M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 17
Reign of Hoshea of Israel. 1 In the twelfth year of Ahaz, king of Judah, Hoshea, son of Elah, became king in Samaria over Israel for nine years.
2 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, yet not to the extent of the kings of Israel before him. 3 Shalmaneser,[a] king of Assyria, advanced against him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.(A) 4 But the king of Assyria found Hoshea guilty of conspiracy for sending messengers to the king of Egypt at Sais, and for failure to pay the annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested and imprisoned him. 5 Then the king of Assyria[b] occupied the whole land and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
X. The End of Israel[c]
Israelites Deported. 6 In Hoshea’s ninth year, the king of Assyria took Samaria, deported the Israelites to Assyria, and settled them in Halah, and at the Habor, a river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.(B) 7 This came about because the Israelites sinned against the Lord, their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. They venerated other gods, 8 (C)they followed the rites of the nations whom the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites and those that the kings of Israel had practiced. 9 They adopted unlawful practices toward the Lord, their God. They built high places in all their cities, from guard post to garrisoned town. 10 They set up pillars and asherahs[d] for themselves on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 They burned incense there, on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had sent into exile at their coming. They did evil things that provoked the Lord, 12 and served idols, although the Lord had told them: You must not do this.
13 (D)The Lord warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer: Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your ancestors and which I sent you by my servants the prophets. 14 But they did not listen. They grew as stiff-necked as their ancestors, who had not believed in the Lord, their God.(E) 15 They rejected his statutes, the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and the warnings he had given them. They followed emptiness and became empty; they followed the surrounding nations whom the Lord had commanded them not to imitate.(F) 16 They abandoned all the commandments of the Lord, their God: they made for themselves two molten calves; they made an asherah; they bowed down to all the host of heaven; they served Baal.(G) 17 (H)They immolated their sons and daughters by fire. They practiced augury and divination. They surrendered themselves to doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight, and provoked him.
18 (I)The Lord became enraged, and removed them from his presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left. 19 Even the people of Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord, their God, but followed the rites practiced by Israel. 20 So the Lord rejected the entire people of Israel: he afflicted them and delivered them over to plunderers, finally casting them from his presence.(J) 21 When he tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam, son of Nebat, king; but Jeroboam lured the Israelites away from the Lord, causing them to commit a great sin.(K) 22 The Israelites imitated Jeroboam in all the sins he committed; they would not depart from them.
23 Finally, the Lord removed Israel from his presence, just as he had declared through all his servants, the prophets. Thus Israel went into exile from their native soil to Assyria until this very day.
Foreigners Deported to Israel. 24 The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. 25 When they first settled there, they did not venerate the Lord, so he sent lions among them that killed some of them. 26 A report reached the king of Assyria: “The nations you deported and settled in the cities of Samaria do not know the proper worship of the god of the land, so he has sent lions among them that are killing them, since they do not know the law of the god of the land.” 27 The king of Assyria gave the order, “Send back some of the priests you deported, to go there and settle, to teach them the proper worship of the god of the land.” 28 So one of the priests who had been deported from Samaria returned and settled in Bethel, and began to teach them how to venerate the Lord.
29 Thus each of these nations continued to make its own gods, setting them up in the shrines of the high places the Samarians had made: each nation in the cities in which they dwelt. 30 The Babylonians made Sukkot-Benot;[e] the people of Cuth made Nergal; those from Hamath made Ashima; 31 those from Avva made Nibhaz and Tartak; and those from Sepharvaim immolated their children by fire to their city gods, King Hadad and King Anu. 32 At the same time, they were venerating the Lord, appointing from their own number priests for the high places to officiate for them in the shrines on the high places. 33 They were both venerating the Lord and serving their own gods. They followed the custom of the nations from among whom they had been deported.
34 To this very day they continue to act according to their former customs, not venerating the Lord nor observing the statutes and regulations, the law and commandment, that the Lord enjoined on the descendants of Jacob, whom he had named Israel.(L) 35 When the Lord made a covenant with them, he commanded them: You must not venerate other gods, nor bow down to them, nor serve them, nor offer sacrifice to them,(M) 36 but only to the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and outstretched arm. Him shall you venerate, to him shall you bow down, and to him shall you offer sacrifice. 37 You must be careful always to observe the statutes and ordinances, the law and commandment, which he wrote for you; you must not venerate other gods. 38 The covenant I made with you, you must not forget; you must not venerate other gods. 39 You must venerate only the Lord, your God; it is he who will deliver you from the power of all your enemies. 40 But they did not listen; they continued to act according to their former customs.
41 But these nations were both venerating the Lord and serving their own idols. Their children and children’s children are still acting like their ancestors, to this very day.
