M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
19 King Jehoshaphat of Judah returned in peace to his house in Jerusalem. 2 Jehu the son of Hanani the man who tells what will happen in the future went out to meet King Jehoshaphat, and said to him, “Should you help the sinful? Should you love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the Lord is angry with you. 3 But there is some good in you. For you have destroyed from the land the false goddess Asherah. And you have set your heart to follow God.”
The Changes Made by Jehoshaphat
4 So Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem. He went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim. And he brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers. 5 He chose judges in the land in all the strong cities of Judah, city by city. 6 And he said to the judges, “Think about what you do. For you do not judge for man, but for the Lord. He is with you when you judge between right and wrong. 7 So now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Be very careful what you do. For the Lord our God will have nothing to do with what is not right and good, or with what is not fair, or with taking pay for doing what is wrong.”
8 In Jerusalem also Jehoshaphat chose some of the Levites and religious leaders, and heads of families of Israel. He chose them to judge for the Lord, and to judge the troubles among the people of Jerusalem. 9 Then he told them what they must do. He said, “Do this in the fear of the Lord. Be faithful, and do your duty with your whole heart. 10 Whenever trouble comes to you between your brothers who live in the cities, between blood and blood, between one law and another, tell them not to sin before the Lord, so God’s anger may not come upon you and your brothers. Do this, and you will not be guilty. 11 See, Amariah the head religious leader will be over you in everything that has to do with the Lord. And Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the family of Judah, will be over you in everything that has to do with the king. The Levites will work for you as leaders. Be strong in what you do, and the Lord will be with the good.”
War against Edom
20 After this the men of Moab, and Ammon, and some of the Meunites, came to make war against Jehoshaphat. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “Very many people are coming against you from the other side of the sea, from Syria. See, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is, Engedi).” 3 Jehoshaphat was afraid and decided to call on the Lord. He made a special time of not eating in all Judah. 4 And Judah gathered together to pray for help from the Lord. They came to the Lord from all the cities of Judah to call on the Lord.
5 Jehoshaphat stood among the people of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, in front of the new open space. 6 Then he said, “O Lord, the God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven? Do You not rule over all the nations? Power and strength are in Your hand, so that no one is able to stand against You. 7 O our God, did You not make the people of this land leave so that Your people Israel could have it and give it to the children of Your friend Abraham forever? 8 And they have lived in it. They have built You a holy place in it for Your name, saying, 9 ‘If what is bad comes upon us, fighting, hard times, disease, or no food, we will stand in front of this house. And we will stand before You, (for Your name is in this house). We will cry to You in our trouble. And You will hear and take us out of trouble.’ 10 Now see the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom You did not let Israel fight when they came from the land of Egypt. (They turned aside from them and did not destroy them.) 11 Look how they are paying us back. They are coming to make us leave Your land which You have given to us. 12 O our God, will You not punish them? For we have no power against all these men who are coming against us. We do not know what to do. But our eyes look to You.” 13 And all the men of Judah were standing before the Lord, with their babies, their wives, and their children.
14 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, the Levite of the sons of Asaph, as he stood among the people. 15 He said, “Listen, all Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says to you, ‘Do not be afraid or troubled because of these many men. For the battle is not yours but God’s. 16 Go down to fight them tomorrow. See, they will come up by the hill of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, in front of the desert of Jeruel. 17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Just stand still in your places and see the saving power of the Lord work for you, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid or troubled. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you.” 18 Then Jehoshaphat put his face to the ground. And all Judah and the people of Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19 The Levites, of the Kohathites and Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
20 They got up early in the morning and went out to the desert of Tekoa. When they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, O Judah and people of Jerusalem. Trust in the Lord your God, and you will be made strong. Trust in the men who speak for Him, and you will do well.” 21 When he had spoken with the people, he called those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in holy clothing. They went out in front of the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord. For His loving-kindness lasts forever.” 22 When they began to sing and praise, the Lord set traps against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah. So they were destroyed. 23 The men of Ammon and Moab fought against the people of Mount Seir, and killed all of them. And when they finished with the people of Seir, they all helped to kill each other.
24 Judah came to the place where they could look out over the desert. When they looked toward the armies, they saw that dead bodies were lying on the ground. No one had been left alive. 25 So Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away what they wanted from them. They found cattle, many good things, clothing, and things of great worth, which they took for themselves. There was more than they could carry. It took them three days to take all the things, because there was so much. 26 They gathered together in the Valley of Beracah on the fourth day. There they praised and thanked the Lord. So the name of that place has been the Valley of Beracah to this day. 27 Then every man of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat leading them. They returned to Jerusalem with joy. For the Lord had filled them with joy by saving them from those who hated them. 28 They came to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem with horns and different kinds of harps. 29 And the fear of God came upon all the nations of the lands, when they heard that the Lord had fought against those who hate Israel. 30 So the nation of Jehoshaphat was at peace. His God gave him rest on all sides.
