M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Hezekiah Talks to Isaiah
19 When King Hezekiah heard about it, he tore his clothes and covered himself with cloth made from hair. Then he went into the house of the Lord. 2 He sent Eliakim who was the head of the house, Shebna the writer, and the head religious leaders, to the man of God Isaiah the son of Amoz. They were covered with cloth made from hair. 3 And they said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘This day is a day of trouble, sharp words, and shame. For children have come to be born, but there is no strength to give birth to them. 4 It might be that the Lord your God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom his ruler the king of Assyria has sent to make fun of the living God. And the Lord your God might speak sharp words against what He has heard. So pray for those who are left of the Lord’s people.’” 5 The servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah. 6 And Isaiah said to them, “Tell your ruler, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Do not be afraid because of the words you have heard spoken against Me by the servants of the king of Assyria. 7 See, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a made-up story and he will return to his own land. And I will have him killed by the sword in his own land.”’”
Assyrians Talk of Taking Jerusalem Again
8 Rabshakeh returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. For he had heard that the king had left Lachish. 9 The king of Assyria was told, “See, King Tirhakah of Cush has come out to fight against you.” So he sent men again to Hezekiah, saying, 10 “Tell King Hezekiah of Judah, ‘Do not let your God in Whom you trust lie to you by saying that Jerusalem will not be given into the power of the king of Assyria. 11 You have heard how the kings of Assyria have destroyed all the lands. And will you be saved? 12 Did the gods of those nations which my fathers destroyed save them? Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar, were destroyed. 13 Where are the kings of Hamath, Arpad, the city of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah?’”
14 Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the men from Assyria, and read it. Then he went up to the house of the Lord, and spread the letter out before the Lord. 15 Hezekiah prayed to the Lord, saying, “O Lord the God of Israel, You sit on Your throne above the cherubim. You are the God, and You alone, of all the nations of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Turn Your ear, O Lord, and hear. Open Your eyes, O Lord, and see. Listen to the words Sennacherib has spoken against the living God. 17 O Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have destroyed the nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire. For they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands, made from wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. 19 Now, O Lord our God, I beg You to save us from his power. Then all the nations of the earth may know that You alone are God, O Lord.”
Isaiah’s Word to the King
20 Isaiah the son of Amoz sent word to Hezekiah, saying, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I have heard your prayer to Me about Sennacherib king of Assyria.’ 21 This is the Word that the Lord has spoken against him: ‘She has hated you and made fun of you, the young daughter of Zion! She has shaken her head behind you, the daughter of Jerusalem! 22 Whom have you spoken against? Against whom have you raised your voice, and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel! 23 You have spoken against the Lord through the men you have sent. You have said, “With my many war-wagons I have come up to the tops of the mountains, to the farthest parts of Lebanon. I cut down its tall cedar trees and its best cypress trees. I went to its highest place, where its trees are close together. 24 I dug wells and drank the water of other lands. I dried up all the rivers of Egypt with the bottom of my feet.”
25 ’Have you not heard that I planned this long ago? From times long ago I planned it. Now I have made it happen, that you should destroy strong cities. 26 That is why those who lived there did not have much strength. They were troubled and put to shame. They were like the plants of the field and the green grass. They were like grass on the roofs, killed by the sun before it is grown. 27 But I know when you sit down, go out, and come in. And I know how you speak in anger against Me. 28 You have spoken against Me in your anger and pride, and I have heard it. So I will put My hook in your nose, and My bit in your mouth. And I will have you return by the way you came. 29 ’This will be the special thing for you to see: This year you will eat what grows of itself. In the second year you will eat what grows of the same. Then in the third year, you will plant seeds and gather food. You will plant vines and eat their fruit. 30 And those who are left of the family of Judah will again take root and give fruit. 31 For those who are left will go out of Jerusalem. Those who are still alive will go out of Mount Zion. This will be done by the power of the Lord. 32 So this is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He will not come to this city or shoot an arrow there. He will not come to it with a battle-covering or build a wall around it. 33 He will return by the way he came. He will not come to this city, says the Lord. 34 For I will help this city and save it, because of My honor, and because of My servant David.’”
Sennacherib’s Death
35 That night the angel of the Lord went out and killed 185,000 men among the Assyrian tents. When those left alive got up early in the morning, they saw all the dead bodies. 36 Then King Sennacherib of Assyria left and returned home, and lived at Nineveh. 37 As he was worshiping in the house of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with the sword. Then they ran away to the land of Ararat. And his son Esarhaddon became king in his place.
God Speaks Through His Son
1 Long ago God spoke to our early fathers in many different ways. He spoke through the early preachers. 2 But in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son. God gave His Son everything. It was by His Son that God made the world. 3 The Son shines with the shining-greatness of the Father. The Son is as God is in every way. It is the Son Who holds up the whole world by the power of His Word. The Son gave His own life so we could be clean from all sin. After He had done that, He sat down on the right side of God in heaven.
