M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon’s Foreign Wives
11 King Solomon loved many foreign women: the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, Hittite; 2 from the nations which Yahweh had said to the Israelites,[a] “You shall not marry them,[b] and they shall not marry you.[c] They will certainly turn your heart after other gods.” But Solomon clung to them to love. 3 He had seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart.
Solomon’s Apostasy
4 It happened at the time of Solomon’s old age that his wives guided his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully with Yahweh his God as the heart of David his father had been. 5 Solomon went after Ashtoreth the god of the Sidonians and after Molech the abhorrence of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did evil in the eyes of Yahweh and did not fully follow after Yahweh as David his father. 7 At that time, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain which faces[d] Jerusalem and for Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites.[e] 8 Thus he did for all of his foreign wives, offering incense and sacrificing to their gods.
Yahweh’s Judgment on Solomon
9 Yahweh was angry with Solomon, for he had turned his heart from Yahweh, the God of Israel who had appeared to him twice. 10 And he had commanded him concerning this matter not to go after other gods, but he did not keep that which Yahweh commanded. 11 So Yahweh said to Solomon, “Because this was with you, and you did not keep my covenant and my ordinances which I have commanded you, I will certainly tear the kingdom from you, and I will give it to your servant. 12 However, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of David your father; from the hand of your son I will tear it away. 13 Yet all of the kingdom I will not tear away. I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
14 Then Yahweh raised an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite, from the descendants of that king in Edom. 15 It had happened that when David was at Edom, Joab the commander of the army went up to bury the slain, and he killed every male in Edom. 16 For Joab and all Israel had stayed there six months until he exterminated every male in Edom. 17 But Hadad himself had fled, and some Edomite men from the servants of his father with him, to go to Egypt, when Hadad was a young boy. 18 They had set out from Midian until they came to Paran where they took men from Paran with them and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt. He gave to him a house and assigned food for him and gave him land. 19 Hadad found great favor in the eyes of Pharaoh, and he gave him the sister of his wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen, as wife. 20 The sister of Tahpenes bore Genubath his son for him, and Tahpenes weaned him in the middle of the house of Pharaoh. Genubath was in the house of Pharaoh in the midst of the children[f] of Pharaoh. 21 Now Hadad heard in Egypt that David had slept with his ancestors[g] and that Joab the commander of the army was dead. Then Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away that I may go to my land.” 22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack with me that you now are seeking to go to your land?” He said, “No, but you must surely send me away.”
23 God had also raised Rezon the son of Eliada as an adversary against him, who had fled from Hadadezer the king of Zobah, his master. 24 He gathered men around him and he became the commander of bandits. When David killed some of them, they went to Damascus and settled there,[h] and they reigned in Damascus. 25 He was an adversary for Israel all the days of Solomon, and along with the evil that Hadad did, he detested Israel while he reigned over Aram.
Yahweh Raises Up Jeroboam
26 Now Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah (now the name of his mother was Zeruah, a widow woman), a servant of Solomon rebelled against the king.[i] 27 This is the reason that he rebelled against the king: when Solomon built the Millo, he closed the gap of the city of David his father. 28 Now the man Jeroboam was a man of ability, and Solomon saw that the young man was a diligent worker,[j] so he appointed him over all of the forced labor for the house of Joseph. 29 It happened at that time that Jeroboam went out from Jerusalem, and he accidentally met Ahijah the Shilonite the prophet on the way. Now he had clothed himself with new clothing. While the two of them were alone in the field, 30 Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give to you ten tribes, 32 but one tribe shall be for him, for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel; 33 because he has forsaken me, and they bowed down to Ashtoreth, the god of the Sidonians, to Chemosh, the god of Moab, and to Molech, the god of the Ammonites.[k] They did not walk in my ways to do right in my eyes, my ordinances, or my judgments, as did David his father. 34 But I will not take all of the kingdom from his hand, but I will make him a leader all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my ordinances. 35 But I will take the kingship from the hand of his son, and I will give ten tribes to you. 36 To his son I will give one tribe in order to be a lamp for my servant David, always before my face, in Jerusalem the city in which I have chosen to place my name. 37 You I will take, and you shall reign over all your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 It shall be that if you listen to all that I command you and you walk in my ways and you do right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, then I will be with you, and I will build an enduring house for you as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 I will punish the offspring of David on account of this; however, not always.’” 40 Then Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam got up and fled to Egypt, to Shishak the king of Egypt, and he remained in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
41 Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and all that he did and his wisdom; are they not written on the scroll of the acts of Solomon? 42 All the days that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel were forty years. 43 Then Solomon slept with his ancestors,[l] and they buried him in the city of David his father, and Rehoboam his son became king in his place.
