M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Jonathan’s Battle with the Philistines

14 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come, let us go over to the place where the Philistine soldiers are on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. ² Saul was staying beside Gibeah under the pomegranate tree in Migron. There were about 600 men with him, ³ and Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the religious leader of the Lord at Shiloh, wearing the linen vest. And the people did not know Jonathan had gone. ⁴ Between the passes where Jonathan went to cross over to the Philistine soldiers, there was a sharp rock on the one side, and a sharp rock on the other side. The name of one was Bozez. The name of the other was Seneh. ⁵ One rock stood on the north in front of Michmash. The other stood on the south in front of Geba.

⁶ Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come, let us go over to the place where the soldiers are who have not gone through the religious act of the Jews. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for there is nothing to keep the Lord from saving by many or by few.” ⁷ The young man who was carrying his battle-clothes said to him, “Do all that is in your mind. I am with you in whatever you think to do.” ⁸ Jonathan said, “We will cross over to the men and show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the Lord has given them into our hands. This will be the special thing for us to see.” ¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine soldiers. The Philistines said, “See, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” ¹² The soldiers of that place said to Jonathan and the one who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come up to us and we will tell you something.” Jonathan said to the one who was carrying his battle-clothes, “Come up after me. For the Lord has given them into the hands of Israel.” ¹³ Then Jonathan went up the hill on his hands and feet, with the one who was carrying his battle-clothes behind him. The soldiers fell in front of Jonathan. The young man, who was carrying his battle-clothes after him, killed them. ¹⁴ In that first killing done by Jonathan and the man who carried his battle-clothes, about twenty men fell dead within a small piece of land. ¹⁵ There was fear among the Philistines, in the field, and among all the people. Even the soldiers shook with fear. And the earth shook, so there was much fear.

¹⁶ Saul’s men who were watching in Gibeah of Benjamin looked and saw the people running away. They went here and there. ¹⁷ Saul said to the people who were with him, “Number them, and see who has left us.” When they numbered, they found that Jonathan and the young man who carried his battle-clothes were not there. ¹⁸ Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the special box of God here.” For the special box of God was with the people of Israel at that time. ¹⁹ While Saul talked to the religious leader, the noise of the Philistines became louder. So Saul said to the religious leader, “Take your hand away.” ²⁰ Then Saul and all the people with him gathered together and went into the battle. Every man’s sword was against the man next to him. It was as if no one knew what to do. ²¹ The Hebrews, who had been with the Philistines and had gone up with them among the tents returned. They returned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² When all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines had run away, they ran after them in the battle. ²³ So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle spread farther than Beth-aven.

²⁴ Now the men of Israel were troubled that day. For Saul made a promise and said to the people, “Cursed will be the man who eats food before evening and before I have punished those who fight against me.” So none of the people tasted any food. ²⁵ And all the people came among the trees, and there was honey on the ground. ²⁶ The people went among the trees and saw honey flowing, but no man tasted it. For the people were afraid of Saul’s promise. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father make the promise to the people. So he put the stick that was in his hand into the honeycomb. Then he put it to his mouth, and his eyes became bright. ²⁸ One of the men told him, “Your father put the people under a promise, saying, ‘Cursed will be the man who eats food today.’” The people were tired and weak. ²⁹ Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better it would be if the men had been free to eat today of the food that had belonged to those who fought against them! For not many Philistines have been killed.”

³¹ They killed the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. And the people were very tired and weak. ³² The people rushed upon the things that had belonged to the Philistines. They took sheep and cattle and calves, and killed them on the ground. And the people ate them with the blood. ³³ Then Saul was told, “See, the people are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with the blood in it.” And Saul said, “You have not been faithful. Roll a big stone to me here.” ³⁴ And he said, “Divide yourselves among the people and say to them, ‘Each one of you bring me his bull or his sheep, and kill it here and eat. Do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.’” So every one of the people brought his bull with him that night, and killed it there. ³⁵ And Saul built an altar to the Lord. It was the first altar that he built to the Lord.

³⁶ Then Saul said, “Let us go down to the Philistines during the night and take until morning what belongs to them. Let us not leave a man of them alive.” They said, “Do whatever you think is best.” So the religious leader said, “Let us ask of God here.” ³⁷ So Saul asked God, “Should I go down to the Philistines? Will You give them into the hand of Israel?” But God did not answer him that day. ³⁸ Saul said, “Come here, all you leaders of the people. Look and see how this sin has happened today. ³⁹ For as the Lord lives Who saves Israel, even if it is in Jonathan my son, he will die for sure.” But not one of all the people answered him. ⁴⁰ Then Saul said to all Israel, “You will be on one side and I and my son Jonathan will be on the other side.” And the people said to Saul, “Do what you think is best.” ⁴¹ So Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, “May the right name be drawn.” And the names of Saul and Jonathan were drawn, and the people went free. ⁴² Then Saul said, “Draw names between me and my son Jonathan.” And Jonathan’s name was drawn.

