M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
King Josiah’s Religious Reforms(A)
23 Then the king sent for all the respected leaders of Judah and Jerusalem to join him. 2 The king, everyone in Judah, everyone living in Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people (young and old) went to Yahweh’s temple. Josiah read everything written in the Book of the Promise[a] found in Yahweh’s temple so that they could hear it. 3 The king stood beside the pillar and made a promise to Yahweh that he would follow Yahweh and obey his commands, instructions, and laws with all his heart and soul. He confirmed the terms of the promise written in this book. And all the people joined in the promise.
4 Then the king ordered the chief priest Hilkiah, the priests who served under Hilkiah, and the doorkeepers to take out of Yahweh’s temple all the utensils that had been made for Baal, Asherah, and the entire army of heaven. Josiah burned the utensils outside Jerusalem in an open field near the Kidron Brook. Then he carried their ashes to Bethel.
5 He got rid of the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to sacrifice at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Judah and all around Jerusalem. They had been sacrificing to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the zodiac, and the entire army of heaven. 6 He took the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah from the temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it in the Kidron Valley, ground it to dust, and threw its ashes on the tombs of the common people. 7 He tore down the houses of the male temple prostitutes who were in Yahweh’s temple, where women did weaving for Asherah.
8 He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah from Geba to Beersheba and made the places where those priests sacrificed unclean.[b] He tore down the worship site at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the gate named after the mayor of the city. (The worship site was to the left of anyone going through the city gate.)
9 The priests of the illegal worship sites had never gone to Yahweh’s altar in Jerusalem. Instead, they ate their unleavened bread among the other worshipers.
10 Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech.
11 He removed the horses that Judah’s kings had dedicated to the sun god at the entrance of Yahweh’s temple. They were in the temple courtyard near the room of the eunuch Nathan Melech. He also burned the chariots of the sun god, 12 the altars that Judah’s kings had made and placed on the roof of Ahaz’s upstairs room, and the altars Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of Yahweh’s temple. The king tore them down from there, crushed them, and dumped their rubble in the Kidron Valley.
13 The king made the illegal places of worship east of Jerusalem unclean. They were on the southern part of the Hill of Destruction. King Solomon of Israel had built them for Astarte (the disgusting goddess of the Sidonians), Chemosh (the disgusting god of Moab), and Milcom (the disgusting god of the Ammonites). 14 Josiah crushed the sacred stones, cut down the poles dedicated to Asherah, and filled their places with human bones. 15 He also tore down the altar at Bethel—the place of worship made by Jeroboam (Nebat’s son), who had made Israel sin. He tore down both the altar and the place of worship. They burned the worship site, crushing it to powder and burning the pole dedicated to Asherah.
16 When Josiah turned and saw the tombs on the hill there, he sent men to take the bones out of the tombs and burn them on the altar to make it unclean. This fulfilled the word of Yahweh announced by the man of Elohim. 17 Then he asked, “What is this monument that I see?”
The people of the city answered him, “It’s the tomb of the man of Elohim who came from Judah to announce that you would do these things to the altar of Bethel.”
18 So Josiah said, “Let him rest. Don’t disturb his bones.” So they left his bones with the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
19 Josiah also got rid of all the temples at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had built these places to make Yahweh furious. He did to them everything that he had done to the worship places at Bethel. 20 He slaughtered all the priests of the illegal worship sites on their altars and then burned human bones on them. He went back to Jerusalem.
21 The king ordered all the people to celebrate the Passover for Yahweh their Elohim as it is written in this Book of the Promise. 22 The Passover had never been celebrated like this during the time of the judges who governed Israel or during the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, this Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem for Yahweh.
24 Josiah also got rid of the mediums, psychics, family idols, other idols, and disgusting gods that could be seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to confirm the words of the Teachings written in the book that the priest Hilkiah found in Yahweh’s temple.
