M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Runs from Saul

21 David came to Ahimelech the religious leader at Nob. Ahimelech came shaking in fear to meet David, and said to him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?” ² David said to Ahimelech the religious leader, “The king has given me something to do. And he has said to me, ‘Let no one know anything about what I have sent you to do.’ I have told the young men to meet at a certain place. ³ Now, what do you have ready? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you may have.” ⁴ The religious leader answered David, “I only have bread which has been set apart as holy, if only the young men have kept themselves from women.” ⁵ And David told the religious leader, “For sure women have been kept from us while we have traveled. The bodies of the young men are holy even on everyday trips. How much more they are today!” ⁶ So the religious leader gave him holy bread. For there was no bread there but the bread before the Lord. It was taken from before the Lord, so hot bread could be put in its place. ⁷ Now one of Saul’s servants happened to be there that day. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the head of Saul’s shepherds.

⁸ David said to Ahimelech, “Do you have a spear or a sword? I did not bring my sword or any spears with me, because I had to hurry to do the king’s work.” ⁹ The religious leader said, “The sword is here that belonged to Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah. See, it is behind the linen vest, with a cloth around it. Take it, if you will. For it is the only one here.” And David said, “There is none like it. Give it to me.”

¹⁰ Then David got up and ran that day from Saul. He went to Achish king of Gath. ¹¹ The servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing to each other about him as they danced, saying, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?” ¹² David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. ¹³ So he changed the way he acted in front of them. He pretended to be crazy while he was with them. He made marks on the doors of the gate. He let his spit run down into the hair of his face. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “See, you see the man is crazy. Why have you brought him to me? ¹⁵ Do I need any crazy men, that you bring this one to act crazy in front of me? Will this one come into my house?”

Religious Leaders Are Killed

22 So David left there and ran to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all those of his father’s house heard about it, they went down there to him. ² Then everyone who was in trouble, everyone who owed money, and everyone who was not happy with the way he was living, came together to him. He became their captain. There were about 400 men with him.

³ David went from there to Mizpah of Moab. He said to the king of Moab, “I beg of you, let my father and mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” ⁴ Then he left them with the king of Moab. They stayed with him all the time that David was in his safe place. ⁵ The man who told what will happen in the future, Gad, said to David, “Do not stay in this strong place. Leave, and go into the land of Judah.” So David left and went among the trees of Hereth.

⁶ Now Saul heard that David and the men with him had been found. Saul was sitting in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the high place with his spear in his hand. All his servants were standing around him. ⁷ Saul said to his servants who stood around him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and grape fields? Will he make you all leaders of thousands and hundreds? ⁸ For all of you have made plans against me. No one lets me know when my son makes an agreement with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or lets me know that my son has caused my servant to be against me and hide and wait, as it is this day.” ⁹ Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by Saul’s servants, said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ Ahimelech asked the Lord what David should do. He gave David food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ Then the king sent someone to call Ahimelech the religious leader, son of Ahitub, and all those of his father’s family, the religious leaders who were in Nob. And all of them came to the king. ¹² Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.” ¹³ Saul said to him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse planned against me? Why have you given him bread and a sword, and have asked the Lord what he should do, so he could rise against me and wait in hiding, as it is this day?” ¹⁴ Ahimelech answered the king, “Who among all your servants is as faithful as David? He is the king’s son-in-law. He is captain of the soldiers who keep you safe, and is honored in your house. ¹⁵ Is today the first time that I have asked things of God for him? No! Do not let the king do anything wrong to his servant or any of those of my father’s family. For your servant knows nothing at all about this.” ¹⁶ But the king said, “You will die for sure, Ahimelech, you and all those of your father’s family!” ¹⁷ The king said to the soldiers who stood around him, “Turn and put the religious leaders of the Lord to death. Because they are on David’s side. They knew he was running away, and did not tell me.” But the servants of the king were not willing to go against the religious leaders of the Lord. ¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the religious leaders.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and killed the religious leaders. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen vest. ¹⁹ Then he destroyed Nob, the city of the religious leaders, with the sword. He killed men and women, children and babies, cattle, donkeys and sheep, with the sword.

²⁰ But Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, got away and ran after David. ²¹ Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the religious leaders of the Lord. ²² David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would be sure to tell Saul. I am to blame for the death of every person in your father’s family. ²³ Stay with me. Do not be afraid. For he who wants to kill me wants to kill you. But you are safe with me.”

