M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Micaiah Speaks to Ahab

22 Three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. ² In the third year, Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³ The king of Israel said to his servants, “Do you know that Ramothgilead belongs to us? We are still doing nothing to take it from the king of Syria.” ⁴ And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are. My people are as your people. My horses are as your horses.”

⁵ Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Ask first for the word of the Lord.” ⁶ Then the king of Israel gathered together the men who spoke for God, 400 men. He said to them, “Should I go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or should I not?” And they said, “Go. For the Lord will give it to the king.” ⁷ But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not another man who speaks for the Lord here, that we may ask him?” ⁸ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is only one other man whom we may ask of the Lord, but I hate him. He does not speak anything good about me, only bad. He is Micaiah the son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say that.” ⁹ Then the king of Israel called a soldier and said, “Be quick to bring Micaiah the son of Imlah.” ¹⁰ Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, dressed in their king’s clothing. They sat at the grain-floor at the gate of Samaria. All the men who speak for God were speaking in front of them. ¹¹ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “The Lord says, ‘With these you will fight the Syrians until they are destroyed.’” ¹² And all the men who spoke for God said so. They said, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and do well. For the Lord will give it to the king.”

¹³ The man who went to call Micaiah said to him, “See, the words of those who speak for God are all in the king’s favor. Let your words be like theirs and speak in favor of the king.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord says to me.” ¹⁵ Micaiah came to the king. And the king said to him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or should we not?” He answered, “Go up and do well. The Lord will give it to the king.” ¹⁶ Then the king said to him, “How many times must I tell you to speak nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” ¹⁷ So Micaiah said, “I saw all Israel spread upon the mountains like sheep which have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no owner. Let each of them return to his house in peace.’” ¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not speak good of me, but bad?” ¹⁹ Micaiah said, “So hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne. All those in heaven were standing by Him on His right and on His left. ²⁰ The Lord said, ‘Who will lead Ahab to go up and die at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another thing. ²¹ Then a spirit came and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will lead him.’ ²² The Lord said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all those who will tell what will happen in the future.’ Then the Lord said, ‘You are to lead him, and do well. Go and do so.’ ²³ Now see, the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these who tell what will happen in the future. The Lord has said bad things against you.”

²⁴ Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came and hit Micaiah on the face and said, “How did the Spirit of the Lord go from me to speak to you?” ²⁵ Micaiah said, “See, you will see on that day when you go into a room to hide yourself.” ²⁶ Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the leader of the city and to Joash the king’s son. ²⁷ Tell them, ‘The king says, “Put this man in prison and feed him with little bread and water, until I return in peace.” ‘ ” ²⁸ Micaiah said, “If you do return in peace, then the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.”

The Death of Ahab

²⁹ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰ The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will dress so no one will know who I am, and will go to battle. But you put on your king’s clothing.” So the king of Israel dressed so no one would know who he was, and went into battle. ³¹ Now the king of Syria had told the thirty-two captains of his war-wagons, “Do not fight with the small or strong. But only fight with the king of Israel.” ³² When the captains of the war-wagons saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “For sure this is the king of Israel.” And they turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ Then the captains of the war-wagons saw that it was not the king of Israel. So they returned from going after him.

³⁴ But a certain man happened to shoot an arrow and hit the king of Israel between the parts of his battle-clothes. So Ahab said to the driver of his war-wagon, “Turn around and take me out of the battle. For I am hurt.” ³⁵ The battle was hard that day, and the king was set up in his war-wagon in front of the Syrians. At evening he died. The blood from the cut flowed to the bottom of the war-wagon. ³⁶ Then a cry went through to his country!

³⁷ So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸ And they washed the war-wagon by the pool of Samaria. The dogs drank up his blood. (The women who sold the use of their bodies washed themselves there.) It happened as the word of the Lord said it would. ³⁹ Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all he did, the ivory house and cities he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁴⁰ Ahab died and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.

Jehoshaphat Rules Judah

⁴¹ Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became the king of Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴² Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³ He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. But the high places were not taken away. The people still gave gifts and burned special perfume on the high places. ⁴⁴ And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.

