M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Aaron’s Family, the Priests
3 ·This is the family history [L These are the generations; Gen. 2:4] of Aaron and Moses at the time the Lord talked to Moses on Mount Sinai.
2 ·Aaron had four sons [L These are the names of the sons of Aaron]: Nadab, the ·oldest [firstborn], Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These were the names of Aaron’s sons, who were appointed to serve as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the presence of the Lord when they offered ·the wrong kind of [L strange; C an inappropriate performance of a ritual] fire before the Lord in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai [Lev. 10]. They had no sons. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests during the lifetime of their father Aaron.
5 The Lord said to Moses, 6 “Bring the tribe of Levi and ·present them to [L make them stand before] Aaron the priest to ·help [minister to; assist] him. 7 They will ·help [take care of] him and all the ·Israelites [community; assembly; congregation] at the Meeting Tent, doing the work in the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 8 The Levites must take care of everything in the Meeting Tent and serve the people of Israel by doing the work in the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 9 Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; of all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], the Levites are given completely to him. 10 Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests, but anyone else who comes near the holy things must be put to death.”
11 The Lord also said to Moses, 12 “I am ·choosing [taking] the Levites from all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to take the place of all the firstborn ·children [L who open the womb] of ·Israel [L the sons/T children of Israel]. The Levites will be mine, 13 because the firstborn are mine. When you were in Egypt, I ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn ·children of the [L in the land of the] Egyptians [Ex. 12:12–13] and took all the firstborn of Israel to be mine [Ex. 13:2, 11–16; 22:29–30; 34:19–20], both animals and children. They are mine. I am the Lord.”
14 The Lord again said to Moses in the ·Desert [Wilderness] of Sinai, 15 “Count the ·Levites [L sons/descendants of Levi] by ·families [clans] and family groups. Count every male one month old or older.” 16 So Moses obeyed the Lord and counted them all.
17 Levi had three sons, whose names were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
18 The Gershonite ·family groups [clans] were Libni and Shimei [4:21–28].
19 The ·Kohathite family groups [L the sons/descendants of Kohath by their clans] were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel [4:1–20].
20 The ·Merarite family groups [L the sons/descendants of Merari by their clans] were Mahli and Mushi [4:29–33].
These were the ·family groups [clans according to the family groups] of the Levites.
21 The ·family groups [clans] of Libni and Shimei belonged to Gershon; they were the Gershonite ·family groups [clans]. 22 The number that was counted was 7,500 males one month old or older. 23 The Gershonite ·family groups [clan] camped on the west side, behind the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 24 The leader of the ·families [family groups] of Gershon was Eliasaph son of Lael. 25 In the Meeting Tent the Gershonites were in charge of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], its covering [Ex. 26:1–6], the curtain at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, 26 the curtains in the courtyard, the curtain at the entry to the courtyard around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and the altar, the ropes, and all the work connected with these items.
27 The ·family groups [clans] of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel belonged to Kohath; they were the Kohathite ·family groups [clans]. 28 They had 8,600 males one month old or older, and they were responsible for taking care of the Holy Place. 29 The Kohathite ·family groups [clans] camped south of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 30 The leader of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan son of Uzziel. 31 They were responsible for the Ark [Ex. 25:10], the table [Ex. 25:23–30], the lampstand [L Menorah; Ex. 25:31–40], the altars [Ex. 27:1–8], the tools of the Holy Place which they were to use, the curtain, and all the work connected with these items. 32 The main leader of the Levites was Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, who was in charge of all those responsible for the Holy Place.
33 The ·family groups [clans] of Mahli and Mushi belonged to Merari; they were the Merarite ·family groups [clans]. 34 The number that was counted was 6,200 males one month old or older. 35 The leader of the Merari families was Zuriel son of Abihail, and they were to camp north of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle]. 36 The Merarites were responsible for the frames of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], the ·braces [bars], the ·posts [pillars], the bases, and all the work connected with these items. 37 They were also responsible for the ·posts [pillars] in the courtyard around the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle] and their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
38 Moses, Aaron, and his sons camped east of the ·Holy Tent [Tabernacle], toward the sunrise, in front of the Meeting Tent. They were responsible for the Holy Place for the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]. Anyone else who came near the Holy Place was to be put to death.
39 Moses and Aaron counted the Levite men by their ·families [clans], as the Lord commanded, and there were 22,000 males one month old or older.
