M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 12[a]
Samuel’s Integrity. 1 [b]Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have granted your request in every respect,” he said. “I have set a king over you(A) 2 and now the king will lead you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are among you. I was your leader from my youth to the present day. 3 Here I stand! Answer me in the presence of the Lord and the Lord’s anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I wronged? From whom have I accepted a bribe and shut my eyes because of it? I will make restitution to you.”(B) 4 They replied, “You have neither cheated us, nor oppressed us, nor accepted anything from anyone.” 5 So he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you this day, and the Lord’s anointed is witness, that you have found nothing in my possession.” “The Lord is witness,” they said.
Samuel Admonishes the People. 6 Samuel continued: “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt.(C) 7 Now take your stand, that I may judge you in the presence of the Lord according to all the gracious acts that the Lord has done for you and your ancestors. 8 When Jacob and his sons went to Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord then sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt and settled them in this place.(D) 9 But they forgot the Lord their God; and so the Lord sold them into the power of Sisera, the captain of the army of Hazor, the power of the Philistines, and the power of the king of Moab, who made war against them.(E) 10 They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned because we abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and Astartes. Now deliver us from the power of our enemies, and we will serve you.’(F) 11 The Lord sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel; he delivered you from the power of your enemies on every side, so that you could live in security.(G) 12 Yet, when you saw Nahash, king of the Ammonites, advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king must rule us,’ even though the Lord your God is your king.(H)
Warnings for People and King. 13 “Now here is the king you chose. See! The Lord has given you a king.(I) 14 If you fear and serve the Lord, if you listen to the voice of the Lord and do not rebel against the Lord’s command, if both you and the king, who rules over you, follow the Lord your God—well and good. 15 But if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord and if you rebel against the Lord’s command, the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. 16 Now then, stand ready to witness the great marvel the Lord is about to accomplish before your eyes. 17 Are we not in the harvest time for wheat?[c] Yet I will call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain. Thus you will see and understand how great an evil it is in the eyes of the Lord that you have asked for a king.”(J) 18 Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day.
Assistance Promised. Then all the people feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 They said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants, that we may not die for having added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” 20 “Do not fear,” Samuel answered them. “You have indeed committed all this evil! Yet do not turn from the Lord, but serve him with your whole heart. 21 Do not turn aside to gods who are nothing,[d] who cannot act and deliver. They are nothing.(K) 22 For the sake of his own great name[e] the Lord will not abandon his people, since the Lord has decided to make you his people.(L) 23 As for me, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you and to teach you the good and right way.(M) 24 But you must fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart, for you have seen the great things the Lord has done among you. 25 If instead you continue to do evil, both you and your king shall be swept away.”
Chapter 10
1 [a]Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on their behalf is for salvation.(A) 2 I testify with regard to them that they have zeal for God, but it is not discerning.(B) 3 For, in their unawareness of the righteousness that comes from God and their attempt to establish their own [righteousness], they did not submit to the righteousness of God.(C) 4 For Christ is the end[b] of the law for the justification of everyone who has faith.(D)
5 [c]Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from [the] law, “The one who does these things will live by them.”(E) 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says,(F) “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 [d]or ‘Who will go down into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”(G) 8 But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart”(H)
(that is, the word of faith that we preach), 9 for, if you confess[e] with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.(I) 10 For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. 11 For the scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.”(J) 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.(K) 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”(L)
14 [f]But how can they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach?(M) 15 And how can people preach unless they are sent? As it is written,(N) “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring [the] good news!”[g] 16 But not everyone has heeded the good news; for Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what was heard from us?”(O) 17 Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.(P) 18 But I ask, did they not hear? Certainly they did; for
“Their voice has gone forth to all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the world.”(Q)
19 But I ask, did not Israel understand?(R) First Moses says:
“I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
with a senseless nation I will make you angry.”
20 (S)Then Isaiah speaks boldly and says:
“I was found [by] those who were not seeking me;
I revealed myself to those who were not asking for me.”
