M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Wars
8 Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them; David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 He also defeated the Moabites and, making them lie down on the ground, measured them off with a cord; he measured two lengths of cord for those who were to be put to death and one length[a] for those who were to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.(A)
3 David also struck down the king of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob, as he went to restore his monument at the River Euphrates.(B) 4 David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for a hundred chariots.(C) 5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of the Arameans.(D) 6 Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.(E) 7 David took the gold shields that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.(F) 8 From Betah and from Berothai, towns of Hadadezer, King David took a great amount of bronze.
9 When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to greet him and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him. Now Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze;(G) 11 these also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued,(H) 12 from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of the king of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob.
13 David won a name for himself. When he returned, he killed eighteen thousand Edomites[b] in the Valley of Salt.(I) 14 He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.(J)
David’s Officers
15 So David reigned over all Israel, and David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;(K) 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary;(L) 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over[c] the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.(M)
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
9 David asked, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”(N) 2 Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “At your service!”(O) 3 The king said, “Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” Ziba said to the king, “There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”(P) 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”(Q) 5 Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, “Mephibosheth!” He answered, “I am your servant.”(R) 7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always.”(S) 8 He did obeisance and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?”(T)
9 Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.(U) 10 You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat, but your master’s grandson Mephibosheth shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.(V) 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” Mephibosheth ate at David’s[d] table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants.(W) 13 Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.(X)
2 1
Forgiveness for the Offender
5 But if anyone has caused grief, he has caused it not to me but to some extent—not to exaggerate it—to all of you. 6 This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person;(C) 7 so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by even worse grief. 8 So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 I wrote for this reason: to test you and to know whether you are obedient in everything.(D) 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. In fact, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ. 11 And we do this so that we may not be outwitted by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Paul’s Anxiety in Troas
12 When I came to Troas to proclaim the good news[a] of Christ, a door was opened for me in the Lord,(E) 13 but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said farewell to them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him.[b] 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:(F) 16 to the one group a fragrance from death[c] to death, to the other a fragrance from life[d] to life. Who is qualified for these things?(G) 17 For we are not peddlers of God’s word like so many,[e] but as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God, we are speaking in Christ before God.(H)
God’s Faithless Bride
16 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 Mortal, make known to Jerusalem her abominations(A) 3 and say: Thus says the Lord God to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were in the land of the Canaanites; your father was an Amorite and your mother a Hittite.(B) 4 As for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in cloths.(C) 5 No eye pitied you to do any of these things for you out of compassion for you, but you were thrown out in the open field, for you were abhorred on the day you were born.(D)
6 I passed by you and saw you flailing about in your blood. As you lay in your blood, I said to you, “Live!(E) 7 and grow up[a] like a plant of the field.” You grew up and became tall and arrived at full womanhood;[b] your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown, yet you were naked and bare.(F)
8 I passed by you again and looked on you; you were at the age for love. I spread the edge of my cloak over you and covered your nakedness: I pledged myself to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became mine.(G) 9 Then I bathed you with water and washed off the blood from you and anointed you with oil. 10 I clothed you with embroidered cloth and with sandals of fine leather; I bound you in fine linen and covered you with rich fabric.[c] 11 I adorned you with ornaments: I put bracelets on your arms, a chain on your neck,(H) 12 a ring on your nose, earrings in your ears, and a beautiful crown upon your head. 13 You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, rich fabric,[d] and embroidered cloth. You had choice flour and honey and oil for food. You grew exceedingly beautiful, fit to be a queen.(I) 14 Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect because of my splendor that I had bestowed on you, says the Lord God.
15 But you trusted in your beauty and prostituted yourself because of your fame and lavished your prostitutions on any passer-by.[e](J) 16 You took some of your garments and made for yourself colorful high places and on them prostituted yourself; nothing like this has ever been or ever shall be.[f](K) 17 You also took your beautiful jewels of my gold and my silver that I had given you and made for yourself male images and with them prostituted yourself,(L) 18 and you took your embroidered garments to cover them and set my oil and my incense before them. 19 Also my bread that I gave you—I fed you with choice flour and oil and honey—you set it before them as a pleasing odor, and so it was, says the Lord God. 20 You took your sons and your daughters, whom you had borne to me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured. As if your prostitutions were not enough!(M) 21 You slaughtered my children and delivered them up as an offering to them.(N) 22 And in all your abominations and your prostitutions you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare, flailing about in your blood.(O)
23 After all your wickedness (woe, woe to you! says the Lord God), 24 you built yourself a platform and made yourself a lofty place in every square;(P) 25 at the head of every street you built your lofty place and prostituted your beauty, offering yourself[g] to every passer-by and multiplying your prostitution.(Q) 26 You prostituted yourself with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors,[h] multiplying your prostitution, to provoke me to anger.(R) 27 Therefore I stretched out my hand against you, reduced your rations, and gave you up to the will of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.(S) 28 You prostituted yourself with the Assyrians because you were insatiable; you prostituted yourself with them, and still you were not satisfied.(T) 29 You multiplied your prostitution with Chaldea, the land of merchants, and even with this you were not satisfied.(U)
30 How sick is your heart,[i] says the Lord God, that you did all these things, the deeds of a brazen prostitute, 31 building your platform at the head of every street and making your lofty place in every square! Yet you were not like a prostitute because you scorned payment. 32 Adulterous wife who receives strangers instead of her husband! 33 Gifts are given to all prostitutes, but you gave your gifts to all your lovers, bribing them to come to you from all around for your prostitutions.(V) 34 So you were different from other women in your prostitutions: no one solicited you to prostitute yourself, and you gave payment, while no payment was given to you; you were different.
