M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samuel’s Farewell Speech
12 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have ·done everything you wanted me to do [listened to everything you said] and have ·put [appointed] a king over you. 2 Now you have a king ·to lead [walking before/in front of] you. I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have ·been your leader [walked before/in front of you] since I was young [L until this day]. 3 Here I am. ·If I have done anything wrong, you must testify [Bear witness] against me before the Lord and his ·appointed king [anointed]. Did I steal anyone’s ox or donkey? Did I ·hurt [oppress] or cheat anyone? Did I ever secretly accept a bribe to ·look the other way [L close my eyes]? If I did any of these things, I will make ·it right [amends].”
4 The Israelites answered, “You have not cheated us, or ·hurt [oppressed] us, or taken anything ·unfairly from anyone [from anyone’s hand].”
5 Samuel said to them, “The Lord is a witness ·to what you have said [against you]. His ·appointed [anointed] king is also a witness today that you did not find anything ·wrong in me [L in my hand].”
“He is our witness,” they said.
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who ·chose [appointed; L made] Moses and Aaron and brought your ·ancestors [fathers] out of Egypt. 7 Now, ·stand there [or take your stand], and I will ·remind you of [plead with you/confront you concerning] all the ·good things [righteous/saving acts] the Lord did for you and your ·ancestors [fathers].
8 “After Jacob [C the Israelites] ·entered [went to; arrived in] Egypt, ·his descendants [they] cried to the Lord for help. So the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who took your ·ancestors [fathers] out of Egypt and ·brought them to live [settled them] in this place.
9 “But they forgot the Lord their God. So he ·handed them over as slaves [sold them] to Sisera [Judg. 4–5], the commander of the army of Hazor, and ·as slaves to [into the hand of] the Philistines [Judg. 13–16] and the king of Moab. ·They all […all of whom had] fought against your ·ancestors [fathers]. 10 Then your ancestors cried to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned. We have ·left [turned away from; forsaken] the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths [C gods and goddesses of the Canaanites]. But now ·save [rescue; deliver] us from [L the hand of] our enemies, and we will ·serve [worship] you.’ 11 So the Lord sent ·Gideon [L Jerubbaal; C another name for Gideon; Judg. 6:32], ·Barak [L Bedan; Judg. 4:6], Jephthah [Judg. 11–12], and Samuel. He ·saved [rescued; delivered] you from [L the hands of] your enemies around you, and you lived in ·safety [security]. 12 But when you saw Nahash king of the ·Ammonites [L sons of Ammon] ·coming [marching] against you, you said, ‘No! We want a king to ·rule [reign] over us!’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 ·Now [All right; So] here is the king you chose, the one you asked for. The Lord has ·put [set; appointed] him over you. 14 ·You must [If you…] ·honor [fear] the Lord and ·serve [worship] him. You must ·obey [listen to] his ·word [voice] and not ·turn [rebel] against ·his commands [L the mouth of the Lord]. Both you and the king ·ruling [reigning] over you must follow the Lord your God. If you do, it will be well with you. 15 But if you don’t ·obey [listen to the voice of] the Lord, and if you ·turn [rebel] against ·his commands [L the mouth of the Lord], ·he [the hand of the Lord] will be ·against [heavy on] you. ·He will do to you what he did to […as it was on] your ·ancestors [fathers].
16 “Now stand ·still [where you are] and see the ·great thing [wonder; L thing] the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 ·It is [Is it not…?] now the time of the wheat harvest [C the dry season]. I will pray for the Lord to send thunder and rain [C the rain would destroy the wheat harvest]. Then you will know what an ·evil [wicked] thing you did ·against [in the eyes/sight of] the Lord when you ·asked for [demanded] a king.”
18 Then Samuel ·prayed [called] to the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So the people were ·very afraid [in awe] of the Lord and Samuel. 19 ·They [L All the people] said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants! Don’t let us die! We’ve added to all our sins the evil of ·asking for [demanding] a king.”
20 Samuel answered [L the people], “Don’t be afraid. It’s true that you did ·wrong [evil], but don’t turn away from the Lord. ·Serve [Worship] the Lord with all your heart. 21 ·Idols [Futile things] are of no use, so don’t worship them. They can’t help you or ·save [rescue; deliver] you. They are ·useless [futile]! 22 For his own [L name’s] sake, the Lord won’t ·leave [abandon; reject; desert] his people. ·Instead, [For; Because] he was pleased to make you his own people. 23 [L As for me,] ·I will surely not [Far be it from me to] stop praying for you, because that would be sinning against the Lord. I will ·teach [instruct] you ·what [in the way that] is good and right. 24 ·You must honor [Fear only] the Lord and ·truly serve [worship] him with all your heart. ·Remember [Keep in mind; Consider] the ·wonderful [great] things he did for you! 25 But if you ·are stubborn and do [persist in doing] evil, he will sweep you and your king away.”
