M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Family of David

3 These were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron. The first-born was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam of Jezreel. The second was Daniel, the son of Abigail of Carmel. ² The third was Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith. ³ The fifth was Shephatiah the son of Abital. And the sixth was Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. ⁴ Six sons were born to David in Hebron. He ruled there for seven years and six months. And he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-three years. ⁵ These are the sons who were born to him in Jerusalem: Bathsheba the daughter of Ammiel gave birth to David’s four sons, Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. ⁶ And there were Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, ⁷ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁸ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine sons. ⁹ All these were the sons of David, added to the sons of the women who acted as David’s wives. Tamar was their sister.

The Family of Solomon

¹⁰ Solomon’s son was Rehoboam. Abijah was his son. Asa was his son. Jehoshaphat was his son. ¹¹ Joram was his son. Ahaziah was his son. Joash was his son. ¹² Amaziah was his son. Azariah was his son. Jotham was his son. ¹³ Ahaz was his son. Hezekiah was his son. Manasseh was his son. ¹⁴ Amon was his son. And Josiah was his son. ¹⁵ The sons of Josiah were Johanan the first-born, Jehoiakim the second, Zedekiah the third, and Shallum the fourth. ¹⁶ The sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah and Zedekiah.

The Family of Jeconiah

¹⁷ Jeconiah was taken away to prison by the Babylonians. His sons were Shealtiel, ¹⁸ Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. ¹⁹ Pedaiah’s sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei. And the sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam and Hananiah. Shelomith was their sister. ²⁰ Five other sons of Zerubbabel were Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed. ²¹ The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, whose son was Rephaiah. His son was Arnan. His son was Obadiah. And his son was Shecaniah. ²² Shecaniah’s son was Shemaiah, whose sons were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat, six sons. ²³ The three sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam. ²⁴ And the seven sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani.

The Family of Judah

4 The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal. ² Shobal’s son Reaiah was the father of Jahath. And Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. ³ The sons of Etam were Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. The name of their sister was Hazzelelponi. ⁴ Penuel was the father of Gedor. Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. ⁵ Tekoa’s father Ashhur had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶ Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. ⁷ The sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar and Ethnan. ⁸ Koz was the father of Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. ⁹ Jabez was more a man of honor than his brothers. His mother gave him the name Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “O, if only You would bring good to me and give me more land! If only Your hand might be with me, that You would keep me from being hurt!” And God gave him what he asked for.

¹¹ Shuhah’s brother Chelub was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹² Eshton was the father of Beth-rapha and Paseah. Tehinnah was the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Recah.

¹³ The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel’s son was Hathath. ¹⁴ Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, who was the father of Ge-harashim. They were good at making things. ¹⁵ Jephunneh’s son Caleb was the father of Iru, Elah and Naam. Elah’s son was Kenaz. ¹⁶ The sons of Jehallel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel. ¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. These are the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithia, whom Mered married. She gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸ Mered’s Jewish wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. ¹⁹ The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. ²⁰ Shimon’s sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan and Tilon. The sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-zoheth. ²¹ The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of those who worked with linen at Bethashbea. ²² Shelah’s other sons were Jokim, the men of Cozeba, Joash, Saraph who ruled in Moab, and Jaashubi-lehem. The writings of these times are old. ²³ These were the people who made pots and lived in Netaim and Gederah. They lived there with the king for his work.

The Family of Simeon

²⁴ The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Saul. ²⁵ Saul’s son was Shallum. His son was Mibsam. And his son was Mishma. ²⁶ Mishma’s sons were Hammuel, Zaccur his son, and Shimei his son. ²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many children. Their whole family did not have many children, like the sons of Judah. ²⁸ They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, ²⁹ Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David ruled. ³² Their towns were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen and Ashan, five towns. ³³ And they had all the small towns that were around these towns as far as Baal. These were the places where they lived. And they wrote down all the names of their families. ³⁴ The heads of their families were Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, ³⁵ Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel. ³⁶ And there were Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, ³⁷ and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah. ³⁸ These were the names of the heads of their families. And many were added to their fathers’ houses. ³⁹ They went to the gate of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to look for fields for their flocks. ⁴⁰ There they found good fields rich with grass. The land was wide and quiet, and there they had peace. For Hamites had lived there before. ⁴¹ These whose names have been written down came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They destroyed their tents and the Meunites who were found there. They destroyed all of them to this day, and lived in their place because there were fields for their flocks. ⁴² Then some of them, 500 sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir. Their leaders were Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. ⁴³ They destroyed the rest of the Amalekites who had run away to be safe. And they have lived there to this day.

