M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Descendants of King David

3 ^1-4 (A) King David ruled from Hebron for seven years and six months, and during that time he had six sons, who were born in the following order: Amnon, Daniel, Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatiah, and Ithream. Ahinoam from Jezreel was the mother of Amnon; Abigail from Carmel was the mother of Daniel; Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur was the mother of Absalom; Haggith was the mother of Adonijah; Abital was the mother of Shephatiah; and Eglah was the mother of Ithream.

David then ruled from Jerusalem for 33 years, ^5 (B) and during that time, he had 13 more sons. His wife Bathsheba^[a] daughter of Ammiel gave birth to Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. ^6-8 David's other sons included Ibhar, Elishua,^[b] Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. ⁹ David's other wives^[c] also gave birth to sons. Tamar was his daughter.

The Descendants of King Solomon

^10-15 Solomon's descendants included the following kings: Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram,^[d] Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah and his four sons, Johanan, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, and Jehoahaz.^{[e] 16} Jehoiakim was the father of Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.

¹⁷ Jehoiachin, who was taken to Babylon as a prisoner, had seven sons: Shealtiel, ¹⁸ Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. ¹⁹ Pedaiah had two sons: Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel was the father of Meshullam, Hananiah, and Shelomith their sister. ²⁰ He also had five other sons: Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushabhesed. ²¹ Hananiah's descendants were Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, Rephaiah, Arnan, Obadiah, and Shecaniah,^{[f] 22} the father of Shemaiah and the grandfather of Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat. ²³ Neariah was the father of Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam. ²⁴ Elioenai was the father of Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.

The Descendants of Judah

4 Judah was the father of five sons: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ² Shobal was the father of Reaiah, the grandfather of Jahath, and the great-grandfather of Ahumai and Lahad. These men all belonged to the Zorathite clan.

^3-4 Hur was the oldest son of Caleb and Ephrath. Some of his descendants settled the town of Bethlehem. Hur's other descendants included Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam's sons^[g] were Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and his daughter was Hazzelelponi. Penuel settled the town of Gedor, and Ezer settled the town of Hushah.

⁵ Ashhur, who settled the town of Tekoa, had two wives: Helah and Naarah. ⁶ Ashhur and Naarah were the parents of Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. ⁷ Ashhur and Helah were the parents of Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.

⁸ Koz, the father of Anub and Zobebah, was also the ancestor of the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum.

⁹ Jabez was a man who got his name because of the pain he caused his mother during birth.^[h] But he was still the most respected son in his family. ¹⁰ One day he prayed to Israel's God, “Please bless me and give me a lot of land. Be with me so I will be safe from harm.”^[i] And God did just what Jabez had asked.

¹¹ Chelub was the brother of Shuhah and the father of Mehir. Later, Mehir had a son, Eshton, ¹² whose three sons were Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. It was Tehinnah who settled the town of Nahash.^[j] These men and their families lived in the town of Recah.

¹³ Kenaz was the father of Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel had two sons: Hathath and Meonothai,^{[k] 14} who was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, who settled a place called “Valley of Crafts”^[l] because the people who lived there were experts in making things.

¹⁵ Caleb son of Jephunneh had three sons: Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah was the father of Kenaz.

¹⁶ Jehallelel was the father of Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.

^17-18 Ezrah was the father of Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered was married to Bithiah the daughter of the king of Egypt. They had a daughter named Miriam and two sons: Shammai and Ishbah. It was Ishbah who settled the town of Eshtemoa. Mered was also married to a woman from the tribe of Judah, and their sons were Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel. Jered settled the town of Gedor; Heber settled the town of Soco; and Jekuthiel settled the town of Zanoah.

¹⁹ A man named Hodiah was married to the sister of Naham. Hodiah's descendants included Keilah of the Garmite clan and Eshtemoa of the Maacathite clan.

²⁰ Shimon was the father of Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon.

Ishi was the father of Zoheth and Benzoheth.

^21-22 Judah also had a son named Shelah, whose descendants included Jokim and the people of the town of Cozeba, as well as Er who settled the town of Lecah and Laadah who settled the town of Mareshah. The people who lived in Beth-Ashbea were also descendants of Shelah, and they were experts in weaving cloth. Shelah was the ancestor of Joash and Saraph, two men who married Moabite women and then settled near Bethlehem^[m]—but these family records are very old. ²³ The members of these clans were the potters who lived in the towns of Netaim and Gederah and worked for the king.

