◀ All Reading Plans / M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan / Family: 1 Kings 4–5; Ephesians 2. Secret: Ezekiel 35; Psalm 85. (New American Bible (Revised Edition))

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The classic M'Cheyne plan--read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels every day.

Duration: 365 days

1 Kings 4-5

Chapter 4

Solomon’s Riches: Domestic Affairs.^[a] ¹Solomon was king over all Israel, ²and these were the officials he had in his service:

Azariah, son of Zadok, the priest;

³Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, scribes;

Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, the chancellor;

⁴Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, in charge of the army;

Zadok and Abiathar, priests;

⁵Azariah, son of Nathan, in charge of the governors;

Zabud, son of Nathan, priest and companion to the king;

⁶Ahishar, master of the palace; and

Adoniram, son of Abda, in charge of the forced labor.

⁷^[b]Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel who supplied food for the king and his household, each having to provide for one month in the year. ⁸Their names were:^[c]

the son of Hur in the hill country of Ephraim;

⁹the son of Deker in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth-shemesh, and Elon Beth-hanan;

¹⁰the son of Hesed in Arubboth, as well as in Socoh and the whole region of Hepher;

¹¹the son of Abinadab, in all Naphath-dor; he was married to Taphath, Solomon’s daughter;

¹²Baana, son of Ahilud, in Taanach and Megiddo and all Beth-shean near Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah to beyond Jokmeam;

¹³the son of Geber in Ramoth-gilead, having charge of the villages of Jair, son of Manasseh, in Gilead; and of the district of Argob in Bashan—sixty large walled cities with gates barred with bronze;

¹⁴Ahinadab, son of Iddo, in Mahanaim;

¹⁵Ahimaaz, in Naphtali; he was married to Basemath, another daughter of Solomon;

¹⁶Baana, son of Hushai, in Asher and Aloth;

¹⁷Jehoshaphat, son of Paruah, in Issachar;

¹⁸Shimei, son of Ela, in Benjamin;

¹⁹Geber, son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of Og, king of Bashan.

There was one governor besides, in the land of Judah.^[d] ²⁰^(A)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sands by the sea; they ate and drank and rejoiced.

Chapter 5

Solomon’s Riches: International Affairs. ¹^[e]Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River^[f] to the land of the Philistines, down to the border of Egypt; they paid Solomon tribute and served him as long as he lived. ²^[g]Solomon’s provisions for each day were thirty kors of fine flour, sixty kors of meal, ³ten fatted oxen, twenty pasture-fed oxen, and a hundred sheep, not counting harts, gazelles, roebucks, and fatted fowl. ⁴He had dominion over all the land west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and all its kings, and he had peace on all his borders round about. ⁵^(B)Thus Judah and Israel lived in security, everyone under their own vine and fig tree from Dan to Beer-sheba, as long as Solomon lived.

Solomon’s Riches: Chariots and Horses. ⁶^(C)Solomon had forty thousand stalls for horses for chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. ⁷^[h]The governors, one for each month, provided food for King Solomon and for all the guests at King Solomon’s table. They left nothing unprovided. ⁸For the chariot horses and draft animals also, each brought his quota of barley and straw to the required place.

Solomon’s Renown. ⁹^(D)Moreover, God gave Solomon wisdom, exceptional understanding, and knowledge, as vast as the sand on the seashore. ¹⁰Solomon’s wisdom surpassed that of all the peoples of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. ¹¹He was wiser than anyone else—wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the musicians—and his fame spread throughout the neighboring peoples. ¹²Solomon also uttered three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered a thousand and five. ¹³He spoke of plants, from the cedar on Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall, and he spoke about beasts, birds, reptiles, and fishes. ¹⁴^(E)People from all nations came to hear Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

