M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Elijah’s Word to Ahab

18 After many days, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go show yourself to Ahab. And I will send rain upon the earth.” ² So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the time without food was very hard in Samaria. ³ And Ahab called Obadiah who was the boss over his house. (Now Obadiah had much fear of the Lord. ⁴ For when Jezebel destroyed the men who spoke for the Lord, Obadiah took 100 of these men and hid them by fifties in a cave. And he fed them with bread and water.) ⁵ Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the wells of water and to all the valleys. It may be that we will find grass and keep the horses and donkeys alive, and not lose some of the animals. ⁶ So they divided the land between them to pass through it. Ahab went one way by himself. And Obadiah went another way by himself.

⁷ As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him. Obadiah knew who he was, and fell on his face and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” ⁸ He answered, “It is I. Go and tell your owner, ‘See, Elijah is here.’” ⁹ Obadiah said, “What sin have I done? Why are you giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to be killed? ¹⁰ As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation where the king has not sent men to look for you. And when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the nation prove that they could not find you. ¹¹ Now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your owner, “See, Elijah is here.” ‘ ¹² And after I have left you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know. So I will go and tell Ahab, and he will not be able to find you. Then he will kill me. But I your servant have honored the Lord since I was young. ¹³ Have you not been told what I did when Jezebel killed the men who spoke for the Lord? I hid 100 men of the Lord by fifties in a cave. And I gave them bread and water. ¹⁴ Now you are saying, ‘Go and tell your owner, “See, Elijah is here.”’ He will kill me.” ¹⁵ Elijah said, “As the Lord of All lives, before Whom I stand, I will show myself to Ahab today.”

¹⁶ So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah. ¹⁷ When he saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, the one who brings trouble to Israel?” ¹⁸ Elijah said, “I have not brought trouble to Israel. But you and your father’s house have. Because you have turned away from the laws of the Lord, and have followed the false gods of Baal. ¹⁹ So now call together all Israel to me at Mount Carmel. And gather together 450 men who speak for Baal and 400 men who speak for the false goddess Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Elijah on Mount Carmel

²⁰ So Ahab sent news among all the people of Israel. And he brought the men who speak for the false gods together at Mount Carmel. ²¹ Elijah came near all the people and said, “How long will you be divided between two ways of thinking? If the Lord is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, then follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. ²² Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only man left who speaks for God. But here are 450 men who speak for Baal. ²³ Bring two bulls to us. Let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it up and put it on the wood. But put no fire under it. I will make the other bull ready and lay it on the wood. And I will put no fire under it. ²⁴ Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God Who answers by fire, He is God.” All the people answered and said, “That is a good idea.”

²⁵ So Elijah said to the men who spoke for Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and make it ready first. For there are many of you. Then call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” ²⁶ So they took the bull which was given to them and made it ready. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice. No one answered. They jumped and danced around the altar they had made. ²⁷ At noon Elijah made fun of them. He said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god. It might be that he is in deep thought or has turned away. He could be away traveling. Or it may be that he is asleep and needs to have someone wake him.” ²⁸ So they cried with a loud voice. They cut themselves as they had done in the past, with swords and spears until blood poured out on them. ²⁹ When noon passed, they cried out until the time for giving the evening gift. But there was no voice. No one answered. No one listened.

³⁰ Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he built again the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. ³¹ Then Elijah took twelve stones, by the number of the families of Jacob’s sons. The word of the Lord had come to Jacob’s sons, saying, “Israel will be your name.” ³² With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a ditch around the altar, big enough to hold twenty-two jars of seed. ³³ Then he set the wood in place. He cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt gift and on the wood.” ³⁴ Then he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. He said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. ³⁵ The water flowed around the altar, and filled the ditch also. ³⁶ Then the time came for giving the evening gift. Elijah the man who spoke for God came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that You are God in Israel. Let it be known that I am Your servant, and have done all these things at Your word. ³⁷ Answer me, O Lord. Answer me so these people may know that You, O Lord, are God. Turn their hearts to You again.” ³⁸ Then the fire of the Lord fell. It burned up the burnt gift, the wood, the stones and the dust. And it picked up the water that was in the ditch. ³⁹ All the people fell on their faces when they saw it. They said, “The Lord, He is God. The Lord, He is God.” ⁴⁰ Then Elijah said to them, “Take hold of the men who speak for Baal. Do not let one of them get away.” So they took hold of them. And Elijah brought them down to the river Kishon, and killed them there.

