M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 6
Daily Sacrifices.[a] 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “If anyone sins against the Lord by lying to a neighbor concerning a deposit or a security entrusted to him, or by robbery, or by defrauding a neighbor, 3 or by finding something that was lost and lying about it and swearing a false oath, in any of these things that men do, and thereby sin, 4 when someone sins this way and has become guilty, he shall restore the stolen property that he took, or what he obtained through violence, or the deposit that was entrusted to him, or the lost object that he found, 5 or anything about which he falsely swore an oath. He shall add a fifth to it and give it to the person to whom it belongs on the day of his guilt offering. 6 He shall bring a guilt offering to the priest, a ram without defect from the flock which is the value of the price of a guilt offering. 7 The priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord and he shall be forgiven of any of the things a person may do and thereby become guilty.”
Regulations for the Priests
Instructions for Burnt Offerings. 8 The Lord said to Moses, 9 “Command Aaron and his sons, saying: This is the law for burnt offerings. The burnt offering is to remain on the hearth of the altar all night, until the morning. The fire on the altar will be kept burning. 10 The priest shall wear his linen garment and have his linen undergarments over his flesh. He shall collect the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and he will place them beside the altar. 11 Then he will take off those clothes and put on others and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12 The fire on the altar will be kept burning; it will not be extinguished. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall lay burnt offerings on it and burn the fat of the peace offerings upon it. 13 The fire must always be kept burning on the altar. It must never go out.
14 For Cereal Offerings.“This is the law concerning cereal offerings. The sons of Aaron shall offer them to the Lord in front of the altar. 15 The priest will take a handful of fine flour from it with the oil and all of the incense that is on the offering, and he shall burn all of it on the altar as a memorial portion, a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. 16 Aaron and his sons will eat whatever is left over from the cereal offering. They will eat it unleavened, in a holy place, in the courtyard of the meeting tent. 17 It must not be baked with leaven. I have assigned it to them as their portion of my offerings by fire. It is a most holy thing, like the sin offerings and the guilt offerings. 18 Every male from among the children of Aaron may eat it. This will be a perpetual statute for all of your generations concerning the Lord’s offerings by fire. Whoever touches them shall be holy.”[b]
19 The Lord said to Moses, 20 “Aaron and his sons are to make the following offerings to the Lord on the day that they are anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular cereal offering, half in the morning and half in the evening. 21 It will be prepared in a pan with oil. You will bring it well mixed, in baked pieces, like a cereal offering. It shall be a pleasing fragrance to the Lord. 22 That priest from among the sons of Aaron who is anointed to succeed him shall also make this offering. It is a perpetual statute. It shall all be burned in honor of the Lord. 23 Every cereal offering made by a priest shall be burned. It cannot be eaten.”
24 For Sin Offerings. The Lord said to Moses, 25 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them the following: ‘This is the law for sin offerings. The animal being offered for the sin offering shall be slain in the place where burnt offerings are slain, before the Lord. It is most holy. 26 The priest who offered it as a sin offering shall eat it in a holy place, in the courtyard of the meeting tent.[c] 27 Whatever touches the meat shall be holy. If some of the blood is spattered on some clothing, the clothing on which it is spattered shall be washed in a holy place. 28 The earthen vessel in which it is boiled is to be broken. If it has been cooked in a bronze vessel, that will be scoured and rinsed in water. 29 Every male of the priestly family may eat it; it is a most holy thing. 30 But no sin offering will be eaten when its blood was brought into the meeting tent to make atonement in the sanctuary. It will be entirely burned in fire.
Psalm 5[a]
Morning Prayer for Divine Help
1 For the director.[b] With flutes. A psalm of David.
2 Listen to my words, O Lord;
pay heed to my sighs.
3 Hear my cry for help,
my King and my God;
for to you I pray.
4 O Lord, at daybreak[c] you hear my voice;
at daybreak I bring my petition before you
and await your reply.
5 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil cannot remain in your presence.
6 The arrogant shrink before your gaze;
you hate all who do evil.
7 You destroy all who tell lies;
the Lord detests the violent and the deceitful.
8 But I will enter your house
because of your great kindness,[d]
and I will bow down in your holy temple,
filled with awe of you.
9 Lead me in your ways of righteousness, O Lord,
for I am surrounded by enemies;
make your path straight before me.[e]
10 For there is nothing trustworthy in their mouth;[f]
their heart devises treacherous schemes.
Their throat is a wide open grave;
with their tongue they utter flattery.
11 Punish them, O God;
may their intrigues result in their downfall.
Cast them out because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you.[g]
12 But may all who take refuge in you rejoice;
may they shout for joy forever.
Grant them your protection
so that those who love your name[h] may rejoice in you.