Chapter 3
1 [a]Remind them to be under the control of magistrates and authorities,[b] to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise.(A) 2 They are to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another.(B)
4 But when the kindness and generous love
of God our savior appeared,(C)
5 not because of any righteous deeds we had done
but because of his mercy,
he saved us through the bath of rebirth
and renewal by the holy Spirit,(D)
6 whom he richly poured out on us
through Jesus Christ our savior,(E)
7 so that we might be justified by his grace
and become heirs in hope of eternal life.(F)
8 This saying is trustworthy.
Advice to Titus.[c] I want you to insist on these points, that those who have believed in God be careful to devote themselves to good works; these are excellent and beneficial to others.(G) 9 [d]Avoid foolish arguments, genealogies, rivalries, and quarrels about the law,(H) for they are useless and futile. 10 After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic,(I) 11 realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned.
Directives, Greetings, and Blessing.[e] 12 When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, try to join me at Nicopolis, where I have decided to spend the winter.(J) 13 Send Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey soon, and see to it that they have everything they need.(K) 14 But let our people, too, learn to devote themselves to good works to supply urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.(L)
15 All who are with me send you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith.
Grace be with all of you.(M)
Chapter 10
Destruction of Idolatrous Cultic Objects
1 (A)Israel is a luxuriant vine
whose fruit matches its growth.
The more abundant his fruit,
the more altars he built;
The more productive his land,
the more sacred pillars[a] he set up.
2 Their heart is false!
Now they will pay for their guilt:
God will break down their altars
and destroy their sacred pillars.
3 For now they will say,
“We have no king![b]
Since we do not fear the Lord,
the king—what could he do for us?”
4 They make promises,
swear false oaths, and make covenants,
While lawsuits sprout
like poisonous weeds[c] in the furrows of a field!
5 The inhabitants of Samaria are afraid
for the calf of Beth-aven;[d]
Its people mourn for it
and its idolatrous priests wail over it,
—over its glory which has departed from it.(B)
6 It too will be carried to Assyria,
as an offering to the great king.[e](C)
Ephraim will be put to shame,
Israel will be shamed by his schemes.
7 Samaria and her king will disappear,
like a twig upon the waters.
8 The high places of Aven[f] will be destroyed,
the sin of Israel;
thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars.
Then they will cry out to the mountains, “Cover us!”
and to the hills, “Fall upon us!”(D)
War Because of Israel’s Wickedness
9 Since the days of Gibeah(E)
you have sinned, Israel.
There they took their stand;
will war not reach them in Gibeah?
Against a perverse people
10 I came and I chastised them;
Peoples will be gathered against them
when I bind them to their two crimes.[g]
11 Ephraim was a trained heifer,
that loved to thresh;
I myself laid a yoke
upon her beautiful neck;
I will make Ephraim break ground, Judah must plow,
Jacob must harrow for himself:
12 “Sow for yourselves justice,
reap the reward of loyalty;
Break up for yourselves a new field,(F)
for it is time to seek the Lord,
till he comes and rains justice upon you.”(G)
13 But you have plowed wickedness,
reaped perversity,
and eaten the fruit of falsehood.
Because you have trusted in your own power,
and in your many warriors,(H)
14 The clamor of war shall break out among your people
and all your fortresses shall be ravaged
As Salman ravaged Beth-arbel[h] on the day of war,
smashing mothers along with their children.(I)
15 So it will be done to you, Bethel,
because of your utter wickedness:
At dawn[i] the king of Israel
will utterly disappear.
Psalm 129[a]
Against Israel’s Enemies
1 A song of ascents.
I
Viciously have they attacked me from my youth,
let Israel say now.(A)
2 Viciously have they attacked me from my youth,(B)
yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 Upon my back the plowers plowed,
as they traced their long furrows.(C)
4 But the just Lord cut me free
from the ropes of the wicked.[b]
II
5 May they recoil in disgrace,
all who hate Zion.
6 May they be like grass on the rooftops[c]
withered in early growth,(D)
7 Never to fill the reaper’s hands,
nor the arms of the binders of sheaves,
8 And with none passing by to call out:
“The blessing of the Lord be upon you![d]
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”(E)
Psalm 130[e]
Prayer for Pardon and Mercy
1 A song of ascents.
I
Out of the depths[f] I call to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my cry!
May your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.(F)
3 If you, Lord, keep account of sins,
Lord, who can stand?(G)
4 But with you is forgiveness
and so you are revered.[g]
II
5 I wait for the Lord,
my soul waits
and I hope for his word.(H)
6 My soul looks for the Lord
more than sentinels for daybreak.(I)
More than sentinels for daybreak,
7 let Israel hope in the Lord,
For with the Lord is mercy,
with him is plenteous redemption,(J)
8 And he will redeem Israel
from all its sins.(K)
Psalm 131[h]
Humble Trust in God
1 A song of ascents. Of David.
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.