
All their [l](J)thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They [m](K)attack, they lurk,
They (L)watch my [n]steps,
As they have (M)waited to take my [o]life.
7 Because of wickedness, [p](N)cast them forth,
In anger (O)put down the peoples, O God!
8 You (P)have taken account of my wanderings;
Put my (Q)tears in Your bottle.
Are they not in (R)Your book?
9 Then my enemies will (S)turn back (T)in the day when I call;
This I know, [q]that (U)God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise,
In the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 In God I have put my [r]trust, I shall not be afraid.
What can man do to me?
12 Your (V)vows are binding upon me, O God;
I will render thank offerings to You.
13 For You have (W)delivered my soul from death,
[s]Indeed (X)my feet from stumbling,
So that I may (Y)walk before God
In the (Z)light of the [t]living.
Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors.
For the choir director; set to [u]Al-tashheth. A [v]Mikhtam of David, [w]when he fled from Saul in the cave.
57 Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me,
For my soul (AA)takes refuge in You;
And in the (AB)shadow of Your wings I will take refuge
Until destruction (AC)passes by.
2 I will cry to God Most High,
To God who (AD)accomplishes all things for me.
3 He will (AE)send from heaven and save me;
He reproaches him who [x](AF)tramples upon me. [y]Selah.
God will send forth His (AG)lovingkindness and His [z]truth.
4 My soul is among (AH)lions;
I must lie among those who breathe forth fire,
Even the sons of men, whose (AI)teeth are spears and arrows
And their (AJ)tongue a sharp sword.
5 (AK)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
6 They have [aa]prepared a (AL)net for my steps;
My soul is (AM)bowed down;
They (AN)dug a pit before me;
They themselves have (AO)fallen into the midst of it. Selah.
7 (AP)My (AQ)heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!
8 Awake, (AR)my glory!
Awake, (AS)harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 (AT)I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the [ab]nations.
10 For Your (AU)lovingkindness is great to the heavens
And Your [ac]truth to the clouds.
11 (AV)Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
Let Your glory be above all the earth.
Damascus and Samaria Fall
8 Then the Lord said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and (A)write on it [a]in ordinary letters: [b](B)Swift is the booty, speedy is the prey. 2 And [c]I will take to Myself faithful witnesses for testimony, (C)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.” 3 So I approached the prophetess, and she conceived and gave birth to a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Name him [d](D)Maher-shalal-hash-baz; 4 for (E)before the boy knows how to cry out ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the wealth of (F)Damascus and the spoil of Samaria will be carried away before the king of Assyria.”
5 Again the Lord spoke to me further, saying,
6 “Inasmuch as these people have (G)rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah
And rejoice in (H)Rezin and the son of Remaliah;
7 “Now therefore, behold, the Lord is about to bring on them the (I)strong and abundant waters of the [e](J)Euphrates,
Even the (K)king of Assyria and all his glory;
And it will (L)rise up over all its channels and go over all its banks.
8 “Then (M)it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through,
It will (N)reach even to the neck;
And the spread of its wings will [f]fill the breadth of [g]your land, O (O)Immanuel.
A Believing Remnant
9 “(P)Be broken, O peoples, and be [h](Q)shattered;
And give ear, all remote places of the earth.
Gird yourselves, yet be [i]shattered;
Gird yourselves, yet be [j]shattered.
10 “(R)Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted;
State a [k]proposal, but (S)it will not stand,
For [l](T)God is with us.”
11 For thus the Lord spoke to me [m]with (U)mighty power and instructed me (V)not to walk in the way of this people, saying,
12 “You are not to say, ‘It is a (W)conspiracy!’
In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy,
And (X)you are not to fear [n]what they fear or be in dread of it.
13 “It is the (Y)Lord of hosts (Z)whom you should regard as holy.
And He shall be your fear,
And He shall be your dread.
14 “Then He shall become a (AA)sanctuary;
But to both the houses of Israel, a (AB)stone to strike and a rock to stumble over,
And a snare and a (AC)trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 “Many (AD)will stumble over them,
Then they will fall and be broken;
They will even be snared and caught.”
16 (AE)Bind up the testimony, (AF)seal the [o]law among (AG)my disciples. 17 And I will (AH)wait for the Lord (AI)who is hiding His face from the house of Jacob; I will even look eagerly for Him. 18 (AJ)Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for (AK)signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who (AL)dwells on Mount Zion.
19 When they say to you, “(AM)Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people (AN)consult their God? Should they (AO)consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the [p](AP)law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (AQ)they have no dawn. 21 They will pass through [q]the land (AR)hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse [r]their king and their God as they face upward. 22 Then they will (AS)look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be (AT)driven away into darkness.
Birth and Reign of the Prince of Peace
9 [s]But there will be no more (AU)gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He (AV)treated the (AW)land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the [t]Gentiles.
2 [u](AX)The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
3 (AY)You shall multiply the nation,
You (AZ)shall [v]increase [w]their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness [x]of harvest,
As [y](BA)men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For (BB)You shall break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders,
The rod of their (BC)oppressor, as [z]at the battle of (BD)Midian.
5 For every boot of the booted warrior in the battle tumult,
And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
6 For a (BE)child will be born to us, a (BF)son will be given to us;
And the (BG)government will [aa]rest (BH)on His shoulders;
And His name will be called (BI)Wonderful Counselor, (BJ)Mighty God,
Eternal (BK)Father, Prince of (BL)Peace.
7 There will be (BM)no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the (BN)throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with (BO)justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
(BP)The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
The Sin of Partiality
2 (A)My brethren, (B)do not hold your faith in our (C)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of (D)personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [a]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in [b](E)fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in (F)dirty clothes, 3 and you [c]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the (G)fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges (H)with evil [d]motives? 5 Listen, (I)my beloved brethren: did not (J)God choose the poor [e]of this world to be (K)rich in faith and (L)heirs of the kingdom which He (M)promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and [f]personally (N)drag you into [g]court? 7 (O)Do they not blaspheme the fair name [h]by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you (P)are fulfilling the [i]royal law according to the Scripture, “(Q)You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you (R)show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the [j]law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole [k]law and yet (S)stumbles in one point, he has become (T)guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “(U)Do not commit adultery,” also said, “(V)Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the [l]law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by (W)the law of liberty. 13 For (X)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy [m]triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works
14 (Y)What use is it, (Z)my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can [n]that faith save him? 15 (AA)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “(AB)Go in peace, [o]be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so (AC)faith, if it has no works, is [p]dead, being by itself.
18 (AD)But someone [q]may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your (AE)faith without the works, and I will (AF)show you my faith (AG)by my works.” 19 You believe that [r](AH)God is one. (AI)You do well; (AJ)the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, (AK)you foolish fellow, that (AL)faith without works is useless? 21 (AM)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that (AN)faith was working with his works, and [s]as a result of the (AO)works, faith was [t]perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “(AP)And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called (AQ)the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not (AR)Rahab the harlot also justified by works (AS)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also (AT)faith without works is dead.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.