M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 40
Setting Up the Tabernacle. 1 Then the Lord said to Moses: 2 (A)On the first day of the first month[a] you shall set up the tabernacle of the tent of meeting.(B) 3 Put the ark of the covenant in it, and screen off the ark with the veil.(C) 4 Bring in the table and set it. Then bring in the menorah and set up the lamps on it. 5 Put the golden altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant, and hang the curtain at the entrance of the tabernacle. 6 Put the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 7 Place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. 8 Set up the court round about, and put the curtain at the gate of the court.
9 (D)Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it, consecrating it and all its furnishings, so that it will be sacred. 10 Anoint the altar for burnt offerings and all its utensils, consecrating it, so that it will be most sacred. 11 Likewise, anoint the basin with its stand, and thus consecrate it.
12 (E)Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and there wash them with water. 13 Clothe Aaron with the sacred vestments and anoint him, thus consecrating him as my priest. 14 Bring forward his sons also, and clothe them with the tunics. 15 As you have anointed their father, anoint them also as my priests. Thus, by being anointed, shall they receive a perpetual priesthood throughout all future generations.
16 Moses did just as the Lord had commanded him. 17 On the first day of the first month of the second year the tabernacle was set up. 18 It was Moses who set up the tabernacle. He placed its pedestals, set up its frames, put in its bars, and set up its columns. 19 He spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering on top of the tent, as the Lord had commanded him. 20 (F)He took the covenant and put it in the ark; he placed poles alongside the ark and set the cover upon it. 21 He brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the curtain veil, thus screening off the ark of the covenant, as the Lord had commanded him. 22 He put the table in the tent of meeting, on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil, 23 and arranged the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded him.(G) 24 He placed the menorah in the tent of meeting, opposite the table, on the south side of the tabernacle, 25 and he set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord had commanded him. 26 He placed the golden altar in the tent of meeting, in front of the veil, 27 and on it he burned fragrant incense, as the Lord had commanded him. 28 He hung the curtain at the entrance of the tabernacle. 29 He put the altar for burnt offerings in front of the entrance of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, and sacrificed burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, as the Lord had commanded him. 30 (H)He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it for washing. 31 Moses and Aaron and his sons used to wash their hands and feet there, 32 for they washed themselves whenever they went into the tent of meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 33 Finally, he set up the court around the tabernacle and the altar and hung the curtain at the gate of the court.
Thus Moses finished all the work.
God’s Presence in the Tabernacle. 34 (I)Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the tent of meeting, because the cloud settled down upon it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Whenever the cloud rose from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on their journey. 37 But if the cloud did not lift, they would not go forward; only when it lifted did they go forward. 38 The cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire in the cloud at night, in the sight of the whole house of Israel in all the stages of their journey.
Chapter 19
1 [a](A)Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. 2 And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, 3 and they came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck him repeatedly. 4 Once more Pilate went out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you, so that you may know that I find no guilt in him.”(B) 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the man!”(C) 6 When the chief priests and the guards saw him they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him. I find no guilt in him.”(D) 7 [b]The Jews answered,(E) “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.” 8 Now when Pilate heard this statement, he became even more afraid, 9 and went back into the praetorium and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” Jesus did not answer him.(F) 10 So Pilate said to him, “Do you not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you and I have power to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered [him], “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above. For this reason the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”(G) 12 Consequently, Pilate tried to release him; but the Jews cried out, “If you release him, you are not a Friend of Caesar.[c] Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.”(H)
13 When Pilate heard these words he brought Jesus out and seated him[d] on the judge’s bench in the place called Stone Pavement, in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 It was preparation day for Passover, and it was about noon.[e] And he said to the Jews, “Behold, your king!” 15 They cried out, “Take him away, take him away! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.[f]
The Crucifixion of Jesus. So they took Jesus, 17 (I)and carrying the cross himself[g] he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 [h]Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.” 20 Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”(J) 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 [i]When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,(K) they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier.(L) They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. 24 So they said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be,” in order that the passage of scripture might be fulfilled [that says]:
“They divided my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.”
This is what the soldiers did. 25 [j](M)Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 26 When Jesus saw his mother[k] and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”(N) 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
28 (O)After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled,[l] Jesus said, “I thirst.”(P) 29 There was a vessel filled with common wine.[m] So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. 30 [n]When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.”(Q) And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
The Blood and Water. 31 Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down.(R) 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, 34 [o](S)but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows[p] that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may [come to] believe.(T) 36 For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled:
“Not a bone of it will be broken.”(U)
37 And again another passage says:
“They will look upon him whom they have pierced.”(V)
The Burial of Jesus.[q] 38 (W)After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. 39 Nicodemus, the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about one hundred pounds.(X) 40 They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. 41 Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. 42 So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.
