M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Men Who Guarded the Gates
26 Here are the groups of men who guarded the gates.
From the family of Korah came
Meshelemiah, the son of Kore. Kore was one of the sons of Asaph. 2 Meshelemiah had sons.
Zechariah was his first son.
Jediael was his second son.
Zebadiah was the third.
Jathniel was the fourth.
3 Elam was the fifth.
Jehohanan was the sixth.
And Eliehoenai was the seventh.
4 Obed-Edom also had sons.
Shemaiah was his first son.
Jehozabad was his second son.
Joah was the third.
Sakar was the fourth.
Nethanel was the fifth.
5 Ammiel was the sixth.
Issachar was the seventh.
And Peullethai was the eighth.
God had blessed Obed-Edom.
6 Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons. They were leaders in their family. That’s because they were men of great ability. 7 The sons of Shemaiah were
Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad.
Elzabad’s relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also capable men.
8 All of them belonged to the family line of Obed-Edom. They and their sons and relatives were capable men. They were strong enough to do their work. The total number of men in the family line of Obed-Edom was 62.
9 Meshelemiah’s sons and relatives were capable men. Their total number was 18.
10 Hosah belonged to the family line of Merari. Hosah’s first son was
Shimri. But Shimri wasn’t the oldest son. His father had made him the first.
11 Hilkiah was Hosah’s second son.
Tabaliah was the third.
Zechariah was the fourth.
The total number of Hosah’s sons and relatives was 13.
12 Those groups of men guarded the gates. They worked under their leaders. They served at the Lord’s temple, just as their relatives had served. 13 Lots were cast for each gate, family by family. Young and old alike were chosen.
14 The lot chosen for the East Gate was for Shelemiah.
Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, who gave wise advice. The lot chosen for the North Gate was for Zechariah.
15 The lot chosen for the South Gate was for Obed-Edom. The lot chosen for the storeroom was for his sons.
16 Lots were chosen for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road. Those lots were chosen for Shuppim and Hosah.
One guard stood next to another.
17 There were six Levites a day on the east.
There were four a day on the north.
There were four a day on the south.
And there were two at a time at the storeroom.
18 Two Levite guards were at the courtyard to the west. And four were at the road.
19 Those were the groups of the men who guarded the gates. They belonged to the family lines of Korah and Merari.
Other Officials
20 Men were in charge of the treasures in the house of God. They were the Levite relatives of the men who guarded the gates. These men were also in charge of other treasures that had been set apart for God.
21 Ladan was from the family line of Gershon. Some leaders of families belonged to Ladan’s family line. One of them was Jehieli. 22 The sons of Jehieli were Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasures in the Lord’s temple.
23 Here are the officials who were from the family lines of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.
24 Shubael was from the family line of Moses’ son Gershom. Shubael was the official in charge of the treasures. 25 His relatives through Eliezer included his son Rehabiah. Jeshaiah was Rehabiah’s son. Joram was Jeshaiah’s son. Zikri was Joram’s son. And Shelomith was Zikri’s son.
26 Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasures that had been set apart for God. King David had set those treasures apart. Some family leaders had also set them apart. They were the commanders of thousands of men and commanders of hundreds. The treasures had also been set apart by other army commanders. 27 Some of the goods that had been taken in battle were set apart to repair the Lord’s temple. 28 Samuel the prophet had set apart some things for God. Saul, the son of Kish, had set apart other things. So had Abner, the son of Ner. And so had Joab, the son of Zeruiah. All these things and everything else that had been set apart were taken care of by Shelomith and his relatives.
29 From the family line of Izhar came
Kenaniah and his sons. They were given duties that were away from the temple. They were officials and judges over Israel.
30 From the family line of Hebron came
Hashabiah and his relatives. They were capable men. The total number was 1,700. It was their duty to serve the king in Israel west of the Jordan River. It was also their duty to do all the Lord’s work there. 31 Jeriah was the chief of the family line of Hebron. That’s based on their family history.
In the 40th year of David’s rule, a search was made in the records. That’s how capable men were found in the family line of Hebron at Jazer in Gilead. 32 Jeriah had 2,700 relatives. They were capable men and family leaders. King David had put them in charge of the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh. They were in charge of matters having to do with God and the king.
The Groups of Fighting Men in the Army
27 Here is the list of the Israelites who served in the king’s army. They included leaders of families. They included commanders of thousands of men and commanders of hundreds. They also included other officers. All of them served the king in everything concerning the army’s fighting groups. These groups were on duty month by month all through the year. The total number of men in each group was 24,000.
2 Jashobeam was in charge of the first fighting group for the first month. He was the son of Zabdiel. The total number of men in Jashobeam’s group was 24,000. 3 He belonged to the family line of Perez. He was chief of all the army officers for the first month.
4 Dodai was in charge of the second fighting group for the second month. He belonged to the family line of Ahoah. Mikloth was the leader of Dodai’s group. The total number of men in Dodai’s group was 24,000.
5 The third army commander for the third month was Benaiah the priest, the son of Jehoiada. Benaiah was the chief. The total number of men in Benaiah’s fighting group was 24,000. 6 That same Benaiah was a mighty warrior among the 30 chiefs. In fact, he was leader over the 30 chiefs. His son Ammizabad was in charge of Benaiah’s group.
7 The fourth commander for the fourth month was Joab’s brother Asahel. Asahel’s son Zebadiah was the next commander after him. The total number of men in Asahel’s fighting group was 24,000.
8 The fifth commander for the fifth month was Shamhuth. He was an Izrahite. The total number of men in Shamhuth’s fighting group was 24,000.
9 The sixth commander for the sixth month was Ira. He was the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa. The total number of men in Ira’s fighting group was 24,000.
10 The seventh commander for the seventh month was Helez. He was a Pelonite from Ephraim. The total number of men in Helez’s fighting group was 24,000.
11 The eighth commander for the eighth month was Sibbekai. He was a Hushathite from Zerah. The total number of men in Sibbekai’s fighting group was 24,000.
12 The ninth commander for the ninth month was Abiezer. He was from Anathoth in Benjamin. The total number of men in Abiezer’s fighting group was 24,000.
13 The tenth commander for the tenth month was Maharai. He was a Netophathite from Zerah. The total number of men in Maharai’s fighting group was 24,000.
14 The 11th commander for the 11th month was Benaiah. He was from Pirathon in Ephraim. The total number of men in Benaiah’s fighting group was 24,000.
15 The 12th commander for the 12th month was Heldai. He was a Netophathite from the family line of Othniel. The total number of men in Heldai’s fighting group was 24,000.
The Leaders of the Tribes
16 Here are the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
Over the tribe of Reuben was Eliezer, the son of Zikri.
Over Simeon was Shephatiah, the son of Maakah.
17 Over Levi was Hashabiah, the son of Kemuel.
Over Aaron was Zadok.
18 Over Judah was Elihu. He was David’s brother.
Over Issachar was Omri, the son of Michael.
19 Over Zebulun was Ishmaiah, the son of Obadiah.
Over Naphtali was Jerimoth, the son of Azriel.
20 Over Ephraim was Hoshea, the son of Azaziah.
Over half of the tribe of Manasseh was Joel, the son of Pedaiah.
21 Over the half of the tribe of Manasseh in Gilead was Iddo, the son of Zechariah.
Over Benjamin was Jaasiel, the son of Abner.
22 Over Dan was Azarel, the son of Jeroham.
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 David didn’t count the men who were 20 years old or less. That’s because the Lord had promised to make the people of Israel as many as the stars in the sky. 24 Joab, the son of Zeruiah, began to count the men. But he didn’t finish. The Lord was angry with Israel because David had begun to count the men. So the number wasn’t written down in the official records of King David.
Other Officials of the King
25 Azmaveth was in charge of the royal storerooms. He was the son of Adiel.
Jonathan was in charge of the storerooms in the fields, towns, villages and lookout towers. He was the son of Uzziah.
26 Ezri was in charge of the workers who farmed the land. He was the son of Kelub.
27 Shimei was in charge of the vineyards. He was from Ramah.
Zabdi was in charge of the grapes from the vineyards. He was also in charge of storing the wine. He was a Shiphmite.
28 Baal-Hanan was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore-fig trees in the western hills. He was from Geder.
Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.
29 Shitrai was in charge of the herds that ate grass in Sharon. He was from Sharon.
Shaphat was in charge of the herds in the valleys. He was the son of Adlai.
30 Obil was in charge of the camels. He was from the family line of Ishmael.
Jehdeiah was in charge of the donkeys. He was from Meronoth.
31 Jaziz was in charge of the flocks. He was a Hagrite.
All these men were the officials in charge of King David’s property.
32 Jonathan was David’s uncle. He gave good advice. He was a man of understanding. He was also a secretary.
Jehiel took care of the king’s sons. He was the son of Hakmoni.
33 Ahithophel was the king’s adviser.
Hushai was the king’s trusted friend. He was an Arkite.
34 Jehoiada and Abiathar became the next advisers after Ahithophel. Jehoiada was the son of Benaiah.
Joab was the commander of the royal army.
1 I, Simon Peter, am writing this letter. I serve Jesus Christ. I am his apostle.
I am sending this letter to you. You are those who have received a faith as valuable as ours. You received it because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right.
2 May more and more grace and peace be given to you. May they come to you as you learn more about God and about Jesus our Lord.
Showing That God Has Chosen You
3 God’s power has given us everything we need to lead a godly life. All of this has come to us because we know the God who chose us. He chose us because of his own glory and goodness. 4 He has also given us his very great and valuable promises. He did it so you could share in his nature. You can share in it because you’ve escaped from the evil in the world. This evil is caused by sinful desires.
5 So you should try very hard to add goodness to your faith. To goodness, add knowledge. 6 To knowledge, add the ability to control yourselves. To the ability to control yourselves, add the strength to keep going. To the strength to keep going, add godliness. 7 To godliness, add kindness for one another. And to kindness for one another, add love. 8 All these things should describe you more and more. They will make you useful and fruitful as you know our Lord Jesus Christ better. 9 But what if these things don’t describe someone at all? Then that person can’t see very well. In fact, they are blind. They have forgotten that their past sins have been washed away.
10 My brothers and sisters, try very hard to show that God has appointed you to be saved. Try hard to show that he has chosen you. If you do everything I have just said, you will never trip and fall. 11 You will receive a rich welcome into the kingdom that lasts forever. It is the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Prophecy of Scripture Comes From God
12 So I will always remind you of these things. I’ll do it even though you know them. I’ll do it even though you now have deep roots in the truth. 13 I think it is right for me to remind you. It is right as long as I live in this tent. I’m talking about my body. 14 I know my tent will soon be removed. Our Lord Jesus Christ has made that clear to me. 15 I hope that you will always be able to remember these things after I’m gone. I will try very hard to see that you do.
16 We told you about the time our Lord Jesus Christ came with power. But we didn’t make up clever stories when we told you about it. With our own eyes we saw him in all his majesty. 17 God the Father gave him honor and glory. The voice of the Majestic Glory came to him. It said, “This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.” (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35) 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven. We were with him on the sacred mountain.
19 We also have the message of the prophets. This message can be trusted completely. You must pay attention to it. The message is like a light shining in a dark place. It will shine until the day Jesus comes. Then the Morning Star will rise in your hearts. 20 Above all, here is what you must understand. No prophecy in Scripture ever came from a prophet’s own understanding of things. 21 Prophecy never came simply because a prophet wanted it to. Instead, the Holy Spirit guided the prophets as they spoke. So, although prophets are human, prophecy comes from God.
People From Many Nations Will Worship at the Lord’s Mountain
4 In the last days
the mountain where the Lord’s temple is located will be famous.
It will be the highest mountain of all.
It will be lifted up above the hills.
And nations will go to it.
2 People from many nations will go there. They will say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain.
Let’s go to the temple of Jacob’s God.
He will teach us how we should live.
Then we will live the way he wants us to.”
The law of the Lord will be taught at Zion.
His message will go out from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between people from many nations.
He’ll settle problems among strong nations everywhere.
They will hammer their swords into plows.
They’ll hammer their spears into pruning tools.
Nations will not go to war against one another.
They won’t even train to fight anymore.
4 Everyone will have
their own vine and fig tree.
And no one will make them afraid.
That’s what the Lord who rules over all has promised.
5 Other nations worship and trust in their gods.
But we will worship and obey the Lord.
He will be our God for ever and ever.
The Lord’s Plan
6 “The time is coming
when I will gather those who are disabled,”
announces the Lord.
“I will bring together those
who were taken away as prisoners.
I will gather those I have allowed to suffer.
7 I will make the disabled my faithful people.
I will make into a strong nation those driven away from their homes.
I will rule over them on Mount Zion.
I will be their King from that time on and forever.
8 Jerusalem, you used to be
like a guard tower for my flock.
City of Zion, you used to be
a place of safety for my people.
The glorious kingdom you had before
will be given back to you.
Once again a king will rule over your people.”
9 Why are you crying out so loudly now?
Don’t you have a king?
Has your ruler died?
Is that why pain comes on you
like the pain of a woman having a baby?
10 People of Zion, groan with pain.
Cry out like a woman having a baby.
Soon you must leave your city.
You must camp in the open fields.
You will have to go to the land of Babylon.
But that’s where the Lord will save you.
There he will set you free
from the power of your enemies.
11 But now many nations
have gathered together to attack you.
They say, “Let Jerusalem be made ‘unclean.’
We want to laugh when Zion suffers!”
12 But those nations don’t know
what the Lord has in mind.
They don’t understand his plan.
He has planned to gather them up like bundles of grain.
He has planned to take them to his threshing floor.
13 The Lord says,
“People of Zion, get up
and crush your enemies.
I will make you like a threshing ox.
I will give you iron horns and bronze hooves.
So you will crush many nations.”
They got their money in the wrong way.
But you will set it apart to the Lord.
You will give their wealth
to the Lord of the whole earth.
Turn Away From Sin or Die
13 Some people who were there at that time told Jesus about certain Galileans. Pilate had mixed their blood with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus said, “These people from Galilee suffered greatly. Do you think they were worse sinners than all the other Galileans? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you turn away from your sins, you will all die too. 4 Or what about the 18 people in Siloam? They died when the tower fell on them. Do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you turn away from your sins, you will all die too.”
6 Then Jesus told a story. “A man had a fig tree,” he said. “It was growing in his vineyard. When he went to look for fruit on it, he didn’t find any. 7 So he went to the man who took care of the vineyard. He said, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree. But I haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year. I’ll dig around it and feed it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’ ”
Jesus Heals a Disabled Woman on the Sabbath Day
10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on a Sabbath day. 11 A woman there had been disabled by an evil spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not stand up straight. 12 Jesus saw her. He asked her to come to him. He said to her, “Woman, you will no longer be disabled. I am about to set you free.” 13 Then he put his hands on her. Right away she stood up straight and praised God.
14 Jesus had healed the woman on the Sabbath day. This made the synagogue leader angry. He told the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days. But do not come on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You pretenders! Doesn’t each of you go to the barn and untie your ox or donkey on the Sabbath day? Then don’t you lead it out to give it water? 16 This woman is a member of Abraham’s family line. But Satan has kept her disabled for 18 long years. Shouldn’t she be set free on the Sabbath day from what was keeping her disabled?”
17 When Jesus said this, all those who opposed him were put to shame. But the people were delighted. They loved all the wonderful things he was doing.
The Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
18 Then Jesus asked, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a garden. It grew and became a tree. The birds sat in its branches.”
20 Again he asked, “What can I compare God’s kingdom to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman used. She mixed it into 60 pounds of flour. The yeast worked its way all through the dough.”
The Narrow Door
22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching the people. He was on his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
He said to them, 24 “Try very hard to enter through the narrow door. I tell you, many will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 The owner of the house will get up and close the door. Then you will stand outside knocking and begging. You will say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’
“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you. And I don’t know where you come from.’
26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you. You taught in our streets.’
27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you. And I don’t know where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil!’
28 “You will weep and grind your teeth together when you see those who are in God’s kingdom. You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets there. But you yourselves will be thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south. They will take their places at the feast in God’s kingdom. 30 Then the last will be first. And the first will be last.”
Jesus’ Sadness Over Jerusalem
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus. They said to him, “Leave this place. Go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
32 He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons. I will keep on healing people today and tomorrow. And on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must keep going today and tomorrow and the next day. Certainly no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!
34 “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and throw stones in order to kill those who are sent to you. Many times I have wanted to gather your people together. I have wanted to be like a hen who gathers her chicks under her wings. And you would not let me. 35 Look, your house is left empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” (Psalm 118:26)
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