M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Levite’s Mistress
19 Now it happened in those days, before there was a king in Israel, that a certain male descendant of Levi, who lived in a remote part of the mountainous region[a] of Ephraim, took a mistress for himself from Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. 2 But his mistress was sexually unfaithful to him, and then she left him to live in her father’s home in Bethlehem in the territory of Judah. She had been living there for a period[b] of about four months 3 when her husband got up and went after her, intending to speak lovingly to her[c] in order to win her back. He took with him his young man servant and a pair of donkeys. When she brought him into her father’s house to see him, her father was happy to have met him.
4 The young woman’s father (that is, his father-in-law) made him stay there for three days while they ate and drank during his visit there. 5 On the fourth day, they got up early that morning, and the descendant of Levi[d] got ready to leave. Then the young woman’s father-in-law told him, “Fortify yourself[e] by eating some food before you go.” 6 So both of them sat down for a bit, ate and drank together, and the young woman’s father invited the man, “Please, enjoy yourself and spend another night.” 7 The man got up, intending[f] to leave, but his father-in-law urged him to spend the night there again.
8 On the fifth day, he got up early in the morning, but the young woman’s father-in-law told him, “Please, fortify yourself,”[g] so they delayed until later that afternoon while both of them ate together. 9 When the man got up to leave with his mistress and servant, his father-in-law, the young woman’s father, told him, “Look now, evening is coming, so please spend another night. See how the daylight is fading, so spend the night here and enjoy yourself. Then tomorrow get up early and leave on your journey home.”
10 Because the man was unwilling to spend the night, he got up, left, and arrived opposite Jebus (now known as Jerusalem). He had with him a pair of saddled donkeys, along with his mistress. 11 As they approached Jebus, the daylight was almost gone, so the servant suggested to his master, “Come on, let’s spend the night in this Jebusite city.”
12 But his master replied, “We’re not going to turn aside into a city of foreigners who are not part of the Israelis. Instead, we’ll go on to Gibeah.” 13 He also told his servant, “Come on,[h] let’s go to one of these places and spend the night in Gibeah or Ramah.” 14 So they continued on their way, and the sun set on them near Gibeah, which is part of Benjamin’s territorial allotment.[i] 15 They turned aside there, intending to enter Gibeah and spend the night.
The Homosexual Descendants of Benjamin in Gibeah
After they entered the city, they had to sit down in the public square because no one would take them into their[j] home for the night. 16 Just then, an old man was coming out of the fields that evening from work. The man was from the mountainous region[k] of Ephraim and had been staying in Gibeah, even though the men of that place were descendants of Benjamin. 17 As the old man looked up and saw the traveling man in the public square of the city, he asked, “Now then, where are you headed? And where are you from?”
18 He replied, “We’re traveling from Bethlehem in Judah to the remote part of the mountainous region[l] of Ephraim, because I’m from there, and I’ve been visiting Bethlehem in Judah. I’m going home now, but no one will take me into his home. 19 Meanwhile, we also have straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me, for this[m] young woman servant, and for the young man who is with your servants. We don’t need anything else.”
20 The old man replied, “Don’t be alarmed. I’ll take care of all your needs. Just don’t spend the night in the public square.” 21 So he took him into his home and fed the donkeys while they refreshed themselves and had dinner.[n]
22 While they were enjoying themselves, all of a sudden certain ungodly men[o] who lived in the city surrounded the house, pounded on the door, and ordered the old man who owned the home, “Bring out the man who came to visit your home so we can have sex with him.”
23 The man who owned the house went out to talk to them and pleaded with them, “No, my brothers, please don’t act so wickedly. This man is my guest! Don’t try to do this stupid thing. 24 Instead, here’s my virgin daughter and my visitor’s[p] mistress. Please let me bring them out to you. Occupy yourselves with them, and do to them whatever you would like. But don’t commit such a stupid thing against this man.”
The Men of Gibeah Rape and Murder the Mistress
25 But the men were unwilling to listen to him. So the descendant of Levi[q] grabbed his mistress, took her out to them, and they raped and tortured her all night until morning. Then they released her as the first daylight was beginning to appear. 26 As dawn was breaking, the woman approached the door of the man’s home where her master was and collapsed. Eventually, full daylight came. 27 When her master got up that morning and opened the doors of the house to leave on his way, there was his mistress, fallen dead at the door of the house with her hands grasping the threshold.
