M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Ahab’s Seventy Sons Are Killed

10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters. He sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the leaders, and to those who took care of Ahab’s children. He said, ² “Now your owner’s sons are with you. And you have war-wagons, and horses, and a strong city, and things to fight with. When this letter comes to you, ³ choose the best of your owner’s sons. Put him on his father’s throne. And fight for your owner’s house.” ⁴ But they were filled with fear, and said, “See, the two kings could not stand in front of him. How can we stand?” ⁵ So the head man of the house, the head man of the city, the leaders, and those who took care of the children, sent word to Jehu. They said, “We are your servants. We will do all that you say. We will not make any man king. Do what is good in your eyes.” ⁶ Then Jehu wrote a letter to them a second time. He said, “If you are on my side and will obey me, bring the heads of your owner’s sons to me. Meet me in Jezreel about this time tomorrow.” Now the king’s seventy sons were with the important men of the city who were taking care of them. ⁷ When the letter came to them, they took the king’s seventy sons and killed them. They put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. ⁸ The men who had been sent returned and told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Put them one upon the other in two places at the gate until morning.” ⁹ In the morning Jehu went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are without guilt. See, I made plans against my owner and killed him. But who killed all these? ¹⁰ Know now that everything the Lord spoke about the family of Ahab will come true. For the Lord has done what He said through his servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu killed all who were left of the family of Ahab in Jezreel. He killed all of Ahab’s important men, his friends, and his religious leaders. Not one person of Ahab was left alive.

Ahaziah’s Forty-Two Brothers Are Killed

¹² Then Jehu left and went to Samaria. On the way, while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds, ¹³ Jehu met the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah. He asked them, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah. We have come down to visit the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” ¹⁴ Jehu said, “Take them alive.” So his men took them alive, and killed them at the hole of Beth-eked, forty-two men. He left none of them alive.

The Rest of Ahab’s Family Are Killed

¹⁵ When Jehu left there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. Jehu said to him, “Is your heart right with my heart as mine is with yours?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So Jehonadab gave him his hand, and Jehu took him up into the war-wagon with him. ¹⁶ Then Jehu said, “Come with me and see how glad I am to work for the Lord.” And he had him go in his war-wagon. ¹⁷ When he came to Samaria, he killed all of Ahab’s people who were left in Samaria. He destroyed them, as the word of the Lord was spoken to Elijah.

The Worshipers of Baal Are Killed

¹⁸ Then Jehu gathered all the people and said to them, “Ahab worshiped Baal a little. Jehu will worship him much. ¹⁹ Now call all the men who speak for Baal, all his worshipers and all his religious leaders. Let no one be missing. For I have a big gift for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” But Jehu did this to fool them, so that he might destroy the worshipers of Baal. ²⁰ He said, “Set apart a special meeting for Baal.” And they made the news known. ²¹ Then Jehu sent for all the worshipers of Baal in Israel. Every one of them came. When they went into the house of Baal, the house was filled from one end to the other. ²² Jehu said to the one who took care of the clothes, “Bring out clothing for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out clothing for them. ²³ Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab. And he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Look and see that there are no servants of the Lord here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” ²⁴ Then they went in to kill animals on the altar and give burnt gifts. Now Jehu had left eighty of his men outside. He had told them, “The one who lets anyone get away, will pay for it with his life.”

²⁵ As soon as he had finished giving the burnt gift, Jehu said to the soldiers and the leaders, “Go in and kill them. Let no one come out.” And they killed them with the sword. Then the soldiers and leaders threw the bodies out, and went into the inside room of the house of Baal. ²⁶ They brought out the objects of the house of Baal, and burned them. ²⁷ They destroyed the objects of Baal and destroyed the house of Baal. They made it a place for body waste to this day. ²⁸ So Jehu got rid of Baal from Israel.

²⁹ But Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin. He kept the gold calves at Bethel and Dan. ³⁰ The Lord said to Jehu, “You have done well what is right in My eyes. You have done to the family of Ahab all that was in My heart. So your sons, even your great great grandson, will sit on the throne of Israel.” ³¹ But Jehu was not careful to walk in the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.

The Death of Jehu

³² In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel. Hazael won over them in battle through the land of Israel. ³³ He took the land east of the Jordan, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, by the valley of the Arnon. He took Gilead and Bashan. ³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all he did and all his strength, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ³⁵ Then Jehu died and they buried him in Samaria. And his son Jehoahaz became king in his place. ³⁶ Jehu ruled over Israel in Samaria for twenty-eight years.

1 This letter is from Paul, a missionary of Jesus Christ. God has sent me to tell that He has promised life that lasts forever through Christ Jesus. ² I am writing to you, Timothy. You are my much-loved son. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you His loving-favor and loving-kindness and peace.

Timothy’s Special Gift

³ I thank God for you. I pray for you night and day. I am working for God the way my early fathers worked. My heart says I am free from sin. ⁴ When I remember your tears, it makes me want to see you. That would fill me with joy. ⁵ I remember your true faith. It is the same faith your grandmother Lois had and your mother Eunice had. I am sure you have that same faith also.

⁶ For this reason, I ask you to keep using the gift God gave you. It came to you when I laid my hands on you and prayed that God would use you. ⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of fear. He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind. ⁸ Do not be ashamed to tell others about what our Lord said, or of me here in prison. I am here because of Jesus Christ. Be ready to suffer for preaching the Good News and God will give you the strength you need. ⁹ He is the One Who saved us from the punishment of sin. He is the One Who chose us to do His work. It is not because of anything we have done. But it was His plan from the beginning that He would give us His loving-favor through Christ Jesus. ¹⁰ We know about it now because of the coming of Jesus Christ, the One Who saves. He put a stop to the power of death and brought life that never dies which is seen through the Good News. ¹¹ I have been chosen to be a missionary and a preacher and a teacher of this Good News. ¹² For this reason, I am suffering. But I am not ashamed. I know the One in Whom I have put my trust. I am sure He is able to keep safe that which I have trusted to Him until the day He comes again. ¹³ Keep all the things I taught you. They were given to you in the faith and love of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ Keep safe that which He has trusted you with by the Holy Spirit Who lives in us.