Preparations for the Temple.^[i] ¹⁵When Hiram, king of Tyre, heard that Solomon had been anointed king in place of his father, he sent an embassy to him; for Hiram had always been David’s friend.^[j] ¹⁶Solomon sent back this message to Hiram: ¹⁷^(F)“You know that David my father, because of the wars that beset him, could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God until such time as the Lord should put his enemies under the soles of his feet. ¹⁸But now the Lord, my God, has given me rest on all sides, without adversary or misfortune. ¹⁹^(G)So I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord, my God, as the Lord said to David my father: Your son whom I will put upon your throne in your place shall build the house for my name. ²⁰Give orders, then, to have cedars from the Lebanon cut down for me. My servants shall accompany yours, and I will pay you whatever you say for your servants’ wages. For you know that there is no one among us who is skilled in cutting timber like the Sidonians.” ²¹When Hiram had heard the words of Solomon, he was overjoyed, and said, “Blessed be the Lord this day, who has given David a wise son over this numerous people.” ²²^[k]Hiram then sent word to Solomon, “I have heard the proposal you sent me, and I will provide all the cedars and fir trees you desire. ²³My servants shall bring them down from the Lebanon to the sea, and I will arrange them into rafts in the sea and bring them wherever you say. There I will break up the rafts, and you shall take the lumber. You, for your part, shall furnish the provisions I desire for my household.” ²⁴So Hiram continued to provide Solomon with all the cedars and fir trees he desired, ²⁵while Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand kors of wheat to provide for his household, and twenty kors^[l] of hand-pressed oil. Solomon gave Hiram all this every year. ²⁶The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he promised him. So there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made^[m] a covenant.

²⁷King Solomon raised thirty thousand forced laborers from all Israel.^[n] ²⁸He sent them to the Lebanon for a month in relays of ten thousand, so that they spent one month in the Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor. ²⁹Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the mountain, ³⁰in addition to three thousand three hundred overseers answerable to Solomon, who were in charge of the work and directed the people engaged in the work. ³¹By order of the king, fine, large blocks of stone were quarried to give the house a foundation of hewn stone. ³²Solomon’s and Hiram’s builders, along with others from Gebal,^[o] shaped them, and prepared the wood and stones for building the house.

Footnotes

4:1–5:8 The sub-unit on Solomon’s riches is organized around domestic affairs (4:1–20) and international affairs (5:1–5), with a short appendix on Solomon’s horses and chariots (5:6–8). Compare 9:26–10:29, where comparable elements reappear.
4:7–19 The administration of the kingdom thus initiated by Solomon continued in its main features for the duration of the monarchy in Israel and Judah. Note the use of “all Israel” to mean only the northern tribes (see also 5:27). Solomon’s exactions did not fall evenly on the whole people, but favored his own southern tribe of Judah. Eventually this inequity would lead to the dissolution of the union of Israel and Judah (12:1–19).
4:8–19 Several of the governors are identified only by their fathers’ names.
4:19 One governor…land of Judah: the royal territory of Judah had its own peculiar administration different from that of the twelve northern districts, each of which had to supply the king and his household with a month’s provisions of food each year (v. 7).
5:1–32 This translation follows the numeration of the Hebrew Bible, rather than the Vulgate; in many English translations, 5:1–14 is 4:21–34, and 5:15 is 5:1.
5:1 The River: that is, the Euphrates. This claim may be exaggerated, but “from the Euphrates to the border of Egypt” was the traditional description of the extent of the Davidic holdings.
5:2 The list of Solomon’s supplies may have originally belonged with the list of governors in 4:7–19, but the author has placed it here to imply that Solomon’s vassal kingdoms, not his own citizenry, supplied his vast daily needs. The daily provisions listed could have supported several thousand people. Kors: see note on Ez 45:14.
5:7 This verse suggests that the governors also saw to the provender for Solomon’s animals (v. 8).
5:15–32 The fifth major unit of the Solomon story explains the preparations Solomon made for the construction of the Temple. He negotiates with Hiram of Tyre for materiel (5:15–26), and conscripts a labor force for personnel (5:27–32). Compare 9:11–23, which returns to the same two themes after the Temple has been built and dedicated. 2 Chr 2:1–17 presents another version of the same material.
5:15 David’s friend: the term “to be a friend,” lit., “to love,” is political, and means that David and Hiram had been allies. The purpose of Hiram’s embassy is to determine whether Solomon is willing to continue the alliance. This unspoken agenda lies behind the negotiations about materials for the Temple, as the concluding v. 26 makes clear.
5:22–23 Although his reply is couched in polite, diplomatic language, Hiram renegotiates Solomon’s terms in his own favor. No Israelites are to enter Tyrian territory, and Solomon is not to pay the salary of Hiram’s laborers but rather to furnish “provisions” for his household—the same language used of the tribute Solomon received from his own vassals in v. 2.
5:25 Twenty kors: this means about two thousand gallons of the finest olive oil available, hand-pressed rather than produced in large olive presses, so that no debris (such as crushed olive pits, powder from the grinding stones) would contaminate the oil. Also see note on 2 Chr 2:9.
5:26 Made: lit., “cut.” The story of Solomon’s arrangements with Hiram is framed by references to political alliance between Israel and Tyre (vv. 15, 26). Since, in Hebrew idiom, Hiram and Solomon “cut” a covenant, this suggests that the agreement they reach for “cutting” wood (which clearly favors Hiram) reflects the terms of the larger treaty.
5:27 All Israel: see note on 4:7–19.
5:32 Gebal: Byblos.

