M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Josiah King of Judah(A)
34 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 He did what ·the Lord said was right [L was pleasing/proper in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. He lived as his ·ancestor [father] David had lived, and he did not ·stop doing what was right [L turn aside/deviate to the right or the left].
3 In his eighth year as king while he was still young, Josiah began to ·obey [seek] the God of his ·ancestor [father] David. In his twelfth year as king, Josiah began to ·remove [purge; rid] from Judah and Jerusalem the ·places for worshiping gods [L high places; 11:15], the Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3], and the ·wooden [carved] and ·metal [cast; molten] ·idols [images]. 4 The people tore down the altars for the Baal gods ·as Josiah directed [or in his presence]. Then Josiah cut down the incense altars that were above them. He broke up the Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] and the wooden and ·metal [cast; molten] idols and ·beat [ground; crushed] them into powder. Then he sprinkled the powder on the ·graves [tombs] of the people who had ·offered [sacrificed] sacrifices to these gods. 5 He burned the bones of their priests on their own altars. So Josiah ·removed idol worship from [purged; purified] Judah and Jerusalem, 6 and from the towns in the areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon all the way to Naphtali, and in the ·ruins [or regions] near these towns. 7 Josiah broke down the altars and Asherah ·idols [poles; 14:3] and ·beat [ground; crushed] the ·idols [carved images] into powder. He ·cut down [chopped up; smashed] all the incense altars in all of Israel. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
8 In Josiah’s eighteenth year ·as king [of reigning], ·he made [he continued to make; or after he had made…] ·Judah [L the land] and the ·Temple [L house] pure. He sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the city ·leader [official; governor], and Joah son of Joahaz the ·recorder [royal historian] to ·repair [restore] the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, the God of Josiah. 9 These men went to Hilkiah the high priest and ·gave him [delivered] the money the Levite gatekeepers had gathered from the people of Manasseh, Ephraim, and all the ·Israelites who were left alive [L remnant of Israel], and also from all the people of Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem. This is the money they had brought into the ·Temple [L house] of God. 10 Then the Levites gave it to the ·supervisors [overseers; foremen] of the work on the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, and they paid the workers who ·rebuilt [restored] and repaired the ·Temple [L house]. 11 They gave money to carpenters and builders to buy ·cut [quarried; finished] stone and ·wood [timber]. The ·wood [timber] was used ·to rebuild [for rafters/joists/braces for] the buildings and to make beams for them, because the kings of Judah had let the buildings fall into ruin. 12 The men did their work ·well [faithfully]. Their ·supervisors [overseers; foremen] were Jahath and Obadiah, who were Levites from the ·family [clan] of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, who were from the ·family [clan] of Kohath. ·These [or Other] Levites were all skilled musicians. 13 They were also ·in charge [supervisors; overseers; foremen] of the ·workers who carried loads [burden bearers; laborers] and all the other workers. Some Levites worked as ·secretaries [scribes], ·officers [officials], and gatekeepers.
The Book of the Teachings Is Found
14 The Levites brought out the money that was in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. As they were doing this, Hilkiah the priest found the ·Book [scroll] of the Lord’s ·Teachings [instructions; laws] that had been given through Moses. 15 Hilkiah said to Shaphan the royal ·secretary [scribe] , “I’ve found the ·Book [scroll] of the ·Teachings [instructions; laws] in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord!” Then he gave it to Shaphan.
16 Shaphan took the ·book [scroll] to the king and reported to Josiah, “Your ·officers [officials] are doing everything you ·told [assigned; entrusted] them to do. 17 They have paid out the ·money [silver] that was in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and have ·given [delivered; entrusted] it to the ·supervisors [overseers] and the workers.” 18 Then Shaphan the royal ·secretary [scribe] told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a ·book [scroll].” And Shaphan read from the ·book [scroll] to the king.
