M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 20[a]
Consequences of Forbidden Behavior. 1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say again to the children of Israel: ‘Whoever among you sacrifices his child to Molech, whether he be of the children of Israel or of the aliens dwelling in your land, must be put to death. The people of the land will stone him.[b] 3 I will set my face against that man, and cut him off from among his people, for he has sacrificed his child to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name. 4 If the people of the land ignore the fact that a man has sacrificed his child to Molech, and they do not kill him, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his people, and I will cut him off, and I will cut off from their people all who go whoring after him, all those who whore after Molech.
6 “ ‘I will turn my face against that person who consults mediums and wizards, and I will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord, your God. 8 You shall observe my statutes and obey them. I am the Lord who consecrates you.
9 “ ‘Everyone who curses his father or his mother must be put to death. He who curses his father or his mother[c] is guilty of his blood. 10 When a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 The man who sleeps with his father’s wife has uncovered the nakedness of his father. They must be put to death; their blood is upon their own heads. 12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have done something perverse and their blood is upon their own heads. 13 If a man has sex with another man, like one would have sex with a woman, both of them must be put to death. Their blood is upon their own heads. 14 It is lewd for a man to marry a woman and her mother. Both he and they are to be burned with fire so that there might not be any lewdness among you. 15 If a man has sex with an animal, he must die. You shall also slay the animal. 16 If a woman approaches an animal to have sex with it, you shall kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death, for their blood is upon their own heads. 17 If a man marries his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is shameful. They shall be cut off from their people, for he uncovered his sister’s nakedness and he shall bear his guilt.[d]
18 “ ‘If a man has sex with a woman during her menstrual time, they shall have uncovered her flow of blood, and they shall both be cut off from among their people. 19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, for someone who uncovers a close relation shall bear his guilt. 20 A man shall not have sex with his uncle’s wife, for he shall have laid bare his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their guilt and die childless. 21 It is unclean for a man to marry his brother’s wife for he shall have uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.
22 “ ‘You shall therefore observe all of my statutes and ordinances and obey them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to dwell in will not vomit you out. 23 You shall not follow the ways of the nations that I cast out before you for having done all these things that I abhorred. 24 But I have said to you, “You will inherit their land. I will give it to you to be your own, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord, your God, who chose you from among all people.” 25 You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, so that you shall not make yourselves detestable by any animal or bird or anything that creeps on the ground that I indicated as being unclean. 26 You shall be holy, for I, the Lord, am holy. I have chosen you from among all people that you shall be mine.
27 “ ‘A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard must be put to death. You will stone them with stones, for their blood is upon their heads.’ ”
Psalm 25[a]
Prayer for Guidance and Help
1 [b]Of David.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
2 in you, O my God, I trust.
Do not let me be put to shame,
or permit my enemies to gloat over me.
3 No one who places his hope in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will be the lot of all
who break faith without justification.
4 [c]Make your ways known to me, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and instruct me,
for you are God, my Savior,
and in you I hope all the day long.
6 Be mindful, O Lord, that mercy and kindness
have been yours from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth
or my many transgressions,
but remember me in your kindness,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.
8 [d]Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore, he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them the path to follow.
10 The ways of the Lord[e] are kindness and truth
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For the sake of your name,[f] O Lord,
pardon my iniquity, great though it be.
12 Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord?
He will be shown the path he should choose.[g]
13 He will enjoy lasting prosperity,
and his descendants will inherit the land.[h]
14 The Lord manifests himself to those who fear him,[i]
and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever upon the Lord,
for he alone can free my feet from the snare.
16 [j]Turn to me and have mercy on me,
for I am alone and afflicted.
17 Relieve the anguish of my heart[k]
and free me from my distress.
18 Look upon my affliction and suffering,
and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how numerous are my enemies,
and how fierce is their hatred of me.
20 Preserve my life and deliver me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I seek refuge in you.
21 Let integrity and virtue preserve me,
for in you I place my hope.
22 Redeem[l] Israel, O God,
from all its troubles.
Chapter 3
A Time for Everything[a]
1 For everything there is a season,
and a time[b] for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to discard.
7 A time to tear, and a time to mend;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
8 A time to love, and a time to hate:
a time for war, and a time for peace.
9 What gain does the worker have from his toil? 10 I have observed the tasks that God has designated to keep men occupied. 11 He has made everything suitable for its time, and he has given men a sense of past and future,[c] but they never have the slightest comprehension of what God has wrought from beginning to end.
12 I understand that man’s greatest happiness is to be glad and do well throughout his life. 13 And when we eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our labors, this is a gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or subtracted from it. God has done this so that everyone will be in awe standing in his presence.
15 Whatever is now has already been,
that which is to come already is,
and God will restore whatever might be displaced.
16 The Problem of Retribution.[d] Moreover, I observed something else under the sun:
Where justice should be, there was wickedness,
and iniquity was in the place of righteousness.
17 But I remained confident in my belief
that God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,
for he has appointed a time for every matter
and he will issue a judgment on every work.
18 I said to myself that in dealing with men it is God’s purpose to test them in order to show them that they are animals. 19 For the fate of men and beasts is identical: as the one dies, so does the other. They all have the same life-breath, and man has no advantage over the beast in this regard. For everything is vanity. 20 All go to the same place: all were made from the dust, and to the dust all will return.
21 Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of an animal goes downward to the earth?[e] 22 And so I came to realize that there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his work, since that is his lot. No one has the power to let him see what will happen after he is gone.
Specific Regulations for Various Groups[a]
Chapter 5
Different Age Groups.[b] 1 Never speak harshly to an older man; rather, appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with the greatest purity.
Widows.[c] 3 Give proper consideration to those widows who are truly in need. 4 If a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to carry out their religious duty to their own family and repay their debt to their parents, for this is pleasing in the eyes of God.
5 However, a widow who is truly in need and is alone in the world places all her trust in God and never ceases her prayers and supplications night and day. 6 But the widow who is interested solely in pleasure is dead even while she lives.
7 Insist upon these things, so that people may be beyond reproach. 8 And whoever does not provide for relatives, especially for those who are living with him, has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 A woman should not be enrolled as a widow if she is not at least sixty years old. In addition, she must have been married only once, 10 and have a reputation for good works by bringing up her children, offering hospitality to strangers, washing the feet of the saints,[d] helping those in distress, and being active in all kinds of good work.
11 However, refuse to enroll younger widows, for when their passions distract them from the service of Christ, they will want to marry again 12 and will incur condemnation for having broken their original vow. 13 In addition, they fall into the habit of being idle, as they go around from house to house, and also become gossips and busybodies, saying things that would better be left unsaid.
14 Therefore, I think younger widows should marry again, bear children, and manage their households, so as not to give our enemies any occasion to revile us. 15 Indeed, some have already turned away to follow Satan.
16 If any woman believer has relatives who are widows, she must assist them herself. The Church should be free of such burdens and consequently able to assist those who are widows in the true sense.
17 Presbyters.[e] Presbyters who do their duty well should be considered deserving of a double honor,[f] especially those who labor at preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “A worker deserves his wages.”[g]
19 Never accept any accusation brought against a presbyter except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 20 As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them publicly, so that the others may also be afraid.
21 In the presence of God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels,[h] I charge you to follow these rules impartially and without being influenced by any favoritism. 22 Do not lay hands on others too hastily or you may find yourself regarded as an accomplice in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.
23 Stop drinking nothing but water. Take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.
24 The sins of some people are so flagrant that they are publicly known before judgment, while the sins of others will only become known later on. 25 In the same manner, good works are often easily recognized, but even if they are not, they cannot remain hidden forever.
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