M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 9[a]
The Priests’ Offering. 1 The eighth day[b] Moses summoned Aaron, his sons, and the elders of Israel 2 and said to Aaron, “Take a young male calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. Both are to be without defect. Offer them to the Lord. 3 Say to the children of Israel, ‘Bring a kid goat as a sin offering, a calf and a lamb, both one-year-old, without defect, for a burnt offering, 4 a bull and a ram for a peace offering, to burn them before the Lord, and a cereal offering mixed with oil, for today the Lord shall appear to you.’ ”
5 They brought them to the meeting tent as Moses had commanded. The whole community approached and stood before the Lord. 6 [c]Moses said, “Behold, this is what the Lord has commanded. Do it, and the glory of the Lord shall appear.”
7 Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar. Offer your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and for your people. Present the people’s offering and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”
8 Aaron therefore drew near the altar and slew the calf of the sin offering, the offering for himself. 9 His sons brought the blood to him and he dipped his finger in it and put it on the horns of the altar, pouring the rest of the blood out at the base of the altar. 10 They burned the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver of the sin offering on the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 11 They burned the meat and the skin on a fire outside of the camp. 12 They then slew the burnt offering. The sons of Aaron brought the blood to him and he sprinkled it around the altar. 13 They also brought the burnt offering to him. It was cut into pieces. He burned the pieces and the head upon the altar. 14 He washed the entrails and the legs and burned them upon the burnt offering on top of the altar.
15 The People’s Offering. They then presented the offering of the people. They brought the goat of the sin offering for the people. They slew it and offered it as a sin offering, as they had done with the first one. 16 After this they offered the second burnt offering according to custom.
17 They then presented the cereal offering. They took a handful and burned it upon the altar beside the morning burnt offering. 18 They slew the bull and the ram of the peace offering of the people. The sons of Aaron brought the blood and they poured it around the altar. 19 They brought the fat parts of the bull and the ram: the tail, the fat around the entrails, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver. 20 They placed the fat upon the breasts. He burned them upon the altar. 21 Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the Lord, in the manner that Moses had commanded.
The Lord’s Glory Revealed.22 [d]Aaron, raising his hands toward the people, blessed them, and, after he had sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, descended from the altar. 23 Moses and Aaron entered the meeting tent. They then went out and blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 A fire came out from the presence of the Lord and it consumed the burnt offering and the fat upon the altar. All the people saw this. They cried out and fell upon their faces.
Psalm 10[a]
Prayer for Help against Oppressors
1 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you remain hidden in times of trouble?
2 In his arrogance the wicked hunts down the poor;
let him be ensnared by the schemes he has devised.
3 The wicked boasts of his wicked desires;
he upholds the greedy and renounces the Lord.
4 Filled with arrogance, he does not seek God,
but thinks, “God does not exist.”[b]
5 The wicked always seems to prosper;
your judgments are far from his mind,
and he scoffs at all those who oppose him.
6 He says in his heart,[c] “I will not be swayed;
I will never experience misfortune.”
7 His mouth is filled with curses, deceit, and threats;[d]
his tongue breeds evil and malice.
8 He lies in wait near the villages,
and from ambush he slays the innocent;
his eyes are on the watch for the helpless.
9 He lies in wait like a lurking lion,
ready to strike the helpless;
he snares his victims,
seizing them in his net.
10 He crouches and lies low,
and the poor are overwhelmed by his might.
11 He thinks in his heart,
“God has forgotten;
he hides his face and will never see what is happening.”
12 Arise, O Lord! Lift up your hand, O God!
Do not forget the afflicted.
13 Why should the wicked reject God
and say in his heart,
“He will not call me to account”?
14 But you note our troubles and our grief
so that you may resolve our difficulties.
The helpless entrusts himself to you;
you are the recourse of the fatherless.
15 Break the arms of the sinner and the evildoer;
seek out the wicked
until no more endure.[e]
16 [f]The Lord is King forever and ever;
the heathen will disappear from his land.
17 You listen, O Lord, to the longings of the poor;
you strengthen their courage and heed their prayers.
