M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Sennacherib’s invasion
32 After these things and these faithful acts, Assyria’s King Sennacherib invaded Judah and attacked its fortified cities, intending to capture them. 2 When Hezekiah realized that Sennacherib also planned on fighting Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his officials and soldiers about stopping up the springs outside the city, and they supported him. 4 A large force gathered to stop up all the springs and the streams that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they asked. 5 Hezekiah vigorously rebuilt all the broken sections of the wall, erected towers, constructed another wall outside the first, reinforced the terrace of David’s City, and made a large supply of weapons and shields. 6 He appointed military officers over the troops, assembled them in the square of the city gate, and spoke these words of encouragement: 7 “Be brave and be strong! Don’t let the king of Assyria and all those warriors he brings with him scare you or cause you dismay, because our forces are greater than his.[a] 8 All he has is human strength, but we have the Lord our God, who will help us fight our battles!”
The troops trusted Judah’s King Hezekiah.
9 After this Assyria’s King Sennacherib, who was attacking Lachish with all his forces, sent his servants to Jerusalem with the following message for Judah’s King Hezekiah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem:
10 This is what Assyria’s King Sennacherib says: What makes you so confident that you stay put in Jerusalem while it is being attacked? 11 Obviously, Hezekiah has fooled you into surrendering yourselves to death by hunger and thirst when he says, “The Lord our God will rescue us from Assyria’s king.” 12 Isn’t this the same Hezekiah who got rid of his shrines and altars, and then demanded of Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship and burn incense before only one altar”? 13 Don’t you know what I and my predecessors have done to the people of other nations? Were any of the gods of these other nations able to rescue their lands from my power? 14 Which one of any of the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed was able to rescue them from my power? So why should your god be able to rescue you from my power? 15 Don’t let Hezekiah seduce you like fools. Don’t believe him! No god of any other nation or kingdom has been able to rescue their people from me or from my predecessors. No, your gods won’t rescue you from my power.
16 The Assyrian king’s servants continued to make fun of the Lord God and his servant Hezekiah. 17 He wrote other letters insulting the Lord God of Israel, defying him by saying, “Just as the gods of the nations in other countries couldn’t rescue their people from my power, Hezekiah’s god won’t be able to rescue his people from my power.” 18 Then they shouted loudly in Hebrew[b] at the people of Jerusalem gathered on the wall, in an attempt to frighten and demoralize them, in order to capture the city. 19 They spoke about the God of Jerusalem as though he were the work of human hands, like the gods of the other peoples of the earth. 20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah, Amoz’s son, prayed about this, crying out to heaven. 21 Then the Lord sent a messenger who destroyed every warrior, leader, and officer in the camp of the Assyrian king. When Sennacherib went home in disgrace, he entered the temple of his god, and his own sons killed him with a sword. 22 This is how the Lord rescued Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem from the power of Assyria’s King Sennacherib, and all others, giving them rest[c] on all sides. 23 Many people brought offerings to the Lord in Jerusalem and costly gifts to Judah’s King Hezekiah, who was highly regarded by all the nations from then on.
Hezekiah’s illness
24 Around that same time, Hezekiah became deathly ill and prayed to the Lord, who answered him with a miraculous sign. 25 But Hezekiah was too proud to respond appropriately to the kindness he had received, and he, along with Judah and Jerusalem, experienced anger. 26 However, Hezekiah and the citizens of Jerusalem humbled themselves in their pride, and so they didn’t experience the Lord’s anger for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign.
27 Hezekiah became very wealthy and greatly respected. He made storehouses for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices, shields, and other valuables. 28 He made barns to store the harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil; stalls for all kinds of cattle; and pens for flocks. 29 He acquired towns for himself and many flocks and herds because God had given him great wealth. 30 Hezekiah was the one who blocked the upper outlet of the waters of the Gihon Spring, channeling them down to the west side of David’s City. Hezekiah succeeded in all that he did, 31 even in the matter of the ambassadors sent from Babylonian officials to find out about the miraculous sign that occurred in the land, when God had abandoned him in order to test him and to discover what was in his heart.
