M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Elijah and Obadiah
18 It was now three years since it had rained. A message came to Elijah from the Lord. He said, “Go. Speak to Ahab. Then I will send rain on the land.” 2 So Elijah went to speak to Ahab.
There wasn’t enough food in Samaria. The people there were very hungry. 3 Ahab had sent for Obadiah. He was in charge of Ahab’s palace. Obadiah had great respect for the Lord. 4 Ahab’s wife Jezebel had been killing off the Lord’s prophets. So Obadiah had hidden 100 prophets in two caves. He had put 50 in each cave. He had supplied them with food and water. 5 Ahab had said to Obadiah, “Go through the land. Go to all the valleys and springs of water. Maybe we can find some grass there. It will keep the horses and mules alive. Then we won’t have to kill any of our animals.” 6 So they decided where each of them would look. Ahab went in one direction. Obadiah went in another.
7 As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah met him. Obadiah recognized him. He bowed down to the ground. He said, “My master Elijah! Is it really you?”
8 “Yes,” he replied. “Go and tell your master Ahab, ‘Elijah is here.’ ”
9 “What have I done wrong?” asked Obadiah. “Why are you handing me over to Ahab to be put to death? 10 My master has sent people to look for you everywhere. There isn’t a nation or kingdom where he hasn’t sent someone to look for you. Suppose a nation or kingdom would claim you weren’t there. Then Ahab would make them give their word that they couldn’t find you. And that’s just as sure as the Lord your God is alive. 11 But now you are telling me to go to my master. You want me to say, ‘Elijah is here.’ 12 But the Spirit of the Lord might carry you away when I leave you. Then I won’t know where you are. If I go and tell Ahab and he doesn’t find you, he’ll kill me. But I’ve worshiped the Lord ever since I was young. 13 My master, haven’t you heard what I did? Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets. But I hid 100 of them in two caves. I put 50 in each cave. I supplied them with food and water. 14 And now you are telling me to go to my master Ahab. You want me to say to him, ‘Elijah is here.’ Ahab will kill me!”
15 Elijah said, “I serve the Lord who rules over all. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that I will speak to Ahab today.”
Elijah on Mount Carmel
16 Obadiah went back to Ahab. He told Ahab that Elijah wanted to see him. So Ahab went to where Elijah was. 17 When he saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you? You are always stirring up trouble in Israel.”
18 “I haven’t made trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “But you and your father’s family have. You have turned away from the Lord’s commands. You have followed gods that are named Baal. 19 Now send for people from all over Israel. Tell them to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the 450 prophets of the god named Baal. Also bring the 400 prophets of the female god named Asherah. All of them eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab sent that message all through Israel. He gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah went there and stood in front of the people. He said, “How long will it take you to make up your minds? If the Lord is the one and only God, worship him. But if Baal is the one and only God, worship him.”
The people didn’t say anything.
22 Then Elijah said to them, “I’m the only one of the Lord’s prophets left. But Baal has 450 prophets. 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves. Let them cut it into pieces. Then let them put it on the wood. But don’t let them set fire to it. I’ll prepare the other bull. I’ll put it on the wood. But I won’t set fire to it. 24 Then you pray to your god. And I’ll pray to the Lord. The god who answers by sending fire down is the one and only God.”
Then all the people said, “What you are saying is good.”
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls. There are many of you. So prepare your bull first. Pray to your god. But don’t light the fire.” 26 So they prepared the bull they had been given.
They prayed to Baal from morning until noon. “Baal! Answer us!” they shouted. But there wasn’t any reply. No one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to tease them. “Shout louder!” he said. “I’m sure Baal is a god! Perhaps he has too much to think about. Or maybe he has gone to the toilet. Or perhaps he’s away on a trip. Maybe he’s sleeping. You might have to wake him up.” 28 So they shouted louder. They cut themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed. That’s what they usually did when things really looked hopeless. 29 It was now past noon. The prophets of Baal continued to prophesy with all their might. They did it until the time came to offer the evening sacrifice. But there wasn’t any reply. No one answered. No one paid any attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” So they went to him. He rebuilt the altar of the Lord. It had been torn down. 31 Elijah got 12 stones. There was one for each tribe in the family line of Jacob. The Lord’s message had come to Jacob. It had said, “Your name will be Israel.” 32 Elijah used the stones to build an altar to honor the Lord. He dug a ditch around it. The ditch was large enough to hold 24 pounds of seeds. 33 He arranged the wood for the fire. He cut the bull into pieces. He placed the pieces on the wood. Then he said to some of the people, “Fill four large jars with water. Pour it on the offering and the wood.” So they did.
