M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Sheba Leads Israel Away From David
20 At that place there was a man named Sheba son of Bicri. Sheba was a worthless troublemaker from the tribe of Benjamin. He blew a trumpet to gather the people together and said,
“We have no share in David.
We have no part in the son of Jesse.
Israel, let’s all go home.”
2 So all the Israelites[a] left David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the people from Judah stayed with their king all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.
3 David went back to his house in Jerusalem. He had left ten of his slave women to take care of the house. He put these women in a special house.[b] Then he put guards around the house. They stayed in this house until they died. David took care of the women and gave them food, but he did not have sexual relations with them. They lived like widows until they died.
4 The king told Amasa, “Tell the people of Judah to meet with me in three days. You must be here, too.”
5 So Amasa called the people of Judah together, but he took longer than the king had told him.
David Tells Abishai to Kill Sheba
6 David said to Abishai, “Sheba son of Bicri is more dangerous to us than Absalom was. So take my officers and chase Sheba. Hurry before he gets into cities with walls. If he gets into the well-protected cities, we will not be able to get him.”
7 So Joab took the Kerethites and Pelethites[c] and the other soldiers with him and left Jerusalem to chase after Sheba son of Bicri.
Joab Kills Amasa
8 When Joab and the army came to Big Rock at Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. Joab was wearing his uniform with a belt that held a knife. As he walked toward Amasa, the knife on the belt came out. 9 Joab asked Amasa, “How are you doing, brother?” Joab reached out with his right hand and grabbed Amasa by the beard to greet him with a kiss. 10 Amasa didn’t see the knife that was now in Joab’s other hand. Joab stabbed him in the belly, and Amasa’s intestines spilled out on the ground. There was no need for Joab to stab him again; he was already dead.
David’s Men Continue to Look for Sheba
Then Joab and his brother Abishai resumed the chase after Sheba son of Bicri. 11 One of Joab’s young soldiers stood by Amasa’s body and said, “All of you who support Joab and David, let’s follow Joab.”
12 Amasa was there in the middle of road, lying in his own blood. The young soldier noticed that all the people kept stopping to look at the body, so he rolled the body off the road and into the field and covered it with a cloth. 13 Once the body was out of the way, the people simply passed it by and joined up with Joab to go after Sheba son of Bicri.
Sheba Escapes to Abel Beth Maacah
14 Sheba son of Bicri passed through all the tribes of Israel on his way to Abel Beth Maacah. All the Berites[d] joined together and followed Sheba.
15 When Joab and his men came to Abel Beth Maacah, they surrounded the town. They piled dirt up against the city wall and began breaking stones out of the wall to make it fall down.
16 But there was a very wise woman in that city who shouted out to them and said, “Listen to me! Tell Joab to come here. I want to talk with him.”
17 Joab went to talk with the woman. She asked him, “Are you Joab?”
Joab answered, “Yes, I am.”
Then the woman said, “Listen to me.”
Joab said, “I am listening.”
18 Then the woman said, “In the past people would say, ‘Ask for help in Abel and you will get what you need.’ 19 I am one of many peaceful, loyal people in this town. You are trying to destroy an important city of Israel. Why do you want to destroy something that belongs to the Lord?”
20 Joab answered, “I don’t want to destroy anything. I don’t want to ruin your city. 21 But there is a man in your city from the hill country of Ephraim. He is named Sheba son of Bicri. He rebelled against King David. Bring him to me, and I will leave the city alone.”
The woman said to Joab, “All right. His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”
22 Then the woman spoke very wisely to all the people of the city. They cut off the head of Sheba son of Bicri and threw it over the city wall to Joab.
So Joab blew the trumpet and the army left the city. The soldiers went home, and Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.
