M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Joash Reigns over Judah
24 (A)Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 (B)And Joash did what was right in the sight of Yahweh all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 And Jehoiada took up two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
The Levites Did Not Act Quickly
4 Now it happened afterwards, that Joash [a]had in his heart (C)to restore the house of Yahweh. 5 And he gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and gather money from all (D)Israel to [b]repair the house of your God [c]annually, and you shall do the matter quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king called for Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem (E)the levy fixed by Moses the servant of Yahweh on the congregation of Israel (F)for the tent of the testimony?” 7 For (G)the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even [d]used the holy things of the house of Yahweh for the Baals.
The House of Yahweh Restored
8 So the king said the word, and (H)they made a chest and put it outside by the gate of the house of Yahweh. 9 (I)And they [e]made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to Yahweh (J)the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 And all the officials and all the people were glad and brought in their levies and [f]dropped them into the chest until they had [g]finished. 11 Now it happened that whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the hand of the Levites, and when (K)they saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. 12 And the king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of Yahweh; and they hired masons and [h]carpenters to restore the house of Yahweh, and also craftsmen in iron and bronze to [i]repair the house of Yahweh. 13 So those who did the work labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they [j]restored the house of God [k]according to its specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had completed, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of Yahweh, utensils for the ministry and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they were offering burnt offerings in the house of Yahweh continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Then Jehoiada became old and full of days, and he died; he was 130 years old at his death. 16 They buried him (L)in the city of David among the kings, because he had done what is good in (M)Israel and [l]to God and His house.
17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18 And they forsook (N)the house of Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and (O)served the [m]Asherim and the idols; so (P)wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. 19 Yet (Q)He sent prophets to them to bring them back to Yahweh; though they testified against them, they did not give ear.
People Conspire Against Zechariah
20 (R)Now the Spirit of God clothed Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus says God, ‘(S)Why do you trespass against the commandments of Yahweh and do not succeed? (T)Because you have forsaken Yahweh, He has also forsaken you.’” 21 So (U)they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him [n]to death in the court of the house of Yahweh. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the lovingkindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he killed his son. And as he died he said, “May (V)Yahweh see and [o]avenge!”
Aram Comes Up Against Judah
23 Now it happened at the turn of the year that (W)the military force of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 Indeed the military force of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet (X)Yahweh gave a very great military force into their hands, (Y)because they had forsaken Yahweh, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.
25 (Z)When they had gone from him (for they left him very sick), his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the [p]son of Jehoiada the priest, and killed him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 Now as to his sons and the many [q]oracles against him and (AA)the [r]rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the [s](AB)treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.
The Two Witnesses
11 Then a [a](A)measuring rod like a staff was given to me, (B)saying, “Get up and measure the sanctuary of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 And [b]leave out the (C)court which is outside the sanctuary and do not measure it, for (D)it has been given to the Gentiles, and they will (E)trample (F)the holy city under foot for (G)forty-two months. 3 And I will give authority to my two (H)witnesses, and they will prophesy for (I)1,260 days, clothed in (J)sackcloth.” 4 These are the (K)two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone wishes to harm them, (L)fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wishes to harm them, (M)he must be killed in this way. 6 These have the authority to (N)shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during (O)the days of their prophesying; they also have authority over the waters to (P)turn them into blood, and (Q)to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they wish.
7 And when they have finished their witness, (R)the beast that comes up out of the (S)abyss will (T)make war with them and overcome them and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the (U)great city which spiritually is called (V)Sodom and (W)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 And those from (X)the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead [c]bodies for three and a half days, and [d](Y)will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10 And (Z)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate and (AA)send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented (AB)those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days, (AC)the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “(AD)Come up here.” Then they (AE)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And in that hour there was a great (AF)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; [e]seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and (AG)gave glory to the (AH)God of heaven.
