M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Asa’s Reforms Bring Adonai’s Rest

14 Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of Adonai his God. ² He removed the foreign altars and the high places, smashed the pillars and cut down the Asherah poles. ³ He commanded Judah to seek Adonai, the God of their fathers, and to obey the Torah and the mitzvah. ⁴ He also removed the high places and the incense stands out of all the cities of Judah. So the kingdom remained untroubled under him. ⁵ He built up fortified cities in Judah, for the land was untroubled and he was not engaged in warfare during those years because Adonai had given him rest.

⁶ Then he said to Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, gates and bars, while the land is still ours because we have sought Adonai Eloheinu. We sought Him and He has given us rest all around.” So they built and were successful.

Appeal to Defeat the Cushites

⁷ Now Asa had an army of 300,000 men from Judah who bore shields and spears and 280,000 from Benjamin who bore shields and drew bows. All of these were valiant warriors.

⁸ Then Zerah the Cushite marched against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots. When he arrived at Mareshah, ⁹ Asa went out to meet him and they arrayed for battle in the valley of Zephath at Mareshah.

¹⁰ Then Asa cried to Adonai his God and said, “Adonai, there is no one like You to help in battle between the mighty and the powerless. Help us, Adonai Eloheinu, for we rely on You and in Your Name we have come against this multitude. You are Adonai Eloheinu! Let no man prevail against You.”

¹¹ So Adonai struck down the Cushites before Asa and before Judah. The Cushites fled ¹² and Asa and the people who were with him pursued them to Gerar. So many of the Cushites fell that they could not recover because they were shattered before Adonai and before His army. They carried away very much spoil. ¹³ They destroyed all the cities around Gerar, for the terror from Adonai came on them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much spoil in them. ¹⁴ They also attacked the tents of herdsmen and carried off many sheep and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem.

Prophets Encourage Further Reforms

15 The Ruach Elohim came upon Azariah the son of Oded. ² He went out to meet Asa, and said to him, “Listen to me Asa, all Judah and Benjamin. Adonai is with you as long as you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will spurn you. ³ For many days Israel was without the true God, without a teaching kohen and without Torah. ⁴ But in their distress they turned to Adonai, the God of Israel, and sought Him, and He was found by them. ⁵ In those times there was no shalom for anyone coming or going, for there were many conflicts among all the inhabitants of the lands. ⁶ Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. ⁷ But you, chazak! Do not let your hands be slack for there is reward for your labor.”

⁸ When Asa heard these words as well as the prophecy of the prophet Oded, he took courage and removed the abominations from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the towns that he had seized in the hill country of Ephraim. He also repaired Adonai’s altar that was in front of Adonai’s entryway. ⁹ He gathered all Judah and Benjamin, as well as those dwelling with them from Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon—for many had defected to him from Israel when they saw that Adonai his God was with him. ¹⁰ So they assembled at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. ¹¹ On that day they sacrificed to Adonai 700 bulls and 7,000 sheep from the spoil that they had brought. ¹² They entered into a covenant to seek Adonai, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul. ¹³ Whoever would not seek Adonai, God of Israel, would be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman. ¹⁴ They also made an oath to Adonai with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets and with shofarot. ¹⁵ All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and sought Him with all their will and He was found by them. Then Adonai gave them rest all around. ¹⁶ He also deposed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from being queen because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her abominable image, crushed it and burned it in the Kidron Valley.

¹⁷ Though the high places were not removed from Israel, still Asa’s heart was completely committed to Adonai all his days. ¹⁸ He brought into the House of God his father’s consecrated articles, as well as his consecrated articles of silver and gold, and utensils. ¹⁹ So there was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

The Heavenly Throne of Adonai

4 After these things I looked, and behold, a door was standing open in heaven.^[a] And the first voice, which I had heard speaking with me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.”

² Immediately I was in the Ruach;^[b] and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One seated on the throne. ^{[c] 3} And the One who was seated was like jasper and carnelian in appearance, and a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. ^{[d] 4} Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders dressed in white clothes with golden crowns on their heads. ⁵ And out from the throne come flashes of lightning and rumblings and clashes of thunder^[e]—and seven torches of fire burning before the throne,^[f] which are the seven spirits of God. ⁶ And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

In the middle of the throne and around it were four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.^[g]

⁷ The first living creature was like a lion,

the second living creature was like an ox,

the third living creature had a face

like a man,

and the fourth living creature was

like a flying eagle.^[h]

⁸ The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes all around and within.^[i] They do not rest day or night, chanting,

⁹ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, ^{[k] 10} the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever. And they throw their crowns down before the throne, chanting,

Glory of this Latter House

2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, the word of Adonai came through Haggai the prophet: ² Speak now to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, kohen gadol, and to the remnant of the people: ³ “Who remains among you who saw this House in its former glory? So how do you see it now? Does it not seem as nothing in comparison in your eyes? ⁴ But now, Zerubbabel, chazak!”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“and be strong, Joshua son of Jehozadak, kohen gadol, and all people of the land, chazak!”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“and work! For I am with you!”—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot. ⁵ “According to the word I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. My Ruach is standing in your midst. Do not fear!”

