M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

16 New king of Judah: Ahaz

² But he did not follow the Lord as his ancestor David had; ³ he was as wicked as the kings of Israel. He even killed his own son by offering him as a burnt sacrifice to the gods, following the heathen customs of the nations around Judah—nations that the Lord destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land. ⁴ He also sacrificed and burned incense at the shrines on the hills and at the numerous altars in the groves of trees.

⁵ Then King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah (son of Remaliah) of Israel declared war on Ahaz and besieged Jerusalem; but they did not conquer it. ⁶ However, at that time King Rezin of Syria recovered the city of Elath for Syria; he drove out the Jews and sent Syrians to live there, as they do to this day. ⁷ King Ahaz sent a messenger to King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria, begging him to help him fight the attacking armies of Syria and Israel.^{[a] 8} Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple and from the royal vaults and sent it as a payment to the Assyrian king. ⁹ So the Assyrians attacked Damascus, the capital of Syria. They took away the population of the city as captives, resettling them in Kir, and King Rezin of Syria was killed.

¹⁰ King Ahaz now went to Damascus to meet with King Tiglath-pileser, and while he was there he noticed an unusual altar in a heathen temple.^[b] He jotted down its dimensions and made a sketch and sent it back to Uriah the priest with a detailed description. ^11-12 Uriah built one just like it by following these directions and had it ready for the king, who, upon his return from Damascus, inaugurated it with an offering. ¹³ The king presented a burnt offering and a grain offering, poured a drink offering over it, and sprinkled the blood of peace offerings upon it. ¹⁴ Then he removed the old bronze altar from the front of the Temple (it had stood between the Temple entrance and the new altar), and placed it on the north side of the new altar. ¹⁵ He instructed Uriah the priest to use the new altar for the sacrifices of burnt offering, the evening grain offering, the king’s burnt offering and grain offering, and the offerings of the people, including their drink offerings. The blood from the burnt offerings and sacrifices was also to be sprinkled over the new altar. So the old altar was used only for purposes of divination.

“The old bronze altar,” he said, “will be only for my personal use.”

¹⁶ Uriah the priest did as King Ahaz instructed him. ¹⁷ Then the king dismantled the wheeled stands in the Temple, removed their crosspieces and the water vats they supported, and removed the great tank from the backs of the bronze oxen and placed it upon the stone pavement. ¹⁸ In deference to the king of Assyria he also removed the festive passageway he had constructed between the palace and the Temple.^[c]

¹⁹ The rest of the history of the reign of King Ahaz is recorded in The Annals of the Kings of Judah. ²⁰ When Ahaz died he was buried in the royal cemetery, in the City of David sector of Jerusalem, and his son Hezekiah became the new king.

2 But as for you, speak up for the right living that goes along with true Christianity. ² Teach the older men to be serious and unruffled; they must be sensible, knowing and believing the truth and doing everything with love and patience.

³ Teach the older women to be quiet and respectful in everything they do. They must not go around speaking evil of others and must not be heavy drinkers, but they should be teachers of goodness. ⁴ These older women must train the younger women to live quietly, to love their husbands and their children, ⁵ and to be sensible and clean minded, spending their time in their own homes, being kind and obedient to their husbands so that the Christian faith can’t be spoken against by those who know them.

⁶ In the same way, urge the young men to behave carefully, taking life seriously. ⁷ And here you yourself must be an example to them of good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect your love of the truth and the fact that you are in dead earnest about it. ⁸ Your conversation should be so sensible and logical that anyone who wants to argue will be ashamed of himself because there won’t be anything to criticize in anything you say!

⁹ Urge slaves to obey their masters and to try their best to satisfy them. They must not talk back, ¹⁰ nor steal, but must show themselves to be entirely trustworthy. In this way they will make people want to believe in our Savior and God.

