M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Amaziah King of Judah(A)
25 Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] for twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin, and she was from Jerusalem. 2 Amaziah did what ·the Lord said was right [L was pleasing/proper in the eyes/sight of the Lord], but ·he did not really want to obey him [not wholeheartedly]. 3 As soon as Amaziah ·took strong [secured; established] control of the kingdom, he executed the officers who had ·murdered [assassinated] his father the king. 4 But Amaziah did not put to death their children. He obeyed what was written in the law in the ·Book [scroll] of Moses, where the Lord commanded, “·Parents [Fathers] must not be put to death ·when their children do wrong [for sons], and ·children [sons] must not be put to death ·when their parents do wrong [for fathers]. Each must die for his own sins [Deut. 24:16].”
5 Amaziah ·gathered [summoned; assembled] the people of Judah together. He ·grouped [assigned] all the people of Judah and Benjamin by ·families [clans], and he put commanders over groups of a thousand and over groups of a hundred. He ·counted [took a census of] the men who were twenty years old and older. In all there were three hundred thousand soldiers ready to fight and ·skilled [trained] with spears and shields. 6 Amaziah also hired one hundred thousand skilled soldiers from Israel for ·about seventy-five hundred pounds [L one hundred talents] of silver. 7 But a man of God [C prophet] came to Amaziah and said, “My king, don’t let the army of Israel go with you. The Lord is not with Israel or any of the people from the tribe of Ephraim. 8 You can ·make yourself strong for war [fight bravely/well], but God will ·defeat you [L cause you to stumble before the enemy]. He has the power to help you or to ·defeat you [L cause you to stumble].”
9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what about the ·seventy-five hundred pounds [L one hundred talents] of silver I paid to the Israelite army?”
The man of God answered, “The Lord can give you much more than that.”
10 So Amaziah ·sent the Israelite [discharged/dismissed the] army back home to Ephraim. ·They were very angry with [L Their anger burned against] the people of Judah and went home ·angry [incensed; in a rage].
11 Then Amaziah ·became very brave [summoned his courage] and led his army to the Valley of Salt in the country of Edom. There Amaziah’s army killed ten thousand ·Edomites [L sons of Seir]. 12 The army of Judah also captured ten thousand alive and took them to the top of a cliff and threw them off so that they ·split open [were dashed to pieces].
13 At the same time the Israelite troops that Amaziah had not let fight in the war ·were robbing [raided] towns in Judah. From Samaria to Beth Horon they killed three thousand people and took ·many valuable things [much plunder/spoil/booty].
14 When Amaziah came home after ·defeating [slaughtering] the Edomites, he brought back the ·idols they worshiped [L gods of the sons of Seir] and ·started to worship them himself [set them up as his own gods]. He bowed down to them and ·offered sacrifices [burned incense] to them. 15 The ·Lord was very angry with [L Lord’s anger burned against] Amaziah, ·so [and] he sent a prophet to him who said, “Why have you asked their gods for help? They could not even ·save [rescue; T deliver] their own people from ·you [L your hand]!”
16 As the prophet spoke, Amaziah said to him, “·We never gave you the job of advising the king [L Who made you the royal counselor?]. Stop, or you will be killed.”
The prophet stopped speaking except to say, “I know that God has ·decided [advised/counseled himself; C a play on words since the king had rejected God’s counsel through the prophet] to destroy you because you have done this. You did not listen to my ·advice [counsel].”
17 Amaziah king of Judah ·talked with those who advised him [took counsel; sought advice]. Then he sent a message to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, who was the son of Jehu king of Israel. Amaziah said to Jehoash, “Come, let’s meet face to face [C possibly a call to negotiate, but more likely a challenge to battle].”
