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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 14

Chapter 14

Ahijah Announces Jeroboam’s Downfall.^[a] ¹At that time Abijah, son of Jeroboam, took sick. ²^(A)So Jeroboam said to his wife, “Go and disguise yourself so that no one will recognize you as Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh, where you will find Ahijah the prophet. It was he who spoke the word that made me king over this people. ³Take along ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the child.” ⁴The wife of Jeroboam did so. She left and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah.

Now Ahijah could not see because age had dimmed his sight. ⁵But the Lord said to Ahijah: Jeroboam’s wife is coming to consult you about her son, for he is sick. Thus and so you must tell her. When she comes, she will be in disguise. ⁶So Ahijah, hearing the sound of her footsteps as she entered the door, said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why are you in disguise? For my part, I have been commissioned to give you bitter news. ⁷Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I exalted you from among the people and made you ruler of my people Israel. ⁸I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. Yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with his whole heart, doing only what is right in my sight. ⁹You have done more evil than all who were before you: you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke me; but me you have cast behind your back. ¹⁰^(B)Therefore, I am bringing evil upon the house of Jeroboam:

I will cut off from Jeroboam’s line every male
    —bond or free—in Israel;
I will burn up what is left of the house of Jeroboam
    as dung is burned, completely.
¹¹^(C)Anyone of Jeroboam’s line who dies in the city,
    dogs will devour;
anyone who dies in the field,
    the birds of the sky will devour.

For the Lord has spoken!’ ¹²As for you, leave, and go home! As you step inside the city, the child will die, ¹³and all Israel will mourn him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s line will be laid in the grave, since in him alone of Jeroboam’s house has something pleasing to the Lord, the God of Israel, been found. ¹⁴The Lord will raise up for himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam—today, at this very moment! ¹⁵The Lord will strike Israel like a reed tossed about in the water and will pluck out Israel from this good land which he gave their ancestors, and will scatter them beyond the River,^[b] because they made asherahs for themselves, provoking the Lord. ¹⁶He will give up Israel because of the sins Jeroboam has committed and caused Israel to commit.” ¹⁷So Jeroboam’s wife left and went back; when she came to Tirzah and crossed the threshold of her house, the child died. ¹⁸He was buried and all Israel mourned him, according to the word of the Lord spoken through his servant Ahijah the prophet.

¹⁹The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, these are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. ²⁰The length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years. He rested with his ancestors, and Nadab his son succeeded him as king.

III. Kings of Judah and Israel^[c]

Reign of Rehoboam. ²¹^[d]Rehoboam, son of Solomon, became king in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city in which, out of all the tribes of Israel, the Lord chose to set his name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.

²²Judah did evil in the Lord’s sight and they angered him even more than their ancestors had done. ²³They, too, built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and asherahs,^[e] upon every high hill and under every green tree. ²⁴There were also pagan priests in the land. Judah imitated all the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out of the Israelites’ way. ²⁵^[f]In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem. ²⁶^(D)He took everything, including the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the house of the king, even the gold shields Solomon had made. ²⁷To replace them, King Rehoboam made bronze shields, which he entrusted to the officers of the guard on duty at the entrance of the royal house. ²⁸Whenever the king visited the house of the Lord, those on duty would carry the shields, and then return them to the guardroom.

²⁹The rest of the acts of Rehoboam, with all that he did, are recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah. ³⁰There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. ³¹Rehoboam rested with his ancestors; he was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. His son Abijam succeeded him as king.

Colossians 1

I. Address

Chapter 1

Greeting.^[a] ¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,^(A) ²to the holy ones and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thanksgiving.^[b] ³We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,^(B) ⁴for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones ⁵because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard through the word of truth, the gospel,^(C) ⁶that has come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth, ⁷^(D)as you learned it from Epaphras^[c] our beloved fellow slave, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf ⁸and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Prayer for Continued Progress.^[d] ⁹Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding^(E) ¹⁰to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy ¹²^[e]giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.^(F) ¹³He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.^(G)

II. The Preeminence of Christ

His Person and Work

¹⁵^[f]He is the image^[g] of the invisible God,
    the firstborn of all creation.^(H)
¹⁶For in him^[h] were created all things in heaven and on earth,
    the visible and the invisible,
    whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;
    all things were created through him and for him.^(I)
¹⁷He is before all things,
    and in him all things hold together.
¹⁸He is the head of the body, the church.^[i]
    He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
    that in all things he himself might be preeminent.^(J)
¹⁹For in him all the fullness^[j] was pleased to dwell,
²⁰and through him to reconcile all things for him,
    making peace by the blood of his cross^[k]
    [through him], whether those on earth or those in heaven.^(K)

²¹^[l]And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds^(L) ²²he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, ²³provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am a minister.

