M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Military Victories Continue
8 It happened afterwards that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the hands of the Philistines. 2 When he defeated Moab, he measured them with the cord, making them lie on the ground. He measured two cords to kill and the third cord[a] to let live.[b] So Moab became servants of David, bringing tribute. 3 Then David struck down Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument[c] at the Euphrates River. 4 David captured from him one thousand and seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers.[d] David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but from them[e] he spared a hundred chariot horses. 5 When Aram of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of Aram. 6 David placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, so Aram became servants of David, bringing tribute. Yahweh protected David everywhere he went.
7 David took the small round gold shields which had belonged[f] to the servants of Hadadezer, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Betah and from Berothai, the towns of Hadadezer, King David took very many bronze items.
9 When Toi, the king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him[g] and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi.[h] He brought with him[i] objects of silver and objects of gold and objects of bronze. 11 King David dedicated them also to Yahweh along with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from all of the nations which he had subdued; 12 from Aram and from Moab and from the Ammonites[j] and from the Philistines and from Amalek and from the plunder of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah. 13 So David made a name for himself when he returned from defeating Aram in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand. 14 He put garrisons in Edom; all over Edom he put garrisons, and all of Edom became servants of David. Yahweh protected David wherever he went.
15 David reigned over all of Israel, and he[k] was administering justice and righteousness for all his people. 16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary. 17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests and Seraiah was scribe. 18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were priests.
David Cares for Mephibosheth
9 Then David said, “Is there still anyone who is left for the house of Saul that I may show loyal love to him for the sake of Jonathan?” 2 Now Saul’s household had a servant whose name was Ziba, so they summoned him to David, and the king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!”[l] 3 Then the king said, “But is there still anyone of Saul’s household that I may show the loyal love of God with him?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in the feet.” 4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is here[m] in the house of Makir the son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” 5 So King David sent and brought him from the house of Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar. 6 So Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David. And he fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, “Mephibosheth,” and he said, “I am ready to serve you.”[n] 7 Then David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, for I will certainly show[o] loyal love to you for the sake of Jonathan your father, and I will restore to you all the lands of Saul your father. And you shall always eat food at my table.” 8 Then he[p] did obeisance and said, “What is your servant that you have paid attention to the dead dog like me?”
9 David summoned Ziba the servant of Saul and said to him, “All that was Saul’s and all his household I have given to the son of your master. 10 You shall till the land for him, you and your sons and your servants; you shall bring in the produce and it shall be food for the son of your master that he may eat. But Mephibosheth the son of your master may always eat food at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty slaves.) 11 Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my master the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth was eating at his table as one of the sons of the king. 12 Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah, and all of the dwelling of the household of Ziba became servants for Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, because he was continually eating at the table of the king, even though he was lame in both of his feet.
2 For I have decided this for myself, not to come to you again in sorrow. 2 For if I cause you sorrow, then who will make me glad except the one who is caused to be sad by me? 3 And I wrote this very thing in order that when I[a] came, I would not experience sorrow from those who ought to have made me glad, because I[b] have confidence about you all, that my joy belongs to all of you[c]. 4 For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you through many tears, not so that you may be caused to be sad, but so that you may know the love that I have especially for you.
Forgive and Comfort the Offender
5 But if anyone has caused sorrow, he has not caused me sorrow, but to some degree[d]—in order not to say too much[e]—to all of you. 6 This punishment by the majority is sufficient for such a person. 7 So then, you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest somehow this person should be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to confirm your love for him. 9 Because for this reason also I wrote, in order that I could know your proven character, whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Now to whomever you forgive anything, I also do; for indeed, whatever I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, it is for your sake[f] in the presence of Christ, 11 in order that we may not be exploited by Satan (for we are not ignorant of his schemes).
