M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samuel’s Charge to Israel
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “Look, I have listened to your voice regarding all that you have said to me, so I have set a king over you. 2 And so then here is the king walking about before you. Now I am old and gray, but my sons (look at them!) are with you; and I have walked about before you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am! Testify against me before Yahweh and before his anointed one! Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I exploited? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe, that I may shut my eyes regarding[a] him?–then I will restore it to you.” 4 Then they said, “You have not exploited us or oppressed us, and you have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.” 5 So he said to them, “Yahweh is witness against you, and his anointed one is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” Then they said, “He is witness.” 6 Then Samuel said to the people, “Yahweh is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your ancestors[b] up from the land of Egypt. 7 So then take your stand, so that I may judge you before Yahweh with regard to all the deeds of justice[c] of Yahweh that he performed with both you and your ancestors.[d]
8 “When Jacob came to Egypt, your ancestors[e] cried out to Yahweh, so he sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your ancestors[f] out from Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot Yahweh their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the hosts of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 So they cried out to Yahweh and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken Yahweh and have served the Baals[g] and the Ashtoreths.[h] But now deliver us from the hand of our enemies and we will serve you!’ 11 So Yahweh sent Jerub-Baal and Bedan[i] and Jephthah and Samuel. Then he delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in security.
12 “And when you saw that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites,[j] was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king shall reign over us,’ although Yahweh your God is your king. 13 So then look! Here is the king you have chosen, for whom you have asked! Look, Yahweh has placed a king over you! 14 If you will fear Yahweh, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not be rebellious against what Yahweh says,[k] and both you and the king who rules over you will follow after Yahweh your God, all will be well. 15 But, if you do not listen to the voice of Yahweh, and you rebel against what Yahweh says,[l] then the hand of Yahweh will be against you[m] as it was against your ancestors.[n] 16 So then take your stand again and see this great thing that Yahweh is going to do before your eyes. 17 Is the wheat harvest not today? I will call out to Yahweh so that he still sends thunder and rain, so that you will know and will see that your wickedness is great that you have done in the eyes of Yahweh by asking for a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called out to Yahweh, and Yahweh brought thunder and rain that same day, so all the people feared Yahweh and Samuel greatly. 19 Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God so that we will not die, because we have added to all our sins by requesting a king for ourselves.” 20 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear! You have done all this evil; only do not turn aside from following[o] Yahweh. But you must serve Yahweh with all your heart. 21 And do not turn aside after the triviality,[p] which have no value and cannot deliver, for they are triviality. 22 For Yahweh will not forsake his people for the sake of his great name, because Yahweh has decided to make you his own people. 23 Also, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin[q] against Yahweh by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the good and righteous way. 24 Only fear Yahweh and serve him faithfully with all of your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you.[r] 25 But if you continue to do wickedness, both you and your king will be swept away.”
The Righteousness of God through Faith in Christ
10 Brothers, the desire of my heart and my prayer to God on behalf of them is for their salvation. 2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For ignoring the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own,[a] they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: “The person who does this[b] will live by it.”[c][d] 6 But the righteousness from faith speaks like this: “Do not say in your heart,[e] ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[f] (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or “Who will descend into the abyss?”[g] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart”[h] (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), 9 that[i] if you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”[j] 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, who is rich to all who call upon him. 13 For “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.”[k]
14 How then will they call upon him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in him about whom they have not heard? And how will they hear about him without one who preaches to them? 15 And how will they preach, unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How timely are the feet of those who bring good news of good things.”[l] 16 But not all have obeyed the good news, for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”[m] 17 Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing through the word about Christ.
18 But I say, they have not heard, have they?[n] On the contrary,
“Their voice has gone out to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the inhabited world.”[o]
19 But I say, Israel did not know, did they?[p] First, Moses says,
“I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation;
by a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger.”[q]
20 And Isaiah is very bold and says,
“I was found by those who did not seek me;
I became known to those who did not ask for me.”[r]
21 But about Israel he says,
“The whole day long I held out my hands
to a disobedient and resistant people.”[s]
A Message Concerning Ammon
49 Concerning the Ammonites:[a] Thus says Yahweh,
“Are there no sons for Israel?