10 Brothers and sisters, the ·thing I want most [pleasure/desire of my heart] and my prayer to God is for ·all the Jews to be saved [L their salvation]. 2 ·I can say this about them [L For I testify about them that…]: They ·really try to follow God [L have a zeal for God], but ·they do not know the right way [their zeal is misguided/uninformed/undiscerning; L not according to knowledge]. 3 Because they ·did not know [or ignored] the ·way that God makes people right with him [righteousness of God], they ·tried to make themselves right in their own way [L sought to establish their own righteousness]. So they did not ·accept God’s way of making people right [L submit to God’s righteousness]. 4 [L For] Christ ·ended [is the end/culmination/fulfillment of] the law so that everyone who believes in him may ·be right with God [have righteousness].
5 [L For] Moses writes about ·being made right [the righteousness attained] by following the law. He says, “A person who ·obeys [L does] these things will live ·because of [or by means of] them [Lev. 18:5].” 6 But ·this is what the Scripture says about being made right through faith [L the righteousness by faith says; C righteousness is personified as speaking]: “Don’t say ·to yourself [L in your heart; Deut. 9:4], ‘Who will ·go up [ascend] into heaven [Deut. 30:12]?’” (That means, “Who will go up to heaven and bring Christ down to earth [C a reference to the Incarnation, Christ coming to earth as a human being]?”) 7 “And do not say, ‘Who will go down into the ·world below [or depths; or place of the dead; L abyss; Deut. 30:13; Ps. 107:26]?’” (That means, “Who will go down and bring Christ up from the dead?”) [C Such impossible tasks are not needed for our salvation, since Christ already did them for us.] 8 ·This is what the Scripture says [L But what does it say?]: “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart [Deut. 30:14; C God’s salvation has been brought near through Christ and is received by faith].” That is the ·teaching [message; word] of faith that we ·are telling [preach; proclaim]. 9 If you ·declare [confess] with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. 10 [L For] We believe with our hearts, and so we ·are made right with God [are justified; receive righteousness]. And we ·declare [confess] with our mouths, ·and so we are saved [leading to salvation]. 11 As the Scripture says, “Anyone who ·trusts [believes] in him will never be ·disappointed [or put to shame; Is. 28:16].” 12 ·That Scripture says “anyone” because [L For] there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles. [L For; Because] The same Lord is the Lord of all and gives ·many blessings [generously; (spiritual) riches] to all who trust in him, 13 as the Scripture says, “Anyone who calls on the Lord will be saved [Joel 2:32].”
14 ·But before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him [L How, then, can they call on one in whom they have not believed?]; and ·before they can believe in him, they must hear about him [L how can they believe in one of whom they have not heard?]; and ·for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them [L how can they hear without someone preaching to them?]; 15 and ·before someone can go and tell them, that person must be sent [L how can they preach unless they are sent?]. [L As] It is written, “How ·beautiful [or welcome; or timely] ·is the person [L are the feet of those] who comes ·to bring [proclaiming; preaching] good news [Is. 52:7].” 16 But not ·all the Jews [L everyone] ·accepted [heeded; obeyed] the good news. [L For] Isaiah said, “Lord, who believed ·what we told them [our message/report; Is. 53:1]?” 17 ·So [Thus; Consequently] faith comes from ·hearing the Good News [L hearing], and ·people hear the Good News [hearing comes; or the message/report arrives] ·when someone tells them [through the word/message] ·about [or proclaimed by; L of] Christ.
18 But I ask: Didn’t ·people [L they; C Israel] ·hear the Good News [L hear]? Yes, they heard—as the Scripture says:
“Their ·message [voice] went out to all the earth;
their words ·go everywhere on [L to the ends of] the world [Ps. 19:4].”
19 Again I ask: Didn’t ·the people of Israel [L Israel] understand? Yes, they did understand [C this sentence is implied, but not stated, in the Greek]. First, Moses says:
“I will use those who are not a nation [C the Gentiles] to make you jealous.
I will use a nation that ·does not understand [is foolish/senseless] to make you angry [Deut. 32:21].”
20 Then Isaiah is bold enough to say:
“I was found by those who were not ·asking me for help [seeking/looking for me].
I ·made myself known [revealed myself] to people who were not ·looking for [asking about/for] me [Is. 65:1].”
21 But about Israel ·God [or Isaiah; L he] says,
“All day long I ·stood ready to accept [L held out my hands to]
people who ·disobey [disbelieve] and are ·stubborn [defiant; rebellious; Is. 65:2].”
A Message to Ammon
49 This message is to the ·Ammonite people [L sons of Ammon; Gen. 19:30–38; Deut. 2:19; 23:3–6].
This is what the Lord says:
“Do you think that Israel has no children?
Do you think there is no ·one to take the land when the parents die [L heir]?
If that were true, why did Molech [C the chief god of Ammon] take Gad’s [C a tribe in the north of Israel] land
and why did Molech’s people settle in Gad’s towns [C a bitter reference to the sacrifice of children to Molech]?”
2 The Lord says,
“The ·time will come [L days are coming] when I will make Rabbah
of the Ammonites [C its capital], hear the battle cry.
It will become a ·hill covered with ruins [desolate ruin],
and the ·towns [villages; L daughters] around it will be burned with fire.
Those people ·forced [dispossessed] Israel out of that land,
but now Israel will ·force them out [dispossess them]!” says the Lord.
3 “People in the town of Heshbon, ·cry sadly [wail] because the town of Ai is destroyed!
·Those who live in [L Daughters of] Rabbah, cry out!
Put on your ·rough cloth to show your sadness [sackcloth; burlap], and ·cry loudly [mourn; wail].
Run here and there for safety inside the walls,
because Molech will be taken ·captive [into exile]
and his priests and officers with him.
4 ·You [L Why do you…?] brag about your valleys
and about the fruit in your valleys.
You are like an ·unfaithful [rebellious] ·child [L daughter]
who ·believes her treasures will save her [L trusts/has confidence in her treasures/arsenals].
You think, ‘Who would attack me?’
5 I will soon bring terror on you
from everyone around you,”
says the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
“You will all be ·forced to run [driven] away,
and no one will be able to gather you.
6 “But the time will come
when I will ·make good things happen to [restore the fortunes of] the ·Ammonites [L sons of Ammon] again,”
says the Lord.
A Message to Edom
7 This message is to Edom [Gen. 36; Num. 20:14–21; Ps. 137:7; Lam. 4:22; Obad. 10–14]. This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“Is there no more wisdom in the town of Teman [Job 2:11]?
Can the wise men [C of Edom] no longer give good advice?
Have they lost their wisdom?
8 You people living in the town of Dedan,
·run away [flee] and hide in deep caves,
because I will bring ·disaster [calamity] on the people of Esau.
It is time for me to punish them.
9 If workers came and picked the grapes from your vines,
they would leave ·a few grapes [gleanings] behind.
If robbers came at night,
they would steal only enough for themselves.
10 But I will strip Esau [C Edom] bare.
I will ·find [expose] all their hiding places,
so they will not be able to hide from me.
The ·children [L seed], ·relatives [brothers], and neighbors will die,
And they [C Edom] will be no more.
11 ·Leave [Abandon; Forsake] the orphans, and I will ·take care of them [keep them alive].
Your widows also can ·trust [have confidence] in me.”
12 This is what the Lord says: “Some people did not deserve to be punished, but they had to drink from the cup [C of suffering; 25:15–38; 48:26–28] anyway. You [C people of Edom] deserve to be punished, so you will not escape punishment. You must certainly drink from the cup.” 13 The Lord says, “I swear by ·my own name [L myself] that the city of Bozrah will become a pile of ruins! People will be shocked by what happened there. They will ·insult [reproach] that city and ·speak evil of [curse] it. And all the towns around it will become ruins forever.”
14 I have heard a message from the Lord.
A ·messenger [herald] has been sent among the nations, saying,
“Gather [C your armies] to attack it!
·Get ready [L Rise up] for battle!”
15 “Soon I will make you the smallest of nations,
and you will be greatly ·hated [despised] by everyone.
16 Edom, you ·frightened [terrorized] other nations,
but your ·pride [arrogance] has ·fooled [deceived] you.
You live in the hollow places of the ·cliff [rock; crag]
and ·control [seize] the high places of the hills.
Even if you build your home as high as an eagle’s nest,
I will bring you down from there,” says the Lord.
17 “Edom will be ·destroyed [desolate].
People who pass by will be shocked to see the destroyed cities,
and they will ·be amazed [hiss] at all her ·injuries [disasters].
18 Edom will be ·destroyed [overturned] like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah [Gen. 18—19]
and the towns around them,” says the Lord.
“No one will live there!
No one will ·stay [sojourn; wander] in it [C Edom].
19 “Like a lion coming up from the thick bushes near the Jordan River
to attack ·a strong pen for sheep [or perennial pastures; 50:44],
I will suddenly chase it [C Edom] from its land.
Who is the one I have ·chosen [appointed] to do this?
·There is no one [L Who is…?] like me,
·no one who [L who…?] can take me to court.
·None of their leaders [L Who is the shepherd who…?] can stand up against me.”
20 So listen to ·what the Lord has planned to do against Edom [L the counsel/advice of the Lord].
Listen to ·what he has decided to do to [L his plans against] the people in the town of Teman.
He will surely drag away the young of the flock [C the youth of Edom].
Their ·hometowns [L pasture] will surely be shocked at what happens to them.
21 At the sound of their [C Edom’s] fall, the earth will shake.
Their cry will be heard all the way to the ·Red [Reed] Sea [50:20; Ex. 10:19].
22 The Lord is like an eagle swooping down
and spreading its wings over the city of Bozrah.
At that time Edom’s soldiers will become very frightened,
like a woman ·having a baby [in labor; 48:40; Ezek. 17:3–4; Hos. 8:1].
A Message to Damascus
23 This message is to the city of Damascus:
“The towns of Hamath and Arpad are ·put to shame [humiliated],
because they have heard ·bad [disastrous] news.
They ·are discouraged [L melt; C in fear].
They are troubled like the ·tossing sea [sea that cannot be quieted].
24 The city of Damascus has become weak.
The people ·want to run away [turn to flee];
·they are ready to panic [panic seized them].
·The people feel pain and suffering [L Anguish and distress have grabbed them],
like a woman ·giving birth to a baby [in labor; 48:41; 49:22; 50:43].
25 Damascus was a city of my joy.
Why have the people not ·left [abandoned; forsaken] that famous city yet?
26 Surely the young men will die in the city squares,
and all her soldiers will be ·killed [L stilled; quieted] ·at that time [L on that day],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
27 “I will ·set [kindle a] fire to the walls of Damascus,
and it will completely ·burn [consume] the ·strong cities [strongholds; citadels] of King Ben-Hadad [C a name taken by many kings of Damascus].”
A Message to Kedar and Hazor
28 This message is to the tribe of Kedar [Song 1:5; Ezek. 27:21] and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon ·defeated [L struck]. This is what the Lord says:
“·Go [L Rise up] and attack the people of Kedar,
and destroy the ·people of the East [L sons of Kedar].
29 Their tents and flocks will be taken away.
Their belongings will be carried off—
their tents, all their goods, and their camels.
Men will shout to them,
‘Terror on every side [6:25; 20:3, 10; 46:5]!’
30 “·Run away [Flee] quickly!
People in Hazor, ·find a ·good [L deep] place to hide [hide in deep places]!” says the Lord.
“Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has made plans against you
and ·wants to defeat [L makes plans against] you.
31 “·Get [L Rise] up! Attack the nation that is ·comfortable [at ease],
that is ·sure [confident; C that no one will defeat it],” says the Lord.
“It does not have gates or ·fences [L bars; C to protect it].
Its people live alone.
32 The enemy will ·steal [L plunder; despoil] their camels
and their large herds of cattle as ·war prizes [plunder; booty].
I will scatter the people who ·cut their hair short [shave their temples; Deut. 14:1] to ·every part of the earth [L the wind],
and I will bring disaster on them from everywhere,” says the Lord.
33 “The city of Hazor will become a ·home [den; haunt] for ·wild dogs [jackals; 9:11; 10:22];
it will be ·an empty desert [desolate] forever.
No one will live there,
and no one will ·stay [sojourn; wander] in it.”
A Message to Elam
34 ·Soon after Zedekiah became [L At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah the] king of Judah [C beginning in 597 bc], the Lord spoke this word to Jeremiah the prophet. This message is to the nation of Elam [C located on the Iranian plateau].
35 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says:
“I will soon break Elam’s bow [Is. 22:6],
its greatest strength.
36 I will bring the four winds against Elam
from the four corners of the ·skies [heavens].