⁴⁵ The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the strength he showed and how he fought, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁴⁶ He destroyed from the land those who were left of the men who sold the use of their bodies in their religion during the days of his father Asa.

⁴⁷ Now there was no king in Edom. A leader was acting as king. ⁴⁸ Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold. But they did not go. For the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹ Then Ahab’s son Ahaziah said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my servants go with your servants in the ships.” But Jehoshaphat was not willing. ⁵⁰ And Jehoshaphat died and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. Jehoram his son became king in his place.

Ahaziah Rules Israel

⁵¹ Ahab’s son Ahaziah became the king of Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. And he ruled Israel for two years. ⁵² He did what was sinful in the eyes of the Lord. He walked in the way of his father and mother, and Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. ⁵³ He served the false god Baal and worshiped him. He made the Lord God of Israel angry in every way his father had done.

Watch for the Lord to Come Again

5 You do not need anyone to write to tell you when and at what kind of times these things will happen. ² You know for sure that the day the Lord comes back to earth will be as a robber coming in the night. ³ When they say, “Everything is fine and safe,” then all at once they will be destroyed. It will be like pain that comes on a woman when a child is born. They will not be able to get away from it. ⁴ But you are not in darkness, Christian brothers. That day will not surprise you as a robber would. ⁵ For you are children of the light and of the day. We are not of darkness or of night. ⁶ Keep awake! Do not sleep like others. Watch and keep your minds awake to what is happening. ⁷ People sleep at night. Those who get drunk do it at night. ⁸ Because we are men of the day, let us keep our minds awake. Let us cover our chests with faith and love. Let us cover our heads with the hope of being saved. ⁹ God planned to save us from the punishment of sin through our Lord Jesus Christ. He did not plan for us to suffer from His anger. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, dead or alive, we will be with Him. ¹¹ So comfort each other and make each other strong as you are already doing.

Christian Living

¹² We ask you, Christian brothers, to respect those who work among you. The Lord has placed them over you and they are your teachers. ¹³ You must think much of them and love them because of their work. Live in peace with each other.

¹⁴ We ask you, Christian brothers, speak to those who do not want to work. Comfort those who feel they cannot keep going on. Help the weak. Understand and be willing to wait for all men. ¹⁵ Do not let anyone pay back for the bad he received. But look for ways to do good to each other and to all people.

¹⁶ Be full of joy all the time. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ In everything give thanks. This is what God wants you to do because of Christ Jesus. ¹⁹ Do not try to stop the work of the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Do not laugh at those who speak for God. ²¹ Test everything and do not let good things get away from you. ²² Keep away from everything that even looks like sin.

²³ May the God of peace set you apart for Himself. May every part of you be set apart for God. May your spirit and your soul and your body be kept complete. May you be without blame when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. ²⁴ The One Who called you is faithful and will do what He promised. ²⁵ Christian brothers, pray for us. ²⁶ Greet all the Christians with a kiss of holy love. ²⁷ I tell you to have this letter read to all the Christians. ²⁸ May you have loving-favor from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream

4 King Nebuchadnezzar sent this letter to all the people of every nation and language who live in all the world: “May you have much peace! ² I am pleased to tell you about the wonderful things which the Most High God has done for me. ³ How great are the special things He shows us! How powerful are His wonderful works! His nation lasts forever, and His rule is for all people for all time.

⁴ “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house. Everything was going well for me there. ⁵ But I had a dream that made me afraid. As I lay on my bed the pictures that passed through my mind filled me with fear. ⁶ So I called for all the wise men of Babylon to come and tell me the meaning of my dream. ⁷ Then the wonder-workers, those who learn from stars, and those who use their secret ways, came in. I told them about the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant. ⁸ At last Daniel came to me, who was given the name Belteshazzar after the name of my god. A spirit of the holy gods is in him, and I told him about my dream. I said, ⁹ ‘O Belteshazzar, head of the wonder-workers, I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no secret is hidden from you. So tell me what dream I had, and what it means. ¹⁰ This is what I saw in my mind as I lay on my bed: I saw a tree in the center of the land. It was very tall. ¹¹ The tree grew and became strong. Its top went up to the sky, and it could be seen to the end of the whole earth. ¹² Its leaves were beautiful and it had much fruit. It had enough food for everyone. The wild animals of the field rested in its shadow. The birds of the air lived in its branches. And every living thing was fed from it.

¹³ ‘In the dreams I had as I lay on my bed, I looked and saw an angel who kept watch. He was a holy one who came down from heaven. ¹⁴ He said in a loud voice, “Cut down the tree and cut off its branches. Tear off its leaves and throw away its fruit. Let the animals run from under it and the birds fly from its branches. ¹⁵ Yet leave the base of the tree with its roots in the ground, and tie a chain of iron and brass around it. Leave it there in the new grass of the field. Let him be wet with the water from heaven on the grass in the early morning. Let him share with the wild animals in the grass of the earth. ¹⁶ Let his mind be changed from that of a man, and for seven years let him have the mind of an animal. ¹⁷ This penalty is by the law of the angels who keep watch. This is what the holy ones have decided, so that the living may know that the Most High is ruler over the nation of all people. He gives it to whomever He wants, and lets the least important of men rule over it.” ¹⁸ This is the dream that I, King Nebuchadnezzar, have seen. Now, Belteshazzar, tell me what it means. None of the wise men in my nation can tell me what it means, but you can. For the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’

Daniel Tells the Meaning of the Second Dream

¹⁹ “Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was afraid for a while. His thoughts filled him with fear. The king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not be afraid of the dream or its meaning.’ Belteshazzar answered, ‘My lord, if only the dream and its meaning had to do with those who hate you and fight against you! ²⁰ You saw the tree which grew large and strong, whose top went up to the sky and could be seen over all the earth. ²¹ Its leaves were beautiful and it had much fruit, enough food for all. Wild animals of the field rested under it, and birds of the air lived in its branches. ²² This tree is you, O king! For you have become great and strong. Your power has become great and has gone up to the sky, and your rule has gone to the end of the earth. ²³ The king saw an angel who kept watch, a holy one coming down from heaven and saying, “Cut down the tree and destroy it. Yet leave its base with its roots in the ground. Put a chain of iron and brass around it and leave it in the new grass of the field. And let him be wet with the water from heaven on the grass in the early morning. Let him share with the wild animals of the field for seven years.” ²⁴ This is what it means, O king. This is what the Most High said would happen to my lord the king: ²⁵ You will be driven away from all people and will live with the wild animals of the field. You will eat grass like cattle and become wet with the water from heaven. Seven years will pass until you understand that the Most High is ruler over the nations of men, and gives them to whomever He wants. ²⁶ It was said that the base of the tree and its roots must be left. This means that your nation will be returned to you after you understand that it is Heaven that rules. ²⁷ So, O king, may my words be pleasing to you. Turn away from your sins by doing what is right and good. Turn away from your wrong-doing by being kind to the poor. Then it may be that things will keep going well for you.’

The King Loses Everything

²⁸ “All this happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. ²⁹ Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of his beautiful house in Babylon. ³⁰ And he said, ‘Is not this the great Babylon which I have built as a beautiful place for the king? I have built it by my great strength and for the greatness of my power.’ ³¹ Before the king was finished speaking, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is said: Your power over the nation has been taken from you. ³² You will be driven away from all people and will live with the wild animals of the field. You will eat grass like cattle. And seven years will pass until you understand that the Most High is ruler over the nations of men, and gives them to whomever He wants.’ ³³ At once these words about Nebuchadnezzar came true. He was driven away from all people and began eating grass like cattle. His body became wet with the water from heaven, until his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails like those of birds.

Nebuchadnezzar Praises God

³⁴ “But at the end of that time I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up toward heaven and my understanding returned to me. And I gave thanks to the Most High and praised and honored Him Who lives forever. For His nation lasts forever, and His rule is for all people for all time. ³⁵ All the people of the earth are thought of as nothing. He does as He pleases with the angels of heaven and the people of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ ³⁶ At that time my understanding returned to me. And my honor and power were returned to me for the greatness of my nation. My wise men and my leaders began looking for me, and I was made king again, with even more greatness added to me. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and honor the King of heaven. For all His works are true and His ways are right. And He is able to bring down those who walk in pride.”

A Song of Praise

108 My heart will not be moved, O God. I will sing. Yes, I will sing praises with my soul. ² Wake up, different kinds of harps. I will wake up the new day. ³ I will give thanks to You among the people, O Lord. I will sing praises to You among the nations. ⁴ For Your loving-kindness is great above the heavens. And Your truth can touch the sky. ⁵ Be lifted up high above the heavens, O God. Let Your shining-greatness be over all the earth. ⁶ Save us with Your right hand and answer me. Let Your loved ones be set free.

⁷ God has said in His holy place: “I will be full of joy. I will divide Shechem and the valley of Succoth. ⁸ Gilead is Mine. Manasseh is Mine. Ephraim is the covering for My head. Judah is My law giver. ⁹ Moab is where I wash My hands. I will throw My shoe over Edom. I will call out over Philistia that I have won.”

¹⁰ Who will bring me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom? ¹¹ Have You not turned away from us, O God? And will You not go out with our armies, O God? ¹² O give us help against those who hate us. For the help of man is worth nothing. ¹³ With God’s help we will do great things. And He will break under His feet those who fight against us.

A Man in Trouble

109 I give praise to You, O God. Do not be quiet. ² For sinners and liars have opened their mouths against me. They have spoken against me with lying tongues. ³ They have gathered around me with words of hate. They fought against me for no reason. ⁴ I give them my love but they speak against me in return. But I am in prayer. ⁵ They pay me what is bad for what is good. They give me hate for my love.

⁶ Let a sinful man have power over him. Let one who speaks against him stand at his right hand. ⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty. And may his prayer become sin. ⁸ Let his days be few. Let another person take over his work. ⁹ Let his children be without a father. And let his wife be without a husband. ¹⁰ May his children go around begging. And may they look for food far from their destroyed homes. ¹¹ Let the one to whom he owes money take all that he has. May strangers take away all he has worked for. ¹² May no one show him kindness. Let no one pity his children who have no father. ¹³ Let his children be cut off. Do not let their family name be remembered by the people-to-come.

¹⁴ Let the sins of his fathers be remembered by the Lord, and do not let the sins of his mother be forgotten. ¹⁵ May these sins always be before the Lord. So He may not let them be remembered on the earth. ¹⁶ Because he did not remember to show loving-kindness. Instead he made it hard for the poor and those in need and those with a broken heart. He even put them to death. ¹⁷ He loved to curse others, so may it come to him. He did not like to have good come to others, so good was far from him. ¹⁸ He dressed himself with cursing as with a coat. They came into his body like water and into his bones like oil. ¹⁹ May they be like clothing that covers him and like a belt that he always wears. ²⁰ Let this be what the Lord pays to those who speak against me and wish bad things would happen to me.

²¹ But You, O God, the Lord, be kind to me because of Your name. Take me out of trouble because Your loving-kindness is good. ²² For I am in trouble and in need. And my heart is hurt within me. ²³ I am passing like an evening shadow. I am shaken off like a locust. ²⁴ My knees are weak from going without food. And my body has lost all its fat. ²⁵ Others laugh at me. They look at me and shake their heads.

²⁶ Help me, O Lord my God! Save me by Your loving-kindness. ²⁷ Let them know that this is Your hand and that You, O Lord, have done it. ²⁸ Let them hope that bad things will happen. But You make good things happen. Let them be ashamed when they rise up against me. But let Your servant be full of joy. ²⁹ Let those who speak against me be dressed with shame. Let them cover themselves with shame as with a coat. ³⁰ I will give thanks to the Lord in a loud voice. I will praise Him among many people. ³¹ For He stands at the right hand of the one in need to save him from those who judge his soul.