M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Queen of Sheba Visits(A)
9 The queen of Sheba heard a report of Solomon, and she came to Jerusalem with a very impressive retinue—with camels carrying spices, an abundance of gold, and precious stones—to test Solomon with riddles. When she came to Solomon she shared with him everything that was on her heart. 2 Solomon declared to her everything that she asked, and there was not any matter concealed from Solomon that he did not declare to her. 3 When the queen of Sheba had observed the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 4 the food on his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his valets, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more spirit left in her.
5 Then she said to the king, “True was the report that I heard in my land concerning your words and wisdom. 6 But I did not believe their reports until I came and my eyes saw; and indeed, half the greatness of your wisdom was not declared to me. You have exceeded the report that I heard. 7 How happy your men must be! How happy these servants, those who are continually before you listening to your wisdom. 8 May the Lord your God be blessed, who has delighted in you, to set you as king on the throne of the Lord your God. Your God has loved Israel to establish them continually and has set you as king over them to perform justice and righteousness.”
9 Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents[a] of gold and a great abundance of spices and precious stones. And there were no spices like those that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
10 Moreover, the servants of Hiram and Solomon who brought gold from Ophir also brought algum wood and precious stones. 11 And the king used the algum wood for steps for the house of the Lord and the palace of the king, even for lyres and harps for the singers. And there had not been anything seen like these in the land of Judah.
12 And King Solomon gave everything to the queen of Sheba in which she had pleasure, even what she asked for in addition to what she brought to the king. Then she turned and left for her own land with her servants.
The Splendor of Solomon(B)
13 The weight of gold that came to Solomon every year was six hundred and sixty-six talents[b] of gold. 14 In addition to what the explorers and merchants brought in, all the kings of Arabia and governors of the land brought in gold and silver to Solomon.
15 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold, and six hundred gold pieces[c] were used for each large shield. 16 And he made three hundred shields of hammered gold; three hundred gold pieces[d] were used for each shield. And the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
17 And the king made a great throne of ivory, and he covered it with fine gold. 18 And there were six steps and a gold footstool attached to the throne, and on each side at the place of the seat were armrests with two lions standing beside the armrests. 19 So twelve lions stood there on the six steps, one on each side, and there was nothing like this in any kingdom. 20 Even all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were gold, and all the vessels in the House of the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. And silver was not thought to be valuable in the days of Solomon. 21 The ships of Solomon went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish returned carrying gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
22 So King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom. 23 All the kings of the earth sought out an audience before Solomon to hear his wisdom that God gave to his mind. 24 Every year each man brought his own tribute, vessels of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules.
25 Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots and twelve thousand horses, and he put them in designated cities and with him in Jerusalem. 26 He ruled over all the kings from the River[e] to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. 27 So the king made silver in Jerusalem as abundant as stones and cedar as plentiful as sycamore trees in the lowlands of the Shephelah. 28 The horses of Solomon were imported from Egypt and from all other lands.
The Death of Solomon(C)
29 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, from beginning to end, are they not written in the annals of Nathan the prophet, and the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? 30 So Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years. 31 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the City of David his father. And Rehoboam his son then ruled in his place.
Salutation
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,
To those who are sanctified and called by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Judgment on False Teachers(A)
3 Beloved, while I diligently tried to write to you of the salvation we have in common, I found it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. 4 For there are some men who secretly crept in, who were marked long ago for this condemnation. They are ungodly men, who pervert the grace of our God into immorality and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 Now I want to remind you, though you already know, that the Lord saved the people out of the land of Egypt and afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 Likewise, the angels who did not keep to their first domain, but forsook their own dwelling, He has kept in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. 7 Just as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities in like manner, gave themselves to immorality and went after different flesh, they serve as an example by suffering the punishment of eternal fire.
8 Likewise, these ungodly dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander celestial beings. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil in a dispute about the body of Moses, did not dare to pronounce upon him a railing judgment. But he said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these men slander those things that they do not understand. But they destroy themselves in those things that, like unreasoning animals, they know by instinct.
11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily after the error of Balaam for a reward, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
12 These are the ones who are stains on your love feasts as they feast with you irreverently and care only for themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted; 13 raging waves of the sea, which are foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom the gloom of darkness has been kept forever.
14 Enoch, the seventh generation from Adam, also prophesied of these men, saying, “Look! The Lord is coming with ten thousand of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all who are godless of all their wicked deeds that they have committed, and of all the terrible words that godless sinners have spoken against Him.” 16 These men are grumblers, complainers, who walk after their own lusts. Their mouths speak arrogant words, and they flatter others to gain profit.
Warnings and Exhortations
17 But, beloved, remember the words that were previously spoken by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last days there will be scoffers who will walk after their own ungodly desires.” 19 These are the men who cause divisions, sensual, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith. Pray in the Holy Spirit. 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God while you are waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life.
