M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Amnon and Tamar
13 David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Some time after this, David’s son Amnon fell in love with her. 2 Amnon was so worked up that he made himself sick because of his sister Tamar. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for Amnon to do anything with her.
3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, who was a son of David’s brother Shimeah.[a] Jonadab was a very clever man. 4 Jonadab said to Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so tired every morning? Won’t you tell me?”
Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.”
5 Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick. Your father will come to see you. Then you are to say to him, ‘Please! Have my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat. Have her prepare the food in my presence so that I can watch and eat it from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon went to bed and pretended to be sick, and the king came to see him. Amnon said to the king, “Please! Have my sister Tamar come and make special flatbread while I am watching. She should make two of them and let me eat them from her hand.”
7 So David sent a message to Tamar’s house: “Please, go to the house of your brother Amnon and make food for him.” 8 Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, where he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made the flatbread as he was watching, and baked the loaves. 9 She took the pan and placed it before him, but he refused to eat.
Amnon said, “Send everyone away from me.” So everyone left.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom and let me eat from your hand.”
Tamar took the flatbread that she had made and brought it into the room to Amnon her brother. 11 She brought it to him so he could eat.
He grabbed her and said to her, “Come, lie down with me, my sister.”
12 She said to him, “No, my brother. Do not force me, for such a thing is not done in Israel. Do not do such a foolish thing. 13 And I—how will I get rid of my shame? And you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”
14 But he would not listen to her. He was stronger than she was, and he forced her to lie down with him.
15 Then Amnon’s hatred for her was even more intense than the love he had felt for her. Amnon said to her, “Get up. Get out.”
16 She said to him, “There is no excuse for that. To send me away is a greater wrong than what you already did to me.”
But he was not willing to listen to her. 17 He called the young man who was his servant and said, “Send this woman outside, away from me, and bolt the door behind her.”
18 She was wearing a special long robe that covered her arms and legs.[b] The virgin daughters of the king wore such robes. His servant put her outside and bolted the door after her. 19 Tamar put ashes on her head and ripped the robe that she was wearing. She placed her hand on her head, and she went away, weeping loudly as she walked.
20 Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now my sister, do not say anything. He is your brother. Do not take this matter to heart.”
So Tamar, a devastated woman, stayed in the house of her brother Absalom. 21 King David heard about all these things, and he was very angry.[c]
22 Absalom did not speak with Amnon at all, neither anything bad nor anything good. Absalom hated Amnon because he had raped Tamar, his sister.
David and Absalom
23 Two years passed. Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor, which is near Ephraim. Absalom invited all the king’s sons. 24 Absalom also came to the king and said, “Look! The sheepshearers are now at work for your servant. Will the king and his servants join your servant, please?”
25 The king said to Absalom, “No, my son. Not all of us will go. We do not want to be a burden to you.”
Absalom pressured him, but David was not willing to go, though he did give Absalom a blessing. 26 So Absalom said, “If not, can Amnon my brother join us, please?” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom kept pressuring him, so David sent Amnon and all the sons of the king with him.[d]
28 Absalom commanded his servants, “Pay attention to me, and when Amnon is feeling good because of the wine, I will say to you, ‘Strike Amnon.’ Then you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. I am the one who has given you the order. Be strong. Be brave.”
29 Absalom’s servants did to Amnon exactly what Absalom had commanded. Then all the sons of the king got up. Each of them got on his mule and fled.
30 While they were on the way, news reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons. There is not one of them left.” 31 The king got up, ripped his clothing, and lay down on the ground. All his servants who were standing nearby also ripped their clothing.
32 Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, responded, “My lord should not say they have killed all the young men who are sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. This is what Absalom has been planning from the day Amnon raped Tamar, his sister. 33 Now my lord the king should pay no attention to the report that says, ‘All the king’s sons are dead,’ because only Amnon is dead.”
34 Absalom fled.
The young man who was serving as the watchman looked up and saw many people coming down the road west of him,[e] along the side of the mountain. ⎣The watchman came and reported to the king, “I see men on the Horonaim road, along the side of the mountain.”⎦[f]
35 Jonadab said to the king, “Look. The king’s sons have come. It is just as your servant said.”
36 When he was finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived. They raised their voices and wept loudly. The king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.
37 Absalom fled. He went to Talmai son of Ammihud,[g] the king of Geshur. King David mourned every day because of his son.
38 Absalom fled and went to Geshur. He stayed there for three years. 39 King David longed to reach out to Absalom, because he was no longer mourning for his deceased son Amnon.
