M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Menahem Ends Jehu’s Line
15 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. 2 He was 16 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. 3 Now he did what was right in Adonai’s eyes, just like all that his father Amaziah had done. 4 However, the high places were not taken away—the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places.
5 Then Adonai struck the king, so that he had tza’arat until the day of his death, and lived in an isolated house. Meanwhile Jotham, the king’s son, was in charge of the palace and governing the people of the land. 6 Now the rest of the acts of Azariah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 7 Then Azariah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David. Then his son Jotham became king in his place.
8 In the thirty-eighth year of King Azariah of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam reigned over Israel in Samaria for six months. 9 But he did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit. 10 Then Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against him and smote him before the people, killed him, and became king in his place. 11 Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
12 This was the word of Adonai that He spoke to Jehu, saying, “Your descendants to the fourth generation will sit on the throne of Israel,” and so it came to pass. 13 Shallum son of Jabesh began to reign in the thirty-ninth year of King Uzziah of Judah, and he reigned for one month in Samaria. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi marched up from Tirzah, reached Samaria, then struck down Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria, killed him, and became king in his place. 15 Now the rest of the acts of Shallum, including his conspiracy that he contrived, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
16 Then Menahem struck down Tiphsah and all who were in it, and its territories from Tirzah, because they did not open to him, therefore he attacked it and ripped open all its pregnant women. 17 In the thirty-ninth year of King Azariah of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel, and he reigned ten years in Samaria. 18 But he did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes. Throughout his days he never turned away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit.
19 Then King Pul of Assyria invaded the country, so Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to strengthen his hold on the kingdom. 20 Menahem exacted the money from Israel, from every person of means, each one 50 shekels of silver to give to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria turned back and stayed no longer in the land.
21 Now the rest of the acts of Menahem and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? 22 Then Menahem slept with his fathers, and his son Pekahiah became king in his place. 23 In the fiftieth year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned two years. 24 But he did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit. 25 Then Pekah son of Remaliah, his aide, conspired against him and assassinated him in Samaria, in the castle of the royal palace, along with Argob, Arieh, and 50 Gileadite men. So he killed him and became king in his place. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Pekahiah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
Israel and Aram Attack Judah
27 In the fifty-second year of King Azariah of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and he reigned 20 years. 28 But he did what was evil in Adonai’s eyes. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he caused Israel to commit. 29 In the days of Pekah king of Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria invaded and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee—all the region of Naphtali, and he deported them to Assyria. 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah conspired against Pekah son of Remaliah. He attacked and assassinated him, and then became king in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham son of Uzziah. 31 Now the rest of the acts of Pekah and all that he did, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.
32 In the second year of Pekah son of King Remaliah of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah king of Judah began to reign. 33 He was 25 years old when he became king, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 Now he did what was right in the eyes of Adonai, just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 However, the high places were not taken away, and the people were still sacrificing and burning incense on the high places. It was he who built the upper gate of the House of Adonai. 36 Now the rest of the acts of Jotham and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 37 In those days Adonai began to send King Rezin of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 Jotham slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David. Then Ahaz his son became king in his place.
Greetings
1 Paul, a slave of God and an emissary of Messiah Yeshua, for the faith of God’s chosen and the knowledge of truth that is in keeping with godliness, 2 based on the hope of eternal life. God—who cannot lie[a]—promised this before the beginning of time. 3 But in His own time He made His message known, through a proclamation with which I was entrusted, by the command of God our Savior.
4 To Titus, a true child of our common faith:
Grace and shalom from God the Father and Messiah Yeshua, our Savior!
Setting the Community in Order
5 The reason I left you in Crete was so that you would set in order the things that remain and appoint elders in every city as I directed you— 6 if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children of faith with no charge of wild living or rebellion. 7 For the overseer must be blameless as God’s administrator—not arrogant, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain. 8 Rather he must be hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled, upright, devout, disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message in keeping with the teaching, so he can both encourage by instruction that is sound and convict those who speak against it.
10 For there are many who are rebellious, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those from the circumcision. 11 They must be silenced—those who upset entire households by teaching what they should not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, one of their own prophets, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, so they might be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Judaic myths and commands of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. Both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They claim to know God but their deeds deny Him. They are despicable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
Idols Thrown Down
8 “Put a shofar to your mouth!
Like a vulture he comes
against the house of Adonai.
For they overstepped My covenant
and transgressed My Torah.
2 Will they cry out to Me,
‘My God, we—Israel—knew You’?[a]
3 Israel has rejected goodness—
an adversary will pursue him.
4 They crowned kings, but not by Me.
They appointed princes
I did not approve.
Their silver and gold they made into idols—
just so they would be cut down.
5 Samaria! Your calf is thrown down!
My anger is kindled against them!
How long will they be incapable of innocence?
6 For a craftsman from Israel made it,
so it is no god.
For the calf of Samaria will be splinters.
7 “For they sow wind, and reap a whirlwind.
There is no mature grain—
the sprout yields no meal.
Should it produce anything,
strangers would swallow it up.
8 Israel has been swallowed up!
Now they are among the nations,
like an ornament with no delight in it.
9 For they have gone up to Assyria,
like a wild donkey alone by itself.
Ephraim has hired lovers.
10 Although they hire among the nations,
I will now round them up.
So they will begin to decrease
under the burden of king and princes.
11 “When Ephraim multiplied altars
for making sin offerings,
they became his altars for sinning.
12 Though I were to write out for him
ten thousand things from My Torah,
they are regarded as something strange.
13 Sacrifices are gifts for Me—
should they sacrifice meat and then eat it?
Adonai will not accept them.
Now He will remember their iniquity
and punish their sin—
they will return to Egypt.
14 For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built temples,
while Judah has multiplied fortified cities.
So I will send fire upon its cities
that will consume their citadels.”
Be Gracious to Your Servants
Psalm 123
1 A Song of Ascents.
To You I lift up my eyes—
You enthroned in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of slaves to the hand of their master,
as the eyes of a slave-girl to the hand of her mistress—
so our eyes look to Adonai our God, till He shows us favor.
3 Show us favor, Adonai, show us favor!
For we have endured much contempt.
4 Our soul has had enough
of the scorn of those at ease,
the contempt of the proud.
Had He Not Been on Our Side
Psalm 124
1 A Song of Ascents. Of David.
“Had Adonai not been on our side”
—let Israel now say—
2 “Had Adonai not been on our side,
when men rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us alive,
when their wrath burned against us.
4 Then the waters would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over our soul,
5 then the raging waters
would have swept over our soul.”
6 Blessed be Adonai, who has not given us
as prey for their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped like a bird
out of the snare of the trappers—
the snare is broken, and we escaped!
8 Our help is in the Name of Adonai,
Maker of heaven and earth.
Like the Mountains Around Jerusalem
Psalm 125
1 A Song of Ascents.
Those who trust in Adonai are like Mount Zion—
it cannot be moved, but endures forever.
2 As the mountains are around Jerusalem,
so Adonai is all around His people,
both now and forever.
3 For a scepter of wickedness will not rest
over the land of the righteous—
lest the righteous set their hands to evil.
4 Do good, Adonai, to the good,
and to those upright in their hearts.
5 But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways,
Adonai will lead them away with evildoers.
Shalom be upon Israel.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.