18 You ensure justice for the fatherless and the oppressed
so that no one on earth may fill them with terror.
Chapter 24
Do Not Be Envious of the Wicked[a]
1 Do not be envious of the wicked
or desire to be in their company.
2 For their hearts scheme of violence,
and their lips speak only of mischief.
3 By wisdom a house is built;
by understanding it is made secure.
4 By knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and desirable riches of all kinds.
5 A wise man is mightier than a strong man,
and a man of knowledge prevails over one who has strength.
6 For you wage war by wise guidance,
and victory depends on a host of counselors.
7 Wisdom is too lofty for a fool;
at the city gate he does not open his mouth.[b]
8 Anyone who plans to do evil
earns a reputation for intrigue.
9 The intrigues of fools are sinful,[c]
and men find the scoffer abhorrent.
10 If you lose heart in time of adversity,
your strength will indeed be limited.
11 [d]Rescue those who are being led away to death
and save those who are on their way to execution.
12 If you say, “I do not know this man,”
will he who tests the heart not perceive it?
He who is the guardian of your soul knows it,
and he will repay you as your deeds deserve.
13 Eat honey,[e] my son, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to the taste.
14 In much the same manner
will wisdom be sweet to your soul.
If you find it, you will have a future,
and your hope[f] will not be cut off.
15 Do not lie in wait at the home of a righteous man;
do not raid his dwelling.
16 For a righteous man falls seven times[g] and rises again,
but the wicked stumble into calamity.
17 Do not be glad when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart exult,
18 for fear that the Lord will be displeased at the sight
and withdraw his wrath from your enemy.
19 Do not become outraged about evildoers
or be envious of the wicked.[h]
20 For they will have no tomorrow;
the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
21 My son, fear the Lord and fear the king;[i]
avoid those who rebel against them.
22 For disaster will strike them suddenly,
and who knows what ruin will afflict them and their friends?[j]
Other Sayings of the Wise[k]
23 [l]These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judgment
is an invidious act.
24 Whoever says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25 But those who convict the evildoer will fare well,
and they will be blessed with prosperity.
26 Anyone who offers an honest answer
gives a kiss on the lips.
27 Plan what you want outside
and make everything ready on the land;
once you have done this,
you can go forth and build your house.
28 Never be a witness against your neighbor without good reason
or deceive with your lips.
29 Never say, “I will do to him as he has done to me;
I will pay him back for what he has done.”
I Passed by the Field of a Lazy Idler . . .[m]
30 I passed by the field of a lazy idler,[n]
by the vineyard of a man without sense.
31 I saw that it was completely overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with weeds,
and its stone wall was broken down.
32 And as I gazed at it and reflected,
I drew this lesson from the sight:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and poverty will come upon you like a thief,
and want will assail you like an armed warrior.
Chapter 3
Standing Firm in the Lord.[a] 1 Therefore, when we[b] could not stand it any longer, we decided to remain alone in Athens. 2 We sent Timothy, our brother and coworker for God[c] in the gospel of Christ, to confirm and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one might be troubled by these hardships.
You yourselves realize that we were destined to endure such afflictions. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we warned you beforehand that we could suffer persecution, and that is what has now come to pass, as you are well aware. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn of your faith, lest the tempter might have put you to the test and all our labor might have been for naught.
6 But Timothy has just now returned to us from you and brought us the joyful news of your faith and love. He tells us that you always speak fondly of us and long to see us just as much as we long to see you.[d] 7 For this reason, brethren, in the midst of our distress and hardship we have been reassured by your faith. 8 For now we live inasmuch as you stand firm in the Lord.
Plea for Growth in Holiness. 9 How can we possibly give thanks to God for all the joy we feel in the presence of our God because of you? 10 We pray fervently day and night that we will be allowed to see you face to face once again and complete whatever may be lacking in your faith.
11 May our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus prepare the way to you. 12 May the Lord[e] cause your love to increase and overflow for one another and for everyone else, just as our love does for you. 13 May he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may stand blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.[f] [Amen.]
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.