The Descendants of Simeon

²⁴ Simeon had five sons: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. ²⁵ The descendants of Shaul included his son Shallum, his grandson Mibsam, and his great-grandson Mishma. ²⁶ The descendants of Mishma included his son Hammuel, his grandson Zaccur, and his great-grandson Shimei. ²⁷ Shimei had 16 sons and 6 daughters. But his brothers did not have as many children, so the Simeon tribe was smaller than the Judah tribe.

^28-31 (C) Before David became king, the people of the Simeon tribe lived in the following towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-Shual, Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-Marcaboth, Hazarsusim, Bethbiri, and Shaaraim. ³² They also lived in the five villages of Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, ³³ as well as in the nearby villages as far as the town of Baal. These are the places where Simeon's descendants had settled, according to their own family records.

^34-38 As their families and clans became larger, the people of Simeon had the following leaders: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel, Jehu,^[n] Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, and Ziza.^{[o] 39} When the people needed more pastureland for their flocks and herds, they looked as far as the eastern side of the valley where the town of Gerar^[p] is located, ⁴⁰ and they found a lot of good pastureland that was quiet and undisturbed. This had once belonged to the Hamites, ⁴¹ but when Hezekiah was king of Judah, the descendants of Simeon attacked and forced the Hamites and Meunites off the land, then settled there.

⁴² Some time later, 500 men from the Simeon tribe went into Edom^[q] under the command of Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel the sons of Ishi. ⁴³ They killed the last of the Amalekites and lived there from then on.

The Tent in Heaven

9 The first promise included rules for worship and a tent for worship here on earth. ^2 (A) The first part of the tent was called the holy place, and a lampstand, a table, and the sacred loaves of bread were kept there.

^3 (B) Behind the curtain was the most holy place. ^4 (C) The gold altar for burning incense was in this holy place. The gold-covered sacred chest was also there, and inside it were three things. First, there was a gold jar filled with manna.^[a] Then there was Aaron's walking stick that sprouted.^[b] Finally, there were the flat stones with the Ten Commandments written on them. ^5 (D) On top of the chest were the glorious creatures with wings^[c] opened out above the place of mercy.^[d]

Now isn't the time to go into detail about these things. ^6 (E) But this is how everything was when the priests went each day into the first part of the tent to do their duties. ^7 (F) However, only the high priest could go into the second part of the tent, and he went in only once a year. Each time he carried blood to offer for his sins and for any sins that the people had committed without meaning to.

⁸ All of this is the Holy Spirit's way of saying no one could enter the most holy place while the tent was still the place of worship. ⁹ This also has a meaning for today. It shows we cannot make our consciences clear by offering gifts and sacrifices. ¹⁰ These rules are merely about such things as eating and drinking and ceremonies for washing ourselves. And rules about physical things will last only until the time comes to change them for something better.

^11 (G) Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here.^[e] He also went into a much better tent that wasn't made by humans and that doesn't belong to this world. ¹² Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls.

^13 (H) According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship God. Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. ¹⁴ But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. This is why his blood is much more powerful and makes our^[f] consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death.

¹⁵ Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God's eternal blessings! ¹⁶ In fact, making an agreement of this kind is like writing a will. This is because the one who makes the will must die before it is of any use. ¹⁷ In other words, a will doesn't go into effect as long as the one who made it is still alive.

¹⁸ Blood was also used^[g] to put the first agreement into effect. ^19 (I) Moses told the people all the Law said they must do. Then he used red wool and a hyssop plant to sprinkle the people and the book of the Law with the blood of bulls and goats^[h] and with water. ²⁰ He told the people, “With this blood God makes his agreement with you.” ^21 (J) Moses also sprinkled blood on the tent and on everything else used in worship. ^22 (K) The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered.

Christ's Great Sacrifice

²³ These things are only copies of what is in heaven, and so they had to be made holy by these ceremonies. But the real things in heaven must be made holy by something better. ²⁴ This is why Christ did not go into a tent made by humans and was only a copy of the real one. Instead, he went into heaven and is now there with God to help us.

²⁵ Christ did not have to offer himself many times. He wasn't like a high priest who goes into the most holy place each year to offer the blood of an animal. ²⁶ If he had offered himself every year, he would have suffered many times since the creation of the world. But instead, near the end of time he offered himself once and for all, so he could be a sacrifice that does away with sin.

²⁷ We die only once, and then we are judged. ^28 (L) So Christ died only once to take away the sins of many people. But when he comes again, it will not be to take away sin. He will come to save everyone who is waiting for him.

The Work of a Prophet

Samaria Is Doomed

The Altars at Bethel

Shout Praises to the Lord

Sing and Praise the Lord