32 The rest of Hezekiah’s deeds, including his faithfulness, are written in the vision of the prophet Isaiah, Amoz’s son, in the records of Israel’s and Judah’s kings. 33 Hezekiah lay down with his ancestors and was buried in the upper area of the tombs of David’s sons. All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. His son Manasseh succeeded him as king.
Babylon’s fall
18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was filled with light because of his glory. 2 He called out with a loud voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a home for demons and a lair for every unclean spirit. She is a lair for every unclean bird, and a lair for every unclean and disgusting beast 3 because all the nations have fallen[a] due to the wine of her lustful passion. The kings of the earth committed sexual immorality with her, and the merchants of the earth became rich from the power of her loose and extravagant ways.”
4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say, “Come out of her, my people, so that you don’t take part in her sins and don’t receive any of her plagues. 5 Her sins have piled up as high as heaven, and God remembered her unjust acts. 6 Give her what she has given to others. Give her back twice as much for what she has done. In the cup that she has poured, pour her twice as much. 7 To the extent that she glorified herself and indulged her loose and extravagant ways, give her pain and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit like a queen! I’m not a widow. I’ll never see grief.’ 8 This is why her plagues will come in a single day—deadly disease, grief, and hunger. She will be consumed by fire because the Lord God who judges her is powerful.
9 “The kings of the earth, who committed sexual immorality with her and shared her loose and extravagant ways, will weep and mourn over her when they see the smoke from her burning. 10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of the pain she suffers, and they will say, ‘Oh, the horror! Babylon, you great city, you powerful city! In a single hour your judgment has come.’
11 “The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one buys their cargoes anymore— 12 cargoes of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; all those things made of scented wood, ivory, fine wood, bronze, iron, and marble; 13 cinnamon, incense, fragrant ointment, and frankincense; wine, oil, fine flour, and wheat; cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; and slaves, even human lives. 14 ‘The fruit your whole being craved has gone from you. All your glitter and glamour are lost to you, never ever to be found again.’
15 “The merchants who sold these things, and got so rich by her, will stand a long way off because they fear the pain she suffers. They will weep and mourn, and say, 16 ‘Oh, the horror! The great city that wore fine linen, purple, and scarlet, who glittered with gold, jewels, and pearls— 17 in just one hour such great wealth was destroyed.’
“Every sea captain, every seafarer, sailors, and all who make their living on the sea stood a long way off. 18 They cried out as they saw the smoke from her burning and said, ‘What city was ever like the great city?’ 19 They threw dust on their heads, and they cried out, weeping and mourning. They said, ‘Oh, the horror! The great city, where all who have ships at sea became so rich by her prosperity—in just one hour she was destroyed. 20 Rejoice over her, heaven—you saints, apostles, and prophets—because God has condemned her as she condemned you.’”
21 Then a powerful angel picked up a stone that was like a huge millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “With such violent force the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, and it won’t be found anymore. 22 The sound of harpists and musicians, of pipers and trumpeters, will never be heard among you again. No craftsman of any kind will ever be found among you again. The sound of the hand mill will never be heard among you again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine among you again. The sound of a bridegroom and bride will never be heard among you again because your merchants ran the world, because all the nations were deceived by the spell you cast, and because 24 the blood of prophets, of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on the earth was found among you.”[b]
The day of the Lord
14 A day is coming that belongs to the Lord,
when that which has been plundered from you will be divided among you.
2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for the battle,
the city will be captured,
the houses will be plundered,
and the women will be raped.
Half of the city will go forth into exile,
but what is left of the people won’t be eliminated from the city.
3 The Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle.
4 On that day he will stand upon the Mount of Olives, to the east of Jerusalem.
The Mount of Olives will be split in half by a very large valley running from east to west.
Half of the mountain will move north,
and the other half will move south.