6 As fellow workers we also urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says:
At a favorable time I listened to you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.[a]
Look, now is the favorable time! See, now is the day of salvation!
3 We are giving no one a reason to stumble in any way, so that our ministry will not be blamed. 4 Rather, in every way we show ourselves to be God’s ministers: in great endurance, in troubles, in hardships, in difficulties, 5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in hard work, in sleepless nights, in times of hunger; 6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in sincere love, 7 in the word of truth, in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness on the right and on the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, through bad report and good report; treated as deceivers yet being honest, 9 treated as unknown and yet being well known; as dying, and yet look—we live; as punished yet not put to death; 10 as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet making many rich; as having nothing yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken to you openly,[b] Corinthians. Our heart is standing wide open. 12 We have plenty of room for you, but you do not have room for us in your affections. 13 I am speaking as to my children: In exchange, open your hearts wide too.
Do Not Be Yoked With Unbelievers
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what partnership does righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 15 And what agreement does Christ have with Belial?[c] Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? 16 And what mutual agreement does God’s temple have with idols? For you[d] are the temple of the living God, just as God said:
A Review of the Old Covenant and a Promise of the New
20 In the seventh year,[a] in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, men came from the elders of Israel to consult the Lord, and they sat down in front of me. 2 Then the word of the Lord came to me. 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and tell them this.”
This is what the Lord God says to them:
Are you really coming to consult me? As I live, I will not let myself be consulted by you, declares the Lord God.
4 Will you put them on trial?[b] Will you put them on trial, son of man? Remind them of the abominable practices of their fathers. 5 You are to tell them the following.
This is what the Lord God says. On the day when I chose Israel, when I swore with an uplifted hand to the descendants[c] of the house of Jacob, when I made myself known to them in the land of Egypt, then I lifted up my hand to them in an oath. I said, “I am the Lord, your God.” 6 On that day I swore to them with an uplifted hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt to a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey. It was the most glorious of all the lands. 7 I said to them, “Each man must throw away the loathsome things he sets his eyes on. You must not defile yourselves with the filthy idols[d] of Egypt. I am the Lord, your God.”
8 But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. Not one of them threw away the loathsome things which they set their eyes on. They did not forsake the filthy idols of Egypt, so I resolved to pour out my wrath on them and to exhaust my anger against them in the middle of the land of Egypt. 9 I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations that were around them, the nations in whose sight I had made myself known by bringing the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
10 So I brought them out of the land of Egypt and led them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my statutes, and I made my ordinances known to them, ordinances by which a man will live if he observes them. 12 I also gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, so that they could know that I, the Lord, am the one who sanctifies them.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness. They did not walk in my statutes, and they rejected my ordinances (ordinances by which a man will live if he observes them), and they profaned my Sabbaths completely. So I threatened to pour out my wrath on them in the wilderness in order to annihilate them. 14 I acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out from Egypt. 15 I also swore to them with an uplifted hand in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land that I had given to them, a land flowing with milk and honey—it is the most glorious of all the lands— 16 because they rejected my ordinances and did not walk in my statutes. Instead, they profaned my Sabbaths. This happened because their hearts chase after their filthy idols. 17 Nevertheless, my eye had pity on them so that I did not destroy them, and I did not completely destroy them in the wilderness.
18 Then I said to their children in the wilderness: “Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers. Do not observe their ordinances, and do not defile yourselves with their filthy idols. 19 I, the Lord, am your God. Walk in my statutes, and observe my ordinances and practice them. 20 Keep my Sabbaths holy so that they may be a sign between me and you, so that you may know that I, the Lord, am your God.”
21 But the children too rebelled against me. They did not walk in my statutes. They did not observe my ordinances by practicing them, statutes by which a person will live if he observes them. They profaned my Sabbaths, so I resolved to pour out my wrath on them and to exhaust my anger on them in the wilderness. 22 Nevertheless, I held back my hand and acted for the sake of my name, so that it would not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out from Egypt. 23 However, I raised my hand in an oath to them in the wilderness and swore that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them among the countries 24 because they had not observed my ordinances. They despised my statutes. They profaned my Sabbaths, and they fixed their eyes on the filthy idols of their fathers. 25 So I gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not live.[e] 26 I defiled them through their sacrificial gifts—when they made all their firstborn pass through the fire—in order to devastate them, so that they would know that I am the Lord.
27 Therefore, speak to the house of Israel, son of man, and tell them this.
This is what the Lord God says. In this too your fathers blasphemed me by committing infidelity after infidelity against me. 28 When I brought them to the land which I had sworn with an uplifted hand to give to them, whenever they saw any high hill or any leafy tree, they offered their sacrifices there. There they placed their offerings that provoke me. There they offered their fragrant sacrifices. There they poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, “What is the high place to which you are going?” So it is called Bamah[f] to this day.