Ephesians 2

Chapter 2^[a]

Generosity of God’s Plan.^[b] ¹^(A)You were dead in your transgressions and sins^[c] ²in which you once lived following the age of this world,^[d] following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient.^(B) ³All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest.^(C) ⁴But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, ⁵^(D)even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ^[e] (by grace you have been saved), ⁶raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,^(E) ⁷that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.^(F) ⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;^(G) ⁹it is not from works, so no one may boast.^(H) ¹⁰For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.^(I)

One in Christ.^[f] ¹¹Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, ¹²were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel^[g] and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world.^(J) ¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.^(K)

¹⁴^[h]For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,^(L) ¹⁵abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person^[i] in place of the two, thus establishing peace,^(M) ¹⁶and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it.^(N) ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near,^(O) ¹⁸for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.^(P)

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God,^(Q) ²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,^(R) with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.^[j] ²¹Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;^(S) ²²in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.^(T)

Footnotes

2:1–22 The gospel of salvation (Eph 1:13) that God worked in Christ (Eph 1:20) is reiterated in terms of what God’s great love (Eph 2:4), expressed in Christ, means for us. The passage sometimes addresses you, Gentiles (Eph 2:1–2, 8, 11–13, 19, 22), but other times speaks of all of us who believe (Eph 2:3–7, 10, 14, 18). In urging people to remember their grim past when they were dead in sins (Eph 2:1–3, 11–12) and what they are now in Christ (Eph 2:4–10, 13), the author sees both Jew and Gentile reconciled with God, now one new person, a new humanity, one body, the household of God, a temple and dwelling place of God’s Spirit (Eph 2:15–16, 19–22). The presentation falls into two parts, the second stressing more the meaning for the church.
2:1–10 The recipients of Paul’s letter have experienced, in their redemption from transgressions and sins, the effect of Christ’s supremacy over the power of the devil (Eph 2:1–2; cf. Eph 6:11–12), who rules not from the netherworld but from the air between God in heaven and human beings on earth. Both Jew and Gentile have experienced, through Christ, God’s free gift of salvation that already marks them for a future heavenly destiny (Eph 2:3–7). The language dead, raised us up, and seated us…in the heavens closely parallels Jesus’ own passion and Easter experience. The terms in Eph 2:8–9 describe salvation in the way Paul elsewhere speaks of justification: by grace, through faith, the gift of God, not from works; cf. Gal 2:16–21; Rom 3:24–28. Christians are a newly created people in Christ, fashioned by God for a life of goodness (Eph 2:10).
2:1–7 These verses comprise one long sentence in Greek, the main verb coming in Eph 2:5, God brought us to life, the object you/us dead in…transgressions being repeated in Eph 2:1, 5; cf. Col 2:13.
2:2 Age of this world: or “aeon,” a term found in gnostic thought, possibly synonymous with the rulers of this world, but also reflecting the Jewish idea of “two ages,” this present evil age and “the age to come”; cf. 1 Cor 3:19; 5:10; 7:31; Gal 1:4; Ti 2:12. The disobedient: literally, “the sons of disobedience,” a Semitism as at Is 30:9.
2:5 Our relation through baptism with Christ, the risen Lord, is depicted in terms of realized eschatology, as already exaltation, though Eph 2:7 brings in the future aspect too.
2:11–22 The Gentiles lacked Israel’s messianic expectation, lacked the various covenants God made with Israel, lacked hope of salvation and knowledge of the true God (Eph 2:11–12); but through Christ all these religious barriers between Jew and Gentile have been transcended (Eph 2:13–14) by the abolition of the Mosaic covenant-law (Eph 2:15) for the sake of uniting Jew and Gentile into a single religious community (Eph 2:15–16), imbued with the same holy Spirit and worshiping the same Father (Eph 2:18). The Gentiles are now included in God’s household (Eph 2:19) as it arises upon the foundation of apostles assisted by those endowed with the prophetic gift (Eph 3:5), the preachers of Christ (Eph 2:20; cf. 1 Cor 12:28). With Christ as the capstone (Eph 2:20; cf. Is 28:16; Mt 21:42), they are being built into the holy temple of God’s people where the divine presence dwells (Eph 2:21–22).
2:12 The community of Israel: or “commonwealth”; cf. Eph 4:18. The covenants: cf. Rom 9:4: with Abraham, with Moses, with David.
2:14–16 The elaborate imagery here combines pictures of Christ as our peace (Is 9:5), his crucifixion, the ending of the Mosaic law (cf. Col 2:14), reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18–21), and the destruction of the dividing wall such as kept people from God in the temple or a barrier in the heavens.
2:15 One new person: a corporate body, the Christian community, made up of Jews and Gentiles, replacing ancient divisions; cf. Rom 1:16.
2:20 Capstone: the Greek can also mean cornerstone or keystone.