19 When the king heard the words of the ·Teachings [instructions; laws], he tore his clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress]. 20 He gave orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the royal ·secretary [scribe], and Asaiah, the king’s servant. These were the orders: 21 “Go and ·ask [inquire of] the Lord about the words in the ·book [scroll] that was found. Ask for me and for the ·people who are left alive in [remnant of] Israel and Judah. The Lord is ·very angry with [L pouring out/igniting his wrath on] us, because our ·ancestors [fathers] did not ·obey [seek] the Lord’s word; they did not ·do [act in accordance with] everything this ·book [scroll] says to do.”
22 So Hilkiah and those the king sent with him went to talk to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, ·who took care of the king’s clothes [keeper of the wardrobe]. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the ·new area of the city [second quarter].
23 She said to them, “·This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says [T Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel]: Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 ‘This is what the Lord says: I will bring ·trouble to [disaster/L evil on] this place and ·to [on] the people living here. I will bring all the curses that are written in the ·book [scroll] that was read to the king of Judah [Deut. 27–28]. 25 The people of Judah have ·left [abandoned; forsaken] me and have burned incense to other gods. They have ·made me angry [L provoked/aroused me to anger] by all the evil things [C idols] they have made. So ·I will punish them in my anger [L my wrath will be poured out on this place], which will not be ·put out [quenched; extinguished].’ 26 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ·ask [inquire of] the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the ·words [message] you heard: 27 When you heard my words against this place and its people, ·you became sorry for what you had done [your heart was tender/responsive/sensitive] and you humbled yourself before me. You tore your clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress], and you cried in my presence. This is why I have heard you, says the Lord. 28 So I will ·let you die and be buried [L gather you to your ancestors/fathers and to your grave/tomb] in peace. You won’t see all the ·trouble [disaster; L evil] I will bring to this place and the people living here.’”
So they took her ·message [response; answer] back to the king.
29 Then the king ·gathered [summoned] all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem together. 30 He went up to the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, and all the people from Judah and from Jerusalem went with him. The priests, the Levites, and all the people—·from the most important to the least important [both great and small; or from the oldest to the youngest]—went with him. He read to them all the words in the ·Book [scroll] of the ·Agreement [covenant; treaty] that was found in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. 31 The king stood by his pillar [C a place of authority] and made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] ·in the presence of [before] the Lord to follow the Lord and ·obey [keep] his commands, rules, and laws with ·his whole being [all his heart] and to obey the words of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] written in this ·book [scroll]. 32 Then Josiah ·made [required] all the people in Jerusalem and Benjamin ·promise to accept [stand with him regarding] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty]. So the people of Jerusalem ·obeyed [acted in accordance with] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] of God, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers].
33 And Josiah threw out the [detestable; abominable] idols from all the land that belonged to the Israelites. He ·led [forced; caused] everyone in Israel to serve the Lord their God. While Josiah lived, the people ·obeyed [did not turn from] the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers].
The Thousand Years
20 I saw an angel coming down from heaven. He had the key to the ·bottomless pit [Abyss; 9:1] and a ·large [great] chain in his hand. 2 The angel ·grabbed [seized] the dragon, that ·old snake [ancient serpent] who is the devil and Satan [12:9; Gen. 3:15], and ·tied him up [bound him; Mark 3:27] for a thousand years. 3 Then he threw him into the ·bottomless pit [Abyss], ·closed [or locked] it, and ·locked it [L sealed it; or placed a seal on it] over him. The angel did this so he could not ·trick [deceive; lead astray] the ·people of the earth [nations] anymore until the thousand years were ·ended [finished; completed]. After ·a thousand years [L these things] he must be set free for a short time.
