M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Punishment of Benjamin
20 All the Israelites[a] went out, from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, and they gathered as one body[b] to Yahweh at Mizpah. 2 And the leaders of all the people, all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand sword-bearing infantry. 3 (The descendants[c] of Benjamin heard that the Israelites[d] had gone up to Mizpah.) And the Israelites[e] said, “Tell us, how did this evil act occur?” 4 The Levite, the husband of the murdered woman, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah, which belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. 5 The lords of Gibeah rose up against me and surrounded the house at night. They intended to kill me, and they raped my concubine, and she died. 6 Then I grabbed my concubine and cut her into pieces, and I sent her throughout all the territory of Israel’s inheritance; for they committed a shameful and disgraceful thing in Israel. 7 Look, all you Israelites![f] Make your decision[g] and advice here.”
8 All the people got up as one body,[h] saying, “Not one of us will go to his tent, or will any of us return to his house. 9 So then, this is what we will do to Gibeah: we will go up against her by lot. 10 We will take ten men of one hundred from all the tribes of Israel, and one hundred of one thousand, and one thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions to the troops, to repay them when they come to Gibeah[i] of Benjamin for all the disgraceful things[j] they did in Israel.” 11 And all the men of Israel were gathered to the city as one body[k] united.
12 Then the tribes of Israel sent men throughout all the tribes of Benjamin, saying, “What is this wickedness that happened among you? 13 So then, hand over the men, the perverse lot,[l] who are in Gibeah, so that we may kill them and purge this wickedness from Israel.” But the descendants[m] of Benjamin were not willing to listen to the voice of their relatives,[n] the Israelites.[o] 14 And the descendants[p] of Benjamin were gathered from the cities to Gibeah to go out for battle against the Israelites.[q] 15 From the cities the descendants[r] of Benjamin were counted on that day twenty-six thousand sword-wielding men,[s] besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were counted seven hundred well-trained[t] men. 16 From all these troops were seven hundred well-trained[u] men who were left-handed;[v] each one could sling with a stone at a hair and not miss. 17 And the men of Israel besides Benjamin were counted four hundred thousand sword-wielding men;[w] all were warriors.[x]
18 Then the Israelites[y] got up and went up to Bethel, and they inquired of God, saying, “Who will go up first for the battle against the descendants[z] of Benjamin?” And Yahweh said, “Judah will go first.” 19 And the Israelites[aa] got up in the morning, and they encamped against Gibeah. 20 Then the men of Israel marched out for the battle against Benjamin, and the men of Israel took up positions against them for battle at Gibeah. 21 The descendants[ab] of Benjamin went out from Gibeah, and they struck down on that day twenty-two thousand men of Israel to the ground. 22 But the troops, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves,[ac] and again they arranged their battle lines in the place where they had arranged themselves the first day. 23 The Israelites[ad] went up and wept before Yahweh until evening and inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should we again draw near from the battle against the descendants[ae] of Benjamin, our relatives?”[af] And Yahweh said, “Go up against them.”[ag]
24 And the Israelites[ah] drew near to the descendants[ai] of Benjamin on the second day. 25 And Benjamin went out from Gibeah to meet them on the second day, and they struck down the Israelites[aj] again, eighteen thousand men to the ground; all of these were sword-wielding.[ak] 26 And all the Israelites[al] and all the troops went up and came to Bethel and wept; and they sat there before Yahweh and fasted on that day until evening; and they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before Yahweh. 27 And the Israelites[am] inquired of Yahweh (In those days the ark of the covenant of God was there, 28 and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was standing before it[an] to minister in those days), saying, “Should we go out once more to battle against the descendants[ao] of Benjamin our relatives,[ap] or should we stop?” And Yahweh said, “Go up tomorrow; I will give them[aq] into your hand.”
