M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 29
David’s Aid Rejected. 1 Now the Philistines had mustered all their forces in Aphek, and the Israelites were encamped at the spring in Jezreel.(A) 2 As the Philistine lords were marching their units of a hundred and a thousand, David and his warriors were marching in the rear guard with Achish. 3 The Philistine commanders asked, “What are those Hebrews doing here?” Achish answered them: “Why, that is David, the officer of Saul, king of Israel. He has been with me for a year or two, and from the day he came over to me until now I have never found fault in him.”(B) 4 But the Philistine commanders were angered at this and said to him: “Send that man back! Let him return to the place you picked out for him. He must not go down into battle with us; during the battle he might become our enemy. For how else can he win back his master’s favor, if not at the expense of our soldiers?(C) 5 Is this not the David for whom they sing during their dances,
‘Saul has slain his thousands,
David his tens of thousands’?”(D)
6 So Achish summoned David and said to him: “As the Lord lives, you are honest, and I would want you with me in all my battles. To this day I have found nothing wrong with you since you came to me. But in the view of the chiefs you are not welcome. 7 Leave peacefully, now, and do nothing that might displease the Philistine chiefs.” 8 But David said to Achish: “What have I done? What fault have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until today, that I cannot go to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 9 “I recognize,” Achish answered David, “that you are trustworthy, like an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders are saying, ‘He must not go with us into battle.’ 10 So the first thing tomorrow, you and your lord’s servants who came with you, go to the place I picked out for you. Do not take to heart their worthless remarks; for you have been valuable in my service. But make an early morning start, as soon as it grows light, and be on your way.” 11 So David and his warriors left early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went on up to Jezreel.
Chapter 30
Ziklag in Ruins. 1 Before David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negeb and Ziklag. They stormed Ziklag, and set it on fire.(E) 2 They took captive the women and all who were in the city, young and old, killing no one, and they herded them off when they left. 3 David and his men arrived at the city to find it burned to the ground and their wives, sons, and daughters taken captive. 4 Then David and those who were with him wept aloud until they could weep no more. 5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, had also been carried off.(F) 6 Now David found himself in great danger, for the soldiers spoke of stoning him, so bitter were they over the fate of their sons and daughters. David took courage in the Lord his God 7 (G)and said to Abiathar, the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod!” When Abiathar brought him the ephod, 8 David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue these raiders? Can I overtake them?” The Lord answered him: Go in pursuit, for you will certainly overtake them and bring about a rescue.
Raid on the Amalekites. 9 So David went off with his six hundred as far as the Wadi Besor, where those who were to remain behind halted. 10 David continued the pursuit with four hundred, but two hundred were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor and remained behind. 11 An Egyptian was found in the open country and brought to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink; 12 they also offered a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of pressed raisins. When he had eaten, he revived, for he had not taken food nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where did you come from?” “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I fell sick. 14 We raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb; and we set Ziklag on fire.”(H) 15 David then asked him, “Will you lead me down to these raiders?” He answered, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will lead you down to the raiders.” 16 So he led them down, and there were the Amalekites lounging all over the ground, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of all the rich plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
The Plunder Recovered. 17 From dawn to sundown the next day David attacked them, allowing no one to escape except four hundred young men, who mounted their camels and fled.(I) 18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, small or great, plunder or sons or daughters, of all that the Amalekites had taken. David brought back everything. 20 Moreover, David took all the sheep and oxen, and as they drove these before him, they shouted, “This is David’s plunder!”
