M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Gatekeepers
26 These are the groups of the gatekeepers from the Korah family:
There was Meshelemiah, son of Kore. Kore was from the family of Asaph. 2 Meshelemiah had sons. Zechariah was the oldest son. Jediael was the second son. Zebadiah was the third son. Jathniel was the fourth son. 3 Elam was the fifth son. Jehohanan was the sixth son. And Eliehoenai was the seventh son.
4 Obed Edom had sons. His oldest son was Shemaiah. Jehozabad was his second son. Joah was his third son. Sacar was his fourth son. Nethanel was his fifth son. 5 Ammiel was his sixth son, Issachar his seventh son, and Peullethai his eighth son. God really blessed Obed Edom.[a] 6 Obed Edom’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah also had sons. His sons were leaders in their father’s family because they were brave soldiers. 7 Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semakiah. Elzabad’s relatives were skilled workers. 8 All these men were Obed Edom’s descendants. These men and their sons and relatives were powerful men. They were good guards. Obed Edom had 62 descendants.
9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were powerful men. In all there were 18 sons and relatives.
10 These are the gatekeepers from the Merari family: Hosah, son of Merari, chose his son Shimri to be the leader, even though he was not the oldest son. 11 Hilkiah was Hosah’s second son, Tebaliah his third, and Zechariah his fourth son. In all Hosah had 13 sons and relatives who were gatekeepers.
12 These were the leaders of the groups of the gatekeepers. The gatekeepers had a special way to serve in the Lord’s Temple, just as their relatives did. 13 Each family was given a gate to guard. Lots were thrown to choose a gate for a family. Young and old were treated the same.
14 Meshelemiah was chosen to guard the East Gate. Then lots were thrown for Meshelemiah’s son Zechariah. Zechariah was a wise counselor. Zechariah was chosen for the North Gate. 15 Obed Edom was chosen for the South Gate. And Obed Edom’s sons were chosen to guard the house where the valuable things were kept. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were chosen for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road.
Guards stood side by side. 17 Six Levites stood guard every day at the East Gate. Four Levites stood guard every day at the North Gate. Four Levites stood guard at the South Gate. And two Levites guarded the house where the valuable things were kept. 18 There were four guards at the western court[b] and two guards on the road to the court.
19 These were the groups of the gatekeepers from the families of Korah and Merari.
The Treasurers and Other Officials
20 Ahijah was from the tribe of Levi. Ahijah was responsible for taking care of the valuable things in God’s Temple. Ahijah also was responsible for the places where the holy things were kept.
21 Ladan was from Gershon’s family. Jehieli was one of the leaders of the tribe of Ladan. 22 Jehieli’s sons were Zetham and Zetham’s brother Joel. They were responsible for the valuable things in the Lord’s Temple.
23 Other leaders were chosen from the tribes of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
24 Shubael was the leader responsible for the valuable things kept in the Temple. Shubael was Gershom’s son. Gershom was Moses’ son. 25 These were Shubael’s relatives: His relatives from Eliezer were Rehabiah, Eliezer’s son; Jeshaiah, Rehabiah’s son; Joram, Jeshaiah’s son; Zicri, Joram’s son; and Shelomith, Zicri’s son. 26 Shelomith and his relatives were responsible for everything that David had collected for the Temple.
The officers of the army also gave things for the Temple. 27 They gave some of the things taken in wars. They gave these things to be used for the Lord’s Temple. 28 Shelomith and his relatives took care of all the things that people gave to be used for the Temple. This included the things given by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah.
29 Kenaniah was from the Izhar family. Kenaniah and his sons had work outside the Temple. They worked as court officers and judges in different places in Israel. 30 Hashabiah was from the Hebron family. Hashabiah and his relatives were responsible for all the Lord’s work and for the king’s business in Israel west of the Jordan River. There were 1700 powerful men in Hashabiah’s group. 31 The family history of the Hebron family shows that Jeriah was their leader. When David had been king for 40 years, he ordered his people to search through the family histories for strong and skilled men. Some of them were found among the Hebron family living in the town of Jazer in Gilead. 32 Jeriah had 2700 relatives who were powerful men and leaders of families. King David gave these 2700 relatives the responsibility of leading the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh in taking care of God’s work and the king’s business.
Army Groups
27 This is the list of the Israelites who served the king in the army. Each group was on duty one month each year. There were rulers of families, captains, generals, and the court officers who served the king. Each army group had 24,000 men.
2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first group for the first month. There were 24,000 men in Jashobeam’s group. 3 Jashobeam, one of Perez’s descendants, was leader of all the army officers for the first month.
4 Dodai, from the Ahoahites, was in charge of the army group for the second month. Mikloth was a leader in that group. There were 24,000 men in Dodai’s group.