Chapter 16
1 Plans are made in human hearts,
but from the Lord comes the tongue’s response.[a]
2 All one’s ways are pure[b] in one’s own eyes,
but the measurer of motives is the Lord.(A)
3 Entrust your works to the Lord,
and your plans will succeed.
4 The Lord has made everything for a purpose,
even the wicked for the evil day.[c]
5 Every proud heart[d] is an abomination to the Lord;(B)
be assured that none will go unpunished.
6 By steadfast loyalty guilt is expiated,
and by the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.[e]
7 When the Lord is pleased with someone’s ways,
he makes even enemies be at peace with them.
8 Better a little with justice,
than a large income with injustice.
9 The human heart plans the way,
but the Lord directs the steps.[f](C)
10 An oracle is upon the king’s lips,
no judgment of his mouth is false.[g]
11 Balance and scales belong to the Lord;
every weight in the sack is his concern.(D)
12 Wrongdoing is an abomination to kings,
for by justice the throne endures.(E)
13 The king takes delight in honest lips,
and whoever speaks what is right he loves.(F)
14 The king’s wrath is a messenger of death,(G)
but a wise person can pacify it.
15 A king’s smile means life,
and his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.[h]
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is preferable to silver.[i](H)
17 The path of the upright leads away from misfortune;
those who attend to their way guard their lives.[j]
18 Pride goes before disaster,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 It is better to be humble with the poor
than to share plunder with the proud.(I)
20 Whoever ponders a matter will be successful;
happy the one who trusts in the Lord!
21 The wise of heart is esteemed for discernment,
and pleasing speech gains a reputation for learning.
22 Good sense is a fountain of life to those who have it,
but folly is the training of fools.
23 The heart of the wise makes for eloquent speech,
and increases the learning on their lips.
24 Pleasing words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the taste and invigorating to the bones.
25 Sometimes a way seems right,
but the end of it leads to death!(J)
26 The appetite of workers works for them,
for their mouths urge them on.[k](K)
27 Scoundrels are a furnace of evil,
and their lips are like a scorching fire.
28 Perverse speech sows discord,
and talebearing separates bosom friends.(L)
29 The violent deceive their neighbors,
and lead them into a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks an eye plans perversity;
whoever purses the lips does evil.[l]
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;(M)
it is gained by a life that is just.
32 The patient are better than warriors,
and those who rule their temper, better than the conqueror of a city.(N)
33 Into the bag the lot is cast,
but from the Lord comes every decision.[m]
Chapter 3
Concluding Admonitions. 1 Finally, my brothers, rejoice[a] in the Lord. Writing the same things to you is no burden for me but is a safeguard for you.(A)
V. Polemic: Righteousness and the Goal in Christ[b]
Against Legalistic Teachers. 2 [c]Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil-workers!(B) Beware of the mutilation![d] 3 For we are the circumcision,[e] we who worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh,(C) 4 although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh.(D)
Paul’s Autobiography. If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I. 5 Circumcised on the eighth day,[f] of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee,(E) 6 in zeal I persecuted the church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless.(F)
Righteousness from God. 7 [But] whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss[g] because of Christ.(G) 8 More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ,(H) the righteousness from God, depending on faith 10 to know him and the power of his resurrection and [the] sharing of his sufferings by being conformed to his death,(I) 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.(J)
Forward in Christ.[h] 12 (K)It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity,[i] but I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ [Jesus]. 13 Brothers, I for my part do not consider myself to have taken possession. Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.(L) 15 Let us, then, who are “perfectly mature” adopt this attitude. And if you have a different attitude, this too God will reveal to you. 16 Only, with regard to what we have attained, continue on the same course.[j]
Wrong Conduct and Our Goal.[k] 17 Join with others in being imitators of me,[l] brothers, and observe those who thus conduct themselves according to the model you have in us.(M) 18 For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even in tears, conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.(N) 19 Their end is destruction. Their God is their stomach; their glory is in their “shame.” Their minds are occupied with earthly things.(O) 20 But our citizenship[m] is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.(P) 21 He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body by the power that enables him also to bring all things into subjection to himself.(Q)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.