The Son Was Greater Than the Angels
4 The Son of God was made greater and better than the angels. God gave Him a greater name than theirs. 5 God did not say to any of His angels, “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father.” (A) And He did not say to any angel, “I will be a Father to Him. He will be a Son to Me.” (B) 6 But when God brought His first-born Son, Jesus, into the world, He said, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” 7 He said this about the angels, “He makes His angels to be winds. He makes His servants a burning fire.” (C) 8 But about His Son, He says, “O God, Your throne will last forever. Whatever You say in Your nation is right and good. 9 You have loved what is right. You have hated what is wrong. That is why God, Your God, has chosen You. He has poured over You the oil of joy more than over anyone else.” (D) 10 He said also, “Lord, You made the earth in the beginning. You made the heavens with Your hands. 11 They will be destroyed but You will always be here. They will all become old just as clothes become old. 12 You will roll up the heavens like a coat. They will be changed. But You are always the same. You will never grow old.” (E) 13 God never said to any angel, “Sit at My right side, until I make those who hate You a place to rest Your feet.” (F) 14 Are not all the angels spirits who work for God? They are sent out to help those who are to be saved from the punishment of sin.
12 Ephraim’s food is the wind, he goes after the east wind all day long. He tells many lies and does much in his anger. He makes an agreement with Assyria and takes oil to Egypt. 2 The Lord has a cause against Judah, and will punish Jacob for his ways. He will make him pay for what he has done. 3 Before he was born he took his brother by the heel. And when he was grown he fought with God. 4 He fought with the angel and won. He cried and begged for His favor. He met God at Bethel, and God spoke with him there. 5 This was the Lord, the God of All. The Lord is His name. 6 So return to your God. Show kindness and do what is fair, and wait for your God all the time. 7 One who buys and sells and who lies about the weight of things loves to make it hard for others. 8 Ephraim has said, “I have become rich. I have found riches for myself. With all my riches they will not find any sin in me.”
9 “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of Egypt. I will make you live in tents again, as in the days of your special suppers. 10 I have spoken to the men who speak for Me. I have given many special dreams. And I gave picture-stories through the men who speak for Me.”
11 Is there sin in Gilead? For sure its people are of no worth. In Gilgal they kill bulls in worship. Their altars are like the many stones laid beside a plowed field. 12 Jacob ran away to the land of Aram. There he worked for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. 13 By a man who spoke for Him, the Lord brought Israel from Egypt. And by a man who spoke for Him, the Lord cared for him. 14 But Ephraim has made the Lord very angry. So the Lord will leave on him the guilt of his blood, and make his shame return to him.
A Song of Praise
135 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise Him, O servants of the Lord, 2 you who stand in the house of the Lord, within the walls of the house of our God. 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good. Sing praises to His name, for it is sweet. 4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself. Israel belongs to Him.
5 I know that the Lord is great. He is greater than all gods. 6 The Lord does whatever is pleasing to Him, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and in all waters. 7 He makes the clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning come with the rain. He brings the wind out from where He stores His riches.
8 He killed the first-born of Egypt, both man and animal. 9 He sent special things to see and did great works among you, O Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants. 10 He crushed many nations and killed powerful kings, 11 King Sihon of the Amorites, King Og of Bashan, and all the kings of Canaan. 12 And He gave their land as a gift, a gift to Israel His people. 13 O Lord, Your name lasts forever. O Lord, You will be remembered for all time. 14 For the Lord will decide in favor of His people. He will have loving-pity on His servants. 15 The gods of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. 16 They have mouths but they do not speak. They have eyes but they do not see. 17 They have ears but they do not hear. And there is no breath in their mouths. 18 Those who make them and those who trust in them will be like them.
19 O house of Israel, give honor and thanks to the Lord. O house of Aaron, give honor and thanks to the Lord. 20 O house of Levi, give honor and thanks to the Lord. You who fear the Lord, give honor and thanks to the Lord. 21 Honor and thanks be to the Lord from Zion, Who lives in Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!
A Song of Thanks
136 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 4 Give thanks to Him Who alone does great works, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 5 Give thanks to Him Who by wisdom made the heavens, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 6 Give thanks to Him Who spread out the earth upon the waters, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 7 Give thanks to Him Who made the great lights, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 8 He made the sun to rule during the day, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 9 He made the moon and stars to rule during the night, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.
10 Give thanks to Him Who killed the first-born of Egypt, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 11 He brought Israel out from among them, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 12 He put out His arm and brought them out with a strong hand, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 13 Give thanks to Him Who divided the Red Sea in two, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 14 He led Israel through, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 15 But He caused the death of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 16 Give thanks to Him Who led His people through the desert, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 17 Give thanks to Him Who destroyed great kings, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 18 He killed powerful kings, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 19 He put to death Sihon, king of the Amorites, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 20 He put to death Og, king of Bashan, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 21 He gave their land as a gift, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 22 He gave it as a gift to Israel His servant, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.
23 Give thanks to Him Who remembered us when we had nothing, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 24 He took us away from those who hated us, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 25 He gives food to all men, for His loving-kindness lasts forever. 26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His loving-kindness lasts forever.
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