18 Then Jehoash king of Israel answered Amaziah king of Judah, “A ·thornbush [thistle] in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar tree in Lebanon. It said, ‘Let your daughter marry my son.’ But then a wild animal from Lebanon came by, ·walking on and crushing [trampling] the ·thornbush [thistle]. 19 You say to yourself that you have defeated Edom, but ·you have become proud [L your heart is lifted up], and you brag. But you stay at home! Don’t ask for trouble, or you and Judah will ·be defeated [L fall].”
20 But Amaziah would not listen. God caused this to happen so that Jehoash would defeat Judah, because Judah ·asked for help from [sought; followed] the gods of Edom. 21 So Jehoash king of Israel went to attack. He and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth Shemesh in Judah. 22 Israel defeated Judah, and every man of Judah ran away to his ·home [L tent]. 23 At Beth Shemesh Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah. (Amaziah was the son of Joash, who was the son of Ahaziah.) Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem. Jehoash broke down the wall of Jerusalem, from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, ·about six hundred feet [L four hundred cubits]. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the ·utensils [articles] from the ·Temple [L house] of God that Obed-Edom had taken care of. He also took the treasures from the ·palace [L house] and some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.
25 Amaziah son of Joash, the king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the king of Israel. 26 The ·other things Amaziah did as king [rest of the events/acts/history of Amaziah], from ·the beginning to the end [first to last], ·are [L are they not…?] written in the ·book [scroll] of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 When Amaziah ·stopped obeying [turned away from] the Lord, the people in Jerusalem ·made plans [conspired; plotted] against him. So he ·ran away [fled] to the town of Lachish, but they sent men after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 They brought his body back on horses, and he was buried with his ·ancestors [fathers] in the city of ·Judah [or David; C see 2 Kin. 14:20].
The Woman and the Dragon
12 And then a great ·wonder [sign; portent; C symbolic descriptions of heavenly/spiritual realities] appeared in heaven: A woman was clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet [C indicating authority or victory; Gen. 37:9], and a crown [C a reward of victory] of twelve stars was on her head [C representing the twelve tribes of Israel; the woman is a symbol of the persecuted people of God]. 2 She was ·pregnant [L in the womb] and cried out with [L labor] pain, because she was about to give birth [C to the Messiah]. 3 Then another ·wonder [sign; portent; 12:1] appeared in heaven: There was a giant red dragon with seven heads [C reminiscent of the many-headed Leviathan representing evil and chaos, here representing Satan; Ps. 74:14; Is. 27:1; Dan. 7:1–9] and seven ·crowns [diadems; royal crowns] on each head. He [or It; C the Greek masculine pronoun can refer to a person or thing] also had ten horns [C symbols of strength and power; Dan. 7:7–8, 20, 24]. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of ·the sky [or heaven] and ·threw [cast; hurled; Dan. 8:10] them down to the earth [C representing an early victory against God’s people; 12:1]. He stood in front of the woman who was ready to give birth so he could ·eat [devour] her ·baby [child; C Jesus the Messiah] as soon as it was born. 5 Then the woman gave birth to ·a son [L a son, a male child,] who will ·rule [or shepherd] all the nations with an iron ·rod [sceptre; 19:15; Ps. 2:9]. And her child was ·taken up [or snatched away; C probably a symbolic reference to the resurrection, where Satan’s victory was thwarted] to God and to his throne. 6 The woman ·ran away [fled] into the ·desert [wilderness] to a place God prepared for her where she would ·be taken care of [nourished; fed] for one thousand two hundred sixty days [C equal to three and one-half years; see 11:3].
7 Then there was a war in heaven. Michael [C an archangel and protector of God’s people; Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9] and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But the dragon was not strong enough, and he and his angels lost their place in heaven. 9 The ·giant [great] dragon was ·thrown down [cast; hurled] out of heaven. (He is that ·old snake [ancient serpent] called the devil or Satan [Gen. 3:1, 15], who ·tricks [deceives; leads astray] the whole world.) The dragon with his angels was ·thrown down [cast; hurled] to the earth.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying:
“The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God
and the ·authority [power] of his ·Christ [Messiah; Anointed One] have now come [Dan. 7:14].
