M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Moab Leads Israel Astray
25 Israel was staying in Shittim. The men of Israel began to commit sexual sins with the women of Moab. 2 The women invited the men to feasts and sacrifices to honor their gods. The people ate the sacrifices and bowed down in front of the statues of those gods. 3 So Israel joined in worshiping the god named Baal that was worshiped at Peor. The Lord became very angry with Israel.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of these people. Kill them. Put their dead bodies out in the open. I want to see you do it in the middle of the day. Then I will not be angry with Israel.”
5 So Moses spoke to Israel’s judges. He said, “Some of your people have joined in worshiping the god named Baal that is worshiped at Peor. Each of you must kill the people in your tribe who have done that.”
6 Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite woman. He did it right in front of the eyes of Moses and the whole community of Israel. They were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 Phinehas was a priest. He was the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. When Phinehas saw what had happened, he left the people. He took a spear in his hand. 8 He followed the man into the tent. Phinehas stuck the spear through the man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the Lord stopped the plague against the Israelites. 9 But the plague had already killed 24,000 of them.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas is a priest. He is the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron. Phinehas has turned my anger away from the Israelites. I am committed to making sure I am honored among them. And he is as committed as I am. So even though I was angry with them, I did not put an end to them. 12 So tell Phinehas I am making my covenant with him. It is my promise to give him peace. 13 He and his sons after him will have a covenant to be priests forever. That is because he was committed to making sure that I, his God, was honored. In that way he paid for the sin of the Israelites.”
14 The name of the Israelite man who was killed was Zimri. He was the son of Salu. Zimri was killed along with the Midianite woman. Salu was a family leader in the tribe of Simeon. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Kozbi. She was the daughter of Zur. He was the chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 17 “Treat the Midianites just as you would treat enemies. Kill them. 18 After all, they treated you like enemies. They tricked you into worshiping the god named Baal that is worshiped at Peor. They also tricked you because of what Kozbi did. She was the woman killed when the plague came that was connected with Peor. Kozbi was the daughter of a Midianite leader.”
For the director of music. A psalm of David. A song.
68 May God rise up and scatter his enemies.
May they turn and run away from him.
2 May you, God, blow them away like smoke.
As fire melts wax,
so may God destroy sinful people.
3 But may those who do what is right be glad
and filled with joy when they are with him.
May they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name.
Lift up a song to the God who rides on the clouds.
Be glad when you are with him.
His name is the Lord.
5 God is in his holy temple.
He is a father to children whose fathers have died.
He takes care of women whose husbands have died.
6 God gives lonely people a family.
He sets prisoners free, and they go out singing.
But those who refuse to obey him
live in a land that is baked by the sun.
7 God, you led your people out.
You marched through the desert.
8 The ground shook
when you, the God of Sinai, appeared.
The heavens poured down rain
when you, the God of Israel, appeared.
9 God, you gave us plenty of rain.
You renewed your worn-out land.
10 God, your people made their homes in it.
From all your riches, you provided for those who were poor.
11 The Lord gives the message.
The women who make it known are a huge group.
12 They said, “Kings and armies are running away.
The women at home are dividing up
the things the army took from their enemies.
13 Even while the soldiers sleep near the sheep pens,
God wins the battle for them.
He gives the enemy’s silver and gold
to Israel, his dove.”
14 The Mighty One has scattered the kings around the land.
It was like snow falling on Mount Zalmon.
15 Mount Bashan is a majestic mountain.
Mount Bashan is a very rocky mountain.
16 Why are you jealous of Mount Zion, you rocky mountain?
That’s where God chooses to rule.
That’s where the Lord himself will live forever.
17 God has come with tens of thousands of his chariots.
He has come with thousands and thousands of them.
The Lord has come from Mount Sinai.
He has entered his holy place.
18 When he went up to his place on high,
he took many prisoners.
He received gifts from people,
even from those who refused to obey him.
The Lord God went up to live on Mount Zion.
19 Give praise to the Lord. Give praise to God our Savior.
He carries our heavy loads day after day.
20 Our God is a God who saves.
He is the King and the Lord. He saves us from death.
21 God will certainly smash the heads of his enemies.
He will break the hairy heads of those who keep on sinning.
22 The Lord says, “I will bring your enemies from Bashan.
I will bring them up from the bottom of the sea.
23 Then your feet can wade in their blood.
The tongues of your dogs can lick up all the blood they want.”
24 God, those who worship you come marching into view.
My God and King, those who follow you have entered the sacred tent.
25 The singers are walking in front.
Next come the musicians.
Young women playing tambourines are with them.
26 The leaders sing, “Praise God among all those who worship him.
Praise the Lord in the community of Israel.”
27 The little tribe of Benjamin leads the worshipers.
Next comes the great crowd of Judah’s princes.
Then come the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 God, show us your power.
Show us your strength.
God, do as you have done before.
