M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Genealogy of Returned Exiles
9 So all Israel was enrolled in genealogy. And behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel. And Judah was taken away to Babylon on account of their sin. 2 Now the first inhabitants who were settled on their property in their cities in Israel were the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants. 3 And some of the people of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem: 4 Uthai the son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani,[a] from the sons of Perez,[b] the son of Judah. 5 And from the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. 6 And from the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their brethren, six hundred and ninety. 7 And from the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; 8 Ibneah the son of Jeroham; Elah the son of Uzzi, son of Michri; Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah; 9 and their brethren according to their generations, nine hundred and fifty-six. All these men were the heads of the families[c] in the house of their fathers.
10 And from the priests: Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jakin; 11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the commander of the house of God; 12 Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malkijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer; 13 and their kinsmen, heads of the house of their fathers, one thousand seven hundred and sixty mighty men for the work of the service of the house of God.
14 And from the Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, from the sons of Merari; 15 Bakbakkar; Heresh; Galal; Mattaniah the son of Mica, son of Zicri, son of Asaph; 16 Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of Netophathite.
17 And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren (Shallum was the chief); 18 until then they were gatekeepers at the gate of the king on the east side toward the camps of the Levites. 19 And Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of the house of his fathers, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, the guardians of the entrances to the tent, and their fathers were over the camp of Yahweh, guardians of the entrance. 20 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the leader over them in time past;[d] Yahweh was with him. 21 Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the doorway to the tent of assembly.[e] 22 All of them were chosen as gatekeepers at the entrances, two hundred and twelve. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. They were established by David and Samuel the seer on account of their faithfulness. 23 So they and their sons were over the gates of the house of Yahweh at the house of the tent as guards. 24 The gatekeepers were on four sides: east, west, north, and south. 25 And their brethren in their villages were to come every seven days by turn[f] to be with these. 26 For the four mighty gatekeepers, they who were Levites, were entrusted[g] and were over the chambers and over the storerooms of the house of God. 27 And they lodged all around the house of God, for upon them was a responsibility. And they had charge of opening the house of God every morning.[h]
28 And some of them were over the utensils of the service, for they count them[i] when they are brought in and they count them[j] when they are brought out. 29 And some of them were appointed over the objects, over the objects of the sanctuary, and over the wheat flour and the wine, the olive oil, the frankincense, and the spices. 30 And some of the sons of the priests mixed the fragrant ointment for the spices. 31 And Mattithiah, one of the Levites, was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite and was entrusted[k] with the work of the pan breads. 32 And from the sons of the Kohathites, some of their kinsmen were over the showbread[l] to prepare it every Sabbath.[m]
33 Now these were the singers; the heads of the families[n] of the Levites were in the chambers free from other service, for day and night they were over them on the service. 34 These were the heads of the families[o] of the Levites according to their genealogies, leaders. These lived in Jerusalem.
Saul’s Genealogy Repeated
35 And these lived in Gibeon: Jeiel the father of Gibeon. And the name of his wife was Maacah. 36 And his firstborn son Abdon, and Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. 38 And Mikloth fathered Shimeam. And they also lived nearby their brothers in Jerusalem with their brothers. 39 And Ner fathered Kish, and Kish fathered Saul, and Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-Shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 40 And the son of Jonathan was Meribaal. And Meribaal fathered Micah. 41 And the sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.[p] 42 And Ahaz fathered Jarah, and Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. And Zimri fathered Moza, 43 and Moza fathered Binea; and Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son. 44 And Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.
The Death of Saul and His Sons
10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and every Israelite fled away from before the Philistines. And they fell slain upon Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook[q] Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, the sons of Saul. 3 And the battle was heavy against Saul, and the archers[r] found him, and he was wounded by the archers.[s] 4 And Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and deal harshly with me.” But he was very afraid. Then Saul took the sword and fell upon it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon the sword, and he died. 6 So Saul died. And his three sons and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they[t] had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and dwelled in them. 8 And it happened that on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 And they stripped him and took his head and his weapons, and they sent them throughout the land of the Philistines to bring news to their idols and the nation. 10 And they put his weapons in the temple of their gods, and they fastened his skull to the temple of Dagon. 11 When all Jabesh-Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 every strong man arose and took the dead body of Saul and the dead bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days. 13 So Saul died on account of his sin which he had sinned against Yahweh concerning the command of Yahweh that he did not keep. He also consulted a medium to seek guidance. 14 But he did not seek Yahweh. So Yahweh put him to death and turned over the kingship to David, the son of Jesse.
The Example of Jesus’ Suffering
12 Therefore, since[a] we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, putting aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us[b], let us run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the originator and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider the one who endured such hostility by sinners against himself,[c] so that you will not grow weary in your souls and give up. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your[d] blood as you[e] struggle against sin. 5 And have you completely forgotten the exhortation which instructs you as sons?