The People on David’s Staff
23 Joab was captain of the whole army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada led the Kerethites and Pelethites. 24 Adoniram led the men who were forced to do hard work. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the historian. 25 Sheva was the secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests. 26 And Ira from Jair was David’s personal priest.[e]
Final Warnings and Greetings
13 This will be my third time to visit you. And remember, “For every complaint there must be two or three people to say that they know it is true.”[a] 2 When I was with you the second time, I gave a warning to those who had sinned. I am not there now, but I am giving another warning to them and to anyone else who has sinned: When I come to you again, I will punish you. 3 You want proof that Christ is speaking through me. My proof is that he is not weak in dealing with you but is showing his power among you. 4 It is true that Christ was weak when he was killed on the cross, but he lives now by God’s power. It is also true that we share his weakness, but in dealing with you, we will be alive in him by God’s power.
5 Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are living in the faith. Don’t you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Of course, if you fail the test, he is not in you. 6 But I hope you will see that we have not failed the test. 7 We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. Our concern here is not for people to see that we have passed the test in our work with you. Our main concern is that you do what is right, even if it looks as if we have failed the test. 8 We cannot do anything that is against the truth but only what promotes the truth. 9 We are happy to be weak if you are strong. And this is what we pray—that your lives will be made completely right again. 10 I’m writing this before I come so that when I am there I will not have to use my authority to punish you. The Lord gave me that authority to make you stronger, not to destroy you.
11 Now, brothers and sisters, be filled with joy. Try to make everything right, and do what I have asked you to do. Agree with each other, and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Give each other the special greeting of God’s people.[b] All of God’s holy people here send you their greetings.
13 I pray that you will enjoy the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship[c] of the Holy Spirit.
Tyre, the Door to the Seas
27 The word of the Lord came to me again. He said, 2 “Son of man,[a] sing this sad song about Tyre. 3 Say this about Tyre: ‘Tyre, you are the door to the seas. You are the merchant for many nations. You travel to many countries along the coast. This is what the Lord God says:
“Tyre, you think that you are so beautiful.
You think you are perfectly beautiful!
4 The Mediterranean Sea is the border around your city.
Your builders made you perfectly beautiful,
like the ships that sail from you.
5 Your builders used cypress trees
from the mountains of Senir to make your planks.
They used cedar trees from Lebanon
to make your mast.
6 They used oak trees from Bashan
to make your oars.
They used pine trees from Cyprus
to make the cabin on your deck.[b]
They decorated that shelter with ivory.
7 For your sail, they used colorful linen made in Egypt.
That sail was your flag.
The coverings over your cabin were blue and purple.
They came from the coast of Cyprus.[c]
8 Men from Sidon and Arvad rowed your boats for you.
Tyre, your wise men were the pilots on your ships.
9 The elders and wise men from Byblos[d]
were on board to help put caulking[e] between the boards on your ship.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
came to trade and do business with you.
10 “‘Men from Persia, Lud, and Put were in your army. They were your men of war who hung their shields and helmets on your walls. They brought honor and glory to your city. 11 Men from Arvad and Cilicia were guards standing on the wall around your city. Men from Gammad were in your towers. They hung their shields on the walls around your city and made your beauty complete.
12 “‘Tarshish was one of your best customers. They traded silver, iron, tin, and lead for all the wonderful things you sold. 13 People in Greece, Turkey, and the area around the Black Sea traded with you. They traded slaves and bronze for the things you sold. 14 People from the nation[f] of Togarmah traded horses, war horses, and mules for the things you sold. 15 The people of Rhodes[g] traded with you. You sold your things in many places. People brought ivory tusks and ebony wood to pay you. 16 Aram traded with you because you had so many good things. They traded emeralds, purple cloth, fine needlework, fine linen, coral, and rubies for the things you sold.
