M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Uzziah King of Judah(A)
15 Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah during Jeroboam’s twenty-seventh year as king of Israel. 2 Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother was named Jecoliah, and she was from Jerusalem. 3 He did ·what the Lord said was right [L right in the eyes/sight of the Lord], just as his father Amaziah had done. 4 But the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; 12:3] were not removed, so the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.
5 The Lord struck Uzziah with ·a skin disease [T leprosy; 5:1], which he had until the day he died. So he had to live in a separate house. Jotham, the king’s son, was in charge of the ·palace [L king’s house], and he ·governed [judged] the people of the land.
6 All the other things Uzziah did ·are [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Judah. 7 Uzziah ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried ·near his ancestors [with his ancestors/fathers] in the City of David [C Jerusalem], and his son Jotham became king in his place.
Zechariah King of Israel
8 Zechariah son of Jeroboam was king over Israel in Samaria. He ·ruled [reigned] for six months during Uzziah’s [C also called Azariah] thirty-eighth year as king of Judah. 9 Zechariah did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord], just as his ·ancestors [fathers] had done. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led the people of Israel to sin, and Zechariah did not ·stop doing [depart/turn away from] the same sins.
10 Shallum son of Jabesh ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against Zechariah and ·killed [assassinated] him in front of the people. Then Shallum became king in his place. 11 The other acts of Zechariah ·are [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Israel. 12 The Lord had told Jehu: “Your sons down to ·your great-great-grandchildren [the fourth generation; 10:30] will be kings of Israel,” and ·the Lord’s word came true [so it was/happened].
Shallum King of Israel
13 Shallum son of Jabesh became king during Uzziah’s thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Shallum ·ruled [reigned] for a month in Samaria. 14 Then Menahem son of Gadi came up from Tirzah to Samaria and attacked Shallum son of Jabesh in Samaria. He ·killed [assassinated] him and became king in Shallum’s place.
15 The other acts of Shallum and his ·secret plans [conspiracy; plot] ·are [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Israel.
Menahem King of Israel
16 Menahem ·started out from Tirzah and attacked Tiphsah, destroying the city and the area nearby [or destroyed Tiphsah and everyone in it and the surrounding region/countryside as far as Tirzah]. This was because the people had refused to open the city gate for him. He defeated them and ripped open all their pregnant women.
17 Menahem son of Gadi became king over Israel during Uzziah’s thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Menahem ·ruled [reigned] ten years in Samaria, 18 and he did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and all the time Menahem was king, he did not ·stop doing [depart/turn away from] the same sins.
19 Pul [C another name for Tiglath-pileser] king of Assyria ·came to attack [invaded] the land. Menahem gave him ·about seventy-four thousand pounds [L a thousand talents] of silver so Pul would support him ·and make his hold on the kingdom stronger [in tightening his grip/hold on royal power/the kingdom]. 20 Menahem ·taxed [exacted/extorted the money from] the rich in Israel to pay ·about one and one-fourth pounds [L fifty shekels] of silver for each soldier to the king of Assyria. So the king left and did not stay in the land.
21 Everything else Menahem did ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Israel. 22 Then Menahem ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors], and his son Pekahiah became king in his place.
Pekahiah King of Israel
23 Pekahiah son of Menahem became king over Israel in Samaria during Uzziah’s [C also called Azariah] fiftieth year as king of Judah. Pekahiah ·ruled [reigned] two years, 24 and he did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and Pekahiah did not ·stop doing [depart/turn away from] the same sins.
25 Pekah son of Remaliah was one of Pekahiah’s captains, and he ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against Pekahiah. He took fifty men of Gilead with him and ·killed [assassinated] Pekahiah, as well as Argob and Arieh, in the ·palace [king’s house] at Samaria. Then Pekah became king in Pekahiah’s place.
26 Everything else Pekahiah did ·is [is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Israel.
Pekah King of Israel
27 Pekah son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria during Uzziah’s [C also called Azariah] fifty-second year as king of Judah. Pekah ·ruled [reigned] twenty years, 28 and he did ·what the Lord said was wrong [L evil in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. Jeroboam son of Nebat had led Israel to sin, and Pekah did not ·stop doing [depart/turn away from] the same sins.
29 Tiglath-pileser [C also called Pul; 15:19] was king of Assyria. He attacked while Pekah was king of Israel, capturing the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor. He also captured Gilead and Galilee and all the land of Naphtali and carried the people away to Assyria as captives. 30 Then Hoshea son of Elah ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against Pekah son of Remaliah and attacked and ·killed [assassinated] him. Then Hoshea became king in Pekah’s place during the twentieth year Jotham son of Uzziah was king.
