M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Norms Concerning Ritual Purity[a]
Chapter 11
Clean and Unclean Animals.[b] 1 The Lord said to Moses and to Aaron, 2 “Tell the children of Israel: These are the animals that you may eat from among all the animals upon the earth. 3 You may eat any animal that has a cloven hoof and that eats its cud. 4 From among those animals that chew their cud and have cloven hoofs, you shall not eat the following: camels, for it chews its cud but does not have a divided hoof, so it will be considered to be unclean; 5 the rock badger, for it chews its cud but does not have a divided hoof, so it will be considered to be unclean; 6 the hare, for it chews its cud but does not have a divided hoof, so it will be considered to be unclean; 7 the pig, for its hoof is divided and is cloven hoofed, but it does not chew its cud, so it will be considered to be unclean. 8 You shall not eat their meat nor shall you touch their carcasses. They will be considered to be unclean.
9 “These are the animals that you may eat that live in the water: you may eat anything that has fins and scales in the seas or the rivers. 10 But all the animals that move through the water, whether seas or rivers, that do not have fins or scales will be considered to be an abomination.
11 “They will be an abomination for you. You shall not eat their meat and you shall consider their carcasses to be an abomination. 12 Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales will be an abomination for you.
13 “Among birds the following will be considered to be an abomination; they will not be eaten for they are an abomination: the eagle, the bearded vulture and the osprey, 14 the vulture and every type of falcon, 15 every type of raven, 16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, and every type of hawk, 17 the owl, the cormorant, the ibis, 18 the swan, the pelican, the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 “All winged creatures that crawl upon four legs will be considered to be an abomination for you. 21 Yet from among the insects that walk upon all fours, you may eat those that have two legs above their feet to jump upon the earth. 22 Therefore, you may eat the following: all kinds of locusts, every kind of bald locust, every kind of grasshopper, and every kind of cricket. 23 But every other flying insect that has four feet will be considered to be an abomination.
24 “By these you shall become unclean, whoever touches their carcasses shall be unclean until the evening 25 and whoever carries their carcasses must wash his clothes and shall be unclean until the evening. 26 You shall consider every animal to be unclean that has undivided hoofs and does not chew its cud. Whoever touches them shall be unclean. 27 Every animal that walks upon all fours and walks upon its paws will be unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcasses shall be considered to be unclean until the evening. 28 Whoever carries their carcasses must wash his clothes and shall be considered to be unclean until the evening. These animals will be considered to be unclean.
29 [c]“These are the animals that crawl upon the earth that will be considered to be unclean: the weasel, the mouse, every kind of tortoise, 30 the gecko, the crocodile, the lizard, the snail, and the chameleon. 31 These creeping things will be unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be considered to be unclean until the evening. 32 Anything upon which one of these falls when it is dead will be considered to be unclean, whether it be a wooden vessel or clothing or a skin or a sack, no matter what it is made of. It is to be washed in water and will be considered to be unclean until the evening. Then it will be clean. 33 If one of them falls into an earthen vessel, whatever it contains, it will be considered to be unclean, and it will be broken. 34 Any food upon which water falls will be considered to be unclean. Any liquid that can be drunk in any vessel will be considered to be unclean. 35 Everything upon which any part of their carcass falls will be considered to be unclean. Ovens and stoves will be smashed. They are unclean, and will be held to be unclean by you. 36 But a spring or a cistern where water is stored will be clean. Whoever touches their carcasses shall be unclean. 37 If any part of their carcasses falls upon seed for sowing, it will still be clean. 38 But if water falls on the seed and part of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean to you.
39 “If an animal dies that was intended for food, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 40 Whoever eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and shall be unclean until the evening. Whoever picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and shall be unclean until the evening.
41 “Every creeping thing that crawls upon the earth will be an abomination. It will not be eaten. 42 Everything that goes about upon its belly, and everything that goes about upon on all four legs, and everything that has many feet, hence, any of the creeping things that crawl upon the earth, are not to be eaten, for they are an abomination. 43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any of the creeping things that crawl, nor shall you defile yourselves because of them, lest you make yourselves unclean.
44 [d]“I am the Lord, your God. Consecrate yourselves and be holy for I am holy.[e] You will not defile yourselves with any of the creeping things that crawl upon the earth. 45 I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore, be holy, for I am holy.
46 “This is the law concerning animals and birds and every living creature that moves in the water and everything that crawls upon the earth, 47 so that you might know the difference between that which is unclean and that which is clean, between the animals that you can eat and those that you should not eat.”
Chapter 12
Purification after Childbirth.[f] 1 The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the children of Israel: 2 When a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a male child, she shall be considered to be unclean for seven days, just as when she menstruates. 3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin will be circumcised. 4 Then she shall continue for thirty-three days in the blood of her purifying. She shall not touch any holy thing nor shall she enter into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete. 5 But if she gives birth to a girl, she shall be unclean for two weeks as during her menstruation. She shall continue in the blood of her purifying for sixty-six days.[g]
6 “When the days of her purification for a son or a daughter are complete, she shall bring a year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering to the priest at the entrance to the meeting tent. 7 He shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. She shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for a woman who has borne a male or female child. 8 If she cannot afford to offer a lamb, she shall offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. The priest shall make atonement for her and she shall be clean.”[h]
Psalm 13[a]
Prayer of One in Sorrow
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of David.