29 So Israel stationed an ambush all around Gibeah. 30 And the Israelites[ar] went up against the descendants[as] of Benjamin on the third day, and they took up positions against Gibeah as before. 31 The descendants[at] of Benjamin went out to meet the troops, and they lured them away from the city and began to inflict casualties on the troops as before, on the main road, one of which goes up to Bethel, the other to Gibeah; and in the field there were about thirty men of Israel. 32 And the descendants[au] of Benjamin thought,[av] “They are being defeated before us as previously,”[aw] and the Israelites[ax] said, “Let us flee and lure them[ay] away from the city to the main roads.” 33 And all the men of Israel got up from their places[az] and took up positions in Baal Tamar; and the ambush of Israel charged from their places,[ba] from the vicinity of Gibeah.[bb] 34 Then ten thousand well-trained[bc] men from all Israel came out against Gibeah, and the battle became fierce;[bd] they did not know that disaster was about to close in[be] on them. 35 And Yahweh defeated Benjamin in the presence of Israel, and the Israelites[bf] destroyed on that day twenty-five thousand one hundred men of Benjamin, all of them sword-wielding.[bg]
36 The descendants[bh] of Benjamin saw that they were defeated, and the men of Israel gave ground[bi] to Benjamin because they trusted the ambush that they had set against Gibeah. 37 And the ambush came quickly and advanced against Gibeah, and it put the whole city to the sword.[bj] 38 Now the appointed time for the men of Israel with the ambush was that they sent up for them a great amount of smoke from the city. 39 And the men of Israel turned in the battle, and Benjamin began to inflict casualties on about thirty men of Israel because they thought,[bk] “They will be completely defeated before us as in the first battle.” 40 And the cloud of smoke began to go up from the city in a column of smoke, and Benjamin turned backward, and behold, the whole city was going up in smoke![bl] 41 And the men of Israel turned, and the men of Benjamin were dismayed because they saw that disaster was closing in[bm] on them. 42 And they retreated from before the men of Israel to the way of the wilderness, but the battle caught up to them, and those who came from the cities[bn] destroyed them in the midst of them. 43 They surrounded Benjamin; they pursued them[bo] without rest[bp] and trod them[bq] down opposite Gibeah to the east. 44 And eighteen thousand men from Benjamin fell, all of them able men.[br] 45 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, but they cut down on the main roads five thousand men; and they pursued after them up to Gidom, and they struck down two thousand men. 46 So all of Benjamin who fell on that day were twenty-five thousand sword-wielding men;[bs] all of these were able men.[bt] 47 But six hundred turned and fled toward the wilderness, to the rock of Rimmon, and they remained at the rock of Rimmon for four months. 48 And the men of Israel returned to the descendants[bu] of Benjamin, and they put them to the edge of the sword,[bv] both the inhabitants of city and the animals that were found; they also set on fire all the cities that they found.
Paul Before Felix at Caesarea Maritima
24 And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and an attorney, a certain Tertullus, all of whom brought charges against Paul to the governor. 2 And when[a] he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him,[b] saying, “We have experienced[c] much[d] peace through you, and reforms are taking place in this nation through your foresight. 3 Both in every way and everywhere we acknowledge this,[e] most excellent Felix, with all gratitude. 4 But so that I may not impose on you for longer, I implore you to hear us briefly with your customary graciousness. 5 For we have found[f] this man to be a public menace and one who causes riots among all the Jews throughout the Roman Empire[g] and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, 6 who even attempted to desecrate the temple, and we arrested him[h].[i] 8 When[j] you yourself examine him[k] you will be able to find out from him[l] about all these things of which we are accusing him.” 9 And the Jews also joined in the attack, asserting these things were so.
10 And when[m] the governor gestured for him to speak, Paul replied, “Because I[n] know you have been a judge over this nation for many years, I defend myself cheerfully with respect to the things concerning myself. 11 You can ascertain that it has not been more than[o] twelve days since[p] I went up to Jerusalem to worship. 12 And neither did they find me arguing with anyone or making a crowd develop in the temple courts[q] nor in the synagogues nor throughout the city. 13 Nor can they prove the things[r] to you concerning which they are now accusing me. 14 But I do confess this to you, that according to the Way (which they call a sect), so I worship the God of our fathers, believing all things that are in accordance with the law and that are written in the prophets, 15 having a hope in God which these men also themselves await: that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 For this reason[s] also I myself always[t] do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and people. 17 So after many years, I came to practice charitable giving and offerings to my people,[u] 18 in which they found me purified in the temple courts,[v] not with a crowd or with a disturbance. 19 But there are some Jews from Asia[w] who ought to be present before you and bring charges against me,[x] if they have anything against me, 20 or these men themselves should say what crime they found when[y] I stood before the Sanhedrin,[z] 21 other than concerning this one declaration that I shouted while[aa] standing there before them: ‘I am being judged before you today concerning the resurrection of the dead!’”
Paul Held Awaiting Trial
22 But Felix, because he[ab] understood the facts concerning the Way more accurately, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the military tribune comes down, I will decide your case.”[ac] 23 He ordered[ad] the centurion for him to be guarded and to have some freedom, and in no way to prevent any of his own people[ae] from serving him.
24 And after some days, when[af] Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him concerning faith in Christ Jesus. 25 And while[ag] he was discussing about righteousness and self control and the judgment that is to come, Felix became afraid and[ah] replied, “Go away for the present, and when I[ai] have an opportunity, I will summon you.” 26 At the same time he was also hoping that money would be given to him by Paul. For this reason also he sent for him as often as possible and[aj] talked with him. 27 And when[ak] two years had passed, Felix received as successor Porcius Festus. And because he[al] wanted to do a favor for the Jews, Felix left Paul behind as a prisoner.[am]
A Message for Zedekiah
34 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, when Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and all his army, with all the kingdoms of the earth under the dominion of his hand, and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and against all its cities, saying,[a] 2 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘Go and say to Zedekiah the king of Judah, now you must say to him, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Look, I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire. 3 And you will not escape from his hand, but surely you will be captured, and into his hand you will be given, and you will see the king of Babylon eye to eye,[b] and you will speak face to face with him,[c] and to Babylon you will go.’ 4 However, hear the word of Yahweh, O Zedekiah, the king of Judah. Thus says Yahweh concerning you: ‘You will not die by the sword. 5 In peace you will die, and as there was burning for your ancestors,[d] the former kings who were before you,[e] so they will burn for you, and they will lament for you, “Alas, lord!” For the word I have spoken,’ declares[f] Yahweh.”’” 6 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Zedekiah the king of Judah all these words in Jerusalem 7 when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left over—Lachish and Azekah, for these remained among the cities of Judah, the cities of fortification.
