M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Ahab Wars with Aram
20 Now (A)Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his military force, (B)and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and (C)besieged Samaria and fought against it. 2 Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad, 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.’” 4 Then the king of Israel answered and said, “It is according to your word, my lord, O king; I am yours, and all that I have.” 5 Then the messengers returned and said, “Thus says [a]Ben-hadad, ‘Surely, I sent to you saying, “You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children,” 6 but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants; and [b]whatever is desirable in your eyes, they will put in their hand and carry away.’”
7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, “Please know and (D)see how this man is looking for trouble; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold, and I withheld nothing from him.” 8 And all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen or consent.” 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Say to my lord the king, ‘All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do, but this thing I cannot do.’” And the messengers departed and brought him word again. 10 Then Ben-hadad sent to him and said, “May (E)the gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be sufficient for [c]a handful for all the people who [d]follow me.” 11 Then the king of Israel answered and said, “Speak to him, ‘(F)Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.’” 12 Now it happened that when Ben-hadad heard this message, as (G)he was drinking [e]with the kings in the booths, he said to his servants, “Station yourselves.” So they stationed themselves against the city.
13 Now behold, a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, (H)I will deliver them into your hand today, and (I)you shall know that I am Yahweh.’” 14 And Ahab said, “By whom?” So he said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘By the young men of the rulers of the provinces.’” Then he said, “Who shall [f]begin the battle?” And he said, “You.” 15 Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and there were 232; and after them he mustered all the people, even all the sons of Israel, 7,000.
16 And they went out at noon, while (J)Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths [g]with the thirty-two kings who helped him. 17 And the young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, “Men have come out from Samaria.” 18 (K)Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
19 So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the military force which followed them. 20 And they each struck his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen. 21 And the king of Israel went out and struck down the horses and chariots, and struck the Arameans with a great slaughter.
22 Then (L)the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and know and see what you have to do; for (M)at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”
23 Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “(N)Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. 24 Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place, 25 and you shall number a military force like the military force that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.
Israel Fights the Arameans
26 (O)Now it happened at the turn of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to (P)Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 Now the sons of Israel were mustered and were provided for and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats, (Q)but the Arameans filled the land. 28 Then (R)a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because the Arameans have said, “(S)Yahweh is a god of the mountains, but He is not a god of the valleys,” therefore (T)I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am Yahweh.’” 29 So they camped one opposite the other seven days. Now it happened that on the seventh day the battle was joined, and the sons of Israel struck down of the Arameans 100,000 foot soldiers in one day. 30 But the rest fled to (U)Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on 27,000 men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city (V)into an inner chamber.
31 (W)Then his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings of lovingkindness, please let us (X)put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will preserve your [h]life.” 32 So (Y)they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “(Z)Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33 Now the men interpreted this as an omen, and hastily [i]catching his word said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he [j]took him up into the chariot. 34 And Ben-hadad said to him, “(AA)The cities which my father took from your father I will return, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he cut a covenant with him and let him go.
A Prophecy Enrages Ahab
35 Now a certain man of (AB)the sons of the prophets said to [k]another (AC)by the word of Yahweh, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh, behold, as soon as you walk away from me, (AD)a lion will strike you down.” And as soon as he had walked away from him, a lion found him and struck him down. 37 Then he found another man and said, “Please [l]strike me.” And the man [m]struck him, [n]wounding him. 38 So the prophet walked away and stood by, for the king by the way, and (AE)disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 Now it happened that as the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, (AF)then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a [o]talent of silver.’ 40 Now it happened that while your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.” 41 Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him, that he was of the prophets. 42 And he said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore (AG)your [p]life shall go for his [q]life, and your people for his people.’” 43 So (AH)the king of Israel went to his house sullen and enraged, and came to Samaria.
Timothy’s Good Report
3 Therefore (A)when we could endure it no longer, we were pleased to be left behind at (B)Athens alone, 2 and we sent (C)Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, 3 so that no one would be shaken by these afflictions, for you yourselves know that (D)we have been destined for this. 4 For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction, (E)just as it happened and as you know. 5 For this reason, (F)when I could endure it no longer, I also (G)sent to know about your faith, lest somehow (H)the tempter has tempted you, and (I)our labor be in vain.
6 But now that (J)Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of (K)your faith and love, and that you always (L)remember us kindly, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; 8 for now we really live, if you (M)stand firm in the Lord. 9 For (N)what thanks can we render to God for you in return for all the joy with which we rejoice before our God because of you, 10 as we (O)night and day keep praying most earnestly that we may (P)see your face, and may (Q)complete what is lacking in your faith?
11 (R)Now may (S)our God and Father (T)Himself and Jesus our Lord (U)direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord cause you to increase and (V)abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you, 13 so that He may (W)strengthen your hearts (X)blameless in holiness, before (Y)our God and Father, at the [a](Z)coming of our Lord Jesus (AA)with all His [b]saints.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream
2 Now in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar [a](A)had dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his (B)sleep [b]left him. 2 Then the king said to call in the [c](C)magicians, the conjurers, the sorcerers, and the [d]Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. 3 Then the king said to them, “I [e](D)had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream.”