Humility and Unity
2 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 complete my joy, so that you are in agreement[a], having the same love, united in spirit, having one purpose[b]. 3 Do nothing according to selfish ambition or according to empty conceit, but in humility considering one another better than yourselves, 4 each of you[c] not looking out for your own interests[d], but also each of you for the interests[e] of others.
Christ’s Humiliation and Exaltation
5 Think this in[f] yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, existing in the form of God,
did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped,
7 but emptied himself
by[g] taking the form of a slave,
by[h] becoming in the likeness of people.
And being found in appearance like a man,
8 he humbled himself
by[i] becoming obedient to the point of death,
that is, death on a cross.
9 Therefore also God exalted him
and graciously granted him the name above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow,
of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Holding Fast to the Word of Life
12 Therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God. 14 Do all things without grumbling and disputing, 15 in order that you may become blameless and innocent, children of God without fault[j] in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine as stars in the world,[k] 16 holding fast to the word of life, for a source of pride[l] to me in the day of Christ, that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and rejoice with all of you. 18 And in the same way also you rejoice and rejoice with me.
Timothy’s Proven Character
19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I also may be encouraged when I[m] know your circumstances[n]. 20 For I have no one like-minded who will sincerely be concerned about your circumstances[o]. 21 For they all seek their own interests[p], not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, that like a child with a father he served with me for the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see my circumstances[q]. 24 And I am convinced in the Lord that I myself will arrive shortly also.
Epaphroditus’ Mission
25 But I considered it[r] necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, but your messenger and servant of my need, 26 because he was longing for all of you and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick, coming near to death, but God had mercy on him and not on him only, but also on me, so that I would not have grief upon grief. 28 Therefore I am sending him with special urgency, in order that when[s] you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less anxious. 29 Therefore welcome him in the Lord with all joy, and consider such people highly honored, 30 because on account of the work of Christ he came near to the point of death, risking his life in order that he might make up for your inability to serve me[t].
Sanctuary and Temple
41 And he brought me to the temple sanctuary,[a] and he measured the pilasters, six cubits[b] wide on each side;[c] this was the width of the tent.[d] 2 And the width of the doorway was ten cubits,[e] and the sidewall of the doorway was five cubits on each side,[f] and he measured its[g] length as forty cubits,[h] and its width was twenty cubits.[i] 3 And he went into the inner room, and he measured the pilaster of the doorway as two cubits[j] and the doorway as six cubits[k] and the width of the doorway seven cubits.[l] 4 And he measured its length as twenty cubits[m] and its width as twenty cubits to the front of the temple, and he said to me, “This is the most holy place.[n]
5 And he measured the wall of the temple as six cubits,[o] and the width of the side room as four cubits[p] all along the outside wall for the temple all around the wall.[q] 6 And the side rooms were side by side[r] in three stories and a total of thirty rooms,[s] and there were offsets[t] in the wall, which was for the temple for the side rooms, all the way around[u] to be supports, and so they were not supports extending into the wall of the temple. 7 And each level widened, and it went around[v] upward[w] to the side rooms for the structure that surrounds[x] the temple upward[y] all the way around,[z] therefore the width increased to the temple upward,[aa] and thus the lower level goes up to the upper level by means of the middle story.
