M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

17 Now when David was dwelling in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet: Behold I dwell in a house of cedar: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under skins.

² And Nathan said to David: Do all that is in thy heart: for God is with thee.

³ Now that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

⁴ Go, and speak to David my servant: Thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in.

⁵ For I have not remained in a house from the time that I brought up Israel, to this day: but I have been always changing places in a tabernacle, and in a tent,

⁶ Abiding with all Israel. Did I ever speak to any one, of all the judges of Israel, whom I charged to feed my people, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

⁷ Now therefore thus shalt thou say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee from the pastures, from following the flock, that thou shouldst be ruler of my people Israel.

⁸ And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone: and have slain all thy enemies before thee, and have made thee a name like that of one of the great ones that are renowned in the earth.

⁹ And I have given a place to my people Israel: they shall be planted, and shall dwell therein, and shall be moved no more, neither shall the children of iniquity waste them, as at the beginning,

¹⁰ Since the days that I gave judges to my people Israel, and have humbled all thy enemies. And I declare to thee, that the Lord will build thee a house.

¹¹ And when thou shalt have ended thy days to go to thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons: and I will establish his kingdom.

¹² He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

¹³ I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee.

¹⁴ But I will settle him in my house, and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be most firm for ever.

¹⁵ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

¹⁶ And king David came and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou shouldst give such things to me?

¹⁷ But even this hath seemed little in thy sight, and therefore thou hast also spoken concerning the house of thy servant for the time to come: and hast made me remarkable above all men, O Lord God.

¹⁸ What can David add more, seeing thou hast thus glorified thy servant, and known him?

¹⁹ O Lord, for thy servant's sake, according to thy own heart, thou hast shewn all this magnificence, and wouldst have all the great things to be known.

²⁰ O Lord there is none like thee: and there is no other God beside thee, of all whom we have heard of with our ears.

²¹ For what other nation is there upon earth like thy people Israel, whom God went to deliver, and make a people for himself, and by his greatness and terrors cast out nations before their face whom he had delivered out of Egypt?

²² And thou hast made thy people Israel to be thy own people for ever, and thou, O Lord, art become their God.

²³ Now therefore, O Lord, let the word which thou hast spoken to thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

²⁴ And let thy name remain and be magnified for ever: and let it be said: The Lord of hosts is God of Israel, and the house of David his servant remaineth before him.

²⁵ For thou, O Lord my God, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, that thou wilt build him a house: and therefore thy servant hath found confidence to pray before thee.

²⁶ And now O Lord, thou art God: and thou hast promised to thy servant such great benefits.

²⁷ And thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be always before thee: for seeing thou blessest it, O Lord, it shall be blessed for ever.

4 From whence are wars and contentions among you? Are they not hence, from your concupiscences, which war in your members?

² You covet, and have not: you kill, and envy, and can not obtain. You contend and war, and you have not, because you ask not.

³ You ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences.

⁴ Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God.

⁵ Or do you think that the scripture saith in vain: To envy doth the spirit covet which dwelleth in you?

⁶ But he giveth greater grace. Wherefore he saith: God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

⁷ Be subject therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will fly from you.

⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners: and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into sorrow.

¹⁰ Be humbled in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

¹¹ Detract not one another, my brethren. He that detracteth his brother, or he that judgeth his brother, detracteth the law, and judgeth the law. But if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

¹² There is one lawgiver, and judge, that is able to destroy and to deliver.

¹³ But who art thou that judgest thy neighbour? Behold, now you that say: To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and there we will spend a year, and will traffic, and make our gain.

¹⁴ Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow.

¹⁵ For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while, and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and if we shall live, we will do this or that.

¹⁶ But now you rejoice in your arrogancies. All such rejoicing is wicked.

¹⁷ To him therefore who knoweth to do good, and doth it not, to him it is sin.

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonas the son of Amathi, saying:

² Arise, and go to Ninive the great city, and preach in it: for the wickedness thereof is come up before me.

³ And Jonas rose up to flee into Tharsis from the face of the Lord, and he went down to Joppe, and found a ship going to Tharsis: and he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tharsis from the face of the Lord.

⁴ But the Lord sent a great wind into the sea: and a great tempest was raised in the sea, and the ship was in danger to be broken.

⁵ And the mariners were afraid, and the men cried to their god: and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship, into the sea, to lighten it of them: and Jonas went down into the inner part of the ship, and fell into a deep sleep.

⁶ And the shipmaster came to him, and said to him: Why art thou fast asleep? rise up, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think of us, that we may not perish.

