M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Idols are Eliminated from Judah^(A)

31 At the conclusion of all of these activities, everybody in Israel who was in attendance traveled throughout the cities of Judah, broke down the sacred pillars, cut down the Asherim, and broke down the high places and altars throughout the territories of^[a] Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh until they had eliminated all of them. Then the people of Israel went back to their cities and back to their work.^[b]

Hezekiah Continues His Reforms

² Hezekiah appointed the priestly divisions and the divisions of the descendants of Levi, each according to their service duties, including both priests and descendants of Levi who offered morning and evening burnt offerings, peace offerings, general^[c] ministry, thanksgiving, and praise in the gateways to the Lord’s campgrounds.^{[d] 3} He also gave a portion of his own income for both morning and evening burnt offerings, for burnt offerings on the Sabbath, New Moons, and for the scheduled festivals, as is recorded in the Lord’s Law.^{[e] 4} Hezekiah^[f] also directed the people who lived in Jerusalem to give what was due to the priests and descendants of Levi, so they could be strengthened in the Lord’s Law. ⁵ As the word spread around, the people of Israel gave generously for the first fruits of grain, wine, oil, honey, and all of the produce of the fields. They generously gave a tithe of everything. ⁶ The descendants of Israel and Judah who lived throughout the cities of Judah also brought tithes of cattle and sheep, as well as tithes of gifts that had been dedicated to the Lord their God.

As these gifts were given, they were laid in piles. ⁷ They began to make these piles of gifts^[g] during the third month, and it took them until the seventh month to finish. ⁸ When Hezekiah and the officials arrived and saw the piles of gifts,^[h] they blessed the Lord and his people Israel, ⁹ and Hezekiah quizzed the priests and the descendants of Levi about the piles of gifts.^{[i] 10} Azariah replied, “Since they began to bring their gifts into the Lord’s Temple, we have eaten and have been satisfied. Now we still have plenty left, because the Lord has blessed his people so that we have all of this left over.”

The Priests and Descendants of Levi Reorganized

¹¹ Hezekiah gave an order to prepare storerooms in the Lord’s Temple, and so they did. ¹² They faithfully brought in the gifts, tithes, and consecrated materials, and Conaniah the descendant of Levi was placed in charge of them. His brother Shimei was second in command, ¹³ Jehiel, Azaziah, Nahath, Asahel, Jerimoth, Jozabad, Eliel, Ismachiah, Mahath, and Benaiah served as supervisors under Conaniah and his brother Shimei, who had been appointed by King Hezekiah. Azariah served as senior officer of God’s Temple. ¹⁴ Imnah the descendant of Levi’s son Kore, keeper of the eastern gate, was in charge of voluntary offerings to God, apportioning contributions for the Lord and the most holy things. ¹⁵ Under his authority, Eden, Miniamin, Jeshua, Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah served in the priestly cities, making sure contributions were distributed faithfully to their relatives division by division, no matter how large or how small, ¹⁶ without regard to genealogical enrollment, to every male 30^[j] years old and older—that is, to everyone who entered the Lord’s Temple as their duty obligations required—for their work and duties according to their divisions ¹⁷ as well as the priests who were enrolled in the genealogies according to their ancestral households. ¹⁸ These genealogical enrollments also included all of their little children, their wives, and their sons and daughters for the entire assembly, because they were being faithful to consecrating themselves in holiness. ¹⁹ Furthermore, with respect to the descendants of Aaron, that is, the priests who lived out in the country away from the cities, or who lived in each and every city, men were designated by name to distribute portions to every male among the priests and to everyone who had been enrolled by genealogy among the descendants of Levi.

²⁰ Hezekiah did this throughout all of Judah, and he acted well, doing what the Lord his God considered to be right and true. ²¹ Everything that Hezekiah^[k] began in the service of God’s Temple was done according to the Law and to the commandments as he sought his God, worked with all of his heart, and became successful.

The Vision of Babylon the Great

17 Then one of the seven angels who held the seven bowls came and told me, “Come, I will show you how the notorious prostitute who sits on many waters will be judged. ² The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and those living on earth became drunk with the wine of her immorality.”

³ Then the angel^[a] carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness. I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was controlled by blasphemy.^[b] It had seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman wore purple and scarlet clothes and was adorned with gold, gems, and pearls. In her hand she was holding a gold cup filled with detestable things and the impurities of her immorality. ⁵ On her forehead was written a secret name:

Babylon the Great,

the Mother of Prostitutes

and Detestable Things of the Earth

⁶ I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the witnesses to Jesus. I was very surprised when I saw her.