⁴³ Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” So Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of the stick that was in my hand. Here I am. I must die.” ⁴⁴ Saul said, “May God do this to me and more also, for you will die for sure, Jonathan.” ⁴⁵ But the people said to Saul, “Must Jonathan die, who has saved all these people of Israel? Far from it! As the Lord lives, not one hair of his head will fall to the ground. For he has worked with God this day.” So the people saved Jonathan and he did not die. ⁴⁶ Then Saul stopped going after the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul’s Family

⁴⁷ When Saul had become king over Israel, he fought against all those around him who hated him. He fought against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. He punished them in every way he turned. ⁴⁸ He acted with strength of heart and destroyed the Amalekites. He saved Israel from those who came to rob them.

⁴⁹ Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malchishua. And he had two daughters. The name of the first-born was Merab, and the name of the younger one was Michal. ⁵⁰ The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the captain of his army was Abner the son of Ner, the brother of Saul’s father. ⁵¹ Kish was the father of Saul. And Abner’s father Ner was the son of Abiel.

⁵² There was fighting against the Philistines all of Saul’s life. When Saul saw any strong man, or any man with strength of heart, he would have the man join him.

12 Christian brothers, I ask you from my heart to give your bodies to God because of His loving-kindness to us. Let your bodies be a living and holy gift given to God. He is pleased with this kind of gift. This is the true worship that you should give Him. ² Do not act like the sinful people of the world. Let God change your life. First of all, let Him give you a new mind. Then you will know what God wants you to do. And the things you do will be good and pleasing and perfect.

³ God has given me His loving-favor. This helps me write these things to you. I ask each one of you not to think more of himself than he should think. Instead, think in the right way toward yourself by the faith God has given you. ⁴ Our bodies are made up of many parts. None of these parts have the same use. ⁵ There are many people who belong to Christ. And yet, we are one body which is Christ’s. We are all different but we depend on each other. ⁶ We all have different gifts that God has given to us by His loving-favor. We are to use them. If someone has the gift of preaching the Good News, he should preach. He should use the faith God has given him. ⁷ If someone has the gift of helping others, then he should help. If someone has the gift of teaching, he should teach. ⁸ If someone has the gift of speaking words of comfort and help, he should speak. If someone has the gift of sharing what he has, he should give from a willing heart. If someone has the gift of leading other people, he should lead them. If someone has the gift of showing kindness to others, he should be happy as he does it.

⁹ Be sure your love is true love. Hate what is sinful. Hold on to whatever is good. ¹⁰ Love each other as Christian brothers. Show respect for each other. ¹¹ Do not be lazy but always work hard. Work for the Lord with a heart full of love for Him. ¹² Be happy in your hope. Do not give up when trouble comes. Do not let anything stop you from praying. ¹³ Share what you have with Christian brothers who are in need. Give meals and a place to stay to those who need it. ¹⁴ Pray and give thanks for those who make trouble for you. Yes, pray for them instead of talking against them. ¹⁵ Be happy with those who are happy. Be sad with those who are sad. ¹⁶ Live in peace with each other. Do not act or think with pride. Be happy to be with poor people. Keep yourself from thinking you are so wise. ¹⁷ When someone does something bad to you, do not pay him back with something bad. Try to do what all men know is right and good. ¹⁸ As much as you can, live in peace with all men. ¹⁹ Christian brothers, never pay back someone for the bad he has done to you. Let the anger of God take care of the other person. The Holy Writings say, “I will pay back to them what they should get, says the Lord.” ^{(A) 20} “If the one who hates you is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him water. If you do that, you will be making him more ashamed of himself.” ^{(B) 21} Do not let sin have power over you. Let good have power over sin!

Babylon Is Destroyed

51 The Lord says, “See, I will raise up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon and against the people of Chaldea. ² I will send strangers to destroy Babylon like a wind that blows straw away. For they will be against her on every side and leave her land empty in the day of her trouble. ³ Do not let the bow-man use his bow. Do not let him stand up in his heavy battle-clothes. Do not leave her young men alive, but destroy all of her army. ⁴ They will fall down dead in the land of Babylon and be killed in their streets.”