Christ in Us.^[m] ²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking^[n] in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church, ²⁵of which I am a minister in accordance with God’s stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God, ²⁶the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,^(M) ²⁷to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.^(N) ²⁸It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.^(O) ²⁹For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.^(P)

Footnotes

1:1–2 For the epistolary form used by Paul at the beginning of his letters, see note on Rom 1:1–7. On holy ones or “God’s people,” see note on Rom 1:7. Awareness of their calling helps this group to be faithful brothers and sisters in Christ, i.e., dedicated to the tasks implied in their calling.
1:3–8 On thanksgiving at the start of a letter, see note on Rom 1:8. The apostle, recalling his own prayers for them and the good report about them he has received (Col 1:3–4), congratulates the Colossians upon their acceptance of Christ and their faithful efforts to live the gospel (Col 3:6–8). To encourage them he mentions the success of the gospel elsewhere (Col 1:6) and assures them that his knowledge of their community is accurate, since he has been in personal contact with Epaphras (Col 1:7–8), who likely had evangelized Colossae and other cities in the Lycus Valley of Asia Minor (cf. Col 4:12, 13; Phlm 23). On faith, love, and hope (Col 1:4, 5, 8), see note on 1 Cor 13:13; cf. 1 Thes 1:3; 5:8.
1:7 Epaphras: now with Paul but a Colossian, founder of the church there.
1:9–14 Moved by Epaphras’ account, the apostle has prayed and continues to pray fervently for the Colossians that, in their response to the gospel, they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will (Col 1:9; cf. Col 3:10). Paul expects a mutual interaction between their life according to the gospel and this knowledge (Col 1:10), yielding results (fruit, Col 1:10; cf. Col 1:6) in every good work: growth, strength, endurance, patience, with joy (Col 1:11), and the further giving of thanks (Col 1:12).
1:12–14 A summary about redemption by the Father precedes the statement in Col 1:15–20 about the beloved Son who is God’s love in person (Col 1:13). Christians share the inheritance…in light with the holy ones, here probably the angels (Col 1:12). The imagery reflects the Exodus (delivered…transferred) and Jesus’ theme of the kingdom. Redemption is explained as forgiveness of sins (cf. Acts 2:38; Rom 3:24–25; Eph 1:7).
1:15–20 As the poetic arrangement indicates, these lines are probably an early Christian hymn, known to the Colossians and taken up into the letter from liturgical use (cf. Phil 2:6–11; 1 Tm 3:16). They present Christ as the mediator of creation (Col 1:15–18a) and of redemption (Col 1:18b–20). There is a parallelism between firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15) and firstborn from the dead (Col 1:18). While many of the phrases were at home in Greek philosophical use and even in gnosticism, the basic ideas also reflect Old Testament themes about Wisdom found in Prv 8:22–31; Wis 7:22–8:1; and Sir 1:4. See also notes on what is possibly a hymn in Jn 1:1–18.
1:15 Image: cf. Gn 1:27. Whereas the man and the woman were originally created in the image and likeness of God (see also Gn 1:26), Christ as image (2 Cor 4:4) of the invisible God (Jn 1:18) now shares this new nature in baptism with those redeemed (cf. Col 3:10–11).
1:16–17 Christ (though not mentioned by name) is preeminent and supreme as God’s agent in the creation of all things (cf. Jn 1:3), as prior to all things (Col 1:17; cf. Hb 1:3).
1:18 Church: such a reference seemingly belongs under “redemption” in the following lines, not under the “creation” section of the hymn. Stoic thought sometimes referred to the world as “the body of Zeus.” Pauline usage is to speak of the church as the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:12–27; Rom 12:4–5). Some think that the author of Colossians has inserted the reference to the church here so as to define “head of the body” in Paul’s customary way. See Col 1:24. Preeminent: when Christ was raised by God as firstborn from the dead (cf. Acts 26:23; Rev 1:5), he was placed over the community, the church, that he had brought into being, but he is also indicated as crown of the whole new creation, over all things. His further role is to reconcile all things (Col 1:20) for God or possibly “to himself.”
1:19 Fullness: in gnostic usage this term referred to a spiritual world of beings above, between God and the world; many later interpreters take it to refer to the fullness of the deity (Col 2:9); the reference could also be to the fullness of grace (cf. Jn 1:16).
1:20 The blood of his cross: the most specific reference in the hymn to redemption through Christ’s death, a central theme in Paul; cf. Col 2:14–15; 1 Cor 1:17, 18, 23. [Through him]: the phrase, lacking in some manuscripts, seems superfluous but parallels the reference to reconciliation through Christ earlier in the verse.
1:21–23 Paul, in applying this hymn to the Colossians, reminds them that they have experienced the reconciling effect of Christ’s death. He sees the effects of the cross in the redemption of human beings, not of cosmic powers such as those referred to in Col 1:16, 20 (all things). Paul also urges adherence to Christ in faith and begins to point to his own role as minister (Col 1:23), sufferer (Col 1:24), and proclaimer (Col 1:27–28) of this gospel.
1:24–2:3 As the community at Colossae was not personally known to Paul (see Introduction), he here invests his teaching with greater authority by presenting a brief sketch of his apostolic ministry and sufferings as they reflect those of Christ on behalf of the church (24). The preaching of God’s word (Col 1:25) carries out the divine plan (the mystery, Col 1:26) to make Christ known to the Gentiles (Col 1:27). It teaches the God-given wisdom about Christ (Col 1:28), whose power works mightily in the apostle (Col 1:29). Even in those communities that do not know him personally (Col 2:1), he can increase the perception of God in Christ, unite the faithful more firmly in love, and so bring encouragement to them (Col 2:2). He hopes that his apostolic authority will make the Colossians perceive more readily the defects in the teaching of others who have sought to delude them, the next concern in the letter.
1:24 What is lacking: although variously interpreted, this phrase does not imply that Christ’s atoning death on the cross was defective. It may refer to the apocalyptic concept of a quota of “messianic woes” to be endured before the end comes; cf. Mk 13:8, 19–20, 24 and the note on Mt 23:29–32. Others suggest that Paul’s mystical unity with Christ allowed him to call his own sufferings the afflictions of Christ.