Triumphant Ministry in Christ
12 Now when I[g] arrived in Troas for the gospel of Christ and a door was opened for me by the Lord, 13 I did not experience rest in my spirit, because[h] I did not find Titus my brother, but saying farewell to them, I departed for Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and who reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of him through us in every place. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to those on the one hand an odor from death to death, and to those on the other hand a fragrance from life to life. And who is qualified for these things? 17 For we are not like the majority who peddle the word of God, but as from pure motives—but as from God—we speak before God in Christ.
God’s Covenant Grace to Unfaithful and Rebellious Israel
16 And the word of Yahweh came[a] to me, saying,[b] 2 “Son of man,[c] make known to Jerusalem its detestable things, 3 and you must say, ‘Thus says the Lord Yahweh to Jerusalem: Your origin and your birth were from the land of the Canaanites,[d] your father was an Amorite, and your mother was a Hittite. 4 And as for your birth, on the day you were born[e] your umbilical cord was not cut, and you were not thoroughly washed clean with water,[f] and you were not thoroughly rubbed with salt,[g] and you were not carefully wrapped in strips of cloth.[h] 5 No eye took pity on you[i] to do to you one of these things to show compassion for you, and you were thrown into the open field[j] in their despising of you on the day you were born.[k]
6 “‘And I passed by you, and I saw you kicking about in your blood, and I said to you in your blood, “Live! 7 Grow up;[l] I will make you like a plant of the field.” And you grew up, and you became tall and reached full womanhood.[m] Your breasts were formed, and your hair had grown, but you were naked and bare.
8 “‘And I passed by you, and I saw you, and look, your time of lovemaking had come,[n] and so I spread out my hem over you, and I covered your nakedness, and I swore to you, and I entered into[o] a covenant with you,’ declares[p] the Lord Yahweh, ‘and you became mine.[q] 9 And I washed you with water, and I rinsed off your blood from on you, and I anointed you with oil. 10 And I clothed you with beautiful finished cloth, and I put sandals on you of fine leather, and I bound you in fine linen, and I covered you with costly fabric. 11 And I adorned you with ornaments,[r] and I put a bracelet on your arms and a necklace on your neck. 12 And I put an ornamental ring on your nose and earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown[s] on your head. 13 And you adorned yourself with gold and silver, and your clothing was fine linen and costly fabric and beautiful finished cloth; you ate finely milled flour and honey and olive oil, and you became exceedingly beautiful; you were fit to be a queen.[t] 14 And a name went out for you among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect because of my majesty that I bestowed on you,’ declares[u] the Lord Yahweh. 15 ‘And you trusted in your beauty, and you prostituted on account of your name, and you poured out your fornication on every one passing by, saying, “Let it be his.” 16 And you took from your clothes and you made for yourself colorful[v] shrines, and you prostituted on them; this had not happened before,[w] and it will not continue to happen.[x] 17 And you took your beautiful jewelry[y] made from my gold and from my silver that I had given to you, and you made for yourself male images,[z] and you prostituted with them. 18 And you took the clothes of your beautiful finished cloth, and you covered them and my oil and my incense you set before them.[aa] 19 And my bread that I gave to you, finely milled flour and oil and honey with which I fed you, then you set it before them[ab] as a pleasing odor,[ac] and so it was,’ declares[ad] the Lord Yahweh. 20 ‘And you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne for me, and you sacrificed them to them to be eaten,[ae] as if your whorings were not enough.[af] 21 And you slaughtered my children, and you gave them to be sacrificed to them.[ag] 22 And in all of your detestable things and your fornication you did not remember the days of your childhood when you were naked and bare,[ah] when you were kicking about in your blood.
