M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 10
The Death of Nadab and Abihu.[a] 1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer. They put fire and incense into them and offered unholy fire before the Lord, not as he had prescribed for them. 2 But a fire came out from the presence of the Lord and it devoured them and they died before the Lord. 3 Moses therefore said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘I will show myself to be holy to those who draw near to me and I will be glorified before all of the people.’ ” Aaron therefore remained silent. 4 Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron, and told them, “Come here and carry away your relatives from the sanctuary. Take them outside of the camp.” 5 They drew near and carried them and their tunics away outside of the camp, as Moses had told them.
6 To Aaron, to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, Moses said, “Do not uncover the hair of your heads nor rend your garments, lest you die and lest the wrath of the Lord come upon the entire community. But let your brothers, the whole household of Israel, mourn the burning that the Lord kindled.[b] 7 Do not go out from the entrance of the meeting tent lest you die, for the oil of anointing of the Lord is upon you.” They did what Moses told them.
Prohibition against Wine. 8 The Lord said to Aaron, 9 “Do not drink wine or strong drink when you are to enter the tent of meeting, neither you nor your sons, lest you die. This will be a statute forever throughout all of your generations. 10 [c]This is so that you can distinguish between what is holy and unholy, and between what is unclean and clean, 11 so that you can teach the children of Israel all of the statutes that the Lord gave through Moses.”
12 Consuming Holy Things. Then Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, “Take what is left over from the cereal offering after part has been offered by fire to the Lord, and eat it unleavened near the altar, for it is most holy. 13 You must eat it in a holy place, for it is the part assigned to you and to your sons from the sacrifices offered by fire in honor of the Lord, for thus I have been commanded. 14 The breast of the wave offering and the thigh that has been offered will also be eaten by you, your sons, and your daughters, in a clean place, for they have been assigned to you as your portion and your sons’ portion from the peace offerings of the children of Israel.
15 “They will take the thigh that is offered and the breast that is a wave offering together with the fat parts that are to be burned, and they will wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. This will be your portion and your sons’ portion as your right forever, just as the Lord has commanded.”
16 Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found out that it had been burned. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron. He said, 17 “Why have you not eaten the sacrifice of the sin offering in a holy place, for it a most holy thing? It was given to you to bear the iniquity of the community, to make atonement before the Lord. 18 Behold, the blood of the offering was not brought inside of the sanctuary. You should have eaten it in the sanctuary as I ordered you.” 19 Aaron said to Moses, “Behold, today they brought their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord. After these things have happened to me, should I have eaten the sacrifice of the sin offering? Would this have been pleasing to the Lord?” 20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
Psalm 11[a]
Unshakable Confidence in God
1 For the director.[b] Of David.
[c]In the Lord I take refuge.
How can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to your mountains!
2 For behold, the wicked are bending their bows
as they fit their arrows to the string
so that from the shadows
they can shoot at those who are upright.[d]
3 If the foundations[e] are destroyed,
what can be done by those who are righteous?”
4 [f]The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord, whose throne is in heaven.
His eyes are fixed on the world;
his gaze examines everyone.
5 The Lord tests the upright and the wicked;
he detests the lover of violence.
6 Upon the wicked he will rain down
fiery coals and brimstone;[g]
a scorching wind will be their allotted portion.
7 For the Lord is just
and he loves righteous deeds;
the upright will behold his face.[h]
Psalm 12[i]
Prayer against the Arrogance of Sinners
1 For the director.[j] “Upon the eighth.” A psalm of David.
2 Help, O Lord, for there are no godly left;
the faithful have vanished from the human race.
3 Neighbors utter lies to each other;
they speak with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.[k]
4 May the Lord destroy all flattering lips
and every boastful tongue,
5 those who say, “We will prevail by our tongues;
with our lips as our ally,
who can lord it over us?”
6 “The poor have been oppressed,
and those who are needy groan.
Therefore, I will rise up now,” says the Lord;
“I will grant them the safety
for which they long.”
7 And the promises of the Lord are certain;
they are like silver refined in a furnace
and purified seven times.[l]
8 [m]You, O Lord, will watch over us
and preserve us from this generation forever.
9 For the wicked prowl on every side,
and what is vile is exalted by mankind.
