M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Anointing of David as King
11 Then all Israel gathered to David in Hebron, saying, “Look—we are your flesh and bones. 2 For some time now,[a] even when Saul was king, you were the one who led the army of Israel in battle.[b] And Yahweh your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel and will be leader over my people Israel.’” 3 Then all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh. And they anointed David as king over Israel according to the word of Yahweh by the hand of Samuel. 4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (that is Jebus). And the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. 5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not enter here.” But David captured the stronghold of Zion; that is, the city of David. 6 Then David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first will be chief and commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and became chief. 7 And David lived in the fortress. Therefore they called it the city of David. 8 And he built the city all around from the Millo and up to the circuit. And Joab restored the remainder of the city. 9 And David became greater and greater.[c] And Yahweh of hosts was with him.
David’s Mighty Men
10 Now these are the chiefs of the mighty men who were for David, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel to make him king according to the word of Yahweh concerning Israel. 11 And this is the numbering of the mighty warriors who were for David: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the three. He himself raised his spear against three hundred whom he killed on one occasion.
12 And after him was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was among the three mighty warriors. 13 He himself was with David at Pas-Dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for the battle. And there was a plot of the field filled with barley, and the people fled before the Philistines. 14 But they took their stand in the middle of the plot and defended it. And they killed the Philistines. And Yahweh saved them with a great victory.
15 And three of the thirty chiefs went down toward the rock to David at the cave of Adullam when the army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 16 And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 17 And David had a craving, and he said, “Who could give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 18 Then the three broke through into the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and brought it and came to David. But David would not drink it and poured it out before Yahweh. 19 And he said, “Far be it from me that I would do this before my God. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives[d] they brought it.” And he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
20 Now Abishai the brother of Joab was himself the head of the three.[e] And he roused himself with his spear against three hundred whom he killed and made a name for himself[f] among the three. 21 He was twice as renowned[g] among the three[h] and was their commander. But he did not attain to the three. 22 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a strong man[i] from Kabzeel, one who did great deeds. He himself struck down two sons of Ariel of Moab. And he himself went down and struck down a lion within a pit on a snowy day. 23 And he himself struck down an Egyptian man, a large man five cubits tall. And in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear like a weaver’s beam. But he went down to him with a club and seized the spear from the hand of the Egyptian and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did and had a name among the three mighty warriors. 25 He himself was certainly distinguished among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his bodyguard.
26 Now the mighty warriors of the troops were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo from Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29 Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai of the valleys of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jehonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mekerathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naari the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the bearer of the weapons of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, 43 Hanan the son of Maacah, Jehoshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael the son of Shimri and Joha his brother the Tizite, 46 Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
David and His Mighty Men at Ziklag
12 Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still shut up because of Saul,[j] the son of Kish. And they were the mighty warriors helping with the war. 2 They were armed with the bow, able to shoot right-handed or left-handed, slinging stones or shooting arrows with the bow; they were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin. 3 The leader was Ahiezer, then Jehoash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeonite; Jeiel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the thirty who was over the thirty;[k] Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; 5 [l] Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Hariphite; 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites; 7 Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham from the Gedor.
8 And from the Gadites, valiant mighty warriors, soldiers fit for war,[m] expert with shield and spear, defected to David at the fortress toward the wilderness. And they had faces like lions[n] and were swift as gazelles upon the mountains. 9 Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third, 10 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, 11 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh, 12 Jehonan eighth, Elzabad ninth, 13 Jeremiah tenth, Macbannai eleventh. 14 These were the sons of Gad, leaders of the army. The smallest one was as a hundred, and the greatest as a thousand. 15 These were they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was filled over its banks. And they put to flight all who were in the valley to the east and to the west.
16 And some of the sons of Benjamin and from Judah came to the fortress, to David. 17 And David went out to meet them[o] and answered and said to them, “If you come in peace to me, to help me, my heart will be joined with you,[p] but if you come to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment.” 18 Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty who said:
“We are yours, O David!
And we are with you, O son of Jesse!
