M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Elijah Runs Away
19 King Ahab told Jezebel every thing Elijah had done and how Elijah had killed all the prophets with a sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods ·punish me terribly [deal severely with me, and worse; L do to me, and even more] if by this time tomorrow I don’t ·kill you just as you killed those prophets [L make your life like the life of one of them].”
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life, taking his servant with him. When they came to Beersheba in Judah, Elijah left his servant there. 4 Then Elijah ·walked [journeyed] for a whole day into the ·desert [wilderness]. He sat down under a ·bush [juniper/broom tree] and asked to die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he prayed. “·Let me die [L Take my life]. I am no better than my ·ancestors [fathers; C that is, he is as good as dead, as they already are].” 5 Then he lay down under the tree and slept.
Suddenly an ·angel [messenger] came to him and touched him. “Get up and eat,” the angel said. 6 Elijah saw near his head a loaf baked over ·coals [hot stones] and a jar of water, so he ate and drank. Then he ·went back to sleep [L lay down again].
7 The Lord’s ·angel [messenger] came to him a second time. The angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat. If you don’t, the journey will be too ·hard [much] for you.” 8 So Elijah got up and ate and drank. The food made him strong enough to walk for forty days and nights to Mount ·Sinai [L Horeb; Ex. 3:1, 17:6; 19:18], the mountain of God. 9 There Elijah went into a cave and stayed all night.
Then the ·Lord spoke his word to [word of the Lord came to] him: “Elijah! ·Why are you [What are you doing] here?”
10 He answered, “Lord God ·All-Powerful [of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], I have ·always served you as well as I could [been very zealous for you]. But the ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel have ·broken [abandoned; forsaken] their ·agreement [covenant; solemn pact] with you, ·destroyed [torn down] your altars, and killed your prophets with swords. I ·am the only prophet [alone am] left, and now they ·are trying to kill me [seek my life], too.”
11 The Lord said to Elijah, “Go, stand ·in front of [before] me on the mountain, ·and I will pass by you [for the Lord is about to pass by].” Then a very strong wind ·blew until it caused the mountains to fall apart and large rocks to break in front of [tore apart the mountain and shattered the rocks before] the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was ·a quiet, gentle sound [the sound of a gentle whisper/blowing/wind; or a brief sound of silence; T a still small voice]. 13 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his coat and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave.
Then a voice said to him, “Elijah! ·Why are you [What are you doing] here?”
14 He answered, “Lord God ·All-Powerful [of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], I have ·always served you as well as I could [been very zealous for you]. But the ·people [L sons; T children] of Israel have ·broken [abandoned; forsaken] their ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with you, ·destroyed [torn down] your altars, and killed your prophets with swords. I ·am the only prophet [alone am] left, and now they ·are trying to kill me [seek my life], too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back on the road that leads to the ·desert [wilderness] around Damascus. Enter that city, and ·pour olive oil on [L anoint] Hazael to make him king over Aram [2 Kin. 8:7–15]. 16 Then ·pour oil on [L anoint] Jehu son of Nimshi to make him king over Israel [2 Kin. 9:1–13]. Next, ·pour oil on [L anoint] Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to ·make him a prophet in your place [succeed you as prophet; 2 Kin. 2:1–18]. 17 Jehu will kill anyone who escapes from Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes from Jehu’s sword. 18 I ·have left [or will preserve/spare/leave] seven thousand people in Israel who have never bowed down before Baal and whose mouths have never kissed ·his idol [L him].”
Elisha Becomes a Prophet
19 So Elijah left that place and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with ·a team of oxen. He owned twelve teams of oxen and was plowing with the twelfth team [or twelve teams of oxen, and he with the twelfth]. Elijah came up to Elisha, took off his ·coat [T mantle], and put it on Elisha. 20 Then Elisha left his oxen and ran to follow Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and my mother good-bye,” Elisha said. “Then I will go with you.”
Elijah answered, “Go back. ·It does not matter to me [For what have I done to you?; or But consider what I have done to you].”
21 So Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and ·killed [slaughtered; sacrificed] them. He used ·their wooden yoke [the plowing gear] for a fire [C symbolizing his turning from farming to a new calling as a prophet]. Then he cooked the meat and gave it to the people. After they ate it, Elisha left and followed Elijah and became his ·helper [servant; assistant].
