M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord Appears to Solomon Again(A)
9 Solomon finished building the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and ·his royal palace [L the king’s house] and everything he wanted to build. 2 Then the Lord appeared to him ·again [L a second time] just as he had done before, in Gibeon. 3 The Lord said to him: “I have heard your prayer and ·what you have asked me to do [L pleas/requests/supplications that you made before me]. I have ·made this Temple holy [L consecrated this house] that you built, and I ·will be worshiped there [L have put my name there] forever. ·I will watch over it and protect it always [L My eyes and my heart will be there all the days].
4 “But you must ·serve [walk before; follow] me as your father David did; ·he was fair and sincere […with integrity of heart and godliness/uprightness]. You must obey all I have commanded and keep my ·laws [statutes; decrees] and ·rules [regulations; judgments]. 5 If you do, I will ·make your kingdom strong [L establish the throne of your kingdom]. This is the promise I made to your father David—·that someone from his family would always rule [you will never lack a man/successor on the throne of] Israel [2 Sam. 7:16].
6 “But if you and your children do not follow me and obey the laws and ·commands [decrees] I have given you, and if you serve ·or [and] worship other gods, 7 I will ·force Israel to leave [banish/L cut off Israel from] the land I have given them, and I will ·leave [reject; disown; remove from my sight] this ·Temple [L house] that I have ·made holy [L consecrated for my name]. ·All the nations will make fun of Israel and speak evil about them [L Israel will become a byword/proverb among the nations/peoples]. 8 If the ·Temple is destroyed [L house becomes a heap of rubble], everyone who passes by will be ·shocked [astonished; appalled]. They will ·make fun of you [scoff; hiss] and ask, ‘Why did the Lord do this terrible thing to this land and this ·Temple [L house]?’ 9 People will answer, ‘This happened because they ·left [abandoned; deserted; forsook] the Lord their God. This was the God who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, but they ·decided to follow [embraced; adopted] other gods. They worshiped and served those gods, so the Lord brought all this ·disaster [adversity; calamity] on them.’”
Solomon’s Other Achievements(B)
10 By the end of twenty years, King Solomon had built two buildings—the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and the ·royal palace [L king’s house]. 11 At that time King Solomon gave twenty towns in Galilee to Hiram king of Tyre, because Hiram had helped with the buildings. Hiram had given Solomon all the cedar, ·pine [juniper; cypress timber], and gold he wanted. 12 So Hiram traveled from Tyre to see the towns Solomon had given him, but when he saw them, he was not pleased. 13 He asked, “What ·good are these towns [kinds of towns have] you have given me, my brother?” So he named them the Land of ·Cabul [C meaning “worthless”], and they are still called that today. 14 Hiram had sent Solomon ·about nine thousand pounds [L 120 talents] of gold.
15 This is the account of the forced labor Solomon ·used [conscripted] to build the ·Temple [L house] and ·the palace [L his own house]. He had them fill in the ·land [terraces; L the Millo; C a fortification of uncertain type] and build the ·wall [fortifications] around Jerusalem. He also had them rebuild the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. 16 (In the past Pharaoh, king of Egypt had attacked and captured Gezer. After burning it, he killed the Canaanites who lived there. Then he gave it as a ·wedding present [dowry] to his daughter, who married Solomon. 17 So Solomon rebuilt it.) He also built the cities of Lower Beth Horon 18 and Baalath, as well as Tadmor, which is in the ·desert [wilderness]. 19 King Solomon also built ·cities for storing grain and supplies [supply centers/cities/towns] and ·cities for [towns to station] his chariots and horses. He built whatever he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and everywhere he ruled.
20 There were other people in the land who were not ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel]—Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 21 They were descendants of people that the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] had ·not destroyed [been unable to completely exterminate]. Solomon ·forced them to work for him as slaves [conscripted them for forced/slave labor], as is still true today. 22 But Solomon did not ·make slaves of [conscript] the Israelites. They were his soldiers, government ·leaders [officials], officers, captains, chariot commanders, and ·drivers [charioteers].
