M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

12 And the Lord sent Nathan to David: and when he was come to him, he said to him: There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor.

² The rich man had exceeding many sheep and oxen.

³ But the poor man had nothing at all but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and which had grown up in his house together with his children, eating of his bread, and drinking of his cup, and sleeping in his bosom: and it was unto him as a daughter.

⁴ And when a certain stranger was come to the rich man, he spared to take of his own sheep and oxen, to make a feast for that stranger, who was come to him, but took the poor man's ewe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

⁵ And David's anger being exceedingly kindled against that man, he said to Nathan: As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this is a child of death.

⁶ He shall restore the ewe fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity.

⁷ And Nathan said to David: Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee from the hand of Saul,

⁸ And gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and Juda: and if these things be little, I shall add far greater things unto thee.

⁹ Why therefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do evil in my sight? Thou hast killed Urias the Hethite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

¹⁰ Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Urias the Hethite to be thy wife.

¹¹ Thus saith the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes I and give them to thy neighhour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

¹² For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in the sight of the sun.

¹³ And David said to Nathan: I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David: The Lord also hath taken away thy sin: thou shalt not die.

¹⁴ Nevertheless, because thou hast given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, for this thing, the child that is born to thee, shall surely die.

¹⁵ And Nathan returned to his house. The Lord also struck the child which the wife of Urias had borne to David, and his life was despaired of.

¹⁶ And David besought the Lord for the child: and David kept a fast, and going in by himself lay upon the ground.

¹⁷ And the ancients of his house came, to make him rise from the ground: but he would not, neither did he eat meat with them.

¹⁸ And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died: and the servants of David feared to tell him, that the child was dead. For they said: Behold when the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he would not hearken to our voice: how much more will he afflict himself if we tell him that the child is dead?

¹⁹ But when David saw his servants whispering, he understood that the child was dead: and he said to his servants: Is the child dead? They answered him: He is dead.

²⁰ Then David arose from the ground, and washed and anointed himself: and when he had changed his apparel, he went into the house of the Lord: and worshipped, and then he came into his own house, and he called for bread, and ate.

²¹ And his servants said to him: What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it was alive, but when the child was dead, thou didst rise up, and eat bread.

²² And he said: While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept for him: for I said: Who knoweth whether the Lord may not give him to me, and the child may live?

²³ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Shall I be able to bring him back any more? I shall go to him rather: but he shall not return to me.

²⁴ And David comforted Bethsabee his wife, and went in unto her, and slept with her: and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loved him.

²⁵ And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name, Amiable to the Lord, because the Lord loved him.

²⁶ And Joab fought against Rabbath of the children of Ammon, and laid close siege to the royal city.

²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David, saying: I have fought against Rabbath, and the city of waters is about to be taken.

²⁸ Now therefore gather thou the rest of the people together, and besiege the city and take it: lest when the city shall be wasted by me, the victory be ascribed to my name.

²⁹ Then David gathered all the people together, and went out against Rabbath: and after fighting, he took it.

³⁰ And he took the crown of their king from his head, the weight of which was a talent of gold, set with most precious stones, and it was put upon David's head, and the spoils of the city which were very great he carried away.

³¹ And bringing forth the people thereof he sawed them, and drove over them chariots armed with iron: and divided them with knives, and made them pass through brickkilns: so did he to all the cities of the children of Ammon: and David returned, with all the army to Jerusalem.

5 For we know, if our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, that we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven.

² For in this also we groan, desiring to be clothed upon with our habitation that is from heaven.

³ Yet so that we be found clothed, not naked.

⁴ For we also, who are in this tabernacle, do groan, being burthened; because we would not be unclothed, but clothed upon, that that which is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

⁵ Now he that maketh us for this very thing, is God, who hath given us the pledge of the Spirit.

⁶ Therefore having always confidence, knowing that, while we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

⁷ (For we walk by faith, and not by sight.)

⁸ But we are confident, and have a good will to be absent rather from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

⁹ And therefore we labour, whether absent or present, to please him.

¹⁰ For we must all be manifested before the judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil.

¹¹ Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we use persuasion to men; but to God we are manifest. And I trust also that in your consciences we are manifest.

¹² We commend not ourselves again to you, but give you occasion to glory in our behalf; that you may have somewhat to answer them who glory in face, and not in heart.

¹³ For whether we be transported in mind, it is to God; or whether we be sober, it is for you.

¹⁴ For the charity of Christ presseth us: judging this, that if one died for all, then all were dead.

¹⁵ And Christ died for all; that they also who live, may not now live to themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again.

¹⁶ Wherefore henceforth, we know no man according to the flesh. And if we have known Christ according to the flesh; but now we know him so no longer.

¹⁷ If then any be in Christ a new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things are made new.