4 Then I saw some thrones and people sitting on them who had been given the power to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been ·killed [L beheaded] because ·they were faithful to the message [of their testimony/witness] of Jesus and [L because of] the ·message from [word of] God. They had not worshiped the beast or his ·idol [image], and they had not received the ·mark [brand; stamp] of the beast on their foreheads or on their hands. They came back to life and ·ruled [reigned] with Christ for a thousand years. 5 (The others that were dead did not live again until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first ·raising of the dead [resurrection]. 6 ·Blessed [Happy] and holy are those who ·share [have a part] in this first ·raising of the dead [resurrection]. The second death [C being cast in the lake of fire] has no ·power [authority] over them. They will be priests for God and for Christ and will ·rule [reign] with him for a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be set free from his prison. 8 Then he will go out to ·trick [deceive; lead astray] the nations in ·all [L the four corners of] the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle [Ezek. 38—39]. ·There are so many people [L In number] they will be like ·sand on the seashore [or the sand of the sea]. 9 And ·Satan’s army [L they] marched across [L the breadth of; or the broad plain of] the earth and ·gathered around [surrounded] the camp of ·God’s people [T the saints] and the city God loves. But fire came down from heaven and ·burned them up [consumed/devoured them; 13:13; 1 Kin. 18:38; 2 Kin. 1:10, 12]. 10 And ·Satan [L the Devil], who ·tricked them [deceived them; led them astray], was thrown into the lake of ·burning sulfur [L fire and sulfur] with the beast and the false prophet. There they will be ·punished [tormented; tortured] day and night forever and ever.
People of the World Are Judged
11 Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. Earth and ·sky [heaven] ·ran away [fled] from ·him [L his presence/face] and ·disappeared [L no place was found for them]. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. Then ·books [scrolls] were opened, and [L another book/scroll, which is] the ·book [scroll] of life was opened [3:5; Dan. 12:1–2]. The dead were judged by what they had done, which was ·written [recorded] in the ·books [scrolls]. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades [C the realm of the dead, also known as Sheol; 6:8] gave up the dead who were in them. Each person was judged by what he had done. 14 And Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book [scroll] of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Rules for Priests
2 “Priests, this ·command [warning] is for you. 2 Listen to me. Pay attention to what I say. Honor my name,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. “If you don’t, I will send a curse on you and on your blessings. I have already cursed them, because you don’t ·pay attention to what I say [take my warning to heart].
3 “I will ·punish [discipline; rebuke] your descendants. I will smear your faces with ·the animal insides [offal; entrails; or dung] left from your feasts, and you will be thrown away with it. 4 Then you will know that I am giving you this ·command [warning] so my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with Levi will continue,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 5 “My ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with ·the Levites [L him; C Levi] was to bring life and peace so they would ·honor [fear] me. And they did ·honor [fear] me and ·fear me [L stood in awe of my name; Prov. 1:7]. 6 ·They taught the true teachings [True law/instruction/L Torah was in his mouth] and ·spoke no lies [no iniquity was found on his lips]. With peace and ·honesty [integrity] they ·did what I said they should do [walked with me], and they kept many people from sinning.
7 “·A priest [L The lips of a priest] should ·teach what he knows [preserve/guard knowledge; Deut. 33:10], and people should ·learn the teachings [seek instruction] from ·him [L his mouth], because he is the messenger of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 8 But you priests have ·stopped obeying me [L turned from the way/path]. With your teachings you have caused many people to ·do wrong [stumble]. You have ·broken [corrupted] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with ·the tribe of Levi [L Levi]!” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 9 “You have not been careful to ·do what I say [follow my ways/paths], but instead you ·take sides [show favoritism/partiality] in ·court [legal] cases. So I have caused you to be ·hated [despised] and ·disgraced [humiliated] in front of everybody.”
Judah Was Not Loyal to God
10 ·We all have the same [L Do we not have one….?] father; the ·same [one] God created us. So why do people ·break their promises to [betray] each other and ·show no respect for [profane; defile] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] our ·ancestors [fathers] made with God [Ex. 19–24]? 11 ·The people of Judah [L Judah] have ·broken their promises [been unfaithful]. They have done ·something God hates [an abomination/detestable thing] in Israel and Jerusalem: ·The people of Judah [L Judah] ·did not respect [desecrated] the ·Temple [sanctuary; or holy things] that the Lord loves, and the men of Judah married ·women who worship [L the daughter of] foreign gods. 12 Whoever does this might bring offerings to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], but the Lord will still cut that person off from the ·community of Israel [L tents of Jacob].