8 And I saw for the temple a platform all the way around[ab] the foundations of the side rooms; it was the length of a full reed, six cubits long.[ac] 9 The width of the outside wall, which was for the side room to the outside, was five cubits,[ad] and a space that was set between the side rooms, which was for the temple 10 and between the chambers was the width of twenty cubits[ae] all around the temple, all the way around[af] it. 11 And the doorway of the side room faced[ag] the open area; one doorway faced[ah] the north,[ai] and one doorway was to the south, and the width of the place of the open area was five cubits[aj] all around.[ak] 12 And the building that faced[al] the courtyard was toward the west,[am] and its width was seventy cubits,[an] and the wall of the building was five cubits[ao] wide all the way around,[ap] and its length was ninety cubits.[aq] 13 And he measured the temple, and its length was a hundred cubits,[ar] and the courtyard and the building and its walls, their length was a hundred cubits.[as] 14 And the width of the front of the temple and the courtyard to the east was a hundred cubits.[at] 15 And he measured the length of the building facing the courtyard[au] at the rear[av] and its galleries, a hundred cubits[aw] on each side,[ax] and also the temple, the court, and the porticos of the courtyard, 16 the thresholds and the framed windows and the galleries around the three of them. Before the threshold was a covering of wood all around,[ay] and from the ground up to the windows, and all around the windows, they were covered. 17 Above[az] the doorway and up to the inner temple[ba] and on the outside, and on all of the wall all the way around[bb] in the inner and in the outer areas were patterns,[bc] 18 and it was made of cherubim and palm tree images; a palm tree image between cherub and cherub, and the cherub had two faces.[bd] 19 And the face of a human was toward[be] the palm tree image on the one side,[bf] and the face of a fierce strong lion faced[bg] the palm tree image on the other side;[bh] this work was executed[bi] for the entire temple all the way around.[bj] 20 From the ground up to above[bk] the doorway,[bl] the cherubim and the palm tree images were made,[bm] and also the outer wall of the temple.
21 As far as the temple is concerned its doorframe was squared, and before[bn] the sanctuary was the appearance as it were the appearance of 22 a wooden altar[bo] that was three cubits[bp] high, and its length was two cubits,[bq] and its corners[br] for it and its length and its walls were of wood. And he spoke to me, “This is the table that is before[bs] Yahweh.” 23 And the two doors were for the temple and for the sanctuary. 24 And two leaves[bt] of a door were for each of the doors, two hinged leaves of a door: two were for the first door, and two leaves of a door were for the other door. 25 And cherubim were made[bu] on them, that is, on the doors of the temple and palm tree images like the ones prepared for the walls;[bv] and an overhang of wood was on the surface of the porticos on the outside. 26 And narrow windows and palm tree images were on either side,[bw] and on the side walls of the portico, and the side rooms of the temple and their[bx] overhang.
Thanksgiving to Yahweh for Victory
A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day.[a]
92 It is good to give thanks to Yahweh,
and to sing praise concerning your name, O Most High;
2 to declare in the morning your loyal love
and your faithfulness in the night,
3 on the ten string, and on the harp,
with a melody on the lyre.
4 For you, O Yahweh, have made me glad by your work;
by the deeds of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your deeds, O Yahweh;
how very deep are your thoughts.
6 The brutish man does not know,
and the fool cannot understand this.
7 When the wicked flourish like grass
and all the workers of evil blossom,
it is so they can be destroyed forever.
8 But you are on high forever, O Yahweh.
9 For behold, your enemies, O Yahweh,
for behold, your enemies will perish.
All the workers of evil will be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of a wild ox;
you have anointed me[b] with fresh oil.
11 And so my eye looks on my enemies.[c]
My ears hear those evildoers who rise up against me.
12 The righteous[d] will flourish like the date palm.
They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Planted in the house[e] of Yahweh,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still prosper in old age.
They will be fat and luxuriant,[f]
15 to declare that Yahweh is upright.
He is my rock, and there is no injustice[g] in him.
Yahweh Is King Over All the Earth
93 Yahweh is king; he clothes himself with majesty.
Yahweh clothes himself; he girds himself with might.
Yes, the world is established so that it will not be moved.
2 Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
3 The rivers have lifted up, O Yahweh;
the rivers have lifted up their rumbling;[h]
the rivers have lifted up their pounding.
4 Mightier than the rumblings of many waters,
mightier than the mighty breakers of the sea,
Yahweh on high is mighty.
5 Your testimonies are fully reliable.
Holiness is fitting for your house,[i]
O Yahweh, forever.[j]
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software