14 The second (AI)woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
The Seventh Trumpet
15 Then the (AJ)seventh angel sounded, and there were (AK)loud voices in heaven, saying,
“(AL)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of (AM)His [f]Christ, and (AN)He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who (AO)sit on their thrones before God, (AP)fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,
“We give You thanks, (AQ)O Lord God, the Almighty, who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to (AR)reign. 18 And (AS)the nations were enraged, and (AT)Your rage came, and (AU)the time came for the dead to be judged, and to give reward to Your (AV)slaves—the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, (AW)the small and the great—and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 And (AX)the sanctuary of God which is in heaven was opened, and (AY)the ark of His covenant appeared in His sanctuary, and there were flashes of (AZ)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a (BA)great [g]hailstorm.
The People’s Hard Hearts
7 Now it happened that in the fourth year of King Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is (A)Chislev. 2 And the town of Bethel sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and [a]their men to [b](B)entreat the favor of Yahweh, 3 speaking to the (C)priests, who belong to the house of Yahweh of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the (D)fifth month [c]and abstain, as I have done these many years?” 4 Then the word of Yahweh of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Speak to all the people of the land and to the priests, saying, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months [d]these (E)seventy years, was it actually for (F)Me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, [e]are you not eating for yourselves and are you not drinking for yourselves? 7 Are not these the words which Yahweh (G)called out by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and (H)at ease along with its cities around it, and the [f](I)Negev and the [g]Shephelah were inhabited?’”
8 Then the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah saying, 9 “Thus has Yahweh of hosts said, ‘(J)Judge with true justice and show (K)lovingkindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and (L)do not oppress the widow or the [h]orphan, the sojourner or the afflicted; and do (M)not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11 But they (N)refused to give heed and [i](O)turned a stubborn shoulder and [j](P)dulled their ears from hearing. 12 And they made their (Q)hearts [k](R)diamond-hard [l]so that they could not hear the law and the (S)words which Yahweh of hosts had sent by His Spirit by the hand of the (T)former prophets; therefore great (U)wrath came from Yahweh of hosts. 13 And it happened that just as (V)He called and they would not listen, so (W)they called and I would not listen,” says Yahweh of hosts; 14 “but I [m](X)scattered them with a (Y)storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is (Z)desolated behind them [n]so that (AA)no one was passing through and returning, for they (AB)made the pleasant land desolate.”
I Am the Good Shepherd
10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is (A)a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is (B)a shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear (C)his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and (D)leads them out. 4 When he brings all his own out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know (E)his voice. 5 A stranger they will never follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know (F)the voice of strangers.” 6 This (G)figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.
7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am (H)the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are (I)thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 (J)I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they (K)may have life, and [a]have it abundantly.
11 “(L)I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd (M)lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a (N)shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees—and the wolf snatches and scatters them— 13 because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 (O)I am the good shepherd, and (P)I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as (Q)the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and (R)I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And I have (S)other sheep, which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become (T)one flock with (U)one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I (V)lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 (W)No one [b]takes it away from Me, but from Myself, I (X)lay it down. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (Y)This commandment I received from My Father.”
19 (Z)A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20 And many of them were saying, “He (AA)has a demon and (AB)is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the words of someone (AC)demon-possessed. (AD)Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”
I and the Father Are One
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the Portico of (AE)Solomon. 24 (AF)The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long [c]will You keep us in suspense? If You are the [d]Christ, tell us (AG)openly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “(AH)I told you, and you do not believe; (AI)the works that I do in My Father’s name, these bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe because (AJ)you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep (AK)hear My voice, and (AL)I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give (AM)eternal life to them, and they will never perish—ever; and (AN)no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 [e]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 (AO)I and the Father are [f]one.”
31 The Jews (AP)picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for (AQ)blasphemy; and because You, being a man, (AR)make Yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in (AS)your (AT)Law, ‘(AU)I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father (AV)sanctified and (AW)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘(AX)I am the Son of God’? 37 (AY)If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe (AZ)the works, so that you may know and continue knowing that (BA)the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore (BB)they were seeking again to seize Him, and (BC)He eluded their grasp.
40 And He went away (BD)again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41 And many came to Him and were saying, “While John did no (BE)sign, yet (BF)everything John said about this man was true.” 42 (BG)And many believed in Him there.
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