⁵ For Israel and Judah have not been left alone by their God, the Lord of All, even though their land is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel. ⁶ Run away from Babylon! Let every man save his life! Do not be destroyed in her punishment, for it is time for the Lord to punish her. He will make her pay for her sins. ⁷ Babylon has been a gold cup in the Lord’s hand, making all the earth drunk. The nations have drunk her wine, and so the nations have gone wild. ⁸ All at once Babylon has fallen and been broken. Cry over her with a loud voice. Bring healing oil for her pain. It may be that she will be healed. ⁹ We would have healed Babylon, but she was not healed. Leave her alone, and let each of us go to his own country. For she is being judged from as far as heaven and lifted even to the skies. ¹⁰ The Lord has taken our guilt away. Come and let us make the work of the Lord our God known in Zion.

¹¹ Make the arrows sharp! Take the body-coverings! The Lord has moved the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because He is planning to destroy Babylon. It is the punishment of the Lord, the punishment for what was done to His house of worship. ¹² Lift up a flag on the walls of Babylon. Have many keep watch. Put the watchmen in their places. And get men ready to fight against her by surprise. For the Lord has both planned and done what He said about the people of Babylon. ¹³ O you who live by many waters and have many riches, your end has come. Your life is being cut off. ¹⁴ The Lord of All has promised by Himself, saying, “For sure I will fill you with men, as with many locusts. And they will call out that they have won the war against you.”

A Song of Praise

¹⁵ He made the earth by His power. He made the world by His wisdom. And by His understanding He spread out the heavens. ¹⁶ When He speaks, there is a storm of waters in the heavens. He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and brings the wind from His store-houses. ¹⁷ No man thinks well, and he is without learning. Every man who works with gold is put to shame by his false gods. For the objects of worship that he makes are false, and there is no breath in them. ¹⁸ They are of no worth, a false show. At the time of their punishment they will be destroyed. ¹⁹ He Who is the Share of Jacob is not like these. For He is the Maker of All. And Israel is the family who receives His gifts. The Lord of All is His name.

²⁰ He says, “You are My battle-ax which I use in war. With you I destroy countries. With you I destroy nations. ²¹ With you I break in pieces the horse and its rider. ²² With you I destroy the war-wagon and its driver. With you I destroy man and woman. With you I destroy old man and boy. With you I destroy young man and young woman. ²³ With you I destroy the shepherd and his flock. With you I destroy the farmer and his oxen. And with you I destroy rulers and captains.

Babylon Is Punished

²⁴ “I will punish Babylon and all the people of Chaldea for all their sins that they have done in Zion in front of your eyes,” says the Lord. ²⁵ “See, I am against you, O destroying mountain, who destroys the whole earth,” says the Lord. “I will put out My hand against you and roll you down from the high rocks. I will make you a burned-out mountain. ²⁶ Not even a stone will be taken from you for a corner stone, or a stone to be used to build upon. But you will be a waste forever,” says the Lord.

²⁷ Lift up a flag in the land! Sound the horn among the nations! Make the nations ready to fight against Babylon. Call against her the nations of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Choose a captain to go against her. Bring up the horses like many locusts. ²⁸ Make the nations ready to fight against her. Make ready the kings of the Medes, their rulers and captains, and every land under their rule. ²⁹ The land shakes and moves in its pain. For the Lord’s plans against Babylon stand, to make the land of Babylon a waste land without people. ³⁰ The powerful soldiers of Babylon have stopped fighting. They stay in their strong-places. Their strength is gone. They have become like women. Their houses are set on fire, and the iron parts of her gates are broken. ³¹ One man with news runs to meet another, and he runs to meet another. They run to tell the king of Babylon that his city has been taken from end to end. ³² The ways to cross the river have been stopped. The water grass has been burned with fire. And the soldiers are filled with fear.

³³ The Lord of All, the God of Israel, says, “The daughter of Babylon is like the grain floor when it is being stepped on and made hard. In a little while her gathering time will come.”

³⁴ “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has destroyed me, and has crushed me. He has made me like an empty pot. He has eaten me up like a large, angry animal. He has filled his stomach with my good food, and he has washed me away. ³⁵ May the hurt done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon,” the person living in Zion will say. “May my blood be upon the people of Babylon,” Jerusalem will say.

³⁶ So the Lord says, “See, I will help you in your cause and punish Babylon for you. I will dry up her sea, and make her well dry. ³⁷ Babylon will become a waste place, a place where wild dogs live. She will be an object of trouble and hate, where no people live. ³⁸ Together the people of Babylon make noise like young lions. They sound like a lion’s young ones. ³⁹ But when they are hot, I will give them a special supper and make them drunk. Then they will be happy and fall asleep, and will never wake up,” says the Lord. ⁴⁰ “I will bring them down like lambs to be killed, like rams and male goats.