Ezekiel 35

Chapter 35

Against Edom.^[a] ¹The word of the Lord came to me: ²Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. ³Say to it: Thus says the Lord God: Watch out! I am against you, Mount Seir. I will stretch out my hand against you and turn you into a desolate waste.^(A) ⁴Your cities I will turn into ruins, and you shall be a desolation; then you shall know that I am the Lord.^(B)

⁵Because you nursed a long-standing hatred and handed the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their collapse, at the time of their final punishment,^[b]^(C) ⁶therefore, as I live—oracle of the Lord God—you are guilty of blood, and blood, I swear, shall pursue you. ⁷I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and cut off from it anyone who travels across it and back.^(D) ⁸I will fill its mountains with the slain; those slain by the sword shall fall on your hills, into your valleys and all your ravines.

⁹I will make you a desolation forever,
your cities will not be inhabited,
and you shall know that I am the Lord.^(E)

¹⁰Because you said: The two nations and the two lands^[c] belong to me; let us take possession of them—although the Lord was there— ¹¹therefore, as I live—oracle of the Lord God—I will deal with you according to the anger and envy you dealt out to them in your hatred, and I will make myself known to them when I execute judgment on you,^(F) ¹²then you shall know that I am the Lord.

I have heard all the insults you spoke against the mountains of Israel, saying: They are desolate; they have been given to us to devour. ¹³You boasted against me with your mouths and used insolent words against me. I heard everything! ¹⁴Thus says the Lord God: Because you rejoiced that the whole land was desolate, so I will do to you. ¹⁵As you rejoiced over the devastation of the heritage of the house of Israel, the same I will do to you: you will become a ruin, Mount Seir, and the whole of Edom, all of it! Then they shall know that I am the Lord.^(G)

Psalm 85

Psalm 85^[a]

Prayer for Divine Favor

¹For the leader. A psalm of the Korahites.

I

²You once favored, Lord, your land,
    restored the captives of Jacob.^(A)
³You forgave the guilt of your people,
    pardoned all their sins.
Selah
⁴You withdrew all your wrath,
    turned back from your burning anger.^(B)

II

⁵Restore us, God of our salvation;
    let go of your displeasure with us.^(C)
⁶Will you be angry with us forever,
    prolong your anger for all generations?^(D)
⁷Certainly you will again restore our life,
    that your people may rejoice in you.
⁸Show us, Lord, your mercy;
    grant us your salvation.

III

⁹^[b]I will listen for what God, the Lord, has to say;
    surely he will speak of peace
To his people and to his faithful.
    May they not turn to foolishness!
¹⁰Near indeed is his salvation for those who fear him;
    glory will dwell in our land.
¹¹^[c]Love and truth will meet;
    justice and peace will kiss.^(E)
¹²Truth will spring from the earth;
    justice will look down from heaven.^(F)
¹³Yes, the Lord will grant his bounty;
    our land will yield its produce.^(G)
¹⁴Justice will march before him,
    and make a way for his footsteps.

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

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.

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

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Chapter 2^[a]

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Chapter 35

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Psalm 85^[a]

Prayer for Divine Favor

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

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Chapter 2[a]

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Chapter 35

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Psalm 85[a]

Prayer for Divine Favor

I

II

III

Footnotes

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Chapter 2^[a]

Psalm 85^[a]