The End of Jehoshaphat’s Rule
31 So Jehoshaphat ruled over Judah. He was thirty-five years old when he became king. And he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 32 Jehoshaphat walked in the way of his father Asa, and did not leave it. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 33 But the high places were not taken away. The people had not yet set their hearts on the God of their fathers. 34 The rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, from first to last, are written in the story of Jehu the son of Hanani, which is written in the Book of the Kings of Israel.
35 After this King Jehoshaphat of Judah joined with King Ahaziah of Israel who was very sinful. 36 He joined him in making ships to go to Tarshish. They made the ships in Ezion-geber. 37 Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah told what would happen against Jehoshaphat, saying, “Because you have joined with Ahaziah, the Lord will destroy what you have made.” So the ships were wrecked, and could not go to Tarshish.
The Seventh Lock—No Sound in Heaven
8 When the Lamb broke the seventh lock, there was not a sound in heaven for about one-half hour.
2 Then I saw the seven angels standing before God. They were given seven horns.
3 Another angel came and stood at the altar. He held a cup made of gold full of special perfume. He was given much perfume so he could mix it in with the prayers of those who belonged to God. Their prayers were put on the altar made of gold before the throne. 4 Smoke from burning the special perfume and the prayers of those who belong to God went up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the cup of gold. He filled it with fire from the altar and threw it down on the earth. There was thunder and noise and lightning and the earth shook.
6 The seven angels that had the seven horns got ready to blow them.
The First Horn—Hail and Fire
7 So the first angel blew his horn. Hail and fire mixed with blood came down on the earth. One-third part of the earth was burned up. One-third part of the trees were burned up. All the green grass was burned up.
The Second Horn—the Burning Mountain
8 The second angel blew his horn. Something like a large mountain was burning with fire. It was thrown into the sea. One-third part of the sea turned into blood. 9 One-third part of all sea life died. One-third part of all the ships were destroyed.
The Third Horn—the Star of Poison
10 The third angel blew his horn. A large star fell from heaven. It was burning with a fire that kept burning like a bright light. It fell on one-third part of the rivers and on the places where water comes out of the earth. 11 The name of the star is Wormwood. One-third part of the water became poison. Many men died from drinking the water because it had become poison.
The Fourth Horn—Not As Much Light
12 The fourth angel blew his horn. One-third part of the sun and one-third part of the moon and one-third part of the stars were hurt. One-third part of them was made dark so that one-third part of the day and night had no light.
13 Then I looked and saw a very large bird flying in the sky. It said with a loud voice, “It is bad! It is bad! It is bad for those who live on the earth when the sound comes from the horns that the other three angels will blow!”
Zechariah Sees a Lamp-Stand
4 Then the angel who was speaking with me returned and woke me up like a man would be made to wake up from his sleep. 2 He said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a gold lamp-stand with a cup at the top and seven lamps on it. And there are seven places to hold oil, one on the top of each of the lamps. 3 There are two olive trees by it, one on the right side of the cup and the other on its left side.” 4 Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?” 5 So the angel who was speaking with me said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.”
God’s Promise to Zechariah
6 Then he said to me, “This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by strength nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of All. 7 ‘What are you, O great mountain? In front of Zerubbabel you will become a plain. Then he will bring out the top stone and call out, “May God give it loving-favor!”’” 8 Also the Word of the Lord came to me saying, 9 “Zerubbabel’s hands have laid the first stones of this house, and his hands will finish it. Then you will know that the Lord of All has sent me to you. 10 Who has hated the day of small things? Men will be glad when they see Zerubbabel building the walls of the Lord’s house. These seven are the eyes of the Lord which travel over all the earth.”
11 Then I said to him, “What are these two olive trees on the right and left sides of the lamp-stand?” 12 A second time I said to him, “What are the two olive branches beside the two gold places that hold the oil to be poured out?” 13 He answered me saying, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” 14 Then he said, “These are the two who are set apart to serve the Lord of All the earth.”
The Brothers of Jesus Argue with Him
7 Jesus did not stay in the country of Judea because the Jews were trying to kill Him. After this He went from place to place in the country of Galilee. 2 A religious gathering of the Jews was near. This gathering was called the Supper of Tents. 3 The brothers of Jesus said to Him, “Leave here and go to the country of Judea. Let Your followers there see the things You do. 4 If a person wants others to know what he is doing, he does things to be seen. Since You are doing such things, show Yourself to the world.” 5 Not even His brothers were putting their trust in Him.