29 Do it from your temple at Jerusalem,
where kings will bring you gifts.
30 Give a strong warning to Egypt, that beast among the tall grass.
It is like a herd of bulls among the calves.
May that beast bow down before you with gifts of silver.
Scatter the nations who like to make war.
31 Messengers will come from Egypt.
The people of Cush will be quick to bring gifts to you.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth.
Sing praise to the Lord.
33 He rides across the highest places in heaven.
He rides across the ancient skies above.
He thunders with his mighty voice.
34 Tell how powerful God is.
He rules as king over Israel.
The skies show how powerful he is.
35 How wonderful is God in his holy place!
The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Give praise to God!
A Prophecy Against Moab
15 Here is a prophecy against Moab that the Lord gave me.
The city of Ar in Moab is destroyed.
It happened in a single night.
Kir in Moab is also destroyed.
It happened in a single night.
2 The people of Dibon go up to their temple to worship.
They go to their high places to weep.
The people of Moab cry over the cities of Nebo and Medeba.
All their heads are shaved.
All their beards have been cut off.
3 In the streets they wear the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad.
On their roofs and in the market places
all of them are crying.
They fall down flat with their faces toward the ground.
And they weep.
4 The people of Heshbon and Elealeh cry out.
Their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.
So the fighting men of Moab cry out.
Their hearts are weak.
5 My heart cries out over Moab.
Some who run away get as far as Zoar.
Others run all the way to Eglath Shelishiyah.
Others go up the hill to Luhith.
They are weeping as they go.
Still others travel the road to Horonaim.
They sing a song of sadness because their town is being destroyed.
6 The waters at Nimrim are dried up.
And so is the grass.
The plants have died.
Nothing green is left.
7 The people are trying to escape
through the Valley of the Poplar Trees.
They are carrying with them the wealth
they have collected and stored up.
8 Their loud cries echo along the border of Moab.
They reach as far as Eglaim.
Their songs of sadness reach all the way to Beer Elim.
9 The waters of the city of Dimon are full of blood.
But the Lord will bring even more trouble on Dimon.
He will bring lions against those who run away from Moab.
They will also attack those who remain in the land.
3 Wives, follow the lead of your own husbands. Suppose some of them don’t believe God’s word. Then let them be won to Christ without words by seeing how their wives behave. 2 Let them see how pure you are. Let them see that your lives are full of respect for God. 3 Fancy hairstyles don’t make you beautiful. Wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes doesn’t make you beautiful. 4 Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like this doesn’t fade away. God places great value on it. 5 This is how the holy women of the past used to make themselves beautiful. They put their hope in God. And they followed the lead of their own husbands. 6 Sarah was like that. She obeyed Abraham. She called him her master. Do you want to be like her? Then do what is right. And don’t give in to fear.
7 Husbands, consider the needs of your wives. They are weaker than you. So treat them with respect. Honor them as those who will share with you the gracious gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.
Suffering for Doing Good
8 Finally, I want all of you to agree with one another. Be understanding. Love one another. Be kind and tender. Be humble. 9 Don’t pay back evil with evil. Don’t pay back unkind words with unkind words. Instead, pay back evil with kind words. This is what you have been chosen to do. You will receive a blessing by doing this. 10 Scripture says,
“Suppose someone wants to love life
and see good days.
Then they must keep their tongues from speaking evil.
They must keep their lips from telling lies.
11 They must turn away from evil and do good.
They must look for peace and go after it.
12 The Lord’s eyes look on godly people, and he blesses them.
His ears are open to their prayers.
But the Lord doesn’t bless those who do evil.” (Psalm 34:12–16)
13 Who is going to hurt you if you really want to do good? 14 But suppose you do suffer for doing what is right. Even then you will be blessed. Scripture says, “Don’t fear what others say they will do to hurt you. Don’t be afraid.” (Isaiah 8:12) 15 But make sure that in your hearts you honor Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. Be ready to give the reason for it. But do it gently and with respect. 16 Live so that you don’t have to feel you’ve done anything wrong. Some people may say evil things about your good conduct as believers in Christ. If they do, they will be put to shame for speaking like this about you. 17 God may want you to suffer for doing good. That’s better than suffering for doing evil. 18 Christ also suffered once for sins. The one who did what is right suffered for those who don’t do right. He suffered to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought him back to life. 19 After that, Christ went and made an announcement to the spirits in prison. 20 Long ago these spirits did not obey. That was when God was patient while Noah was building the ark. And only a few people went into the ark. In fact, there were only eight. Those eight people were saved through water. 21 The water of the flood is a picture. It is a picture of the baptism that now saves you too. This baptism has nothing to do with removing dirt from your body. Instead, it promises God that you will keep a clear sense of right and wrong. This baptism saves you by the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. 22 He has gone into heaven. He is at God’s right hand. Angels, authorities and powers are under his control.
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