M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Punishments for Sin

20 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.^(A) The members of the community are to stone him.^{(B) 3} I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;^(C) for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled^(D) my sanctuary^(E) and profaned my holy name.^{(F) 4} If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,^{(G) 5} I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

⁶ “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.^(H)

⁷ “‘Consecrate yourselves^(I) and be holy,^(J) because I am the Lord your God.^{(K) 8} Keep my decrees^(L) and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.^(M)

⁹ “‘Anyone who curses their father^(N) or mother^(O) is to be put to death.^(P) Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.^(Q)

¹⁰ “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife^(R)—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.^(S)

¹¹ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.^(T) Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.^(U)

¹² “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law,^(V) both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹³ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.^(W) They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁴ “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,^(X) it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire,^(Y) so that no wickedness will be among you.^(Z)

¹⁵ “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,^(AA) he is to be put to death,^(AB) and you must kill the animal.

¹⁶ “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁷ “‘If a man marries his sister^(AC), the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed^(AD) from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.^(AE)

¹⁸ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period,^(AF) he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.^(AG)

¹⁹ “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,^(AH) for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

²⁰ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt,^(AI) he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.^(AJ)

²¹ “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,^(AK) it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.^(AL)

²² “‘Keep all my decrees and laws^(AM) and follow them, so that the land^(AN) where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. ²³ You must not live according to the customs of the nations^(AO) I am going to drive out before you.^(AP) Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.^{(AQ) 24} But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”^(AR) I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.^(AS)

²⁵ “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.^(AT) Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. ²⁶ You are to be holy to me^(AU) because I, the Lord, am holy,^(AV) and I have set you apart from the nations^(AW) to be my own.

²⁷ “‘A man or woman who is a medium^(AX) or spiritist among you must be put to death.^(AY) You are to stone them;^(AZ) their blood will be on their own heads.’”

Psalm 25^[a]

Of David.

A Time for Everything

⁹ What do workers gain from their toil?^{(E) 10} I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.^{(F) 11} He has made everything beautiful in its time.^(G) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet^[a] no one can fathom^(H) what God has done from beginning to end.^{(I) 12} I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ¹³ That each of them may eat and drink,^(J) and find satisfaction^(K) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.^{(L) 14} I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.^(M)

¹⁶ And I saw something else under the sun:

¹⁷ I said to myself,

¹⁸ I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.^{(R) 19} Surely the fate of human beings^(S) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath^[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. ²⁰ All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.^{(T) 21} Who knows if the human spirit rises upward^(U) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

²² So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,^(V) because that is their lot.^(W) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

Widows, Elders and Slaves

5 Do not rebuke an older man^(A) harshly,^(B) but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men^(C) as brothers, ² older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

³ Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need.^{(D) 4} But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents,^(E) for this is pleasing to God.^{(F) 5} The widow who is really in need^(G) and left all alone puts her hope in God^(H) and continues night and day to pray^(I) and to ask God for help. ⁶ But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives.^{(J) 7} Give the people these instructions,^(K) so that no one may be open to blame. ⁸ Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied^(L) the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

⁹ No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, ¹⁰ and is well known for her good deeds,^(M) such as bringing up children, showing hospitality,^(N) washing the feet^(O) of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble^(P) and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.

¹¹ As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. ¹² Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. ¹³ Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies^(Q) who talk nonsense,^(R) saying things they ought not to. ¹⁴ So I counsel younger widows to marry,^(S) to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander.^{(T) 15} Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.^(U)

¹⁶ If any woman who is a believer has widows in her care, she should continue to help them and not let the church be burdened with them, so that the church can help those widows who are really in need.^(V)

¹⁷ The elders^(W) who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor,^(X) especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”^[a](Y) and “The worker deserves his wages.”^{[b](Z) 19} Do not entertain an accusation against an elder^(AA) unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.^{(AB) 20} But those elders who are sinning you are to reprove^(AC) before everyone, so that the others may take warning.^{(AD) 21} I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus^(AE) and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

²² Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands,^(AF) and do not share in the sins of others.^(AG) Keep yourself pure.^(AH)

²³ Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine^(AI) because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.

²⁴ The sins of some are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them. ²⁵ In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden forever.