4 Then the Chaldeans spoke to the king in [f](E)Aramaic: “(F)O king, live forever! (G)Say the dream to your servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 5 The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, “The word from me is firm: if you do not make known to me the dream and its interpretation, you will be [g](H)torn limb from limb, and your houses will be made a rubbish heap. 6 But if you declare the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me (I)gifts and a reward and great glory; therefore declare to me the dream and its interpretation.” 7 They answered a second time and said, “Let the king (J)say the dream to his servants, and we will declare the interpretation.” 8 The king answered and said, “I know for certain that you are buying time, inasmuch as you have seen that the word from me is firm, 9 that if you do not make the dream known to me, there is only (K)one law for you. Indeed, you have agreed together to speak lying and corrupt [h]words before me until the time is changed; therefore say the dream to me, that I may (L)know that you can declare to me its interpretation.” 10 The Chaldeans answered [i]the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who is able to declare the matter [j]for the king, inasmuch as no great king or powerful ruler has ever asked about a matter like this of any [k](M)magician, conjurer, or Chaldean. 11 Moreover, the matter which the king asks is [l]difficult, and there is no one else who could declare it [m]to the king except (N)gods, whose (O)dwelling place is not with flesh.”
12 Because of this the king became (P)indignant and very furious and said for them to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the law went forth that the wise men were to be killed; and they sought out (Q)Daniel and his friends to [n]kill them.
14 Then Daniel replied with discretion and discernment to (R)Arioch, the captain of the king’s [o]bodyguard, who had gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon; 15 he answered and said to Arioch, a powerful [p]official for the king, “For what reason is the law from the king so [q]urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. 16 So Daniel went in and sought from the king that he would [r]give him time, in order that he might declare the interpretation to the king.
God Reveals Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
17 Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to his friends, to (S)Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 18 so that they might (T)seek compassion from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his friends would not be (U)destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a night (V)vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven; 20 Daniel answered and said,
“Let the name of God be (W)blessed forever and ever,
For (X)wisdom and might belong to Him.
21 And He (Y)changes the times and the seasons;
He (Z)removes kings and [s]establishes kings;
He gives (AA)wisdom to wise men
And knowledge to [t]men of understanding.
22 He (AB)reveals the deep and hidden things;
(AC)He knows what is in the darkness,
And the (AD)light dwells with Him.
23 To You, O (AE)God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,
For You have given me (AF)wisdom and might;
Even now You have made known to me what we (AG)sought from You,
For You have made known to us the king’s matter.”
24 Therefore, Daniel went in to Arioch, whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon; he went and said thus to him: “(AH)Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon! Bring me before the king, and I will declare the interpretation to the king.”
25 Then Arioch hurriedly (AI)brought Daniel before the king and said thus to him: “I have found a man among the [u](AJ)exiles from Judah who can make the interpretation known to the king!” 26 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was (AK)Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen and its interpretation?” 27 Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king is asking, neither (AL)wise men, conjurers, [v]magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. 28 However, there is a (AM)God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the [w](AN)last days. This was your dream and the (AO)visions of your head while on your bed. 29 As for you, O king, while on your bed your thoughts [x]turned to what would happen [y]in the future; and (AP)He who reveals mysteries has made known to you what will happen. 30 But as for me, this mystery has not been revealed to me by any (AQ)wisdom which is in me more than in any other living man, but for the purpose of making the interpretation known to the king, and that you may know the (AR)thoughts of your heart.
Daniel Interprets the Dream
31 “You, O king, were looking, and behold, there was a single great [z]image; that image, which was large and [aa]of extraordinary splendor, was rising up in front of you, and its appearance was [ab](AS)awesome. 32 The (AT)head of that image was made of fine gold, its breast and its arms of silver, its belly and its thighs of bronze, 33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. 34 You [ac]continued looking until a (AU)stone was cut out (AV)without hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and clay and (AW)crushed them. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed [ad]all at the same time and became (AX)like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that (AY)not a trace of them was found. But the stone that struck the image became a great (AZ)mountain and filled the whole earth.
36 “This was the dream; now we will say (BA)its interpretation before the king. 37 You, O king, are the (BB)king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the [ae]kingdom, the (BC)power, the strength, and the glory; 38 and wherever the sons of men inhabit, or the (BD)beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has made you rule with power over them all. You are the head of gold. 39 But after you there will arise another kingdom inferior to you, then another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule with power over all the earth. 40 Then there will be a (BE)fourth kingdom as strong as iron; inasmuch as iron crushes and shatters all things, so, like iron that breaks in pieces, it will crush and break all these in pieces. 41 Now in that you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron; it will be a divided kingdom; but it will have in it the toughness of iron, inasmuch as you saw the iron mixed with [af]common clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so some of the kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle. 43 And in that you saw the iron mixed with [ag]common clay; they will combine with one another [ah]in the seed of men; but they will not cling to one another, even as iron does not combine with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the (BF)God of heaven will (BG)cause a (BH)kingdom to rise up which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be [ai]left for another people; it will (BI)crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself stand forever. 45 Inasmuch as you saw that a (BJ)stone was cut out of the mountain without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the (BK)great God has made known to the king what (BL)will happen [aj]in the future; so the dream is certain, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
Daniel and Friends Promoted
46 Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and did (BM)homage to Daniel and said for them to present to him an offering and [ak](BN)fragrant incense. 47 The king answered Daniel and said, “Truly (BO)your God is a (BP)God of gods and a Lord of kings and a (BQ)revealer of mysteries since you have been able to reveal this mystery.” 48 Then the king [al](BR)promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him rule with power over the whole (BS)province of Babylon and chief [am]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 And Daniel sought of the king, and he (BT)appointed (BU)Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego over the administration of the province of Babylon, while Daniel was at the king’s [an](BV)court.