Onesiphorus Was Faithful

¹⁵ I am sure you have heard that all the Christians in the countries of Asia have turned away from me. Phygelus and Hermogenes turned away also. ¹⁶ Onesiphorus was not ashamed of me in prison. He came often to comfort me. May the Lord show loving-kindness to his family. ¹⁷ When he came to Rome, he looked everywhere until he found me. ¹⁸ You know what a help he was to me in Ephesus. When the Lord comes again, may He show loving-kindness to Onesiphorus.

2 “Say to your brothers, ‘My people,’ and to your sisters, ‘My loved one.’

God’s People Who Are Not Faithful

² “Speak with strong words to your mother. Speak with strong words, for she is not My wife and I am not her husband. Tell her to stop selling the use of her body and giving herself to other men. ³ If she does not, I will put her to shame by taking off her clothes and show her as when she was born. I will make her like a desert, like a hot and dry land, and will kill her with thirst. ⁴ I will have no loving-pity on her children, for they are children of her sinful ways. ⁵ Their mother has not been faithful. She who gave birth to them has acted in shame. For she said, ‘I will go after my lovers. They give me my bread and water, my wool and linen, my oil and my drink.’ ⁶ So I will put thorn bushes in her way. I will build a wall so that she cannot find her way. ⁷ She will go after her lovers but will not catch up with them. She will look for them but will not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband. For it was better for me then than now.’

⁸ “She does not know that it was I Who gave her the grain, the new wine, the oil, and all the silver and gold, which they used for the false god Baal. ⁹ So I will take back My grain during the gathering time, and My new wine during its time. And I will take away My wool and My linen, which were given to cover her. ¹⁰ So I will take away the covering of her shame in the eyes of her lovers. And no one will take her out of My hand. ¹¹ I will put an end to all her fun, her special suppers, her new moons, her Days of Rest, and all her special times for gathering together. ¹² I will destroy her vines and fig trees, which she said were her pay from her lovers. I will make many trees grow wild among them, and the animals of the field will eat them. ¹³ I will punish her for the days she gave gifts in worship to the false gods of Baal. I will punish her for the times she forgot Me, and put on rings and other beautiful objects and went after her lovers” says the Lord.

God’s Loving-Kindness for His People

¹⁴ “So I will lead her into the desert and speak words of comfort to her. ¹⁵ I will give her grape-fields there, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope. And she will sing there as she did when she was young, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁶ In that day” says the Lord, “you will call Me, ‘My Husband.’ And you will no longer call Me, ‘My Baal.’ ¹⁷ For I will take the names of the Baals from her mouth. The names of these false gods will never be spoken again. ¹⁸ In that day I will make an agreement for them with the wild animals of the field, the birds of the sky, and the things which move upon the ground. I will put an end to the bow, the sword, and war in all the land. And I will let My people lie down in peace and be safe. ¹⁹ I will promise to make you Mine forever. Yes, I will take you as My bride in what is right and good and fair, and in loving-kindness and in loving-pity. ²⁰ I will keep My promise and make you Mine. Then you will know the Lord.

²¹ “In that day” says the Lord, “I will give an answer to the heavens, and they will give an answer to the earth. ²² The earth will give an answer to the grain, the new wine, and the oil. And they will give an answer to Jezreel. ²³ I will plant her for Myself in the land. Those who were not loved, I will call, ‘My loved ones.’ Those who were not My people, I will call, ‘My people.’ And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”

⁹⁷ O, how I love Your Law! It is what I think about all through the day. ⁹⁸ Your Word makes me wiser than those who hate me, for it is always with me. ⁹⁹ I have better understanding than all my teachers because I think about Your Law. ¹⁰⁰ I have a better understanding than those who are old because I obey Your Word. ¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet from every sinful way so that I may keep Your Word. ¹⁰² I have not turned away from Your Law, for You Yourself have taught me. ¹⁰³ How sweet is Your Word to my taste! It is sweeter than honey to my mouth! ¹⁰⁴ I get understanding from Your Law and so I hate every false way.

¹⁰⁵ Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ¹⁰⁶ I have promised that I will keep Your Law. And I will add strength to this promise. ¹⁰⁷ I am in much suffering. O Lord, give me life again by Your Word. ¹⁰⁸ Take my willing gift of thanks, O Lord, and teach me Your Law. ¹⁰⁹ My life is always in my hand, yet I do not forget Your Law. ¹¹⁰ The sinful have set a trap for me, yet I have not turned from Your Law. ¹¹¹ I have been given Your Law forever. It is the joy of my heart. ¹¹² I have set my heart on obeying Your Law forever, even to the end.

¹¹³ I hate those who have two ways of thinking, but I love Your Law. ¹¹⁴ You are my hiding place and my battle-covering. I put my hope in Your Word. ¹¹⁵ Go away from me, you who do wrong, so I may keep the Word of my God. ¹¹⁶ Hold me up by Your Word and I will live. Do not let me be ashamed of my hope. ¹¹⁷ Hold me up so I will be safe, and I will always have respect for Your Law. ¹¹⁸ You turn away from all those who turn from Your Law. They fool themselves with their own lying. ¹¹⁹ You put away like waste all the sinful of the earth, so I love Your Law. ¹²⁰ My flesh shakes in fear of You, and I am afraid of how You may punish.