M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Absalom’s Death

18 Then David numbered the people who were with him. He set over them leaders of thousands and of hundreds. ² And he sent the people out. One third of them was under the rule of Joab. One third was under the rule of Zeruiah’s son Abishai, Joab’s brother. And one third was under the rule of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the people, “I myself will go out with you also.” ³ But the people said, “You should not go out. For if we run, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth 10,000 of us. So it is better that you send us help from the city.” ⁴ The king said to them, “I will do whatever you think is best.” So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and thousands. ⁵ The king told Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle toward the young man Absalom because of me.” And all the people heard him say this to all the leaders about Absalom.

⁶ Then the people went out into the field to fight against Israel. The battle was fought among the trees of Ephraim. ⁷ The people of Israel lost the fight there to the servants of David. Twenty thousand men were killed there that day. ⁸ The battle was spread over the whole country. Dangers from the trees destroyed more people that day than the sword.

⁹ Absalom met the servants of David. He was going on his horse, and the horse went under the many branches of a large oak tree. Absalom’s hair caught in the branches of the oak. He was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the horse under him kept going. ¹⁰ When a certain man saw it, he told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” ¹¹ Joab said to the man, “You saw him! Why did you not kill him and let him fall to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” ¹² The man said to Joab, “Even for a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not go against the king’s son. For we heard the king tell you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Keep the young man Absalom safe for me.’ ¹³ If I had gone against his life, there is nothing hidden from the king. And you would not have helped me.” ¹⁴ Then Joab said, “I will not waste time here with you.” He took three spears in his hand and threw them through Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the oak. ¹⁵ And ten young men who carried Joab’s battle clothes gathered around and hit Absalom and killed him.

¹⁶ Then Joab sounded the horn, and all the people returned from going after Israel, for Joab stopped them. ¹⁷ They took Absalom and threw him into a deep hole among the trees, and set many stones over him. And all Israel ran away, every one to his own home. ¹⁸ While Absalom was alive, he had set up stones in his honor in the King’s Valley. For he said, “I have no son to let my name be remembered.” So he called the stones after his own name. And they are there to have Absalom be remembered to this day.

David Hears of Absalom’s Death

¹⁹ Then Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said, “Let me run and bring the king news that the Lord has saved him from those who hate him.” ²⁰ But Joab said to him, “You must not carry news today, but another time. Today you should carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.” ²¹ Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go and tell the king what you have seen.” So the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran. ²² Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said to Joab, “Whatever happens, let me run after the Cushite.” Joab said, “Why would you run, my son? You would receive no reward for going.” ²³ But Ahimaaz said, “Whatever happens, I will run.” So Joab said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed the Cushite.

²⁴ David was sitting between the two gates. The man who kept watch went up to the roof of the gate by the wall. He looked up and saw a man running by himself. ²⁵ The man who kept watch called and told the king. The king said, “If he is by himself, he has good news.” And he came nearer and nearer. ²⁶ Then the man who kept watch saw another man running. He called to the gate-keeper and said, “See, another man is running by himself.” The king said, “This one is bringing good news also.” ²⁷ And the man who kept watch said, “I think the man in front runs like Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and comes with good news.”

²⁸ Ahimaaz called and said to the king, “All is well.” He put his face to the ground in front of the king, and said, “Thanks be to the Lord your God. He has given up the men who raised their hands against my lord the king.” ²⁹ The king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I heard noise and saw much fighting. But I did not know what it was.” ³⁰ Then the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still. ³¹ Then the Cushite came and said, “Let my lord the king receive good news. For the Lord has saved you today from all those who came against you.” ³² The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May those who hate my lord the king, all those who come to do bad things against you, be as that young man!” ³³ The king filled with much sorrow. He went up to the room above the gate and cried. As he walked he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Paul—the True Missionary

11 I wish you would listen to a little foolish talk from me. Now listen. ² I am jealous for you with a God-like jealousy. I have given you, as a woman who has never had a man, to one Husband, Who is Christ. ³ Eve was fooled by the snake in the garden of Eden. In the same way, I am afraid that you will be fooled and led away from your pure love for Christ. ⁴ You listen when someone comes and preaches a different Jesus than the One we preached. You believe what you hear about a different spirit and different good news than that which we preached.

⁵ I do not think I am less than those special missionaries who are coming to you. ⁶ Even if it is hard for me to speak, I know what I am talking about. You know this by now. ⁷ Did I do wrong? I did not ask you for anything when I preached the Good News to you. I made myself poor so you would be made rich. ⁸ I did take money from other churches. I used it while I worked with you so you would not have to pay me. ⁹ Some of the time I had no money when I was with you. But I did not ask you for money. The Christians from the country of Macedonia brought me what I needed. I did not ask you and I will not ask you for anything. ¹⁰ As sure as the truth of Christ is in me, I will not stop telling those in the country of Greece that I am proud of this. ¹¹ Does it mean I do not love you? God knows I do.

¹² What I am doing now, I will keep on doing. I will do it to stop those who say they work as we do. ¹³ Those men are false missionaries. They lie about their work. But they make themselves look like true missionaries of Christ. ¹⁴ It is no surprise! The devil makes himself look like an angel of light. ¹⁵ And so it is no surprise if his servants also make themselves look like preachers of the Good News. They and their work will come to the same end.

