M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem
15 Then David made houses for himself in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God and (A)pitched a tent for it. 2 And David said, “(B)No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for Yahweh chose them to carry the ark of [a]God and to minister to Him forever.” 3 Then (C)David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Yahweh (D)to its place which he had prepared for it. 4 And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and (E)the Levites:
5 of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his [b]relatives;
6 of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his relatives;
7 of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and 130 of his relatives;
8 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and 200 of his relatives;
9 of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and 80 of his relatives;
10 of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and 112 of his relatives.
11 Then David called for (F)Zadok and (G)Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab, 12 and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites; (H)set yourselves apart as holy, both you and your relatives, that you may bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, (I)to the place that I have prepared for it. 13 (J)Because you did not carry it at the first, Yahweh our God broke out against us, for we did not seek Him according to the legal judgment.” 14 (K)So the priests and the Levites set themselves apart as holy to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel. 15 And the sons of (L)the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles thereon, as Moses had commanded according to the word of Yahweh.
16 Then David said to the chiefs of the Levites (M)to appoint their relatives the singers, with instruments of music, harps, lyres, loud-sounding cymbals, to raise a sound of gladness. 17 So (N)the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his relatives, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari their relatives, Ethan the son of Kushaiah, 18 and with them their relatives of the second rank, Zechariah, [c]Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. 19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph and Ethan were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze; 20 and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with [d]harps set according to (O)alamoth; 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to lead with [e]lyres set according to (P)the sheminith. 22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the [f]singing; he gave instruction in singing because he had understanding. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, (Q)blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were gatekeepers for the ark.
25 (R)So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the commanders over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from (S)the house of Obed-edom with gladness. 26 Now this happened because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. And they sacrificed (T)seven bulls and seven rams. 27 Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. (U)David also wore a linen ephod. 28 Thus all Israel was bringing up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh with shouting, and with sound of the [g]horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps, and lyres.
29 Now it happened as the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came to the city of David, that (V)Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.
The Sin of Favoritism
2 (A)My brothers, (B)do not hold your faith in our [a](C)glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of (D)personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your [b]assembly with a gold ring and dressed in (E)bright clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in (F)dirty clothes, 3 and you [c]pay special attention to the one who is wearing the (G)bright clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges (H)with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, (I)my beloved brothers: did not (J)God choose the poor [d]of this world to be (K)rich in faith and (L)heirs of the kingdom which He (M)promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and they themselves (N)drag you into [e]court? 7 (O)Do they not blaspheme the good name [f]by which you have been called?
8 If, however, you (P)are fulfilling the [g]royal law according to the Scripture, “(Q)You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you (R)show partiality, you are committing sin, being convicted by the [h]law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole [i]law and yet (S)stumbles in one point, he has become (T)guilty of all. 11 For He who said, “(U)Do not commit adultery,” also said, “(V)Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the [j]law. 12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by (W)the law of freedom. 13 For (X)judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy [k]triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Works
14 (Y)What use is it, (Z)my brothers, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can [l]that faith save him? 15 (AA)If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “(AB)Go in peace, [m]be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so (AC)faith, if it has no works, is [n]dead by itself.
18 (AD)But someone will say, “You have faith; and I have works. Show me your (AE)faith without the works, and I will (AF)show you my faith (AG)by my works.” 19 You believe that [o](AH)God is one. (AI)You do well; (AJ)the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, (AK)you foolish fellow, that (AL)faith without works is useless? 21 (AM)Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that (AN)faith was working with his works, and [p]as a result of the (AO)works, faith was [q]perfected. 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “(AP)And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he was called (AQ)the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, was not (AR)Rahab the harlot also justified by works (AS)when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also (AT)faith without works is dead.
Sinful Israelites Will Die by the Sword
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the (A)altar, and He said,
“Strike the capitals so that the (B)thresholds will quake,
And (C)break them on the heads of them all!
Then I will (D)kill the rest of them with the sword;
(E)Not one of them who can flee will flee,
And not one of them who can survive will escape.
2 Though they dig into (F)Sheol,
From there will My hand take them;
And though they (G)ascend to heaven,
From there will I bring them down.
3 And though they hide on the [a]top of Carmel,
From there I will (H)search them out and take them;
And though they (I)conceal themselves from My eyes on the floor of the sea,
From there I will command the (J)serpent, and it will bite them.
4 And though they go into (K)captivity before their enemies,
From there I will command the sword that it kill them,
And I will (L)set My eyes against them for evil and not for good.”