31 Everything else Pekah did ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Israel.
Jotham King of Judah(B)
32 Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah during the second year Pekah son of Remaliah was king of Israel. 33 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok. 34 Jotham did ·what the Lord said was right [L right in the eyes/sight of the Lord], just as his father Uzziah had done. 35 But the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; 12:3] were not removed, and the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there. Jotham rebuilt the Upper Gate of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
36 The other things Jotham did while he was king ·are [L are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 1:18] of the kings of Judah. 37 At that time the Lord began to send Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah against Judah. 38 Jotham ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors] and was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the City of David [C Jerusalem], his ·ancestor [father]. Then Jotham’s son Ahaz became king in his place.
1 From Paul, a ·servant [slave; bondservant] of God and an ·apostle [messenger] of Jesus Christ. I was sent ·to help [or in the service of; or to bring about] the faith of God’s ·chosen people [elect] and to help them know the truth that ·shows people how to serve God [or leads to godliness/piety]. 2 That faith and that knowledge ·come from [or lead to] the ·hope for [confidence/certainty of] ·life forever [eternal life], which God, who never lies, promised to us before ·time began [L eternal times]. 3 At ·the right [the appointed; his own] time God ·let the world know about that life [L revealed/manifested his word/message] through preaching. He ·trusted [entrusted] me with that work by the command of God our Savior.
4 To Titus [2 Cor. 2:13; 7:6; 8:16; Gal. 2:1–3], my ·true [genuine] child in the faith we share:
Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Titus’ Work in Crete
5 I left you in Crete [C an island in the Mediterranean southeast of Greece] so you could ·finish doing [organize; straighten out] the things that still needed to be done and so you could appoint elders in every ·town [city], as I directed you. 6 An elder [1 Tim. 3:1–7] must ·not be guilty of doing wrong [be blameless], must ·have only one wife [or be faithful to his wife], and must have ·believing [or faithful] children. They must not be ·known as children who are [accused of being] ·wild [reckless] and ·do not cooperate [unruly; undisciplined; rebellious]. 7 As God’s ·managers [stewards], overseers [C probably the same church office as elder; 1 Tim. 3:1, 6, 7; 5:17] must be ·innocent of wrongdoing [blameless], ·unselfish [not arrogant/self-willed], not ·quick-tempered [easily angered]. They must not ·drink too much wine [be a drunkard], ·like to fight [be violent/a brawler], or ·try to get rich by cheating others [be greedy for gain/dishonest in business]. 8 Overseers must be ·ready to welcome guests [hospitable], love what is good, be ·wise [self-controlled; sensible], ·live right [upright; just], and be ·holy [devout] and ·self-controlled [disciplined]. 9 By holding ·on [firmly] to the ·trustworthy [faithful] ·word [message] just as it was taught to them, overseers can ·encourage [exhort] people with ·true [sound; healthy] teaching, and they can ·correct [reprove; refute] those who are against it.
10 There are many ·people who refuse to cooperate [unruly/rebellious people], who talk about ·worthless [empty; useless] things and ·lead others into the wrong way [deceive others]—·mainly [especially] those ·who insist on circumcision to be saved [or among the Jewish Christians; L of the circumcision]. 11 These people must be ·stopped [L silenced], because they are ·upsetting [misleading; ruining; overthrowing] whole families by teaching things they should not teach, which they do ·to get rich by cheating people [for dishonest gain]. 12 Even one of their own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, evil ·animals [beasts], and lazy ·people who do nothing but eat [gluttons; C a quote from Epimenides, a poet from Crete (sixth century bc)].” 13 ·The words that prophet said are [L This testimony is] true. So ·firmly [severely; sharply] ·tell those people they are wrong [rebuke/admonish them] so they may become ·strong [sound; healthy] in the faith, 14 not ·accepting [paying attention to; wasting time with] Jewish ·false stories [myths; 1 Tim. 1:4; 4:7; 2 Tim. 4:4] and the commands of people who ·reject [turn their backs on] the truth. 15 To those who are pure, all things are pure, but to those who are ·full of sin [defiled; polluted (with sin)] and ·do not believe [unfaithful], nothing is pure. Both their minds and their consciences have been ·ruined [defiled; polluted]. 16 They ·say [claim; confess] they know God, but their actions show they ·do not accept [deny] him. They are ·hateful people [detestable; abominable], they refuse to obey, and they are ·useless [unfit; disqualified] for doing anything good.
Israel Has Trusted Wrong Things
8 “Put the trumpet to your lips [C to warn of danger or call to battle]!
The enemy ·swoops down on [or circles over] the Lord’s ·people [or temple; L house] like an eagle.
The Israelites have broken my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]
and have ·turned [rebelled] against my ·teachings [law; L Torah].
