M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 7
1 Elisha said, “Listen to the word of the Lord for thus says the Lord: By this time tomorrow a seah[a] of flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel in the gates of Samaria.” 2 An officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, “Behold, even if the Lord were to make windows in the heavens, how could this happen.” He answered, “Behold, your eyes will see it, but you will not eat any of it.”
Lepers at the Gate. 3 There were four lepers at the entrance to the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die?[b] 4 If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ there is famine in the city. We would die there. If we continue to sit here, we will die just the same. Let us go and surrender to the army of the Arameans. If they let us live, then we will live, but if they kill us, then we will die.”
5 At dusk they got up and went into the camp of the Arameans. When they arrived at the edge of the Aramean camp, they did not find anyone. 6 The Lord had made the Aramean army hear the sound of chariots and the sound of horses and the sound of a large army. They said to one another, “The king of Israel has paid the Hittite kings and the Egyptian kings to attack us.” 7 They arose at dusk and fled, abandoning their tents, their horses, and their donkeys, leaving their camp as it was. They fled for their lives.
8 These lepers reached the edge of the camp, and they entered one of the tents where they ate and drank and carried away silver, gold, and clothing. They went off and hid it, and they then entered another tent and carried off things from it as well. They went and hid those things.
9 They then said to one another, “What we are doing today is not right. It is a day of good news, and we are keeping it to ourselves. If we wait until the morning, will we not be punished? Come on, let us go and inform the king’s household.”
10 So they went and called out to the city gatekeeper, saying, “We have come from the Aramean camp, and there was no one there, not a sound from anyone. Yet, the horses are tied up, and the donkeys are tied up, and the tents are the way they were.”
11 The gatekeepers shouted out the news, and it was heard in the king’s palace. 12 The king got up during the night and he said to his servants, “I will explain to you what the Arameans have done to us. They knew that we were hungry, so they left the camp and hid in the field, saying, ‘When they come out from the city, we will catch them alive and take the city.’ ”
13 One of his servants said, “Let some men take five of the horses that are left in the city. Their fate will be the same as the rest of the Israelites who are left here, for the rest of the Israelites are doomed as well. Let us send them to see.”
14 End of the Siege. The king chose two chariots with their horses, and he sent them after the Aramean army saying, “Go and see!” 15 They followed them to the Jordan, and all along the way they found garments and equipment that the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. The messengers returned and reported it to the king.
16 The people went out and they plundered the tents of the Arameans. A seah of flour sold for one shekel, and two seahs of barley sold for one shekel, as the Lord had said.
17 Now the king had placed the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, as the man of God had foretold when the king had visited him.
18 And so what the man of God had said to the king came true, for he said, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of flour will sell for a shekel at this time tomorrow in the gates of Samaria.” 19 The officer had said to the man of God, “Behold, even if the Lord were to make windows in the heavens, how could this happen,” and he had answered, “Behold, your eyes will see it, but you will not eat any of it.” 20 This is exactly what happened, for the people trampled him in the gateway and he died.
General Regulations[a]
Chapter 4
False Asceticism. 1 The Spirit clearly says that during the last times some will abandon the faith. They will run after deceitful spirits and demonic doctrines, 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences have been branded as with a burning iron. 3 They forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods[b] that God created to be accepted with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, provided that it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and by prayer.[c]
The Benefits of Godliness. 6 If you offer these instructions to the brethren, you will prove to be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself in godliness.
8 While physical training has some value, the benefits of godliness are unlimited, since it holds out promise not only for this life but also for the life to come. 9 This saying can be trusted and merits complete acceptance. 10 For this is why we toil and struggle, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all, especially of all those who believe.