The New Way of Worship Is Better

9 There were special ways of worship and a special holy place made by man for the Old Way of Worship. ² A big tent was built and set up. It was called the holy place. It had a light and a table, and the holy bread was on the table. ³ Behind the second curtain there was another tent. This was called the Holiest Place of All. ⁴ In the inside tent there was an altar where special perfume was burned. There was also a large box made of wood called the box of the Way of Worship. Both of these were covered with gold inside and out. Inside the box was a pot made of gold with the bread from heaven. It also had in it Aaron’s stick that once started to grow. The stones on which the Law of Moses was written were in it. ⁵ Above the box were the cherubim of honor. Their wings were spread up and over and met in the center. On the top of the box and under the shadow of their wings was the mercy-seat. We cannot tell anymore about these things now.

⁶ When everything was finished, the Jewish religious leaders went in and out of the outside tent to do the things which had to be done to worship God. ⁷ Once each year the head religious leader would go into the inside tent alone. He would not go in without blood. He gave this blood to God as a gift in worship for his own sins and for the sins of all the people who sinned without knowing it.

⁸ And so the Holy Spirit is teaching that, with the Old Way of Worship, the people could not go into the Holiest Place of All as long as the outside tent and its Old Way of Worship were being used. ⁹ The outside tent is a picture of that day. With the Old Way of Worship, animals killed and gifts given in worship to God could not take away the guilty feeling of sin. ¹⁰ The Old Way of Worship was made up of Laws about what to eat and drink. These Laws told how to wash and other things to do with the body. These things had to be done until Christ came to bring a better way of worship.

The New Way of Worship Has a Better Gift

¹¹ But Christ came as the Head Religious Leader of the good things God promised. He made the way for man to go to God. He was a greater and more perfect tent. He was not made by human hands and was not a part of this earth. ¹² Christ went into the Holiest Place of All one time for all people. He did not take the blood of goats and young cows to give to God as a gift in worship. He gave His own blood. By doing this, He bought us with His own blood and made us free from sin forever. ¹³ With the Old Way of Worship, the blood and ashes of animals could make men clean after they had sinned. ¹⁴ How much more the blood of Christ will do! He gave Himself as a perfect gift to God through the Spirit that lives forever. Now your heart can be free from the guilty feeling of doing work that is worth nothing. Now you can work for the living God.

¹⁵ Christ is the One Who gave us this New Way of Worship. All those who have been called by God may receive life that lasts forever just as He promised them. Christ bought us with His blood when He died for us. This made us free from our sins which we did under the Old Way of Worship.

¹⁶ When a man wants to give his money to someone after he dies, he writes it all down on paper. But that paper is worth nothing until the man is dead. ¹⁷ That piece of paper means nothing as long as he is alive. It is good only when he dies. ¹⁸ The Old Way of Worship had to have a death to make it good. The blood of an animal was used. ¹⁹ Moses told the people all the things they had to obey in the Law. Then he took the blood of animals together with water and put it on the Book of the Law and on all the people. He used special branches and red wool as he put it on them. ²⁰ Moses said, “This is the blood of the Way of Worship which God said you must obey.” ^{(A) 21} In the same way, Moses put the blood on the tent and on all the things used in worship. ²² The Law says that almost everything is made clean by blood. Sins are not forgiven unless blood is given.

One Perfect Gift

²³ The tent to worship in and the things inside to worship with were like the things in heaven. They were made clean by putting blood on them. But the things in heaven were made clean by a much better gift of worship. ²⁴ For Christ did not go into the Holiest Place of All that was made by men, even if it was like the true one in heaven. He went to heaven itself and He is before God for us. ²⁵ Christ has not given Himself many times, as the head religious leader here on earth went into the Holiest Place of All each year with blood that was not his own. ²⁶ For then Christ would have had to die many times since the world began. But He came once at the end of the Old Way of Worship. He gave Himself once for all time. He gave Himself to destroy sin. ²⁷ It is in the plan that all men die once. After that, they will stand before God and be judged. ²⁸ It is the same with Christ. He gave Himself once to take away the sins of many. When He comes the second time, He will not need to give Himself again for sin. He will save all those who are waiting for Him.

