M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Gate-Keepers

26 The gate-keepers were divided up. Of the Korahites there was Meshelemiah the son of Kore, a son of Asaph. ² Meshelemiah’s sons were Zechariah the first-born, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth. ³ Elam was his fifth son, Johanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh. ⁴ Obed-edom’s sons were Shemaiah the first-born, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sacar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth. ⁵ Ammiel was his sixth son, Issachar the seventh, and Peullethai the eighth. God had brought good to the father. ⁶ To his son Shemaiah sons were born who ruled over their father’s house. They were strong, able men with strength of heart. ⁷ The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad. Their brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were strong and able men. ⁸ All these were sons of Obed-edom. They and their sons and brothers were able men with strength for the work. There were sixty-two men from Obed-edom. ⁹ Meshelemiah had sons and brothers, eighteen strong and able men. ¹⁰ These are the sons of Hosah, one of Merari’s sons: Shimri was the first. (He was not the first-born, but his father made him first.) ¹¹ Hilkiah was his second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. Hosah had thirteen sons and brothers in all.

¹² These leaders of the families who were set apart as gate-keepers were given duties like their brothers to work in the Lord’s house. ¹³ The families drew names by their fathers’ houses, the small and the large alike, for every gate. ¹⁴ Shelemiah’s name was drawn for the east gate. Then they drew the name of his son Zechariah for the north gate. Zechariah used much wisdom talking with people. ¹⁵ Obed-edom’s name was drawn for the south gate. And his sons were to watch the store-house. ¹⁶ Shuppim and Hosah’s names were drawn for the west gate beside the gate of Shallecheth, on the road that goes up a hill. Each one was given his duty to watch. ¹⁷ There were six Levites on the east. There were four each day on the north. There were four each day on the south. There were two at one time at the store-house. ¹⁸ There were four at the road. And there were two at the place between the west wall of the Lord’s house and the wall of the open space. ¹⁹ These were the way the gate-keepers of the sons of Korah and Merari were divided.

²⁰ Their brothers the Levites watched over the riches of the house of God and the riches of the holy gifts. ²¹ The sons of Ladan, who were Gershonites through the family group of Ladan were Jehielites. ²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel, watched over the riches of the house of the Lord. ²³ Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites, ²⁴ Shebuel the son of Gershom, son of Moses, was the captain over the riches. ²⁵ His brothers by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomoth his son. ²⁶ Shelomoth and his brothers watched over all the riches of the holy gifts. These gifts had been set apart by King David and the heads of the fathers’ houses, the captains of thousands and hundreds, and the captains of the army. ²⁷ They set apart things taken in battles to do the work needed on the house of the Lord. ²⁸ Samuel the man of God had set apart gifts. So had Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, and everyone who had set apart anything. All these holy gifts were in the care of Shelomoth and his brothers.

²⁹ Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were given outside duties for Israel. They were leaders and men who decide who is guilty or not. ³⁰ Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers were leaders of Israel west of the Jordan. They were 1,700 able men who did all the work of the Lord and the work of the king. ³¹ Of the Hebronites, Jerijah was the leader of the Hebronites by their families and fathers’ houses. Very able men were found among them at Jazer in Gilead in the fortieth year of David’s rule. ³² Jerijah and his brothers were 2,700 able men, heads of fathers’ houses. King David chose them to take care of all the duties of God and of the king, among the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-family group of the Manassites.

The Captains of the Army

27 These were the sons of Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses. They were the leaders of thousands and of hundreds. These were the captains who worked for the king in anything to do with the armies which came in and went out every month of the year. There were 24,000 men in each army. ² Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel was the leader of the first army for the first month. There were 24,000 in his army. ³ He was a son of Perez, and head of all the captains of the army for the first month. ⁴ Dodai the Ahohite was the leader of the army for the second month. Mikloth was the head captain. There were 24,000 in his army. ⁵ The third leader of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the religious leader. There were 24,000 in his army. ⁶ This is the Benaiah who was the strong man of the thirty, and leader of the thirty. Ammizabad his son was captain of his army. ⁷ The fourth leader for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him. There were 24,000 in his army. ⁸ The fifth leader for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000 in his army. ⁹ The sixth for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 in his army. ¹⁰ The seventh for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite of the sons of Ephraim. There were 24,000 in his army. ¹¹ The eighth for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite of the Zerahites. There were 24,000 in his army. ¹² The ninth for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite of the Benjamites. There were 24,000 in his army. ¹³ The tenth for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite of the Zerahites. There were 24,000 in his army. ¹⁴ The eleventh for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite of the sons of Ephraim. There were 24,000 in his army. ¹⁵ The twelfth for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite of Othniel. There were 24,000 in his army.