13 Truly, you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you surround them with your goodwill as with a shield.
Psalm 6[i]
Evening Prayer for God’s Mercy
1 For the director.[j] With stringed instruments. “Upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.
2 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or punish me in your wrath.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am tottering;
help me, O Lord, for my body is in agony.[k]
4 My soul[l] is also filled with anguish.
But you, O Lord—how long?
5 Turn, O Lord, and deliver my soul;
save me because of your kindness.[m]
6 For among the dead who remembers you?
In the netherworld who sings your praises?[n]
7 I am exhausted from my sighing;
every night I flood my bed with my tears,
and I soak my couch with my weeping.
8 My eyes grow dim because of my grief;
they are worn out[o] because of all my foes.
9 Depart from me, all you evildoers,[p]
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
10 The Lord has listened to my pleas;
the Lord has accepted my prayer.
11 All my enemies will be shamed and terrified;
they will flee in utter confusion.[q]
Chapter 21
The Lord Weighs the Heart[a]
1 A king’s heart is like a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he directs it wherever he pleases.
2 A man’s ways may seem right to him,
but the Lord weighs the heart.
3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.[b]
4 Haughty eyes[c] and a proud heart—
the lamp of the wicked—are nothing but sin.
5 The plans of the diligent will ensure profit,
but rash haste will surely lead to poverty.
6 One who amasses a fortune by means of a lying tongue
is pursuing a fleeting vapor that leads to death.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away
because they refuse to do what is right.
8 The way of the guilty is crooked,
but the conduct of the innocent is straightforward.
9 It is better to live on the corner of a roof
than to share a spacious house with a nagging wife.[d]
10 The soul of the wicked man is intent on evil;
his neighbor beholds no pity in his countenance.
11 When the scoffer[e] is punished, the simple become wiser;
when the wise man is instructed, he increases in knowledge.
12 The Righteous One watches the house of the evildoer
and brings the evildoer to destruction.
13 One who shuts his ears to the cries of the poor
will himself also cry out and not be heard.
14 A gift given secretly appeases anger,
and a gift concealed in the cloak will avert violent wrath.
15 When justice is done, the upright rejoice,
but evildoers are filled with terror.
16 Anyone who strays from the way of prudence
will rest in the company of the shades.[f]
17 Whoever craves pleasure will end up in want;
whoever loves wine and oil will never grow rich.
18 The wicked man serves as a ransom for the righteous,[g]
as does the faithless man for the upright.
19 It is better to live alone in the wilderness
than with a nagging and irritable wife.
20 The house of the wise man is filled with precious treasure and oil,
but the fool squanders all he has.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness[h] and kindness
will find life and honor too.
22 A wise man can storm a city of warriors
and overthrow the stronghold[i] upon which they relied.
23 One who guards his mouth and his tongue
will preserve himself from trouble.
24 A scoffer[j] is a proud and insolent man
who is haughty in everything he does.
25 The cravings of the idler[k] will prove fatal,
since his hands will do no work.
26 All day long the godless man continues to covet,
whereas the righteous man gives unsparingly.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abhorrent,
and more so when it is offered for evil motives.[l]
28 A false witness will perish,
but a truthful witness will never be silenced.
29 A wicked man puts up a bold front,
but an upright man amends his ways.
30 Neither wisdom nor understanding nor counsel
can be of avail against the Lord.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.[m]
Chapter 4
1 Masters, be just and fair in your treatment of your slaves, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Assiduous Prayer.[a] 2 Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. 3 At the same time, pray for us too, so that God may open a door to us to proclaim the word, the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it as clearly as I should.
Christian Behavior.[b] 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with wisdom, so that you will know how to respond properly to all.
Conclusion
Tychicus and Onesimus.[c] 7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you will know how we are and that he may cheer your hearts. 9 He will be accompanied by Onesimus, our trustworthy and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything that has happened here.
10 Paul’s Coworkers. Aristarchus,[d] my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, make him welcome.) 11 And Jesus who is called Justus also greets you. Of all those who are of the circumcision, these are the only ones who are working with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a great comfort to me.
12 Epaphras sends you greetings. He is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, and he is always pleading earnestly in his prayers on your behalf so that you may seek perfection and fulfill the will of God. 13 I can testify for him that he has worked tirelessly for you and those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.[e] 14 Luke,[f] the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.
15 Notes for the Laodiceans. Give my greetings to the brethren in Laodicea, and to Nymphas[g] and the Church in her house. 16 Then when this letter has been read to you, see to it that it is also read to the Church at Laodicea; and I ask you in turn to read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17 Also tell Archippus:[h] “See that you carry out fully the ministry that you received in the Lord.”
18 Paul’s Signature.[i] I, Paul, write this farewell in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
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