M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

17 And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah dwelleth under curtains. ² And Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee. ³ And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in: ⁵ for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, unto this day, but ^[a]have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. ⁶ In all places wherein I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? ⁷ Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the ^[b]sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ^[c]prince over my people Israel: ⁸ and I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first, ¹⁰ and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I ^[d]will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that Jehovah will build thee a house. ¹¹ And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee; ¹⁴ but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever. ¹⁵ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

¹⁶ Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Jehovah God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? ¹⁷ And this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; but thou hast spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Jehovah God. ¹⁸ What can David say yet more unto thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant. ¹⁹ O Jehovah, for thy servant’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things. ²⁰ O Jehovah, there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ^21 [e]And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, to make thee a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou redeemedst out of Egypt? ²² For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God. ²³ And now, O Jehovah, let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as thou hast spoken. ^24 [f]And let thy name be established and magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and the house of David thy servant is established before thee. ²⁵ For thou, O my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build him a house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray before thee. ²⁶ And now, O Jehovah, thou art God, and hast promised this good thing unto thy servant: ²⁷ and now it hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Jehovah, hast blessed, and it is blessed for ever.

4 Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members? ² Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and ^[a]covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not. ³ Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures. ⁴ Ye ^[b]adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or think ye that the scripture ^[c]speaketh in vain? ^[d]Doth the spirit which ^[e]he made to dwell in us long unto envying? ⁶ But he giveth ^[f]more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, ^[g]God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. ⁷ Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. ⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

¹¹ Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. ¹² One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?

¹³ Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain: ¹⁴ whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. ^15 [h]For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that. ¹⁶ But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil. ¹⁷ To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

1 Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, ² Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. ³ But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.

⁴ But Jehovah ^[a]sent out a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. ⁵ Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. ⁶ So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not. ⁷ And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah. ⁸ Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; what is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? ⁹ And he said unto them, I am a Hebrew; and I fear Jehovah, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land. ¹⁰ Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, What is this that thou hast done? For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Jehovah, because he had told them.

¹¹ Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea grew more and more tempestuous. ¹² And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you. ¹³ Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not: for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. ¹⁴ Wherefore they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We beseech thee, O Jehovah, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood; for thou, O Jehovah, hast done as it pleased thee. ¹⁵ So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. ¹⁶ Then the men feared Jehovah exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice unto Jehovah, and made vows.

¹⁷ And Jehovah prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

6 Now it came to pass on a ^[a]sabbath, that he was going through the grainfields; and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. ² But certain of the Pharisees said, Why do ye that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath day? ³ And Jesus answering them said, ^[b]Have ye not read even this, what David did, when he was hungry, he, and they that were with him; ⁴ how he entered into the house of God, and took and ate the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests alone? ⁵ And he said unto them, The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.

⁶ And it came to pass on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man there, and his right hand was withered. ⁷ And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find how to accuse him. ⁸ But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man that had his hand withered, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. ⁹ And Jesus said unto them, I ask you, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do harm? to save a life, or to destroy it? ¹⁰ And he looked round about on them all, and said unto him, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored. ¹¹ But they were filled with ^[c]madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

¹² And it came to pass in these days, that he went out into the mountain to pray; and he continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, he called his disciples; and he chose from them twelve, whom also he named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and ^[d]James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, ¹⁵ and Matthew and Thomas, and ^[e]James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, ¹⁶ and Judas the ^[f]son of ^[g]James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor; ¹⁷ and he came down with them, and stood on a level place, and a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judaea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; ¹⁸ and they that were troubled with unclean spirits were healed. ¹⁹ And all the multitude sought to touch him; for power came forth from him, and healed them all.

²⁰ And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. ²² Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. ²³ Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets. ²⁴ But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. ²⁵ Woe unto you, ye that are full now! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you, ye that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. ²⁶ Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets.

²⁷ But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, ²⁸ bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. ²⁹ To him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and from him that taketh away thy cloak withhold not thy coat also. ³⁰ Give to every one that asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. ³¹ And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. ³² And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them. ³³ And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much. ³⁵ But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, ^[h]never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. ³⁶ Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful. ³⁷ And judge not, and ye shall not be judged: and condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: release, and ye shall be released: ³⁸ give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.

³⁹ And he spake also a parable unto them, Can the blind guide the blind? shall they not both fall into a pit? ⁴⁰ The disciple is not above his teacher: but every one when he is perfected shall be as his teacher. ⁴¹ And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? ⁴² Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. ⁴³ For there is no good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit; nor again a corrupt tree that bringeth forth good fruit. ⁴⁴ For each tree is known by its own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. ⁴⁵ The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

⁴⁶ And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? ⁴⁷ Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: ⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: ^[i]because it had been well builded. ⁴⁹ But he that ^[j]heareth, and ^[k]doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation; against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great.