Proverbs of Solomon from the Collection of the Men of Hezekiah[a]
These are some other proverbs of Solomon that were transcribed by the men of King Hezekiah of Judah:
Chapter 25
These are some other proverbs of Solomon that were transcribed by the men of King Hezekiah of Judah:
God, the King, and the People[b]
2 To keep something secret is the glory of God,
but to have it searched out is the glory of kings.
3 Like the heavens in height and the earth in depth,
the heart of a king is unfathomable.[c]
4 If you remove the dross from silver,
it emerges completely purified.
5 If you remove the wicked from the king’s presence,
his throne will be founded on righteousness.
6 [d]Do not push yourself forward in the king’s presence
or take a place where the great assemble.
7 For it is better to be told, “Come up closer,”
than to be humiliated in the presence of the prince.
Observations and Recommendations[e]
8 What your eyes have witnessed,
do not hastily testify to at the trial;
for what will you do at the end
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
9 Argue your case with your neighbor
but do not disclose another’s secret,
10 for fear your listener will reproach you
and your reputation will be irretrievably damaged.[f]
11 Like apples of gold inlaid with silver
are words that are aptly spoken.
12 Like a gold ring or a necklace of fine gold
is a wise man’s rebuke to an attentive ear.
13 Like the coolness of snow at the time of harvest
is a faithful messenger to those who dispatch him;
he revives the spirit of his masters.
14 Like clouds and wind that bring no rain[g]
is the one who boasts of gifts that are never given.
15 A ruler may be won over by patience,
and a gentle tongue can break bones.
16 If you find honey, eat only enough to satisfy you,
for if you consume too much, you will vomit it up.
17 Do not enter too frequently into your neighbor’s house
lest he become tired of you and begin to hate you.
18 Like a club or a sword or a keen arrow
is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.
19 Like a decaying tooth or a lame foot
is trust in a faithless man on the day of trouble.
20 Like one who takes away clothing on a cold day,
like one who dresses a wound with vinegar,
is one who sings songs to a grieving heart.[h]
21 [i]If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat;
if he is thirsty, offer him something to drink.
22 By doing so you will heap fiery coals upon his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
23 The north wind produces rain,
and a backbiting tongue causes angry looks.
24 It is better to live on the corner of a roof
than to share a spacious house with a nagging wife.[j]
25 Like cold water to a thirsty throat
is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddy spring or a polluted well
is a righteous man who trembles before the wicked.
27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
neither is it honorable to seek one’s own honor.
28 Like a city that has been breached and made defenseless
is the man devoid of self-control.
God Wills Your Sanctification[a]
Chapter 4
Respect for the Body.[b] 1 Finally, brethren, you learned from us how you ought to live so that you may be pleasing to God—and as you are indeed doing. Now we ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus to do so even more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 It is the will of God that you should lead a life of sanctity. You must refrain from sexual immorality. 4 Each of you must learn to acquire a wife from pure and honorable motives, 5 not to gratify passion[c] like the Gentiles who do not know God. 6 No one is ever to wrong or take advantage of a brother in this regard.
As we have previously instructed you and solemnly warned you, the Lord is the avenger in all this. 7 For God has called us to holiness, not to impurity. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects these instructions[d] rejects not human authority but the God who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
An Honorable Life.[e] 9 In respect to brotherly love, there is no necessity to write to you about that, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another. 10 And indeed you have shown your love to all the brethren throughout Macedonia. However, we urge you, brethren, to make even greater progress in this regard.
11 Strive to live quietly, to attend to your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you.[f] 12 In this way, you will earn the respect of outsiders and not have to be dependent on anyone.
13 The Dead and the Living at the Lord’s Coming.[g] We do not wish you to be uncertain, brethren, about those who have fallen asleep.[h] You should not grieve as do those who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so too do we believe that God will bring forth with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15 Indeed, we can assure you, on the word of the Lord himself, that we who are still alive at the coming of the Lord will not have any advantage over those who have fallen asleep.[i] 16 When the command is given, at the sound of the archangel’s voice and the call of God’s trumpet, the Lord himself will descend from heaven, and those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise.
17 Then those of us who are still alive and are left will be caught up[j] together with them on clouds in the air to meet the Lord. And so, we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore, comfort one another[k] with these words.
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