M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon’s Many Wives
11 King Solomon loved many ·women who were not from Israel [L foreign women]. He loved the daughter of ·the king of Egypt [L Pharaoh], as well as women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites [Prov. 5–7]. 2 The Lord had told the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], “You must not ·marry people of other nations [or associate with them; L come into them, and they must not come into you]. If you do, they will cause you to ·follow [L turn your hearts to] their gods.” But Solomon ·fell in love with these women [L clung/held fast to them in love]. 3 He had seven hundred wives who were from royal families and three hundred ·slave women who gave birth to his children [concubines; C a secondary wife of lower status than a primary wife, but higher than a common servant]. His wives ·caused him to turn away from God [led him astray; L turned his heart away]. 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives ·caused him to follow [led him astray after; L turned his heart away after] other gods. ·He did not follow the Lord completely [L His heart was not wholly devoted/faithful to the Lord his God] as ·his father David had done [the heart of his father David had been]. 5 Solomon ·worshiped [followed; went after] Ashtoreth, the goddess of the people of Sidon, and ·Molech [L Milcom], the ·hated [detestable] god of the Ammonites. 6 So Solomon did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord] and ·did not [refused to] follow the Lord completely as his father David had done.
7 On a hill east of Jerusalem [C the Mount of Olives], Solomon built two ·places for worship [L high places; 3:2]. One was a place to worship Chemosh, the ·hated [detestable] god of the Moabites, and the other was a place to worship Molech, the ·hated [detestable] god of the Ammonites. 8 Solomon did the same thing for all his foreign wives so they could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their gods.
9 The Lord had appeared to Solomon twice, but the ·king [L his heart had] turned away from following the Lord, the God of Israel. The Lord was angry with Solomon, 10 because he had ·commanded [warned] Solomon not to follow other gods. But Solomon did not ·obey [observe; keep] the Lord’s command. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have chosen to break your ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with me and have not obeyed my commands, I will tear your kingdom away from you and give it to one of your ·officers [L servants]. 12 But I will not take it away ·while you are alive [L in your days] ·because of my love for [for the sake of] your father David. I will tear it away from [L the hand of] your son. 13 I will not tear away all the kingdom from him, but I will ·leave [give] him one tribe to rule. I will do this ·because [for the sake] of David, my servant, and ·because [for the sake] of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen.”
Solomon’s Enemies
14 The Lord ·caused [L raised up] Hadad the Edomite, a member of the royal family of Edom, to become Solomon’s ·enemy [adversary]. 15 Earlier, David had defeated Edom. When Joab, the commander of David’s army, went into Edom to bury the dead [C Israelite soldiers], he ·killed [slaughtered] all the males. 16 Joab and all the Israelites stayed in Edom for six months and ·killed [exterminated; eliminated] every male in Edom. 17 At that time Hadad was only a young boy, so he ·ran away [fled; escaped] to Egypt with some of his father’s ·officers [servants]. 18 They ·left [set out from] Midian and went ·to Paran, where they were joined by other men [or with men from Paran]. Then they all went to Egypt to see Pharaoh the king, who ·gave [assigned] Hadad a house, some food, and some land.
19 ·The king liked Hadad so much [Hadad became such a great favorite of Pharaoh that] he gave Hadad a wife—the sister of Tahpenes, the king’s wife. 20 ·They had [L She bore for him] a son named Genubath. Queen Tahpenes ·brought him up [raised; or weaned him] in the royal palace with ·the king’s [L Pharaoh’s] own ·children [or sons].
21 While he was in Egypt, Hadad heard that David ·had died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead also. So Hadad said to the king, “Let me go; I will return to my own country.”
22 “Why do you want to go back to your own country?” the king asked. “What ·haven’t I given you here [L do you lack with me]?”
“Nothing,” Hadad answered, “but please, let me go.”