34 “Do it again,” he said. So they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he ordered. And they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar. It even filled the ditch.
36 When it was time to offer the evening sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward. He prayed, “Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Today let everyone know that you are God in Israel. Let them know I’m your servant. Let them know I’ve done all these things because you commanded me to. 37 Answer me. Lord, answer me. Then these people will know that you are the one and only God. They’ll know that you are turning their hearts back to you again.”
38 The fire of the Lord came down. It burned up the sacrifice. It burned up the wood and the stones and the soil. It even dried up the water in the ditch.
39 All the people saw it. Then they fell down flat with their faces toward the ground. They cried out, “The Lord is the one and only God! The Lord is the one and only God!”
40 Then Elijah commanded them, “Grab the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one of them get away!” So they grabbed them. Elijah had them brought down to the Kishon Valley. There he had them put to death.
41 Elijah said to Ahab, “Go. Eat and drink. I can hear the sound of a heavy rain.” 42 So Ahab went off to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel. He bent down toward the ground. Then he put his face between his knees.
43 “Go and look toward the sea,” he told his servant. So he went up and looked.
“I don’t see anything there,” he said.
Seven times Elijah said, “Go back.”
44 The seventh time the servant said, “I see a cloud. It’s as small as a man’s hand. It’s coming up over the sea.”
Elijah said, “Go to Ahab. Tell him, ‘Tie your chariot to your horse. Go down to Jezreel before the rain stops you.’ ”
45 Black clouds filled the sky. The wind came up, and a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the Lord came on Elijah. He tucked his coat into his belt. And he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. Silas and Timothy join me in writing.
We are sending this letter to you, the members of the church in Thessalonica. You belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
May grace and peace be given to you.
Paul Gives Thanks for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you. We keep on praying for you. 3 We remember you when we pray to our God and Father. Your work is produced by your faith. Your service is the result of your love. Your strength to continue comes from your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 Brothers and sisters, you are loved by God. We know that he has chosen you. 5 Our good news didn’t come to you only in words. It came with power. It came with the Holy Spirit’s help. He gave us complete faith in what we were preaching. You know how we lived among you for your good. 6 We and the Lord were your examples. You followed us. You welcomed our message even when you were suffering terribly. You welcomed it with the joy the Holy Spirit gives. 7 So you became a model to all the believers in the lands of Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord’s message rang out from you. That was true not only in Macedonia and Achaia. Your faith in God has also become known everywhere. So we don’t have to say anything about it. 9 The believers themselves report the kind of welcome you gave us. They tell about how you turned away from statues of gods. And you turned to serve the living and true God. 10 They tell about how you are waiting for his Son to come from heaven. God raised him from the dead. He is Jesus. He saves us from God’s anger, and his anger is sure to come.
The Land Will Be Divided Up
48 “Here are the tribes. They are listed by their names.
“Dan will receive one share of land. It will be at the northern border of Israel. The border will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath. Hazar Enan will be part of the border. So will the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath. Dan’s northern border will run from east to west.
2 Asher will receive one share. It will border the territory of Dan from east to west.
3 Naphtali will receive one share. It will border the territory of Asher from east to west.
4 Manasseh will receive one share. It will border the territory of Naphtali from east to west.
5 Ephraim will receive one share. It will border the territory of Manasseh from east to west.
6 Reuben will receive one share. It will border the territory of Ephraim from east to west.
7 Judah will receive one share. It will border the territory of Reuben from east to west.
8 “You must give one share as a special gift to me. It will border the territory of Judah from east to west. It will be eight miles wide. It will be as long as the border of each of the territories of the tribes. Its border will run from east to west. The temple will be in the center of that strip of land.
9 “Give that special share of land to me. It will be eight miles long and three and a third miles wide. 10 It will be the sacred share of land for the priests. It will be eight miles long on the north side. It will be three and a third miles wide on the west side. It will be three and a third miles wide on the east side. And it will be eight miles long on the south side. My temple will be in the center of it. 11 This share of land will be for the priests who are set apart to me. They will come from the family line of Zadok. The members of that family served me faithfully. They did not go astray as the Levites and other Israelites did. 12 Their share of land will be a special gift to them. It will be part of the sacred share of the land. It will be very holy. Its border will run along the territory of the Levites.
13 “The Levites will receive a share. It will be next to the territory of the priests. The Levites’ share will be eight miles long and three and a third miles wide. 14 They must not sell or trade any of it. It is the best part of the land. It must not be handed over to anyone else. It is set apart to me.