Division of the Plunder. 21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him, whom he had left behind at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet David and the men with him. As David approached, he greeted them. 22 But all the greedy and worthless among those who had accompanied David said, “Since they did not accompany us, we will not give them anything from the plunder, except for each man’s wife and children.” 23 But David said: “You must not do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us. The Lord has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders that came against us.(J) 24 Who could agree with this proposal of yours? Rather, the share of the one who goes down to battle shall be the same as that of the one who remains with the baggage—they share alike.”(K) 25 And from that day forward he made this a law and a custom in Israel, as it still is today.(L)
David’s Gifts to Judah. 26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah,[a] saying, “This is a gift to you from the plunder of the enemies of the Lord,” namely, 27 to those in Bethel, Ramoth-negeb, Jattir, 28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29 Racal, Jerahmeelite cities and Kenite cities,(M) 30 Hormah, Borashan, Athach, 31 Hebron, and to all the places that David and his men had frequented.(N)
Chapter 10
Warning Against Overconfidence. 1 [a]I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea,(A) 2 and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.(B) 3 All ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,[b] and the rock was the Christ.(C) 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.(D)
6 [c]These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.(E) 7 And do not become idolaters, as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.”(F) 8 Let us not indulge in immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell within a single day.(G) 9 Let us not test Christ[d] as some of them did, and suffered death by serpents.(H) 10 Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer.(I) 11 These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come.[e] 12 Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.[f] 13 No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.(J)
Warning Against Idolatry.[g] 14 Therefore, my beloved, avoid idolatry.(K) 15 I am speaking as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I am saying. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?(L) 17 Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.(M)
18 Look at Israel according to the flesh; are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar?(N) 19 So what am I saying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything? Or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I mean that what they sacrifice, [they sacrifice] to demons,[h] not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons.(O) 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.(P) 22 Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger? Are we stronger than he?(Q)
Seek the Good of Others.[i] 23 “Everything is lawful,” but not everything is beneficial.[j] “Everything is lawful,” but not everything builds up.(R) 24 No one should seek his own advantage, but that of his neighbor.(S) 25 [k]Eat anything sold in the market, without raising questions on grounds of conscience, 26 for “the earth and its fullness are the Lord’s.”(T) 27 If an unbeliever invites you and you want to go, eat whatever is placed before you, without raising questions on grounds of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This was offered in sacrifice,” do not eat it on account of the one who called attention to it and on account of conscience; 29 I mean not your own conscience, but the other’s. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake thankfully, why am I reviled for that over which I give thanks?(U)
31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 [l]Avoid giving offense, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own benefit but that of the many, that they may be saved.(V)
Chapter 8
1 In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month,[a] as I was sitting in my house, with the elders of Judah sitting before me, the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there.(A) 2 I looked up and there was a figure that looked like a man.[b] Downward from what looked like his waist, there was fire; from his waist upward, like the brilliance of polished bronze.(B)
Vision of Abominations in the Temple. 3 He stretched out the form of a hand and seized me by the hair of my head. The spirit lifted me up[c] between earth and heaven and brought me in divine vision to Jerusalem(C) to the entrance of the inner gate facing north where the statue of jealousy that provokes jealousy stood. 4 There I saw the glory of the God of Israel, like the vision I had seen in the plain.(D) 5 He said to me: Son of man, lift your eyes to the north! I looked to the north and there in the entry north of the altar gate was this statue of jealousy.(E) 6 He asked, Son of man, do you see what they are doing? Do you see the great abominations that the house of Israel is practicing here, so that I must depart from my sanctuary? You shall see even greater abominations!(F)
7 Then he brought me to the entrance of the courtyard, and there I saw a hole in the wall. 8 Son of man, he ordered, dig through the wall. I dug through the wall—there was a doorway. 9 Go in, he said to me, and see the evil abominations they are doing here. 10 I went in and looked—figures of all kinds of creeping things and loathsome beasts,[d] all the idols of the house of Israel,(G) pictured around the wall. 11 Before them stood seventy of the elders of the house of Israel. Among them stood Jaazaniah, son of Shaphan, each with censer in hand; a cloud of incense drifted upward.(H) 12 Then he said to me: Do you see, son of man, what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his idol chamber? They think: “The Lord cannot see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.”(I) 13 He said: You will see them practicing even greater abominations.
14 Then he brought me to the entrance of the north gate of the house of the Lord. There women sat and wept for Tammuz.[e](J) 15 He said to me: Do you see this, son of man? You will see other abominations, greater than these!
16 Then he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. There at the door of the Lord’s temple, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the Lord’s temple and their faces toward the east; they were bowing eastward[f] to the sun.(K) 17 He said: Do you see, son of man? Are the abominable things the house of Judah has done here so slight that they should also fill the land with violence, provoking me again and again? Now they are putting the branch to my nose![g] 18 Therefore I in turn will act furiously: my eye will not spare, nor will I take pity. Even if they cry out in a loud voice for me to hear, I shall not listen to them.
Psalm 46[a]
God, the Protector of Zion
1 For the leader. A song of the Korahites. According to alamoth.[b]
I
2 God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.(A)
3 [c]Thus we do not fear, though earth be shaken
and mountains quake to the depths of the sea,
4 Though its waters rage and foam
and mountains totter at its surging.(B)
Selah
II
5 [d]Streams of the river gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.(C)
6 God is in its midst; it shall not be shaken;
God will help it at break of day.(D)
7 Though nations rage and kingdoms totter,
he utters his voice and the earth melts.(E)
8 [e]The Lord of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Selah
III
9 Come and see the works of the Lord,
who has done fearsome deeds on earth;(F)
10 Who stops wars to the ends of the earth,
breaks the bow, splinters the spear,
and burns the shields with fire;(G)
11 (H)“Be still and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
exalted on the earth.”
12 The Lord of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Selah
Psalm 47[f]
The Ruler of All the Nations
1 For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites.
I
2 All you peoples, clap your hands;
shout to God with joyful cries.(I)
3 For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared,
the great king over all the earth,(J)
4 Who made people subject to us,
nations under our feet,(K)
5 [g]Who chose our heritage for us,
the glory of Jacob, whom he loves.(L)
Selah
II
6 [h]God has gone up with a shout;
the Lord, amid trumpet blasts.(M)
7 Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.
III
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.