23 God also caused another man to be Solomon’s ·enemy [adversary]—Rezon son of Eliada. Rezon had ·run away [fled] from his master, Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 After David ·defeated [slaughtered; massacred] the army of Zobah, Rezon gathered some men and became the leader of a ·small army [marauding band; gang of rebels]. They went to Damascus and settled there, and Rezon ·became king of [took control of] Damascus. 25 Rezon ruled Aram, and he ·hated [abhorred; despised; was hostile to] Israel. So he was an ·enemy [adversary] of Israel all the ·time Solomon was alive [L days of Solomon]. Both Rezon and Hadad made trouble for Israel.
26 Jeroboam son of Nebat was one of Solomon’s ·officers [L servants]. He was an Ephraimite from the town of Zeredah, and he was the son of a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam ·turned [rebelled] against the king.
27 This is the ·story [account] of how Jeroboam turned against the king. Solomon was ·filling in the land [building the terraces/Millo; 9:15] and ·repairing [L closed the gap/breach in] the wall of Jerusalem, the city of David, his father. 28 Jeroboam was a ·capable [energetic] man, and Solomon saw that this young man was ·a good worker [industrious]. So Solomon put him over all the ·workers [labor force; or forced labor] from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
29 One day as Jeroboam was leaving Jerusalem, Ahijah, the prophet from Shiloh, who was wearing a new ·coat [cloak], met him on the road. The two men were alone out in ·the country [a field]. 30 Ahijah took his new ·coat [cloak] and tore it into twelve pieces [C representing the original twelve tribes of Israel]. 31 Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces of this coat for yourself. The Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will tear the kingdom away from ·Solomon [L Solomon’s hand] and give you ten tribes. 32 But ·I will allow him to control [L he will have] one tribe. I will do this for the sake of my servant David and for Jerusalem, the city I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel. 33 I will do this because ·Solomon has [L they have][a] stopped following me and has worshiped the Sidonian goddess Ashtoreth, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god ·Molech [L Milcom]. Solomon has not ·obeyed me [walked in my ways] by doing what ·I said is right [L is right in my sight/eyes] and obeying my laws and commands, as his father David did.
34 “‘But I will not take all the kingdom away from ·Solomon [L his hand]. I will let him rule all ·his life [L the days of his life] ·because [for the sake of] of my servant David, whom I chose, who ·obeyed [observed; kept] all my commands and laws. 35 But I will take the kingdom away from his ·son [L son’s hand], and I will ·allow you to rule over [give you] the ten tribes. 36 I will ·allow Solomon’s son to continue to rule over [L give to his son] one tribe so that David, my servant will always have a ·descendant [L lamp before me; C possibly a metaphor for the reign of a king] in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to ·be worshiped [L put my name]. 37 But I will make you ·rule [reign] over everything you ·want [desire]. You will ·rule [be king] over all of Israel, 38 and I will always be with you if you ·do what I say [L walk in my ways/paths and do what] is right. You must obey all my commands. If you obey my laws and commands as David did, I will be with you. I will ·make your family a lasting family of kings [build you an enduring house/dynasty], as I did for David, and give Israel to you. 39 I will ·punish [afflict; humble] David’s children because of this, but I will not ·punish [afflict; humble] them forever.’”
Solomon’s Death(A)
40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he ·ran away [fled] to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, where he stayed until Solomon died.
41 Everything else King Solomon did, and the wisdom he showed, ·is [L is it not …?] written in the book of the ·history [acts] of Solomon. 42 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 43 Then he ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in the City of David [C Jerusalem], his father. And his son Rehoboam ·became king [reigned] in his place.
2 [L Therefore,] ·Does your life in Christ give you strength? [L If there is any encouragement in Christ…] ·Does his love comfort you? [L …if any comfort from (his) love…] ·Do we share together in the Spirit? [L …if any fellowship/sharing of the Spirit…] ·Do you have mercy and kindness? [L …if any mercy/affection and kindness/compassion…] 2 ·If so […then], ·make me very happy [L fulfill/complete my joy] by ·having the same thoughts [being like-minded/of one mind], sharing the same love, and having one ·mind [heart; soul] and ·purpose [goal; mind]. 3 When you do things, do not let ·selfishness [rivalry; selfish ambition] or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more ·honor [regard; value] to others than to yourselves. 4 Do not ·be interested only in your own life [look out for your own interests], but ·be interested in the lives of others [look out for others’ interests].