15 “The area that remains is one and two-thirds miles wide. It is eight miles long. It will not be holy. The people in Jerusalem can build houses there. They can use some of it as grasslands. The city will be in the center of it. 16 Each of the four sides of the city will be one and a half miles long. 17 Each of the four sides of the city’s grasslands will be 440 feet long. 18 What remains of the area will be three and a third miles long on the east and west sides. Its border will run along the border of the sacred share. Its crops will supply food for the city workers. 19 They will farm the area. They will come from all the tribes of Israel. 20 The entire area will be a square. Each of its four sides will be eight miles long. Set the sacred share apart as a special gift to me. Do the same thing with the property of the city.
21 “The area that remains on both sides will belong to the prince. So his land does not include the sacred share and the property of the city. The eastern part of his land will reach from the sacred share all the way to the eastern border. The western part will reach from the sacred share to the western border. The sacred share itself is eight miles long on its east and west sides. Both of those areas will be right next to the borders of the two tribes on the north and south sides. They will belong to the prince. The sacred share will be in the center of them. It will have the temple in it. 22 The property of the Levites will lie in the center of the prince’s share. So will the property of the city. The prince’s land will lie between the borders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
23 “Here is the land for the rest of the tribes.
“Benjamin will receive one share. It will reach from the eastern border to the western border.
24 Simeon will receive one share. It will border the territory of Benjamin from east to west.
25 Issachar will receive one share. It will border the territory of Simeon from east to west.
26 Zebulun will receive one share. It will border the territory of Issachar from east to west.
27 Gad will receive one share. It will border the territory of Zebulun from east to west.
28 The southern border of Gad will run south from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh. It will continue along the Wadi of Egypt. It will end at the Mediterranean Sea.
29 “This is the land you must divide among the tribes of Israel. And these will be the shares they will receive,” announces the Lord and King.
The Gates of the New City
30 “Here is a list of the gates of the city.
“Start with its north side. It will be a mile and a half long. 31 The city gates will be named after the tribes of Israel. The north side will have three gates. They will be the gates of Reuben, Judah and Levi.
32 The east side will be a mile and a half long. It will have three gates. They will be the gates of Joseph, Benjamin and Dan.
33 The south side will be a mile and a half long. It will have three gates. They will be the gates of Simeon, Issachar and Zebulun.
34 The west side will be a mile and a half long. It will have three gates. They will be the gates of Gad, Asher and Naphtali.
35 “The city will be six miles around.
“From that time on, its name will be ‘The Lord Is There.’ ”
104 I will praise the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are dressed in glory and majesty.
2 The Lord wraps himself in light as if it were a robe.
He spreads out the heavens like a tent.
3 He builds his palace high in the heavens.
He makes the clouds serve as his chariot.
He rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes the winds serve as his messengers.
He makes flashes of lightning serve him.
5 He placed the earth on its foundations.
It can never be moved.
6 You, Lord, covered it with the oceans like a blanket.
The waters covered the mountains.
7 But you commanded the waters, and they ran away.
At the sound of your thunder they rushed off.
8 They flowed down the mountains.
They went into the valleys.
They went to the place you appointed for them.
9 You drew a line they can’t cross.
They will never cover the earth again.
10 The Lord makes springs pour water into the valleys.
It flows between the mountains.
11 The springs give water to all the wild animals.
The wild donkeys satisfy their thirst.
12 The birds in the sky build nests by the waters.
They sing among the branches.
13 The Lord waters the mountains from his palace high in the clouds.
The earth is filled with the things he has made.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle
and plants for people to take care of.
That’s how they get food from the earth.
15 There is wine to make people glad.
There is olive oil to make their skin glow.
And there is bread to make them strong.
16 The cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the Lord.
He planted them and gave them plenty of water.
17 There the birds make their nests.
The stork has its home in the juniper trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats.
The cliffs are a safe place for the rock badgers.
19 The Lord made the moon to mark off the seasons.
The sun knows when to go down.
20 You, Lord, bring darkness, and it becomes night.
Then all the animals of the forest prowl around.
21 The lions roar while they hunt.
All their food comes from God.
22 The sun rises, and they slip away.
They return to their dens and lie down.
23 Then people get up and go to work.
They keep working until evening.
24 Lord, you have made so many things!
How wise you were when you made all of them!
The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
It is filled with more creatures than people can count.
It is filled with living things, from the largest to the smallest.
26 Ships sail back and forth on it.
Leviathan, the sea monster you made, plays in it.
27 All creatures depend on you
to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them,
they eat it.
When you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you turn your face away from them,
they are terrified.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn back into dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
you create them.
You give new life to the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever.
May the Lord be happy with what he has made.
32 When he looks at the earth, it trembles.
When he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life.
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May these thoughts of mine please him.
I find my joy in the Lord.
35 But may sinners be gone from the earth.
May evil people disappear.
I will praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
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