Babylon Is Destroyed

⁴¹ “How Babylon has been taken, the praise of the whole earth taken! How Babylon has become an object of trouble among the nations! ⁴² The sea has come up over Babylon. She has been covered with its many big waves. ⁴³ Her cities have become an object of trouble, a dry land and a desert. It is a land where no man lives, and where no man passes through. ⁴⁴ And I will punish the false god of Bel in Babylon. I will make what he has eaten come out of his mouth. The nations will no longer come to him. The wall of Babylon will fall.

⁴⁵ “Come out of her, My people. Save yourselves from the burning anger of the Lord. ⁴⁶ Do not let your heart become weak. Do not be afraid at the news that will be heard in the land. For news will come this year, and other news will come the next. There will be fighting in the land, with ruler against ruler. ⁴⁷ So the days are coming when I will punish the false gods of Babylon. Her whole land will be put to shame, and all her dead will fall within her. ⁴⁸ Then heaven and earth and all that is in them will call out for joy over Babylon. For the destroyers will come to her from the north,” says the Lord.

⁴⁹ Babylon must fall because of the dead of Israel, just as the dead of all the earth have fallen because of Babylon. ⁵⁰ You who have not been killed by the sword, go! Do not stay! Remember the Lord from far away, and think of Jerusalem. ⁵¹ We are ashamed because much has been said against us. Our faces are covered with shame, for strangers have gone into the holy places of the Lord’s house.

⁵² “But the days are coming,” says the Lord, “when I will punish her false gods. And those who are hurt will cry in pain through all her land. ⁵³ Even if Babylon rises to the heavens and makes her high place strong, I will send destroyers against her,” says the Lord.

⁵⁴ The sound of a cry comes from Babylon! A noise comes from the land of the Babylonians because much is being destroyed! ⁵⁵ For the Lord will destroy Babylon. He will quiet her loud voice. Their waves will sound like many waters, and the noise of their voices is loud. ⁵⁶ For the destroyer is coming against Babylon, and her strong men will be taken. Their bows are broken. For the Lord is a God Who makes the sinner pay for his sin, and He will be sure to punish. ⁵⁷ “I will make her leaders and her wise men, her rulers, her captains, and her strong men of war drunk. Then they will fall asleep and never wake up,” says the King, Whose name is the Lord of All. ⁵⁸ The Lord of All says, “The wide wall of Babylon will be broken to the ground. Her high gates will be set on fire. So the people will work hard for nothing, and because of the fire nations become tired.”

Jeremiah’s Word Gets to Babylon

⁵⁹ This is the word which Jeremiah the man of God told Seraiah the son of Neriah, the grandson of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah to Babylon in the fourth year of his rule. Seraiah was the head captain of the house. ⁶⁰ Jeremiah wrote in a book all the trouble that would come upon Babylon. He wrote down all these words which have been written about Babylon. ⁶¹ Then Jeremiah said to Seraiah, “As soon as you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words out loud. ⁶² And say, ‘O Lord, You have said that this place will be destroyed, so that there will be nothing living in it, not man or animal. It is to be a waste place forever.’ ⁶³ When you have finished reading this book, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates River. ⁶⁴ And say, ‘In this way Babylon will go down and not rise again, because of the trouble I am going to bring upon her. And her people will fall.’” The words of Jeremiah end here.

Prayer of Thanks

30 I will lift You up, O Lord, for You have lifted me up. You have not let those who hate me stand over me in joy. ² O Lord my God, I cried to You for help and You healed me. ³ O Lord, You have brought me up from the grave. You have kept me alive, so that I will not go down into the deep. ⁴ Sing praise to the Lord, all you who belong to Him. Give thanks to His holy name. ⁵ For His anger lasts only a short time. But His favor is for life. Crying may last for a night, but joy comes with the new day.

⁶ As for me, when all was going well, I said, “I will never be moved.” ⁷ O Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong. But when You hid Your face, I was troubled. ⁸ I cried to You, O Lord. I begged the Lord for loving-kindness. ⁹ What good will come from my blood, if I go down to the grave? Will the dust thank You? Will it tell how You are faithful?

¹⁰ Hear, O Lord. And show me loving-kindness. O Lord, be my Helper. ¹¹ You have turned my crying into dancing.You have taken off my clothes made from hair, and dressed me with joy. ¹² So my soul may sing praise to You, and not be quiet. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.