M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Ammonites and Arameans Are Defeated
10 Some time afterward, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him.(A) 2 David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent envoys to console him concerning his father. When David’s envoys came into the land of the Ammonites, 3 the princes of the Ammonites said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think that David is honoring your father just because he has sent messengers with condolences to you? Has not David sent his envoys to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half the beard of each, cut off their garments in the middle at their waists, and sent them away.(B) 5 When David was told, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, as well as the king of Maacah, one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men.(C) 7 When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the warriors. 8 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, but the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.(D)
9 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans; 10 the rest of the troops he put in the charge of his brother Abishai, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. 11 He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 12 Be strong, and let us be courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”(E) 13 So Joab and the people who were with him moved forward into battle against the Arameans, and they fled before him.(F) 14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
15 But when the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head.(G) 17 When it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Arameans arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 18 The Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans seven hundred chariot teams and forty thousand horsemen and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there.(H) 19 When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites any more.(I)
Ministers of the New Covenant
3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we?(A) 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all, 3 and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets that are human hearts.[a](B)
4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are qualified of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our qualification is from God,(C) 6 who has made us qualified to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.(D)
7 Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets,[b] came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses’s face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside,(E) 8 how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation,[c] much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory!(F) 10 Indeed, what once had glory has in this respect lost its glory because of the greater glory, 11 for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory!
12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with complete frankness,(G) 13 not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that[d] was being set aside.(H) 14 But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, the same veil is still there; it is not unveiled since in Christ it is set aside.(I) 15 Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,[e] 16 but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.(J) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.(K) 18 And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.(L)
The Two Eagles and the Vine
17 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 O mortal, propound a riddle and speak an allegory to the house of Israel.(A) 3 Say: Thus says the Lord God:
A great eagle with great wings and long pinions,
rich in plumage of many colors,
came to the Lebanon.
He took the top of the cedar,(B)
4 broke off its topmost shoot;
he carried it to a land of trade,
set it in a city of merchants.
5 Then he took a seedling from the land,
placed it in fertile soil;
a plant[a] by abundant waters,
he set it like a willow twig.(C)
6 It sprouted and became a vine
spreading out but low;
its branches turned toward him;
its roots remained where it stood.
So it became a vine;
it brought forth branches,
put forth foliage.
7 There was another great eagle
with great wings and much plumage.
And see! This vine stretched out
its roots toward him;
it shot out its branches toward him
from the bed where it was planted
so that he might water it.(D)
8 It had been transplanted
to good soil by abundant waters,
so that it might produce branches
and bear fruit
and become a noble vine.
9 Say: Thus says the Lord God:
Will it prosper?
Will he not pull up its roots,
cause its fruit to rot[b] and wither,
its fresh sprouting leaves to fade?
No strong arm or mighty army will be needed
to pull it from its roots.
10 Look, it has been transplanted. Will it thrive?
When the east wind strikes it,
will it not utterly wither,
wither on the bed where it grew?(E)
11 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 12 Say now to the rebellious house: Do you not know what these things mean? Tell them: The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, took its king and its officials, and brought them back with him to Babylon.(F) 13 He took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant with him, putting him under oath (he had taken away the chief men of the land),(G) 14 so that the kingdom might be humble and not lift itself up and that by keeping his covenant it might stand.(H) 15 But he rebelled against him by sending ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Can one escape who does such things? Can he break the covenant and yet escape?(I) 16 As I live, says the Lord God, surely in the place where the king resides who made him king, whose oath he despised and whose covenant with him he broke—in Babylon he shall die.(J) 17 Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company will not help him in war, when ramps are cast up and siege walls built to cut off many lives.(K) 18 Because he despised the oath and broke the covenant, because he gave his hand and yet did all these things, he shall not escape.(L) 19 Therefore thus says the Lord God: As I live, I will surely return upon his head my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke. 20 I will spread my net over him, and he shall be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylon and enter into judgment with him there for the treason he has committed against me.(M) 21 All the pick[c] of his troops shall fall by the sword, and the survivors shall be scattered to every wind, and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.(N)
Israel Exalted at Last
22 Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will take a sprig
from the lofty top of the cedar;
I will set it out.
I will break off a tender shoot
from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will transplant it
on a high and lofty mountain.(O)
23 On the mountain height of Israel
I will transplant it,
and it will produce boughs and bear fruit
and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
in the shade of its branches will nest
winged creatures of every kind.(P)
24 All the trees of the field shall know
that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree;
I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
and make the dry tree flourish.
I the Lord have spoken;
I will accomplish it.(Q)
Psalm 60
Prayer for National Victory after Defeat
To the leader: according to the Lily of the Covenant. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he struggled with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return killed twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses;
you have been angry; now restore us!(A)
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.(B)
3 You have made your people suffer hard things;
you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.(C)
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you,
to rally to it out of bowshot.[a] Selah(D)
5 Give victory with your right hand and answer us,[b]
so that those whom you love may be rescued.(E)
6 God has promised in his sanctuary,[c]
“With exultation I will divide up Shechem
and portion out the Vale of Succoth.(F)
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet;
Judah is my scepter.(G)
8 Moab is my washbasin;
on Edom I hurl my shoe;
over Philistia I shout in triumph.”(H)
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.(I)
11 O grant us help against the foe,
for human help is worthless.(J)
12 With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.(K)
Psalm 61
Assurance of God’s Protection
To the leader: with stringed instruments. Of David.
1 Hear my cry, O God;
listen to my prayer.(L)
2 From the end of the earth I call to you,
when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock
that is higher than I,(M)
3 for you are my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.(N)
4 Let me abide in your tent forever,
find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah(O)
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.(P)
6 Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!(Q)
7 May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!(R)
8 So I will always sing praises to your name,
as I pay my vows day after day.(S)
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.