Leaders of Family Groups

¹⁶ The leaders of the family groups of Israel were: Eliezer the son of Zichri was the head captain of the Reubenites; Shephatiah the son of Maacah led the Simeonites. ¹⁷ Hashabiah the son of Kemuel led the sons of Levi; Zadok led the sons of Aaron. ¹⁸ Elihu, one of David’s brothers, led the sons of Judah; Omri the son of Michael led the sons of Issachar; ¹⁹ Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah led the sons of Zebulun; Jeremoth the son of Azriel led the sons of Naphtali; ²⁰ Hoshea the son of Azaziah led the sons of Ephraim; Joel the son of Pedaiah led the half-family group of Manasseh; ²¹ Iddo the son of Zechariah led the half-family group of Manasseh in Gilead; Jaasiel the son of Abner led the sons of Benjamin; ²² And Azarel the son of Jeroham led the sons of Dan. These were the leaders of the families of Israel. ²³ But David did not number those younger than twenty years old because the Lord had promised to make Israel many, as the stars of heaven. ²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to number them, but did not finish. Anger came upon Israel because of this. So the number was not put into the book of the chronicles of King David.

²⁵ Azmaveth the son of Adiel was over the king’s store-houses. Jonathan the son of Uzziah was over the store-houses in the country, in the cities, in the towns, and in the towers. ²⁶ Ezri the son of Chelub was over those who worked in the fields, plowing and planting. ²⁷ Shimei the Ramathite was over the grape-fields. Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the fruit of the grape-fields for the wine. ²⁸ Baalhanan the Gederite was over the olive and sycamore trees in the plains. Joash was captain of the stores of oil. ²⁹ Shitrai the Sharonite was over the cattle which were eating in the fields of Sharon. Shaphat the son of Adlai was over the cattle in the valleys. ³⁰ Obil the Ishmaelite was over the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the donkeys. ³¹ And Jaziz the Hagrite was over the flocks. All these were over all that belonged to King David.

³² Jonathan, the brother of David’s father, used much wisdom talking with people. And he was a writer. Jehiel the son of Hachmoni taught the king’s sons. ³³ Ahithophel talked about problems with the king. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend. ³⁴ Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abaiathar, talked with the king after Ahithophel. And Joab was the captain of the king’s army.

1 This letter is from Simon Peter. I am a missionary of Jesus Christ and a servant owned by Him. I am writing to those who have received the same faith as ours which is of great worth and which no amount of money can buy. This faith comes from our God and Jesus Christ, the One Who saves. ² May you have more and more of His loving-favor and peace as you come to know God and our Lord Jesus Christ better.

Christians Are to Grow

³ He gives us everything we need for life and for holy living. He gives it through His great power. As we come to know Him better, we learn that He called us to share His own shining-greatness and perfect life. ⁴ Through His shining-greatness and perfect life, He has given us promises. These promises are of great worth and no amount of money can buy them. Through these promises you can have God’s own life in you now that you have gotten away from the sinful things of the world which came from wrong desires of the flesh.

⁵ Do your best to add holy living to your faith. Then add to this a better understanding. ⁶ As you have a better understanding, be able to say no when you need to. Do not give up. And as you wait and do not give up, live God-like. ⁷ As you live God-like, be kind to Christian brothers and love them. ⁸ If you have all these things and keep growing in them, they will keep you from being of no use and from having no fruit when it comes to knowing our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But if you do not have these things, you are blind and cannot see far. You forget God saved you from your old life of sin. ¹⁰ Christian brothers, make sure you are among those He has chosen and called out for His own. As long as you do these things, you will never trip and fall. ¹¹ In this way, the road will be made wide open for you. And you will go into the holy nation that lasts forever of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One Who saves.

¹² You already know about these things but I want to keep telling you about them. You are strong in the faith now. ¹³ I think it is right as long as I am alive to keep you thinking about these things. ¹⁴ I know that I will soon be leaving this body. Our Lord Jesus Christ has told me this. ¹⁵ I will try to make a way for you to remember these things after I am gone.

¹⁶ We had nothing to do with man-made stories when we told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ and of His coming again. We have seen His great power with our own eyes. ¹⁷ When He received honor and shining-greatness from God the Father, a voice came to Him from the All-powerful God, saying, “This is My much-loved Son. I am very happy with Him.” ¹⁸ We heard this voice come from heaven when we were with Christ on the holy mountain.

¹⁹ All this helps us know that what the early preachers said was true. You will do well to listen to what they have said. Their words are as lights that shine in a dark place. Listen until you understand what they have said. Then it will be like the morning light which takes away the darkness. And the Morning Star (Christ) will rise to shine in your hearts.

²⁰ Understand this first: No part of the Holy Writings was ever made up by any man. ²¹ No part of the Holy Writings came long ago because of what man wanted to write. But holy men who belonged to God spoke what the Holy Spirit told them.

The Lord Rules in Jerusalem

4 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be the highest one of all. It will be raised above the hills, and the people will flow to it. ² Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord and to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” For the Law will go out from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ³ He will judge between many people. He will decide for strong nations that are far away. Then they will beat their swords into plows, and their spears into cutting hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and they will never learn war any more. ⁴ Every man will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make him afraid. For the mouth of the Lord of All has spoken. ⁵ All the nations may walk in the name of their god. But we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

Israel Will Return from the Strange Land

⁶ “In that day,” says the Lord, “I will gather together those who cannot walk and those who have been driven away, even those whom I have made to suffer. ⁷ I will make a new beginning with those who cannot walk. I will make a strong nation of those who have been driven away. And the Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion from that day and forever. ⁸ As for you, O watch-tower of the flock, the strong-place of the people of Zion, the power you had to rule will come to you again. The nation will come to Jerusalem.