11 Pastoral Duties. These are the things you must insist upon in your teaching. 12 Let no one regard you with contempt because of your youth, but serve as an example to the believers in your speech and conduct, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
13 Until I arrive, devote yourself to reading,[d] to exhortation, and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that was bestowed upon you when, as a result of prophecy, the elders laid their hands on you.[e]
15 Meditate on these things and put them into practice so that your progress may be evident to everyone. 16 Be conscientious about your life and your teaching. Persevere in both of these tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your listeners.
Chapter 11
1 “As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I came forth to support and strengthen him.
Early Struggles between Seleucids and Ptolemies.[a] 2 “Now I shall tell you the truth about these things. Three more kings shall arise in Persia. Then a fourth will appear who will be far richer than all of them, and when he has enhanced his power through his wealth, he will mobilize the entire empire against the kingdom of Greece.[b]
3 “Then a powerful king[c] shall arise who will govern a vast empire and do whatever he pleases. 4 But as his power continues to increase, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out to the four winds of heaven. However, it will not be inherited by his descendants, nor will it be ruled in the same fashion, for his kingdom will be uprooted and pass to others rather than to his descendants.
5 “The king of the south shall grow strong, but one of his princes shall grow even stronger and rule an empire greater than his. 6 After some years the two will enter into an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north. However, she will not be able to retain her power, and his offspring will not endure. She will be handed over, along with her attendants and her child and her husband.[d]
7 “Later on, a descendant[e] from her line will arise to take her place. He shall penetrate the defenses of the king of the north, enter his stronghold, and succeed in conquering them. 8 He will even carry away into Egypt, as spoils of war, their gods, with their molten images and precious vessels of silver and gold. For several years he will refrain from attacking the king of the north.
9 “After that, the latter will invade the kingdom of the king of the south, but then return to his own country. 10 However, his sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army that will sweep forth like a flood and advance as far as the enemy’s fortress.[f]
11 “The king of the south will then become enraged and set out to engage in battle with the king of the north. The latter will muster an immense army that will suffer a crushing defeat and be carried off.[g] 12 The heart of the king of the south shall be exalted, and he shall slaughter tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.[h] 13 For the king of the north will once again raise another army, even larger than before, and finally, after some years, he will advance with a huge force and a great abundance of supplies.
14 “During those times many will take up arms against the king of the south. However, those among your own people who are lawless will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but they will fail. 15 Then the king of the north will come and erect siege-works and capture the well-fortified city. The army of the south will not be able to withstand him, and not even the elite forces will be strong enough to resist.
16 “The invader will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him. He will establish a stronghold in the glorious land, and it shall fall completely into his power. 17 He will set his mind on conquering the entire kingdom and will make a treaty with the king of the south. Further, he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but this will not succeed or be to his advantage.[i]
18 “Next he will focus his attention on the coastlands and capture many of them, but a commander will put a stop to his outrageous conduct and turn his insolence back upon him.[j] 19 He shall then turn back to the strongholds of his own land, but he will stumble and fall, never to be seen again. 20 His successor[k] shall send forth a tax collector throughout the glorious kingdom, but within a short time this king will also be overthrown and meet his end, although not in anger or in battle.
21 Antiochus IV Epiphanes.“His place shall be taken by a despicable creature upon whom the royal insignia shall not be conferred. Rather, he will come forth without any warning and seize the kingdom through stealth and fraud. 22 A powerful army shall be completely routed and crushed by him. Both it and the prince of the covenant[l] will be destroyed.
23 “After he enters into an alliance, he will act deceitfully, and by treacherous means he will rise to power with only a few supporters. 24 Without advance warning he will invade the most prosperous provinces and do what his fathers or his grandfathers had never done, lavishing plunder, spoil, and riches among them, yet all the while devising plans against their strongholds, but only for a time.
25 “He shall arouse his strength and courage to lead a great army against the kingdom of the south. Meanwhile the king of the south will wage war with a much greater and more powerful army, but he will not succeed because of the plots devised against him. 26 Even those who shared his food will seek to destroy him. His army will be swept away, and many will be slain in battle.[m]
27 “The two kings, their hearts bent on evil though seated at the same table, will exchange lies, but they will not succeed, because the end will not take place until the appointed time. 28 Then the king of the north will return to his land with great riches, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will devise his future plans and return to his own land.
