M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
5 “Anyone refusing to give testimony concerning what he knows about a crime is guilty.
2 “Anyone touching anything ceremonially unclean—such as the dead body of an animal forbidden for food, wild or domesticated, or the dead body of some forbidden insect—is guilty, even though he wasn’t aware of touching it. 3 Or if he touches human discharge of any kind, he becomes guilty as soon as he realizes that he has touched it.
4 “If anyone makes a rash vow, whether the vow is good or bad, when he realizes what a foolish vow he has taken, he is guilty.
5 “In any of these cases, he shall confess his sin 6 and bring his guilt offering to the Lord, a female lamb or goat, and the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be freed from his sin, and need not fulfill the vow.[a]
7 “If he is too poor to bring a lamb to the Lord, then he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons as his guilt offering; one of the birds shall be his sin offering and the other his burnt offering. 8 The priest shall offer as the sin sacrifice whichever bird is handed to him first, breaking its neck, but not severing its head from its body. 9 Then he shall sprinkle some of the blood at the side of the altar and the rest shall be drained out at the base of the altar; this is the sin offering. 10 He shall offer the second bird as a burnt offering, following the customary procedures that have been set forth; so the priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin, and he shall be forgiven.
11 “If he is too poor to bring turtledoves or young pigeons as his sin offering, then he shall bring a tenth of a bushel of fine flour. He must not mix it with olive oil or put any incense on it because it is a sin offering. 12 He shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take out a handful as a representative portion and burn it on the altar just as any other offering to Jehovah made by fire; this shall be his sin offering. 13 In this way the priest shall make atonement for him for any sin of this kind, and he shall be forgiven. The rest of the flour shall belong to the priest, just as was the case with the grain offering.”
14 And the Lord said to Moses, 15 “If anyone sins by unintentionally defiling what is holy, then he shall bring a ram without defect, worth whatever fine[b] you charge against him, as his guilt offering to the Lord. 16 And he shall make restitution for the holy thing he has defiled, or the tithe omitted,[c] by paying for the loss, plus a 20 percent penalty; he shall bring it to the priest, and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.
17-18 “Anyone who disobeys some law of God without realizing it is guilty anyway, and must bring his sacrifice of a value determined by Moses. This sacrifice shall be a ram without blemish taken to the priest as a guilt offering; with it the priest shall make atonement for him, so that he will be forgiven for whatever it is he has done without realizing it. 19 It must be offered as a guilt offering, for he is certainly guilty before the Lord.”
3 A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom
O Lord, so many are against me. So many seek to harm me. I have so many enemies. 2 So many say that God will never help me. 3 But Lord, you are my shield, my glory, and my only hope. You alone can lift my head, now bowed in shame.[a]
4 I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me from his Temple in Jerusalem.[b] 5 Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me. 6 And now, although ten thousand enemies surround me on every side, I am not afraid. 7 I will cry to him, “Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!” And he will slap them in the face, insulting them and breaking off their teeth.[c]
8 For salvation comes from God. What joys he gives to all his people.
4 O God, you have declared me perfect in your eyes;[d] you have always cared for me in my distress; now hear me as I call again. Have mercy on me. Hear my prayer.
2 The Lord God asks, “Sons of men, will you forever turn my glory into shame by worshiping these silly idols, when every claim that’s made for them is false?”
3 Mark this well: The Lord has set apart the redeemed for himself. Therefore he will listen to me and answer when I call to him. 4 Stand before the Lord in awe,[e] and do not sin against him. Lie quietly upon your bed in silent meditation. 5 Put your trust in the Lord, and offer him pleasing sacrifices.
6 Many say that God will never help us. Prove them wrong,[f] O Lord, by letting the light of your face shine down upon us. 7 Yes, the gladness you have given me is far greater than their joys at harvest time as they gaze at their bountiful crops. 8 I will lie down in peace and sleep, for though I am alone, O Lord, you will keep me safe.
20 Wine gives false courage; hard liquor leads to brawls; what fools men are to let it master them, making them reel drunkenly down the street!
