M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Remember the Lord
8 Carefully obey every command I give you today. Then you will live and ·grow in number [multiply], and you will enter and ·take [possess] the land the Lord promised your ·ancestors [fathers; Gen. 12:1–3; 15:17–20]. 2 Remember ·how the Lord your God has led [all the way the Lord brought] you in the ·desert [wilderness] for these forty years, ·taking away your pride [humbling you] and testing you, because he wanted to know what was in your heart. He wanted to know if you would obey his commands. 3 He ·took away your pride [humbled you] when he let you get hungry, and then he fed you with manna [Ex. 16:31–36], which neither you nor your ·ancestors [fathers] had ever seen. This was to teach you that a person does not live on bread alone, but by everything the Lord says [Matt. 4:4]. 4 During these forty years, your clothes did not wear out, and your feet did not swell. 5 Know in your heart that the Lord your God ·corrects [instructs; disciplines] you as a parent ·corrects [instructs; disciplines] a child.
6 Obey the commands of the Lord your God, ·living as he has commanded you [L going in his way] and ·respecting [fearing] him. 7 The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with ·rivers [wadis] and pools of water, with ·springs [deeps; underground water] that flow in the valleys and hills, 8 a land that has wheat and barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey. 9 It is a land where you will have ·plenty of food [L no scarcity of food/bread], where you will have everything you need, where the rocks are iron, and where you can ·dig [mine] copper out of the hills.
10 When you ·have all you want to eat [L eat and are satisfied], then ·praise [bless] the Lord your God for giving you a good land. 11 Be careful not to forget the Lord your God so that you ·fail to obey [do not keep] his commands, laws, and ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] that I am giving to you today. 12 When you eat ·all you want [L and are satisfied] and build nice houses and live in them, 13 when your herds and flocks ·grow large [multiply] and your silver and gold ·increase [multiply], ·when you have more of everything [and all you have multiplies], 14 then your heart will ·become proud [L be lifted up/exalted]. You will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ·where you were slaves [L from the house of bondage]. 15 He led you through the ·large [vast] and ·terrible [awesome] ·desert [wilderness] that was dry and had no water, and that had ·poisonous [L burning] snakes and stinging insects. He gave you water from a ·solid [or flint] rock [Ex. 17:1–7] 16 and manna to eat in the ·desert [wilderness; Ex. 16:31–36]. Manna was something your ·ancestors [fathers] had never seen. He did this to ·take away your pride [humble you] and to test you, so things would go well for you in the end. 17 You might say ·to yourself [L in your heart/mind], “I am rich because of ·my own power and strength [L the power and strength of my hand; Ps. 30:6–7],” 18 but remember the Lord your God! It is he who gives you the power to become rich, keeping the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] he promised to your ·ancestors [fathers], as it is today.
19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and ·follow [L go after] other gods and ·worship [serve] them and bow down to them, I ·warn you [testify/witness to you] today that you will be destroyed. 20 Just as the Lord destroyed the other nations for you, you can be destroyed if you do not ·obey [L listen to the voice of] the Lord your God.
Safe in the Lord
91 Those who ·go to God Most High for safety [L dwell/sit in the shelter of God Most High]
will ·be protected by [lodge in the shade/shadow of] the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “You are my ·place of safety [refuge] and ·protection [fortress].
You are my God and I ·trust [have confidence in] you.”
3 God will ·save [protect] you from ·hidden traps [L the snare of the fowler]
and from deadly ·diseases [pestilence].
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you ·can hide [will find refuge; Deut. 32:11; Is. 31:5; Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34].
His ·truth [faithfulness] will be your shield and ·protection [buckler; C a small shield].
5 You will not fear any ·danger by [terror at] night
or an arrow that flies during the day.
6 ·You will not be afraid of diseases [L …or the pestilence] that ·come [walks; stalks] in the dark
or ·sickness [L stings] that ·strikes [devastates; overpowers] at noon.
7 At your side one thousand people may ·die [L fall],
or even ten thousand ·right beside you [L at your right hand],
but ·you will not be hurt [L it will not touch you].
8 You will only ·watch [L look with your eyes]
and see the wicked ·punished [recompensed].
9 ·The Lord is your protection [L For you, Lord, are my refuge];
you have made God Most High your ·place of safety [dwelling place].
10 Nothing ·bad [evil; harmful] will ·happen to [befall] you;
no ·disaster [blow; or plague] will ·come to [approach] your ·home [L tent].