Word from the Man of God

3 O people of Israel, hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you and against the whole family which He brought up from the land of Egypt. ² “You are the only ones I have chosen among all the families of the earth. So I must punish you for all your sins.” ³ Do two men walk together unless they have made an agreement? ⁴ Does a lion make noise among the trees when he has no food? Does a young lion cry out from his home if he has not caught anything? ⁵ Does a bird fall into a trap on the ground when there is no food to tempt it? Does a trap jump up from the ground when it does not catch anything? ⁶ Are not the people afraid when a horn is blown in a city? When trouble comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it? ⁷ For sure the Lord does not do anything without making His plan known to His servants who speak for Him. ⁸ The lion has made a noise! Who will not be afraid? The Lord God has spoken! Who can keep from speaking His Word?

Israel Will Be Punished for Its Sin

⁹ Say to the people who live in the strong cities of Ashdod and Egypt, “Gather together on the mountains of Samaria. See all the trouble within her and how her people suffer. ¹⁰ They do not know how to do what is right,” says the Lord. “They store up in their strong cities what they have fought for and robbed.”

¹¹ So the Lord God says, “Those who hate you will gather around the land. They will pull down your strong-places and rob your strong cities.” ¹² The Lord says, “As the shepherd saves from the lion’s mouth just two legs or a piece of an ear, so will the people of Israel living in Samaria be saved, with the corner of a bed and a part of a cover. ¹³ Hear and speak against the family of Jacob,” says the Lord God, the God of All. ¹⁴ “On the day I punish Israel for her sins, I will punish the altars of Bethel. The horns of the altar will be cut off and fall to the ground. ¹⁵ I will destroy the winter house together with the summer house. The houses of ivory will be destroyed, and the beautiful houses will come to an end,” says the Lord.

The Lord—Our Helper

146 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! ² I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. ³ Do not put your trust in princes, in a son of a man, who cannot save us. ⁴ When his spirit leaves, he returns to the earth. His thoughts end on that day. ⁵ Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, and whose hope is in the Lord his God. ⁶ The Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them. He is faithful forever. ⁷ He helps those who have a bad power over them. He gives food to the hungry. And He sets those in prison free.

⁸ The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are brought down. The Lord loves those who are right and good. ⁹ The Lord keeps the strangers safe. He takes care of the children who have no father and the woman whose husband has died. But He destroys the way of the sinful. ¹⁰ The Lord will rule forever. Your God, O Zion, will rule over all people for all time. Praise the Lord!

Praise for God’s Goodness

147 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God. For it is pleasing and praise is right. ² The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers those of Israel who had been taken away. ³ He heals those who have a broken heart. He heals their sorrows. ⁴ He knows the number of the stars. He gives names to all of them. ⁵ Great is our Lord, and great in power. His understanding has no end. ⁶ The Lord lifts up those who are suffering, and He brings the sinful down to the ground.

⁷ Sing to the Lord with thanks. Sing praises to our God on the harp. ⁸ He covers the heavens with clouds. He gives rain for the earth. He makes grass grow on the mountains. ⁹ He gives food to the animals, and to the young ravens that cry. ¹⁰ His joy is not in the strength of a horse. He does not find joy in the legs of a man. ¹¹ But the Lord favors those who fear Him and those who wait for His loving-kindness.

¹² Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! ¹³ For He has made your gates strong. He has made good come to your children within you. ¹⁴ He makes peace within your walls. He fills you with the best grain. ¹⁵ He sends His Word to the earth. And His Word runs fast. ¹⁶ He gives snow like wool. He spreads ice like ashes. ¹⁷ He throws down His ice as hail stones. Who can stand before His cold? ¹⁸ He sends out His Word and melts them. He makes His wind blow and the waters flow. ¹⁹ He speaks His Word to Jacob, and His Law to Israel. ²⁰ He has not done this with any other nation. They do not know His Law. Praise the Lord!