The Rains Come

⁴¹ Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink. For there is the sound of much rain.” ⁴² So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. He got down on the ground and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ And he said to his servant, “Go up now and look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” Seven times Elijah said, “Go again.” ⁴⁴ The seventh time, he said, “I see a cloud as small as a man’s hand coming up from the sea.” Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Make your war-wagon ready and go down, so that the rain does not stop you.’” ⁴⁵ Soon the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was much rain. And Ahab went to Jezreel. ⁴⁶ Then the hand of the Lord was on Elijah. He pulled his clothing up under his belt and ran before Ahab to Jezreel.

Paul Gives Thanks for Their Faith

1 This letter is from Paul and Silas and Timothy. It is to you, the church, in the city of Thessalonica. You belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May you have His loving-favor and His peace.

² We thank God for you all the time and pray for you. ³ While praying to God our Father, we always remember your work of faith and your acts of love and your hope that never gives up in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ Christian brothers, we know God loves you and that He has chosen you. ⁵ The Good News did not come to you by word only, but with power and through the Holy Spirit. You knew it was true. You also knew how we lived among you. It was for your good. ⁶ You followed our way of life and the life of the Lord. You suffered from others because of listening to us. But you had the joy that came from the Holy Spirit. ⁷ Because of your good lives, you are showing all the Christians in the countries of Macedonia and Greece how to live. ⁸ The Word of the Lord has been spoken by you in the countries of Macedonia and Greece. People everywhere know of your faith in God without our telling them. ⁹ The people themselves tell us how you received us when we came to you. They talk of how you turned to God from worshiping false gods. Now you worship the true and living God. ¹⁰ They tell us how you are waiting for His Son Jesus to come down from heaven. God raised Him from the dead. It is Jesus Who will save us from the anger of God that is coming.

The Land Divided among the Family Groups

48 “These are the names of the family groups: Dan will have one share of land at the far north. His land will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan beside the land of Damascus, toward the north beside Hamath, going from east to west. ² Asher will have one share of land beside Dan, from the east side to the west side. ³ Naphtali will have one share beside Asher, from the east side to the west side. ⁴ Manasseh will have one share beside Naphtali, from the east side to the west side. ⁵ Ephraim will have one share beside Manasseh, from the east side to the west side. ⁶ Reuben will have one share beside Ephraim, from the east side to the west side. ⁷ Judah will have one share beside Reuben, from the east side to the west side.

⁸ “Beside Judah, from the east side to the west side, will be the share of land you must set apart as a special gift. It will be as wide as 12,500 long steps, and as long as one of the other shares of land, from the east side to the west side. And the holy place will be in the center of it. ⁹ The gift of land that you will set apart to the Lord will be as long as 12,500 long steps and as wide as 5,000 long steps. ¹⁰ There will be a holy part for the religious leaders. It will be as long as 12,500 long steps on the north side, 5,000 long steps on the west side, 5,000 long steps on the east side, and 12,500 long steps on the south side. The holy house of the Lord will be in the center of it. ¹¹ It will be for the religious leaders who are set apart of the sons of Zadok, who have been faithful in serving Me. They did not sin as the Levites did when the people of Israel went the wrong way. ¹² It will belong to them as a special gift from part of the land, a most holy place, beside the land of the Levites. ¹³ The Levites will have land beside the religious leaders, as long as 12,500 long steps and as wide as 5,000 long steps. The whole length will be 12,500 long steps, and the width 5,000 long steps. ¹⁴ They must not sell or trade any of it. This is the best part of the land, and it must not pass into other hands. For it is holy to the Lord.

¹⁵ “The rest of the land, 2,500 long steps in width and 12,500 long steps in length, will be for all the people. It will be for houses and for open fields, and the city will be in the center of it. ¹⁶ The city will be 2,250 long steps on each of its four sides. ¹⁷ And it will have open fields, 125 long steps in width, all around the city. ¹⁸ The rest of the length beside the holy part of the land will be 5,000 long steps toward the east and 5,000 long steps toward the west. This will be where food is grown for those who work in the city. ¹⁹ And the workers of the city, from all the family groups of Israel, will work the ground. ²⁰ The whole piece of land will be as long as 12,500 long steps on each of its four sides. You will set apart the holy piece of land, together with the land for the city.

²¹ “The rest of the land will be for the ruler, on both sides of the holy piece of land and of the land for the city. It will go from the 12,500 long steps of the holy piece of land all the way to the east side, and from the 12,500 long steps all the way to the west side, along the shares for the family groups. It will belong to the ruler. The holy piece of land and the house of the Lord will be in the center of it. ²² So the land of the Levites and the land of the city will be in the center of the ruler’s land. And the ruler’s land will be between the land of Judah and the land of Benjamin.

²³ “As for the rest of the family groups, Benjamin will have one share of land. It will spread from the east side to the west side. ²⁴ Simeon will have one share beside Benjamin, from the east side to the west side. ²⁵ Issachar will have one share beside Simeon, from the east side to the west side. ²⁶ Zebulun will have one share beside Issachar, from the east side to the west side. ²⁷ Gad will have one share beside Zebulun, from the east side to the west side. ²⁸ The south side of Gad’s share will be from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, then to the River of Egypt and to the Great Sea. ²⁹ This is the land you will give by drawing names to the family groups of Israel for their own. And these are their shares,” says the Lord God.

The Gates of Jerusalem

³⁰ “These will be the gates of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is as long as 2,250 long steps, ³¹ the gates of the city will be given the names of the family groups of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah, and the gate of Levi. ³² The east side is as long as 2,250 long steps. The three gates on this side will be the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin, and the gate of Dan. ³³ The south side is as long as 2,250 long steps. The three gates on this side will be the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar, and the gate of Zebulun. ³⁴ And the west side is as long as 2,250 long steps. The three gates on this side will be the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher, and the gate of Naphtali. ³⁵ It will be 9,000 long steps around the city. And the name of the city from that time on will be: ‘The Lord is there.’”

The Lord Watches Over All His Works

104 Praise the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great. You are dressed with great honor and wonderful power. ² He covers Himself with light as with a coat. He spreads out the heavens like a tent. ³ He makes His home on the waters. He makes the clouds His wagon. He rides on the wings of the wind. ⁴ He makes the winds carry His news. He makes His helpers a burning fire.

⁵ He set the earth in its place so that it will stay that way forever. ⁶ You covered it with the sea as with a coat. The waters stood above the mountains. ⁷ The waters left at Your strong words. They went away in a hurry at the sound of Your thunder. ⁸ The mountains went up and the valleys went down to the place that You made for them. ⁹ You set a place that they may not pass over. The waters will never cover the earth again.

¹⁰ He sends rivers into the valleys. They flow between the mountains. ¹¹ They give water to all the animals of the field. The wild donkeys drink until they are no longer thirsty. ¹² The birds of the sky nest beside them. They sing among the branches. ¹³ He waters the mountains from His home above. The earth is filled with the fruit of His works.

¹⁴ He makes the grass grow for the cattle, and plants for man to use. So He may bring food from the earth, ¹⁵ wine that makes man’s heart glad, oil to make his face shine, and food to make his heart strong. ¹⁶ The tall cedar trees that the Lord planted in Lebanon drink their fill. ¹⁷ The birds make their nests there. The stork has its nest in the green trees.

¹⁸ The high mountains are for the wild goats. The rocks are a safe place for the badgers. ¹⁹ He made the moon to mark the time of year. And the sun knows when to go down. ²⁰ You make darkness and it becomes night. Then all the wild animals among the trees come out. ²¹ The young lions make a loud noise as they go after meat. And they get their food from God. ²² They go to their homes and lie down when the sun rises. ²³ Then man goes out to his work and works until evening.

²⁴ O Lord, how many are Your works! You made them all in wisdom. The earth is full of what You have made. ²⁵ There is the wide sea full of both large and small animals. There are too many for us to number. ²⁶ The ships sail there. And the very large sea animal You have made plays in it.

²⁷ They all wait for You to give them their food at the right time. ²⁸ You give it to them and they gather it up. You open Your hand and they are filled with good things. ²⁹ They are troubled and afraid when You hide Your face. And when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. ³⁰ They are made when You send Your Spirit. And You make the land of the earth new again.

³¹ May the shining-greatness of the Lord last forever. May the Lord be glad in His works. ³² He looks at the earth and it shakes with fear. He touches the mountains and they smoke. ³³ I will sing to the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. ³⁴ May the words of my heart be pleasing to Him. As for me, I will be glad in the Lord. ³⁵ Let sinners be destroyed from the earth. And let the sinful be no more. Honor the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!