M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Expiation of a Crime
21 “If a person who has been killed by someone is found lying in the open country in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to [a]possess, and it is not known who struck him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance to the cities which are around the one who was killed. 3 And it shall be that the city which is nearest to the person killed, that is, that the elders of that city shall take a heifer of the herd that has not been worked [b]and has not pulled in a yoke; 4 and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which has not been plowed or sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley. 5 Then (A)the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come forward, because the Lord your God has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the name of the Lord; and every dispute and [c]violent crime shall be [d]settled by them. 6 And all the elders of that city [e]which is nearest to the person killed shall (B)wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley; 7 and they shall respond and say, ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see who did. 8 [f]Forgive Your people Israel whom You have redeemed, Lord, and do not place the guilt for (C)innocent blood in the midst of Your people Israel.’ And the guilt for bloodshed shall be [g]forgiven them. 9 (D)So you shall remove the guilt for innocent blood from your midst, when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Domestic Relations
10 “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and (E)the Lord your God hands them over to you and you take them away captive, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and are strongly attracted to her and would take her as a wife for yourself, 12 then you shall bring her into your home, and she shall (F)shave her head and [h]trim her nails. 13 She shall also [i]remove the clothes of her captivity and shall remain in your house, and (G)weep for her father and mother a full month; and after that you may have relations with her and become her husband and she shall be your wife. 14 But it shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go [j]wherever she wishes; and you certainly shall not sell her for money, you shall not treat her as merchandise, since you have [k](H)humiliated her.
15 “If a man has two wives, the one loved and (I)the other [l]unloved, and both the loved and the [m]unloved have borne him sons, and the firstborn son belongs to the [n]unloved, 16 then it shall be on the day that he wills what he owns as an inheritance to his sons, he is not allowed to treat the son of the loved wife as the firstborn, [o]at the expense of the son of the [p]unloved, who actually is the firstborn son. 17 On the contrary, he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the [q]unloved wife, by giving him a double [r]portion of everything that [s]he owns, for he was the (J)beginning of his [t]strength; (K)to him belongs the right of the firstborn.
18 “If any person has a stubborn and rebellious son who does (L)not obey his father or his mother, and when they discipline him, he does not listen to them, 19 then his father and mother shall seize him, and bring him out to the elders of his city [u]at the gateway of his hometown. 20 And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us, he is thoughtless and given to drinking.’ 21 (M)Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death; so (N)you shall eliminate the evil from your midst, and (O)all Israel will hear about it and fear.
22 “Now if [v]a person has committed a sin carrying (P)a sentence of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on [w]a tree, 23 (Q)his body is not to be left overnight on the [x]tree, but you shall certainly bury him on the same day (for (R)he who is hanged is cursed of God), so that you (S)do not defile your land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
God Praised and Pleas to Give Victory.
A Song, a Psalm of David.
108 (A)My heart is steadfast, God;
I will sing, I will sing praises also with my [a]soul.
2 Awake, harp and lyre;
I will awaken the dawn!
3 I will give thanks to You, Lord, among the peoples,
And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
4 For Your (B)mercy is great (C)above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the skies.
5 (D)Be exalted above the heavens, God,
And may Your glory be above all the earth.
6 (E)So that Your beloved may be rescued,
Save with Your right hand, and answer me!
7 God has spoken in His [b]holiness:
“I will triumph, I will divide up Shechem,
And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead is Mine, Manasseh is Mine;
Ephraim also is the [c]helmet of My head;
(F)Judah is My [d]scepter.
9 Moab is My washbowl;
I will throw My sandal over Edom;
I will shout aloud over Philistia.”
10 (G)Who will bring me into the fortified city?
Who [e]will lead me to Edom?
11 God, have You Yourself not (H)rejected us?
And will You not go forth with our armies, God?
12 Give us help against the enemy,
For (I)deliverance [f]by man is worthless.
13 [g]Through God we will do valiantly,
And (J)it is He who will trample down our enemies.
Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.
For the music director. A Psalm of David.
109 (K)God of my praise,
(L)Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened a [h]wicked and (M)deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken [i]against me with a (N)lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And have fought against me (O)without cause.
4 In return (P)for my love they act as my accusers;
But (Q)I am in prayer.