⁷ And they said every one to his fellow: Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know why this evil is upon us. And they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonas.

⁸ And they said to him: Tell us for what cause this evil is upon us, what is thy business? of what country art thou? and whither goest thou? or of what people art thou?

⁹ And he said to them: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord the God of heaven, who made both the sea and the dry land.

¹⁰ And the men were greatly afraid, and they said to him: Why hast thou done this? (for the men knew that he fled from the face of the Lord: because he had told them.)

¹¹ And they said to him: What shall we do to thee, that the sea may be calm to us? for the sea flowed and swelled.

¹² And he said to them: Take me up, and cast me into the sea, and the sea shall be calm to you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

¹³ And the men rowed hard to return to land, but they were not able: because the sea tossed and swelled upon them.

¹⁴ And they cried to the Lord, and said: We beseech thee, O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O Lord, hast done as it pleased thee.

¹⁵ And they took Jonas, and cast him into the sea, and the sea ceased from raging.

¹⁶ And the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and sacrificed victims to the Lord, and made vows.

6 And it came to pass on the second first sabbath, that as he went through the corn fields, his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.

² And some of the Pharisees said to them: Why do you that which is not lawful on the sabbath days?

³ And Jesus answering them, said: Have you not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was hungry, and they that were with him:

⁴ How he went into the house of God, and took and ate the bread of proposition, and gave to them that were with him, which is not lawful to eat but only for the priests?

⁵ And he said to them: The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

⁶ And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue, and taught. And there was a man, whose right hand was withered.

⁷ And the scribes and Pharisees watched if he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find an accusation against him.

⁸ But he knew their thoughts; and said to the man who had the withered hand: Arise, and stand forth in the midst. And rising he stood forth.

⁹ Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, if it be lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy?

¹⁰ And looking round about on them all, he said to the man: Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth: and his hand was restored.

¹¹ And they were filled with madness; and they talked one with another, what they might do to Jesus.

¹² And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and he passed the whole night in the prayer of God.

¹³ And when day was come, he called unto him his disciples; and he chose twelve of them (whom also he named apostles):

¹⁴ Simon, whom he surnamed Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who is called Zelotes,

¹⁶ And Jude, the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, who was the traitor.

¹⁷ And coming down with them, he stood in a plain place, and the company of his disciples, and a very great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast both of Tyre and Sidon,

¹⁸ Who were come to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases. And they that were troubled with unclean spirits, were cured.

¹⁹ And all the multitude sought to touch him, for virtue went out from him, and healed all.

²⁰ And he, lifting up his eyes on his disciples, said: Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹ Blessed are ye that hunger now: for you shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for you shall laugh.

²² Blessed shall you be when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

²³ Be glad in that day and rejoice; for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For according to these things did their fathers to the prophets.

²⁴ But woe to you that are rich: for you have your consolation.

²⁵ Woe to you that are filled: for you shall hunger. Woe to you that now laugh: for you shall mourn and weep.

²⁶ Woe to you when men shall bless you: for according to these things did their fathers to the false prophets.

²⁷ But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.

²⁸ Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you.

²⁹ And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.

³⁰ Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.

³¹ And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner.

³² And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also love those that love them.

³³ And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also do this.

³⁴ And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much.

³⁵ But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.

³⁶ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

³⁷ Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.

³⁸ Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.

³⁹ And he spoke also to them a similitude: Can the blind lead the blind? do they not both fall into the ditch?

⁴⁰ The disciple is not above his master: but every one shall be perfect, if he be as his master.

⁴¹ And why seest thou the mote in thy brother's eye: but the beam that is in thy own eye thou considerest not?

⁴² Or how canst thou say to thy brother: Brother, let me pull the mote out of thy eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam in thy own eye? Hypocrite, cast first the beam out of thy own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to take out the mote from thy brother's eye.

⁴³ For there is no good tree that bringeth forth evil fruit; nor an evil tree that bringeth forth good fruit.

⁴⁴ For every tree is known by its fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns; nor from a bramble bush do they gather the grape.

⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

⁴⁶ And why call you me, Lord, Lord; and do not the things which I say?

⁴⁷ Every one that cometh to me, and heareth my words, and doth them, I will shew you to whom he is like.

⁴⁸ He is like to a man building a house, who digged deep, and laid the foundation upon a rock. And when a flood came, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and it could not shake it; for it was founded on a rock.

⁴⁹ But he that heareth, and doth not, is like to a man building his house upon the earth without a foundation: against which the stream beat vehemently, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.