M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord Comes to His Temple(A)
8 Then Solomon assembled the respected leaders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the Israelite families. They came to King Solomon in Jerusalem to take the ark of Yahweh’s promise from the City of David (that is, Zion). 2 All the people of Israel gathered around King Solomon at the Festival of Booths in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.
3 When all the leaders of Israel had arrived, the priests picked up Yahweh’s ark. 4 They brought the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils in it to the temple. The priests and the Levites carried them 5 while King Solomon with the whole assembly from Israel were offering countless sheep and cattle sacrifices in front of the ark. 6 The priests brought the ark of Yahweh’s promise to its place in the inner room of the temple (the most holy place) under the wings of the angels.[a]
7 When the angels’ outstretched wings were over the place where the ark rested, the angels became a covering above the ark and its poles. 8 The poles were so long that their ends could be seen in the holy place by anyone standing in front of the inner room, but they couldn’t be seen outside. (They are still there today.) 9 There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses put there at Horeb, where Yahweh made a promise to the Israelites after they left Egypt.
10 When the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled Yahweh’s temple. 11 The priests couldn’t serve because of the cloud. Yahweh’s glory filled Yahweh’s temple.
Solomon Addresses the People(B)
12 Then Solomon said, “Yahweh said he would live in a dark cloud. 13 I certainly have built you a high temple, a home for you to live in permanently.”
14 Then the king turned around and blessed the whole assembly of Israel while they were standing. 15 “Thanks be to Yahweh Elohim of Israel. With his mouth he made a promise to my father David; with his hand he carried it out. He said, 16 ‘Ever since I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn’t choose any city in any of the tribes of Israel as a place to build a temple for my name. But now I’ve chosen David to rule my people Israel.’
17 “My father David had his heart set on building a temple for the name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel. 18 However, Yahweh said to my father David, ‘Since you had your heart set on building a temple for my name, your intentions were good. 19 But you must not build the temple. Instead, your own son will build the temple for my name.’ 20 Yahweh has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David’s place, and I sit on the throne of Israel as Yahweh promised. I’ve built the temple for the name of Yahweh Elohim of Israel. 21 I’ve made a place there for the ark which contains Yahweh’s promise that he made to our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt.”
Solomon’s Prayer(C)
22 In the presence of the entire assembly of Israel, Solomon stood in front of Yahweh’s altar. He stretched out his hands toward heaven 23 and said,
“Yahweh Elohim of Israel,
there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below.
You keep your promise[b] of mercy to your servants,
who obey you wholeheartedly.
24 You have kept your promise to my father David, your servant.
With your mouth you promised it.
With your hand you carried it out as it is today.
25 “Now, Yahweh Elohim of Israel,
keep your promise to my father David, your servant.
You said, ‘You will never fail to have an heir
sitting in front of me on the throne of Israel
if your descendants are faithful to me
as you have been faithful to me.’
26 “So now, Elohim of Israel,
may the promise you made to my father David,
your servant, come true.
27 “Does Elohim really live on earth?
If heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot hold you,
then how can this temple that I have built?
28 Nevertheless, my Yahweh Elohim, please pay attention to my prayer for mercy.
Listen to my cry for help as I pray to you today.
29 Night and day may your eyes be on this temple,
the place about which you said, ‘My name will be there.’
Listen to me as I pray toward this place.
30 Hear the plea for mercy
that your people Israel and I pray toward this place.
Hear us when we pray to heaven, the place where you live.
Hear and forgive.
31 “If anyone sins against another person
and is required to take an oath
and comes to take the oath in front of your altar in this temple,
32 then hear that person in heaven, take action, and make a decision.
Condemn the guilty person with the proper punishment,
but declare the innocent person innocent.
33 “An enemy may defeat your people Israel
because they have sinned against you.
But when your people turn to you, praise your name, pray,
and plead with you in this temple,
34 then hear them in heaven, forgive the sins of your people Israel,
and bring them back to the land that you gave to their ancestors.
35 “When the sky is shut and there’s no rain
because they are sinning against you,
and they pray toward this place, praise your name,
and turn away from their sin because you made them suffer,
36 then hear them in heaven.
Forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel.
Teach them the proper way to live.
Then send rain on the land,
which you gave to your people as an inheritance.
