M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Temple Offerings
29 King David said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great since the palace is not for a man but for the Lord God. 2 So with all my might I have prepared for the house of my God: gold for the things of gold, silver for the things of silver, bronze for the things of bronze, iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, along with onyx stones and stones for setting, stones of antimony, multicolored stones, and every precious stone, even alabaster in abundance. 3 Moreover, in my devotion to the house of my God I have offered from my own property, gold and silver, which I give for the house of my God, over and above that which I prepared for the holy dwelling place: 4 three thousand talents[a] of gold of the gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents[b] of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the house; 5 of gold for the things of gold and of silver for the things of silver, even for all the handiwork of the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?”
6 Then the leaders of the fathers’ houses, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and hundreds, and the officials of the king’s workers offered willingly. 7 Also they donated to the service of the house of God five thousand talents[c] of gold and ten thousand darics[d] of gold, ten thousand talents[e] of silver, eighteen thousand talents[f] of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents[g] of iron. 8 Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord; and King David also rejoiced greatly.
A Prayer of David
10 So David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly, and David said,
“Blessed are You, O Lord,
the God of Israel,
our Father forever and ever.
11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power,
and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty,
for everything in the heavens and the earth is Yours.
Yours is the kingdom, O Lord,
and You exalt Yourself as head above all.
12 Riches and honor flow from You,
and You rule over all.
In Your hand are power and might,
and in Your hand it is to make great and to strengthen all.
13 So now, our God, we give thanks to You,
and praise Your glorious name.
14 “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so freely as this? For everything comes from You, even from Your own hand we have given to You. 15 For we are strangers and sojourners before You, just as all our fathers were. Our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 16 O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name has come from Your hand, and all belongs to You. 17 I know, my God, that You test the heart, and with uprightness You are pleased, so in the uprightness of my heart I have offered freely all these things, and now I have seen Your people, those present here, offer freely and joyously to You. 18 O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever in the thoughts and intentions of the heart of Your people and direct their heart to You. 19 Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart to keep Your commandments, Your testimonies, and Your statutes, to do all these things and to build the palace for which I have made preparation.”
20 Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless now the Lord your God.” So all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed down and paid homage to the Lord and the king.
Solomon, King of Israel(A)
21 On the following day, they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, and one thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 So they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great joy.
And they made Solomon the son of David king a second time, for they anointed him to the Lord as a ruler and Zadok as a priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the leaders and the mighty men, and also the sons of King David, pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.
25 The Lord highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had never been on any king in Israel before him.
The Death of David(B)
26 Now David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. 27 His tenure as king over Israel was forty years: In Hebron, he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he was king thirty-three years. 28 So he died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.
29 Now the acts of David the king, first to last, are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer 30 with all his reign and his might and the times that overtook him, and Israel, and all the kingdoms of the lands.
The Promise of the Lord’s Coming
3 This is now, beloved, the second epistle I am writing to you, in which I am stirring up your sincere minds by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the words that were spoken previously by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior spoken through us, the apostles.
3 Know this first, that there shall come scoffers in the last days who walk after their own lusts, 4 and say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were since the beginning of the creation.” 5 For they willingly ignore that, by the word of God the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed standing out of the water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed was flooded with water and perished. 7 But by the same word, the heavens and the earth that now exist are being reserved for fire, kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But, beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat. The earth also and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things are to be destroyed, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 while you are waiting for and desiring the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will be consumed by intense heat? 13 But, according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless. 15 Keep in mind that the patience of our Lord means salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul has also written to you according to the wisdom given to him. 16 As in all his letters, he writes about these things, in which some things are hard to understand, which the unlearned and unstable distort, as they also do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own firm footing, being led away by the deception of the wicked. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever. Amen.
The Indictment of the Lord
6 Listen to what the Lord says:
Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
that the hills may hear your voice.
2 Hear, mountains, the indictment of the Lord,
O enduring foundations of the earth—
that the Lord has an indictment against His people,
and against Israel He will dispute.
3 “My people, what have I done to you,
and how have I wearied you? Answer Me!
4 For I have brought you up from the land of Egypt,
and from the house of slaves I have redeemed you;
and I sent before you Moses,
Aaron, and Miriam.
5 O My people, remember now
what Balak king of Moab counseled,
and what Balaam son of Beor answered him,
and remember what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
so that you might know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
The Requirement of the Lord
6 “With what should I come before the Lord,
and bow down before God on high?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has told you, O man, what is good—
and what does the Lord require of you,
but to do justice and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
The Punishment of Israel’s Guilt
9 The voice of the Lord calls to the city—
and wisdom will fear Your name:
Heed the rod and Him who has appointed it.
10 Are there still in the house of the wicked
treasures of wickedness?
And the short ephah[a] which is accursed?
11 Should I acquit the scales of wickedness,
and the sack of dishonest weights?
12 Her wealthy men are full of violence,
and her inhabitants speak deception,
and their tongue in their mouth is treachery.
13 Therefore, I have struck you a dreadful blow,
devastating you because of your sins.
14 You will eat, but not be satisfied,
with hunger within you.
You will set aside, but not retain;
and what you retain I will give over to the sword.
15 You will sow, but not reap;
you will tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil;
you will crush grapes, but not drink wine.
16 You observe the statutes of Omri,
and every practice of the house of Ahab,
and you walk in their counsels.
Therefore I will give you over to destruction,
and the inhabitants to derision.
You will bear the contempt of My people.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep(A)
15 Now all the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 But the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 Then when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ 7 Likewise, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous men who need no repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins[a] and losing one, does not light a candle and sweep the house and search diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’ 10 Likewise, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
11 Then He said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that falls to me.’ So he divided his estate between them.
13 “Not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together, and journeyed to a distant country, and there squandered his possessions in prodigal living. 14 When he had spent everything, there came a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in want. 15 So he went and hired himself to a citizen of that county, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 He would gladly have filled his stomach with the husks that the swine were eating, but no one gave him any.
17 “When he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have an abundance of bread, and here I am perishing with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 20 So he arose and came to his father.
“But while he was yet far away, his father saw him and was moved with compassion, and ran and embraced his neck and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet. 23 Bring here the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry. 24 For this son of mine was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ So they began to be merry.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. As he came and drew near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. 27 He said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him safe and sound.’
28 “He was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and entreated him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! These many years have I served you. Nor have I ever transgressed your commands, yet never have you given me a goat, so that I might be merry with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed the fattened calf for him.’
31 “He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. 32 But it was fitting to be merry and be glad, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.