Be Unselfish like Christ
5 In your lives you must ·think and act like [have the same attitude as] Christ Jesus. [C What follows may be from an early Christian hymn.]
6 ·Christ himself was like God in everything [L Who, being in the form of God].
But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be ·used for his own benefit [or grasped; seized; held on to].
7 But he ·gave up his place with God and made himself nothing [L emptied himself].
He ·became like [L took the form of] a ·servant [slave; bondservant]
and was born ·as a man [L in the likeness of humanity/men].
8 And ·when he was living [L being found in appearance/likeness] as a ·man [human being],
he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God,
even ·when that caused his [to the point of] death—death on a cross.
9 So God ·raised [exalted] him to the highest place.
God ·made his name [or gave him the name] ·greater than [far above] every other name
10 so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus—
everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
11 And ·everyone [L every tongue] will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
and bring glory to God the Father.
Be the People God Wants You to Be
12 My ·dear friends [beloved], you have always obeyed God when I was with you. It is even more important that you obey now while I am away from you. ·Keep on working to complete [Continue working out] your salvation with ·fear [awe; reverence] and trembling, 13 because God is working in you ·to help you want to do and be able to do [L both to will/desire and to work] what pleases him.
14 Do everything without ·complaining [grumbling] or arguing. 15 Then you will be ·innocent [blameless] and ·without any wrong [innocent; pure; harmless], God’s children without ·fault [blemish; C as are sacrificial animals]. ·But you are living with people that are crooked and evil [L …in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; Deut. 32:5], among whom you shine like stars in the ·dark world [or sky; L world]. 16 You ·offer [or hold firmly/fast to] the ·teaching that gives life [message/word of life]. So ·when Christ comes again [L on the day of Christ; C judgment day], I can ·be happy [L be proud; boast] because I ·ran the race and won [L did not run for nothing/in vain]. ·My work was not wasted [L …nor did I labor for nothing/in vain].
17 Your faith makes you offer your lives as a sacrifice in serving God. [L Even] If I ·have to offer my own blood [L am poured out as a drink offering] with your sacrifice, I will be ·happy [rejoicing] and full of joy with all of you. 18 You also should be ·happy [rejoicing] and full of joy with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon. [L …so that] I will be ·happy [encouraged] to learn how you are. 20 I have no one else like Timothy [1:1], who ·truly [genuinely] cares for you. 21 Other people ·are interested only in their own lives [pursue their own interests/concerns], not ·in the work [the interests/concerns; L the things] of Jesus Christ. 22 You know ·the kind of person Timothy is [his tested and proven character]. You know he has served with me in ·telling the Good News [L the Gospel], as a son serves his father. 23 [L Therefore] I ·plan [hope] to send him to you quickly when I know what will happen to me [C probably referring to the outcome of Paul’s trial in Rome]. 24 I am ·sure [confident] ·that the Lord will help me to [L in the Lord that I will] come to you soon.
25 [L But; or Meanwhile,] I thought ·I should [it necessary to] send back to you Epaphroditus [4:18], my ·brother in Christ [L brother] and coworker, ·who serves with me in Christ’s army [L and fellow soldier]. He was your messenger, sent as a ·servant [minister] to meet my needs. 26 I am sending him because he ·wants very much to see [greatly misses; L longs for] all of you. He is ·worried [distressed] because you heard that he was sick. 27 Yes, he was sick, and nearly died, but God had mercy on him and me too so that I would not have ·more sadness [L sorrow upon sorrow]. 28 I ·want very much [am very eager] to send him to you so that when you see him you can ·be happy [rejoice], and I can stop worrying about you. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with much joy. Give honor to people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to give me the help you could not give in your service to me.