Levites Take the Place of the Firstborn Sons
40 The Lord said to Moses, “Count all the firstborn sons in Israel one month old or older, and list their names. 41 Take the Levites for me instead of the firstborn sons of Israel; take the animals of the Levites instead of the firstborn animals from the ·rest [L sons] of Israel. I am the Lord.”
42 So Moses did what the Lord commanded and counted all the firstborn sons of the Israelites. 43 When he listed all the firstborn sons one month old or older, there were 22,273 names.
44 The Lord also said to Moses, 45 “Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn sons of the Israelites, and take the animals of the Levites instead of the animals of the other people. The Levites are mine. I am the Lord. 46 Since there are 273 more firstborn sons than Levites, 47 collect ·two ounces [L five shekels] of silver for each of the 273 sons. Use the ·measure as set by [L shekel of] the Holy Place, which is ·two-fifths of an ounce [L a shekel of twenty gerahs]. 48 Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the payment for the 273 Israelites.”
49 So Moses collected the money for the people the Levites could not ·replace [redeem]. 50 From the firstborn of the Israelites, he collected ·thirty-five pounds [L 1,365 shekels] of silver, using the ·measure set by [L shekel of] the Holy Place. 51 Moses obeyed the command of the Lord and gave the silver to Aaron and his sons.
God Will Reward Fairly
Of David.
37 Don’t be ·upset [worried; angry] because of evil people.
Don’t be jealous of those who do wrong [Prov. 24:1, 19],
2 because like the grass, they will ·soon [quickly] ·dry up [wither].
Like green plants, they will soon ·die [fade] away.
3 ·Trust [L Have confidence in] the Lord [Prov. 3:5] and do good.
·Live [Reside; Settle] in the land and ·feed on truth [or find reliable pastureland].
4 Enjoy serving the Lord,
and he will give you ·what you want [L the requests of your heart].
5 ·Depend on [L Commit your way to] the Lord;
·trust [have confidence in] him, and he will take care of you [Prov. 16:3; 1 Pet. 5:7].
6 Then your ·goodness [righteousness] will shine like the ·sun [L light],
and your ·fairness [justice] like the noonday sun.
7 ·Wait [L Be quiet before] and ·trust [L wait for] the Lord.
Don’t be ·upset [worried; angry] ·when others get rich [L with the prosperity/success of their way]
or when ·someone else’s plans succeed [or they do evil deeds].
8 ·Don’t get angry [L Hold back from anger; Abandon wrath].
Don’t be ·upset [worried; angry]; it only leads to ·trouble [or evil].
9 Evil people will be ·sent away [L cut off],
but those who ·trust [wait/pin their hope on] the Lord will inherit the land.
10 In a little while the wicked will be no more.
You may look for them, but they will be ·gone [or no more].
11 ·People who are not proud [L The humble/meek] will inherit the land [Matt. 5:5]
and will enjoy ·complete peace [or much prosperity].
12 The wicked make evil plans against ·good [righteous] people.
They ·grind [gnash] their teeth at them [C in anger].
13 But the Lord laughs at the wicked,
because he sees that their day [C of judgment] is coming.
14 The wicked draw their swords
and ·bend [string] their bows
to ·kill [L fell] the poor and helpless,
to ·kill [slaughter] those ·who are honest [L whose way is straight].
15 But their swords will ·stab [L enter] their own hearts,
and their bows will break.
16 It is better to have little and be ·right [or righteous]
than to have much and be ·wrong [or wicked; Prov. 15:16; 16:8, 19].
17 The ·power [L arm] of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord ·supports [upholds] those who ·do right [are righteous].
18 The Lord ·watches over [L knows] the ·lives [L days] of the ·innocent [blameless],
and their ·reward [inheritance] will last forever.
19 They will not be ashamed ·when trouble comes [L in the day of evil/trouble].
They will be ·full [satisfied; satiated] in times of ·hunger [famine].
20 But the wicked will ·die [perish].
The Lord’s enemies will be like the ·beauty [best] of the ·fields [L pastures; C flowers or animals];
·they will disappear [L vanishing, they will vanish] ·like [or in] smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and don’t pay back,
but ·those who do right [the righteous] give freely to others.
22 Those whom ·the Lord [L he] blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be ·sent away [L cut off].
23 When people’s steps ·follow [L are made firm/established by] the Lord [Prov. 24:16],
God ·is pleased with [delights in] their ways.
