M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Votive Offerings
27 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When a person makes an explicit vow to the Lord concerning the equivalent for a human being, 3 the equivalent for a male shall be: from twenty to sixty years of age the equivalent shall be fifty shekels of silver by the sanctuary shekel.(A) 4 If the person is a female, the equivalent is thirty shekels. 5 If the age is from five to twenty years of age, the equivalent is twenty shekels for a male and ten shekels for a female. 6 If the age is from one month to five years, the equivalent for a male is five shekels of silver, and for a female the equivalent is three shekels of silver.(B) 7 And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the equivalent for a male is fifteen shekels and for a female ten shekels. 8 If any cannot afford the equivalent, they shall be brought before the priest and the priest shall assess them; the priest shall assess them according to what each one making a vow can afford.(C)
9 “If the vow concerns an animal that may be brought as an offering to the Lord, any such animal that may be given to the Lord shall be holy. 10 Another shall not be exchanged or substituted for it, either good for bad or bad for good, and if one animal is substituted for another, both that one and its substitute shall be holy. 11 If the vow concerns any unclean animal that may not be brought as an offering to the Lord, the animal shall be presented before the priest. 12 The priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, according to the assessment of the priest, so it shall be.(D) 13 But if it is to be redeemed, one-fifth must be added to the assessment.(E)
14 “If a person consecrates a house to the Lord, the priest shall assess it: whether good or bad, as the priest assesses it, so it shall stand. 15 And if the one who consecrates the house wishes to redeem it, one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it shall revert to the original owner.(F)
16 “If a person consecrates to the Lord any inherited landholding, its assessment shall be in accordance with its seed requirements: fifty shekels of silver to a homer of barley seed. 17 If the person consecrates the field as of the year of Jubilee, that assessment shall stand, 18 but if the field is consecrated after the Jubilee, the priest shall compute the price for it according to the years that remain until the year of Jubilee, and the assessment shall be reduced.(G) 19 And if the one who consecrates the field wishes to redeem it, then one-fifth shall be added to its assessed value, and it shall revert to the original owner, 20 but if the field is not redeemed or if it has been sold to someone else, it shall no longer be redeemable. 21 But when the field is released in the Jubilee, it shall be holy to the Lord as a devoted field; it becomes the priest’s holding.(H) 22 If someone consecrates to the Lord a field that has been purchased that is not a part of the inherited landholding, 23 the priest shall compute for it the proportionate assessment up to the year of Jubilee, and the assessment shall be paid as of that day, a sacred donation to the Lord.(I) 24 In the year of Jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom it was bought, whose holding the land is.(J) 25 All assessments shall be by the sanctuary shekel: twenty gerahs shall make a shekel.(K)
26 “A firstling of animals, however, which as a firstling belongs to the Lord, cannot be consecrated by anyone; whether ox or sheep, it is the Lord’s.(L) 27 If it is an unclean animal, it shall be ransomed at its assessment, with one-fifth added; if it is not redeemed, it shall be sold at its assessment.(M)
28 “Nothing that a person owns that has been devoted to destruction for the Lord, be it human or animal or inherited landholding, may be sold or redeemed; every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord.(N) 29 No human beings who have been devoted to destruction can be ransomed; they shall be put to death.
30 “All tithes from the land, whether the seed from the ground or the fruit from the tree, are the Lord’s; they are holy to the Lord.(O) 31 If persons wish to redeem any of their tithes, they must add one-fifth to them.(P) 32 All tithes of herd and flock, every tenth one that passes under the shepherd’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord. 33 Let no one inquire whether it is good or bad or make substitution for it; if one makes substitution for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy and cannot be redeemed.”(Q)
34 These are the commandments that the Lord gave to Moses for the Israelites on Mount Sinai.(R)
Psalm 34
Praise for Deliverance from Trouble
Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.(A)
3 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.(B)
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.(C)
5 Look to him, and be radiant,
so your[a] faces shall never be ashamed.(D)
6 This poor soul cried and was heard by the Lord
and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him and delivers them.(E)
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.(F)
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.(G)
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.(H)
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.(I)
12 Which of you desires life
and covets many days to enjoy good?(J)
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.(K)
14 Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.(L)
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.(M)
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.(N)
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and rescues them from all their troubles.(O)
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.(P)
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.(Q)
20 He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.(R)
21 Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.(S)
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.(T)
Miscellaneous Observations
10 Dead flies make the perfumer’s ointment give off a foul odor;[a]
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
but the heart of a fool to the left.
3 Even when fools walk on the road, they lack sense
and show to everyone that they are fools.(A)
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post,
for calmness will undo great offenses.(B)
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as great an error as if it proceeded from the ruler: 6 folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place.(C) 7 I have seen slaves on horseback and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a snake.(D)
9 Whoever quarries stones will be hurt by them,
and whoever splits logs will be endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt and one does not whet the edge,
then more strength must be exerted,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage in a charmer.(E)
12 Words spoken by the wise bring them favor,
but the lips of fools consume them.(F)
13 The words of their mouths begin in foolishness,
and their talk ends in wicked madness,(G)
14 yet fools talk on and on.
No one knows what is to happen,
and who can tell anyone what the future holds?(H)
15 The toil of fools wears them out,
for they do not even know the way to town.
16 Alas for you, O land, when your king is a child
and your princes feast in the morning!(I)
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is a nobleman,
and your princes feast at the proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness!(J)
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.(K)
19 Feasts are made for laughter,
wine gladdens life,
and money meets every need.(L)
20 Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich, even in your bedroom,
for a bird of the air may carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.(M)
Teach Sound Doctrine
2 But as for you, teach what is consistent with sound instruction. 2 Tell the older men to be temperate, serious, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance.
3 Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or enslaved to much wine; they are to teach what is good,(A) 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.(B)
6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled 7 in all things, offering yourself as a model of good works and in your teaching offering integrity, gravity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be censured; then any opponent will be put to shame, having nothing evil to say of us.(C)
9 Urge slaves to be submissive to their masters in everything, to be pleasing, not talking back,(D) 10 not stealing, but showing complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everything they may be an ornament to the teaching of God our Savior.
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,[a](E) 12 training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly,(F) 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior,[b] Jesus Christ.(G) 14 He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.(H)
15 Declare these things; exhort and reprove with all authority.[c] Let no one look down on you.
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.