The Holy Place of the Temple
41 The man brought me to the ·Holy Place [outer sanctuary; main hall] and measured its ·side walls [or jambs], which were each ·ten and one-half feet [L six cubits] thick. 2 The entrance was ·seventeen and one-half feet [L ten cubits] wide. The walls alongside the entrance were each ·about nine feet wide [L five cubits]. The man measured the ·Holy Place [outer sanctuary; main hall], which was ·seventy feet [L forty cubits] long and ·thirty-five feet [L twenty cubits] wide.
3 Then the man went ·inside [into the inner sanctuary] and measured the ·side walls [or jambs] of the next doorway. Each was ·three and one-half feet [L two cubits] thick. The doorway was ·ten and one-half feet [L six cubits] wide, and the walls next to it were each more than ·twelve [L seven cubits] feet thick. 4 Then the man measured the room ·at the end of [or adjacent to] the ·Holy Place [outer sanctuary; main hall]. It was ·thirty-five feet [L twenty cubits] long and ·thirty-five feet [L twenty cubits] long wide. The man said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”
5 Then the man measured the wall of the ·Temple [L house], which was ·ten and one-half feet [L six cubits] thick. There were side rooms ·seven feet [L four cubits] wide all around the Temple. 6 The side rooms were on three different stories, each above the other, with thirty rooms on each story. All around the Temple walls there were ledges for the side rooms. The upper rooms rested on the ledges but were not attached to the Temple walls. 7 The side rooms around the Temple were wider on each higher story, so rooms were wider on the top story. ·A stairway went [or So one went] up from the lowest story to the highest through the middle story.
8 I also saw that the Temple had a raised ·base [platform] all around. Its edge was the foundation for the side rooms, and it was ·ten and one-half feet thick [L a full rod/stick of six cubits]. 9 The outer wall of the side rooms was ·about nine feet [L five cubits] thick. There was an open area between the side rooms of the Temple 10 and some other rooms. It was ·thirty-five feet [L twenty cubits] wide and went all around the Temple. 11 The side rooms had doors which led to the open area around the outside of the Temple. One door faced north, and the other faced south. The open area was ·about nine feet [L five cubits] wide all around.
12 The building facing the ·private area [temple courtyard] at the west side was ·one hundred twenty-two and one-half feet [L seventy cubits] wide. The wall around the building was ·about nine feet [L five cubits] thick and ·one hundred fifty-seven and one-half feet [L ninety cubits] long.
13 Then the man measured the Temple. It was ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] long. The ·private area [temple courtyard], including the building and its walls, was in all ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] long. 14 Also the front of the Temple and the ·private area [courtyard] on its east side were ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] wide.
15 The man measured the length of the building facing the ·private area [courtyard] ·on the west side [or at the rear], and it was ·one hundred seventy-five feet [L one hundred cubits] ·from one wall to the other [or with its galleries on each side].
The ·Holy Place, the Most Holy Place [or interior of the outer sanctuary/main hall], and the outer porch 16 had wood panels on the walls. By the ·doorway [thresholds], the Temple had wood panels on the walls. The wood covered all the walls from the floor up to the windows, 17 up to the part of the wall above the entrance.