24 If they stumble, they will not fall,
because the Lord ·holds [upholds] their hand.
25 I was young, and now I am old,
but I have never seen ·good [righteous] people ·left helpless [abandoned; forsaken; Gen. 28:15; Matt. 28:20]
or their ·children [seed] ·begging for [seeking] food [Prov. 10:3].
26 Good people always lend freely to others,
and their ·children [seed] are a blessing.
27 ·Stop doing [Turn aside from] evil and do good,
so you will ·live [dwell] forever.
28 The Lord loves ·justice [judgment]
and will not ·leave [abandon; forsake] ·those who worship him [his loyal ones/saints].
He will always ·protect [keep; guard] them,
but the ·children [seed] of the wicked will ·die [L be cut off].
29 ·Good [Righteous] people will inherit the land
and will ·live [dwell] in it forever.
30 ·Good people speak with [L The mouth of the righteous mutters] wisdom,
and ·they say what is fair [L their tongue speaks justice/judgment].
31 The ·teachings [instructions; laws] of their God are in their heart [Jer. 31:33],
so ·they do not fail to keep them [L their steps do not slip/slide/totter].
32 The wicked watch for ·good [righteous] people
·so that they may [L to seek to] kill them [Prov. 1:8–19].
33 But the Lord will not ·take away his protection [L abandon/forsake them to their hand/power/control]
or let ·good people be judged guilty [them be condemned when brought to trial].
34 ·Wait for [Hope in] the Lord
and ·follow him [L keep/guard his way].
He will ·honor [exalt] you and ·give you [you will inherit] the land,
and you will see the wicked ·sent away [or destroyed].
35 I saw a wicked and ·cruel [oppressive] man
who ·looked [flourished] like a luxurious cedar tree [C strong and healthy].
36 But he ·died [passed on] and was ·gone [no more];
I ·looked for [sought] him, but he couldn’t be found.
37 ·Think of [Observe] the ·innocent [blameless] person,
and watch the ·honest [upright; virtuous] one.
The man who has peace
will have ·children to live after him [posterity].
38 But sinners will be destroyed;
·in the end [or the posterity of] the wicked will ·die [L be cut off].
39 The Lord ·saves [rescues; T delivers] ·good [righteous] people;
he is their strength in times of ·trouble [distress].
40 The Lord helps them and ·saves [rescues; T delivers] them;
he ·saves [rescues; T delivers] them from the wicked,
because they ·trust [take refuge] in him for protection.
1 Solomon’s Song of Songs [C the best of songs and a song composed of many songs].
The Woman Speaks to the Man She Loves
2 Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth,
because your love is better than wine [C makes one light-headed].
3 The ·smell [scent] of your ·perfume [cologne; L oil] is ·pleasant [wonderful],
and your ·name [reputation] is pleasant like ·expensive [or poured out] ·perfume [cologne; L oil].
That’s why the young women love you.
4 ·Take me with [L Draw me after] you; let’s run together.
The king takes me into his ·rooms [bedroom; inner chamber].
Friends Speak to the Man
We will rejoice and be happy with you;
we praise your love more than wine [v. 2].
With good reason, the young women love you.
The Woman Speaks
5 I’m dark ·but [or and] ·lovely [beautiful; C she was out in the sun because her brothers forced her to work the fields; v. 6],
·women [L daughters] of Jerusalem [C her friends whom she is instructing about love],
dark like the tents of Kedar [C desert nomads; Gen. 25:13; Jer. 49:28–29],
like the curtains of ·Solomon [or Salma; C south Arabian desert nomads].
6 Don’t look at how ·dark [swarthy] I am,
·at how dark the sun has made me [L because the sun scorched me].
My ·brothers [L mother’s sons] were angry with me
and made me ·tend [or guard] the vineyards,
so I haven’t ·tended [or guarded] my own ·vineyard [C referring to her body]!
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where do you ·feed your sheep [graze]?
Where do you let them ·rest [lie down] at noon?
Why should I look for you near your friend’s sheep,
like a woman who wears a veil [C like a prostitute going tent to tent; Gen. 38:14–15]?
The Man Speaks to the Woman
8 You are the most beautiful of women.
Surely you know to follow the tracks of the sheep
and feed your young goats
near the shepherds’ tents.
9 My darling, you are like a mare
among the ·king’s [L Pharaoh’s] stallions [C driving them crazy with desire].