13 This is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with your tears. You ·cry [weep] and moan, because he does not ·accept [look with favor on] your offerings and is not pleased with what you bring. 14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord ·sees how you treated [L is the witness between you and] the wife ·you married when you were young [L of your youth]. You ·broke your promise [have been unfaithful] to her, even though she was your partner and ·you had an agreement with her [your wife by solemn covenant]. 15 ·God made [L Did not God make…?] husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit for his purpose—so they would have ·children who are true to God [godly offspring].
So ·be careful [L guard yourself in your spirit], and do not ·break your promise [be unfaithful] to the wife ·you married when you were young [L of your youth].
16 The Lord God of Israel says, “·I hate divorce. And I hate the person who [or The one who hates and divorces] ·does cruel things as easily as he puts on clothes [L covers his clothes in violence],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
So be ·careful [on your guard]. And do not ·break your trust [be unfaithful].
The Special Day of Judging
17 You have ·tired [wearied] the Lord with your words.
You ask, “How have we ·tired [wearied] him?”
You did it by saying, “·The Lord thinks [L In the Lord’s eyes] anyone who does evil is good, and he is pleased with them.” Or you asked, “Where is the God ·who is fair [of justice]?”
19 Then Pilate ordered that Jesus be taken away and ·whipped [flogged]. 2 The soldiers ·made [wove; twisted together] a crown ·from some thorny branches [T of thorns] and put it on Jesus’ head and put a purple robe [C purple was the color of royalty] around him. 3 Then they came to him many times and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and ·hit him in the face [slapped/struck him].
4 Again Pilate came out and said to them, “Look, I am bringing Jesus out to you. I want you to know that I find ·nothing [no case; no basis for a charge] against him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “·Here is the man [T Behold the man]!”
6 When the ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·guards [officials; temple police] saw Jesus, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
But Pilate answered them, “Crucify him yourselves, because I find ·nothing [no case; no basis for a charge] against him.”
7 The ·leaders [Jewish leaders; L Jews] answered [L him], “We have a law [Lev. 24:16] that says he should die, because he ·said he is [made himself; claimed to be] the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this [L statement; word], he was even more afraid. 9 He went back inside the ·palace [headquarters; L Praetorium] and asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus did not answer him. 10 Pilate said [L to him], “You refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know I have ·power [authority] to ·set you free [release you] and ·power [authority] to have you crucified?”
11 Jesus answered [him], “The only ·power [authority] you have over me is the ·power [authority] given to you ·by God [L from above]. The man who ·turned me in to you [betrayed me; C Caiaphas or perhaps Judas] is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 ·After this [or For this reason], Pilate tried to let Jesus go. But ·some in the crowd [L the Jews] ·cried out [shouted], “Anyone who makes himself king ·is against [opposes] Caesar [C the Roman emperor]. If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar.”
13 When Pilate heard ·what they were saying [L these words], he brought Jesus out and ·sat down [or seated him] on the judge’s seat at the place called The Stone Pavement. (In the ·Hebrew language [C more specifically, Aramaic, the native language of the Jews at the time] the name is Gabbatha.) 14 It was about ·noon [L the sixth hour; C hours were counted from dawn, about 6 AM] on Preparation Day of Passover week. Pilate said to ·the crowd [L the Jews], “·Here is your king! [L Look, your king! or Look at your king!]”
15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to crucify your king?”
The ·leading [T chief] priests answered, “The only king we have is Caesar.”