2 Israel cries out to me,
‘Our God, we in Israel ·know [acknowledge] you!’
3 But Israel has rejected what is good,
so the enemy will ·chase [pursue] them.
4 They ·chose their own [appointed; enthroned] kings
·without asking my permission [L but not from me].
They chose their own ·leaders [princes],
people I did not ·know [acknowledge; approve].
They made their silver and gold into idols,
and for all this they will be destroyed.
5 I ·hate [have rejected] ·the calf-shaped idol of Israel [L your calf, Samaria; Ex. 32; 1 Kin. 12:26–30]!
·I am very angry with the people [L My anger burns against them].
How long will they remain ·unclean [impure; guilty]?
6 The idol is something a craftsman made;
it is not God.
·Israel’s calf-shaped idol [L The calf of Samaria; v. 5]
will surely be smashed to pieces.
7 “·Israel’s foolish plans are like planting the wind [L They sow the wind],
·but they will harvest a storm [L and reap the whirlwind].
Like a stalk with no head of grain,
it produces ·nothing [L no flour].
Even if it produced something,
·other nations [foreigners] would ·eat [devour] it.
8 Israel is ·eaten [swallowed] up;
the people are ·mixed among [L among] the other nations
and have become ·useless to me [a useless pot/utensil/vessel].
9 Israel is like a wild donkey ·all by itself [wandering alone].
They have ·run [L gone up] to Assyria;
·They have hired other nations to protect them [L Ephraim has hired lovers; or Ephraim has sold herself to lovers].
10 Although Israel ·is mixed [or hired; or hired herself out] among the nations,
I will gather them together.
They will ·become weaker and weaker [begin to waste away]
·as they suffer under [from the burden/oppression of] the ·great king of Assyria [L king of princes].
11 “Although ·Israel [L Ephraim; 4:17] built more altars to remove sin,
they have become altars for sinning.
12 I have written many ·teachings [laws; instructions] for them,
but they think the teachings are ·strange and foreign [alien; irrelevant].
13 The Israelites offer sacrifices to me as gifts
and eat the meat,
but the Lord ·is not pleased with [does not accept] them.
He remembers ·the evil they have done [their wickedness/iniquity],
and he will punish them for their sins.
They will ·be slaves again as they were in [L return to] Egypt.
14 Israel has forgotten its Maker and has built palaces;
Judah has built many ·strong, walled [fortified] cities.
But I will send fire on their cities
and ·destroy [L it will devour/consume] their ·strong buildings [strongholds; citadels].”
A Prayer for Mercy
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
123 Lord, I ·look upward [L lift up my eyes] to you,
you who ·live [are enthroned; L sit] in heaven.
2 ·Slaves depend on their masters [L Like the eyes of servants/slaves to the hand of their master],
and ·a female servant depends on her mistress [L like the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress].
·In the same way, we depend on the Lord our God [L …thus our eyes are to the Lord our God as…];
we wait for him to show us ·mercy [grace].
3 ·Have mercy on [Be gracious to] us, Lord. ·Have mercy on [Be gracious to] us,
because we have been insulted.
4 We ·have suffered [are filled with the] ·many insults [much ridicule] from ·lazy [untroubled; unworried] people
and much ·cruelty [scorn] from the proud.
The Lord Saves His People
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
124 What if the Lord had not been on our side?
(Let Israel ·repeat this [L say].)
2 What if the Lord had not been on our side
when ·we were attacked [L people rose against us]?
3 When they were angry with us,
they would have swallowed us alive.
4 They would have been like ·a flood [L water] ·drowning [overflowing] us;
they would have ·poured [passed] over us like a ·river [torrent].
5 They would have ·swept us away [passed over us] like ·a mighty stream [raging waters].
6 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord,
who did not ·let them chew us up [L give us as prey to their teeth].
7 We escaped like a bird
from the ·hunter’s [fowler’s] trap.
The trap broke,
and we escaped.
8 Our help ·comes from [L is in the name of] the Lord,
who made heaven and earth [Gen. 1].
God Protects Those Who Trust Him
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
125 Those who ·trust [have confidence in] the Lord are like Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple],
which sits unmoved forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
the Lord surrounds his people
now and forever.
3 The ·wicked will not rule
over [L scepter of the wicked will not rest on; C the scepter is a symbol of rule] ·those who do right [L the allotment of the righteous].
·If they did, the people who do right
might use their power to do evil [L …so the righteous do not send forth their hands in evil].
4 Lord, ·be [or do] good to those who are good,
whose hearts are ·honest [virtuous; filled with integrity].
5 But, Lord, when you ·remove [turn aside] those who ·do evil [are twisted/perverted],
also ·remove [L make go away] those who ·stop following you [L do evil].
Let there be peace in Israel.
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