M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jehoram’s War With Moab
3 Now Jehoram[a] son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he ruled as king for twelve years. 2 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred memorial stones for Baal which his father had made, 3 but he clung to the sins which Jeroboam son of Nebat caused Israel to commit. He did not turn from them.
4 Mesha king of Moab raised sheep. He brought tribute to the king of Israel consisting of one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.
5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 So King Jehoram went out from Samaria at that time, and he mobilized all Israel. 7 He sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to wage war against Moab?”
Jehoshaphat replied, “I will go with you. I am like you. My people are like your people. My horses are like your horses.” 8 Then Jehoshaphat asked, “By what road should we go up?”
Jehoram answered, “By the road through the wilderness of Edom.”
9 Then the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom marched for seven days by a roundabout way. There was no water for the army or for the animals which were along with them.
10 Then the king of Israel said, “This is terrible! The Lord has summoned these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab!”
11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, so that we may inquire of the Lord through him?”
One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah, is here.”
12 Then Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is in him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to meet him.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do we have in common? Go to your father’s prophets and your mother’s prophets!”
Then the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the Lord has summoned these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.”
14 Then Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord of Armies lives, before whom I stand, if I did not respect the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or notice you. 15 But now bring me a musician.”
While the musician was playing, the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha. 16 He said, “This is what the Lord says. Make this valley full of ditches. 17 Yes, this is what the Lord says: You will not see wind. You will not see rain. But this valley will be full of water and you will drink—you and your livestock and your animals. 18 This is nothing in the eyes of the Lord. He will also give Moab into your hands. 19 You will destroy all their fortified cities and all their main towns. You will cut down every good tree. You will stop up every spring of water. You will ruin every good plot of land with stones.”
20 In the morning, at the time for the regular offering, suddenly there was water coming from the direction of Edom. So the land was full of water.
21 All Moab heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. They summoned all those who were old enough to strap on a sword and took their stand at the border. 22 They got up early in the morning as the rising sun was shining on the water. When the Moabites saw the water from a distance, it was red like blood. 23 They said, “Look! Blood! The kings fought and killed each other. Now, get to the plunder, Moab!” 24 So they went to Israel’s camp, but Israel rose up and struck Moab, and the Moabites fled from them. Israel advanced against them to strike down Moab.[b]
25 Israel tore down the cities. Each man threw a stone on every good plot of land and covered all of them. They stopped up every spring, and they cut down every good tree. Only in Kir Hareseth were the stones left standing. Then the troops armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it. 26 When the king of Moab saw that he was losing the battle, he took seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they were not able to do it. 27 So he took his firstborn son, who would have become king in his place, and he offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. There was great anger against Israel, so they withdrew from him and returned to their own country.
Pray for Us
3 Finally, brothers, pray for us so that the word of the Lord may spread quickly and be glorified just as it was among you. 2 Pray also that we may be rescued from evil and wicked people. For not everyone has faith. 3 Still, the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and protect you from the Evil One. 4 We also have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we are telling you. 5 May the Lord continue to direct your hearts to God’s love and Christ’s patient endurance.
Warnings Against Idleness
6 We instruct you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to avoid every brother who is walking idly and not in accordance with the teaching that you received from us. 7 In fact, you yourselves know how necessary it is for you to imitate us, because we were not idle among you. 8 We never ate anyone’s bread without paying for it. Instead, with labor and hardship we worked night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 This was not because we lacked authority, but to provide an example for you to imitate. 10 In fact, when we were with you, this was our command to you: If anyone does not want to work, he should not eat. 11 Indeed, we hear that some among you are idle, not busy working, but being busybodies. 12 In the Lord Jesus Christ, we command and urge these people to work quietly and eat their own bread.
13 But you, brothers, do not grow weary of doing good. 14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this letter, take note of him so that you do not associate with him, in order that he may be put to shame. 15 Yet do not consider him an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
Benediction
16 May the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with you all.
17 This greeting is written by me, Paul, with my own hand. This is a distinguishing sign of how I write in every letter.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Daniel’s Vision of Four Beasts
7 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon,[a] Daniel had a dream. When he was on his bed, he saw visions in his head. Then he wrote down the dream by recording the main points.
2 Daniel said:
During my visions at night, I was watching and saw the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four large beasts were coming out of the sea, each one different from the others.
4 The first was like a lion. It had wings like an eagle. I kept watching until its wings were plucked off. Then it was lifted up from the earth so that it stood on its feet like a man, and a man’s mind was given to it.