11 He has ·put his angels in charge of [L commanded his angels/messengers concerning] you
to ·watch over [keep; guard] ·you wherever you go [L all your ways].
12 They will ·catch you [lift you up] in their hands
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock [Matt. 4:6; Luke 4:10–11].
13 You will ·walk [tread] on lions and cobras;
you will ·step on [trample] strong lions and snakes.
14 The Lord says, “Whoever ·loves [desires] me, I will ·save [rescue].
I will ·protect [lift to safety] those who know ·me [L my name].
15 They will call to me, and I will answer them.
I will be with them in ·trouble [distress];
I will rescue them and ·honor [glorify] them.
16 I will ·give them a long, full life [L satisfy them with length of days],
and ·they will see how I can save [L show them my salvation/victory].”
The Assyrians Invade Judah(A)
36 During Hezekiah’s fourteenth year as king [C 701 bc], Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the ·strong, walled [fortified] cities of Judah and captured them. 2 The king of Assyria sent out ·his field commander [or chief advisor; or the Rabshakeh] with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah in Jerusalem [2 Chr. 32:9]. When the commander came near the ·waterway [aqueduct; conduit] from the upper pool on the road ·where people do their laundry [or to the Launderer’s/T Fuller’s Field], he stopped. 3 Eliakim son of Hilkiah [22:20], ·the palace manager [L who was over the house], Shebna [22:15], the ·royal secretary [scribe], and Joah son of Asaph, the ·recorder [royal historian] went out to meet him.
4 The ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh] said to them, “Tell Hezekiah this:
“‘The great king, the king of Assyria, says: ·What can you trust in now [On what do you base your confidence; Where does this confidence come from]? 5 You say you have ·battle plans [strategy; counsel] and ·power [strength] for war, but your words ·mean nothing [are empty]. Whom are you ·trusting [relying/counting on] for help so that you ·turn [rebel] against me? 6 Look, you are depending on Egypt to help you, but Egypt is like a ·splintered [broken] ·walking stick [reed]. If you lean on it for help, it will stab your hand and ·hurt [pierce] you. So it will be with the king of Egypt for all those who depend on him. 7 You might say, “We are depending on the Lord our God,” but ·Hezekiah destroyed [L did not Hezekiah destroy…?] the Lord’s altars and ·the places of worship [L high places; 2 Kin. 18:4; 2 Chr. 30:14; 31:1]. Hezekiah told Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship only at this one altar [C at the temple in Jerusalem; the Assyrian official wrongly assumes that the other altars and high places were dedicated to the Lord and that restricting worship to Jerusalem would offend him; Deut. 12].”
8 “‘Now make an ·agreement [pledge; deal] with my ·master [lord], the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses if you can find enough men to ride them [C a taunt that Judah’s army is too small even if Assyria were to supply it]. 9 You cannot ·defeat [repel] one of my ·master’s [lord’s] least important officers, so why do you depend on Egypt to give you chariots and ·horsemen [charioteers]? 10 ·I have not [L Do you think I have…?] come to attack and destroy this country without ·an order from the Lord [L the Lord]. The Lord himself told me to come ·to [against] this country and destroy it [C echoing Isaiah’s prophecy that this is judgment from the Lord].’”
11 Then Eliakim [22:20], Shebna [22:15], and Joah said to the ·field commander [chief advisor; or Rabshakeh], “Please speak to ·us [L your servants] in the Aramaic language [C the language of trade and diplomacy]. We understand it. Don’t speak to us in ·Hebrew [L Judean], because the people on the city wall can hear you.”
12 But the commander said, “My master did not send me to tell these ·things [words] only to you and your ·king [L master; lord]. He sent me to speak also to those people sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own ·dung [excrement] and drink their own urine like you [C because of shortages caused by the upcoming siege].”
13 Then the commander stood and shouted loudly in ·the Hebrew language [L Judean], “·Listen to what [L Hear the word of] the great king, the king of Assyria, says. 14 The king says you should not let Hezekiah ·fool [deceive; delude] you, because he can’t ·save [rescue; T deliver] you. 15 Don’t let Hezekiah talk you into trusting the Lord by saying, ‘The Lord will surely ·save [rescue; T deliver] us. This city won’t be handed over to the king of Assyria.’
16 “Don’t listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, ‘Make peace with me, and come out of the city to me. Then everyone will be free to eat the fruit from his own grapevine and fig tree and to drink water from his own ·well [cistern; C symbols of freedom and prosperity]. 17 ·After that [L …until] I will come and take you to a land like your own—a land with grain and new wine, bread and vineyards.’