Paul’s Work in Thessalonica
2 Brothers and sisters, you ·know [yourselves know; are well aware that] our ·visit [coming] to you was not ·a failure [without results; in vain; Acts 17:1–9]. 2 Before we came to you, we suffered and were ·insulted [mistreated] in Philippi [C a city in Macedonia (1:7); Acts 16:6–40], as you know. But ·our God helped us to be brave and [L we were emboldened in our God] to tell you ·his Good News [the Gospel of God] in spite of great opposition. 3 [L For] Our ·appeal [encouragement; exhortation] does not come from ·lies [error] or ·wrong reasons [false motives; L impurity], nor ·were we trying to trick you [with guile/deceit]. 4 But we speak the ·Good News [Gospel] because God ·tested [approved] us and ·trusted us to do [or entrusted us with] it. When we speak, we are not trying to please people, but God, who ·tests [examines; approves] our hearts. 5 You know that we never ·tried to influence you by saying nice things about you [L came with words of flattery]. ·We were not trying to get your money; we had no selfishness to hide from you [L …nor with hidden motives of greed]. God ·knows that this is true [L is (our) witness]. 6 We were not looking for human ·praise [glory], from you or anyone else, 7 even though as apostles of Christ we could have ·used our authority over you [thrown our weight around; exercised our prerogatives].
But we were very gentle with you,[a] like a ·mother [nurse; nursing mother] caring for her [L own] little children. 8 Because we ·loved [had such affection for/devotion to] you, we were ·happy [pleased; delighted] to share not only God’s ·Good News [Gospel] with you, but ·even [also] our own lives. You had become so ·dear [beloved] to us! 9 Brothers and sisters, ·I know [surely] you remember our hard work and ·difficulties [hardship; labor]. We worked night and day so we would not burden any of you while we preached God’s ·Good News [Gospel] to you.
10 When we were with you, we lived in a holy and ·honest [righteous; just] way, ·without fault [blameless; innocent]. You ·know this is true, and so does [L are witnesses, and so is] God. 11 You know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12 We ·encouraged [exhorted; urged] you, we ·urged [encouraged; comforted] you, and we ·insisted [appealed/bore witness to you] that you ·live good lives for [L walk worthy of] God, who calls you to his ·glorious kingdom [L kingdom and glory].
13 ·Also [L For this reason], we always thank God because when you ·heard his message [received the message you heard] from us, you accepted it not as ·merely human words [a human message], but for what it truly is—·the word of [a message from] God, which ·works in [transforms] you who believe. 14 [L For] Brothers and sisters, ·your experiences have been like those [or you became imitators] of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea [C the original church in Jerusalem and others nearby]. You suffered the same things from the people of your own country, as they suffered from the Jews 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and ·forced us to leave that country [drove us out; or persecuted us]. They do not please God and are ·against [hostile/opposed to] all people. 16 ·They try [or …because they try; or …by trying] to stop us from ·teaching [speaking/preaching to] the Gentiles so they may be saved. By doing this, they are ·increasing [filling/heaping up] their sins to the limit. The ·anger [wrath] of God ·has come to [or has drawn near to; or will overtake] them ·at last [or completely; or until the end (of the age)].
Paul Wants to Visit Them Again
17 Brothers and sisters, though we were ·separated [torn away; orphaned] from you for a short time, ·our thoughts were still with you [physically, not spiritually…; L in face, not in heart…]. We wanted very much to see you and tried hard to do so. 18 We wanted to come to you. I, Paul, tried to come ·more than once [again and again; L both once and twice], but Satan ·stopped [hindered; prevented] us. 19 ·You are [L For who is…?] our hope, our joy, and the crown we will ·take pride in [boast about] when our Lord Jesus Christ comes. 20 Truly you are our glory and our joy.
Daniel Taken to Babylon
1 During the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah [C 605 bc], Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [C ruled 605–562 bc] came to Jerusalem and ·surrounded it with his army [besieged/L pressed it]. 2 The Lord ·allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim king of Judah [L gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand; C God was in control, not Nebuchadnezzar]. Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the ·things [articles; utensils; C cups, forks, and other items used in ritual; 5:2–4; Ex. 27:9; 30:27; 31:8–9; Ezra 1:9–11] from the ·Temple [L house] of God, which he carried to ·Babylonia [L the land of Shinar] and put in the ·temple [L house of the treasury] of his ·gods [or god; C probably Marduk, the chief god of Babylon].