23 These were his ·most important officers [chief officials] over the work. There were five hundred fifty supervisors over the people who did the work on Solomon’s projects.
24 The daughter of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh] moved from the old part of the City of David [C Jerusalem] to the ·palace [L house] that Solomon had built for her. Then Solomon ·filled in the surrounding land [built the terraces/Millo; 9:15].
25 Three times each year Solomon offered whole burnt offerings and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offerings [Lev. 3:1] on the altar he had built for the Lord. He also burned incense before the Lord. So he finished the ·work on the Temple [L house].
26 King Solomon also built ships at Ezion Geber, a town near Elath on the shore of the ·Red Sea [or Sea of Reeds; Ex. 10:19], in the land of Edom. 27 Hiram sent ·skilled sailors [L seamen who knew the sea] to serve in these ships with Solomon’s ·men [servants]. 28 The ships sailed to Ophir and brought back ·about thirty-two thousand pounds [L 420 talents] of gold to King Solomon.
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents ·as the Lord wants [L in the Lord], because this is ·the right thing to do [right; just]. 2 The command says, “Honor your father and mother [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16].” This is the first command that has a promise with it— 3 “Then everything will be well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16].”
4 ·Fathers [or Parents; Heb. 11:23], do not make your children angry, but raise them with the ·training [discipline] and ·teaching [instruction] of the Lord [Col. 3:21].
Slaves and Masters
5 ·Slaves [Bondservants], obey your ·masters here on earth [human masters; L masters according to the flesh; Col. 3:22; 1 Pet. 2:18–25] with ·respect [fear] and ·fear [trembling] and from a sincere heart, ·just as you [or as you would] obey Christ. 6 You must do this not only ·while they are watching you [L with eye-service], ·to please them [L as people-pleasers]. But as ·slaves [bondservants] of Christ, do ·what God wants [God’s will] ·with all your [or from the] heart. 7 Do your work ·with enthusiasm [willingly; cheerfully]. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not people. 8 ·Remember [L …knowing] that the Lord will give ·a reward [or back] to everyone, slave or free, for doing good.
9 Masters, treat your slaves the same way. Do not threaten them. Remember that the One who is your Master and their Master is in heaven, and he ·treats everyone alike [has no favorites; shows no favoritism].
Wear the Full Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his ·great [strong; mighty] power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can fight against the devil’s ·evil tricks [schemes]. 12 [For] Our ·fight [conflict; struggle] is not against ·people on earth [L flesh and blood] but against the rulers and authorities and the ·powers [or cosmic powers/rulers] of this ·world’s darkness [L darkness], against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly ·world [realm; places]. 13 ·That is why you need to [L For this reason,] put on God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil [C persecution generally or end-time tribulation] you will be able to ·stand strong [keep your ground; resist the enemy]. And ·when you have finished the whole fight [L after you have done/accomplished everything], you will still be standing. 14 So stand ·strong [or ready], with the belt of truth tied around your waist and the ·body armor [breastplate] of ·right living [a righteous life; or God’s own righteousness/justice; L righteousness]. 15 On your feet wear the ·Good News [Gospel] of peace ·to help you stand strong [for firm footing; or to be fully prepared]. 16 And ·also [in addition to all this; or in all circumstances] use the shield of faith with which you can ·stop [extinguish] all the ·burning arrows [T fiery darts] of the Evil One. 17 ·Accept [Receive; or Take] the helmet of salvation, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the ·word [message] of God. 18 Pray ·in [or in dependence on] the Spirit at all times with all ·kinds of prayers [L prayers and requests], asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ·ready [alert] ·and never give up [L with all perseverance]. Always pray for all ·God’s people [T the saints].
19 Also pray for me that when I ·speak [L open my mouth], God will give me words so that I can tell the ·secret [mystery] of the ·Good News [Gospel] ·without fear [confidently; boldly]. 20 ·For this Good News […for which] I am an ambassador in ·prison [L chains; 3:1]. Pray that I will speak ·it [or for him; or in him] ·without fear [boldly; confidently], as I should.