10 Your cheeks are beautiful ·with ornaments [L between earrings],
and your neck with ·jewels [a necklace].
11 We will make for you gold earrings
with silver ·hooks [studs].
The Woman Speaks
12 The smell of my ·perfume [nard] spreads out
to the king on his couch.
13 My lover is like a ·bag [sachet] of myrrh
that ·lies all night [lodges] between my breasts [C intimately].
14 My lover is like a ·bunch [cluster] of ·flowers [L henna blossoms; C pleasant smelling and used to dye hair red]
from the vineyards at En Gedi [C a romantic location with a waterfall near the Dead Sea].
The Man Speaks
15 My darling, you are beautiful!
Oh, you are beautiful,
and your eyes are like doves [C perhaps fluttering or a reference to softness and beauty].
The Woman Answers the Man
16 You are so handsome, my lover,
and so ·pleasant [or lovely]!
Our bed is ·the grass [green].
17 Cedar trees form ·our roof [L the boards of our house];
our ·ceiling [rafters] is made of juniper wood [C they find intimacy outdoors].
God Spoke Through His Son
1 ·In the past [Long ago] God spoke to our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] through the prophets ·many times [or in a fragmentary/partial way; L in many parts] and in many different ways. 2 But now in these last days God has spoken to us through ·his Son [or a son; 1:3]. God has ·chosen [appointed] his Son to ·own [be heir/inheritor of] all things, and through him he made the ·world [universe; ages; C comprising both space and time; John 1:3]. 3 The Son ·reflects [or radiates; shines forth] the glory of God [John 1:14] and ·shows exactly what God is like [L is the exact representation/imprint/stamp of his being/essence/nature]. He ·holds everything together [sustains/upholds all things] with his powerful word. When the Son ·made people clean from their [L provided purification/cleansing for] sins [9:14], he sat down at the right ·side [L hand; C the most honored position beside a king; Ps. 110:1] of ·God, the Great One in heaven [L the Majesty/Preeminence in the highest places; C a Jewish way to avoid saying the divine name of God]. 4 The Son became much ·greater [superior; better] than the angels, ·and [or just as; in the same way that] ·God gave him [L he inherited] a name [C either “Son” (v. 5), or referring to his nature or reputation] that is ·much greater than [far superior to] theirs.
5 This is because God never said to any of the angels,
“You are my Son.
Today I have ·become your Father [T begotten you; Ps. 2:7; see Heb. 5:5; Acts 13:33].”
·Nor did God say of any angel [L And again],
“I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son [2 Sam. 7:14].”
6 And [L again] when God brings ·his firstborn Son [L the firstborn; Rom. 8:29] into the world, he says,
“Let all God’s angels worship him [Ps. 97:7 (in the Greek version of the OT); C similar words are found in the Greek version of Deut. 32:43 and in a Hebrew copy among the Dead Sea Scrolls].”
7 This is what God said about the angels:
“·God makes his angels become like winds [or God makes winds into his messengers].
He makes ·his servants become like flames of fire [or flames of fire to be his servants; Ps. 104:4].”
8 But God said this about his Son:
“·God, your throne [L Your throne, O God; ] will last forever and ever.
You will rule your kingdom with ·fairness [L a just/righteous scepter; C a scepter symbolizes royal authority].
9 You love ·right [righteousness] and hate ·evil [wickedness; lawlessness],
so ·God [L God, your God,] has ·chosen [L anointed] you ·from among your friends [or above your peers; above anyone else];
he has ·set you apart with much joy [L anointed you with the oil of joy/rejoicing; Ps. 45:6–7].”
10 God also says,
“Lord, in the beginning you ·made [L laid the foundations of] the earth,
and your hands made the ·skies [heavens].
11 They will be destroyed, but you ·will remain [continue; C forever].
They will all wear out like ·clothes [a garment].
12 You will ·fold them [roll them up] like a ·coat [robe].
And, like ·clothes [a garment], you will change them.
But you ·never change [are the same; 13:8],
and your ·life [L years] will never ·end [fail; run out; Ps. 102:25–27].”
13 And God never said this to an angel:
“Sit by me at my right ·side [hand; v. 3]
until I put your enemies ·under your control [L as a footstool under your feet; Ps. 110:1].”
14 ·All the angels are [L Are they not…?] ·spirits who serve God [or ministering spirits] and are sent to ·help [serve] those who will ·receive [L inherit] salvation.
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