M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Kohanim and Levites in Nehemiah’s Day
9 So all Israel were registered by genealogies—behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel.
Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. 2 The first to settle on their property in their towns were Israelites, kohanim, Levites and the Temple servants. 3 Those from the children of Judah, the children of Benjamin, and the children of Ephraim and Manasseh who settled in Jerusalem were: 4 Uthai son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, who was a descendant of Perez son of Judah.
5 From the Shilonites:
Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.
6 From the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their kinsmen—690.
7 From the sons of Benjamin:
Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah; 8 Ibneiah son of Jeroham; and Elah son of Uzzi, son of Michri; and Meshullam son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibneiah, 9 and their kinsmen, according to their genealogies—956. All these men were leaders of their clans.
10 From the kohanim:
Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin, 11 Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the ruler of the House of God; 12 Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah and Maasai son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer, 13 and their kinsmen, heads of their clans 1,760 very able men for the work of avodah in the House of God.
14 From the Levites:
Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah, from the sons of Merari; 15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah son of Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph; 16 Obadiah son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
17 The gatekeepers:
Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and their brothers. Shallum was the leader; 18 he serves to this day at the king’s gate to the east. These were the gatekeepers for the camp of the descendants of Levi. 19 Shallum son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen from his ancesteral clan, the Korahites, were assigned to guard the gates of the Tent. Their ancestors had been responsible for guarding the entrance to the dwelling of Adonai 20 when Phinehas, son of Eleazar had been ruler over them in time past and Adonai was with him. 21 Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper of the door of the Tent of Meeting.
22 All these chosen to be gatekeepers at the gates were 212. These were registered in the genealogical records of their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their offices. 23 They and their sons were guards of the gates of the House of Adonai, that is, the Tabernacle. 24 The gatekeepers were posted on the four sides, toward the east, west, north, and south. 25 Their kinsmen in their villages were to come from time to time and serve with them for seven days. 26 For the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted over the chambers and over the treasuries in the House of God. 27 They would spend the night around the House of God, because they were assigned to guard it and were in charge of opening it morning by morning.
28 Now some of them had charge of the utensils for avodah, for by count they brought them in and by count they took them out. 29 Some of them were appointed over the equipment and over all the utensils of the sanctuary, as well as over the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the frankincense and the spices. 30 But some of the sons of the kohanim prepared the mixture of spices. 31 Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was in charge of preparing the flat cakes. 32 Some of the relatives of Kohathites were in charge of preparing the rows of bread every Shabbat.
33 Now these were the singers, patriarchal leaders of the Levites, who stayed in the chambers and were exempt from other service, for they were on duty day and night. 34 These were heads of the Levite families, chiefs in their geneaological records. These lived in Jerusalem.
35 Jeiel, the father of Gibeon, lived in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah. 36 His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth. 38 Mikloth fathered Shimeam. They also lived with their kinsmen in Jerusalem, opposite their kinsmen.
39 Ner fathered Kish and Kish fathered Saul. Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchi-shua, Abinadab and Eshbaal.
40 The son of Jonathan was Merib-baal and Merib-baal fathered Micah.
41 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Taharea and Ahaz.
42 Ahaz fathered Jarah and Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri.
Zimri fathered Moza 43 and Moza fathered Binea; Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son and Azel his son.
44 Azel had six sons:
Azrikam, Bocru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.
Saul Dies on Mount Gilboa
10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malchi-shua. 3 The battle raged around Saul and the archers spotted him and he was wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through, so that these uncircumcised will not come and torture me.”
But his armor-bearer refused to do it, because he was terrified. Therefore Saul took the sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul and his three sons died; his whole household died together. 7 Now when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their towns and fled. The Philistines then came and lived in them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines proclaiming the good news to their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the house of their gods, and hung his head in the house of Dagon.
11 Now when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
13 So Saul died because of his unfaithful acts that he committed against the word of Adonai, which he did not keep, and he even consulted a medium for guidance 14 rather than inquire of Adonai. So He put him to death and transferred the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.
Running the Race with Discipline
12 Therefore, since we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also get rid of every weight and entangling sin. Let us run with endurance the race set before us, 2 focusing on Yeshua, the initiator and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame; and He has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God. [a] 3 Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and lose heart.
4 In struggling against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed. 5 Have you forgotten the warning addressed to you as sons?