37 “There may be famine in the land.
Plant diseases, heat waves, funguses, locusts,
or grasshoppers may destroy crops.
Enemies may blockade Israel’s city gates.
During every plague or sickness
38 hear every prayer for mercy,
made by one person or by all the people in Israel,
whose consciences bother them,
who stretch out their hands toward this temple.
39 Hear them in heaven, where you live.
Forgive them, and take action.
Give each person the proper reply.
(You know what is in their hearts,
because you alone know what is in the hearts of all people.)
40 Then, as long as they live in the land that you gave to our ancestors,
they will fear you.
41 “People will hear about your great name,
mighty hand, and powerful arm.[c]
So when people who are not Israelites
come from distant countries because of your name
42 to pray facing this temple,
43 hear them in heaven, the place where you live.
Do everything they ask you
so that all the people of the world may know your name
and fear you like your people Israel
and learn also that this temple which I built bears your name.
44 “When your people go to war against their enemies
(wherever you may send them)
and they pray to you, O Yahweh, toward the city you have chosen
and the temple I built for your name,
45 then hear their prayer for mercy in heaven,
and do what is right for them.
46 “They may sin against you.
(No one is sinless.)
You may become angry with them and hand them over to an enemy
who takes them to another country as captives,
whether it is far or near.
47 If they come to their senses,
are sorry for what they’ve done,
and plead with you in the land where they are captives,
saying, ‘We have sinned. We have done wrong.
We have been wicked,’
48 if they change their attitude toward you
in the land of their enemies where they are captives,
if they pray to you
toward the land that you gave their ancestors,
and the city you have chosen,
and the temple I have built for your name,
49 then in heaven, the place where you live, hear their prayer for mercy.
Do what is right for them.
50 Forgive your people, who have sinned against you.
Forgive all their wrongs when they rebelled against you,
and cause those who captured them to have mercy on them
51 because they are your own people
whom you brought out of Egypt
from the middle of an iron smelter.
52 “May your eyes always see my plea and your people Israel’s plea
so that you will listen to them whenever they call on you.
53 After all, you, Adonay Yahweh, set them apart from all the people of the world
to be your own as you promised through your servant Moses
when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt.”
Solomon Blesses the People
54 When Solomon finished praying this prayer for mercy to Yahweh, he stood in front of Yahweh’s altar, where he had been kneeling with his hands stretched out toward heaven. 55 Then he stood and in a loud voice blessed the entire assembly of Israel, 56 “Thanks be to Yahweh! He has given his people Israel rest, as he had promised. None of the good promises he made through his servant Moses has failed to come true. 57 May Yahweh our Elohim be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he never leave us or abandon us. 58 May he bend our hearts toward him. Then we will follow him and keep his commands, laws, and rules, which he commanded our ancestors to keep. 59 May these words which I have prayed to Yahweh be near Yahweh our Elohim day and night. Then he will give me and his people Israel justice every day as it is needed. 60 In this way all the people of the world will know that Yahweh is Elohim and there is no other god. 61 May your hearts be committed to Yahweh our Elohim. Then you will live by his laws and keep his commands as you have today.”
Solomon Offers Sacrifices(D)
62 Then the king and all Israel offered sacrifices to Yahweh. 63 Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings to Yahweh. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated Yahweh’s temple.
64 On that day the king designated the courtyard in front of Yahweh’s temple as a holy place. He sacrificed the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings because the bronze altar in front of Yahweh was too small to hold all of them.
65 At that time Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival of Booths. A large crowd had come from the territory between the border of Hamath and the River of Egypt to be near Yahweh our Elohim for seven days.[d] 66 On the eighth day he dismissed the people. They blessed the king and went to their tents. They rejoiced with cheerful hearts for all the blessings Yahweh had given his servant David and his people Israel.
Imitate God
5 Imitate God, since you are the children he loves. 2 Live in love as Christ also loved us. He gave his life for us as an offering and sacrifice, a soothing aroma to God.