23 “‘And then after all of your evil! Woe, woe, to you!’ declares[ai] the Lord Yahweh. 24 ‘And then you built for yourself a mound, and you made for yourself a high place in every public square. 25 At the head of every street you built your high place and you disgraced your beauty and you spread your feet for every passerby, and you increased your whoring. 26 And you prostituted with the Egyptians,[aj] your neighbors who were sexually aroused,[ak] and you increased your fornication to provoke me. 27 And look! I stretched out my hand against you, and I reduced your portion, and I gave you into[al] the desire of your haters, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed because of your lewd conduct.[am] 28 And you prostituted with the Assyrians[an] on account of your insatiable lust,[ao] and you prostituted with them, and still you were not satisfied. 29 And you increased your fornication to the land of traders,[ap] to Chaldea, and even with this you were not satisfied. 30 How hot with fever was your heart!’ declares[aq] the Lord Yahweh. ‘When you did[ar] all of these actions of a headstrong female prostitute,[as] 31 when you built[at] your mound at the head of every street and your high place you made on every street, yet[au] you were[av] not like a prostitute, as you were scorning your harlot’s wages. 32 O, adulterous woman! In the place of her husband she received strangers. 33 To all prostitutes they give a fee, but you, you gave your gifts to all of your lovers, and you bribed them to come to you from all around in your whorings! 34 And it was the opposite with you from the other women in your whorings; no one solicited you as a prostitute.[aw] You gave[ax] a harlot’s wages, and a harlot’s wages were not given to you, and so it was just the opposite.
35 “‘Therefore, prostitute, hear the word of Yahweh. 36 Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because of the pouring out of your shame and because your nakedness was revealed in your whoring with your lovers, and on account of all of the idols of your detestable things, and according to the blood of your children whom you gave to them, 37 therefore, look! I am gathering all of your lovers whom you were pleased about,[ay] and all of whom you loved in addition to all of whom you hated, and I will gather them against you from everywhere,[az] and I will uncover your nakedness to them, and they will see all of your nakedness. 38 And I will judge you with the judgment of women committing adultery and shedding blood, and I will give you the blood of rage and jealousy. 39 And I will give you into their hand, and they will demolish your mound, and they will break down your high places, and they will strip you of your clothes, and they will take your beautiful jewelry,[ba] and they will leave you naked and bare. 40 And they will bring up against you a crowd, and they will stone you with stones,[bb] and they will cut you to pieces with their swords. 41 And they will burn your houses with fire, and they will execute against you judgments before[bc] many women, and I will stop you from prostitution, and also a harlot’s wages you will not give[bd] again. 42 And I will satisfy my rage on you, and my jealousy will turn away from you, and I will be calm, and I will not be angry any longer. 43 Because[be] you did not remember[bf] the days of your childhood and you made me angry with all of these. And in turn I, look, I will return your way upon your head,’ declares[bg] the Lord Yahweh, ‘and did[bh] you not do wickedness[bi] in addition to all of your detestable things? 44 Look! Everyone quoting a proverb[bj] against you, he will quote, saying,[bk] ‘Like her mother is her daughter!’ 45 You are a daughter of your mother who abhorred her husband and her children, and you are a sister of your sisters who abhorred their husbands and their children. Your mother was a Hittite, and your father was an Amorite. 46 And your elder sister, she is Samaria, and her daughters, who are dwelling on your north, and your younger sister is the one dwelling on your south; she is Sodom and her daughters. 47 And you have not only gone in their ways, but[bl] you also did according to their detestable things. In such a short time[bm] you behaved more corruptly than they in all of your ways. 48 As surely as I live,’[bn] declares[bo] the Lord Yahweh, ‘surely your sister Sodom and her daughters did not do as[bp] you and your daughters did. 49 Look! This was the iniquity of Sodom, your sister: Pride, abundance of food, and prosperous ease[bq] was to her and to her daughters, and she did not sustain the needy and the poor.[br] 50 And they were proud, and they did a detestable thing before me,[bs] and I removed them because[bt] I saw it. 51 And Samaria did not sin according to even half of your sins,[bu] and you caused your detestable things to increase more than they, and you made your sister righteous in comparison with all of your detestable things that you did.[bv] 52 Also,[bw] you bear your disgrace, by which you furnished justification to your sisters[bx] through your sins by which you acted more abominably than they; they were more righteous than you, and also,[by] you be ashamed and bear your disgrace through your making your sister righteous.
