M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
16 Jehu son of Hanani spoke the word of the Lord against King Baasha. 2 The Lord said, “·You were nothing, but I took you [L I raised/exalted you from the dust] and made you ·a leader [ruler] over my people Israel. But you have ·followed [L walked in] the ·ways [paths] of Jeroboam and have led my people Israel to sin. Their sins have ·made me angry [provoked/aroused me to anger], 3 so, Baasha, I will soon ·destroy [consume; wipe out] you and your ·family [L house]. I will do to you what I did to the ·family [L house] of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 4 Anyone ·from your family [L of Baasha] who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone from your ·family [L house] who dies in the ·fields [country] will be eaten by ·birds [vultures; L birds of the air/sky].”
5 Everything else Baasha did and all his victories ·are [L are they not…?] written down in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel. 6 So Baasha ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in Tirzah, and his son Elah became king in his place.
7 The Lord spoke his word against Baasha and his ·family [L house] through the prophet Jehu son of Hanani. Baasha had done ·many things the Lord said were wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], ·which made the Lord very angry [L provoking/arousing him to anger with the works of his hand]. He did the same evil deeds that Jeroboam’s ·family [L house] had done before him. ·The Lord also spoke against Baasha because he killed all of [And Baasha had also destroyed/struck] Jeroboam’s ·family [L house].
Elah King of Israel
8 Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel during Asa’s twenty-sixth year as king of Judah, and Elah ruled in Tirzah for two years.
9 Zimri, one of Elah’s ·officers [officials; L servants], commanded half of Elah’s chariots. Zimri ·made plans [plotted; conspired] against Elah while the king was in Tirzah, getting drunk at Arza’s home. (Arza was ·in charge of the palace [L over the household] at Tirzah.) 10 Zimri went into Arza’s house and ·killed [L struck down and killed] Elah during Asa’s twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Then Zimri became king of Israel in Elah’s place.
Zimri King of Israel
11 As soon as Zimri became king, he killed all of Baasha’s ·family [L house], not allowing ·any of Baasha’s family [L any male/one who urinates against the wall, of his relatives] or friends to live. 12 So Zimri destroyed all of Baasha’s ·family [L house] ·just as the Lord had said it would happen [L according to the word of the Lord as spoken] through the prophet Jehu. 13 Baasha and his son Elah sinned and led the people of Israel to sin, ·provoking [arousing] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger because of their worthless idols.
14 Everything else Elah did ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel.
15 So during Asa’s twenty-seventh year as king of Judah, Zimri became king of Israel and ruled in Tirzah seven days.
The ·army of Israel [people] was camped near Gibbethon, a Philistine town. 16 The men in the camp heard that Zimri had ·made secret plans [plotted; conspired] against King Elah and had killed him. So that day in the camp ·they [L all Israel] made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel. 17 So Omri and all the Israelite army left Gibbethon and ·attacked [besieged] Tirzah. 18 When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the ·palace [L citadel of the king’s house] and set it on fire, burning the palace and himself with it. 19 So Zimri died because he had sinned by doing ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam had led the people of Israel to sin, and Zimri ·sinned in the same way as [L walked in the way/path of] Jeroboam.
20 Everything else Zimri did and ·the story of how he turned [his conspiracy] against King Elah ·are [L are they not…?] written down in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel.
Omri King of Israel
21 The people of Israel were divided into two ·groups [factions; parts]. Half of the people ·wanted [followed; supported] Tibni son of Ginath to be king, while the other half ·wanted [followed; supported] Omri. 22 Omri’s followers ·were stronger than [prevailed over; overcame] the followers of Tibni son of Ginath, so Tibni died, and Omri became king.
23 Omri became king of Israel during the thirty-first year Asa was king of Judah. Omri ruled Israel for twelve years, six of those years in the city of Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for ·about one hundred fifty pounds [L two talents] of silver. Omri built a ·city [fortified city] on that hill and called it Samaria after the name of its earlier owner, Shemer.
25 But Omri did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]; he did more evil than all the kings who came before him. 26 Jeroboam son of Nebat had led the people of Israel to sin, and Omri ·sinned in the same way as [L walked in the way/path of] Jeroboam. The Israelites ·provoked [aroused] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger ·because they worshiped [with their] worthless idols.
27 Everything else Omri did and all his successes ·are [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel. 28 So Omri ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried in Samaria, and his son Ahab became king in his place.