5 The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the leading priest. There were 24,000 men in Benaiah’s group. 6 He was the same Benaiah who was a brave soldier from the Thirty Heroes. He led these men. His son Ammizabad was in charge of Banaiah’s group.
7 The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab. Later, Asahel’s son Zebadiah took his place as commander. There were 24,000 men in Asahel’s group.
8 The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Shamhuth’s group.
9 The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh from the town of Tekoa. There were 24,000 men in Ira’s group.
10 The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez from the Pelonites and a descendant of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in Helez’s group.
11 The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai from Hushah and from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Sibbecai’s group.
12 The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer from the town of Anathoth and the tribe of Benjamin. There were 24,000 men in Abiezer’s group.
13 The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Maharai from Netophah and from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in Maharai’s group.
14 The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah from Pirathon and the tribe of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in Benaiah’s group.
15 The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai from Netophah and from Othniel’s family. There were 24,000 men in Heldai’s group.
Leaders of the Tribes of Israel
16 These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel:
Eliezer son of Zicri, leader of the tribe of Reuben;
Shephatiah son of Maacah, leader of the tribe of Simeon;
17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel, leader of the tribe of Levi;
Zadok, leader of the people of Aaron;
18 Elihu, one of David’s brothers, leader of the tribe of Judah;
Omri son of Michael, leader of the tribe of Issachar;
19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah, leader of the tribe of Zebulun;
Jeremoth son of Azriel, leader of the tribe of Naphtali;
20 Hoshea son of Azaziah, leader of the tribe of Ephraim;
Joel son of Pedaiah, leader of West Manasseh;
21 Iddo son of Zechariah, leader of East Manasseh;
Jaasiel son of Abner, leader of the tribe of Benjamin;
22 Azarel son of Jeroham, leader of the tribe of Dan.
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
David Counts the Israelites
23 David decided to count the men in Israel. There were very many people because the Lord had promised to make the Israelites as many as the stars in the sky. So David counted only the men who were 20 years old and older. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the people, but he did not finish.[c] God became angry with the Israelites. That is why the number of the people was not put in the book, The History of King David.
The King’s Administrators
25 This is the list of men who were responsible for the king’s property:
Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storerooms.
Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storerooms in the small towns, villages, fields, and towers.
26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers.
27 Shimei from Ramah was in charge of the vineyards.
Zabdi from Shepham was in charge of the storage and care of the wine that came from the vineyards.
28 Baal Hanan from Geder was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore trees in the western hill country.
Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.
29 Shitrai from Sharon was in charge of the cattle around Sharon.
Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the cattle in the valleys.
30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.
Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.
31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the sheep.
All these men were the leaders who took care of King David’s property.
32 Jonathan was a wise counselor and a scribe. He was David’s uncle. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king’s sons. 33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai was the king’s friend. Hushai was from the Arkites. 34 Jehoiada and Abiathar later took Ahithophel’s place as the king’s counselor. Jehoiada was Benaiah’s son. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.
1 Greetings from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To all of you who share in the same valuable faith that we have. This faith was given to us because our God and Savior Jesus Christ always does what is good and right.
2 Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because now you know God and Jesus our Lord.
God Has Given Us Everything We Need
3 Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.
5 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who don’t grow in these blessings are blind. They cannot see clearly what they have. They have forgotten that they were cleansed from their past sins.
10 My brothers and sisters, God called you and chose you to be his. Do your best to live in a way that shows you really are God’s called and chosen people. If you do all this, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a kingdom that never ends.
12 You already know these things. You are very strong in the truth you have. But I am always going to help you remember them. 13 While I am still living here on earth, I think it is right for me to remind you of them. 14 I know that I must soon leave this body. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that. 15 I will try my best to make sure you remember these things even after I am gone.
We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 We told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We told you about his coming. The things we told you were not just clever stories that people invented. No, we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. 17 Jesus heard the voice of the great and glorious God. That was when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.” 18 And we heard that voice. It came from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.[a]
19 This makes us more sure about what the prophets said. And it is good for you to follow closely what they said, which is like a light shining in a dark place. You have that light until the day begins and the morning star brings new light to your minds. 20 Most important of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures comes from the prophet’s own understanding. 21 No prophecy ever came from what some person wanted to say. But people were led by the Holy Spirit and spoke words from God.
The Law Will Come From Jerusalem
4 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s Temple
will be on the highest of all mountains.
It will be raised higher than the hills.
There will be a steady stream of people going there.
2 People from many nations will go there and say,
“Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob.
Then God will teach us his way of living,
and we will follow him.”
His teaching, the Lord’s message, will begin in Jerusalem on Mount Zion
and will go out to all the world.