⁷ “Why are you surprised?” The angel asked me. “I will tell you the secret of the woman and the beast with the seven heads and the ten horns that carries her. ⁸ The beast that you saw existed once, but is no longer, and is going to crawl out of the bottomless pit^[c] and then proceed to its destruction. Those living on earth, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, will be surprised when they see the beast because it was, is no longer, and will come again. ⁹ This calls for a mind that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is sitting. They are also seven kings. ¹⁰ Five of them have fallen, one is living, and the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must remain in power^[d] for a little while. ¹¹ The beast that was and is no longer is the eighth king,^[e] but it belongs with the seven kings^[f] and goes to its destruction. ¹² The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom. They will receive authority to rule^[g] as kings with the beast for one hour. ¹³ They have one purpose: to give their power and authority to the beast. ¹⁴ They will wage war against the lamb, but the lamb will conquer them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings. Those who are called, chosen, and faithful are with him.”

¹⁵ The angel^[h] also told me, “The bodies of water you saw, on which the prostitute is sitting, are people, multitudes, nations, and languages. ¹⁶ The ten horns and the beast you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her abandoned and naked. They will eat her flesh and burn her up with fire, ¹⁷ for God has placed within them a desire to carry out his purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast until God’s words are fulfilled. ¹⁸ The woman you saw is the great city that rules over the kings of the earth.”

Cessation of Prophecy

² “At that time,”^[a] declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, “I will eliminate the names of the idols from the land, and they will not be remembered anymore. I will also force both prophet and demon^[b] to leave the land. ³ It will also come about that if any man would dare to^[c] prophesy, then his father and his mother who bore him will respond to him, ‘You will not live, because you are speaking lies in the name of the Lord.’ Then his father and mother who bore him will stab him for prophesying. ⁴ Furthermore, it will come about at that time^[d] that every prophet will become ashamed of his vision as he prophesies. They will wear no rough garments intended to deceive others.”^[e]

The Injured Servant of Mankind

⁵ “He^[f] will say, ‘I am no mere^[g] prophet. A servant of mankind am I, because a man dedicated to this^[h] have I been from my youth.’

⁶ “Someone will say to him, ‘What are these injuries to your hands?’

“He will reply, ‘…what I received at my friend’s house.’

16 “I have told you this to keep you from falling away.^{[a] 2} You’ll be thrown out of the synagogues. Yes, a time is coming when the one who kills you will think he’s serving God. ³ They’ll do this because they haven’t known the Father or me. ⁴ But I’ve told you this, so that when the time comes you’ll remember that I told you about them. I didn’t tell you this in the beginning, because I was still with you.”

The Work of the Spirit

⁵ “But now I am going to the one who sent me. Yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶ But because I have told you this, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷ However, I’m telling you the truth. It’s for your advantage that I’m going away, because if I don’t go away, the Helper won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment— ⁹ of sin, because they don’t believe in me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I’m going to the Father and you will no longer see me; ¹¹ and of judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.^[b]

¹² “I still have a lot to say to you, but you cannot bear it now. ¹³ Yet when the Spirit of Truth comes, he’ll guide you into all truth. He won’t speak on his own accord, but he’ll speak whatever he hears and will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine. That is why I said, ‘He will take what is mine and declare it to you.’ ¹⁶ In a little while you will no longer see me, then in a little while you will see me again.”

¹⁷ At this point, some of his disciples asked each other, “What does he mean by telling us, ‘In a little while you will no longer see me, then in a little while you will see me again,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁸ They kept saying, “What is this ‘in a little while’ that he keeps talking about? We don’t know what he means.”

Sorrow will Turn to Joy

¹⁹ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him a question, so he asked them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will no longer see me, then in a little while you will see me again’? ²⁰ Truly, I tell all of you^[c] emphatically, you’ll cry and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You’ll be deeply distressed, but your pain will turn into joy. ²¹ When a woman is in labor she has pain, because her time has come. Yet when she has given birth to her child, she doesn’t remember the agony anymore because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. ²² Now you are having pain. But I’ll see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. ²³ On that day, you won’t ask me for anything. Truly, I tell all of you^[d] emphatically, whatever you ask the Father for in my name, he will give it to you.^{[e] 24} So far you haven’t asked for anything in my name. Keep asking and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”

Victory over the World

²⁵ “I have said these things to you in figurative language. The time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ At that time, you will make your requests in my name, so that I will have no need to ask the Father on your behalf, ²⁷ because the Father himself loves you, and because you have loved me and believed that I came from God.^{[f] 28} I left the Father and came into the world. Now^[g] I’m leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

²⁹ Jesus’^[h] disciples said, “Well, now you’re speaking plainly and not using figurative language. ³⁰ Now we know that you know everything and don’t need to have anyone ask you any questions. Because of this, we believe that you have come from God.”

³¹ Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? ³² Listen, the time is coming, indeed it has already come, when you will be scattered, each of you to his own home, and you will leave me all by myself. Yet I’m not alone, because the Father is with me. ³³ I have told you this so that through me you may have peace. In the world you’ll have trouble, but be courageous—I’ve overcome the world!”