Final Greetings
21 Tychicus [Acts 20:4; Col. 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:12; Titus 3:12], our ·brother whom we love [dear/beloved brother] and a faithful servant ·of the Lord’s work [or in the Lord] will tell you everything that is happening with me. Then you will know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this reason—so that you will know how we are, and he can encourage ·you [L your hearts].
23 Peace and love with faith to you brothers and sisters from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all of you who love our Lord Jesus Christ with ·love that never ends [an imperishable/undying love].
The Death of Gog and His Army
39 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], prophesy against Gog and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I am against you, Gog, chief ·ruler [prince] of Meshech and Tubal [38:2]. 2 I will turn you around and ·lead [drag; or drive] you. I will bring you from the ·far [remotest] north and send you to attack the mountains of Israel. 3 I will knock your bow out of your left hand and ·throw down [make fall] your arrows from your right hand. 4 You, all your troops, and the nations with you will fall dead on the mountains of Israel. I will let you be ·food for [devoured by] every bird ·that eats meat [of prey; Rev. 19:21] and for every ·wild animal [beast of the field]. 5 You will ·lie fallen on the ground [fall in the open field], because I have spoken, says the Lord God. 6 I will send fire on Magog and those who live in safety on the coastlands. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
7 “‘I will make my holy name known among my people Israel, and I will not let my holy name be ·dishonored [defiled; profaned; C ritually] anymore. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. 8 [L Look; T Behold] It is coming! It will happen, says the Lord God. The ·time [L day] I talked about is coming.
9 “‘Then those who live in the cities of Israel will come out and make fires with the enemy’s weapons. They will burn them, both large and small shields, bows and arrows, war clubs, and spears. They will use the weapons to burn in their fires for seven years. 10 They will not need to take wood from the field or chop firewood from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons. In this way they will ·take the treasures of [plunder] those who ·took their treasures [plundered them]; they will take the loot of those who took their loot, says the Lord God.
11 “‘·At that time [L On that day] I will give Gog a burial place in Israel, in the Valley of the Travelers, east of the Dead Sea. It will block the road for travelers. Gog and all his ·army [hordes; multitudes] will be buried there, so people will call it The Valley of ·Gog’s Army [L Hamon-gog].
12 “‘The ·people [L house] of Israel will be burying them for seven months to ·make the land clean again [cleanse the land]. 13 All the people in the land will bury them, and ·they will be honored [or it will be a memorial for them; or their fame will spread] on the day ·of my victory [I display my glory; C his manifest presence], says the Lord God.
14 “‘The ·people [L house] of Israel will ·choose [appoint] men to work through the land to ·make it clean [cleanse/purify it]. Along with others, they will bury ·Gog’s soldiers still [L those] lying dead on the ground. After the seven months, they will ·still search [or begin their search]. 15 As they go through the land, anyone who sees a human bone is to put a ·marker [sign] by it. The sign will stay there until the gravediggers bury the bone in The Valley of ·Gog’s Army [L Hamon-gog]. 16 A city will be there named Hamonah [C perhaps a feminine form of Hamon-gog, meaning Army of Gog]. So they will ·make the land clean again [cleanse/purify the land].’
17 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], this is what the Lord God says: Speak to every kind of bird and ·wild animal [all the beasts of the field]: ‘·Come [Assemble] together, come! ·Come together [Gather] from all around to my ·sacrifice [or slaughter], a great ·sacrifice [or slaughter] which I will prepare for you on the mountains of Israel. Eat flesh and drink blood [Rev. 19:17–21]! 18 You are to eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the ·rulers [princes] of the earth ·as if they were [L all of them] fat animals from Bashan: ·male sheep [rams], lambs, goats, and bulls. 19 You are to eat and drink from my sacrifice which I have prepared for you, eating fat until you are ·full [satisfied; glutted] and drinking blood until you are drunk. 20 At my table you are to eat until you are full of horses and ·riders [or charioteers], ·mighty men [warriors] and all kinds of soldiers,’ says the Lord God.