All the walls inside the ·Most Holy Place and the Holy Place [inner and outer sanctuary], and on the outside, in the ·porch [portico], 18 had carvings of ·creatures with wings [L cherubim] and palm trees. A palm tree was between each ·carved creature [L cherub], and every ·creature [L cherub] had two faces. 19 One was a human face looking toward the palm tree on one side. The other was a lion’s face looking toward the palm tree on the other side. They were carved all around the Temple walls. 20 From the floor to above the entrance, palm trees and ·creatures with wings [L cherubim] were carved. The walls of the Holy Place 21 had square doorposts. In front of the ·Most Holy Place [sanctuary] was something that looked like 22 an altar of wood. It was more than ·five feet [L three cubits] high and ·three feet [L two cubits] wide. Its corners, base, and sides were wood. The man said to me, “This is the table that is ·in the presence of [before] the Lord.” 23 Both the ·Holy Place [main hall; outer sanctuary] and the ·Most Holy Place [inner sanctuary] had double doors. 24 Each of the doors had two ·pieces [leaves] that would swing open. Two for one and two for the other. 25 Carved on the doors of the ·Holy Place [main hall; outer sanctuary] were palm trees and ·creatures with wings [L cherubim], like those carved on the walls. And there was a wood ·roof [canopy] over the front Temple ·porch [portico]. 26 There were narrow windows and palm trees on both side walls of the ·porch [portico]. The side rooms of the Temple were also covered by a ·roof [canopy] over the stairway.
Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness
A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day [Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15].
92 It is good to ·praise [thank] you, Lord,
to ·sing praises to [L make a psalm to the name of] God Most High.
2 It is good to ·tell of [proclaim] your ·love [loyalty] in the morning
and of your ·loyalty [faithfulness] at night.
3 It is good to praise you with the ten-stringed lyre
and ·with the soft-sounding [melody of the] harp.
4 Lord, you have made me ·happy [rejoice] by what you have done;
I will ·sing [shout] for joy about ·what your hands have done [L the works of your hand].
5 Lord, ·you have done such great things [L how great are your works]!
How deep are your thoughts [Is. 55:8; Rom. 11:33–34]!
6 ·Stupid [Senseless; Dull-witted] people don’t know these things,
and fools don’t understand.
7 Wicked people ·grow [may sprout] like the grass.
Evil people ·seem to do well [may blossom/flourish],
but they will be ·destroyed [doomed] forever.
8 But, Lord, you will be ·honored [exalted] forever.
9 Lord, surely your enemies,
surely your enemies will ·be destroyed [perish],
and all who do evil will be scattered.
10 But you have ·made me as strong as [exalted my horn like; C symbol of strength] an ox.
You have poured ·fine [rich; fresh] oils on me [C a gesture of hospitality].
11 When ·I [L my eyes] looked, I saw my enemies;
I heard the cries of those who ·are against me [L rose against me with evil; C he sees and hears the defeat of his enemies].
12 But ·good [righteous] people will ·grow [sprout] like palm trees [1:3; 52:8];
they will ·be tall [grow great] like the cedars of Lebanon [C trees that are strong, majestic, and long-lived].
13 Like trees planted in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord,
they will ·grow strong [sprout] in the courtyards of our God.
14 When they are old, they will still produce fruit;
they will be healthy and ·fresh [green; verdant].
15 They will ·say [proclaim] that the Lord is ·good [virtuous; full of integrity; upright].
He is my Rock [28:1; 42:9; 62:2; Deut. 32:4], and there is no wrong in him.
The Majesty of the Lord
93 The Lord ·is king [reigns; 47:2; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6; 99:1; Rev. 19:6]. He is ·clothed [robed] in majesty.
The Lord is ·clothed [robed] in majesty
and ·armed [girded] with strength.
The world is ·set [established],
and it ·cannot be moved [will not totter].
2 Lord, your ·kingdom [L throne] was ·set up [established] long ago;
you are everlasting.
3 Lord, the ·seas [L rivers; C perhaps referring to currents within the sea] raise,
the ·seas [L rivers] raise their voice.
The ·seas [L rivers] raise up their pounding waves [C representing chaos].
4 The sound of the water is loud;
the ·ocean waves [L breakers of the sea] are ·powerful [majestic],
but the Lord above is much ·greater [more powerful/majestic; C God is in control of chaos].
5 Lord, your ·laws [decrees; testimonies] ·will stand forever [are very faithful/true].
·Your Temple will be holy forevermore [L At your house holiness is fitting/appropriate and will be for length of days].
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