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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
March 18 - Bible-in-a-Year
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Numbers 5-6
Chapter 5
On Defilement
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,2 "Command the sons of Israel that they (C1)send away from the camp everyone with leprosy, everyone having a (C2)discharge, and everyone who is (C3)unclean because of contact with a dead person.3 "You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they do not defile their camp where I dwell (C1)in their midst."4 And the sons of Israel did so and sent them outside the camp; just as the LORD had spoken to Moses, that is what the sons of Israel did.
5 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,6 "Speak to the sons of Israel: '(C1)When a man or woman commits any of the sins of mankind, acting unfaithfully against the LORD, and that person is guilty,7 then (F1)he shall (C1)confess (F2)his sin which (F3)he has committed, and he (C2)shall make restitution in full for his wrong and add to it a fifth of it, and give it to him whom he has wronged.8 'But if the person has no (F1)redeemer to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution which is made for the wrong must go to the LORD for the priest, besides the ram of atonement, by which atonement is made for him.9 '(C1)Also every (F1)contribution pertaining to all the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they offer to the priest, shall be his.10 'So every person's holy gifts shall be his; whatever anyone gives to the priest, it (C1)becomes his.'"
The Adultery Test
11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,12 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'If any man's wife (C1)goes astray and is unfaithful to him,13 and a man has (C1)sexual relations with her and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and she remains undiscovered, although she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act,14 (F1)if (F2)an attitude of (C1)jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has defiled herself, or if (F2)an attitude of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife when she has not defiled herself,15 the man shall then bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring as (F1)an offering for her a tenth of an (F2)ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of reminder, (C1)a reminder of wrongdoing.
16 'Then the priest shall bring her forward and have her stand before the LORD,17 and the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware container; and (F1)he shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.18 'The priest shall then have the woman stand before the LORD and let down the hair of the woman's head, and place the grain offering of reminder (F1)in her hands, that is, the grain offering of jealousy; and in the hand of the priest is to be the water of bitterness that brings a curse.19 'And the priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, "If no man has had sexual relations with you and if you have not (C1)gone astray into uncleanness, as you are under the authority of your husband, be (F1)immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;20 if, however, you have (C1)gone astray, though under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had sexual intercourse with you"21 (then the priest shall have the woman (C1)swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), "may the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people by the LORD'S making your thigh (F1)shriveled and your (F2)belly swollen;22 and this water that brings a curse shall go into your (F1)stomach, to make your belly swell up and your thigh (F2)shrivel." And the woman (C1)shall say, "Amen, Amen."
23 'The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll, and he shall (F1)wash them off into the water of bitterness.24 'Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her (F1)and cause bitterness.25 'And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman's hand, and he shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and bring it to the altar;26 and (C1)the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its reminder offering and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water.27 'When he has made her drink the water, then it will come about, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, that the water which brings a curse will go into her (F1)and cause bitterness, and her belly will swell up and her thigh will (F2)shrivel, and the woman will become (C1)a curse among her people.28 'But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be (F1)immune and conceive (F2)children.
29 'This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, who is under the authority of her husband, (C1)goes astray and defiles herself,30 or when (F1)an attitude of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he shall then have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest shall apply all of this law to her.31 'The man, moreover, will be free of (F1)guilt, but that woman shall (C1)bear the consequences of her (F1)guilt.'"
Chapter 6
Law of the Nazirites
1 Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,2 "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When a man or woman makes (F1)a special vow, namely, the vow of (C1)a (F2)Nazirite, to live as a Nazirite for the LORD,3 he shall (C1)abstain from wine and (F1)strong drink; he shall (F2)consume no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.4 'All the days of his consecration he shall not eat anything that is produced from the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.
5 'All the days of his vow of consecration (C1)no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled which he lives as a Nazirite for the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.
6 '(C1)All the days of his life as a Nazirite for the LORD he shall not come up to a dead person.7 'He (C1)shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his consecration to God is (F1)on his head.8 'All the days of his consecration he is holy to the LORD.
9 'But if someone dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head of hair, then (C1)he shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; (C2)he shall shave it on the seventh day.10 'Then on the eighth day he shall bring (C1)two turtledoves or two young doves to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting.11 'And the priest shall offer (C1)one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him (F1)regarding his sin because of the dead person. And on that same day he shall consecrate his head,12 and shall live his days of consecration as a Nazirite for the LORD, and shall bring a male lamb a year old as a guilt offering; but the preceding days will (F1)not count, because his consecration was defiled.