⁶ For thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot: “In just a little while I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land, ^{[a] 7} and I will shake all the nations. The treasures of all the nations will come, and I will fill this House with glory,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. ⁸ “The silver is mine and the gold is mine!”—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot. ⁹ “The glory of this latter House will be greater than the former,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. “In this place, I will grant shalom”—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot.

Adonai’s Promise to Zerubbabel

¹⁰ On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of Adonai came to Haggai the prophet, ¹¹ “Thus says Adonai-Tzva’ot: ‘Ask now the kohanim for a ruling. ¹² If a person carries consecrated meat in the corner of his garment, and with his corner he touches bread, stew, wine, oil or any food, will it become holy too?’”

Then the kohanim answered and said, “No.”

¹³ So Haggai said, “If one who is unclean by contact with a corpse touches any of these, does it become unclean?”

The kohanim answered and said, “It does become unclean.”

¹⁴ Then, Haggai answered and said, “So it is with this people. So is this nation before Me”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“and so is every work of their hands. What they were offering there was unclean. ¹⁵ But now, set your heart back from this day onward. Before stone was set upon stone in the Temple of Adonai, ¹⁶ how were things? When one came to a grain-heap of twenty measures, there were ten; when one came to the wine vat to draw fifty measures, there were twenty. ¹⁷ I struck you with blight and with mildew and with hail—every work of your hands—so you were nothing to Me”—it is a declaration of Adonai. ¹⁸ “Now, set your heart back from this day on—from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. Since the day the Temple of Adonai was founded, set your heart: ¹⁹ Is there still seed in the storehouse? Also the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate and the olive tree—are they still bearing fruit? From this day on I am going to bless you.”

²⁰ Then the word of Adonai came a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, ²¹ “Say to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah: ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, ²² and I will overturn the throne of kingdoms and destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overturn the chariot and its rider, so horses and their riders will fall, each by the sword of his brother.

²³ “On that day’”—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot—‘I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant’—it is a declaration of Adonai—“‘and I will set you like a signet ring. For I have chosen you.’” It is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot.

A Pharisee Comes Seeking Truth

3 Now there was a man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jewish people. ² He came to Yeshua at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You, a teacher, have come from God. For no one can perform these signs which You do unless God is with Him!”

³ Yeshua answered him, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born from above,^[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus said to Him. “He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?”

⁵ Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit,^[b] he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be surprised that I said to you, ‘You all must be born from above.’ ⁸ The wind blows where it wishes and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

The Father’s Love Revealed

⁹ “How can these things happen?” Nicodemus said.

¹⁰ Yeshua answered him, “You’re a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Amen, amen I tell you, We speak about what We know and testify about what We have seen. Yet you all do not receive Our testimony! ¹² If you do not believe the earthly things I told you, how will you believe when I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has gone up into heaven except the One who came down from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,^[c] so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life!

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ The one who believes in Him is not condemned; but whoever does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not put his trust in the name of the one and only Ben-Elohim.

¹⁹ “Now this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world and men loved the darkness instead of the light,^[d] because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. ²¹ But whoever practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be made known that his deeds have been accomplished in God.”

The Living Word, Source of Life

²² Afterwards, Yeshua and His disciples came to the land of Judea. There He was staying with them and immersing. ²³ Now John also was immersing at Aenon near Salim, because much water was there and many were coming and being immersed; ²⁴ for John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵ Now an argument came up between John’s disciples and a Judean concerning purification. ²⁶ They came to John and said, “Rabbi, the One who was with you beyond the Jordan, the One you testified about—look, He is immersing, and all are coming to Him!”

²⁷ John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. ²⁸ You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,’ but rather, ‘I am sent before Him.’ ²⁹ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the best man rejoices when he stands and hears the bridegroom’s voice. So now my joy is complete! ³⁰ He must increase, while I must decrease.”

³¹ The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is of the earth, and of the earth he speaks. The One who comes from heaven is above all. ³² And what He has seen and heard, He testifies to that; yet no one receives His testimony. ³³ Whoever receives His testimony has certified that God is true.

³⁴ The One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Ruach without limit. ³⁵ The Father loves the Son and has given everything into His hand. ³⁶ He who trusts in the Son has eternal life. He who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.