Ahab King of Israel
29 Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel during Asa’s thirty-eighth year as king of Judah, and Ahab ·ruled [reigned over] Israel in the city of Samaria for twenty-two years. 30 More than any king before him, Ahab son of Omri did ·many things the Lord said were wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. 31 He ·sinned in the same ways as [L walked in the ways/paths of] Jeroboam son of Nebat, ·but he did even worse things [L as though it were a light/trivial thing]. He married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Sidon. Then Ahab began to serve Baal and worship him. 32 He built a ·temple [L house] in Samaria for worshiping Baal and put an altar there for Baal. 33 Ahab also ·made an idol for worshiping Asherah [set up an Asherah pole; 14:15]. He did more things to ·provoke [arouse] the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the other kings before him.
34 During the time of Ahab, Hiel from Bethel rebuilt the city of Jericho. ·It cost Hiel the life of Abiram, his oldest son, to begin work on the city [L With Abiram, his firstborn, he laid its foundation], and ·it cost the life of Segub, his youngest son, to build [L with Segub, his youngest, he set up] the city gates. This happened ·just as the Lord, speaking [L according to the word of the Lord spoken] ·through [L by the hand of] Joshua son of Nun [Josh. 6:26].
Your New Life in Christ
3 [L Therefore] Since you were ·raised from the dead [L raised] with Christ, ·aim at [aspire to; seek after; focus on] ·what is in heaven [L the things above], where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 ·Think only about [Set your minds on; Fix your thoughts on] the things ·in heaven [L above], not the things on earth. 3 [L For] ·Your old sinful self has [L You] died, and your new life is ·kept [hidden] with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, ·comes again [appears; L is revealed], you will ·share in his [L be revealed with him in] glory.
5 So put all ·evil [earthly; worldly] things ·out of your life [L to death]: sexual sinning, ·doing evil [impurity; defilement], ·letting evil thoughts control you [lust; passion], ·wanting things that are evil [selfish desires], and greed, which is ·serving a false god [idolatry]. 6 Because of these things, God’s ·judgment [anger; wrath] is coming.[b] 7 You also used to ·do these things [live/walk this way] when you were ·part of the world [L living among/in them].
8 But now also put these things out of your life: anger, ·bad temper [rage], ·hatred [malice; evil], ·saying things to hurt others [slander; blasphemy], and ·using evil words [abusive/filthy/obscene language] ·when you talk [L from your mouth]. 9 Do not lie to each other. You have ·left [taken/stripped off; or disarmed; 2:15] your old ·sinful life [self; person; man] and ·the things you did before [L its deeds/practices]. 10 You have ·begun to live the new life [L put on the new person/man], in which you are being ·made new [renewed] in ·the true knowledge of God [L knowledge] ·and are becoming like [L according to the image of] the One who created you [Gen. 1:26–27]. 11 In the new life there is no difference between Greeks and Jews, those who are circumcised and those who are not circumcised, or ·people who are foreigners [barbarians], or Scythians [C from the northern coast of the Black Sea, considered uncivilized and violent]. There is no difference between slaves and free people. But Christ is ·all that is important and is in all believers [L all and in all].
12 ·God loves you and has chosen you and made you his holy people. So [L As God’s chosen, holy and beloved ones; Ex. 19:6; 1 Pet. 2:9] you should always clothe yourselves with ·mercy [L a heart of compassion], kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 ·Bear with [Make allowances for; Be patient with] each other, and forgive each other. If someone ·does wrong to you [L has a grievance/complaint against someone], forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. 14 ·Even more than all this [Above all], clothe yourself in love, which ·holds you all together in perfect unity [or binds everything together; L is the bond of perfection/completeness]. 15 Let the peace ·that Christ gives [of Christ] ·control [rule; arbitrate] your ·thinking [hearts], because you were all called together in one body [C the church as the body of Christ] to have peace. Always be thankful. 16 Let the ·teaching [message; word] of Christ ·live in [or dwell among] you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and ·instruct [warn; admonish] each other by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with ·thankfulness [gratitude; grace] in your hearts to God. 17 Everything you do or say should be done ·to obey [or as a representative of; L in the name of] the Lord Jesus. And in all you do, give thanks to God the Father through Jesus.
Your New Life with Other People
18 Wives, ·yield to the authority of [submit to] your husbands, because this is ·the right thing to do [appropriate; fitting] in the Lord [Eph. 5:22–24; 1 Pet. 3:1–6].
19 Husbands, love your wives and ·be gentle with [L don’t be harsh toward/embittered against] them [Eph. 5:25–33; 1 Pet. 3:7].
20 Children, obey your parents in all things, because this pleases the Lord [Eph. 6:1–3].
21 Fathers [or Parents; Heb. 11:23], do not ·nag [aggravate; exasperate; provoke] your children [Eph. 6:4]. If you are too hard to please, they may ·want to stop trying [become discouraged; lose heart].