[L For] The accuser [C the name Satan means “Accuser” in Hebrew; Job 1:6–12; 2:1–6; Zech. 3:1–2] of our brothers and sisters,
who accused them day and night before our God,
has been ·thrown [cast; hurled] down.
11 And our brothers and sisters ·defeated [conquered] him
by the blood of the ·Lamb’s death [L Lamb; C by means of Christ’s sacrificial death]
and by the ·message they preached [L word of their witness/testimony].
[L And] They did not love their lives so much
that they ·were afraid of [avoided] death.
12 So rejoice, you heavens
and all who live there!
But ·it will be terrible for [L woe to] the earth and the sea,
because the devil has come down to you!
He is filled with ·anger [wrath],
because he knows he ·does not have much time [L has little time].”
13 When the dragon saw he had been ·thrown [cast; hurled] down to the earth, he ·hunted for [pursued; or persecuted] the woman who had given birth to the ·son [boy; L male]. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of a great ·eagle [or vulture; Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:10–11; Is. 40:31] so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the ·desert [wilderness]. There she would be ·taken care of [nourished; fed] for ·three and one-half years [L a time, times, and half a time; 11:2, 3; 13:5; Dan. 7:25; 12:7], away from the ·snake [serpent; C God will spiritually nourish his people though they are persecuted]. 15 Then the ·snake [serpent] ·poured [spewed; L threw] water out of its mouth like a river ·toward [after] the woman so the flood would ·carry [sweep] her away [C overwhelming water signifies overwhelming trouble; Ps. 18:4; 69:2]. 16 But the earth ·helped [rescued] the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that ·came [spewed; L was thrown] from the mouth of the dragon. 17 Then the dragon was ·very angry [furious; full of wrath] at the woman, and he went off to make war against ·all her other children [L the rest of her seed/offspring]—those who obey God’s commands and who ·have the message Jesus taught [or hold fast to their testimony about Jesus].
18 And the dragon[a] stood on the ·seashore [L sand of the sea; C some commentators and translations take this verse as the introduction to the episode in chapter 13].
The Lord Will Bless Jerusalem
8 ·A message from [L The word of] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] came to me, saying, 2 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “I ·have a very strong love [am jealous/zealous/passionate] for ·Jerusalem [L Zion; 2:7]. My strong love [jealousy; zeal; passion] for her ·is like a fire burning in me [or will mean wrath for her enemies].”
3 This is what the Lord says: “I will return to Jerusalem and ·live in [dwell in the midst of] it. Then it will be called the City of ·Truth [or Faithfulness], and the mountain of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] will be called the Holy Mountain [C Zion, the location of the Temple].”
4 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “Old men and old women will again sit along Jerusalem’s streets, each carrying a cane because of age [C long life due to peace and security]. 5 And the streets will be filled with boys and girls playing.”
6 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “·Those who are left alive then [The remnant] may think it is too ·difficult [marvelous] to happen, but ·it is not [L is it…?] too ·difficult [marvelous] for me,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 7 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “[L Look; T Behold] I will save my people from countries in the east and west. 8 I will bring them back, and they will live in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be their ·loyal [faithful; true] and ·good [righteous] God.”
9 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “·Work hard [L Let your hands be strong], you who are hearing these words today. The prophets spoke these words when the foundation was laid for the house of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], for the building of the Temple. 10 Before that time there was no money to hire people or animals. People could not ·safely [peacefully] come and go because of the enemies; I had turned everyone against his neighbor. 11 But I will not do to ·these people who are left [this remnant of the people] what I did in the past,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
12 “They will plant their seeds in peace, their grapevines will have fruit, the ground will give good crops, and the sky will send ·rain [dew]. I will give ·all this [this as an inheritance/possession] to the ·people who are left alive [remnant of this people]. 13 Judah and Israel, your names have been ·used as curses in [or viewed as accursed by] other nations. But I will save you, and you will become a blessing. So don’t be afraid; ·work hard [L let your hands be strong].”