5 So they have [j](R)repaid me evil for good,
And (S)hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked person over him,
And may an [k](T)accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, may he (U)come out guilty,
And may his (V)prayer become sin.
8 May (W)his days be few;
May (X)another take his office.
9 May his (Y)children be fatherless,
And his (Z)wife a widow.
10 May his (AA)children wander about and beg;
And may they (AB)seek sustenance [l]far from their ruined homes.
11 May (AC)the creditor [m]seize everything that he has,
And may (AD)strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 May there be none to [n](AE)extend kindness to him,
Nor (AF)any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 May his (AG)descendants be [o]eliminated;
May their (AH)name be wiped out in a following generation.
14 May (AI)the guilt of his fathers be remembered [p]before the Lord,
And do not let the sin of his mother be (AJ)wiped out.
15 May (AK)they be before the Lord continually,
So that He may (AL)eliminate their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy,
But persecuted the (AM)afflicted and needy person,
And the (AN)despondent in heart, to (AO)put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so (AP)it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he (AQ)clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it (AR)entered [q]his body like water,
And like oil into his bones.
19 May it be to him as (AS)a garment with which he covers himself,
And as a belt which he constantly (AT)wears around himself.
20 May this be the (AU)reward of my accusers from the Lord,
And of those who (AV)speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, [r]God, the Lord, deal kindly with me (AW)for the sake of Your name;
Because (AX)Your mercy is good, rescue me;
22 For (AY)I am afflicted and needy,
And [s]my heart is (AZ)wounded within me.
23 I am passing (BA)like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off (BB)like the locust.
24 My (BC)knees [t]are weak from (BD)fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a (BE)disgrace to them;
When they see me, they (BF)shake their head.
26 (BG)Help me, Lord my God;
Save me according to Your mercy.
27 [u]And may they (BH)know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 (BI)They will curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they will be ashamed,
But Your (BJ)servant will be glad.
29 [v]May (BK)my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And [w]may they (BL)cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
Israel’s Obstinacy
48 “(A)Hear this, house of Jacob, who are named Israel
And who came from the (B)waters of Judah,
Who (C)swear by the name of the Lord
And invoke the God of Israel,
But not in truth nor in (D)righteousness.
2 For they name themselves after the (E)holy city,
And (F)lean on the God of Israel;
The Lord of armies is His name.
3 I (G)declared the former things long ago,
And they went out of My mouth, and I proclaimed them.
(H)Suddenly I acted, and they (I)came to pass.
4 Because I know that you are [a](J)obstinate,
And your (K)neck is an iron tendon
And your (L)forehead bronze,
5 Therefore I declared them to you long ago,
Before [b]they took place I proclaimed them to you,
So that you would not say, ‘My (M)idol has done them,
And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’
6 You have heard; look at all this.
And you, will you not declare it?
I proclaim to you (N)new things from this time,
Hidden things which you have not known.
7 They are created now and not long ago;
And before today you have not heard them,
So that you will not say, ‘Behold, I knew them.’
8 You have not (O)heard, you have not known.
Even from long ago your ear has not been open,
Because I knew that you would deal very treacherously;
And you have been called a [c](P)rebel from [d]birth.
9 (Q)For the sake of My name I (R)delay My wrath,
And for My praise I restrain it for you,
In order not to cut you off.
10 Behold, I have refined you, but (S)not as silver;
I have tested you in the (T)furnace of affliction.
11 (U)For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act;
For how can My name be profaned?
And I will not give My (V)glory to another.
Rescue Promised
12 “Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel [e]whom I called;
(W)I am He, (X)I am the first, I am also the last.
13 Assuredly My hand (Y)founded the earth,
And My right hand spread out the heavens;
When I (Z)call to them, they stand together.
14 (AA)Assemble, all of you, and listen!
(AB)Who among them has declared these things?
The Lord loves him; he will (AC)carry out His good pleasure against (AD)Babylon,
And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15 I, yes I, have spoken; indeed I have (AE)called him,
I have brought him, and He will make his ways successful.
16 (AF)Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have (AG)not spoken in secret,
(AH)From the time it took place, I was there.
And now (AI)the Lord [f]God has sent Me, and His Spirit.”
17 This is what the Lord says, He who is your (AJ)Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to benefit,
Who (AK)leads you in the way you should go.