16 So Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified(A)
The soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, Jesus went out to a place called The Place of the Skull, which in the Hebrew [C Aramaic; see v. 13] language is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified Jesus. They also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate wrote a ·sign [title; notice; inscription] and ·put [fastened] it on the cross. It read: jesus ·of nazareth [L the Nazarene], the king of the jews. 20 The ·sign [title; notice; inscription] was written in Hebrew [C Aramaic; 19:13], in Latin, and in Greek [C the languages spoken in Jerusalem at the time]. Many of the people read the sign, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. 21 The ·leading [T chief] priests [L of the Jews] said to Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews.’ But write, ‘This man ·said [claimed], “I am the King of the Jews.”’”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 After the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, with each soldier getting one part [C it was a custom that the executioners would get the victim’s clothes]. They also took his ·long shirt [tunic; undergarment], which was ·all one piece of cloth [seamless], woven from top to bottom. 24 So the soldiers said to each other, “We should not tear this into parts. Let’s throw lots [C similar to dice] to see who will get it.” This happened so that this Scripture would come true:
“They divided my clothes among them,
and they threw lots for my clothing [Ps. 22:18].”
So the soldiers did this.
25 [L Now] Standing near his cross were Jesus’ mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [C It is unclear whether Mary the wife of Clopas is the same as Jesus’ mother’s sister or someone else.] 26 When Jesus [L therefore] saw his mother and the ·follower [disciple] he loved [C probably John himself] standing nearby, he said to his mother, “·Dear woman [L Woman; see 2:4], ·here is [T behold] your son.” 27 Then he said to the ·follower [disciple], “·Here is [T Behold] your mother.” From that time on, the ·follower [disciple] took her to live in his home.
Jesus Dies(B)
28 After this, Jesus knew that everything had been ·done [finished; completed]. So that the Scripture would ·come true [be fulfilled], he said, “I ·am thirsty [T thirst; Ps. 22:15; 69:21].” 29 There was a jar full of ·vinegar [sour wine] there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a ·branch [stalk] of a hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. 30 When Jesus ·tasted [L received] the ·vinegar [sour wine], he said, “It is ·finished [completed; accomplished].” Then he bowed his head and ·died [L gave up/yielded his spirit].
31 This day was Preparation Day [C for the celebration of Passover; 12:12], and the next day was a ·special [high; L great] Sabbath day [C special because it occurred during Passover]. Since the ·religious leaders [L Jews] did not want the bodies to stay on the cross on the Sabbath day, they asked Pilate to order that the legs of the men be broken [C so they would die quicker] and the bodies be taken away [Deut. 21:22–23]. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man on the cross beside Jesus. Then they broke the legs of the man on the other cross beside Jesus. 33 But when the soldiers came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers ·stuck [pierced] his ·spear [lance; javelin] into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water came out [C indicating his death as a human being]. 35 (The one who saw this happen is the one who ·told us this [witnesses; testifies; C again probably an allusion to the disciple John], and ·whatever he says [his witness/testimony] is true. And he knows that he tells the truth, and he tells it so that you might believe [see 21:24].) 36 [L For] These things happened to ·make the Scripture come true [fulfill the Scripture]: “Not one of his bones will be broken [Ps. 34:20; see Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12].” 37 And [L again] another Scripture says, “They will look at the one they ·stabbed [pierced; Zech. 12:10].”
Jesus Is Buried(C)
38 ·Later [L After these things], Joseph from Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus. (Joseph was a secret ·follower [disciple] of Jesus, because he was afraid of ·some of the leaders [the Jewish leaders; L the Jews].) Pilate gave his permission, so Joseph came and took Jesus’ body away. 39 Nicodemus, who earlier had come to Jesus at night [3:1–15; 7:50–52], went with Joseph. He brought about seventy-five pounds [C Greek: a hundred litrai; a litra was about 12 ounces] of [a mixture of] myrrh and aloes [C used to cover a decomposing body to prevent the stench]. 40 These two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it with the spices in pieces of linen cloth, ·which is how they bury the dead [L according to the burial custom of the Jews]. 41 In the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden. In the garden was a new tomb that had never been used before. 42 The men laid Jesus in that tomb because it was nearby, and ·they were preparing to start their Sabbath day [L because it was the Jewish Day of Preparation].
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