¹⁸ But all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Christ; and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

¹⁹ For God indeed was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing to them their sins; and he hath placed in us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ For Christ therefore we are ambassadors, God as it were exhorting by us. For Christ, we beseech you, be reconciled to God.

²¹ Him, who knew no sin, he hath made sin for us, that we might be made the justice of God in him.

19 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

² And say: Why did thy mother the lioness lie down among the lions, and bring up her whelps in the midst of young lions?

³ And she brought out one of her whelps, and he became a lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men.

⁴ And the nations heard of him, and took him, but not without receiving wounds: and they brought him in chains into the land of Egypt.

⁵ But she seeing herself weakened, and that her hope was lost, took one of her young lions, and set him up for a lion.

⁶ And he went up and down among the lions, and became a lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men.

⁷ He learned to make widows, and to lay waste their cities: and the land became desolate, and the fulness thereof by the noise of his roaring.

⁸ And the nations came together against him on every side out of the provinces, and they spread their net over him, in their wounds he was taken.

⁹ And they put him into a cage, they brought him in chains to the king of Babylon: and they cast him into prison, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.

¹⁰ Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood planted by the water: her fruit and her branches have grown out of many waters.

¹¹ And she hath strong rods to make sceptres for them that bear rule, and her stature was exalted among the branches: and she saw her height in the multitude of her branches.

¹² But she was plucked up in wrath, and cast on the ground, and the burning wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods are withered, and dried up: the fire hath devoured her.

¹³ And now she is transplanted into the desert, in a land not passable, and dry.

¹⁴ And a fire is gone out from a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit: so that she now hath no strong rod, to be a sceptre of rulers. This is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.

64 To the end, a psalm of David. The canticle of Jeremias and Ezechiel to the people of the captivity, when they began to go out.

² A Hymn, O God, becometh thee in Sion: and a vow shall be paid to thee in Jerusalem.

³ O hear my prayer: all flesh shall come to thee.

⁴ The words of the wicked have prevailed over us: and thou wilt pardon our transgressions.

⁵ Blessed is he whom thou hast chosen and taken to thee: he shall dwell in thy courts. We shall be filled with the good things of thy house; holy is thy temple,

⁶ Wonderful in justice. Hear us, O God our saviour, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, and in the sea afar off.

⁷ Thou who preparest the mountains by thy strength, being girded with power:

⁸ Who troublest the depth of the sea, the noise of its waves. The Gentiles shall be troubled,

⁹ And they that dwell in the uttermost borders shall be afraid at thy signs: thou shalt make the outgoings of the morning and of the evening to be joyful.

¹⁰ Thou hast visited the earth, and hast plentifully watered it; thou hast many ways enriched it. The river of God is filled with water, thou hast prepared their food: for so is its preparation.

¹¹ Fill up plentifully the streams thereof, multiply its fruits; it shall spring up and rejoice in its showers.

¹² Thou shalt bless the crown of the year of thy goodness: and thy fields shall be filled with plenty.

¹³ The beautiful places of the wilderness shall grow fat: and the hills shall be girded about with joy,

¹⁴ The rams of the flock are clothed, and the vales shall abound with corn: they shall shout, yea they shall sing a hymn.

65 Unto the end, a canticle of a psalm of the resurrection. Shout with joy to God, all the earth,

² Sing ye a psalm to his name; give glory to his praise.

³ Say unto God, How terrible are thy works, O Lord! in the multitude of thy strength thy enemies shall lie to thee.

⁴ Let all the earth adore thee, and sing to thee: let it sing a psalm to thy name.

⁵ Come and see the works of God; who is terrible in his counsels over the sons of men.

⁶ Who turneth the sea into dry land, in the river they shall pass on foot: there shall we rejoice in him.

⁷ Who by his power ruleth for ever: his eyes behold the nations; let not them that provoke him he exalted in themselves.

⁸ O bless our God, ye Gentiles: and make the voice of his praise to be heard.

⁹ Who hath set my soul to live: and hath not suffered my feet to be moved:

¹⁰ For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us by fire, as silver is tried.

¹¹ Thou hast brought us into a net, thou hast laid afflictions on our back:

¹² Thou hast set men over our heads. We have passed through fire and water, and thou hast brought us out into a refreshment.

¹³ I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,

¹⁴ Which my lips have uttered, And my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

¹⁵ I will offer up to thee holocausts full of marrow, with burnt offerings of rams: I will offer to thee bullocks with goats.

¹⁶ Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what great things he hath done for my soul.

¹⁷ I cried to him with my mouth: and I extolled him with my tongue.

¹⁸ If I have looked at iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

¹⁹ Therefore hath God heard me, and hath attended to the voice of my supplication.

²⁰ Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.