2 How long,[c] O Lord—will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
3 How long must I suffer anguish in my soul
and sorrow in my heart[d] day and night?
How long will my enemy lord it over me?
4 Look upon me, O Lord, my God, and answer me;
enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep in death,
5 lest my enemy say, “I have defeated him,”
and my foes exult in my collapse.
6 As for me, I trust in your kindness;[e]
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
7 I will sing to the Lord
because he has been good to me.[f]
Psalm 14[g]
Corruption and Punishment of the Godless
1 For the director.[h] Of David.
The fool says in his heart,[i]
“There is no God.”
People are depraved and their deeds are vile;
there is no one who does what is right.
2 The Lord[j] looks down from heaven
upon the entire human race,
to see if there are any who act with wisdom,
if even a single one seeks God.
3 But they have all left the right path;
all alike are corrupt.
There is no one who does what is right,
not even one.[k]
4 Have all these evildoers[l] no understanding?
They devour my people as they eat bread,
and they never call upon the Lord.
5 But later they will be filled with terror,
for God is on the side of the righteous.[m]
6 They sought to crush the hopes of the poor,[n]
but the Lord is their refuge.
7 Who will accomplish the salvation of Israel
that is to come out of Zion?[o]
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice and Israel will exult.
Chapter 26
How To Deal with the Foolish[a]
1 Like snow in the summer or rain during the harvest,[b]
honor does not befit a fool.
2 Like a fluttering sparrow or a swallow in flight,
an undeserved curse will never reach home.
3 Use a whip for a horse, a bridle for a donkey,
and a stick for the back of fools.[c]
4 [d]Do not reply to a fool in the terms of his folly
or you yourself may become a fool like him.
5 Reply to a fool in the terms of his folly
or he will consider himself wise.
6 Like cutting off one’s foot or submitting to violence
is sending a message by a fool.
7 Like the legs of a lame man dangling helplessly
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
8 Like tying a stone into a sling
is the giving of honor to a fool.
9 Like a thorn branch brandished by a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
10 Like an archer who wounds all who pass by
is one who hires a fool or a drunkard.
11 As a dog returns to its vomit,[e]
so a fool reverts to his folly.
12 Do you know someone who regards himself as wise?[f]
There is more hope for a fool than for him.
A Portrait of Idlers[g]
13 The idler says, “There is a lion in the road,
a lion in the middle of the street.”[h]
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
so does the idler on his bed.
15 One who is lazy will dip his hand into the dish,
but he is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.[i]
16 The idler considers himself to be more wise
than seven men who can offer a sensible reply.
How Human Relations Are Perverted[j]
17 Like one who lifts up a stray dog by the ears
is he who meddles in another person’s quarrel.
18 Like a madman shooting at random
his deadly firebrands and arrows,
19 so is the one who deceives his neighbor
and then says, “I was only joking.”
20 When there is no wood, the fire goes out,
and when there is no talebearer, quarreling ceases.
21 Like coal for burning embers and wood for fire,
so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 The whispers of a gossiper are tasty morsels
that corrode one’s inner being.
23 Like glaze that is spread on earthenware
are smooth lips and a spiteful heart.
24 With his lips an enemy may speak fair words,
but deep within he harbors treachery.
25 When he speaks graciously, do not believe him,
for seven abominations[k] lurk in his heart.
26 A man may cloak his hatred with guile,
but his wickedness will be exposed later in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,[l]
and the stone comes back on the one who rolls it.
28 A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth causes devastation.
Chapter 5
The Christian Life Is One Long Vigil.[a] 1 In regard to specific dates and times,[b] brethren, it is not necessary to write you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the Day of the Lord[c] will come like a thief in the night. 3 When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” instant destruction[d] will overwhelm them, in the manner that labor pains suddenly come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no means of escape.
4 However, brethren, you do not live in darkness, and therefore that Day will not catch you unawares like a thief. 5 For all of you are children of the light[e] and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 6 So we must not fall asleep as the others do, but we must stay alert and sober.
7 Those who sleep do so at night, and those who get drunk do so at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, arming ourselves with faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of salvation as our helmet.[f] 9 [g]For God has not destined us to suffer wrath, but to achieve salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. 11 Therefore, encourage one another and strengthen one another, as indeed you are doing.
Building Up the Community[h]
12 Show Respect for Leaders.[i]Brethren, we beg you to respect those whose duty it is to labor among you as your leaders in the Lord and to admonish you. 13 Show the highest esteem for them in love because of their work. Be at peace with one another.
14 [j]We also exhort you, brethren, to admonish those who are idle, encourage those who are afraid, support those who are weak, and be patient with everybody. 15 Make sure that no one pays back evil for evil. Rather, always aim to achieve what is best for each other and for everyone.
16 [k]Rejoice always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do Not Extinguish the Spirit.[l] Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies.[m] 21 Test everything, and hold fast to what is good. 22 Avoid every form of evil.
Conclusion[n]
23 Final Prayer. May the God of peace himself grant you the gift of perfect sanctity, and may you—spirit and soul and body[o]—be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will accomplish this.
25 Final Greeting. Pray for us, brethren. 26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. 27 I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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