¹¹ For the free gift of eternal salvation is now being offered to everyone; ¹² and along with this gift comes the realization that God wants us to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures and to live good, God-fearing lives day after day, ¹³ looking forward to that wonderful time we’ve been expecting, when his glory shall be seen—the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ He died under God’s judgment against our sins so that he could rescue us from constant falling into sin and make us his very own people, with cleansed hearts and real enthusiasm for doing kind things for others. ¹⁵ You must teach these things and encourage your people to do them, correcting them when necessary as one who has every right to do so. Don’t let anyone think that what you say is not important.

9 O Israel, rejoice no more as others do, for you have deserted your God and sacrificed to other gods on every threshing floor.

² Therefore your harvests will be small; your grapes will blight upon the vine.

³ You may no longer stay here in this land of God; you will be carried off to Egypt and Assyria and live there on scraps of food. ⁴ There, far from home, you are not allowed to pour out wine for sacrifice to God. For no sacrifice that is offered there can please him; it is polluted, just as food of mourners is; all who eat such sacrifices are defiled. They may eat this food to feed themselves, but may not offer it to God. ⁵ What then will you do on holy days, on days of feasting to the Lord, ⁶ when you are carried off to Assyria as slaves? Who will inherit your possessions left behind? Egypt will! She will gather your dead; Memphis will bury them. And thorns and thistles will grow up among the ruins.

⁷ The time of Israel’s punishment has come; the day of recompense is almost here, and soon Israel will know it all too well. “The prophets are crazy”; “The inspired men are mad.” Yes, so they mock, for the nation is weighted with sin and shows only hatred for those who love God.

⁸ “I appointed the prophets to guard my people, but the people have blocked them at every turn and publicly declared their hatred, even in the Temple of the Lord. ⁹ The things my people do are as depraved as what they did in Gibeah^[a] long ago. The Lord does not forget. He will surely punish them.

¹⁰ “O Israel, how well I remember those first delightful days when I led you through the wilderness! How refreshing was your love! How satisfying, like the early figs of summer in their first season! But then you deserted me for Baal-peor,^[b] to give yourselves to other gods, and soon you were as foul as they. ¹¹ The glory of Israel flies away like a bird, for your children will die at birth, or perish in the womb, or never even be conceived. ¹² And if your children grow, I will take them from you; all are doomed. Yes, it will be a sad day when I turn away and leave you alone.”

¹³ In my vision I have seen the sons of Israel doomed. The fathers are forced to lead their sons to slaughter. ¹⁴ O Lord, what shall I ask for your people? I will ask for wombs that don’t give birth, for breasts that cannot nourish.

¹⁵ “All their wickedness began at Gilgal;^[c] there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their idolatry. I will love them no more, for all their leaders are rebels. ¹⁶ Ephraim is doomed. The roots of Israel are dried up; she shall bear no more fruit. And if she gives birth, I will slay even her beloved child.”

¹⁷ My God will destroy the people of Israel because they will not listen or obey. They will be wandering Jews, homeless among the nations.

126 When Jehovah brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! ² How we laughed and sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”

³ Yes, glorious things! What wonder! What joy! ⁴ May we be refreshed^[a] as by streams in the desert.

⁵ Those who sow tears shall reap joy. ⁶ Yes, they go out weeping, carrying seed for sowing, and return singing, carrying their sheaves.

127 Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders’ work is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, sentries do no good. ² It is senseless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, fearing you will starve to death; for God wants his loved ones to get their proper rest.

³ Children are a gift from God; they are his reward. ⁴ Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows to defend him.

⁵ Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. That man shall have the help he needs when arguing with his enemies.^[b]

128 Blessings on all who reverence and trust the Lord—on all who obey him!

² Their reward shall be prosperity and happiness. ³ Your wife shall be contented in your home. And look at all those children! There they sit around the dinner table as vigorous and healthy as young olive trees. ⁴ That is God’s reward to those who reverence and trust him.

⁵ May the Lord continually bless you with heaven’s blessings^[c] as well as with human joys. ⁶ May you live to enjoy your grandchildren! And may God bless Israel!