Zedekiah’s Covenant Concerning Slaves
8 The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh after king Zedekiah made[g] a covenant with all the people who were in Jerusalem to proclaim release to them, 9 to let go each one his male slave and each one his female slave, the Hebrew and the free Hebrew, so that no one among the Judeans[h] should enslave his fellow countryman. 10 And all the officials and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant to let go each one his male slave and each one his female slave, not enslaving them again, and they obeyed and they let them[i] go. 11 But afterward[j] they turned back and they brought back the male slaves and the female slaves whom they had let go free, and they subdued them as male slaves and female slaves.
12 And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying,[k] 13 “Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: ‘I made[l] a covenant with your ancestors[m] on the day of my bringing them out from the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, saying,[n] 14 “At the end of seven years you must let go each one his fellow countryman, the Hebrew who has been sold to you and who has served you six years, and you must let him go free from you.” But your ancestors[o] did not listen to me, and they did not incline their ears.[p] 15 And you turned back recently[q] and you did right in my eyes, to proclaim release each one to his neighbor, and you made[r] a covenant before me[s] in the house that is called by[t] my name. 16 But you turned back and you profaned my name when you brought back each one his male slave and each one his female slave, whom you had let go free according to their desire, and you subdued them to be to you as male slaves and as female slaves.’
17 “Therefore[u] thus says Yahweh, ‘You have not listened to me to proclaim release each one to his fellow countryman and each one to his neighbor. Look, I am going to proclaim to you a release,’ declares[v] Yahweh, ‘to the sword, to the plague, and to the famine, and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 And I will make the men who transgressed my covenant, who have not kept the words of the covenant that they made[w] before me,[x] like the calf which they cut in two and they passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, and the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf— 20 and I will give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of the seekers of their lives, and their dead bodies[y] will become as food for the birds[z] of the heavens[aa] and for the animals[ab] of the earth. 21 And Zedekiah the king of Judah and his officials I will give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of the seekers of their lives, and into the hand of the army of the king of Babylon, who retreated from you. 22 Look, I am going to command,’ declares[ac] Yahweh, ‘and I will bring them back to this city, and they will fight against it, and they will capture it, and they will burn it with fire, and the towns of Judah I will make a desolation without[ad] an inhabitant.’”
A Prayer for Guidance and Protection
For the music director; with the flutes. A psalm of David.[a]
5 Hear my words, O Yahweh.
Give heed to my sighing.[b]
2 Listen to the sound of my pleading,[c] my king and my God,
for to you I pray.
3 O Yahweh, in the morning you will hear my voice.
In the morning I will set forth[d] my case to you and I will watch.[e]
4 For you are not a God who desires[f] wickedness.
Evil cannot dwell with you.
5 The boastful do not stand before[g] your eyes.
You hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy speakers of lies.[h]
A man of bloodshed[i] and deceit Yahweh abhors.
7 But as for me,[j] through the abundance of your steadfast love[k]
I will enter your house.[l]
I will bow down[m] toward your holy temple[n] in awe of you.
8 O Yahweh, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies;
make straight before me your way.
9 For there is not anything reliable in his mouth;
their inner part is destruction.[o]
Their throat is an open grave;
with their tongue they speak deceit.[p]
10 Treat them as guilty, O God;
let them fall because of their plans.
Because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take shelter in you rejoice.
Let them ever[q] sing for joy,
because[r] you spread protection over them;
And let those[s] who love your name exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous.
O Yahweh, like a[t] shield you surround him with good favor.
An Appeal for Forgiveness and Deliverance
For the music director; with stringed instruments, on the Sheminith.[u]
A psalm of David.[v]
6 O Yahweh, do not rebuke me in your anger,
and do not discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, because I am feeble.
Heal me, O Yahweh, for my bones are terrified.
3 My soul is also very terrified.
But you, O Yahweh, how long?
4 Turn, O Yahweh; deliver my life.[w]
Save me for the sake of your steadfast love.[x]
5 For there is no remembrance of you in death.
In Sheol, who will give thanks to you?
6 I am weary with my groaning;
I flood[y] my bed every night.
With my tears I drench[z] my couch.
7 My eye wastes away because of vexation;
it grows old because of all my oppressors.
8 Depart from me, all workers of evil,
for Yahweh has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 Yahweh has heard my plea;
Yahweh has accepted my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and shall be very terrified.
They shall turn back; they shall suddenly be ashamed.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software