I will scatter its people ·everywhere the four winds blow [L to all four winds];
its ·captives [exiles] will go to every nation.
37 I will terrify Elam in front of their enemies,
who ·want to destroy them [L seek their life].
I will bring ·disaster [evil; trouble] to Elam
and show them how angry I am!” says the Lord.
“I will send a sword ·to chase Elam [L after them]
until I have ·killed [ended; annihilated] them all.
38 I will set up my throne in Elam,
and I will destroy its king and its officers!” says the Lord.
39 “But I will ·make good things happen to [restore the fortunes of] Elam again
in the ·future [L latter days],” says the Lord.
The Prayer of an Innocent Believer
Of David.
26 Lord, ·defend [vindicate] me because I have ·lived an innocent life [L walked in innocence; Job 1:1].
I have ·trusted [confidence in] the Lord and never ·doubted [wavered; faltered].
2 Lord, try me and test me;
look closely into my ·heart and mind [L kidneys and heart; C the seat of emotions and mind in Hebrew thought].
3 ·I see your love [L Your loyalty/covenant love is before my eyes],
and I ·live by your truth [walk in your truth/faithfulness].
4 I do not ·spend time [L sit] with ·liars [or worthless people],
nor do I ·make friends [L go] with ·those who hide their sin [hypocrites].
5 I hate the ·company [assembly] of evil people,
and I won’t sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands ·to show I am innocent [L in innocence],
and I ·come to [L go around] your altar, Lord.
7 I raise my voice in ·praise [or thanks]
and tell of all the ·miracles [wonderful things] you have done.
8 Lord, I love the ·Temple [L house] where you live,
where your glory [C manifest presence] ·is [dwells].
9 Do not ·kill me [take me away] with those sinners
or take my life with ·those murderers [the bloodthirsty; L men of blood].
10 ·Evil is [Schemes are] in their hands,
and ·they do wrong for money [L their right hand is full of bribes].
11 But I have ·lived an innocent life [L walked in innocence; v. 1],
so ·save [redeem; ransom] me and have mercy on me.
12 ·I stand in a safe place [L My feet stand on level ground].
Lord, I ·praise [bless] you in the great ·meeting [assembly].
A Song of Trust in God
Of David.
27 The Lord is my light [18:28; 43:3; Is. 9:2; John 1:4, 9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5] and ·the one who saves me [my salvation].
·So why should I fear anyone [L Whom should I fear]?
The Lord ·protects [L is the stronghold/refuge of] my life.
·So why [L Of whom] should I be afraid?
2 Evil people may try to ·destroy my body [L approach me and devour/consume my flesh].
My enemies and those who hate me ·are overwhelmed and defeated [L stumble and fall].
3 If an army ·surrounds [L camps around] me,
·I [L my heart] will not be afraid.
If war ·breaks out [rises against me],
I will ·trust [have confidence in] ·the Lord [L in this; Rom. 8:31–39].
4 I ask only one thing from the Lord.
This is what I ·want [L seek after]:
Let me ·live [dwell] in the Lord’s house [C the sanctuary]
all the days of my life.
Let me see the Lord’s beauty
and ·look with my own eyes [L make inquiry; C discover God’s will] at his Temple.
5 ·During danger [L In the day of trouble] he will ·keep me safe [L hide me] in his shelter.
He will ·hide [conceal] me in his Holy Tent,
or he will ·keep me safe [L set me high] on a ·high mountain [L rock].
6 My head is higher than my enemies around me.
I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent [C the Tabernacle].
I will sing and praise the Lord.
7 Lord, hear ·me [L my voice] when I ·call [pray];
have mercy and answer me.
8 My heart said of you, “Go, ·worship him [L seek his face].”
So I ·come to worship you [L seek your face], Lord.
9 Do not ·turn away [L hide your face] from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have helped me.
Do not push me away or ·leave me alone [abandon me],
God, my Savior.
10 If my father and mother ·leave [abandon] me,
the Lord will take me in.
11 Lord, teach me your ways,
and guide me ·to do what is right [L on a straight/right path]
because ·I have [L of my] enemies.
12 Do not hand me over to my enemies,
because ·they tell lies about [L false witnesses rise up against] me [Ex. 20:16]
and ·say they will hurt me [L they breathe out violence].
13 I truly believe
I will see the Lord’s goodness ·during my life [L in the land of the living].
14 ·Wait for [Hope in] the Lord’s help.
Be strong and let your heart be brave,
and ·wait for [hope in] the Lord’s help.
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