3 Christian brothers, I could not speak to you as to full-grown Christians. I spoke to you as men who have not obeyed the things you have been taught. I spoke to you as if you were baby Christians. ² My teaching was as if I were giving you milk to drink. I could not give you meat because you were not ready for it. Even yet you are not able to have anything but milk. ³ You still live as men who are not Christians. When you are jealous and fight with each other, you are still living in sin and acting like sinful men in the world. ⁴ When one says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I am a follower of Apollos,” does not this sound like the talk of baby Christians? ⁵ Who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only servants owned by God. He gave us gifts to preach His Word. And because of that, you put your trust in Christ. ⁶ I planted the seed. Apollos watered it, but it was God Who kept it growing. ⁷ This shows that the one who plants or the one who waters is not the important one. God is the important One. He makes it grow. ⁸ The one who plants and the one who waters are alike. Each one will receive his own reward. ⁹ For we work together with God. You are God’s field.

You are God’s building also. ¹⁰ Through God’s loving-favor to me, I laid the stones on which the building was to be built. I did it like one who knew what he was doing. Now another person is building on it. Each person who builds must be careful how he builds on it. ¹¹ Jesus Christ is the Stone on which other stones for the building must be laid. It can be only Christ. ¹² Now if a man builds on the Stone with gold or silver or beautiful stones, or if he builds with wood or grass or straw, ¹³ each man’s work will become known. There will be a day when it will be tested by fire. The fire will show what kind of work it is. ¹⁴ If a man builds on work that lasts, he will receive his reward. ¹⁵ If his work is burned up, he will lose it. Yet he himself will be saved as if he were going through a fire.

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are a house of God and that the Holy Spirit lives in you? ¹⁷ If any man destroys the house of God, God will destroy him. God’s house is holy. You are the place where He lives.

¹⁸ Do not fool yourself. If anyone thinks he knows a lot about the things of this world, he had better become a fool. Then he may become wise. ¹⁹ The wisdom of this world is foolish to God. The Holy Writings say, “He is the One Who gets them in a trap when they use their own wisdom.” ^{(A) 20} They also say, “The Lord knows how the wise man thinks. His thinking is worth nothing.” ^{(B) 21} As a Christian, do not be proud of men and of what they can do. All things belong to you. ²² Paul and Apollos and Peter belong to you. The world and life and death belong to you. Things now and things to come belong to you. ²³ You belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

Ezekiel Sees God’s Throne

1 On the fifth day of the fourth month in the thirtieth year, while I was by the Chebar River with the Jews who had been taken away from their land, the heavens were opened and I saw God in a special way. ² (On the fifth day of the month in the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been living in a strange land, ³ the Word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the religious leader, son of Buzi, in the land of the Babylonians by the Chebar River. There the hand of the Lord came upon him.)

⁴ I looked and saw a wind storm coming from the north. There was a big cloud with lightning coming from it and with a bright light around it. Inside the fire was something like shining brass, ⁵ and in the fire was what looked like four living beings. They looked like men, ⁶ but each of them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight, and their feet were like those of a calf. They shined like bright brass. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides were hands like a man’s. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, ⁹ their wings touched one another. Their faces did not turn when they moved. Each one moved straight ahead. ¹⁰ As for what their faces looked like, each of the four had the face of a man, the face of a lion on the right side, the face of a bull on the left side, and the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings touching the wings of another, and two covering their bodies. ¹² And each one went straight ahead. Every place where the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. ¹³ Between the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like fire lamps moving from side to side among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was coming out of the fire. ¹⁴ And the living beings ran this way and that, like lightning.

¹⁵ As I looked at the living beings, I saw one wheel on the earth beside each of the living beings with its four faces. ¹⁶ The way the wheels were made, they looked like shining chrysolite stone. All four of them looked the same. They were made to look as if one wheel were within another. ¹⁷ When they moved, they went in one of their four ways, without turning as they went. ¹⁸ The wheels were so high that they caused fear. And all four of them were full of eyes all around. ¹⁹ When the living beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And when the living beings rose from the earth, the wheels rose also. ²⁰ Whatever way the spirit would go, they would go that way. And the wheels rose close beside them, for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. ²¹ When the living beings moved, they moved. When the beings stood still, they stood still. And when the beings rose up from the earth, the wheels rose close beside them. For the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels.