5 Then another appeared, a second beast that looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side. Three ribs were in its mouth between its teeth. This is what was being said to it: “Arise, devour much flesh.”
6 After this, I kept watching and another beast appeared which was like a leopard. It had four bird wings on its back. The beast had four heads, and dominion[b] was given to it.
7 After this, I kept watching the night visions, and another beast appeared. The fourth beast was frightening and terrifying and very strong. It had large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed. With its feet it trampled whatever was left. Now it was different from all the beasts that came before it. It had ten horns.
8 I was thinking about the horns when suddenly another horn, a little one, came up among them. Three of the horns that had already been there were uprooted to make room for it. I noticed eyes like human eyes on that horn, and it had a mouth which was speaking boastfully.
The Coming of the Son of Man
9 I continued to watch until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair on his head was like pure wool. His throne was flames of fire. Its wheels were blazing fire. 10 A river of fire flowed out from his presence. Thousands upon thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and books were opened.
11 I kept paying attention to the sound of the boastful words that the horn was speaking. I kept watching until the beast was killed, and its body was destroyed and thrown into the burning fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion had been taken away, but their lives were prolonged for a set period of time.
13 I kept watching the night visions, and there, in the clouds of heaven, I saw one like a son of man[c] coming. He came to the Ancient of Days, and he was brought before him. 14 To him was given dominion, honor, and a kingdom. All peoples, nations, and languages will worship him. His dominion is an eternal dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.
An Angel Explains the Four Beasts
15 I, Daniel—my spirit was distressed within my body, and the visions in my head disturbed me. 16 I approached one of those standing there, and I asked him for the truth about all this. So he spoke to me and made the meaning of these visions clear to me. 17 “These great beasts are four kings who will arise from the earth. 18 But the saints[d] of the Most High will receive the kingdom, and they will possess the kingdom forever—yes, forever and ever.”
19 Then I wanted to be certain about that fourth beast that was different from all the others. It was very frightening. Its teeth were iron, and its claws were bronze. It devoured and crushed, and whatever was left it trampled with its feet. 20 I also wanted to be certain about the ten horns on its head, about the other horn that came up, and about the three horns that fell to make room for it. What is more, that horn had eyes and a mouth that was speaking boastful things. Its appearance was greater than that of the other horns that were with it. 21 I kept watching, and that horn made war against the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was rendered in favor of the saints of the Most High. Then the time came, and the saints took possession of the kingdom.
23 So this is what he said to me:
The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom that will come on the earth. It will be different from all the kingdoms. It will devour the entire earth, trample it, and smash it. 24 As for the ten horns—ten kings will arise from that kingdom, and another king will arise after them. He will be different from the previous ones, and he will humble three kings. 25 He will speak words against the Most High so that he will wear down the saints of the Most High. Moreover, he has plans to change times and the law. So the saints will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.
The Establishment of the Kingdom of God
26 Then the court will be seated, and the horn’s dominion will be taken away in order to destroy it and wipe it out forever. 27 But the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under all the heavens will be given to the people, to the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an eternal kingdom, and all dominions will worship and obey him.
28 This was the end of the matter. I, Daniel—my thoughts troubled me greatly. My appearance changed and my face became pale, but I kept the matter to myself.
Psalm 114
When Israel Came Out of Egypt
1 When Israel came out of Egypt
and the house of Jacob from a people with a strange language,
2 Judah became his sanctuary,
Israel became his kingdom.
3 The sea saw and fled.
The Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.
5 What happened, O sea, that you fled,
O Jordan, that you turned back,
6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams,
you hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble in the presence of the Lord, O earth.
Tremble in the presence of the God of Jacob.
8 He turned the rock into a pool of water.
He turned flint into springs of water.
Psalm 115
Not to Us
To God Alone Be Glory
1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
but to your name give glory,
because of your mercy,
because of your truth.
No Glory in Idols
2 Why should the nations say,
“So where is their God now?”
3 In fact, our God is in the heavens.
He does everything that pleases him.
4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
5 They have a mouth, but they do not speak.
They have eyes, but they do not see.
6 They have ears, but they do not hear.
They have a nose, but they do not smell.
7 Their hands—they do not even feel.
Their feet—they do not even walk around.
They do not even make a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
Trust in the Lord
9 Israel, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and their shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and their shield.
12 The Lord remembers us. He will bless.
He will bless the house of Israel.
He will bless the house of Aaron.
13 He will bless those who fear the Lord—
the small with the great.
14 May the Lord add blessings to you,
to you and to your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
Serve the Lord
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.