3 Don’t let sexual sin, perversion of any kind, or greed even be mentioned among you. This is not appropriate behavior for God’s holy people. 4 It’s not right that dirty stories, foolish talk, or obscene jokes should be mentioned among you either. Instead, give thanks to God. 5 You know very well that no person who is involved in sexual sin, perversion, or greed (which means worshiping wealth) can have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Don’t let anyone deceive you with meaningless words. It is because of sins like these that God’s anger comes to those who refuse to obey him. 7 Don’t be partners with them.
8 Once you lived in the dark, but now the Lord has filled you with light. Live as children who have light. 9 Light produces everything that is good, that has God’s approval, and that is true. 10 Determine which things please the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the useless works that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. 12 It is shameful to talk about what some people do in secret. 13 Light exposes the true character of everything 14 because light makes everything easy to see. That’s why it says:
“Wake up, sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”[a]
15 So then, be very careful how you live. Don’t live like foolish people but like wise people. 16 Make the most of your opportunities because these are evil days. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord wants. 18 Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. Instead, be filled with the Spirit[b] 19 by reciting psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs for your own good. Sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts. 20 Always thank God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Yeshua Christ.
Advice to Wives and Husbands
21 Place yourselves under each other’s authority out of respect for Christ.
22 Wives, place yourselves under your husbands’ authority as you have placed yourselves under the Lord’s authority.[c] 23 The husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. It is his body, and he is its Savior. 24 As the church is under Christ’s authority, so wives are under their husbands’ authority in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. 26 He did this to make the church holy by cleansing it, washing it using water along with spoken words. 27 Then he could present it to himself as a glorious church, without any kind of stain or wrinkle—holy and without faults. 28 So husbands must love their wives as they love their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 No one ever hated his own body. Instead, he feeds and takes care of it, as Christ takes care of the church. 30 We are parts of his body. 31 That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will be one. 32 This is a great mystery. (I’m talking about Christ’s relationship to the church.) 33 But every husband must love his wife as he loves himself, and wives should respect their husbands.
The Destruction of Gog and Its Army
38 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, turn to Gog from the land of Magog. He is the chief prince of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. Prophesy against him. 3 Tell him, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws. I will lead you out with all your military forces, with horses and riders. Your soldiers will be fully armed. They will carry large and small shields and be able to use swords. 5 Persia, Sudan, and Put will be with you. They, too, will have shields and helmets. 6 Gomer will come with all its troops and with the nation of Togarmah from the far north. There will be many armies with you.
7 “‘Be prepared! Be prepared, you and all the soldiers assembled around you. You will be their leader. 8 After a long time you will be called to service. In the years to come, you will attack a land that has been rebuilt after a war. Its people have been gathered from many nations and brought to the mountains of Israel, mountains that have been ruined for a long time. These people were brought there from the nations, and all of them live there safely. 9 You will attack like a storm and cover the land like a cloud. Your troops and the many armies will be with you.
10 “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: At that time ideas will enter your head, and you will make wicked plans. 11 You will say, “I’ll attack a land with unwalled villages. I will attack peaceful people who live safely. All of them live without walls, locks, or gates. 12 I will come to rob them and loot them. I will use my power against the ruins that people are living in again. I will use it against the people who were gathered from the nations. These people have cattle and property, and they live in the world.”
13 “‘Sheba, Dedan, the merchants from Tarshish, and all their villages will ask you, “Did you come to rob these people of their possessions? Did you assemble all these soldiers to carry away large amounts of silver and gold and to take cattle and property?” ’
14 “So prophesy, son of man. Tell Gog, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: At that time my people Israel will live safely, and you will know it. 15 You will come from your place in the far north and many armies will be with you. All of you will ride on horses. You will be a large crowd and a mighty army. 16 You will attack my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In the days to come, I will let you attack my land so that nations will know me. I will use you for my holy purpose as they watch.
17 “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: You are the one I spoke about long ago through my servants the prophets of Israel. They prophesied in those days that I would bring you to attack them. 18 On the day that Gog attacks the land of Israel, I will be filled with burning anger, declares Adonay Yahweh. 19 In my fiery anger I tell you this. On that day there will be a large earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 Fish, birds, wild animals, everything that crawls on the ground, and every person on earth will tremble in my presence. The mountains will be torn down, the cliffs will crumble, and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will declare war against Gog on all my mountains, declares Adonay Yahweh. Each person will use his sword against his relative. 22 I will punish Gog with plagues and death. I will send rainstorms, large hailstones, fire, and burning sulfur on his troops and on the many armies with him. 23 I will show my greatness and my holiness. I will reveal myself to many nations. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”
Psalm 89
A maskil by Ethan the Ezrahite.