22 ·Slaves [Bondservants], obey your ·human [earthly] masters in all things [Eph. 6:5–9; 1 Pet. 2:18–25]. Do not obey just ·when they are watching you [L with eye-service], ·to gain their favor [L as people-pleasers], but serve them ·honestly [with a sincere heart], because you ·respect [reverence; fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7]. 23 In all the work you are doing, ·work the best you can [do it heart and soul; L from the soul]. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people. 24 ·Remember [L …knowing] that you will receive from the Lord the reward ·which he promised to his people [L of an inheritance]. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 But remember that anyone who does wrong will be ·punished [repaid] for that wrong, and ·the Lord treats everyone the same [L there is no favoritism/partiality].
Rules for Worship
46 “‘This is what the Lord God says: The east gate of the inner courtyard will stay shut on the six working days, but it will be opened on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon. 2 The ·ruler [prince] will enter from outside through the ·porch [portico] of the gateway and stand by the gatepost, while the priests offer the ·ruler’s [prince’s] burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1]. The ruler will ·worship [bow down] at the ·entrance [threshold] of the gateway, and then he will go out. But the gate will not be shut until evening. 3 The people of the land will worship at the entrance of that gateway ·in the presence of [before] the Lord on the Sabbaths and New Moons. 4 This is the burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] the ruler will offer to the Lord on the Sabbath day: six male lambs ·that have nothing wrong with them [without blemish/defect] and a ·male sheep [ram] ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. 5 He must give a ·half-bushel [L ephah; 45:11] ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering with the male sheep, but he ·may [or will] give as much grain offering with the lambs as ·he pleases [or he is able; L a gift of his hand]. He must also give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each ·half bushel [L ephah] of grain. 6 On the day of the New Moon he must offer a young bull ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect]. He must also offer six lambs and a male sheep ·that have nothing wrong with them [all without blemish/defect]. 7 The ruler must give a ·half-bushel [L ephah] ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with the bull and ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] with the ·male sheep [ram]. With the lambs, he ·may [or will] give as much grain ·as he pleases [or as he is able; L a gift of his hand]. But he must give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each half bushel of grain. 8 When the ·ruler [prince] enters, he must go in through the ·porch [portico] of the gateway, and he must go out the same way.
9 “‘When the people of the land come ·into the Lord’s presence [before the Lord] at the ·special feasts [appointed festivals], those who enter through the north gate to worship must go out through the south gate. Those who enter through the south gate must go out through the north gate. They must not return the same way they entered; everyone must go out ·the opposite way [straight ahead]. 10 The ·ruler [prince] will go in with the people when they go in and go out with them when they go out.
11 “‘At the feasts and ·regular times of worship [appointed festivals] ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] of grain must be offered with a young bull, and ·one-half bushel [L an ephah] of grain must be offered with a ·male sheep [ram]. But with an offering of lambs, the ruler may give as much grain as ·he pleases [or he is able; L a gift of his hand]. He should give a ·gallon [L hin] of olive oil for each ·half bushel [L ephah] of grain. 12 The ·ruler [prince] may give an ·offering as a special gift to the Lord [freewill offering]; it may be a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] or ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1]. When he gives it to the Lord, the ·inner east gate [gate facing east] is to be opened for him. He must offer his burnt offering or his ·fellowship [or peace; well-being] offering [Lev. 3:1] as he does on the Sabbath day. Then he will go out, and the gate will be shut after he has left.
13 “‘Every day you will give a year-old lamb ·that has nothing wrong with it [without blemish/defect] for a burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] to the Lord. Do it ·every morning [morning by morning]. 14 Also, you must offer a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] with the lamb ·every morning [morning by morning]. For this you will give ·three and one-third quarts [L a sixth of an ephah] of grain and ·one and one-third quarts [L a third of an ephah] of olive oil, to make the fine flour moist, as a ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] to the Lord. This is a ·rule that must be kept from now on [perpetual statute; lasting ordinance]. 15 So you must always give the lamb, together with the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 2:1] and the olive oil, ·every morning [morning by morning] as a ·regular [perpetual] burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17].
Rules for the Ruler
16 “‘This is what the Lord God says: If the ·ruler [prince] gives a gift from his ·land [inheritance] to any of his sons, that land will belong to the son and then to the son’s children. It is their property ·passed down from their family [L by inheritance]. 17 But if the ruler gives a gift from his ·land [inheritance] to any of his servants, that land will belong to the servant only until the year of freedom [C the year of Jubilee; Lev. 25:8–15]. Then the land will go back to the ·ruler [prince]. ·Only the ruler’s sons may keep a gift of land from the ruler [L His inheritance shall be only for his sons]. 18 The ·ruler [prince] must not take any of the people’s ·land [inheritance], forcing them out of their land. He must give his sons ·some of his own land [inheritance from his own property] so my people will not be scattered out of their own land.’”