28 He spoke to her, “Get up, and let’s go.”
But there was no response. So he placed her on the donkey, mounted his own animal,[r] and went home. 29 When he arrived home, he grabbed a knife, took hold of his mistress, cut her apart limb by limb into twelve pieces, and sent her remains[s] throughout the land of Israel. 30 All the witnesses said, “Nothing has happened or has been seen like this from the day the Israelis came here from the land of Egypt to this day! Think about it, get some advice about it, and then speak up about it!”
Paul Defends Himself
23 Paul looked straight at the Council[a] and said, “Brothers, with a clear conscience I have done my duty before God up to this very day.”
2 Then the high priest Ananias ordered the men standing near him to strike him on the mouth. 3 At this Paul told him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall![b] How can you sit there and judge me according to the Law, and yet in violation of the Law order me to be struck?”
4 The men standing near him asked, “Do you mean to insult God’s high priest?”
5 Paul answered, “I didn’t realize, brothers, that he is the high priest. After all, it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’”[c]
6 When Paul saw that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he shouted in the Council,[d] “Brothers, I’m a Pharisee and a descendant[e] of Pharisees. I’m on trial concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected.”
7 After he said that, an angry quarrel broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided, 8 because the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection and that there is no such thing as an angel or spirit, but the Pharisees believe in all those things.
9 There was a great deal of shouting until some of the scribes who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and argued forcefully, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
10 The quarrel was becoming violent, and the tribune was afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces. So he ordered the soldiers to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. 11 That night the Lord stood near Paul[f] and said, “Have courage! For just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, you must testify in Rome, too.”
Some Jews Plot to Kill Paul
12 In the morning, the Jewish leaders[g] formed a conspiracy and took an oath not to eat or drink anything before they had killed Paul. 13 More than 40 men formed this conspiracy. 14 They went to the high priests and elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to taste any food before we have killed Paul. 15 Now then, you and the Council[h] must notify the tribune to bring him down to you on the pretext that you want to look into his case more carefully, but before he arrives we’ll be ready to kill him.”
16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush, so he came and got into the barracks and told Paul. 17 Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, “Take this young man to the tribune, because he has something to tell him.”
18 So the centurion[i] took him, brought him to the tribune, and said, “The prisoner Paul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”
19 The tribune took him by the hand, stepped aside to be alone with him, and asked, “What have you got to tell me?”
20 He answered, “The Jewish leaders[j] have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the Council[k] tomorrow as though they were going to examine his case more carefully. 21 Don’t believe them, because more than 40 of them are planning to ambush him. They’ve taken an oath not to eat or drink before they’ve killed him. They are ready now, just waiting for your consent.”
22 The tribune dismissed the young man and ordered him not to tell anyone that he had notified him. 23 Then he summoned two centurions and ordered, “Get 200 soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight,[l] along with 70 mounted soldiers and 200 soldiers with spears. 24 Provide a mount for Paul to ride, and take him safely to Governor Felix.” 25 He wrote a letter with this message:
26 “From:[m] Claudius Lysias
To: Governor Felix
Greetings, Your Excellency:
27 This man had been seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them when I went with the guard and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen. 28 I wanted to know the exact charge they were making against him, so I had him brought before their Council.[n] 29 I found that, although he was charged with questions about their Law, there was no charge against him deserving death or imprisonment. 30 Since a plot against the man has been reported to me, I’m sending him to you at once, and I’ve also ordered his accusers to present their charges against him before you.”
31 So the soldiers, in keeping with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 The next day, they let the horsemen ride with Paul[o] while they returned to their barracks. 33 When these men[p] came to Caesarea, they delivered the letter to the governor and handed Paul over to him. 34 After reading the letter, the governor[q] asked which province Paul[r] was from. On learning that he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will hear your case when your accusers arrive.” Then he ordered Paul[s] to be kept in custody in Herod’s palace.[t]
Restoration of Judah and Jerusalem
33 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time while he was still confined in the courtyard of the guard: 2 “This is what the Lord says who made the earth, the Lord who formed it in order to establish it—whose name is the Lord— 3 ‘Call to me and I’ll answer you, and will tell you about great and hidden[a] things that you don’t know.’ 4 For this is what the Lord God of Israel says about the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah that were torn down to defend[b] against the siege ramps and the sword, 5 ‘The Chaldeans are coming to fight and to fill those houses with the dead bodies of the people that I’ve struck down in my anger and wrath, for I’ve hidden my face from this city because of all their wickedness.