5 Now Lord Yahweh of hosts,
The One who (M)touches the land so that it melts,
And (N)all those who inhabit it mourn,
And all of it rises up like the Nile
And subsides like the Nile of Egypt;
6 The One who builds His [b](O)upper chambers in the heavens
And has founded His vaulted dome over the earth;
The One who (P)calls for the waters of the sea
And (Q)pours them out on the face of the earth;
(R)Yahweh is His name.
7 “Are you not as the sons of (S)Ethiopia to Me,
O sons of Israel?” declares Yahweh.
“Have I not brought up Israel from the land of Egypt,
And the (T)Philistines from Caphtor and the (U)Arameans from (V)Kir?
8 Behold, the (W)eyes of Lord Yahweh are on the sinful kingdom,
And I will (X)destroy it from the face of the earth;
Nevertheless, I will (Y)not totally destroy the house of Jacob,”
Declares Yahweh.
9 “For behold, I am commanding,
And I will (Z)shake the house of Israel among all nations
As grain is shaken in a sieve,
But not a [c]kernel will fall to the ground.
10 All the (AA)sinners of My people will die by the sword,
Those who say, ‘(AB)The calamity will not overtake or confront us.’
Yahweh Will Rebuild Israel
11 “In that day I will (AC)raise up the fallen [d](AD)booth of David
And wall up its (AE)breaches;
I will also raise up its ruins
And rebuild it as in the (AF)ancient days,
12 (AG)That they may possess the remnant of (AH)Edom
And all the [e]nations who are (AI)called by My name,”
Declares Yahweh who does this.
13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh,
“When the (AJ)plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the (AK)mountains will drip [f]sweet (AL)wine
And all the hills will melt.
14 Also I will (AM)restore the [g]captivity of My people Israel,
And they will (AN)rebuild the desolated cities and live in them;
They will also (AO)plant vineyards and drink their wine
And make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will also plant them on their land,
And (AP)they will not again be uprooted from their land
Which I have given them,”
Says Yahweh your God.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 (A)Now Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, (B)returned from the Jordan and was being led around [a]by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for (C)forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had finished, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘(D)Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 (E)And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of [b](F)the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this [c](G)dominion and [d]its glory, (H)for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore if You [e]worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is written, ‘(I)You shall worship the [f]Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
9 (J)And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,
‘(K)He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’
11 and,
‘(L)On their hands they will bear You up,
Lest You strike Your foot against a stone.’”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘(M)You shall not put the [g]Lord your God to the test.’”
13 And when the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
14 And (N)Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and (O)news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. 15 And He was (P)teaching in their synagogues, being glorified by all.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
16 And He came to (Q)Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and as was His custom, (R)He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and (S)stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “(T)The Spirit of the [h]Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 (U)To proclaim the favorable year of the [i]Lord.”
20 And He (V)closed the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and (W)sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your [j]hearing.” 22 And all were [k]speaking well of Him and marveling at the [l]gracious words which were coming forth from His lips, and they were saying, “(X)Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we heard took place (Y)at Capernaum, do also here in (Z)your hometown.’” 24 And He said, “Truly I say to you, (AA)no prophet is welcome in his hometown. 25 But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel (AB)in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land, 26 and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but (AC)only to [m]Zarephath, in the land of (AD)Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed, but (AE)only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things, 29 and they stood up and (AF)drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the edge of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. 30 But (AG)passing through their midst, He went on His way.
Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Demon
31 And (AH)He came down to (AI)Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and He was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and (AJ)they were amazed at His teaching, for (AK)His [n]message was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man [o]possessed by the spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “[p]Let us alone! [q](AL)What do we have to do with You, Jesus the (AM)Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—(AN)the Holy One of God!” 35 But Jesus (AO)rebuked it, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, it came out of him without doing him any harm. 36 And amazement came upon them all, and they were talking with one another saying, “What is [r]this message? For (AP)with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.” 37 And (AQ)the report about Him was spreading into every place in the surrounding district.
Peter’s Mother-in-Law and Many Others Healed
38 (AR)Then He stood up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was (AS)suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him [s]to help her. 39 And standing over her, He (AT)rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she stood up and [t]began waiting on them.
40 (AU)And while (AV)the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and (AW)laying His hands on each one of them, He was (AX)healing them. 41 And demons also were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are (AY)the Son of God!” But (AZ)rebuking them, He was (BA)not allowing them to speak, because they knew Him to be the [u]Christ.
42 (BB)When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were eagerly seeking for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them. 43 But He said to them, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, (BC)for I was sent for this purpose.”
44 So He kept on preaching in the synagogues (BD)of [v]Judea.
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