2 The king’s fury is like that of a roaring lion; to rouse his anger is to risk your life.
3 It is an honor for a man to stay out of a fight. Only fools insist on quarreling.
4 If you won’t plow in the cold, you won’t eat at the harvest.
5 Though good advice lies deep within a counselor’s heart, the wise man will draw it out.
6 Most people will tell you what loyal friends they are, but are they telling the truth?
7 It is a wonderful heritage to have an honest father.
8 A king sitting as judge weighs all the evidence carefully, distinguishing the true from false.
9 Who can ever say, “I have cleansed my heart; I am sinless”?
10 The Lord despises every kind of cheating.[a]
11 The character of even a child can be known by the way he acts—whether what he does is pure and right.
12 If you have good eyesight and good hearing, thank[b] God who gave them to you.
13 If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Stay awake, work hard, and there will be plenty to eat!
14 “Utterly worthless!” says the buyer as he haggles over the price. But afterwards he brags about his bargain!
15 Good sense is far more valuable than gold or precious jewels.
16 It is risky to make loans to strangers!
17 Some men enjoy cheating, but the cake they buy with such ill-gotten gain will turn to gravel in their mouths.
18 Don’t go ahead with your plans without the advice of others; don’t go to war until they agree.
19 Don’t tell your secrets to a gossip unless you want them broadcast to the world.
20 God puts out the light of the man who curses his father or mother.
21 Quick wealth is not a blessing in the end.
22 Don’t repay evil for evil. Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.
23 The Lord loathes all cheating and dishonesty.[c]
24 Since the Lord is directing our steps, why try to understand everything that happens along the way?
25 It is foolish and rash to make a promise to the Lord before counting the cost.
26 A wise king stamps out crime by severe punishment.
27 A man’s conscience[d] is the Lord’s searchlight exposing his hidden motives.
28 If a king is kind, honest, and fair, his kingdom stands secure.
29 The glory of young men is their strength; of old men, their experience.[e]
30 Punishment that hurts chases evil from the heart.
3 Since you became alive again, so to speak, when Christ arose from the dead, now set your sights on the rich treasures and joys of heaven where he sits beside God in the place of honor and power. 2 Let heaven fill your thoughts; don’t spend your time worrying about things down here. 3 You should have as little desire for this world as a dead person does. Your real life is in heaven with Christ and God. 4 And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories.
5 Away then with sinful, earthly things; deaden the evil desires lurking within you; have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires; don’t worship the good things of life, for that is idolatry. 6 God’s terrible anger is upon those who do such things. 7 You used to do them when your life was still part of this world; 8 but now is the time to cast off and throw away all these rotten garments of anger, hatred, cursing, and dirty language.
9 Don’t tell lies to each other; it was your old life with all its wickedness that did that sort of thing; now it is dead and gone. 10 You are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more of what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within you. 11 In this new life one’s nationality or race or education or social position is unimportant; such things mean nothing. Whether a person has Christ is what matters, and he is equally available to all.
12 Since you have been chosen by God who has given you this new kind of life, and because of his deep love and concern for you, you should practice tenderhearted mercy and kindness to others. Don’t worry about making a good impression on them, but be ready to suffer quietly and patiently. 13 Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
14 Most of all, let love guide your life, for then the whole church will stay together in perfect harmony. 15 Let the peace of heart that comes from Christ be always present in your hearts and lives, for this is your responsibility and privilege as members of his body. And always be thankful.
16 Remember what Christ taught, and let his words enrich your lives and make you wise; teach them to each other and sing them out in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing to the Lord with thankful hearts. 17 And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, and come with him into the presence of God the Father to give him your thanks.
18 You wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what the Lord has planned for you. 19 And you husbands must be loving and kind to your wives and not bitter against them nor harsh.
20 You children must always obey your fathers and mothers, for that pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, don’t scold your children so much that they become discouraged and quit trying.
22 You slaves must always obey your earthly masters, not only trying to please them when they are watching you but all the time; obey them willingly because of your love for the Lord and because you want to please him. 23 Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters, 24 remembering that it is the Lord Christ who is going to pay you, giving you your full portion of all he owns. He is the one you are really working for. 25 And if you don’t do your best for him, he will pay you in a way that you won’t like—for he has no special favorites who can get away with shirking.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.