6 “‘Look, I’ll bring restoration and healing to it, and I’ll heal them. I’ll reveal to them an abundance of peace and faithfulness. 7 I’ll restore the security of Judah and Israel[c] and rebuild them as they were at first. 8 I’ll cleanse them from all their sin that they have committed against me, and I’ll forgive all their sins that they committed against me and by which they rebelled against me. 9 Jerusalem[d] will be for me a name of joy, praise, and glory to all the nations of the earth that hear about all the good that I’m doing for them. They’ll fear and tremble because of all the good and because of all the peace that I’m bringing to Jerusalem.’[e]
10 “This is what the Lord says: ‘You are saying about this place, “It is a ruin without people and without animals.” Yet in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem which are desolate places without inhabitants and without animals, there will again be heard 11 the sounds of rejoicing and gladness, the sounds of the bridegroom and the bride, and the sounds of those saying,
“Give thanks to the Lord of the Heavenly Armies,
for the Lord is good,
and his gracious love lasts forever,”
as they bring thanksgiving offerings to the Lord’s Temple. For I’ll restore the fortunes of the land as they were at first,’ declares the Lord.
12 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘In this place that is now a ruin without people or animals, and in all its towns there will again be pasture for shepherds resting their flocks. 13 In the towns of the hill country, in the towns of the Shephelah,[f] in the towns of the Negev,[g] in the territory of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah flocks will again pass under the hands of the one who counts them,’ says the Lord.”
The Righteous Branch and the Davidic Covenant
14 “‘Look, the time is coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I’ll fulfill the good promise that I spoke concerning the house of Israel and Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I’ll cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he will uphold justice and righteousness in the land. 16 At that time Judah will be delivered and Jerusalem will dwell in safety. And this is the name people[h] will call it, “The Lord is Our Righteousness.”’ 17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never be without[i] a man sitting on the throne of the house of Israel, 18 nor will the Levitical priests be without[j] a man offering up burnt offerings, bringing in grain offerings, and offering sacrifices continuously[k] before me.’”
19 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 20 “This is what the Lord says: ‘If you could break my covenant with the day and night[l] so that day and night wouldn’t occur at the proper time,[m] 21 then my covenant with my servant David might also be broken so that he wouldn’t have a son sitting on his throne, and so also with my servants the Levitical priests. 22 As the heavenly bodies[n] cannot be counted, and the sands of the sea cannot be measured, so I’ll multiply the descendants[o] of my servant David and the descendants of Levi who serve me.’”
23 This message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 24 “Haven’t you noticed what these people have been saying?—‘The Lord rejected the two families that he had chosen!’ They have contempt for my people and no longer consider them a nation. 25 This is what the Lord says: ‘If I had not established my covenant for day and night and the laws that govern[p] the heavens and earth, 26 then I might reject the descendants[q] of Jacob and my servant David by not taking some of his descendants as rulers over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Indeed, I’ll restore their fortunes, and I’ll have compassion on them.’”
A Davidic Psalm, when he fled from his son Absalom.
God Delivers His Servants
3 Lord, I have so many persecutors!
Many are rising up against me!
2 Many are saying about me,
“God will never deliver him!”
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud[a] to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
5 I lie down and sleep,
I wake up, because the Lord sustains me.
6 I will not fear multitudes of[b] people,
who set themselves against me on every side.
7 Arise, Lord!
Deliver me, my God!
For you strike the jaw of all my enemies,
and you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance comes from the Lord!
May your blessing be on your people.
To the Director: With stringed instruments. A Davidic Psalm
Trust God under Adversity
4 When I call, answer me,
my righteous God![c]
When I was in distress, you set me free.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 You people,
how long will you malign my reputation?
How long will you love what is vain[d]
and what is false?
3 But understand this:[e]
the Lord has set apart the godly for himself!
The Lord will hear me when I cry out to him!
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