29 “At the appointed time he shall return again to the south, but this time the outcome will not be as it was before. 30 For ships of the Kittim shall come against him, and he will lose heart and withdraw. As he retreats he will vent his fury and direct his energy against the holy covenant, and he will once again show his favor to those who forsake that holy covenant.
31 “Armed forces of his shall obey his command to desecrate the sanctuary, abolish the daily sacrifice, and install the abomination that causes desolation.[n] 32 He will seduce by his deceit those who break the covenant, but those people who are loyal to their God will stand firm and take action.
33 “Wise leaders of the nation shall instruct many, although for a time they will fall by the sword and fire or suffer captivity and exile. 34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, but many will have ulterior motives in offering support. 35 Some of the wise leaders will stumble so that they may be tested, refined, and purified, until the end time, which is still appointed to come.
36 “The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and considering himself to be greater than any god. He will utter monstrous blasphemies against the God of gods, and he will prosper until the period of divine wrath is completed, for what has been determined must be fulfilled. 37 He shall have no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the god beloved by women[o] or for any other god, for he shall consider himself greater than all.
38 “Instead of these, he will honor the god of fortresses, a god unknown to his ancestors. This god he shall honor with gold and silver, precious stones and costly gifts. 39 He will assign the people of a foreign god to defend the fortresses, and he will confer great honors on those whom he favors by appointing them as rulers over many people and distributing land to them as a reward.[p]
40 The End Time.[q]“When the time comes for the end, the king of the south will prepare to attack the king of the north, but the latter will overwhelm him with chariots and cavalry and a large fleet. He will invade countries and sweep over them like a flood. 41 He will invade the beautiful land, and many countries will fall, but Edom and Moab and the leaders of the Ammonites will escape from his power.
42 “He will extend his power over many countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape. 43 He will seize control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be subject to him.
44 “However, reports from the east and the north shall be a cause of alarm to him, and he will set out in great fury to bring ruin and total destruction to many. 45 He will pitch the tents of the royal pavilion between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, with no one to help him.
25 [a]My soul lies prostrate in the dust;[b]
revive me in accordance with your word.
26 I proclaim my ways and you answer me;
teach me your decrees.
27 Help me to understand the way of your commandments,
and I will meditate on your wonders.
28 My soul is wasting away in sorrow;
renew my strength in accordance with your word.
29 Keep me from the way of falsehood,
and let me live according to your law.
30 [c]I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set your judgments before me.
31 I cling to your statutes, O Lord;
do not allow me to be put to shame.
32 I run in the way of your precepts,
for you have set my heart free.
He
33 [d]Teach me, O Lord, the way of your decrees,
and I will follow it to the end.[e]
34 Give me understanding, and I will observe your law
and obey it with all my heart.[f]
35 Guide me in the way of your precepts,
for in them is my delight.
36 Dispose my heart to follow your statutes
and to flee selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes away from what is unimportant,
and let me live in your way.
38 Fulfill your word to your servant,
so that you may be feared.[g]
39 Let me escape the disgrace that I dread,
for your judgments are good.
40 See, I long for your commandments;
in your righteousness preserve my life.
Waw
41 [h]Let your kindness[i] descend on me, O Lord,
your salvation in accord with your promise.
42 Then I will respond to those who insult me,
because I trust in your word.
43 Do not remove from my mouth the word of truth,[j]
for I place my hope in your judgment.
44 I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
45 I will walk in complete freedom
because I have sought your commands.[k]
46 I will speak of your statutes in the presence of kings
and will not be ashamed.
47 Your precepts fill me with delight
because I love them.
48 I lift up my hands[l] to your precepts, which I love,
and I meditate on your decrees.
Zayin
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