“My son, do not take lightly the discipline of Adonai
or lose heart when you are corrected by Him,
6 because Adonai disciplines the one He loves
and punishes every son He accepts.”[b]
7 It is for discipline that you endure. God is treating you as sons—for what son does a father not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline—something all have come to share—then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Besides, we are used to having human fathers as instructors—and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 Indeed, for a short time they disciplined us as seemed best to them; but He does so for our benefit, so that we may share in His holiness. 11 Now all discipline seems painful at the moment—not joyful. But later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble! [c] 13 And make straight paths for your feet,[d] so that what is lame will not be pulled out of joint but rather be healed. 14 Pursue shalom with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God; and see to it that no bitter root springs up and causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. 16 Also see to it that there is no immoral or godless person—like Esau, who sold his birthright for one meal. [e] 17 For you know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He found no chance for repentance, though he begged for it with tears.[f]
Entering the Unshakeable Kingdom
18 For you have not come to a mountain[g] that can be touched, and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and storm, 19 and to the blast of a shofar[h] and a voice whose words made those who heard it beg that not another word be spoken to them. 20 For they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.” [i] 21 So terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am quaking with fear.”[j]
22 But you have come to Mount Zion—to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,[k] and to myriads of angels, a joyous gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn[l] who are written in a scroll in heaven,[m] and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous ones made perfect, 24 and to Yeshua, the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks of something better than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse the One who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the One who was warning them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject the One who warns us from heaven. 26 His voice shook the earth then,[n] but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” [o] 27 Now this phrase, “Yet once more,” shows the removal of those things that are shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. [p] 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude—through this we may offer worship in a manner pleasing to God, with reverence and awe. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
At Ease in Zion
6 Oy! You who are at ease in Zion,
trusting in Samaria’s hill!
Distinguished ones of the foremost of nations—
to whom the house of Israel comes
2 Go over to Calneh and look.
From there go to great Hamath,
go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
Or is their territory larger than yours?
3 Dismissing the day of calamity,
you bring near the throne of violence.
4 Reclining on beds of ivory,
sprawling on their couches,
dining on lambs from the flock
and calves from amid the stall,
5 chanting to the sound of harp like David,
inventing their own instruments of song,
6 drinking wine from bowls,
anointing with choice ointments—
yet they are not sickened over the breakdown of Joseph.
7 Therefore now they will go into exile at the head of the exiles.
Sprawling revelry will cease.
8 My Lord Adonai has sworn by Himself
—declares Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot—
“I loathe the arrogance of Jacob,
I despise his palaces,
so I will shut down the city and everything in it.”
9 If ten people remain in one house, they will die. 10 One’s beloved—the one burning incense for him—will lift him up to carry the bones out of the house, and he will say to one in the innermost recess of the house: “Is anyone else still with you?” And he will say: “No one.” Then he will say, “Hush! For we must not mention the Name of Adonai.”
11 For behold, Adonai will command,
He will smash the big house to fragments
and the little house to splinters.
12 Will horses run on the cliff?
Will one plow there with oxen?
Yet you turned justice into venom,
the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.
13 You are rejoicing for no reason, saying:
“Haven’t we taken two horns for ourselves by our own strength?”
14 “For behold, I am raising up against you,
O house of Israel, a nation,
and they will afflict you
from Lebo-Hamath[a] to the Valley of the Arabah.”
declares Adonai, the God of Hosts.
Elizabeth Greets Miriam with Joy
39 Now in those days, Miriam got up and quickly traveled into the hill country, to a town in Judah. 40 She entered Zechariah’s home and happily greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Miriam’s greeting, the unborn child leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was completely filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh. 42 She then cried out with a great shout, saying, “You are blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 Who am I, that the mother of my Master should come to me? 44 For even when I just heard the sound of your greeting in my ear, the unborn child leaped with joy in my womb. 45 Blessed is she who trusted that there would be a fulfillment of those things spoken to her by Adonai.”
46 Then Miriam said,
“My soul magnifies Adonai,[a]
47 and my spirit greatly rejoices in God, my Savior.
48 For He has looked with care upon the humble state of His maidservant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One has done a great thing for me,
and holy is His name.
50 And His mercy is from generation to generation
to the ones who fear Him.
51 He has displayed power with His arm
He has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from thrones
and exalted humble ones.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent away the rich empty-handed.
54 He has helped His servant Israel,[b]
remembering His mercy,
55 just as He spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
Zechariah Breaks His Silence
56 Miriam stayed with her for three months and then returned to her home. 57 Upon Elizabeth’s full term to deliver, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard how Adonai had shown her His great mercy, and they began to rejoice with her.
59 Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child,[c] and they kept trying to call him by his father’s name, Zechariah. 60 But his mother declared, “No, he will be called John.”
61 But they said to her, “No one among your relatives is called by this name.” 62 So they began making signs to his father, as to what he wanted him named.
63 Asking for a small tablet, he wrote, “John is his name.” They were all astonished! 64 And his mouth was immediately unlocked as well as his tongue, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these matters were talked about throughout the hill country of Judah. 66 Everyone who heard pondered these things in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child become?” For the hand of Adonai was on him.
The Kohen’s Song of Prophecy
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Ruach ha-Kodesh and prophesied, saying,
68 “Blessed be Adonai,
God of Israel,
for He has looked after His people
and brought them redemption.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,[d]
70 just as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ages past,
71 salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us!
72 So He shows mercy to our fathers
and remembers His holy covenant,[e]
73 the vow which He swore to Abraham
our father, to grant us—
74 rescued fearlessly from the hand of
our enemies[f]—to serve Him,
75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of Elyon.
For you will go before Adonai to prepare His ways,[g]
77 to give knowledge of salvation to His people
through removal of their sins.[h]
78 Through our God’s heart of mercy,
the Sunrise from on high will come upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,[i]
to guide our feet in the way of shalom.”
80 And the child kept growing and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.