The Special Kitchens
19 The man led me through the entrance at the side of the gateway to the priests’ ·holy rooms [sacred chambers] that face north. ·There I saw [L And look/T behold] a place at the far west end. 20 The man said to me, “This is where the priests will boil the ·meat of the penalty [L penalty; or guilt; reparation] offering [Lev. 5:14—6:7] and ·sin [or purification] offering [Lev. 4:3] and bake the ·grain [L gift; tribute] offering [Lev. 3:1]. Then they will not need to bring these holy offerings into the outer courtyard, ·because that would hurt [L which would transmit holiness to] the people [C the purity of God’s holiness would destroy sinful human beings; Lev. 16:2].”
21 Then the man brought me out into the outer courtyard and led me to its four corners. [L And look/T behold] In each corner of the courtyard was a smaller courtyard. 22 Small courtyards were in the four corners of the courtyard. Each small courtyard was the same size, ·seventy feet [L forty cubits] long and ·fifty-two and one-half feet [L thirty cubits] wide. 23 A ·stone wall [L row] was around each of the four small courtyards, and ·places for cooking [fireplaces; boiling places] were built in each of the ·stone walls [rows]. 24 The man said to me, “These are the kitchens where those who ·work [minister] in the Temple will boil the sacrifices offered by the people.”
A Cry for Help
A prayer of a person who is suffering when he is ·discouraged [faint; disturbed] and ·tells the Lord his complaints [L pours out his concerns before the Lord].
102 Lord, listen to my prayer;
let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your ·presence [L face] from me
in my time of ·trouble [distress].
·Pay attention [L Extend your ear] to me.
·When I cry for help [L On the day I call], answer me quickly.
3 My ·life [L days] is ·passing away [vanishing] like smoke,
and my bones are burned up ·with fire [L like a furnace/oven/or glowing embers].
4 My heart is like grass
that has been ·cut [stricken] and dried.
I forget to eat my ·food [or bread].
5 Because of ·my grief [L the sounds of my groans],
my ·skin hangs on my bones [L bones cling to my flesh].
6 I am like a ·desert [wilderness] owl,
like an owl living among the ·ruins [wastelands; Is. 34:10–15; Zeph. 2:13–15].
7 I ·lie awake [or keep watch].
I am like a lonely bird on a ·housetop [roof].
8 All day long enemies ·insult [scorn; reproach] me;
those who ·make fun of [mock] me use my name as a curse.
9 I eat ashes for ·food [or bread],
and my tears ·fall into [mingle with] my drinks.
10 Because of your ·great anger [L wrath and indignation],
you have picked me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a passing shadow;
I am like dried grass.
12 But, Lord, you ·rule [L are enthroned] forever,
and your ·fame [memory] ·goes on and on [L throughout the generations].
13 You will ·come [L rise up] and have ·mercy [compassion] on ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
because the time has now come to be ·kind [gracious] to her;
the ·right [appointed] time has come.
14 Your servants ·love even [are pleased/delighted with] her stones;
they even ·care about [L have pity/compassion for] her dust.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings on earth ·will honor you [L your glory; C God’s manifest presence].
16 The Lord will rebuild ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
there his glory [C manifest presence] will be seen.
17 He will answer the prayers of the ·needy [lowly; L naked];
he will not ·reject [despise] their prayers.
18 Write these things for ·the future [L a future generation]
so that people who are not yet ·born [created] will praise the Lord.
19 The Lord looked down from his holy place above;
from heaven he ·looked [gazed] down at the earth.
20 He heard the ·moans [groans] of the prisoners,
and he ·freed [released] those sentenced to die.
21 The name of the Lord will be ·heard [recounted] in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
his praise ·will be heard there [L in Jerusalem].
22 People will ·come [gather] together,
and kingdoms will serve the Lord.
23 ·God has made me tired of living [He broke my strength in midcourse/L the way];
he has cut short my ·life [L days].
24 So I said, “My God, do not take me in the middle of my ·life [L days].
Your years ·go on and on [endure for generations].
25 In the beginning you ·made [founded] the earth,
and ·your hands made the skies [L the heavens are the work of your hands; Gen. 1].
26 They will be destroyed, but you will ·remain [endure].
They will all wear out like ·clothes [garments].
And, like clothes, you will change them
and throw them away.
27 But you ·never change [are the same/L he],
and your ·life [L years] will never end.
28 ·Our children [L The children of your servants] will live in your presence,
and their ·children [offspring; L seed] will remain with you.”
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