Or is there no heir for him?
Why has Milcom taken possession of Gad,
and his people dwelled in its towns?
2 Therefore[b] look, days are coming,” declares[c] Yahweh,
“and I will sound against Rabbah, the Ammonites,[d]
the alarm of the war,
and it will become as a mound of desolation,
and its daughters will burn in the fire.
Then Israel will dispossess his dispossessors,” says Yahweh.
3 “Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is devastated.
Cry out, O daughters of Rabbah, put on sackcloth.
Lament and run back and forth among the walls.
For Milcom will go into exile,
his priests and his officials together.
4 Why do you boast in your valleys?
Your valleys[e] are ebbing.
O unfaithful daughter, who trusted in her treasures,
who said, ‘Who will come against me?’
5 Look, I am going to bring dread on you,”
declares[f] Lord Yahweh of hosts,
“from all your surrounding neighbors.
And you will be scattered,
each one before it,[g]
and there is no one who gathers the fugitives.[h]
6 Yet afterward[i] I will restore
the fortunes[j] of the Ammonites,”[k] declares[l] Yahweh.
A Message Concerning Edom
7 Concerning Edom, thus says Yahweh of hosts:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel become lost from those who understand?
Is their wisdom rotting?
8 Flee! Turn back! Get down low![m]
O inhabitants of Dedan.
For I will bring upon him the disaster of Esau
at the time when I will punish him.
9 If grape-gatherers come to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves in the night,
they destroy only enough for them.[n]
10 But I have stripped Esau bare.
I have uncovered his hiding places,
and he is not able to hide himself.
His offspring are devastated, along with[o] his brothers,
and his neighbors, and he is no more.[p]
11 Leave your orphans. I will let them[q] live.
And your widows, let them trust in me.”
12 For thus says Yahweh, “Look, those who are not condemned[r] to drink the cup must certainly drink it.[s] And are you the one who will go entirely unpunished? You will not go unpunished, for you must certainly drink it.[t] 13 For I have sworn by myself,” declares[u] Yahweh, “that Bozrah will become as a horror, as a disgrace, as a waste, and as a curse. And all her towns will be everlasting sites of ruins.”[v]
14 I have heard a message from Yahweh,
and a messenger has been sent among the nations.
“Gather and come against her,
and rise for the battle.”
15 “For look, I will make you small among the nations,
despised by the humankind.
16 Your terror has deceived you,
the pride of your heart,
O you who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
you who seize the height of the hill.
Though you make your nest high like the eagle,
from there I will bring you down,” declares[w] Yahweh.
17 “And Edom will become as a horror,
everyone who passes by it[x] will be appalled,
and will hiss because of all its blows.
18 As the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighbors,” says Yahweh,
“no one[y] will live there,
and the son of humankind will not dwell as an alien in it.
19 Look, like a lion he comes up from the thickets of the Jordan
to a pastureland by a constantly flowing stream.[z]
So I will chase him away hurriedly[aa] from it.
And whoever is chosen I will appoint over it.
For who is like me, and who can summon me?
And who is this, the shepherd who can stand before me?”[ab]
20 Therefore[ac] hear the plan of Yahweh that he has planned against Edom,
and his plans that he has planned against the inhabitants of Teman.
Surely[ad] they will drag them away,
the little ones of the flock.
Surely[ae] he will cause to be desolated over them
their grazing place.
21 The earth will quake from the sound of their falling.
A cry of distress! Their voice will be heard at the Red Sea.[af]
22 Look, like an eagle he will go up and he will swoop down,
and he will spread out his wings against Bozrah.
And the heart of the warriors of Edom will be in that day
like the heart of a woman who is in labor.
A Message Concerning Damascus
23 Concerning Damascus:
“Hamath and Arpad are ashamed,
for they have heard bad news;
they melt.
There is concern in the sea.
It is not able to keep quiet.
24 Damascus has grown slack.
She has turned away to flee and panic.
Anxiety has seized her,
and labor pains have grasped her,
like a woman in labor.
25 How the city of praise has not been abandoned!
The city of my joy!
26 Therefore[ag] her young men will fall in her public squares,
and all the soldiers[ah] will perish in that day,” declares[ai] Yahweh of hosts.