25 No king before Josiah had turned to Yahweh with all his heart, soul, and strength, as directed in Moses’ Teachings. No other king was like Josiah.
26 But Yahweh still didn’t turn his hot, burning anger from Judah. After all, Manasseh had done all these things to make him furious. 27 Yahweh had said, “I will put Judah out of my sight as I put Israel out of my sight. I will reject Jerusalem, the city that I chose, and I will reject the temple where I said my name would be.”
28 Isn’t everything else about Josiah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?
29 In Josiah’s days Pharaoh Necoh (the king of Egypt) came to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went to attack Necoh. When Pharaoh saw him at Megiddo, Pharaoh killed him. 30 His officers put his dead body in a chariot and brought it from Megiddo to Jerusalem. They buried Josiah in his tomb.
King Jehoahaz of Judah(B)
Then the people of the land took Josiah’s son Jehoahaz, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father. 31 Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king, and he was king for 3 months in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 32 He did what Yahweh considered evil, as his ancestors had done. 33 Pharaoh Necoh made him a prisoner at Riblah in the territory of Hamath during his reign[c] in Jerusalem and fined the country 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold.
34 Then Pharaoh Necoh made Josiah’s son Eliakim king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz away to Egypt, where he died. 35 Jehoiakim gave Pharaoh the silver and the gold. But he had to tax the country to pay the silver Pharaoh had demanded. He taxed each person according to his wealth so that he could get the silver and gold from the people of the land and give it to Pharaoh Necoh.
King Jehoiakim of Judah(C)
36 Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he began to rule, and he was king for 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zebidah, daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah. 37 Jehoiakim did what Yahweh considered evil, as his ancestors had done.
5 Every chief priest is chosen from humans to represent them in front of God, that is, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sin. 2 The chief priest can be gentle with people who are ignorant and easily deceived, because he also has weaknesses. 3 Because he has weaknesses, he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins in the same way that he does for the sins of his people.
4 No one takes this honor for himself. Instead, God calls him as he called Aaron. 5 So Christ did not take the glory of being a chief priest for himself. Instead, the glory was given to him by God, who said,
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
6 In another place in Scripture, God said,
“You are a priest forever,
in the way Melchizedek was a priest.”
7 During his life on earth, Yeshua prayed to God, who could save him from death. He prayed and pleaded with loud crying and tears, and he was heard because of his devotion to God. 8 Although Yeshua was the Son of God, he learned to be obedient through his sufferings. 9 After he had finished his work, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him. 10 God appointed him chief priest in the way Melchizedek was a priest.
You Need Someone to Teach You
11 We have a lot to explain about this. But since you have become too lazy to pay attention, explaining it to you is hard. 12 By now you should be teachers. Instead, you still need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food. 13 All those who live on milk lack the experience to talk about what is right. They are still babies. 14 However, solid food is for mature people, whose minds are trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil.
The Day of the Lord
2 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion.
Sound the alarm on my holy mountain.
Everyone who lives in the land should tremble,
because the day of Yahweh is coming.
Certainly, it is near.
2 It is a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and overcast skies.
A large and mighty army
will spread over the mountains like the dawn.[a]
Nothing like this has ever happened.
Nothing like this will ever happen again.
3 In front of this army a fire burns.
Behind it flames are blazing.
In front of it the land is like the garden of Eden.
Behind it the land is like a barren desert.
Nothing escapes it!
4 The soldiers look like horses.
They run like war horses.
5 As they leap on mountaintops,
they sound like rattling chariots,
like crackling fire burning up straw,
and like a mighty army prepared for battle.
6 People are terrified in their presence.
Every face turns pale.
7 They run like warriors.
They climb walls like soldiers.
They march straight ahead.
They do not leave their places.
8 They do not crowd one another.
They keep in their own lines.
Even when they break through the defenses,
they do not break their ranks.
9 They rush into the city.
They run along the wall.
They climb into houses.
They enter through windows like thieves.