18 “Don’t let Hezekiah ·fool [mislead] you, saying, ‘The Lord will save us.’ Has a god of any other nation saved his people from the ·power [L hand] of the king of Assyria? 19 Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad [C cities conquered by Assyria; 10:9]? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim [C city in northern Syria conquered by Assyria]? They did not save Samaria from my ·power [L hand]. 20 ·Not one [L Which…?] of all the gods of these countries has ·saved [rescued; T delivered] his people from me. Neither can the Lord ·save [rescue; T deliver] Jerusalem from my ·power [L hand].”
21 ·The people [L They] were silent. They didn’t answer the commander at all, because King Hezekiah had ordered, “Don’t answer him.”
22 Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah [22:20], ·the palace manager [L who was over the house], Shebna [22:15], the ·royal secretary [scribe], and Joah son of Asaph, the ·recorder [royal historian], went to Hezekiah. They tore their clothes [C a sign of grief, anguish or despair] and went in and told him what the field commander had said.
6 Then I watched while the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals [5:1]. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “·Come [or Go; C Christ, the Lamb, calls forth the four riders who bring bloody judgment on the world]!” 2 I looked, and ·there before me was [L look; T behold] a white horse. The rider on the horse held a bow [C signifying war], and he was given a crown [C indicating victory; see 2:10], and he rode out, ·determined to win the victory [L conquering and in order to conquer].
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “·Come [or Go; 6:1]!” 4 Then another horse came out, a ·red [L fiery/bright red; C possibly signifying blood] one. Its rider was given ·power [permission] to take away peace from the earth and to make people ·kill [slaughter] each other, and he was given a ·big [great] sword [C signifying civil war].
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “·Come [or Go]!” I looked, and ·there before me was [L look; T behold] a black horse [C indicating mourning brought on by the rider], and its rider held a pair of scales in his hand [C for use in commerce; Prov. 11:1; 16:11]. 6 Then I heard something that sounded like a voice coming from the middle of the four living creatures. The voice said, “A quart of wheat for a ·day’s pay [L denarius; C a Roman coin equal to a day’s wage], and three quarts of barley for a ·day’s pay [L denarius; C inflated prices caused by famine], and do not damage the olive oil and wine [C indicates only partial destruction; vines and olive trees endured drought better than wheat and barley]!”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “·Come [or Go; 6:1]!” 8 I looked, and ·there before me was [L look; T behold] a ·pale [or pale green] horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades [C the realm of the dead, also known as Sheol] was following close behind him. They were given ·power [authority] over a fourth of the earth to kill people by ·war [L the sword], by ·starvation [famine], by ·disease [pestilence; plague], and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar [C probably the bronze altar where sacrifices were offered] the souls of those who had been ·killed [slaughtered; slain] because ·they were faithful to [L of] the word of God and to the ·message [witness; testimony] they had ·received [or given; or maintained]. 10 These souls ·shouted [cried out] in a loud voice, “Holy and true ·Lord [Master], how long until you judge the people of the earth and ·punish them for killing us [L avenge our blood]?” 11 Then each one of them was given a white robe [C signifying high status and purity] and was told to ·wait [or rest] a short time longer. There were still some of their fellow servants and ·brothers and sisters in the service of Christ [L their brothers; C the Greek term may include men and women] who ·must be [were soon to be] killed as they were. They had to wait until all of this was ·finished [fulfilled; completed].
12 Then I watched while the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black like ·rough black cloth [L sackcloth made of goat hair; C clothing used in mourning], and the whole moon became red like blood [C signifying destruction; apocalyptic literature often describes nature falling apart at the end time; Joel 2:31]. 13 And the stars in the sky fell to the earth like ·figs [or unripe figs] falling from a fig tree when ·the wind blows [L shaken by a strong wind/gale]. 14 The sky ·disappeared [vanished] as a scroll when it is rolled up [Is. 34:4], and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
15 Then the kings of the earth, the ·rulers [princes; nobles; magnates], the generals, the rich people, the powerful people, ·the slaves, and the free people [L and everyone, both slave and free; C people of every status and economic level] hid themselves in caves and in the rocks on the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us. Hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the ·anger [wrath] of the Lamb! 17 [L Because] The great day for their ·anger [wrath] has come [C the final judgment], and who can stand against it [C a rhetorical question]?”
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