M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Manasseh, King of Judah
33 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah. He was king for 55 years in Jerusalem. 2 Manasseh did what the Lord said was wrong. He followed the terrible and sinful ways of the nations that the Lord had forced out of the land before the Israelites. 3 Manasseh rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down. Manasseh built altars for the Baal gods and made Asherah poles. He bowed down to the constellations[a] and worshiped those groups of stars. 4 Manasseh built altars for false gods in the Lord’s Temple. The Lord said about the Temple, “My name will be in Jerusalem forever.” 5 He built altars for all the groups of stars in the two yards of the Lord’s Temple. 6 He also burned his own children for a sacrifice in the Valley of Ben Hinnom.[b] He also used magic by doing soothsaying, divination, and sorcery.[c] He talked with mediums and wizards. He did many things that the Lord said were evil and made him angry. 7 Manasseh also made a statue of an idol and put it in God’s Temple—the very same Temple that God had talked about to David and his son Solomon. God had said, “I will put my name in this house and in Jerusalem—the city that I chose from all the cities in all the tribes—and my name will be there forever! 8 I will not continue to keep the Israelites off the land that I chose to give to their ancestors. But they must obey everything I commanded them. The Israelites must obey all the laws, rules, and commands that I gave Moses to give to them.”
9 Manasseh encouraged the people of Judah and the people living in Jerusalem to do wrong. They were worse than the nations that were in the land before the Israelites—and the Lord destroyed those people.
10 The Lord spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they refused to listen. 11 So the Lord brought commanders from the king of Assyria’s army to attack Judah. These commanders captured Manasseh and made him their prisoner. They put hooks in him and brass chains on his hands and took him to the country of Babylon.
12 When these troubles came to him, Manasseh begged for help from the Lord his God. He humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 13 Manasseh prayed to God and begged him for help. God heard his begging and felt sorry for him, so he let Manasseh return to Jerusalem and to his throne. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was the true God.
14 After that happened, Manasseh built an outer wall for the City of David. This wall went to the west of Gihon Spring in Kidron Valley, to the entrance of the Fish Gate, and around the hill of Ophel.[d] He made the wall very tall. Then he put officers in all the fortresses in Judah. 15 Manasseh took away the strange idol gods, and he took the idol out of the Lord’s Temple. He took away all the altars he had built on the Temple hill, and in Jerusalem. Manasseh threw all the altars out of the city of Jerusalem. 16 Then he set up the Lord’s altar and offered fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it. He gave a command for all the people of Judah to serve the Lord, the God of Israel. 17 The people continued to offer sacrifices at the high places, but their sacrifices were only to the Lord their God.
18 Everything else Manasseh did, his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, are all written in the book, The Official Records of the Kings of Israel. 19 Manasseh’s prayer and how God listened and felt sorry for him are written in The Book of the Seers. Also all his sins, the wrongs he did before he humbled himself, and the places where he built high places and set up the Asherah poles are written in The Book of the Seers. 20 So Manasseh died and was buried with his ancestors. The people buried Manasseh in his own palace. Manasseh’s son Amon became the new king in his place.
Amon, King of Judah
21 Amon was 22 years old when he became king of Judah. He was king for two years in Jerusalem. 22 Amon did evil before the Lord, just as his father Manasseh had done. Amon offered sacrifices for all the carved idols and statues that Manasseh his father made. Amon worshiped those idols. 23 Amon did not humble himself in front of the Lord like Manasseh his father humbled himself. But Amon sinned more and more. 24 His servants made plans against him. They killed Amon in his own house. 25 But the people of Judah killed all the servants who planned against King Amon. Then the people chose Amon’s son Josiah to be the new king.
People in Heaven Praise God
19 After this I heard what sounded like a large crowd of people in heaven. The people were saying,
“Hallelujah[a]!
Victory, glory, and power belong to our God.
2 His judgments are true and right.
Our God has punished the prostitute.
She is the one who ruined the earth with her sexual sin.
God has punished the prostitute to pay her back for the death of his servants.”
3 These people also said,
“Hallelujah!
She is burning and her smoke will rise forever and ever.”
