M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jehoram Slays His Brothers
21 Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. Jehoram his son became king in his place. 2 His brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat, were Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azariahu, Michael and Shephatiah—all these were the sons of King Jehoshaphat of Israel. 3 Their father had given them great gifts of silver, gold and precious things, along with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn.
4 Now when Jehoram had risen over his father’s kingdom and made himself strong, he slew all his brothers with the sword, along with some of the officers of Israel. 5 Jehoram was 32 years old when he became king and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. 6 He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the eyes of Adonai. 7 However, Adonai was not willing to destroy the house of David because of the covenant He had made with David, and since He had spoken a word to give a lamp to him and his sons always.
8 In his days Edom rebelled against Judah’s rule and set up a king over themselves. 9 So Jehoram crossed over with his officers and all his chariots with him. He rose up by night and struck the Edomites who were surrounding him and the chariot commanders. 10 Thus Edom has been in rebellion against Judah to this day. Then Libnah also revolted from under his hand at that time—because he had forsaken Adonai, the God of his fathers. 11 Moreover, he built high places on the mountains of Judah and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot and led Judah astray.
Elijah’s Letter of Judgment
12 A letter from Elijah the prophet came to him saying:
“Thus says Adonai, the God of your father David: Since you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah, 13 but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, leading Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem into prostitution just as the house of Ahab committed prostitution and you have also slain your brothers—your own family, who were better than you— 14 behold, Adonai is going to strike your people, your children, your wives, and all your possessions with a monumental catastrophe. 15 You yourself will be striken by multiple illnesses of your intestines, day after day, until your intestines drop out because of the illness.”
16 Then Adonai stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs that neighbored the Cushites. 17 They rose up against Judah, invaded it and carried away all the possessions found in the royal palace, as well as his sons and his wives. No son was left to him except Jehoahaz, his youngest.
18 After all this, Adonai smote his intestines with an incurable disease, 19 and it continued day after day for two years, so that at the end his bowels fell out because of his sickness and he died in great agonies. His people made no fire in his honor like the fire of his fathers. 20 He was 32 years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years and he passed away, to no one’s regret. He was buried in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.
9 Then the fifth angel trumpeted, and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to earth. The key to the bottomless pit was given to him. 2 He opened the pit, and smoke rose from the pit like the smoke of a gigantic furnace.[a] The sun and the air were darkened by the smoke from the pit.
3 Then from the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given to them like the scorpions have power over the earth. [b] 4 They were told to do no harm to the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, but only the people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. [c] 5 And they were permitted not to kill them, but to torment them for five months—and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings a person. 6 In those days, people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them.[d]
7 Now the appearance of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle.[e] On their heads were something like crowns of gold, and their faces were like human faces. 8 They had hair like women’s hair, and their teeth were like those of lions. [f] 9 They had chests like iron breastplates; and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many horse-drawn chariots rushing into battle. [g] 10 They have tails like scorpions with stingers; and in their tails is their power to harm people for five months. 11 They have as king over them the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.[h]
12 The first woe is past. Behold, two woes are still coming after these things.
13 The sixth angel trumpeted, and I heard a single voice from the four horns of the golden altar[i] before God. 14 It said to the sixth angel, the one holding the trumpet,[j] “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.”
15 So the four angels—who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year—were released to kill a third of mankind. 16 The number of mounted troops was two hundred million[k]—I heard their number. 17 Now here is how I saw the horses and those riding on them: they had breastplates that were fiery red, hyacinth blue, and sulfur yellow. The heads of the horses were as heads of lions, and out of their mouths came fire and smoke and brimstone.[l]
18 By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed—by the fire and the smoke and the brimstone that came out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; for their tails are like serpents, having heads by which they inflict injuries.
20 But the rest of mankind, those not killed by these plagues, did not repent and turn away from the works of their hands—they would not stop worshiping demons and the idols of gold and silver and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. [m] 21 And they did not repent and turn away from their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their stealing.
Flying Scroll and Basket
5 Once again I lifted up my eyes and behold, I saw a flying scroll!
2 Then the angel asked me, “What do you see?”
I replied, “I see a flying scroll twenty cubits long and ten cubits wide.”
3 He said to me: “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole land: everyone who steals will be swept away from here according to it, and everyone who swears will be swept away from here according to it.” 4 “I will send it out”—it is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot—“and it will enter into the house of the thief and into the house of the one who swears falsely by My Name and will reside inside his house destroying it, both its wood and its stones.”
5 Then the angel speaking with me came forward, and said to me, “Now lift up your eyes and see what is appearing.”
6 I asked, “What is it?”
He replied, “This is the measuring basket[a] that goes out.” He continued, “This is their eye in all the land.” 7 Then behold, a lead cover was lifted and a woman was sitting in the middle of the measuring basket. 8 The angel exclaimed, ‘This is Wickedness!’ Then he shoved her back inside the measuring basket, throwing the lead weight over its mouth.