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
or give up when you are corrected by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves,
and punishes every son whom he accepts.”[f]
7 Endure it for discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, in which all legitimate sons[g] have become participants, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had our earthly fathers[h] who disciplined us, and we respected them. Will we not much rather subject ourselves to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a few days according to what seemed appropriate to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we can have a share in his holiness. 11 Now all discipline seems for the moment not to be joyful but painful, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness for those who are trained by it.
A Serious Warning Against Refusing God
12 Therefore strengthen your slackened hands and your weakened knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame will not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14 Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. 15 Take care that no one falls short of the grace of God; that no one growing up like a root of bitterness causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that no one be a sexually immoral or totally worldly person like Esau, who for one meal traded his own birthright. 17 For you know that also afterwards, when he[i] wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, because he did not find an occasion for repentance, although he sought it with tears.
18 For you have not come to something that can be touched, and to a burning fire, and to darkness, and to gloom, and to a whirlwind, 19 and to the noise of a trumpet, and to the sound of words which those who heard begged that not another word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not endure what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”[j] 21 And the spectacle was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am terrified and trembling.”[k] 22 But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to tens of thousands of angels, to the festal gathering 23 and assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood[l] that speaks better than Abel’s does.
25 Watch out that you do not refuse the one who is speaking! For if those did not escape when they[m] refused the one who warned them on earth, much less will we escape,[n] if we[o] reject the one who warns from heaven, 26 whose voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, saying,
“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.”[p]
27 Now the phrase “yet once more” indicates the removal of what is shaken, namely, things that have been created, in order that the things that are not shaken may remain. 28 Therefore, since we[q] are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us be thankful, through which let us serve God acceptably, with awe and reverence. 29 For indeed our God is a consuming fire.
Woe to the Complacent
6 Alas for those being at ease in Zion, and those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the best of the nations! The house of Israel resorts to them. 2 Cross over to Calneh and see, and go from there to Hamath Rabbah and go down to Gath of the Philistines. Are you better than these kingdoms, or is their territory greater than your territory? 3 You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence! 4 Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from the sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of the animal stall. 5 Alas for those who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music. 6 Alas for those who drink from sprinkling bowls of wine and anoint themselves with the best of olive oils and are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore, they shall now go into exile at the head of the exiles and the feast of lounging shall pass away.
Yahweh Abhors Israel’s Pride
8 My Lord Yahweh has sworn by himself, declares[a] Yahweh, the God of hosts: “I abhor the pride of Jacob and I hate his citadel fortresses and I will deliver the city and its fullness!” 9 And then if ten people remain in one house, they too will die. 10 And if one’s relative, who burns the body, lifts it up and brings the body out of the house and he will say to someone in the innermost part of the house, “Are there any more with you?” and he will say, “None,” then he will say, “Silence,” because we must not invoke the name of Yahweh. 11 Look, Yahweh is going to command and the great house will be destroyed to bits and the little house to pieces. 12 Do horses run on rocks, or does one plow the sea with oxen?[b] But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood! 13 You who rejoice over Lo-Debar, who say, “Have we not taken Karnaim for ourselves by our strength?” 14 Indeed, I am going to raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel, declares[c] Yahweh, the God of hosts. And they shall oppress you from Lebo-hamath up to the wadi of the Arabah.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 Now in those days Mary set out and[a] traveled with haste into the hill country, to a town of Judah, 40 and entered into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby in her womb leaped and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud shout and said,
“Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! 45 And blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfillment to what was spoken to her from the Lord!”
Mary’s Hymn of Praise to God
46 And Mary said,
“My soul exalts the Lord,
47 and my spirit has rejoiced greatly in God my Savior,
48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his female slave,
for behold, from now on all generations will consider me blessed,
49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is for generation after generation
to those who fear him.
51 He has done a mighty deed with his arm;
he has dispersed the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
and has exalted the lowly.
53 He has filled those who are hungry with good things,
and those who are rich he has sent away empty-handed.
54 He has helped Israel his servant,
remembering his mercy,
55 just as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”[b]
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her,[c] and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were wanting to name him after[d] his father Zechariah. 60 And his mother answered and[e] said, “No, but he will be named John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father asking what he wanted him to be named, 63 and he asked for a writing tablet and[f] wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And they were all astonished. 64 And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak,[g] praising God. 65 And fear came on all those who lived near them, and in all the hill country of Judea all these events were discussed. 66 And all those who heard kept these things[h] in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be? For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him!”
The Praise and Prophecy of Zechariah
67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited to help and has redeemed[i] his people,
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David,
70 just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from earliest times—
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us,
72 to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to Abraham our father,
to grant us 74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
could serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
76 And so you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the merciful compassion[j] of our God
by which the dawn will visit to help us from on high,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to direct our feet into the way of peace.”
80 And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
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