4 Then the 24 elders and the four living beings bowed down. They worshiped God, who sits on the throne. They said,
“Amen! Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice came from the throne and said,
“Praise our God,
all you who serve him!
Praise our God,
all you small and great who honor him!”
6 Then I heard something that sounded like a large crowd of people. It was as loud as crashing waves or claps of thunder. The people were saying,
“Hallelujah!
Our Lord God rules.
He is the All-Powerful.
7 Let us rejoice and be happy
and give God glory!
Give God glory, because the wedding of the Lamb has come.
And the Lamb’s bride has made herself ready.
8 Fine linen was given to the bride for her to wear.
The linen was bright and clean.”
(The fine linen means the good things that God’s holy people did.)
9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Great blessings belong to those who are invited to the wedding meal of the Lamb!” Then the angel said, “These are the true words of God.”
10 Then I bowed down before the angel’s feet to worship him. But the angel said to me, “Don’t worship me! I am a servant like you and your brothers and sisters who have the truth of Jesus. So worship God! Because the truth of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The Rider on the White Horse
11 Then I saw heaven open. There before me was a white horse. The rider on the horse was called Faithful and True, because he is right in his judging and in making war. 12 His eyes were like burning fire. He had many crowns on his head. A name was written on him, but he was the only one who knew its meaning. 13 He was dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and he was called the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following the rider on the white horse. They were also riding white horses. They were dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 A sharp sword came out of the rider’s mouth, a sword that he would use to defeat the nations. And he will rule the nations with a rod of iron. He will crush the grapes in the winepress of the terrible anger of God All-Powerful. 16 On his robe and on his leg was written this name:
king of kings and lord of lords
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun. In a loud voice the angel said to all the birds flying in the sky, “Come together for the great supper of God. 18 Come together so that you can eat the bodies of rulers and army commanders and famous men. Come to eat the bodies of the horses and their riders and the bodies of all people—free, slave, small, and great.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the rulers of the earth. Their armies were gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and the false prophet was also captured. He was the one who did the miracles[b] for the beast. He had used these miracles to trick those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its idol. The false prophet and the beast were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 Their armies were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse. All the birds ate these bodies until they were full.
1 This is a message from the Lord to Israel. God used Malachi to tell this message to the people.
God Loves Israel
2 The Lord said, “I love you people.”
But you said, “What shows you love us?”
The Lord said, “Esau was Jacob’s brother, but I chose[a] Jacob. 3 And I did not accept[b] Esau. I destroyed his hill country.[c] His country was destroyed, and now only wild dogs[d] live there.”
4 The people of Edom might say, “We were destroyed, but we will go back and rebuild our cities.”
But the Lord All-Powerful says, “If they rebuild their cities, I will destroy them again.” That is why people say Edom is an evil country—a nation the Lord hates forever.
5 You people saw these things, and you said, “The Lord is great, even outside of Israel!”
The People Don’t Respect God
6 The Lord All-Powerful said, “Children honor their fathers. Servants honor their masters. I am your Father, so why don’t you honor me? I am your master, so why don’t you respect me? You priests don’t respect my name.
“But you say, ‘What have we done that shows we don’t respect your name?’
7 “You bring unclean bread to my altar.
“But you ask, ‘What makes that bread unclean?’
“It is unclean because you show no respect for the altar of the Lord. 8 You bring blind animals as sacrifices, and that is wrong. You bring sick and crippled animals for sacrifices, and that is wrong. Try giving those sick animals as a gift to your governor. Would he accept those sick animals? No, he would not accept them.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.
9 “Now try asking God to be good to you. But he will not listen to you, and it is all your fault.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.
10 “I wish one of you would close the Temple doors to stop the lighting of useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you. I will not accept your gifts.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.
11 “People all around the world respect my name. All around the world they bring good gifts to me and burn good incense as a gift to me, because my name is important to all of them.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.
12 “But you people show that you don’t respect my name. You say that the Lord’s altar is unclean. And you don’t like the food from that altar. 13 You smell the food and refuse to eat it. You say it is bad. Then you bring sick, crippled, and hurt animals to me. You try to give sick animals to me as sacrifices, but I will not accept them.” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said. 14 “Some people have good, male animals that they could give as sacrifices, but don’t. Some people bring good animals and promise to give those healthy animals to me. But then they secretly exchange those good animals and give me sick animals instead. Bad things will happen to those people. I am the Great King and people all around the world respect me!” This is what the Lord All-Powerful said.
