M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Holiness of the Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them: A priest is not to make himself ceremonially unclean for a dead person among his relatives,^{(A) 2} except for his immediate family: his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother. ³ He may make himself unclean for his unmarried virgin sister in his immediate family. ⁴ He is not to make himself unclean for those related to him by marriage^[a] and so defile himself.

⁵ “Priests may not make bald spots on their heads, shave the edge of their beards, or make gashes on their bodies.^{(B) 6} They are to be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God.^(C) For they present the food offerings to the Lord, the food of their God, and they must be holy. ⁷ They are not to marry a woman defiled by prostitution.^[b](D) They are not to marry one divorced^(E) by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. ⁸ You are to consider him holy since he presents the food of your God. He will be holy to you because I, the Lord who sets you apart, am holy. ⁹ If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by promiscuity,^[c](F) she defiles her father; she must be burned to death.^(G)

¹⁰ “The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained^[d] to wear the clothes, must not dishevel his hair^[e] or tear his clothes.^{(H) 11} He must not go near any dead person or make himself unclean even for his father or mother.^{(I) 12} He must not leave the sanctuary or he will desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him;^(J) I am the Lord.

¹³ “He is to marry a woman who is a virgin. ¹⁴ He is not to marry a widow,^(K) a divorced woman,^(L) or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, ¹⁵ so that he does not corrupt his bloodline^[f] among his people, for I am the Lord who sets him apart.”

Physical Defects and Priests

¹⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses: ¹⁷ “Tell Aaron: None of your descendants throughout your generations who has a physical defect^(M) is to come near to present the food^(N) of his God. ¹⁸ No man who has any defect is to come near: no man who is blind, lame, facially disfigured, or deformed; ¹⁹ no man who has a broken foot or hand, ²⁰ or who is a hunchback or a dwarf,^[g](O) or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs,^(P) or a crushed testicle.^{(Q) 21} No descendant of the priest Aaron who has a defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect and is not to come near to present the food of his God. ²² He may eat the food of his God from what is especially holy as well as from what is holy. ²³ But because he has a defect, he must not go near the curtain^(R) or approach the altar. He is not to desecrate my holy places, for I am the Lord who sets them apart.”^{(S) 24} Moses said this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

Psalm 26

Prayer for Vindication

Of David.

Psalm 27

My Stronghold

Of David.

4 Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun.^(A) Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them. ² So I commended the dead,^(B) who have already died, more than the living, who are still alive. ³ But better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed,^(C) who has not seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

The Loneliness of Wealth

⁴ I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to one person’s jealousy of another.^(D) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.^[a](E)

⁷ Again, I saw futility under the sun: ⁸ There is a person without a companion,^[b] without even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches.^(I) “Who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself of good things?” This too is futile and a miserable task.

⁹ Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. ¹⁰ For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. ¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?^{(J) 12} And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

¹³ Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer pays attention to warnings.^{(K) 14} For he came from prison to be king,^(L) even though he was born poor in his kingdom. ¹⁵ I saw all the living, who move about under the sun, follow^[c] a second youth who succeeds him. ¹⁶ There is no limit to all the people who were before them, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.^(M)

Honoring Masters

6 All who are under the yoke as slaves should regard their own masters^[a] as worthy of all respect, so that God’s name^(A) and his teaching will not be blasphemed. ² Let those who have believing masters not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but serve them even better, since those who benefit from their service are believers and dearly loved.^[b](B)

False Doctrine and Human Greed

Teach and encourage these things. ³ If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord^(C) Jesus Christ and with the teaching that promotes godliness,^{(D) 4} he is conceited and understands nothing, but has an unhealthy interest in disputes and arguments over words.^(E) From these come envy,^(F) quarreling,^(G) slander,^(H) evil suspicions, ⁵ and constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved and deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain.^{[c](I) 6} But godliness with contentment is great gain.^{(J) 7} For we brought nothing into the world, and^[d] we can take nothing out.^{(K) 8} If we have food and clothing,^[e] we will be content with these. ⁹ But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root^[f] of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith^(L) and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Fight the Good Fight

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from these things, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,^(M) endurance,^(N) and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight^(O) of the faith. Take hold of eternal life^(P) to which you were called and about which you have made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ In the presence of God, who gives life to all,^(Q) and of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate,^(R) I charge you ¹⁴ to keep this command without fault or failure until the appearing^(S) of our Lord^(T) Jesus Christ. ¹⁵ God will bring this about in his own time.^(U) He is the blessed and only^(V) Sovereign, the King of kings,^(W) and the Lord of lords,^{(X) 16} who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light,^(Y) whom no one has seen or can see,^(Z) to him be honor and eternal power.^(AA) Amen.^(AB)

Instructions to the Rich

¹⁷ Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant^(AC) or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God,^[g] who richly provides us with all things^(AD) to enjoy. ¹⁸ Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works,^(AE) to be generous and willing to share,^{(AF) 19} storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the coming age,^(AG) so that they may take hold of what is truly life.

Guard the Heritage

²⁰ Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you,^(AH) avoiding^(AI) irreverent and empty speech and contradictions from what is falsely called knowledge.^{(AJ) 21} By professing it, some^(AK) people have departed from the faith.^(AL)

Grace be with you all.