14 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “When your ·ancestors [fathers] made me angry, I planned to ·punish [bring disaster on] you. I did not ·change my mind [relent],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 15 “But ·now [L in these days] I am planning to do good to Jerusalem and Judah. So don’t be afraid. 16 These are the things you should do: Tell each other the truth. In ·the courts [L your gates; C court was held at the city gate] judge with truth and ·complete fairness [sound justice; judgments of peace]. 17 Do not ·make plans to hurt [L plan/plot evil in your hearts against] your neighbors, and don’t love false ·promises [oaths]. I hate all these things,” says the Lord.
18 ·A message from [L The word of the] Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] came to me again. 19 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “The ·special days when you fast in [fasts of] the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months will become good, joyful, happy feasts ·in [L for the house of] Judah. ·But you must [So; Therefore] love truth and peace.”
20 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “·Many people from [L Inhabitants of] many cities will still come to Jerusalem. 21 ·People [The inhabitants] from one city will go and say to those from another city, ‘·We are going [Let us go] to ·pray to [entreat] the Lord and to ·ask for help from [or worship; L seek] the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. ·Come and go with us [L I, even I (am going)].’ 22 Many people and powerful nations will come to worship the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] in Jerusalem and to ·pray for help from [or worship; L seek] the Lord.”
23 This is what the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] says: “At that time, ten men from ·different countries [L all languages of the nations] will come and take hold of a ·Judean [Jew] by his coat. They will say to him, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’”
The Death of Lazarus
11 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in the town of Bethany, where Mary and her sister Martha lived [C near Jerusalem to the east, not the same Bethany as in 1:28]. 2 Mary was the woman who ·later put perfume on the Lord [L anointed the Lord with perfume/ointment/fragrant oil] and wiped his feet with her hair [12:1–8]. Mary’s brother was Lazarus, the man who was now sick. 3 So ·Mary and Martha [L the sisters] sent someone to tell Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
4 When Jesus heard this, he said, “This sickness will not end in death. It is for the glory of God, to bring glory to the Son of God.” 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 ·But [or So] when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days. 7 Then Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Let’s go back to Judea.”
8 The ·followers [disciples] said to him, “But Teacher [L Rabbi], ·some people [the Jewish leaders; L the Jews] there tried to stone you to death only a short time ago. Now you want to go back there?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours ·in the day [of daylight]? If anyone walks in the daylight, he will not stumble, because he can see by ·this world’s light [C the sun]. 10 But if anyone walks at night, he stumbles because ·there is no light to help him see [L the light is not in him].”
11 After Jesus said this, he added, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him.”
12 The ·followers [disciples] said, “But Lord, if he is only asleep, he will ·be all right [recover; get better; L be saved/healed].”
13 [L But] Jesus meant that Lazarus was dead, but his followers thought he meant Lazarus was really sleeping. 14 So then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 And I ·am glad [rejoice] for your sakes I was not there so that you may believe. But let’s go to him now.”
16 Then Thomas (the one called Didymus [C meaning, “the Twin”]) said to ·the other followers [his fellow disciples], “Let us also go so that we can die with him.”
Jesus in Bethany
17 When Jesus arrived, he learned that Lazarus had already been dead and in the tomb for four days. [C Some Jews believed that a soul would stay near a body for up to three days after death.] 18 Bethany was about two miles [L fifteen stadia; C a stadion was about 600 ft.] from Jerusalem. 19 Many of the Jews had come there to ·comfort [console] Martha and Mary about their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary ·stayed [L was sitting at] home. 21 Martha [L then] said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you anything you ask.”
23 Jesus said, “Your brother will rise and live again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know that he will rise and live again in the resurrection on the last day.” [C Many Jews, particularly Pharisees, believed in a future bodily resurrection.]