Jesus Is Arrested(A)
18 When Jesus finished praying, he left with his followers and went across the Kidron Valley. He went into a garden there, his followers still with him.
2 Judas, the one responsible for handing Jesus over, knew where this place was. He knew because Jesus often met there with his followers. 3 So Judas led a group of soldiers to the garden, along with some guards from the leading priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.
4 Jesus already knew everything that would happen to him. So he went out and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”
5 They answered, “Jesus from Nazareth.”
He said, “I am Jesus.”[a] (Judas, the one responsible for handing Jesus over, was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am Jesus,” the men moved back and fell to the ground.
7 He asked them again, “Who are you looking for?”
They said, “Jesus from Nazareth.”
8 Jesus said, “I told you that I am Jesus. So if you are looking for me, let these other men go free.” 9 This was to show the truth of what Jesus said earlier: “I have not lost anyone you gave me.”
10 Simon Peter had a sword, which he pulled out. He struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back in its place! I must drink from the cup[b] the Father has given me.”
Jesus Is Brought Before Annas(B)
12 Then the soldiers with their commander and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus. They tied him 13 and brought him to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the high priest that year. 14 He was also the one who had told the other Jewish leaders that it would be better if one man died for all the people.
Peter Lies About Knowing Jesus(C)
15 Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ followers went with Jesus. This follower knew the high priest. So he went with Jesus into the yard of the high priest’s house. 16 But Peter waited outside near the door. The follower who knew the high priest came back outside and spoke to the gatekeeper. Then he brought Peter inside. 17 The girl at the gate said to Peter, “Are you also one of the followers of that man?”
Peter answered, “No, I am not!”
18 It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a fire. They were standing around it, warming themselves, and Peter was standing with them.
The High Priest Questions Jesus(D)
19 The high priest asked Jesus questions about his followers and what he taught them. 20 Jesus answered, “I have always spoken openly to all people. I always taught in the synagogues and in the Temple area. All the Jews come together there. I never said anything in secret. 21 So why do you question me? Ask the people who heard my teaching. They know what I said.”
22 When Jesus said this, one of the guards standing there hit him. The guard said, “You should not talk to the high priest like that!”
23 Jesus answered, “If I said something wrong, tell everyone here what was wrong. But if what I said is right, then why do you hit me?”
24 So Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest. He was still tied.
Peter Lies Again(E)
25 Simon Peter was standing at the fire, keeping himself warm. The other people said to Peter, “Aren’t you one of the followers of that man?”
Peter denied it. He said, “No, I am not.”
26 One of the servants of the high priest was there. He was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off. The servant said, “I think I saw you with him in the garden!”
27 But again Peter said, “No, I was not with him!” As soon as he said this, a rooster crowed.
Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate(F)
28 Then the guards took Jesus from Caiaphas’ house to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early in the morning. The Jews there would not go inside the palace. They did not want to make themselves unclean,[c] because they wanted to eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and asked, “What do you say this man has done wrong?”
30 They answered, “He is a bad man. That is why we brought him to you.”
31 Pilate said to them, “You take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
The Jewish leaders answered, “But your law does not allow us to punish anyone by killing them.” 32 (This was to show the truth of what Jesus said about how he would die.)
33 Then Pilate went back inside the palace. He called for Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 Jesus said, “Is that your own question, or did other people tell you about me?”
35 Pilate said, “I’m not a Jew! It was your own people and their leading priests who brought you before me. What have you done wrong?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it did, my servants would fight so that I would not be handed over to the Jewish leaders. No, my kingdom is not an earthly one.”
37 Pilate said, “So you are a king.”
Jesus answered, “You are right to say that I am a king. I was born for this: to tell people about the truth. That is why I came into the world. And everyone who belongs to the truth listens to me.”
38 Pilate said, “What is truth?” Then he went out to the Jewish leaders again and said to them, “I can find nothing against this man. 39 But it is one of your customs for me to free one prisoner to you at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to free this ‘king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas go free!” (Barabbas was a rebel.)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International