Remember Me, O Yahweh
106 [a]Praise Yah!
Oh (A)give thanks to Yahweh, for He (B)is good;
For (C)His lovingkindness endures forever.
2 Who can speak of the (D)mighty deeds of Yahweh,
Or can make all His praise to be heard?
3 How blessed are those who keep [b]justice,
[c]And he who (E)does righteousness at all times!
4 Remember me, O Yahweh, in Your (F)favor [d]toward Your people;
Visit me with Your salvation,
5 That I may see the (G)goodness of Your chosen ones,
That I may (H)rejoice in the gladness of Your nation,
That I may (I)boast with Your [e]inheritance.
6 (J)We have sinned (K)with our fathers,
We have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly.
7 Our fathers in Egypt did not consider Your wondrous deeds;
They (L)did not remember Your abundant lovingkindnesses,
But they (M)rebelled by the sea, at the [f]Red Sea.
8 Yet He saved them (N)for the sake of His name,
That He might (O)make His might known.
9 Thus He (P)rebuked the [g]Red Sea and it (Q)dried up,
And He (R)led them through the deeps, as through the wilderness.
10 So He (S)saved them from the [h]hand of the one who hated them,
And (T)redeemed them from the [i]hand of the enemy.
11 (U)The waters covered their adversaries;
Not one of them was left.
12 Then they (V)believed His words;
They (W)sang His praise.
13 They quickly (X)forgot His works;
They (Y)did not wait for His counsel,
14 But (Z)craved intensely in the wilderness,
And (AA)put God to the test in the wasteland.
15 So He (AB)gave them their request,
But (AC)sent a [j]wasting disease against their lives.
16 Then they became (AD)envious of Moses in the camp,
And of Aaron, the holy one of Yahweh,
17 The (AE)earth opened and swallowed up Dathan,
And covered up the [k]company of Abiram.
18 And a (AF)fire burned up in their company;
The flame consumed the wicked.
19 They (AG)made a calf in Horeb
And worshiped a molten image.
20 Thus they (AH)exchanged their glory
For the image of an ox that eats grass.
21 They (AI)forgot God their Savior,
Who had done (AJ)great things in Egypt,
22 (AK)Wondrous deeds in the land of Ham
And awesome things by the [l]Red Sea.
23 Therefore (AL)He said that He would destroy them,
Had not (AM)Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him,
To turn away His wrath from [m]eradicating them.
24 Then they (AN)despised the (AO)pleasant land;
They (AP)did not believe in His word,
25 But (AQ)grumbled in their tents;
They did not listen to the voice of Yahweh.
26 So He [n](AR)swore to them
To make them fall in the wilderness,
27 And to (AS)make their seed fall among the nations
And to (AT)scatter them in the lands.
28 They then (AU)joined themselves to [o]Baal-peor,
And ate (AV)sacrifices offered to the dead.
29 Thus they (AW)provoked Him to anger with their actions,
And the plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas (AX)stood up and interceded,
And so the (AY)plague was checked.
31 And it was (AZ)counted to him for righteousness,
From generation to generation forever.
32 They also (BA)provoked Him to wrath at the waters of [p]Meribah,
So that it (BB)went badly with Moses on their account;
33 Because they (BC)were rebellious against [q]His Spirit,
He spoke rashly with his lips.
34 They (BD)did not destroy the peoples,
As (BE)Yahweh commanded them,
35 But (BF)they mingled with the nations
And learned their works,
36 And (BG)served their idols,
(BH)Which became a snare to them.
37 They (BI)sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the (BJ)demons,
38 And they shed (BK)innocent blood,
The blood of their (BL)sons and their daughters,
Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;
And the land was (BM)polluted with the blood.
39 Thus they became (BN)unclean in their works,
And (BO)played the harlot in their actions.
40 So the (BP)anger of Yahweh was kindled against His people
And He (BQ)abhorred His [r](BR)inheritance.
41 Then (BS)He gave them into the hand of the [s]nations,
And those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies (BT)oppressed them,
And they were subdued under their hand.
43 Many times He would (BU)deliver them;
But they were rebellious in their (BV)counsel,
And so they (BW)sank down in their iniquity.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.