Ezekiel 44

Chapter 44

The Closed Gate. ¹Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary facing east, but it was closed. ²The Lord said to me: This gate must remain closed; it must not be opened, and no one should come through it. Because the Lord, the God of Israel, came through it, it must remain closed. ³Only the prince may sit in it to eat a meal in the presence of the Lord; he must enter through the vestibule of the gate and leave the same way.^[a]^(A)

The New Law

Admission to the Temple. ⁴Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the facade of the temple. I looked—and the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house! I fell on my face.^(B) ⁵The Lord said to me: Son of man, pay close attention, look carefully, and listen intently to everything I tell you about all the statutes and laws of the Lord’s house. Pay close attention to the entrance into the temple and all the exits of the sanctuary. ⁶Say to that rebellious house, the house of Israel: Thus says the Lord God: Enough of all your abominations, house of Israel! ⁷You have admitted foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, into my sanctuary to profane it when you offered me food, the fat and blood.^[b] Thus you have broken my covenant by all your abominations.^(C) ⁸Instead of caring for the service of my sanctuary, you appointed these foreigners to care for the service of my sanctuary. ⁹Thus says the Lord God: No foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and flesh, shall ever enter my sanctuary: not even any of the foreigners who live among the Israelites.^(D)

Levites. ¹⁰As for the Levites who went far away from me when Israel strayed from me after their idols, they will bear the consequences of their sin. ¹¹They will serve in my sanctuary only as gatekeepers and temple servants; they will slaughter burnt offerings and sacrifices for the people. They will stand before the people to serve them.^(E) ¹²Because they used to serve them before their idols, thus becoming a stumbling block to the house of Israel, therefore I have sworn an oath against them, says the Lord God, and they will bear the consequences of their sin. ¹³They shall no longer come near to serve as my priests, nor shall they touch any of my sacred things or my most sacred offerings, for they must bear their shame, the abominations they committed. ¹⁴Instead I will make them responsible for the service of the temple and all its work, for everything that must be done in it.^(F)

Priests. ¹⁵As for the levitical priests, sons of Zadok, who took charge of my sanctuary when the Israelites strayed from me, they may approach me to serve me and stand before me to offer the fat and the blood—oracle of the Lord God.^(G) ¹⁶They may enter my sanctuary; they may approach my table to serve me and carry out my service.^(H) ¹⁷Whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear linen garments; they shall not put on anything woolen when they serve at the gates of the inner court or within the temple. ¹⁸^(I)They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen undergarments on their loins; they shall not gird themselves with anything that causes sweat. ¹⁹^(J)And when they go out to the people in the outer court, they shall take off the garments in which they served and leave them in the rooms of the sanctuary, and put on other garments so they do not transmit holiness to the people^[c] by their garments.