17 “‘The people in Judah and Israel traded with you. They paid for the things you sold with the wheat, olives, early figs, honey, oil, and balm.[h] 18 Damascus was a good customer. They traded with you for the many wonderful things you had. They traded wine from Helbon and white wool for those things. 19 Damascus traded wine from Uzal for the things you sold. They paid with wrought iron, cassia, and sugar cane. 20 Dedan provided good business and traded with you for saddle blankets and riding horses. 21 Arabia and all the leaders of Kedar traded lambs, rams, and goats for your goods. 22 The merchants of Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They traded all the best spices and every kind of precious stone and gold for your goods. 23 Haran, Canneh, Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Kilmad traded with you. 24 They paid with the finest clothing, blue cloth, cloth with fine needlework, rugs of many colors, and the strongest ropes. These were the things they traded with you. 25 The ships from Tarshish carried the things you sold.
“‘Tyre, you are like one of those cargo ships.
You are on the sea, loaded with many riches.
26 Your oarsmen rowed you far out to sea.
But a powerful east wind will destroy your ship at sea.
27 All your wealth will spill into the sea.
Your wealth—the things you buy and sell—will spill into the sea.
Your whole crew—sailors, pilots, and the men who put caulking between the boards on your ship—
will spill into the sea.
The merchants and soldiers in your city
will all sink into the sea.
That will happen on the day
that you are destroyed!
28 “‘You send your merchants to faraway places.
Those places will shake with fear when they hear your pilots’ cry!
29 Your whole crew will jump ship.
The sailors and pilots will jump ship and swim to the shore.
30 They will be very sad about you.
They will cry, throw dust on their heads, and roll in ashes.
31 They will shave their heads for you.
They will put on sackcloth.
They will cry for you like someone crying for someone who died.
32 “‘And in their loud crying they will sing this sad song about you:
“‘No one is like Tyre!
Tyre is destroyed, in the middle of the sea!
33 Your merchants sailed across the seas.
You satisfied many people with your great wealth and the things you sold.
You made the kings of the earth rich!
34 But now you are broken by the seas
and by the deep waters.
All the things you sell
and all your people have fallen.
35 All the people living on the coast
are shocked about you.
Their kings are terrified.
Their faces show their shock.
36 The merchants in other nations whistle about you.
What happened to you will frighten people,
because you were destroyed.
You are gone forever.’”
To the director: To the tune “Don’t Destroy.” One of Asaph’s songs of praise.
75 We praise you, God!
We praise you because you[a] are near to us.
We tell about the amazing things you have done.
2 God says, “I have chosen a time for judgment,
and I will judge fairly.
3 The earth and all its people may shake,
but I am the one who keeps it steady. Selah
4 “To those who are proud I say, ‘Stop your boasting.’
I warn the wicked, ‘Don’t brag about how strong you are.
5 Don’t be so sure that you will win.
Don’t boast that victory is yours!’”
6 There is no power on earth
that can make a person important.[b]
7 God is the judge.
He decides who will be important.
He lifts one person up and brings another down.
8 The Lord has a cup in his hand.
It is filled with the poisoned wine of his anger.
He will pour out this wine,
and the wicked will drink it to the last drop.
9 I will always tell people how great God is.
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 God says, “I will take away any power the wicked have
and give it to those who are good.”
To the director: With instruments. One of Asaph’s songs of praise.
76 People in Judah know God.
People in Israel respect his name.
2 His Temple is in Salem.[c]
His house is on Mount Zion.
3 There he shattered the arrows,
shields, swords, and other weapons of war. Selah
4 God, you are glorious coming back
from the hills where you defeated your enemies.
5 They thought they were strong, but now they lie dead in the fields.
Their bodies are stripped of all they owned.
They could not defend themselves.[d]
6 The God of Jacob shouted at them,
and their army of chariots and horses fell dead.
7 God, you are awesome!
No one can stand against you when you are angry.
8-9 You stood as judge and announced your decision.
You saved the humble people of the land.
From heaven you gave the decision,
and the whole earth was silent and afraid.
10 Even human anger can bring you honor
when you use it to punish your enemies.[e]
11 People, you made promises to the Lord your God.
Now give him what you promised.
People everywhere fear and respect God,
and they will bring gifts to him.
12 God defeats great leaders;
all the kings on earth fear him.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International