M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Ahaz Reigns over Judah
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, (A)Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. 2 (B)Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of Yahweh his God, as David his father had done. 3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, (C)and even made his son pass through the fire, (D)according to the abominations of the nations whom Yahweh had dispossessed from before the sons of Israel. 4 He also (E)sacrificed and burned incense on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree.
5 Then (F)Rezin king of Aram and Pekah son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to wage war; and they besieged Ahaz, (G)but could not [a]overcome him. 6 At that time Rezin king of Aram restored (H)Elath for Aram and cleared the Judeans out of [b]Elath entirely; and the [c]Arameans came to Elath and have lived there to this day.
Ahaz Sends for Help from Assyria
7 (I)So Ahaz sent messengers to (J)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son; come up and save me from the [d]hand of the king of Aram and from the [e]hand of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” 8 (K)Ahaz also took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh and in the treasuries of the king’s house, and sent a gift to the king of Assyria. 9 (L)So the king of Assyria listened to him; and the king of Assyria went up against Damascus and (M)seized it and took the people of it away into exile to (N)Kir, and put Rezin to death.
Ahaz Has Urijah Build an Altar
10 Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet (O)Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria and saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to (P)Urijah the priest the likeness of the altar and its pattern, according to all its workmanship. 11 So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to all that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, thus Urijah the priest made it, [f]before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus. 12 So the king came from Damascus, and the king saw the altar; then (Q)the king drew near the altar and [g]made offerings on it, 13 and offered his burnt offering and his meal offering up in smoke, and poured his drink offering and splashed the blood of his peace offerings on the altar. 14 (R)Now as for the bronze altar, which was before Yahweh, [h]he drew it away from the front of the house, from between (S)his altar and the house of Yahweh, and he put it on the north side of his altar. 15 Then King Ahaz [i]commanded Urijah the priest, saying, “Upon the great altar offer up in smoke (T)the morning burnt offering and the evening grain offering and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering, with the burnt offering of all the people of the land and their grain offering and their drink offerings; and splash on it all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of the sacrifice. But (U)the bronze altar shall be for me to inquire by.” 16 So Urijah the priest did according to all that King Ahaz commanded.
17 Then King Ahaz (V)cut off the borders of the stands and removed the laver from them; he also (W)took down the sea from the bronze oxen which were under it and put it on a pavement of stone. 18 And the covered way for the sabbath which they had built in the house, and the outer entry of the king, he removed from the house of Yahweh because of the king of Assyria.
Hezekiah Reigns over Judah
19 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaz which he did, are they not written (X)in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 20 So (Y)Ahaz slept with his fathers and (Z)was buried with his fathers in the city of David; and Hezekiah his son became king in his place.
Instructions for the Older and Younger
2 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for (A)sound doctrine. 2 (B)Older men are to be (C)temperate, dignified, sensible, (D)sound (E)in faith, in love, in [a]perseverance.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, (F)not malicious gossips nor (G)enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may instruct the young women in sensibility: to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, (H)workers at home, kind, being (I)subject to their own husbands, (J)so that the word of God will not be slandered.
6 Likewise urge (K)the younger men to be [b]sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be (L)a model of good works, with [c]purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in word which is irreproachable, so (M)that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
9 Urge (N)slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing, not contradicting, 10 not pilfering, but demonstrating all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of (O)God our Savior in everything.
11 For the grace of God has (P)appeared, [d](Q)bringing salvation to all men, 12 [e]instructing us that, denying ungodliness and (R)worldly desires, we should (S)live sensibly, righteously, and godly (T)in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the (U)appearing of the glory of [f](V)our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who (W)gave Himself for us (X)that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and (Y)purify for Himself a (Z)people for His own possession, (AA)zealous for good works.
15 These things speak and (AB)exhort and (AC)reprove with all [g]authority. (AD)Let no one disregard you.
Days of Punishment Have Come
9 (A)Do not be glad, O Israel, [a]with rejoicing like the peoples!
For you have (B)played the harlot, [b]forsaking your God.