30 Therefore, say this to the house of Israel.
This is what the Lord God says. Are you continuing to defile yourselves in the way your fathers did? Are you still whoring after their loathsome idolatries? 31 When you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you continue to defile yourselves by all your filthy idols to this day. So should I let myself be consulted by you, house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord God, I will not let myself be consulted by you.
32 What you have in mind will definitely never take place. You are saying, “Let us become like the nations, like the clans in other countries, by worshipping wood and stone.” 33 As I live, says the Lord God, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath outpoured, I will rule over you! 34 I will bring you out from the nations, and I will gather you from the countries among which you have been scattered. With a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with wrath outpoured, 35 I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples. There I will enter into judgment with you face-to-face. 36 As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. 37 I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you under the binding terms of the covenant. 38 I will purge out from among you those who revolt and rebel against me. From the land where they are staying I will bring them out, but they shall not come into the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
39 But to you, house of Israel, this is what the Lord God says. Let each man go and worship his filthy idols, but after that, even if you will not listen to me, you will no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and with your filthy idols. 40 For on my holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord God, the whole house of Israel will worship me there—the whole nation in its homeland. There I will accept them. There I will request your offerings and your special gifts together with all your holy things. 41 I will accept you as a fragrant sacrifice when I bring you out from the nations and when I gather you from the lands among which you were scattered. Then through you, I will show that I am holy in the sight of the nations. 42 You will know that I am the Lord when I bring you back to the soil of Israel, to the land that I swore with an upraised hand to give to your fathers. 43 There you will remember your ways and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves, and you will despise yourselves for all your evil deeds which you have done. 44 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for the sake of my name and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.
Prophecy Against the Southland
45 The word of the Lord came to me.[g]
46 Son of man, set your face toward Teman. Preach against the Southland, and prophesy against the scrubby forest in the Negev. 47 Say this to the scrub forest in the Negev. Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord God says. I am about to ignite a fire among you, and among you it will devour every green tree and every dry tree. The blazing flame will not be extinguished. Every face will be scorched by it, from south to north. 48 All flesh will see that I, the Lord, have ignited it. It will not be extinguished.
49 Then I said, “Oh, Lord God, they are saying about me, ‘Doesn’t he just talk in puzzling parables?’”
Psalm 66
How Awesome Are Your Deeds!
Heading
For the choir director. A song. A psalm.
Introduction: The Praise of the World
1 Shout praise to God, all the earth!
2 Make music to the glory of his name!
Make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, “How awesome[a] are your deeds!”
Because of your great power your enemies must cower before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you.
They make music to you.
They make music to your name. Interlude
God’s Awesome Deeds Deliver His People
5 Come and see the works of God.
How awesome his deeds for all people!
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
They crossed through the river on foot.
Let us rejoice in him there.
7 He rules by his power forever.
His eyes watch the nations. Interlude
Do not let the rebellious rise up against him.
8 Bless our God, you peoples.
Let the sound of his praise be heard.
9 He is the one who has preserved our lives.
He did not let our feet slip.
10 Indeed, you tested us, God.
You refined us as silver is refined.
11 You led us into a trap.
You laid a burden on our backs.
12 You let men ride over our heads.
We went through fire and through water,
but you brought us out to a well-watered place.
His People’s Praise
13 I will come to your house with whole burnt offerings.
I will fulfill my vows to you,
14 which my lips uttered,
which my mouth spoke during my trouble.
15 I will offer fat animals to you as whole burnt offerings,
along with the smoke from rams. Interlude
I will offer cattle with goats.
16 Come, listen, all you who fear God,
and let me tell what he has done to save my life.
17 To him I cried out with my mouth.
High praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had contemplated evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened,
19 but God has surely listened.
He has paid attention to the sound of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, who has not turned aside my prayer
or turned aside his mercy from me!
Psalm 67
Your Kingdom Come
Heading
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
The Prayer
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us. Interlude
May his face shine on us—
2 so that your way may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
3 May the peoples praise you, O God.
May the peoples praise you—all of them.
4 May the countries be glad and sing for joy,
because you rule the peoples with fairness, Interlude
and you guide the countries of the earth.
5 May the peoples praise you, O God.
May the peoples praise you—all of them.
6 The earth will yield its harvest.
God, our God, will bless us.
7 God will bless us,
and all the ends of the earth will fear him.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.