Peace! Peace to you, and peace to those who help you,
for your God helps you.”
So David appointed them as heads of the troops.
19 And some Manassites deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to the battle against Saul, but he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines sent him away upon counsel, saying, “He will desert to his master Saul at the cost of our heads.” 20 When he went to Ziklag some Manassites deserted to him: Adnah, Jehozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, heads of the thousands that were for Manasseh. 21 And they themselves helped David against the troops, for all of them were mighty men of strength and were commanders in the army. 22 Day in and day out[q] they came to David to help him until there was a great army, like the army of God.
23 And these are the numbers of the chiefs of those prepared for the army who came to David at Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him according to the word of Yahweh. 24 The sons of Judah bearing shield and spear: six thousand eight hundred armed troops. 25 From the men of Simeon, mighty warriors of strength for war: seven thousand one hundred. 26 From the Levites: four thousand six hundred. 27 Jehoiada the chief officer of the house of Aaron, and with him, three thousand seven hundred. 28 And Zadok, a young man, a mighty warrior of strength, and the house of his father: twenty-two commanders. 29 From the men of Benjamin, kinsmen of Saul, three thousand, and even still[r] the majority of them remained loyal[s] to the house of Saul. 30 And from the men of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred mighty warriors of strength, famous men in the house of their fathers. 31 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand who were designated by name to come to make David king. 32 And from the men of Issachar: men who were skilled in understanding the times[t] to know what Israel should do. Their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen were under their command. 33 From Zebulun, those who went out armed, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war: fifty thousand to help David with singleness of purpose.[u] 34 From Naphtali: one thousand commanders; and those with them with shield and spear: thirty-seven thousand. 35 From the Danites, those equipped for battle: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. 36 And from Asher, those who went out armed and prepared for battle: forty thousand. 37 And from beyond the Jordan, from the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all their weapons of war for battle: one hundred and twenty thousand. 38 All these were men of war arrayed in battle line with a whole heart.[v] They came to Hebron to make David king over all Israel. Likewise, all the rest of Israel had one heart to make David king. 39 And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen were prepared for them. 40 And also their relatives, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen—provisions of flour, cakes of figs, raisin cakes, wine and oil, cattle and sheep in abundance, for there was great joy in Israel.
Concluding Ethical Instructions
13 Brotherly love must continue. 2 Do not neglect hospitality, because through this some have received angels as guests without knowing it. 3 Remember the prisoners, as though you were fellow-prisoners; remember[a] the mistreated, as though you yourselves also are being mistreated[b] in the body. 4 Marriage must be held in honor by all, and the marriage bed be undefiled, because God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers. 5 Your lifestyle must be free from the love of money, being content with what you have. For he himself has said, “I will never desert you, and I will never abandon you.”[c] 6 So then, we can say with confidence,
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you; considering the outcome of their way of life[f], imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever[g]. 9 Do not be carried away by various and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods by which those who participate have not benefited. 10 We have an altar from which those who serve in the tabernacle do not have the right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sins are burned up outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, in order that he might sanctify the people by his own blood. 13 So we must go out to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. 14 For here we do not have a permanent city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Therefore through him let us offer up a sacrifice of praise continually[h] to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and generosity, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they can do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you.
18 Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a good conscience, and want to conduct ourselves commendably in every way. 19 And I especially urge you to do this, so that I may be restored to you more quickly.
Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with every good thing to do his will, carrying out in us what is pleasing before him through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever[i].[j] Amen.
Conclusion
22 Now I urge you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for indeed I have written to you briefly[k]. 23 Know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I will see you, if he comes quickly enough. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. 25 Grace be with all of you.