You have loved harlots’ earnings on [c]every threshing floor.
2 Threshing floor and wine press will (C)not feed them,
And the new wine will deceive [d]them.
3 They will not remain in (D)the land of Yahweh,
But Ephraim will return to (E)Egypt,
And in (F)Assyria they will eat (G)unclean food.
4 They will not pour out drink offerings of (H)wine to Yahweh;
(I)Their sacrifices will not please Him.
Their bread will [e]be like [f]mourners’ bread;
All who eat of it will be (J)defiled,
For their bread will be for [g]themselves alone;
It will not enter the house of Yahweh.
5 (K)What will you do on the day of the appointed festival
And on the day of the (L)feast of Yahweh?
6 For behold, they will go because of destruction;
Egypt will gather them up; (M)Memphis will bury them.
Weeds will possess their desirable items of silver;
(N)Thorns will be in their tents.
7 The days of (O)punishment have come;
The days of (P)recompense have come;
[h]Let Israel know this!
The prophet is an (Q)ignorant fool,
The [i]inspired man has (R)madness,
Because of the abundance of your (S)iniquity
And because your hostility has abounded.
8 Ephraim was a watchman with my God, a prophet;
Yet the snare of a bird catcher is in all his ways,
And there is only hostility in the house of his God.
9 They have dug (T)deep [j]in corruption
As in the days of (U)Gibeah;
He will (V)remember their iniquity;
He will punish their sins.
Grapes in the Wilderness
10 I found Israel like (W)grapes in the wilderness;
I saw your fathers as the (X)earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season.
But they came to (Y)Baal-peor and devoted themselves to [k](Z)shame,
And they became as (AA)detestable as that which they loved.
11 As for Ephraim, their (AB)glory will fly away like a bird—
No birth, no pregnancy, and no conception!
12 Though they bring up their children,
Yet I will bereave them [l]until not a man is left.
Surely, (AC)woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, as I have seen,
Is planted in a pasture like (AD)Tyre;
But Ephraim will bring out his children for killing.
14 Give them, O Yahweh—what will You give?
Give them a [m](AE)miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
15 All their evil is at (AF)Gilgal;
Indeed, I came to hate them there!
Because of the (AG)evil of their deeds
I will drive them out of My house!
I will love them no more;
All their princes are (AH)rebels.
16 (AI)Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up;
They will bear (AJ)no fruit.
Even though they bear children,
I will put to death the (AK)desirable ones of their womb.
17 My God will despise them
Because they have (AL)not listened to Him;
And they will be (AM)those who flee among the nations.
Those Who Sow in Tears Shall Reap with Joy
A Song of Ascents.
126 When Yahweh [a](A)returned [b]the captive ones of Zion,
We were (B)like those who dream.
2 Then our (C)mouth was filled with laughter
And our (D)tongue with shouts of joy;
Then they said among the nations,
“Yahweh has (E)done great things for them.”
3 Yahweh has done great things for us;
We are (F)glad.
4 Restore our captivity, O Yahweh,
As the [c](G)streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow in (H)tears shall reap with (I)shouts of joy.
6 He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,
Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, carrying his sheaves with him.
Unless Yahweh Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.
127 Unless Yahweh (J)builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless Yahweh (K)watches the city,
The watchman keeps awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early,
That you sit out late,
O you who (L)eat the bread of [d]painful labors;
For in this manner, He gives (M)sleep to His (N)beloved.
3 Behold, (O)children are [e]an inheritance of Yahweh,
The (P)fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a (Q)warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How (R)blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them;
(S)They will not be ashamed
When they (T)speak with enemies (U)in the gate.
Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears Yahweh
A Song of Ascents.
128 (V)How blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh,
Who (W)walks in His ways.
2 When you shall (X)eat of the [f](Y)fruit of the labor of your hands,
How blessed will you be and (Z)how well will it be for you.
3 Your wife shall be like a (AA)fruitful vine
In the innermost parts of your house,
Your children like (AB)olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, for thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears Yahweh.
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