What Paul Suffered as a Missionary

¹⁶ Let me say it again. Do not think of me as a fool. But if you do, then let this foolish man speak a little about himself. ¹⁷ The Lord has not told me to talk about myself. I am foolish when I do talk about myself like this. ¹⁸ Since the other men tell you all about themselves, I will talk about myself also. ¹⁹ You are so wise! You put up with fools! ²⁰ You listen to anyone who tells you what to do or makes money off of you or sets a trap for you. You will listen to anyone who makes himself bigger than you or hits you in the face. ²¹ I am ashamed to say that I am weak! But I do not do as they do. Whatever they say about themselves, I can say about myself also. (I know what I am saying sounds foolish.)

²² Are they Jews? So am I. Are they from the family of Israel? So am I. Are they from the family of Abraham? So am I. ²³ Do they work for Christ? I have worked for Him much more than they have. (I speak as if I am crazy.) I have done much more work. I have been in prison more times. I cannot remember how many times I have been whipped. Many times I have been in danger of death. ²⁴ Five different times the Jews whipped me across my back thirty-nine times. ²⁵ Three times they beat me with sticks. One time they threw stones at me. Three times I was on ships that were wrecked. I spent a day and a night in the water. ²⁶ I have made many hard trips. I have been in danger from high water on rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from the Jews. I have been in danger from people who do not know God. I have been in danger in cities and in the desert. I have been in danger on the sea. I have been in danger among people who say they belong to Christ but do not. ²⁷ I have worked hard and have been tired and have had pain. I have gone many times without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. I have gone without food and clothes. I have been out in the cold. ²⁸ More than all these things that have happened to my body, the care of all the churches is heavy on me. ²⁹ When someone is weak, I feel weak also. When someone is led into sin, I have a strong desire to help him. ³⁰ If I must talk about myself, I will do it about the things that show how weak I am. ³¹ The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be honored and thanked forever. He knows I am telling the truth. ³² In the city of Damascus the leader of the people under King Aretas put soldiers at the gates to take me. ³³ But I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and I got away.

Word against Ammon

25 The Word of the Lord came to me saying, ² “Son of man, look toward the Ammonites and speak against them. ³ Tell them, ‘Hear the Word of the Lord God! The Lord God says, “Because you were happy when My holy place was made unclean, and when the land of Israel was made waste, and when the people of Judah were taken away, ⁴ I am going to give you to the people of the east. They will put up their tents among you and live among you. They will eat your fruit and drink your milk. ⁵ I will turn the city of Rabbah into a field for camels, and Ammon into a resting place for flocks. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ⁶ For the Lord God says, “Because you have clapped your hands and crushed under your feet and showed your joy because of your hate for Israel, ⁷ I have put out My hand against you. I will give you away to the nations. And I will destroy you from the nations and from the lands. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”

Word against Moab

⁸ ‘The Lord God says, “Because Moab and Seir say, ‘See, Judah is like all the nations,’ ⁹ I will lay waste the side of Moab, beginning with these cities there, Beth-jeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim, the best of the country. ¹⁰ I will give it to the people of the east, as I did with Ammon, so that the Ammonites will not be remembered among the nations. ¹¹ I will punish Moab, and they will know that I am the Lord.”

Word against Edom

¹² ‘The Lord God says, “Because Edom has fought against Judah in its anger, and has become very guilty by doing so,” ¹³ the Lord God says, “I will put out My hand against Edom and kill its men and their animals. I will destroy it and they will fall by the sword from Teman to Dedan. ¹⁴ I will punish Edom by the hand of My people Israel. They will act in My anger against Edom, and Edom will know My anger,” says the Lord God.

Word against Philistia

¹⁵ ‘The Lord God says, “Because the Philistines have fought to destroy Judah with the lasting anger that is in their hearts,” ¹⁶ the Lord God says, “I will put out My hand against the Philistines. And I will destroy the Cherethites and those left beside the sea. ¹⁷ I will punish them in My anger, and they will know that I am the Lord when I punish them.”’”

The Good and the Sinful

73 For sure God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. ² But as for me, my feet came close to falling. My steps had almost tripped. ³ For I was jealous of the proud when I saw that all was going well with the sinful. ⁴ For they suffer no pain in their death, and their body is fat. ⁵ They do not have the troubles of other men or suffer like other men. ⁶ So they wear pride around their neck. Fighting covers them like a coat. ⁷ They are so fat that their eyes are pushed out. The crazy thoughts of their hearts run wild. ⁸ They laugh at the truth, and speak sinful things about making it hard for others. They speak from a high place. ⁹ They say bad things against heaven, and their tongue walks through the earth.

¹⁰ And so his people return to this place and drink water from a full cup. ¹¹ They say, “How does God know? Is there much learning with the Most High?”

¹² See, this is what the sinful are like. They always have it easy and their riches grow. ¹³ For no good reason I have kept my heart pure and have not sinned. ¹⁴ For I have suffered all day long. I have been punished every morning.

¹⁵ I would not have been true to Your children if I had spoken this way. ¹⁶ It was too hard for me when I tried to understand this, ¹⁷ until I went into the holy place of God. Then I understood their end. ¹⁸ For sure, You set the sinful in places where there is danger at every step. You throw them down to be destroyed. ¹⁹ How they are destroyed right away! They come to an end with much fear. ²⁰ Like a dream when one wakes up, so You will hate what they look like when You rise up, O Lord.

²¹ My heart was troubled and I was hurt inside. ²² I was without reason and did not know better. I was like an animal before You. ²³ Yet I am always with You. You hold me by my right hand. ²⁴ You will lead me by telling me what I should do. And after this, You will bring me into shining-greatness.

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but You? I want nothing more on earth, but You. ²⁶ My body and my heart may grow weak, but God is the strength of my heart and all I need forever. ²⁷ For, see, those who are far from You will be lost from You forever. You have destroyed all those who are not faithful to You. ²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Lord God my safe place. So I may tell of all the things You have done.