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. ·Those who believe [L The one who believes…] in me will have life even if they die. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 Martha answered, “Yes, Lord. I believe that you are the ·Christ [Messiah], the Son of God, the One ·coming to [who was to come into] the world.”
Jesus Weeps
28 After Martha said this, she went back and ·talked to [summoned] her sister Mary ·alone [privately]. Martha said, “The Teacher is here and he is ·asking for [summoning; calling for] you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. 30 Jesus had not yet come into the town but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31 The Jews were with Mary in the house, ·comforting [consoling] her. When they saw her stand and leave quickly, they followed her, thinking she was going to the tomb to weep there.
32 But Mary went to the place where Jesus was. When she saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw Mary weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was ·upset [L disturbed in spirit] and was deeply troubled. 34 He asked, “Where ·did you bury [L have you put] him?”
“Come and see, Lord,” they said.
35 Jesus wept.
36 So the Jews said, “See how much he loved him.”
37 But some of them said, “·If Jesus [L Could not the one who…] opened the eyes of the blind man, why couldn’t he keep ·Lazarus [L this man] from dying?”
Jesus Raises Lazarus
38 Again feeling ·very upset [deeply disturbed/moved], Jesus came to the tomb. It was a cave with a large stone ·covering the entrance [L lying on/against it; C Jews typically buried their dead in caves with stones covering the entrance]. 39 Jesus said, “Move the stone away.”
Martha, the sister of the dead man, said, “But, Lord, it has been ·four days since he died [see 11:17]. There will be a ·bad smell [stench].”
40 Then Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”
41 So they moved the stone away from the entrance. Then Jesus ·looked up [L raised his eyes] and said, “Father, I thank you that you heard me. 42 I know that you always hear me, but I said these things ·because [for the benefit] of the people here around me. ·I want them to [L so that they might] believe that you sent me.” 43 After Jesus said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come ·out [T forth]!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with ·pieces of cloth [strips of linen; graveclothes; C the dead were wrapped in strips of cloth], and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take the cloth off of him and let him go.”
The Plan to Kill Jesus
45 [L So] Many of the ·people [L Jews], who had come to visit Mary and saw what Jesus did, believed in him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the ·leading [T chief] priests and Pharisees called a meeting of the ·council [L Sanhedrin; C the highest Jewish court of the time]. They asked, “·What should we do? [or What are we accomplishing?] This man is doing many ·miracles [L signs]. 48 If we let him continue doing these things, everyone will believe in him. Then the Romans will come and take away our ·Temple [L place; C probably a reference to the “holy place”—the Jerusalem Temple] and our nation.”
49 One of the men there was Caiaphas, the high priest that year. [C He was high priest between ad 18 and 36.] He said, “·You people know nothing [You don’t know what you are talking about]! 50 You don’t realize that it is better [L for you] for one man to die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.”
51 Caiaphas did not ·think of this himself [L say this from himself]. As high priest that year, he was really prophesying that Jesus would die for their nation 52 and for God’s scattered children to bring them all together and make them one. [C Although Caiaphas was thinking politically, his words predicted spiritual salvation.]
53 [L So from] That day they started ·planning [plotting] to kill Jesus. 54 So Jesus no longer ·traveled [L walked] openly among the ·people [Jews]. He ·left there [withdrew; departed] and went to a ·place [region] near the ·desert [wilderness], to a town called Ephraim and stayed there with his ·followers [disciples].
55 It was almost time for the ·Passover Feast [L Passover of the Jews; C the annual festival that celebrates God’s rescue of Israel from Egypt; Ex. 12; John 2:13]. Many from the country went up to Jerusalem before the Passover to ·do the special things to make themselves pure [L purify/consecrate themselves; Num. 9:6–13]. 56 The people ·looked for [sought] Jesus and stood in the Temple [courts] asking each other, “·Is he [L Surely he is not] coming to the Feast? What do you think?” 57 But the ·leading [T chief] priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must tell them. Then they could ·arrest [seize] him.
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