⁹ “Now why do you cry out in a loud voice? Is there no king among you? Has your wise man died, so that you have pains like a woman giving birth? ¹⁰ Suffer in pain, O people of Zion, like a woman giving birth. For now you will go out of the city and live in the field, and go to Babylon. There you will be saved and He will make you free from the power of those who hate you.

¹¹ “Now many nations are gathered against you. They say, ‘Let her be unclean. Let our eyes look on Zion.’ ¹² But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord. They do not understand His plan. For He has gathered them like grain to the crushing-floor. ¹³ Get up and crush the grain, O people of Zion. For I will give you horns of iron and feet of brass, and you will break many nations to pieces. You will give to the Lord what they received by hurting others. You will give their riches to the Lord of all the earth.

Everyone Should Be Sorry for Their Sins and Turn from Them

13 At this time some people came to Jesus. They told Him that Pilate had killed some people from the country of Galilee. It was while they were giving gifts of animals on the altar in worship to God. ² Pilate put their blood together with the blood of the animals. Jesus said to them, “What about these people from Galilee? Were they worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee because they suffered these things? ³ No, I tell you. But unless you are sorry for your sins and turn from them, you too will all die. ⁴ What about those eighteen men who were killed when the high building in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were the worst sinners living in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you. But unless you are sorry for your sins and turn from them, you too will all die.”

The Picture-Story of the Fig Tree Which Had No Fruit

⁶ Then He told them this picture-story: “A man had a fig tree in his grape-field. He looked for fruit on it but found none. ⁷ He said to his servant, ‘See! For three years I have been coming here looking for fruit on this fig tree. I never find any. Cut it down. Why does it even waste the ground?’ ⁸ The servant said, ‘Sir! Leave it here one more year. I will dig around it and put plant food on it. ⁹ It may be that it will give fruit next year. If it does not, then cut it down.’”

Jesus Heals on the Day of Rest

¹⁰ Jesus was teaching in one of the Jewish places of worship on the Day of Rest. ¹¹ A woman was there who had suffered for eighteen years because of a demon. She was not able to stand up straight. ¹² Jesus saw her and said, “Woman, you are now free from your trouble!” ¹³ Then He put His hand on her. At once she stood up straight and gave thanks to God.

¹⁴ The leader of the Jewish place of worship was angry because Jesus healed on the Day of Rest. The leader said to the people, “There are six days in which work should be done. Come on those days and get healed. Do not come to be healed on the Day of Rest.” ¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “You pretend to be someone you are not! Do not each of you let his cow or his donkey out and lead them to water on the Day of Rest? ¹⁶ Should not this Jewish woman be made free from this trouble on the Day of Rest? She has been chained by Satan for eighteen years.” ¹⁷ When He said this, all those who were against Him were ashamed. All the many people were glad for the great things being done by Him.

The Picture-Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast ^(A)

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is the holy nation of God like? What can I use to show you? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed which a man took and planted in his field. It grew and became a tree. The birds of the sky stayed in its branches.” ²⁰ Again Jesus said, “What can I use to show you what the holy nation of God is like? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman put into three pails of flour until it was all full of yeast.”

Jesus Teaches on the Way to Jerusalem

²² Jesus taught the people as He went through the cities and towns on His way to Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved from the punishment of sin?” Jesus said to them, ²⁴ “Work hard to go in through the narrow door. I tell you, many will try to go in but will not be able to go in. ²⁵ The owner of the house will get up and shut the door. You who are on the outside will knock on the door and say, ‘Lord, let us in.’ Then He will say, ‘I do not know you.’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with You when You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know you. Go away from Me. You are sinful.’

²⁸ “There will be loud crying and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the early preachers in the holy nation of God, but you will be put out. ²⁹ Those who sit at the table in the holy nation of God will come from the east and west and from the north and south. ³⁰ Listen! Some are last who will be first. Some are first who will be last.”

³¹ That same day some of the proud religious law-keepers came to Jesus. They said, “Go away from here! Herod wants to kill You.” ³² Jesus said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘See. I put out demons and heal the sick. I will do these things today and tomorrow. And the third day My work will be finished.’ ³³ But I must go on My way today and tomorrow and the day after. One who speaks for God cannot die except at Jerusalem.

Jesus Sorrows Over Jerusalem

³⁴ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the early preachers and throw stones on those sent to you. How many times I wanted to gather your children around me, as a bird gathers her young under her wings, but you would not let Me. ³⁵ See! Your house is empty. And I tell you, you will not see Me again until the time comes when you will say, ‘Great and honored is the One Who comes in the name of the Lord.’”