3 Then God will act as judge to end arguments between people in many places.
He will decide what is right for great nations far and near.
They will stop using their weapons for war.
They will hammer their swords into plows
and use their spears to make tools for harvesting.
All fighting between nations will end.
They will never again train for war.
4 They will sit under their own
grapevine and fig tree.
No one will make them afraid.
That is because the Lord All-Powerful said it would happen like that.
5 All the people from other nations follow their own gods,
but we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever![a]
The Kingdom to Be Brought Back
6 The Lord says,
“Jerusalem was hurt and crippled.
She was thrown away.
She was hurt and punished,
but I will bring her back to me.
7 “The people of that ‘crippled’ city
will be the only ones left alive.
They were forced to leave,
but I will make them into a strong nation.”
The Lord will be their king.
He will rule from Mount Zion forever.
8 And you, Tower of Flocks,[b]
your time will come.
Ophel, hill of Zion,
you will again have the right to rule.
Yes, the kingdom will be in Jerusalem
as it was in the past.
Why Must the Israelites Go to Babylon?
9 Now, why are you crying so loudly?
Is your king gone?
Have you lost your wise leader?
Is that why you are suffering like a woman in labor?
10 Cry out, you people of Jerusalem,[c] and feel the pain,
as if you were giving birth.
You must go out of the city
and live in the fields.
You will go away to Babylon,
but you will also be saved from that place.
The Lord will come and rescue you there.
He will take you away from your enemies.
The Lord Will Destroy the Other Nations
11 Many nations have come to fight against you.
They say, “Look, there is Zion!
Let’s attack her!”
12 They have their plans,
but they don’t know what the Lord is planning.
He brought them here for a special purpose.
They will be crushed like grain on a threshing floor.
Israel Will Defeat Its Enemies
13 “People of Jerusalem, get up and crush them!
I will make you very strong.
It will be as if you have horns of iron and hooves of bronze.
You will beat many people into small pieces.
You will give their wealth to the Lord.
You will give their treasure to the Lord of all the earth.”
Change Your Hearts
13 Some people there with Jesus at that time told him about what had happened to some worshipers from Galilee. Pilate had them killed. Their blood was mixed with the blood of the animals they had brought for sacrificing. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to those people because they were more sinful than all other people from Galilee? 3 No, they were not. But if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed like those people! 4 And what about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than everyone else in Jerusalem? 5 They were not. But I tell you if you don’t decide now to change your lives, you will all be destroyed too!”
The Useless Tree
6 Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree. He planted it in his garden. He came looking for some fruit on it, but he found none. 7 He had a servant who took care of his garden. So he said to his servant, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the ground?’ 8 But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and fertilize it. 9 Maybe the tree will have fruit on it next year. If it still does not produce, then you can cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath
10 Jesus taught in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11 A woman was there who had an evil spirit inside her. It had made the woman crippled for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called to her, “Woman, you have been made free from your sickness!” 13 He laid his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight. She began praising God.
14 The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come to be healed on one of those days. Don’t come for healing on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord answered, “You people are hypocrites! All of you untie your work animals and lead them to drink water every day—even on the Sabbath day. 16 This woman that I healed is a true descendant of Abraham.[a] But Satan has held her for 18 years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be made free from her sickness on a Sabbath day!” 17 When Jesus said this, all those who were criticizing him felt ashamed of themselves. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things he was doing.
What Is God’s Kingdom Like?(A)
18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? 19 God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant. Someone plants this seed in their garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the birds build nests on its branches.”
20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”
The Narrow Door(B)
22 Jesus was teaching in every town and village. He continued to travel toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone said to him, “Lord, how many people will be saved? Only a few?”
Jesus said, 24 “The door to heaven is narrow. Try hard to enter it. Many people will want to enter there, but they will not be able to go in. 25 If a man locks the door of his house, you can stand outside and knock on the door, but he won’t open it. You can say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you. Where did you come from?’ 26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you. You taught in the streets of our town.’ 27 Then he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you. Where did you come from? Get away from me! You are all people who do wrong!’
28 “You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom. But you will be left outside. There you will cry and grind your teeth with pain. 29 People will come from the east, west, north, and south. They will sit down at the table in God’s kingdom. 30 People who have the lowest place in life now will have the highest place in God’s kingdom. And people who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in God’s kingdom.”
Jesus Will Die in Jerusalem(C)
31 Just then some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here and hide. Herod wants to kill you!”
32 Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox,[b] ‘Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out of people and finishing my work of healing. Then, the next day, the work will be finished.’ 33 After that I must go, because all prophets should die in Jerusalem.
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You stone to death the people God has sent to you. How many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me. 35 Now your home will be left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘Welcome! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’[c]”
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International