M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Purification of the Diseased
14 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the rule for the person with a defiling skin disease at the time of his cleansing:
“He shall be brought to the priest;(A) 3 the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall make an examination. If the disease is healed in the defiled person, 4 the priest shall command that two living clean birds and cedarwood and crimson yarn and hyssop be brought for the one who is to be cleansed.(B) 5 The priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay vessel. 6 He shall take the living bird with the cedarwood and the crimson yarn and the hyssop and dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. 7 He shall sprinkle it seven times upon the one who is to be cleansed of the defiling disease; then he shall pronounce him clean, and he shall let the living bird go into the open field.(C) 8 The one who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. After that he shall come into the camp but shall live outside his tent seven days.(D) 9 On the seventh day he shall shave all his hair: of head, beard, eyebrows; he shall shave all his hair. Then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.
10 “On the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish and one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish and a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil and one log[a] of oil.(E) 11 The priest who cleanses shall set the person to be cleansed, along with these things, before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 12 The priest shall take one of the lambs and offer it as a guilt offering, along with the log[b] of oil, and raise them as an elevation offering before the Lord.(F) 13 He shall slaughter the lamb in the place where the purification offering and the burnt offering are slaughtered in the holy place, for the guilt offering, like the purification offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy.(G) 14 The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed and on the thumb of the right hand and on the big toe of the right foot.(H) 15 The priest shall take some of the log[c] of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand 16 and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the Lord. 17 Some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed and on the thumb of the right hand and on the big toe of the right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering. 18 The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the Lord:(I) 19 the priest shall offer the purification offering, to make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward he shall slaughter the burnt offering,(J) 20 and the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement on his behalf, and he shall be clean.
21 “But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be elevated, to make atonement on his behalf, and one-tenth of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil for a grain offering and a log[d] of oil,(K) 22 also two turtledoves or two pigeons, such as he can afford, one for a purification offering and the other for a burnt offering.(L) 23 On the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the Lord,(M) 24 and the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log[e] of oil, and the priest shall raise them as an elevation offering before the Lord.(N) 25 The priest shall slaughter the lamb of the guilt offering and shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed and on the thumb of the right hand and on the big toe of the right foot.(O) 26 The priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand 27 and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord. 28 The priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of the one to be cleansed and on the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot, where the blood of the guilt offering was placed.(P) 29 The rest of the oil that is in the priest’s hand he shall put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement on his behalf before the Lord. 30 And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, such as he can afford,(Q) 31 one[f] for a purification offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering, and the priest shall make atonement before the Lord on behalf of the one being cleansed.(R) 32 This is the rule for the one who has a defiling disease who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing.”
33 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying:
34 “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a defiling disease in a house in the land of your possession,(S) 35 the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, saying, ‘There seems to me to be some sort of disease in my house.’(T) 36 The priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, or all that is in the house will become unclean, and afterward the priest shall go in to inspect the house. 37 He shall examine the disease; if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface, 38 the priest shall go outside to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days.(U) 39 The priest shall come again on the seventh day and make an inspection; if the disease has spread in the walls of the house, 40 the priest shall command that the stones in which the disease appears be taken out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city.(V) 41 He shall have the inside of the house scraped thoroughly, and the plaster that is scraped off shall be dumped in an unclean place outside the city. 42 They shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones and take other plaster and plaster the house.
43 “If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it, 44 the priest shall go and make inspection; if the disease has spread in the house, it is a spreading defiling disease in the house; it is unclean.(W) 45 He shall have the house torn down, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. 46 All who enter the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening, 47 and all who sleep in the house shall wash their clothes, and all who eat in the house shall wash their clothes.
48 “If the priest comes and makes an inspection and the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, the priest shall pronounce the house clean; the disease is healed. 49 For the cleansing of the house he shall take two birds, with cedarwood and crimson yarn and hyssop,(X) 50 and shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay vessel 51 and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the crimson yarn, along with the living bird, and dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water and sprinkle the house seven times.(Y) 52 Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird, and with the fresh water, and with the living bird, and with the cedarwood and hyssop and crimson yarn, 53 and he shall let the living bird go out of the city into the open field; so he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean.(Z)
54 “This is the rule for any defiling disease: for an itch,(AA) 55 for defiling diseases in clothing and houses, 56 and for a swelling[g] or an eruption or a spot,(AB) 57 to determine when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the rule for defiling diseases.”
Psalm 17
Prayer for Deliverance from Persecutors
A Prayer of David.
1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry;
give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2 From you let my vindication come;
let your eyes see the right.
3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night,
if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me;
my mouth does not transgress.(A)
4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.(B)
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.(C)
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.(D)
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.(E)
8 Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,(F)
9 from the wicked who despoil me,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.(G)
11 They flush me out;[a] now they surround me;
they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion eager to tear,
like a young lion lurking in ambush.(H)
13 Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them!
By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,(I)
14 from mortals—by your hand, O Lord—
from mortals whose portion in life is in this world.
May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them;
may their children have more than enough;
may they leave something over to their little ones.(J)
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.(K)
28 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.(A)
2 When a land rebels
it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent[a] person, honesty endures.(B)
3 A poor person who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.(C)
4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law struggle against them.(D)
5 The evil do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.(E)
6 Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.(F)
7 Those who keep the law are wise children,
but companions of gluttons shame their parents.(G)
8 One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest
gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.(H)
9 When one will not listen to the law,
even one’s prayers are an abomination.(I)
10 Those who mislead the upright into evil ways
will fall into pits of their own making,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.(J)
11 The rich is wise in self-esteem,
but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose.(K)
12 When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory,
but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.(L)
13 No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.(M)
14 Happy is the one who is never without fear,
but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.(N)
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.(O)
16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.
17 If someone is burdened with the blood of another,
let that killer be a fugitive until death;
let no one offer assistance.(P)
18 One who walks in integrity will be safe,
but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.[b](Q)
19 Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread,
but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.(R)
20 The faithful will abound with blessings,
but one who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished.(S)
21 To show partiality is not good,
yet for a piece of bread a person may do wrong.
22 The miser is in a hurry to get rich
and does not know that loss is sure to come.
23 Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor
than one who flatters with the tongue.(T)
24 Anyone who robs father or mother
and says, “That is no crime,”
is partner to a thug.(U)
25 The greedy person stirs up strife,
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be enriched.(V)
26 Those who trust in their own wits are fools,
but those who walk in wisdom come through safely.
27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse.(W)
28 When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
The Man of Lawlessness
2 As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters,(A) 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.(B) 3 Let no one deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one[a] is revealed, the one destined for destruction.[b](C) 4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.(D) 5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you? 6 And you know what is now restraining him, so that he may be revealed when his time comes. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who now restrains it is removed.(E) 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus[c] will destroy[d] with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming.(F) 9 The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders,(G) 10 and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.(H) 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false,(I) 12 so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.(J)
Chosen for Salvation
13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits[e] for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.(K) 14 For this purpose he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.(L) 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.(M)
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.(N)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.