1 I will sing forever about the evidence of your mercy, O Yahweh.
I will tell about your faithfulness to every generation.
2 I said, “Your mercy will last forever.
Your faithfulness stands firm in the heavens.”
3 You said, “I have made a promise[a] to my chosen one.
I swore this oath to my servant David:
4 ‘I will make your dynasty continue forever.
I built your throne to last throughout every generation.’” Selah
5 O Yahweh, the heavens praise your miracles
and your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 Who in the skies can compare with Yahweh?
Who among the heavenly beings is like Yahweh?
7 El is terrifying in the council of the holy ones.
He is greater and more awe-inspiring than those who surround him.
8 O Yahweh Elohim Tsebaoth, who is like you?
Mighty Yah, even your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule the raging sea.
When its waves rise, you quiet them.
10 You crushed Rahab;[b] it was like a corpse.
With your strong arm you scattered your enemies.
11 The heavens are yours.
The earth is also yours.
You made the world and everything in it.
12 You created north and south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing your name joyfully.
13 Your arm is mighty.
Your hand is strong.
Your right hand is lifted high.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne.
Mercy and truth stand in front of you.
15 Blessed are the people who know how to praise you.
They walk in the light of your presence, O Yahweh.
16 They find joy in your name all day long.
They are joyful in your righteousness
17 because you are the glory of their strength.
By your favor you give us victory.[c]
18 Our shield belongs to Yahweh.
Our king belongs to Qedosh Yisrael.
19 Once in a vision you said to your faithful ones:
“I set a boy above warriors.[d]
I have raised up one chosen from the people.
20 I found my servant David.
I anointed him with my holy oil.
21 My hand is ready to help him.
My arm will also give him strength.
22 No enemy will take him by surprise.
No wicked person will mistreat him.
23 I will crush his enemies in front of him
and defeat those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and mercy will be with him,
and in my name he will be victorious.[e]
25 I will put his left hand on the sea
and his right hand on the rivers.
26 He will call out to me,
‘You are my Ab, my El, and the rock of my salvation.’
27 Yes, I will make him the firstborn.
He will be the Most High to the kings of the earth.
28 My mercy will stay with him forever.
My promise to him is unbreakable.
29 I will make his dynasty endure forever
and his throne like the days of heaven.
30 “If his descendants abandon my teachings
and do not live by my rules,
31 if they violate my laws
and do not obey my commandments,
32 then with a rod I will punish their rebellion
and their crimes with beatings.
33 But I will not take my mercy away from him
or allow my truth to become a lie.
34 I will not dishonor my promise
or alter my own agreement.
35 On my holiness I have taken an oath once and for all:
I will not lie to David.
36 His dynasty will last forever.
His throne will be in my presence like the sun.
37 Like the moon his throne will stand firm forever.
It will be like a faithful witness in heaven.”
38 But you have despised, rejected,
and become angry with your anointed one.
39 You have refused to recognize the promise to your servant
and have thrown his crown into the dirt.
40 You have broken through all his walls
and have laid his fortified cities in ruins.
41 (Everyone who passed by robbed him.
He has become the object of his neighbors’ scorn.)
42 You held the right hand of his enemies high
and made all of his adversaries rejoice.
43 You even took his sword out of his hand
and failed to support him in battle.
44 You put an end to his splendor
and hurled his throne to the ground.
45 You cut short the days of his youth
and covered him with shame. Selah
46 How long, O Yahweh? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your anger continue to burn like fire?
47 Remember how short my life is!
Have you created Adam’s descendants for no reason?
48 Can a mortal go on living and never see death?
Who can set himself free from the power of the grave? Selah
49 Where is the evidence of your mercy, Adonay?
You swore an oath to David
on the basis of your faithfulness.
50 Remember, O Yahweh,[f] how your servant[g] has been insulted.
Remember how I have carried in my heart the insults from so many people.
51 Your enemies insulted me.
They insulted your Mashiach[h] every step he took.
52 Thank Yahweh forever.
Amen and amen!
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.