21 But regarding Israel he says, “All day long I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contentious people.”
Chapter 49
Against the Ammonites. 1 Concerning the Ammonites. Thus says the Lord:
Has Israel no sons?
none to inherit?
Why has Milcom[a] disinherited Gad,
why are his people living in its cities?
2 Therefore the days are coming—oracle of the Lord—
when I will sound the battle alarm
against Rabbah of the Ammonites;
It shall become a mound of ruins,
and its villages destroyed by fire.
Israel shall then inherit those who disinherited it—
oracle of the Lord.(A)
3 Wail, Heshbon, “The ruin is destroyed!”
shriek, villages of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth and lament!
Run back and forth in the sheepfolds.
For Milcom is going into exile,
taking priest and prince with him.(B)
4 Why boast in your strength,
your ebbing strength, rebellious daughter?
Why trust in your treasures, saying,
“Who would dare attack me?”
5 See, I am bringing terror upon you—
oracle of the Lord God of hosts—
from all around you;
You shall be scattered, each in headlong flight,
with no one to gather the fugitives.(C)
6 But afterward I will restore the fortunes
of the Ammonites—oracle of the Lord.
Against Edom.[b] 7 Concerning Edom. Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Is there no more wisdom in Teman,[c]
has counsel perished from the prudent,
is their wisdom gone?
8 Flee, retreat, hide deep for lodging,
inhabitants of Dedan:
For I bring disaster upon Esau[d]
when I come to punish them.(D)
9 If vintagers came upon you,
they would leave no gleanings;
If thieves by night,
they would destroy as they pleased.(E)
10 So I myself will strip Esau;
I will uncover his lairs so he cannot hide.
Offspring and family are destroyed,
neighbors, too; he is no more.(F)
11 Leave your orphans behind, I will keep them alive;
your widows, let them trust in me.(G)
12 For thus says the Lord: Look, even those not sentenced to drink the cup must drink it! Shall you then go unpunished? You shall not! You shall drink every bit of it!(H) 13 By myself I have sworn—oracle of the Lord—Bozrah[e] shall become an object of horror, a disgrace, a desolation, and a curse. Bozrah and all its cities shall become ruins forever.(I)
14 I have heard a report from the Lord,
a herald has been sent among the nations:
“Gather together, move against it,
get ready for battle!”
15 I will make you the least among the nations,
despised by all people!(J)
16 The terror you spread,
the pride of your heart, beguiled you.
You denizens of rocks and crevices,
occupying towering peaks:
Though you build your nest high as the eagle,
from there I will bring you down—oracle of the Lord.(K)
17 Edom shall become an object of horror. Passersby recoil in terror, hissing at all its wounds. 18 As when Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighbors were overthrown—oracle of the Lord—no one shall live in it, nor anyone settle there.(L)
19 As when a lion comes up from a thicket of the Jordan
to a permanent pasture,
So in an instant, I will chase them off;
I will establish there whomever I choose.
For who is like me? Who holds me accountable?
What shepherd can stand against me?(M)
20 Therefore, listen to the strategy
the Lord devised for Edom;
The plans he has drawn up
against the inhabitants of Teman:
They shall be dragged away, even the smallest of the flock;
their pasture shall be aghast because of them.
21 With the din of their collapse the earth quakes,
to the Red Sea the outcry is heard!
22 Look! like an eagle he soars aloft,
and spreads his wings over Bozrah;
On that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors become
like the heart of a woman in labor.(N)
Against Damascus. 23 Concerning Damascus.
Hamath and Arpad[f] are shamed,
for they have heard bad news;
Anxious, they surge like the sea
which cannot calm down.(O)
24 Damascus loses heart, turns to flee;
panic has seized it.
Distress and pangs take hold,
like the pain of a woman in labor.
25 How can the glorious city be abandoned,
the town of joy!