3 Then King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, ·his chief officer [or the chief of his eunuchs], to bring some of the ·men of Judah into his palace. He wanted them to be from important families, including the family of the king of Judah [L …sons of Israel, from the royal family and from the nobility]. 4 King Nebuchadnezzar wanted only ·young Israelite men [L children] who had ·nothing wrong with them [L no blemish; 2 Sam. 14:25; Song 4:4]. They were to be ·handsome [L of good appearance] and ·well educated [L skilled in all wisdom], ·capable of learning [L knowing knowledge] and understanding, and able to ·serve [L stand] in his palace [Gen. 41:33]. Ashpenaz was to teach them the language and ·writings [literature] of the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans; C probably Akkadian and Aramaic; the literature would include myths and legends as well as divination texts]. 5 The king ·gave the young men [L allotted/assigned to them] ·a certain amount of food and wine every day, just like the food he ate [L a daily ration of the royal food and wine he drank]. The young men were to be ·trained [educated] for three years, and then they would ·become servants of the king of Babylon [L stand before the king]. 6 Among those young men were Daniel [C “God is my judge”], Hananiah [C “The Lord is gracious to me”], Mishael [C “Who is like God”], and Azariah [C “The Lord is my helper”] from the ·people [L sons] of Judah.
7 Ashpenaz, the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs], gave them names [C Babylonian, that is Akkadian, names]. Daniel’s new name was Belteshazzar, Hananiah’s was Shadrach, Mishael’s was Meshach, and Azariah’s was Abednego [C the new names praised Babylonian gods].
8 Daniel ·decided [L set his heart] not to eat the king’s food or drink his wine because that would ·defile [contaminate] him [C perhaps would make him ritually unclean, but more likely because he depended on God to sustain him]. So he ·asked [sought] ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] for permission not to ·defile [contaminate] himself in this way.
9 God made Ashpenaz, the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs], want to be ·kind [loving] and ·merciful [gracious] to Daniel, 10 but ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my master, the king. He ·ordered me to give you this [L allotted/assigned your] food and drink. If you begin to look ·worse [thinner] than other ·young men [children; youth] your age, the king will see this. Then ·he will cut off my head because of you [L you will forfeit my head to the king].”
11 Daniel spoke to the ·guard [or attendant; steward] whom the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs] had ·appointed [allotted/assigned] over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please give us this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare how we look with how the other ·young men [children; youth] look who eat the king’s ·food [rations]. See for yourself and then decide how you want to treat us, your servants.”
14 So the ·guard [or attendant; steward] ·agreed to test [L listened to them on this matter and tested] them for ten days. 15 After ten days they looked healthier and ·better fed [L their flesh was fatter] than all the ·young men [children; youths] who ate the king’s ·food [rations]. 16 So the ·guard [or attendant; steward] took away the king’s special food and wine, feeding them vegetables instead.
17 God gave these four ·young men [children; youths] ·wisdom [knowledge] and ·the ability to learn many things that people had written and studied [insight into wisdom and literature]. Daniel could also understand visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the ·time [L days] ·set for them by the king [L which the king said to bring them; v. 5], ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked to them and found that none of the young men were ·as good as [L like] Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So ·those four young men became the king’s servants [L they stood before the king]. 20 Every time the king ·asked them about [L sought from them] something important, they showed much wisdom and understanding. They were ten times better than all the ·magicians [enchanters] and ·fortune-tellers [diviners] in his kingdom! 21 So Daniel ·continued to be the king’s servant [was there] until the first year Cyrus was king.
God’s Love for Israel
105 Give thanks to the Lord and ·pray to him [L call on his name].
·Tell [L Make known among] the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him; ·sing praises [make a psalm] to him.
Tell about all his ·miracles [wonderful acts].
3 ·Be glad that you are his [L Exult/Glory in his holy name];
let ·those [L the heart of those] who seek the Lord ·be happy [rejoice].
4 ·Depend on [Seek] the Lord and his strength;
always ·go to him for help [L seek his face].
5 Remember the ·miracles [wonderful acts] he has done;
remember his ·wonders [signs] and ·his decisions [L the judgments of his mouth].
6 You are ·descendants [L seed] of his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3],
the children of Jacob, his chosen people.
7 He is the Lord our God.
His ·laws [justice; judgments] are for all the world.