6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come. But any time is good for you. 7 The world cannot hate you but it hates Me. I speak against the world because of its sinful works. 8 You go to the religious gathering. I am not going yet. My time has not yet come.”
9 Jesus told His brothers this and then stayed in Galilee. 10 His brothers went to the religious gathering. He went later by Himself so He would not be seen there.
11 At the religious gathering the Jews were looking for Jesus. They were saying, “Where is He?” 12 There was much talk among the people about Him. Some said, “He is a good Man.” Others said, “No, He leads the people in the wrong way.” 13 No one spoke about Him in front of other people. They were afraid of the Jews.
Jesus Tells Where His Teaching Is From
14 The religious gathering was half over when Jesus went to the house of God and taught. 15 The Jews were surprised and wondered, saying, “How can this Man know so much when He has never been to school?”
16 Jesus said to them, “What I teach is not Mine. It is from God Who sent Me. 17 If anyone will do what God wants, he will know if My teaching is from God, or if I am speaking of Myself. 18 The man who speaks of himself is looking for greatness for himself. But He Who is looking for the greatness of the One Who sent Him is true. There is nothing false in Him. 19 Did not Moses give you the Law? And yet not one of you keeps the Law. Why do you try to kill me?”
20 The people said, “You have a demon in You. Who is trying to kill You?”
21 Jesus said to them, “I did one work and you are surprised. 22 Moses gave you the religious act of becoming a Jew. (Yet it was not from Moses but from the early fathers.) You do this religious act on a man on the Day of Rest. 23 Now if you can do that, why are you angry with Me for healing a man on the Day of Rest? 24 Do not say a person is guilty by what you see. Be sure you know when you say what is right or wrong.”
25 Some of the people of Jerusalem said, “Is not this the Man the Jews want to kill? 26 But see! This Man is speaking out in the open. They are saying nothing to Him. Do the leaders know this is the true Christ? 27 We know where this Man came from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where He comes from.”
28 Then Jesus spoke with a loud voice as He taught in the house of God. He said, “You know Me. You know where I came from. I have not come on My own. The One Who sent Me is true but you do not know Him. 29 I know Him because I am from Him and He sent Me.”
30 Then they wanted to take Jesus but no one put his hands on Him. His time had not yet come. 31 Many of the people believed in Him. They said, “When Christ comes, will He do more powerful works than this Man?”
32 The proud religious law-keepers heard the people talking about Jesus. The religious leaders of the Jews and the proud religious law-keepers sent soldiers to take Him. 33 Jesus said to them, “I will be with you a little while yet. Then I will go back to Him Who sent Me. 34 You will look for Me but you will not find Me. Where I go, you cannot come.”
35 The Jews said to themselves, “Where can He go that we will not find Him? Will He go to our people who live among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36 What does He mean when He says, ‘You will look for Me but you will not find Me, and where I go, you cannot come’?”
Jesus Promises to Give the Holy Spirit
37 It was the last and great day of the religious gathering. Jesus stood up and spoke with a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 The Holy Writings say that rivers of living water will flow from the heart of the one who puts his trust in Me.” 39 Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit Who would come to those who put their trust in Him. The Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Jesus had not yet been raised to the place of honor.
The People Cannot Make Up Their Minds Who He Is
40 When many of the people heard His words, they said, “For sure, this is the One Who speaks for God.” 41 Others said, “He is the Christ!” Some said, “The Christ would not come from the country of Galilee, would He? 42 Do not the Holy Writings say that the Christ will come from the family of David? Will He not come from the town of Bethlehem where David lived?” 43 The people were divided in what they thought about Him. 44 Some of them wanted to take Him. But no one put their hands on Him.
45 The soldiers came back to the religious leaders of the Jews and to the proud religious law-keepers. They said to the soldiers, “Why did you not bring Him?” 46 The soldiers answered, “No man has ever spoken like this Man speaks.” 47 The proud religious law-keepers said, “Have you been led the wrong way also? 48 Has anyone of the leaders or anyone from our group believed in Him? 49 As for all these people, they do not know the Law. They are guilty and will be punished by God.”
50 (Nicodemus was one of the proud religious law-keepers. He had come to Jesus at another time.) Nicodemus said to them, 51 “Our Law does not say a man is guilty before he has been in court and before we know what he has done.” 52 They said to him, “Are you from Galilee also? Look into the Word of God yourself. You will see that no one who speaks for God comes from Galilee.” 53 *Then everyone went home.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.