18 If only you had (AL)paid attention to My commandments!
Then your [g](AM)well-being would have been like a river,
And your (AN)righteousness like the waves of the sea.
19 Your [h](AO)descendants would have been like the sand,
And [i]your offspring like its grains;
(AP)Their name would never be eliminated or destroyed from My presence.”
20 (AQ)Go out from Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans!
Declare with the sound of (AR)joyful shouting, proclaim this,
(AS)Send it out to the end of the earth;
Say, “(AT)The Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.”
21 They did not (AU)thirst when He led them through the deserts.
He (AV)made the water flow out of the rock for them;
He split the rock and (AW)the water gushed out.
22 “(AX)There is no peace for the wicked,” says the Lord.
Babylon Is Fallen
18 After these things I saw another (A)angel (B)coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was (C)illuminated from his glory. 2 And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “[a](D)Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She (E)has become a dwelling place of demons and a [b]prison of every (F)unclean spirit, and a [c]prison of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all the nations have fallen because of the (G)wine of the passion of her sexual immorality, and (H)the kings of the earth have committed acts of sexual immorality with her, and the (I)merchants of the earth have become rich from the [d]excessive wealth of her [e](J)luxury.”
4 I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “(K)Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues; 5 for her sins have [f](L)piled up as high as heaven, and God has (M)remembered her offenses. 6 (N)Pay her back even as she has paid, and [g]give back to her double according to her deeds; in the (O)cup which she has mixed, mix twice as much for her. 7 (P)To the extent that she glorified herself and (Q)lived luxuriously, to the same extent give her torment and mourning; for she says in her heart, ‘(R)I sit as a queen and I am not a widow, and will never see mourning.’ 8 For this reason (S)in one day her plagues will come, [h]plague and mourning and famine, and she will be (T)burned up with fire; for the Lord God who judges her (U)is strong.
Grief over Babylon
9 “And (V)the kings of the earth, who committed acts of sexual immorality and (W)lived luxuriously with her, will (X)weep and mourn over her when they (Y)see the smoke of her burning, 10 (Z)standing at a distance because of the fear of her torment, saying, ‘(AA)Woe, woe, (AB)the great city, Babylon, the strong city! For in (AC)one hour your judgment has come.’
11 “And the (AD)merchants of the earth (AE)weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more— 12 cargo of (AF)gold, silver, precious [i]stones, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; every kind of citron wood, every article of ivory, and every article made from very valuable wood, [j]bronze, iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, [k]spice, incense, perfume, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, and cargo of horses, carriages, [l]slaves, and (AG)human lives. 14 The fruit [m]you long for has left you, and all things that were luxurious and splendid have passed away from you and people will no longer find them. 15 The (AH)merchants of (AI)these things, who became rich from her, will (AJ)stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying, ‘(AK)Woe, woe, (AL)the great city, she who (AM)was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and [n]adorned with gold, precious [o]stones, and pearls; 17 for in (AN)one hour such great wealth has been laid (AO)waste!’ And (AP)every shipmaster and every [p]passenger and sailor, and all who [q]make their living by the sea, (AQ)stood at a distance, 18 and were (AR)crying out as they (AS)saw the smoke of her burning, saying, ‘(AT)What city is like (AU)the great city?’ 19 And they threw (AV)dust on their heads and were crying out, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘(AW)Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had ships at sea (AX)became rich from her prosperity, for in (AY)one hour she has been laid (AZ)waste!’ 20 (BA)Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you [r]saints and (BB)apostles and prophets, because (BC)God has [s]pronounced judgment for you against her.”
21 Then [t]a (BD)strong angel (BE)picked up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “So will Babylon, (BF)the great city, be thrown down with violence, and (BG)will never be found again. 22 And (BH)the sound of harpists, musicians, flute players, and trumpeters will never be heard in you again; and no craftsman of any craft will ever be found in you again; and the (BI)sound of a mill will never be heard in you again; 23 and the light of a lamp will never shine in you again; and the (BJ)voice of the groom and bride will never be heard in you again; for your (BK)merchants were the powerful people of the earth, because all the nations were deceived (BL)by your witchcraft. 24 And in her was found the (BM)blood of prophets and of [u]saints, and of (BN)all who have been slaughtered on the earth.”
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