8 He will ·keep [L remember] his ·agreement [covenant; treaty] forever;
·he will keep his promises always [L the word which he commanded, for a thousand generations].
9 He will keep the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] he ·made [L cut] with Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3; 17:23]
and the ·promise [oath] he made to Isaac [Gen. 26:3–5].
10 He made it a ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] for the people of Jacob;
he made it an ·agreement [covenant; agreement] with Israel to last forever.
11 The Lord said, “I will give you the land of Canaan [Gen. 15:18],
·and it will belong to you [L as a portion of your inheritance].”
12 Then ·God’s people [L they] were few in number.
They were ·strangers [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] in the land.
13 They went from one nation to another,
from one kingdom to another.
14 But the Lord did not let anyone ·hurt [exploit; oppress] them;
he warned kings ·not to harm them [L concerning them].
15 He said, “Don’t touch my ·chosen [anointed] people,
and don’t harm my prophets.”
16 ·God [He] ·ordered [proclaimed] a ·time of hunger [famine] in the land,
and he ·destroyed all the food [L broke every staff of bread; Gen. 41:54].
17 Then he sent a man ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave [Gen. 37; 45:5; 50:20].
18 They ·put chains around his feet [L afflicted his feet with chain]
and an iron ·ring [collar] around his neck.
19 ·Then the time he had spoken of came,
and the Lord’s words proved that Joseph was right [or Until the time he had spoken of came, the words of the Lord kept testing him].
20 The king [C of Egypt] sent for Joseph and ·freed [released] him;
the ruler of the people set him free [Gen. 41:14, 40].
21 He made him the ·master [lord] of his house;
Joseph was in charge of his riches [Acts 7:10].
22 He could ·order [bind] the princes as he wished.
He taught the older men to be wise.
23 Then Israel [C another name for Jacob, Joseph’s father] came to Egypt;
Jacob lived in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
24 The Lord made his people ·grow in number [fruitful; Ex. 1:7],
and he ·made them stronger than [strengthened them against] their ·enemies [foes].
25 He ·caused the Egyptians [L turned their hearts] to hate his people
and to ·make plans [L act deceptively] against his servants [Ex. 1:8].
26 Then he sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen [Ex. 3:1—4:17].
27 They did many signs among the Egyptians
and worked ·wonders [miracles; C the plagues; Ex. 7–12] in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
28 The Lord sent darkness and made the land dark,
but the Egyptians ·turned against what he said [rebelled against his word; Ex. 10:21–29].
29 He changed their water into blood
and made their fish die [Ex. 7:14–25].
30 Then their country ·was filled [swarmed] with frogs,
even in the bedrooms of their ·rulers [L kings; Ex. 8:1–17].
31 The Lord spoke and flies came [Ex. 8:20–32],
and gnats were everywhere in the country [Ex. 8:16–19].
32 He made hail fall like rain
and sent lightning through their land.
33 He struck down their grapevines and fig trees,
and he ·destroyed [shattered] every tree in the country [Ex. 9:13–35].
34 He spoke and ·grasshoppers [locusts] came;
the ·locusts [young locusts] ·were too many to count [L without number].
35 They ate all the ·plants [vegetation] in the land
and ·everything the earth produced [L the fruit of the ground; Ex. 10:1–20].
36 ·The Lord [L He] also ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn sons in the land,
the oldest son of each family [L the first of their virility; Ex. 11:1—12:30].
37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold [Ex. 12:35–36].
·Not one of his people stumbled [L There was no stumbling among the tribe].
38 The Egyptians ·were glad [rejoiced] when they left,
because ·the Egyptians were afraid of them [L dread of them fell on them; C because of the plagues].
39 ·The Lord covered them with a cloud [L He spread out a cloud as a covering]
and ·lit up the night with fire [L a fire to illuminate the night; Ex. 13:21–22].
40 When they asked, he brought them quail
and filled them with bread from heaven [Ex. 16].
41 God ·split [L opened] the rock, and water flowed out;
it ran like a river through the ·desert [wasteland; Ex. 17:1–7].
42 He remembered his holy ·promise [word]
to his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3].
43 So God brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them lands of other nations,
so they received ·what others had worked for [L the labors of peoples].
45 This was so they would ·keep [observe; guard] his ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
and ·obey [protect] his ·teachings [instructions; laws].
Praise the Lord!
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