Warning Visions
7 This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, he is going to form locusts at the beginning of the sprouting of the second crop, and look, after the mowings of the king. 2 And then when they[a] finished eating the vegetation of the land, I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please forgive! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?” 3 Yahweh relented concerning this. “It will not be,” said Yahweh. 4 This is what my Lord Yahweh showed me, and look, my Lord Yahweh was going to call for a legal case with fire, and it devoured the great deep and it ate up the plots of ground. 5 Then I said, “O Lord Yahweh, please stop! How can Jacob stand, because he is small?” 6 Yahweh also relented concerning this. “This also will not be,” said my Lord Yahweh. 7 This is what he showed me: Behold, my Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plummet, and a plummet was in his hand. 8 And Yahweh said to me, “What do you see?” And I said, “A plummet.” And my Lord said, “Look, I am going to set a plummet in the midst of my people, Israel. I will not pass them by again. 9 The high places of Isaac shall become desolate and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste. And I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
Amaziah’s Opposition
10 Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam the king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to endure all of his words. 11 For this Amos has said, ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly go into exile away from his land.’” 12 And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee to the land of Judah and earn food there and prophesy there!” 13 But do not prophesy again at Bethel, because this is a sanctuary of a king and this is a temple of a kingdom.” 14 And Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I am not a prophet and I am not a son of a prophet, but I am a herdsman and I am one taking care of sycamore trees. 15 And Yahweh took me from following behind the sheep and goats and Yahweh said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel! 16 And so then, hear the word of Yahweh! You are saying, ‘You must not prophesy against Israel and you must not preach against the house of Isaac!’ 17 Therefore, thus says Yahweh, ‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city and your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword and your land will be divided with a line, and you[b] will die in an unclean land and Israel will surely go into exile from this land.’”
The Birth of Jesus Christ
2 Now it happened that in those days a decree went out from Caesar[a] Augustus to register all the empire. 2 (This first registration took place when[b] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to be registered, each one to his own town. 4 So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David, 5 to be registered together with Mary, who was legally promised in marriage to him and[c] was pregnant. 6 And it happened that while they were there, the time came[d] for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds in the same region, living out of doors and keeping watch, guarding over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened.[e] 10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring good news to you of great joy which will be for all the people: 11 that today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. 12 And this will be the sign for you: you will find the baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace
among people with whom he is pleased!”[f]
15 And it happened that when the angels had departed from them into heaven, the shepherds began to say[g] to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has revealed to us!” 16 And they went hurrying and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the manger. 17 And when they[h] saw it,[i] they made known the statement that had been told to them about this child. 18 And all who heard it[j] were astonished concerning what had been said to them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering them[k] in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
21 And when eight days were completed so that he could be circumcised,[l] he was named Jesus, his name that he was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple
22 And when the days of their purification were completed according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him[m] to the Lord 23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb will be called holy to the Lord”)[n] 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”[o]
The Prophecy of Simeon
25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was[p] Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he would see the Lord’s Christ.[q] 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus so that they could do for him according to what was customary under the law, 28 he took him in his[r] arms and praised God and said,
29 “Now dismiss your slave in peace, Lord,
according to your word.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all the peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and glory to your people Israel.”
33 And his father and mother were astonished at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed[s]— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul also, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed!”
The Testimony of Anna
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher (she was advanced in years,[t] having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,[u] 37 and herself as a widow up to eighty-four years)[v] who did not depart from the temple with fastings and prayers, serving night and day. 38 And at that same hour she approached and[w] began to give thanks[x] to God, and to speak about him to all those who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39 And when they had completed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child was growing and becoming strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.
Jesus in the Temple at Twelve Years Old
41 And his parents went every year to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the feast. 43 And after[y] the days were completed, while they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. And his parents did not know it,[z] 44 but believing him to be in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. And they began searching for[aa] him among their[ab] relatives and their[ac] acquaintances, 45 and when they[ad] did not find him,[ae] they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 And it happened that after three days they found him in the temple courts,[af] sitting in the midst of the teachers and listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his insight and his[ag] answers. 48 And when they[ah] saw him, they were astounded and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been searching for you anxiously!” 49 And he said to them, “Why[ai] were you searching for me? Did you not know that it was necessary for me to be in the house[aj] of my Father?” 50 And they did not understand the statement that he spoke to them. 51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was submitting to them. And his mother treasured all these things in her heart.
52 And Jesus was advancing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with people.
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