22 On some have compassion, using discernment. 23 And others save with fear while pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Benediction
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with rejoicing, 25 to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
The Great Day of the Lord
2 I will utterly consume all things
on the face of the earth,
says the Lord;
3 I will consume man and beast;
I will consume the birds of the heavens
and the fish of the sea,
and the stumbling blocks with the wicked.
I will cut off man from the face of the land,
says the Lord.
4 I will stretch out my hand against Judah,
and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal,
and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests,
5 and those who bow down on the roofs
to the host of heaven;
those who worship and swear oaths by the Lord
and yet swear by Milcom;
6 those who have turned back from following the Lord,
who have not sought the Lord nor inquired of Him.
7 Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is at hand;
the Lord has prepared the sacrifice;
He has consecrated His guests.
8 On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice,
I will punish the officials
and the king’s sons,
and all who clothe themselves
with foreign attire.
9 On that day I will punish
all who step over the threshold,
who fill their masters’ houses
with violence and deceit.
10 On that day, says the Lord,
a cry will be heard from the Fish Gate,
a wail from the Second Quarter,
and a loud crash from the hills.
11 Wail, you inhabitants of the Mortar!
For all the merchants are cut down;
all those who weigh out silver are cut off.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men
who are settled on their lees,
who say in their heart,
“The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil.”
13 Their goods will be plundered,
and their houses laid waste.
Though they build houses,
they will not inhabit them;
though they plant vineyards,
they will not drink from their wine.
The Great Day of the Lord
14 The great day of the Lord is near,
near and hastening quickly.
The sound of the day of the Lord is bitter;
the mighty man shall cry out there.
15 That day is a day of wrath,
a day of trouble and distress,
a day of ruin and desolation,
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and blackness,
16 a day of trumpet and alarms
against the fortified cities
and against the high towers.
17 I will bring distress on men,
so that they will walk like blind men.
Because they have sinned against the Lord,
their blood will be poured out like dust,
and their flesh like dung.
18 Neither their silver nor their gold
will be able to deliver them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.
But the whole earth will be consumed
by the fire of His jealousy,
for He will make a sudden end
of all those who dwell on the earth.
Jesus Brought Before Pilate(A)
23 Then the whole assembly rose and led Him to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this Man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ a King.”
3 So Pilate asked Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
He answered, “You truly say so.”
4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and to the people, “I find no fault in this Man.”
5 But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee to here.”
Jesus Before Herod
6 When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the Man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.
8 When Herod saw Jesus, he greatly rejoiced, for he had desired to see Him for a long time, because he had heard many things of Him, and he was hoping to see some miracle performed by Him. 9 He questioned Him with many words, but He gave no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing Him. 11 Then Herod with his soldiers despised Him, and mocked Him, and dressed Him in a fine robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 On the same day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, having previously been at enmity with each other.
Jesus Sentenced to Die(B)
13 Pilate called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You have brought this Man to me as one who incites the people. And truly, I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this Man concerning those things of which you accuse Him. 15 No, neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing worthy of death has been done by Him. 16 I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.” 17 For he was obligated to release one man to them at the feast.
18 But they all cried out at once saying, “Take this Man away and release Barabbas to us!” 19 This man had been thrown in prison for an insurrection in the city and for murder.
20 Therefore Pilate spoke to them again, desiring to release Jesus. 21 But they cried out, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
22 He said to them a third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found in Him no cause worthy of death. I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.”
23 But they insisted with loud voices, asking that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. 24 So Pilate gave the sentence as they demanded. 25 He released to them the man who was thrown in prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for. But he sentenced Jesus according to their will.
The Crucifixion(C)
26 As they led Him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him to carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed Him, including women who mourned and lamented Him. 28 Jesus turned to them, saying, “Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 Listen, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, who never bore and never nursed!’ 30 Then
they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’
and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’
31 For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two different men, who were criminals, also were led with Him to be killed. 33 When they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they divided His clothes by casting lots.
35 The people stood by watching. But the rulers with them scoffed, saying, “He saved others. Let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the Chosen One of God.”
36 And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him and offering Him sour wine, 37 saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.”
38 An inscription was written over Him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew:
THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
39 One of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!”
40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, seeing you are under the same sentence? 41 And we indeed, justly. For we are receiving the due reward of our deeds. But this Man has done nothing amiss.”
42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
43 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
The Death of Jesus(D)
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun was darkened. And the veil of the temple was torn in the middle. 46 And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He gave up the spirit.
47 When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God and said, “Certainly, this was a righteous Man.” 48 All the crowds who came together to that sight, witnessing what occurred, struck their chests and returned. 49 But all those who knew Him and the women accompanying Him from Galilee stood at a distance, seeing these things.
The Burial of Jesus(E)
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, who was a good and just man. 51 He had not consented to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took Him down, and wrapped Him in linen, and placed Him in a hewn tomb, where no one had ever been buried. 54 It was the Day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.
55 The women who came with Him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was placed. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.