5 You will flee through the valley of my mountain,
because the valley of the mountains will reach to Azal.
You will flee just as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Judah’s King Uzziah.
The Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.[a]
6 On that day, there will be no light.
Splendid things will disappear.[b]
7 On one day known to the Lord, there will be neither day nor night,
but at evening time there will be light.
8 On that day, running water will flow out from Jerusalem,
half of it to the Dead Sea[c]
and half of it to the Mediterranean;[d]
this will happen during the summer and the fall.
9 The Lord will become king over all the land.
On that day the Lord will be one,
and the Lord’s name will be one.
10 The entire land will become like the desert[e]
from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem.
Jerusalem will be high up and firmly in place
from the Benjamin Gate to the place of the former gate,
to the Corner Gate, and from the Hananel Tower to the king’s wine vats.
11 People will dwell in it;
it will never again be destroyed.
Jerusalem will dwell securely.
12 This will be the plague with which the
Lord will strike all the peoples who
swarmed against Jerusalem:
their flesh will rot, even while standing on their feet;
their eyes will rot in their sockets;
and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 On that day, a great panic brought on by the Lord will fall upon them;
they will all grasp at the hand of their neighbors;
neighbors will attack each other.
14 Even Judah will fight in Jerusalem.
The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected:
gold, silver, and a great abundance of garments.
15 This[f] plague will also affect the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and any cattle in those camps during this plague.
16 All those left from all the nations who attacked Jerusalem will go up annually to pay homage to the king, the Lord of heavenly forces, and to celebrate the Festival of Booths.
17 Whoever among the families of the earth doesn’t go up to Jerusalem to pay homage to the king, the Lord of heavenly forces, upon them no rain will fall.
18 And if the family of Egypt doesn’t go up and doesn’t present itself, then no rain[g] will fall on them. There will[h] be a plague like the one with which the Lord struck the nations that didn’t go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths.
19 This would be the sin of Egypt and the sin of all the nations who don’t go up to celebrate the Festival of Booths.
20 On that day, Holy to the Lord will be inscribed[i] on the bells of the horses,
and the pots in the Lord’s house will be holy[j] like the bowls before the altar.
21 Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of heavenly forces.
All those who sacrifice will come.
They will take some of the pots and cook with them.
There will no longer be any merchants[k] in the house of the Lord of heavenly forces on that day.
Jesus prays
17 When Jesus finished saying these things, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that the Son can glorify you. 2 You gave him authority over everyone so that he could give eternal life to everyone you gave him. 3 This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent. 4 I have glorified you on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I shared with you before the world was created.
6 “I have revealed your name to the people you gave me from this world. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 This is because I gave them the words that you gave me, and they received them. They truly understood that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
9 “I’m praying for them. I’m not praying for the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours. 10 Everything that is mine is yours and everything that is yours is mine; I have been glorified in them. 11 I’m no longer in the world, but they are in the world, even as I’m coming to you. Holy Father, watch over them in your name, the name you gave me, that they will be one just as we are one. 12 When I was with them, I watched over them in your name, the name you gave to me, and I kept them safe. None of them were lost, except the one who was destined for destruction, so that scripture would be fulfilled. 13 Now I’m coming to you and I say these things while I’m in the world so that they can share completely in my joy. 14 I gave your word to them and the world hated them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. 15 I’m not asking that you take them out of this world but that you keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. 17 Make them holy in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 I made myself holy on their behalf so that they also would be made holy in the truth.
20 “I’m not praying only for them but also for those who believe in me because of their word. 21 I pray they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22 I’ve given them the glory that you gave me so that they can be one just as we are one. 23 I’m in them and you are in me so that they will be made perfectly one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you have loved them just as you loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you gave me to be with me where I am. Then they can see my glory, which you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, even the world didn’t know you, but I’ve known you, and these believers know that you sent me. 26 I’ve made your name known to them and will continue to make it known so that your love for me will be in them, and I myself will be in them.”
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible