M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rehoboam Builds Cities for Fortification
11 (A)Then Rehoboam came to Jerusalem and assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who could wage war, to fight against Israel to return the kingdom to Rehoboam. 2 But the word of Yahweh came to (B)Shemaiah the man of God, saying, 3 “Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin, saying, 4 ‘Thus says Yahweh, “You shall not go up and fight against (C)your brothers; return every man to his house, (D)for this thing is from Me.”’” So they listened to the words of Yahweh and returned from going against Jeroboam.
5 Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and (E)built cities for fortifications in Judah. 6 Thus he built Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, 7 Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, 8 Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, 9 Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, 10 Zorah, Aijalon and Hebron, which are fortified cities in Judah and in Benjamin. 11 He also strengthened the fortresses and put officers in them and stores of food, oil and wine. 12 And he put large shields and spears in every city and strengthened them greatly. So he held Judah and Benjamin.
13 Moreover, the priests and the Levites who were in all Israel took their stand with him from all their territories.
Jeroboam Sets Up His Own Priests
14 For (F)the Levites left their pasture lands and their possession of land and went to Judah and Jerusalem, for (G)Jeroboam and his sons had rejected them from ministering as priests to Yahweh— 15 (H)And he set up priests of his own for the high places, for the goat demons and for the calves which he had made— 16 (I)Now those from all the tribes of Israel who gave their hearts to seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, [a]followed them to Jerusalem, to sacrifice to Yahweh, the God of their fathers. 17 (J)They strengthened the kingdom of Judah and gave courage to Rehoboam the son of Solomon for three years, for they walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years.
Rehoboam’s Family
18 Then Rehoboam took as a wife Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David and of Abihail the daughter of (K)Eliab the son of Jesse, 19 and she bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. 20 And after her he took (L)Maacah the daughter of [b]Absalom, and she bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. 21 And Rehoboam loved Maacah the daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines. For (M)he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. 22 (N)And Rehoboam set up Abijah the son of Maacah to be head and ruler among his brothers, for he intended to make him king. 23 And he acted with discernment and distributed [c]some of his sons through all the lands of Judah and Benjamin to all the fortified cities, and he gave them sustenance in abundance. And he sought a multitude of wives for them.
Shishak of Egypt Comes Against Judah
12 (O)Now it happened that when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and strong, (P)he and all Israel with him forsook the law of Yahweh. 2 (Q)Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to Yahweh, that (R)Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem 3 with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people who came with him from Egypt were without number: (S)the Lubim, the Sukkiim and the Ethiopians. 4 And he captured (T)the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. 5 Now (U)Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and the princes of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and he said to them, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘(V)You have forsaken Me, so I also have forsaken you [d]to Shishak.’” 6 So the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “(W)Yahweh is righteous.”
7 When Yahweh saw that they humbled themselves, the word of Yahweh came to Shemaiah, saying, “(X)They have humbled themselves so I will not bring them to ruin, but I will grant them some measure of escape, and (Y)My wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. 8 But they will become his slaves so (Z)that they may know the difference between My slavery and the slavery of the kingdoms of the countries.”
Shishak Takes from Yahweh’s House
9 (AA)So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, and took the treasures of the house of Yahweh and the treasures of the king’s house. He took everything; (AB)he even took the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 10 Then King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place and committed them to the hand of the commanders of the [e]guard who kept the door of the king’s house. 11 Now it happened that as often as the king entered the house of Yahweh, the [f]guards would come and carry them and then bring them back into the [g]guards’ room. 12 And (AC)when he humbled himself, the anger of Yahweh turned away from him, so as not to ruin him completely; and also conditions (AD)were good in Judah.
13 (AE)So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Now Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. 14 And he did evil (AF)because he did not set his heart to seek Yahweh.
15 (AG)Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the [h]records of (AH)Shemaiah the prophet and of (AI)Iddo the seer, according to genealogical record? Now there were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. 16 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David; and (AJ)Abijah his son became king in his place.
To the Church in Ephesus
2 “To the angel of the church in (A)Ephesus write:
This is what the One who holds (B)the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks [a](C)among the seven golden lampstands, says:
2 ‘(D)I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot bear with those who are evil, and you (E)put to the test those who call themselves (F)apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; 3 and you have perseverance and have [b]endured (G)for My name’s sake, you also have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have (H)left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and (I)repent and (J)do the [c]deeds you did at first. But if not, I am coming to you and will remove your (K)lampstand out of its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the (L)Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 (M)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (N)To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of (O)the tree of life which is in the (P)Paradise of God.’
To the Church in Smyrna
8 “And to the angel of the church in (Q)Smyrna write:
(R)This is what the first and the last, who [d](S)was dead, and has come to life, says:
9 ‘I know your (T)tribulation and your (U)poverty (but you are (V)rich), and the blasphemy by those who (W)say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of (X)Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be (Y)tested, and you will have tribulation (Z)for ten days. [e]Be (AA)faithful until death, and I will give you (AB)the crown of life. 11 (AC)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AD)He who overcomes will never be hurt by the (AE)second death.’
To the Church in Pergamum
12 “And to the angel of the church in (AF)Pergamum write:
This is what the One who has (AG)the sharp two-edged sword says:
13 ‘I know where you dwell, where (AH)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny (AI)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My (AJ)witness, My (AK)faithful one, who was killed among you, (AL)where Satan dwells. 14 But (AM)I have a few things against you, that you have there some who hold the (AN)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, (AO)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. 15 So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the (AP)Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore (AQ)repent. But if not, (AR)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with (AS)the sword of My mouth. 17 (AT)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (AU)To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden (AV)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a (AW)new name written on the stone (AX)which no one knows but he who receives it.’
To the Church in Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in (AY)Thyatira write:
(AZ)This is what the Son of God, the One (BA)who has [f]eyes like a flame of fire and His feet are like burnished bronze, says:
19 ‘(BB)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your last deeds are greater than [g]at first. 20 But (BC)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman (BD)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives My slaves so that they (BE)commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 (BF)And I gave her time to repent, and she (BG)does not wish to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her [h]on a bed of sickness, and those who (BH)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of [i]her deeds. 23 And I will kill her children with [j]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who (BI)searches the [k]minds and hearts; and (BJ)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. 24 But I say to you, the rest who are in (BK)Thyatira, who do not have this teaching, who have not known the (BL)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I (BM)place no other burden on you. 25 Nevertheless (BN)what you have, hold fast (BO)until I come. 26 (BP)And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds (BQ)until the end, (BR)to him I will give authority over the [l]nations; 27 and he shall [m](BS)rule them with a rod of iron, (BT)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him (BU)the morning star. 29 (BV)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
The Unjust Knows No Shame
3 Woe to her who is (A)rebellious and (B)defiled,
The oppressive (C)city!
2 She (D)did not listen to any voice;
She (E)did not receive discipline.
She did not (F)trust in Yahweh;
She did not (G)draw near to her God.
3 Her (H)princes in her midst are roaring lions;
Her judges are (I)wolves at evening;
They leave nothing to gnaw for the morning.
4 Her prophets are (J)reckless, treacherous men;
Her (K)priests have profaned the sanctuary.
They have done violence to the law.
5 Yahweh is (L)righteous (M)in her midst;
He will (N)do no injustice.
(O)Every morning He brings His justice to light;
[a]He does not fail.
But the unjust (P)knows no shame.
6 “I have cut off nations;
Their corner towers are desolate.
I have made their streets (Q)a waste,
With no one passing by;
Their (R)cities are laid waste,
Without a man, (S)without an inhabitant.
7 I said, ‘Surely you will fear Me,
(T)Receive discipline.’
So her abode will (U)not be cut off
According to all that I have appointed concerning her.
But they were eager to (V)corrupt all their deeds.
Yahweh Will Pour Out His Anger
8 “Therefore (W)wait for Me,” declares Yahweh,
“For the day when I rise up as a witness.
Indeed, My judgment is to (X)assemble nations,
To gather kingdoms,
To pour out on them My indignation,
All My burning anger;
For (Y)all the earth will be devoured
By the fire of My zeal.
9 For then I will change them to peoples with (Z)purified lips,
That all of them may (AA)call on the name of Yahweh,
To serve Him [b]shoulder to shoulder.
10 From beyond the rivers of [c](AB)Ethiopia
My [d]worshipers, [e]My scattered ones,
Will (AC)bring My offerings.
11 In that day you will (AD)feel no shame
Because of all your deeds
By which you have transgressed against Me;
For then I will remove from your midst
Your (AE)proud, exulting ones,
And you will never again be haughty
On My (AF)holy mountain.
12 But I will cause to remain in your midst
A [f](AG)lowly and poor people,
And they will (AH)take refuge in the name of Yahweh.
13 The (AI)remnant of Israel will (AJ)do no injustice
And (AK)not speak falsehood,
Nor will a deceitful tongue
Be found in their mouths;
For they will (AL)feed and lie down
With no one to make them tremble.”
Yahweh’s Joy in Restoring Israel
14 Sing for joy, O daughter of Zion!
(AM)Make a loud shout, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 Yahweh has taken away (AN)His judgments against you;
He has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, Yahweh, is (AO)in your midst;
You will (AP)fear evil no more.
16 (AQ)In that day it will be said to Jerusalem:
“(AR)Do not fear, O Zion;
(AS)Do not let your hands fall limp.
17 Yahweh your God is (AT)in your midst,
A (AU)mighty one who will save.
He will (AV)be joyful over you with gladness;
He will [g]be quiet in His love;
He will rejoice over you with joyful singing.
18 I will assemble those who (AW)grieve about the appointed feasts—
They were from you, O Zion;
The reproach of exile is a burden on [h]them.
19 Behold, I am going to deal at that time
With all those who (AX)afflict you,
And I will save the (AY)lame
And gather the banished,
And I will turn them—in their (AZ)shame—into (BA)praise and a name
In all the earth.
20 At that time I will (BB)bring you in,
Even at the time when I gather you together;
Indeed, I will give you to be a (BC)name and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I (BD)restore your fortunes before your eyes,”
Says Yahweh.
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 (A)In the beginning was (B)the Word, and the Word was (C)with God, and (D)the Word was God. 2 [a]He was in the beginning with God. 3 (E)All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 (F)In Him was life, and the life was (G)the Light of men. 5 (H)And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.
The Witness of John the Baptist
6 There was a man having been sent from God, whose name was [b](I)John. 7 [c]He came [d](J)as a witness, to bear witness about the Light, (K)so that all might believe through him. 8 [e](L)He was not the Light, but he came to bear witness about the Light.
9 There was (M)the true Light [f]which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. 10 He was in the world, and (N)the world [g]was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to what was His [h]own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become (O)children of God, even (P)to those who believe in His name, 13 (Q)who were [i]born, not of [j]blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
The Word Became Flesh
14 And (R)the Word (S)became flesh, and [k](T)dwelt among us, and (U)we beheld His glory, glory as of the [l]only begotten from the Father, full of (V)grace and (W)truth. 15 John *(X)bore witness about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘(Y)He who comes after me [m]has been ahead of me, (Z)for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His (AA)fullness [n]we have all received, and grace [o]upon grace. 17 For (AB)the Law was given through Moses; (AC)grace and (AD)truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 (AE)No one has seen God at any time; (AF)the only begotten God who is (AG)in the bosom of the Father, (AH)He has explained Him.
A Voice in the Wilderness
19 And this is (AI)the witness of John, when (AJ)the [p]Jews sent to him priests and Levites (AK)from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “(AL)I am not the [q]Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you (AM)Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you (AN)the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22 Therefore, they said to him, “Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am (AO)a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the [r]Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
24 Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the [s]Christ, nor Elijah, nor (AP)the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “(AQ)I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. 27 This One is (AR)He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the (AS)strap of His sandal.” 28 These things took place in Bethany (AT)beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 On the next day, he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, (AU)the Lamb of God who (AV)takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘(AW)After me comes a man who has been [t]ahead of me, (AX)for He existed before me.’ 31 I did not know [u]Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing with water.” 32 And John (AY)bore witness saying, “(AZ)I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abided on Him. 33 And I did not know [v]Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The One upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, (BA)this is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I myself have seen, and have borne witness that this is (BB)the Son of God.”
Behold, the Lamb of God
35 (BC)On the next day, John again was standing [w]with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and *said, “Behold, (BD)the Lamb of God!” 37 And the two disciples heard him speak and followed Jesus. 38 And when Jesus turned and noticed them following, He *said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “(BE)Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day. It was about the [x]tenth hour. 40 (BF)One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first *found his own brother Simon and *said to him, “We have found the (BG)Messiah” (which translated means [y]Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. When Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of (BH)John; you shall be called (BI)Cephas” (which is translated [z](BJ)Peter).
43 (BK)On the next day, He desired to go into (BL)Galilee, and He *found (BM)Philip. And Jesus *said to him, “(BN)Follow Me.” 44 Now (BO)Philip was from (BP)Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 (BQ)Philip *found (BR)Nathanael and *said to him, “We have found Him of whom (BS)Moses in the Law and also (BT)the Prophets wrote—Jesus of (BU)Nazareth, (BV)the son of Joseph.” 46 And Nathanael said to him, “(BW)Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (BX)Philip *said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said about him, “Behold, truly an (BY)Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael *said to Him, “From where do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before (BZ)Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “(CA)Rabbi, You are (CB)the Son of God; You are the (CC)King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see (CD)the heavens opened and (CE)the angels of God ascending and descending on (CF)the Son of Man.”
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