53 And I will restore their fortune, the fortunes of Sodom and her daughters, and the fortunes of Samaria and her daughters, and even the fortunes of your captivity in the midst of them, 54 in order that you may bear your disgrace and you may be put to shame because of all that you did at your consoling them. 55 And as for your sisters, Sodom and her daughters, they will return to their former state, and Samaria and her daughters, they will return to their former state, and you and your daughters will return to your former state. 56 And was not Sodom, your sister, a byword in your mouth in the day of your pride 57 before[bz] your evil was uncovered? It was like the time of the scorn of the daughters of Aram and all those around her, and of the daughters of the Philistines, those all around who are despising you. 58 Your wickedness and your detestable things, you, you must bear them,’ declares[ca] Yahweh. 59 ‘For thus says the Lord Yahweh: And I will do it[cb] to you according to what you have done,[cc] who despised the oath to break covenant. 60 And I, I will remember my covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish with you an everlasting covenant.[cd] 61 And you will remember your ways, and you will be ashamed when you take your sisters, both the older and the younger,[ce] and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of your covenant. 62 And I, I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am Yahweh, 63 in order that you will remember, and you will be ashamed, and you will not open your mouth again[cf] because of[cg] your disgrace when I forgive you for all that you have done!’” declares[ch] the Lord Yahweh.
Judgment on the Wicked
For the music director, according to Do not Destroy.
Of David. A miktam.[a]
58 Do you really speak what is right when silent?[b]
Do you judge fairly the children of humankind?[c]
2 No, in your heart you plan injustices;
in the land[d] you weigh out the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb.
They go astray from the belly, speaking lies.
4 Their venom is like snake venom;
They are like a deaf viper that closes its ear
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or the skilled caster of spells.
6 O God, break their teeth in their mouth.
Break off the fangs of the young lions, O Yahweh.
7 Let them run away like water that runs off.
When he bends the bow, let his arrows be as though they were cut off.[e]
8 Let them be like a snail that melts away as it goes;
like the stillborn of woman that do not see the sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the heat of a thornbush,
whether green or dry,[f] he will sweep it away.[g]
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 And people[h] will say, “Surely there is a reward[i] for the righteous.
Surely there is a God who judges in the land.”[j]
A Prayer for Protection
For the music director, according to Do Not Destroy.
Of David. A miktam.
When Saul dispatched men and they watched the house to kill him.[k]
59 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God.
Protect[l] me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from workers of iniquity,
and from men of bloodshed save me.
3 For look, they lie in wait for my life.[m]
The mighty attack[n] against me,
not because of my transgression or my sin, O Yahweh.
4 Without guilt on my part they run and ready themselves.
Awake to meet me and see.
5 And you, Yahweh, God of hosts, are the God of Israel.
Rouse yourself to punish all the nations.
Do not be gracious to any who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 They return at evening; they howl like dogs[o]
while they prowl the city.
7 Look, they pour out talk with their mouth.
Swords are on their lips,
for they say, “Who hears?”
8 But you, O Yahweh, will laugh at them;
you will mock all the nations.
9 O my strength,[p] I will watch for you,
because you, O God, are my (high) stronghold.
10 My[q] God of loyal love will meet me;
God will cause me to look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, lest my people forget.
Make them to wander by your power,
and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 By the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
even in their pride, let them be trapped,
and for the curses[r] and lies[s] they proclaim.
13 Destroy in anger; destroy so they are no more,
so that they may know that God is ruling in Jacob
to the ends of the earth. Selah
14 They return at evening; they howl like dogs[t]
while they prowl the city.
15 As for them, they wander for food.
If they are not satisfied, then they continue all night.[u]
16 But as for me, I will sing of your strength,
and I will hail your loyal love in the morning,
because you have been my high stronghold
and a refuge in my time[v] of trouble.
17 O my strength, to you I will give praise,
because God is my high stronghold,
my God of loyal love.
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