21 “I will ·show [display] my glory [C manifest presence] among the nations. All the nations will see ·my power when I punish [L the judgment I executed and the hand I laid on] them. 22 From that time onward the ·people [L house] of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. 23 The nations will know [L the house of] Israel ·was taken away captive [went into exile] because they sinned and were unfaithful to me. So I ·turned away [L hid my face] from them and handed them over to their enemies until all of them died ·in war [L by the sword]. 24 Because of their uncleanness [C ritual] and their ·sins [transgressions], I ·punished [dealt with] them and ·turned away [hid my face] from them.
25 “So this is what the Lord God says: Now I will ·bring the people of Jacob back from captivity [L restore the fortunes of Jacob], and I will have ·mercy [compassion] on the whole ·nation [L house] of Israel. I will ·not let them dishonor me [L be zealous/jealous for my holy name]. 26 The people will forget their shame and ·how they rejected [their unfaithfulness to] me when they live again in safety on their own land with no one to make them afraid. 27 I will bring the people back from ·other lands [the nations/peoples] and gather them from the lands of their enemies. So I will use my people to ·show many nations that I am holy [L display my holiness in the eyes of many nations.]. 28 Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into ·captivity [exile] among the nations, but then I ·brought them back [gathered them] to their own land, leaving no one behind. 29 I will not ·turn away [L hide my face] from them anymore, because I will put my ·Spirit [or spirit] into the ·people [L house] of Israel, says the Lord God [11:19; 36:26–27; 37:14].”
Book 4: Psalms 90–106
God Is Eternal, and We Are Not
A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
90 Lord, you have been our ·home [dwelling place; Deut. 33:27]
·since the beginning [L from all generations].
2 Before the mountains were born
and before you ·created [brought forth] the earth and the world,
you are God [Prov. 8:22–31].
You have always been, and you will always be.
3 You turn people back into ·dust [L what is crushed; Gen. 2:7; 3:19; Eccl. 12:7].
You say, “·Go back into dust [L Return; Turn back], human beings.”
4 ·To you [L In your eyes], a thousand years
is like the passing of a day [2 Pet. 3:8],
or ·like a few hours [L a watch; C the night was divided into four watches of three hours each] in the night.
5 While people sleep, you ·take [put an end to] their lives.
They are like grass that ·grows up [is new] in the morning.
6 In the morning they ·are fresh and new [blossom and are renewed],
but by evening they ·dry up [fade] and ·die [wither].
7 We are ·destroyed [annihilated] by your anger;
we are terrified by your hot anger.
8 You have ·put [set] ·the evil we have done [our guilt/iniquity] right in front of you;
·you clearly see our secret sins [L our hidden/secret sins in the light of your face].
9 All our days pass while you are angry.
Our years end with a ·moan [sigh].
10 ·Our lifetime is [L The days of our years are] seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
But ·the years are full of [L their pride are] ·hard work [toil] and ·pain [trouble; Eccl. 1:2].
They pass quickly, and then we ·are gone [L fly away].
11 Who knows the ·full power [strength] of your anger?
Your anger is as great as our fear of you should be.
12 ·Teach us [Make us know] ·how short our lives really are [L to count our days]
so that we ·may be wise [L gain a wise heart].
13 Lord, how long before you ·return [turn]
and show ·kindness [compassion] to your servants?
14 ·Fill [Satisfy] us with your ·love [loyalty] every morning.
Then we will sing and rejoice all our ·lives [L days].
15 We have seen years of ·trouble [harm; hurt].
Now give us as ·much [L many days of] joy as you gave us ·sorrow [affliction].
16 Show your servants ·the wonderful things you do [your miracles];
·show your greatness [your splendor/beauty] to their children.
17 Lord our God, ·treat us well [favor us].
·Give us success in what we do [L Establish the work of our hands for us];
·yes, give us success in what we do [L establish the work of our hands].
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