13 'Now this is the law of the Nazirite (C1)when the days of his consecration are fulfilled: he shall bring (F1)his offering to the entrance of the tent of meeting.14 'And he shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old without defect as a burnt offering, one (C1)ewe lamb a year old without defect as a sin offering, one ram without defect as a peace offering,15 and a basket of (C1)unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with (C2)their grain offering and their drink offering.16 'Then the priest shall present them before the LORD and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering.17 'He shall also offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, together with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering.18 '(C1)The Nazirite shall then shave his consecrated head of hair at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and take the consecrated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.19 '(C1)And the priest shall take the ram's shoulder when it has been boiled, and one unleavened loaf from the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the (F1)hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair.20 'Then the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. It is holy for the priest, together with the breast offered as a wave offering, and the thigh offered as (F1)a contribution; and (C1)afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.'
21 "This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD according to his consecration, in addition to what else (F1)he can afford; corresponding to his vow which he makes, so he shall do according to the law of his consecration."
Aaron's Benediction
22 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,23 "Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, 'In this way (C1)you shall bless the sons of Israel. You are to say to them:
24 The LORD (C1)bless you, and (F1)(C2)keep you;
25 The LORD (C1)cause His face to shine on you,
And (C2)be gracious to you;
26 The LORD (C1)lift up His face to you,
And (C2)give you peace.'
Ecclesiastes 5
Chapter 5
Your Attitude toward God
1 (F1)(C1)Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and approach to listen rather than to offer the (C2)sacrifice of fools; for they do not know that they are doing evil.2 (F1)Do not be (C1)quick with your mouth or (F2)impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your (C2)words be few.3 For the dream comes through much (F1)effort, and the voice of a (C1)fool through many words.
4 When you (C1)make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. (C2)Pay what you vow!5 It is (C1)better that you not vow, than vow and not pay.6 Do not let your (F1)speech cause (F2)you to sin, and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a (C1)mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice, and destroy the work of your hands?7 For in many dreams and in many words there is futility. Rather, (F1)(C1)fear God.
8 If you see (C1)oppression of the poor and (C2)denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be (C3)shocked at the (F1)sight; for one (F2)official watches over another (F2)official, and there are higher (F3)officials over them.9 After all, a king who cultivates the field is beneficial to the land.
The Foolishness of Riches
10 (C1)One who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor one who loves abundance with its income. This too is futility.11 (C1)When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to (F1)look at them?12 The sleep of the laborer is (C1)sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the (F1)full stomach of the rich person does not allow him to sleep.
13 There is a sickening evil which I have seen under the sun: (C1)wealth being (F1)hoarded by its owner to his detriment.14 When that wealth was lost through bad business and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing (F1)to support him.15 (C1)As he came naked from his mother's womb, so he will return as he came. He will (C2)take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.16 This also is a sickening evil: exactly as a person (F1)is born, so will he (F2)die. (C1)What then is the advantage for him who (C2)labors for the wind?17 All his life (C1)he also eats in darkness with (C2)great irritation, sickness, and anger.
18 Here is what I have seen to be (C1)good and (F1)fitting: to eat, to drink, and (F2)enjoy oneself in all one's labor in which he labors under the sun during the few (F3)years of his life which God has given him; for this is his (F4)(C2)reward.19 Furthermore, as for every person to whom (C1)God has given riches and wealth, He has also (C2)given him the opportunity to (F1)enjoy them and to receive his (F2)reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the (C3)gift of God.20 For he will not often call to mind the (F1)years of his life, because (C1)God keeps (F2)him busy with the joy of his heart.
Matthew 18:1-20
Chapter 18
Rank in the Kingdom
1 (C1)At that (F1)time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "(C2)Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"2 And He called a child to Himself and set him among them,3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you (F1)change and (C1)become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.4 "So whoever will humble himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.5 "And whoever receives one such child in My name, receives Me;6 but (C1)whoever (C2)causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to (F1)sin, it is better for him that a (F2)heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Stumbling Blocks
7 "Woe to the world because of its (F1)stumbling blocks! For (C1)it is inevitable that (F1)stumbling blocks come; but woe to the person through whom the (F1)stumbling block comes!
8 "And (C1)if your hand or your foot is causing you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better for you to enter life maimed or without a foot, than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.9 "And (C1)if your eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into the (F1)(C2)fiery hell.
10 "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that (C1)their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.(F1)
Ninety-nine Plus One
12 "What do you think? (C1)If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, and go and search for the one that is lost?13 "And if it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that have not gone astray.14 "So it is not the will (F1)of your Father who is in heaven for one of these little ones to perish.
Discipline and Prayer
15 "Now (C1)if your brother sins(F1), go and (F2)show him his fault (F3)in private; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother.16 "But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that (C1)ON THE (F1)TESTIMONY OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY (F2)MATTER MAY BE CONFIRMED.17 "And if he refuses to listen to them, (C1)tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, (C2)he is to be to you as (F1)a Gentile and (F1)a tax collector.18 "Truly I say to you, (C1)whatever you (F1)bind on earth (F2)shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you (F3)loose on earth (F2)shall have been loosed in heaven.
19 "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, (C1)it shall be done for them (F1)by My Father who is in heaven.20 "For where two or three have gathered together in My name, (C1)I am there in their midst."<
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