26 But now its young men shall fall in its squares,
all the warriors destroyed on that day—
oracle of the Lord of hosts.
27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus;
it shall devour the palaces of Ben-hadad.[g]
Against Arabia. 28 About Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, defeated.
Thus says the Lord:
Rise up, attack Kedar,
destroy the people from the east.(P)
29 Their tents and flocks shall be taken away,
their tent curtains and all their goods;
Their camels they carry off,
they shout over them, “Terror on every side!”(Q)
30 Flee! wander about, hide deep for lodging,
inhabitants of Hazor—oracle of the Lord;
For Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, has devised a strategy against you,
drawn up a plan against you,
31 Get up! set out against a tranquil nation,
living in security—oracle of the Lord—
Without gates or bars,
dwelling alone.
32 Their camels shall become spoils,
their hordes of cattle, plunder;
I will scatter to the winds those who shave their temples;
from every side I will bring their ruin—
oracle of the Lord.(R)
33 Hazor shall become a haunt for jackals,
a wasteland forever,
Where no one lives,
no mortal stays.
Against Elam. 34 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam[h] at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah:
35 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Look! I will break the bow of Elam,
the mainstay of their might.
36 I will bring upon Elam the four winds
from the four ends of the heavens:
I will scatter them to all these winds, until there is no nation
to which the outcasts of Elam have not gone.
37 I will terrify Elam before their foes,
those seeking their life;
I will bring evil upon them,
my burning wrath—oracle of the Lord.
I will send sword after them
until I have finished them off;
38 I will set up my throne in Elam
and destroy from there king and princes—
oracle of the Lord.
39 But at the end of days I will restore
the fortunes of Elam—oracle of the Lord.
Psalm 26[a]
Prayer of Innocence
1 Of David.
I
Judge me, Lord!
For I have walked in my integrity.(A)
In the Lord I trust;
I do not falter.
2 Examine me, Lord, and test me;
search my heart and mind.(B)
3 Your mercy is before my eyes;
I walk guided by your faithfulness.(C)
II
4 I do not sit with worthless men,
nor with hypocrites do I mingle.
5 I hate an evil assembly;
with the wicked I do not sit.
6 I will wash my hands[b] in innocence(D)
so that I may process around your altar, Lord,
7 To hear the sound of thanksgiving,
and recount all your wondrous deeds.
8 Lord, I love the refuge of your house,
the site of the dwelling-place of your glory.(E)
III
9 Do not take me away with sinners,
nor my life with the men of blood,(F)
10 In whose hands there is a plot,
their right hands full of bribery.
11 But I walk in my integrity;(G)
redeem me, be gracious to me!(H)
12 My foot stands on level ground;[c]
in assemblies I will bless the Lord.(I)
Psalm 27[d]
Trust in God
1 (J)Of David.
A
I
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The Lord is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
2 When evildoers come at me
to devour my flesh,[e](K)
These my enemies and foes
themselves stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart does not fear;
Though war be waged against me,
even then do I trust.
II
4 One thing I ask of the Lord;
this I seek:
To dwell in the Lord’s house
all the days of my life,
To gaze on the Lord’s beauty,
to visit his temple.(L)
5 For God will hide me in his shelter
in time of trouble,(M)
He will conceal me in the cover of his tent;
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Even now my head is held high
above my enemies on every side!
I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and chant praise to the Lord.
B
I
7 Hear my voice, Lord, when I call;
have mercy on me and answer me.
8 “Come,” says my heart, “seek his face”;[f]
your face, Lord, do I seek!(N)
9 Do not hide your face from me;
do not repel your servant in anger.
You are my salvation; do not cast me off;
do not forsake me, God my savior!
10 Even if my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will take me in.(O)
II
11 Lord, show me your way;
lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.(P)
12 Do not abandon me to the desire of my foes;
malicious and lying witnesses have risen against me.
13 I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.[g](Q)
14 Wait for the Lord, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the Lord!
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.