10 The earth quakes in their presence,
and the sky shakes.
The sun and the moon turn dark,
and the stars no longer shine.
11 Yahweh shouts out orders to his army.
His forces are very large.
The troops that carry out his commands are mighty.
The day of Yahweh is extremely terrifying.
Who can endure it?
The Lord Invites the People to Return to Him
12 “But even now,” declares Yahweh,
“return to me with all your heart—
with fasting, crying, and mourning.”
13 Tear your hearts, not your clothes.
Return to Yahweh your Elohim.
He is merciful and compassionate,
patient, and always ready to forgive
and to change his plans about disaster.
14 Who knows?
He may reconsider and change his plan
and leave a blessing for you.
Then you could give grain offerings and wine offerings
to Yahweh your Elohim.
15 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion.
Schedule a time to fast.
Call for an assembly.
16 Gather the people.
Prepare them for a holy meeting.
Assemble the leaders.
Gather the children, even the nursing infants.
Grooms leave their rooms.
Brides leave their chambers.
17 The priests who serve Yahweh cry
between the altar and the entrance to the temple.
They say,
“Spare your people, O Yahweh.
Don’t let the people who belong to you become a disgrace.
Don’t let the nations ridicule them.
Why should people ask, ‘Where is their Elohim?’”
The Lord Will Give Earthly Blessings to His People
18 Then Yahweh became concerned about his land,
and he had pity on his people.
19 Yahweh said to his people,
“I am going to send grain, new wine, and olive oil to you.
You will be satisfied with them.
I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations.
20 “I will keep the northern army far from you,
and I will force it into a dry and barren land.
The soldiers in front will be forced into the eastern sea.
The soldiers in back will be forced into the western sea.
A foul odor will rise from the dead bodies.
They will stink.”
He has done great things!
21 Land, do not be afraid.
Be glad and rejoice.
Yahweh has done great things!
22 Wild animals, do not be afraid.
The pastures in the wilderness have turned green.
The trees have produced their fruit.
There are plenty of figs and grapes.
23 People of Zion, be glad and find joy in Yahweh your Elohim.
Yahweh has given you the Teacher of Righteousness.[b]
He has sent the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.
24 The threshing floors[c] will be filled with grain.
The vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
25 “Then I will repay you for the years
that the mature locusts, the adult locusts,
the grasshoppers, and the young locusts ate your crops.
(They are the large army that I sent against you.)
26 You will have plenty to eat, and you will be full.
You will praise the name of Yahweh your Elohim,
who has performed miracles for you.
My people will never be ashamed again.
27 You will know that I am in Israel.
I am Yahweh your Elohim, and there is no other.
My people will never be ashamed again.[d]
The Lord Will Pour His Spirit on All People
28 “After this, I will pour my Ruach on everyone.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
29 In those days I will pour my Ruach on servants,
on both men and women.
30 I will work miracles in the sky and on the earth:
blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
31 The sun will become dark,
and the moon will become as red as blood
before the terrifying day of Yahweh comes.”
32 Then whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved.
Those who escape will be on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem.
Among the survivors will be those whom Yahweh calls,
as Yahweh has promised.
Psalm 142
A maskil[a] by David when he was in the cave; a prayer.
1 Loudly, I cry to Yahweh.
Loudly, I plead with Yahweh for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaints in his presence
and tell him my troubles.
3 When I begin to lose hope,
you already know what I am experiencing.
My enemies have hidden a trap for me on the path where I walk.
4 Look to my right and see that no one notices me.
Escape is impossible for me.
No one cares about me.
5 I call out to you, O Yahweh.
I say, “You are my Machseh,
my own inheritance in this world of the living.”
6 Pay attention to my cry for help
because I am very weak.
Rescue me from those who pursue me
because they are too strong for me.
7 Release my soul from prison
so that I may give thanks to your name.
Righteous people will surround me
because you are good to me.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.