²² Over the heads of the living beings there was something that looked like the sky. It shined like crystal and spread over their heads. ²³ Under this covering their wings were spread out straight, one toward the other. Each one also had two wings covering their bodies on one side and on the other. ²⁴ When they went, I heard the sound of their wings. They sounded like many waters, like the voice of the All-powerful. They sounded like the noise of an army camp. Whenever they stood still, they let down their wings. ²⁵ A voice came from above the large covering over their heads. Whenever they stood still, they let down their wings.

²⁶ Above the large covering that was over their heads there was something that looked like a throne, and looked like it was made of sapphire. Sitting on the throne was what looked like a man. ²⁷ Then I saw that there was something like shining brass from the center of his body and up to his head. It looked like fire all around within it. And from the center of his body and down to his feet I saw something like fire. There was a bright light shining all around Him.

²⁸ This light shining around Him looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a day of rain.

This was what the shining-greatness of the Lord looked like. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

A Safe Place for Those Who Trust in the Lord

37 Do not trouble yourself because of sinful men. Do not want to be like those who do wrong. ² For they will soon dry up like the grass. Like the green plant they will soon die. ³ Trust in the Lord, and do good. So you will live in the land and will be fed. ⁴ Be happy in the Lord. And He will give you the desires of your heart. ⁵ Give your way over to the Lord. Trust in Him also. And He will do it. ⁶ He will make your being right and good show as the light, and your wise actions as the noon day.

⁷ Rest in the Lord and be willing to wait for Him. Do not trouble yourself when all goes well with the one who carries out his sinful plans. ⁸ Stop being angry. Turn away from fighting. Do not trouble yourself. It leads only to wrong-doing. ⁹ For those who do wrong will be cut off. But those who wait for the Lord will be given the earth. ¹⁰ A little while, and the sinful man will be no more. You will look for his place, and he will not be there. ¹¹ But those who have no pride will be given the earth. And they will be happy and have much more than they need.

¹² The sinful man plans against him who is right with God. And he grinds his teeth at him. ¹³ The Lord laughs at him because He sees his day is coming. ¹⁴ The sinful have taken up their sword and their bow, to bring down the poor and those in need, and to kill those whose ways are right. ¹⁵ Their sword will cut into their own heart, and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶ The few things that the man right with God has is better than the riches of many sinful men. ¹⁷ For the arms of the sinful will be broken. But the Lord holds up those who are right with Him. ¹⁸ The Lord knows the days of those who are without blame. And what is theirs will last forever. ¹⁹ They will not be ashamed in the time of trouble. And in days when there is no food they will have enough. ²⁰ But the sinful will be lost forever. Those who hate the Lord will be like the beauty of the fields. They will be gone. Like smoke they will be gone. ²¹ The sinful ask for something, but do not return it. But those who are right with God are kind and give. ²² For those who are made happy by Him will be given the land. But those who are being punished by Him will be cut off.

²³ The steps of a good man are led by the Lord. And He is happy in his way. ²⁴ When he falls, he will not be thrown down, because the Lord holds his hand. ²⁵ I have been young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the man who is right with God left alone, or his children begging for bread. ²⁶ All day long he is kind and lets others use what he has. And his children make him happy.

²⁷ Turn from sin, and do good, so you will live forever. ²⁸ For the Lord loves what is fair and right. He does not leave the people alone who belong to Him. They are kept forever. But the children of the sinful will be cut off. ²⁹ Those who are right with God will be given the land, and live on it forever. ³⁰ The mouth of the man who is right with God speaks wisdom. And his tongue speaks what is fair and right. ³¹ The Law of his God is in his heart. His steps do not leave it. ³² The sinful lie in wait for the man who is right with God, and want to kill him. ³³ The Lord will not leave him in his power. He will not let him be found guilty when he is judged. ³⁴ Wait for the Lord. Keep His way. And He will give you a high place to receive the land. When the sinful are cut off, you will see it.

³⁵ I have seen a very sinful man spreading himself like a green tree in its home land. ³⁶ Then he passed away and was no more. I looked for him. But he could not be found. ³⁷ Look at the man without blame. And watch the man who is right and good. For the man of peace will have much family to follow him. ³⁸ But all the sinners will be destroyed. The family of the sinful will be cut off. ³⁹ But the saving of those who are right with God is from the Lord. He is their strength in time of trouble. ⁴⁰ The Lord helps them and takes them out of trouble. He takes them away from the sinful, and saves them, because they go to Him for a safe place.