²⁰^(K)They shall not shave their heads nor let their hair hang loose, but they shall keep their hair carefully trimmed. ²¹No priest shall drink wine before he enters the inner court. ²²^(L)They shall not take as wives either widows or divorced women, but only unmarried women from the line of Israel; however, they may take as wives widows who are widows of priests. ²³^(M)They shall teach my people to distinguish between sacred and profane and make known to them the difference between clean and unclean. ²⁴^(N)In legal cases they shall stand as judges, judging according to my ordinances. They shall observe all my laws and statutes regarding all my appointed feasts, and they shall keep my sabbaths holy.

²⁵^(O)They shall not make themselves unclean by going near a dead body; only for their father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister may they make themselves unclean. ²⁶After he is again clean, he must wait an additional seven days; ²⁷on the day he enters the inner court to serve in the sanctuary, he shall present a purification offering for himself—oracle of the Lord God. ²⁸^(P)I will be their heritage: I am their heritage! You shall not give them any property in Israel, for I am their property! ²⁹^(Q)They shall eat grain offerings, purification offerings, and reparation offerings; anything under the ban^[d] in Israel belongs to them; ³⁰^(R)all the choicest first fruits of every kind and all the best of your offerings of every kind shall belong to the priests; the best of your dough you shall also give to the priests to bring a blessing upon your house. ³¹^(S)The priests shall not eat anything, whether bird or animal, that died naturally or was killed by wild beasts.

Psalm 97-98

Psalm 97^[a]

The Divine Ruler of All

I

¹The Lord is king; let the earth rejoice;
    let the many islands be glad.^(A)
²Cloud and darkness surround him;
    justice and right are the foundation of his throne.^(B)
³Fire goes before him,
    consuming his foes on every side.
⁴His lightening illumines the world;
    the earth sees and trembles.^(C)
⁵The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.^(D)
⁶The heavens proclaim his justice;
    all peoples see his glory.^(E)

II

⁷All who serve idols are put to shame,
    who glory in worthless things;
    all gods^[b] bow down before him.^(F)
⁸Zion hears and is glad,
    and the daughters of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments, O Lord.^(G)
⁹For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth,^(H)
    exalted far above all gods.
¹⁰You who love the Lord, hate evil,
    he protects the souls of the faithful,^(I)
    rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹Light dawns for the just,
    and gladness for the honest of heart.^(J)
¹²Rejoice in the Lord, you just,
    and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.^(K)

Psalm 98^[c]

The Coming of God

¹A psalm.

I

Sing a new song to the Lord,
    for he has done marvelous deeds.^(L)
His right hand and holy arm
    have won the victory.^[d]^(M)
²The Lord has made his victory known;
    has revealed his triumph in the sight of the nations,
³He has remembered his mercy and faithfulness
    toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the victory of our God.

II

⁴Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth;
    break into song; sing praise.
⁵Sing praise to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and melodious song.
⁶With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    shout with joy to the King, the Lord.^(N)

III

⁷Let the sea and what fills it resound,^(O)
    the world and those who dwell there.
⁸Let the rivers clap their hands,
    the mountains shout with them for joy,^(P)
⁹^(Q)Before the Lord who comes,
    who comes to govern the earth,^(R)
To govern the world with justice
    and the peoples with fairness.

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 14

III. Kings of Judah and Israel^[c]

Footnotes

Cross references

I. Address

Chapter 1

II. The Preeminence of Christ

His Person and Work

Footnotes

Cross references

Chapter 44

The New Law

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 97^[a]

The Divine Ruler of All

I

II

Psalm 98^[c]

The Coming of God

I

II

III

Footnotes

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 14

III. Kings of Judah and Israel[c]

Footnotes

Cross references

I. Address

Chapter 1

II. The Preeminence of Christ

His Person and Work

Footnotes

Cross references

Chapter 44

The New Law

Footnotes

Cross references

Psalm 97[a]

The Divine Ruler of All

I

II

Psalm 98[c]

The Coming of God

I

II

III

Footnotes

Cross references

III. Kings of Judah and Israel^[c]

Psalm 97^[a]

Psalm 98^[c]