27 “And I will kindle a fire at the wall of Damascus,
and it will devour the citadel fortresses of Ben-hadad.”
A Message Concerning Kedar and the Kingdoms of Hazor
28 Concerning Kedar and concerning the kingdoms of Hazor that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon defeated. Thus says Yahweh:
“Rise up, go up against Kedar
and destroy the people[aj] of the east.
29 They will take their tents, and their flocks,
their tent curtains, and all their equipment,
and their camels they will carry away for themselves,
and they will call to them, ‘Terror is from all around.’
30 Flee! Wander far away! Get down low![ak]
O inhabitants of Hazor,” declares[al] Yahweh.
“For Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, has planned a plan against you.
And he has schemed[am] a scheme[an] against you.
31 Rise up, go up against a nation which is at ease,
living securely,”[ao] declares[ap] Yahweh.
“There are no gates and there are no bars[aq] for them,
they dwell alone.
32 And their camels will become as plunder,
and the multitude of their livestock as spoil.
And I will scatter to every wind those who are trimmed to the side,
and from every side[ar] I will bring their disaster,” declares[as] Yahweh.
33 “And Hazor will become as a lair of jackals,
a waste forever;
no one will live there,
and no son of humankind will dwell as an alien in it.”
A Message Concerning Elam
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the king of Judah, saying,[at] 35 “Thus says Yahweh of hosts:
‘Look, I am going to break the bow of Elam,
the first and best of their might.
36 And I will bring to Elam four winds,
from the four corners of heaven,
and I will scatter them to all these winds,
and there will not be a nation
where the scattered people of Elam will not go.
37 So I will shatter Elam before[au] their enemies,
and before[av] the seekers of their life.
And I will bring disaster upon them,
my burning anger,[aw]’ declares[ax] Yahweh.
‘And I will send after them the sword
until I have destroyed them.
38 And I will set my throne in Elam
and I will destroy from there king and officials,’ declares[ay] Yahweh.
39 ‘And then[az] in the last of the days
I will restore the fortunes[ba] of Elam,’ declares[bb] Yahweh.”
A Prayer for Vindication
Of David.[a]
26 Judge me, O Yahweh, because I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted Yahweh and not wavered.
2 Prove me, O Yahweh, and test me.
Try my innermost being[b] and my mind.[c]
3 Because your loyal love is before my eyes,
and I walk about in your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with deceitful people,
nor will I go about with hypocrites.
5 I hate the crowd of evildoers,
and with the wicked I will not sit.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence,
and I will walk about your altar, O Yahweh,
7 to declare with a voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all your wondrous deeds.
8 O Yahweh, I love the dwelling of your house,[d]
and the place where your glory abides.[e]
9 Do not destroy me[f] with the sinners,
nor my life with men of bloodshed,
10 in whose hands is an evil plan,
and whose right hand is full of bribes.[g]
11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity.
Redeem me and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground.
In assemblies I will bless Yahweh.
A Declaration of Trust
Of David.[h]
27 Yahweh is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
Yahweh is the refuge of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers drew near against me to eat my flesh—
my adversaries and my enemies who drew near to me—
they themselves stumbled and fell.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart will not fear.
Though war arise against me,
even in this I will remain confident.
4 One thing I have asked from Yahweh;
it I will seek:
that I may dwell in the house[i] of Yahweh all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of Yahweh,
and to consider[j] his temple.
5 Because he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble.
He will conceal me in the hiding place of his tent.
He will set me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head will be high over my enemies round about me.
And I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy.
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to Yahweh.
7 Hear, O Yahweh, my voice when I call,
and be gracious to me and answer me.
8 On your behalf my heart says, “Seek my face.”
Your face, O Yahweh, I do seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me;
do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have been my help; do not abandon nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
10 If my father or my mother forsake me,
then Yahweh will receive me.
11 Teach me, O Yahweh, your way,
and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me over to the desire of my enemies,
because false witnesses have arisen against me,
and each breathing out violence.[k]
13 Surely[l] I believe that I will see the goodness of Yahweh
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for Yahweh.
Be strong and let your heart show strength,
and wait for Yahweh.
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