35 Therefore, O prostitute, hear the word of the Lord: 36 Thus says the Lord God: Because your lust was poured out and your nakedness uncovered in your prostitution with your lovers, and because of all your abominable idols, and because of the blood of your children that you gave to them,(W) 37 therefore, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated; I will gather them against you from all around and will uncover your nakedness to them so that they may see all your nakedness.(X) 38 I will judge you as women who commit adultery and shed blood are judged and bring blood upon you in wrath and jealousy.(Y) 39 I will deliver you into their hands, and they shall throw down your platform and break down your lofty places; they shall strip you of your clothes and take your beautiful objects and leave you naked and bare.(Z) 40 They shall bring up a mob against you, and they shall stone you and cut you to pieces with their swords.(AA) 41 They shall burn your houses and execute judgments on you in the sight of many women; I will stop you from prostituting yourself, and you shall also make no more payments.(AB) 42 So I will satisfy my fury on you, and my jealousy shall turn away from you; I will be calm and will be angry no longer. 43 Because you have not remembered the days of your youth but have enraged me with all these things, therefore I have returned your deeds upon your head, says the Lord God.
Have you not committed lewdness beyond all your abominations?(AC) 44 See, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb about you, “Like mother, like daughter.”(AD) 45 You are the daughter of your mother, who loathed her husband and her children, and you are the sister of your sisters, who loathed their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite and your father an Amorite. 46 Your big sister is Samaria, who lived with her daughters to the north of you; your little sister, who lived to the south of you, is Sodom with her daughters.(AE) 47 You not only followed their ways and acted according to their abominations; within a very little time you were more corrupt than they in all your ways.(AF) 48 As I live, says the Lord God, your sister Sodom and her daughters have not done as you and your daughters have done.(AG) 49 This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease but did not aid the poor and needy.(AH) 50 They were haughty and did abominable things before me; therefore I removed them when I saw it.(AI) 51 Samaria has not committed half your sins; you have committed more abominations than they and have made your sisters appear righteous by all the abominations that you have committed.(AJ) 52 Bear your disgrace, you also, for you have brought about for your sisters a more favorable judgment; because of your sins in which you acted more abominably than they, they are more in the right than you. So be ashamed, you also, and bear your disgrace, for you have made your sisters appear righteous.
53 I will restore their fortunes, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and I will restore your own fortunes along with theirs,(AK) 54 in order that you may bear your disgrace and be ashamed of all that you have done, becoming a consolation to them.(AL) 55 As for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters shall return to their former state; Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former state, and you and your daughters shall return to your former state. 56 Was not your sister Sodom a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride, 57 before your wickedness was uncovered? Now you are a mockery to the daughters of Edom[j] and all her neighbors and to the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who despise you.(AM) 58 You must bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, says the Lord.(AN)
An Everlasting Covenant
59 Yes, thus says the Lord God: I will deal with you as you have done, you who have despised the oath, breaking the covenant,(AO) 60 yet I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant.(AP) 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your older and younger sisters and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of my[k] covenant with you.(AQ) 62 I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord,(AR) 63 in order that you may remember and be confounded and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I forgive you all that you have done, says the Lord God.(AS)
Psalm 58
Prayer for Vengeance
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam.
1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge people fairly?(A)
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.(B)
3 The wicked go astray from the womb;
they err from their birth, speaking lies.(C)
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,(D)
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.(E)
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!(F)
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
like grass let them be trodden down[a] and wither.(G)
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.(H)
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!(I)
10 The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done;
they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.(J)
11 People will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges[b] on earth.”(K)
Psalm 59
Prayer for Deliverance from Enemies
To the leader: Do Not Destroy. Of David. A Miktam, when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.(L)
2 Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty, save me.(M)
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,(N)
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!(O)
5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah(P)
6 Each evening they come back
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.(Q)
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words[c] on their lips,
for “Who,” they think,[d] “will hear us?”(R)
8 But you laugh at them, O Lord;
you hold all the nations in derision.(S)
9 O my strength, I will watch for you,
for you, O God, are my fortress.(T)
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.(U)
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
make them totter by your power and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.(V)
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,(W)
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob. Selah(X)
14 Each evening they come back
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.(Y)
15 They roam about for food
and growl if they do not get their fill.
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.