M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Hannah’s Prayer
2 Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the Lord;
my strength is exalted in my God.[a]
My mouth derides my enemies
because I rejoice in your victory.(A)
2 There is no Holy One like the Lord,
no one besides you;
there is no Rock like our God.(B)
3 Talk no more so very proudly;
let not arrogance come from your mouth,
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.(C)
4 The bows of the mighty are broken,
but the feeble gird on strength.(D)
5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
but she who has many children is forlorn.(E)
6 The Lord kills and brings to life;
he brings down to Sheol and raises up.(F)
7 The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
he brings low; he also exalts.(G)
8 He raises up the poor from the dust;
he lifts the needy from the ash heap
to make them sit with princes
and inherit a seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
and on them he has set the world.(H)
9 He will guard the feet of his faithful ones,
but the wicked will perish in darkness,
for not by might does one prevail.(I)
10 The Lord! His adversaries will be shattered;
the Most High[b] will thunder in heaven.
The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;
he will give strength to his king
and exalt the power of his anointed.”(J)
Eli’s Wicked Sons
11 Then they left him there before the Lord and went[c] home to Ramah, while the boy remained to minister to the Lord in the presence of the priest Eli.(K)
12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord(L) 13 or for the duties of the priests to the people. When anyone offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand,(M) 14 and he would thrust it into the pan, kettle, caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself.[d] This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast, for he will not accept boiled meat from you but only raw.”(N) 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first and then take whatever you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now; if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for they treated the offerings of the Lord with contempt.(O)
The Child Samuel at Shiloh
18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod.(P) 19 His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.(Q) 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, “May the Lord repay[e] you with children by this woman for the loan that she made to[f] the Lord,” and then they would return to their home.(R)
21 And[g] the Lord took note of Hannah; she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.(S)
Prophecy against Eli’s Household
22 Now Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel and how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.(T) 23 He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad.(U) 25 If one person sins against another, someone can intercede for the sinner with the Lord,[h] but if someone sins against the Lord, who can make intercession?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to kill them.(V)
26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.(W)
27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus the Lord has said: I revealed[i] myself to the family of your ancestor in Egypt when they were slaves[j] to the house of Pharaoh.(X) 28 I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to offer incense, to wear an ephod before me, and I gave to the family of your ancestor all my offerings by fire[k] from the Israelites.(Y) 29 Why then look[l] with greedy eye at my sacrifices and my offerings[m] and honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?(Z) 30 Therefore the Lord the God of Israel declares: I promised that your family and the family of your ancestor should go in and out before me forever, but now the Lord declares: Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be treated with contempt.(AA) 31 See, a time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestor’s family.[n](AB) 32 No one in your family shall ever live to old age.(AC) 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep out his[o] eyes and grieve his[p] heart; all the members of your household shall die by the sword.[q] 34 The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you: both of them shall die on the same day.(AD) 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one forever.(AE) 36 Everyone who is left in your family shall come and prostrate himself before him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread and shall say, ‘Please put me in one of the priest’s places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.’ ”(AF)
The Righteous Judgment of God
2 Therefore you are without excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things.(A) 2 We know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth. 3 Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?(B) 5 But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.(C) 6 He will repay according to each one’s deeds:(D) 7 to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life, 8 while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but injustice, there will be wrath and fury.(E) 9 There will be affliction and distress for everyone who does evil, both the Jew first and the Greek,(F) 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, both the Jew first and the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.(G)
12 All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged in accordance with the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight but the doers of the law who will be justified.(H) 14 When gentiles, who do not possess the law, by nature do[a] what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves. 15 They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, as their own conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God through Christ Jesus judges the secret thoughts of all.(I)
The Jews and the Law
17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God(J) 18 and know his will and determine what really matters because you are instructed in the law, 19 and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth,(K) 21 you, then, who teach others, will you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?(L) 22 You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by your transgression of the law? 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed[b] among the gentiles because of you.”(M)
25 Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you are a transgressor of the law your circumcision has become uncircumcision.(N) 26 So, if the uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 Then the physically uncircumcised person who keeps the law will judge you who, though having the written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something external and physical.(O) 29 Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not the written code. Such a person receives praise not from humans but from God.(P)
Jeremiah with Gedaliah the Governor
40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he took him bound in fetters along with all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.(A) 2 The captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him, “The Lord your God threatened this place with this disaster,(B) 3 and now the Lord has brought it about and has done as he said, because all of you sinned against the Lord and did not obey his voice. Therefore this thing has come upon you.(C) 4 Now look, I have just released you today from the fetters on your hands. If you wish to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will take good care of you, but if you do not wish to come with me to Babylon, you need not come. See, the whole land is before you; go wherever you think it good and right to go.(D) 5 If you remain,[a] then return to Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of the towns of Judah, and stay with him among the people, or go wherever you think it right to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a present and let him go.(E) 6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah and stayed with him among the people who were left in the land.(F)
7 When all the leaders of the forces in the open country and their troops heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam governor in the land and had committed to him men, women, and children, those of the poorest of the land who had not been taken into exile to Babylon,(G) 8 they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan[b] son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ophai the Netophathite, Jezaniah son of the Maacathite, they and their troops.(H) 9 Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan swore to them and their troops, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Stay in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall go well with you. 10 As for me, I am staying at Mizpah to represent you before the Chaldeans who come to us, but as for you, gather wine and summer fruits and oil, and store them in your vessels, and live in the towns that you have taken over.”(I) 11 Likewise, when all the Judeans who were in Moab and among the Ammonites and in Edom and in other lands heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant in Judah and had appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam son of Shaphan as governor over them,(J) 12 then all the Judeans returned from all the places to which they had been scattered and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and they gathered wine and summer fruits in great abundance.(K)
13 Now Johanan son of Kareah and all the leaders of the forces in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah(L) 14 and said to him, “Are you at all aware that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam would not believe them.(M) 15 Then Johanan son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah at Mizpah, “Please let me go and kill Ishmael son of Nethaniah, and no one else will know. Why should he take your life, so that all the Judeans who are gathered around you would be scattered and the remnant of Judah would perish?”(N) 16 But Gedaliah son of Ahikam said to Johanan son of Kareah, “Do not do such a thing, for you are telling a lie about Ishmael.”(O)
Psalm 15
Who Shall Abide in God’s Sanctuary?
A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
Who may dwell on your holy hill?(A)
2 Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right
and speak the truth from their heart;(B)
3 who do not slander with their tongue
and do no evil to their friends
nor heap shame upon their neighbors;(C)
4 in whose eyes the wicked are despised
but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;(D)
5 who do not lend money at interest
and do not take a bribe against the innocent.
Those who do these things shall never be moved.(E)
Psalm 16
Song of Trust and Security in God
A Miktam of David.
1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.(F)
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”[a]
3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble ones
in whom is all my delight.(G)
4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;[b]
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names upon my lips.(H)
5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.(I)
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.(J)
7 I bless the Lord, who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.(K)
8 I keep the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.(L)
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.(M)
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol
or let your faithful one see the Pit.(N)
11 You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.(O)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.