9 After this I lifted up my eyes and behold, I saw two women emerging with the wind in their wings (they had wings like the wings of a stork) and they raised the measuring basket between the earth and the heaven.
10 I asked the angel who was speaking with me, “Where are they taking the measuring basket?”
11 He said, “To build a temple for her in the land of Shinar. When it is prepared, she will live there in her own place.”
Mercy for a Sinful Woman
8 But Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. 2 At dawn, He came again into the Temple. All the people were coming to Him, and He sat down and began to teach them.
3 The Torah scholars and Pharisees bring in a woman who had been caught in adultery. After putting her in the middle, 4 they say to Yeshua, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of committing adultery. 5 In the Torah, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” 6 Now they were saying this to trap Him, so that they would have grounds to accuse Him.
But Yeshua knelt down and started writing in the dirt with His finger. 7 When they kept asking Him, He stood up and said, “The sinless one among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Then He knelt down again and continued writing on the ground.
9 Now when they heard, they began to leave, one by one, the oldest ones first, until Yeshua was left alone with the woman in the middle. 10 Straightening up, Yeshua said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?”
11 “No one, Sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Yeshua said. “Go, and sin no more.”
The Light of the World
12 Yeshua spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. The one who follows Me will no longer walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
13 Then the Pharisees said to Him, “You are testifying about Yourself, so Your testimony is not valid.”
14 Yeshua answered them, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid. For I know where I came from and where I am going. But you don’t know where I come from or where I am going. 15 You judge according to the flesh, but I do not judge anyone. 16 Yet even if I do judge, My judgment is true, because it is not I alone but I with the Father who sent Me. 17 Even in your Torah it is written that the testimony of two men is true. [a] 18 I am one witness for Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness for Me.”
19 Then they said to Him, “Where is your Father?”
Yeshua answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father. If you knew Me, you would also know My Father.” 20 He spoke these words in the treasury while teaching in the Temple, but no one arrested Him because His hour had not yet come.
21 Then again Yeshua spoke to them, “I am going away. You will look for Me and die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
22 “He won’t kill Himself, will He?” the Judeans asked. “Is that why He says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come’?”
23 Yeshua said, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 Therefore I told you that you will die in your sins. If you don’t believe that I am, you will die in your sins.”
25 So they asked Him, “Who are you?”
Yeshua replied, “What have I been telling you from the beginning? 26 I have much to say and judge about you. But the One who sent Me is true, and I tell the world what I heard from Him.” 27 They didn’t understand that He was talking to them about the Father.
28 So Yeshua said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am. I do nothing by Myself, but speak just what the Father has taught Me. 29 The One who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to Him.”
30 As He was speaking these things, many people put their trust in Him.
31 Then Yeshua said to the Judeans who had trusted Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!”
33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s children and have never been slaves to anyone! How can you say, ‘You will become free’?”
34 Yeshua answered them, “Amen, amen I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now the slave does not remain in the household forever; the son abides forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! 37 I know you are Abraham’s children; yet you are trying to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. 38 I tell of what I have seen with the Father; so also you do what you heard from the Father.”[b]
39 “Abraham is our father,” they replied to Him.
Yeshua said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are seeking to kill Me—a Man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. This Abraham did not do! 41 You are doing the deeds of your father.”
They said to Him, “We were not born as illegitimate children—we have one Father, God Himself!”
42 Yeshua said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for from God I came and now I am here. For I have not come on My own, but He sent Me. 43 Why don’t you understand My speech? Because you’re not able to hear My word! 44 You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks lies he is just being himself—for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which one of you convicts Me of sinning? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe Me? 47 He who belongs to God hears the words of God. The reason you don’t hear[c] is because you do not belong to God.”
48 The Judean leaders responded, “Aren’t we right to say you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
49 Yeshua answered, “I do not have a demon! I honor My Father, yet you dishonor Me. 50 But I do not seek My own glory; there is One who is seeking and judging. 51 Amen, amen I tell you, if anyone keeps My word, he will never see death.”
52 “Now we know You have a demon!” the Judean leaders said to Him. “Abraham and the prophets died. Yet You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word, he will never taste death.’ 53 You are not greater than our father Abraham who died, are You? The prophets also died! Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Yeshua answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing. It is My Father who gives Me glory—the One of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ [d] 55 Yet you do not know Him, but I know Him. If I say I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you. Yet I do know Him and keep His Word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; he saw it and was thrilled.”
57 Then the Judeans said to Him, “You’re not even fifty years old and you’ve seen Abraham?”[e]
58 Yeshua answered, “Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am!”
59 Then they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Yeshua hid Himself and went out from the Temple.[f]
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.