M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Addresses Israel
28 David gathered together all of the leaders of Israel, the leaders of the tribes, division officers who reported to the king, the commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, the supervisors of the property and livestock that belonged to the king and to his sons, along with all of the officers of the palace, the elite forces, and all of the soldiers.
2 King David rose to his feet and said, “My fellow citizens,[a] may I have your attention. I intended to build a house of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, for a footstool of our God, so I began preparations for its construction. 3 But then God told me, ‘You will not build a temple to my name, because you are a man of war, and you have committed bloodshed.’[b] 4 Nevertheless, the Lord God of Israel chose me from my entire ancestral household to be king over Israel forever, since he had chosen Judah as Commander-in-Chief.[c] In my ancestor Judah’s household, from my father’s household, and from among my father’s sons it pleased him to make me king over all of Israel.
5 “Now out of all of my sons (since the Lord has given me many of them), he has selected my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord, ruling[d] over Israel. 6 He told me,
‘I chose your son Solomon to be the one who will construct my Temple and my courts, because I have chosen him to be a son to me, and I will be a father to him. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever, assuming he remains strongly committed to carry out my commandments and ordinances, as he is doing today.’
8 Therefore, in the presence[e] of all of Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and while our God is listening, observe and search through all of the commandments of the Lord your God, so that you may continue to possess this good land, leaving it for an inheritance forever to benefit your descendants who come after you.”
David Addresses Solomon Directly
9 “Now as for you, my son Solomon, get to know the God of your father. Serve him with a sound heart and a devoted soul, because the Lord is searching every heart, every plan and thought. He will be found by you, assuming you are seeking him, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you forever. 10 So keep watching, because the Lord has chosen you to build the Temple of his sanctuary. So be strong, and get to work!”
David Transfers Plans and Materials to Solomon
11 At this point in his address,[f] David transferred to his son Solomon the construction plans for the Hall of Justice,[g] its buildings, its treasure vaults, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, the housing for the Mercy Seat, 12 and the plans for everything else that he had in mind for the courtyards of the Temple of the Lord. Included were plans for[h] all of the surrounding vaults and treasuries of the Temple of God intended for storage of[i] dedicated gifts, 13 for use by the ranks of priests and descendants of Levi, for all the work of service responsibilities in the Temple of the Lord, and for all of the utensils used in the work of the Temple of the Lord. 14 David also transferred to him[j] by weight the gold that was to be used to craft the[k] service utensils, the silver that was to be used to craft the[l] service utensils, 15 the gold for the golden lamp stands and their lamps, the silver for a lamp stand and its lamps (each according to its intended use in the service), 16 the gold by weight for each table of the rows of bread, the silver for the silver tables, 17 pure gold for the forks, the basins, the cups, the golden bowls (along with enough gold by weight for each one), enough weight for each of the silver bowls, 18 refined gold for the altar of incense, by weight, along with his plans for crafting[m] the golden chariot for the cherubim that spread out their wings to cover the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.
David Continues His Address
19 “All of these things the Lord made clear to me in writing at his direction—the construction plans for all of the building.”
20 David continued with these words for his son Solomon: “Be strong and courageous, and get to work. Never be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor will he abandon you right up to your completion of the work for the service of the Temple of the Lord. 21 Now look! Here are the ranks of the priests and the descendants of Levi for the entire service of the Temple of God, and in all of the work there will be all types of volunteers who have skills for anything needed for the services. Furthermore, the officers and all of the people will be at your complete command.”
Warning against False Teachers
2 Now there were false prophets among the people, just as there also will be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many people will follow their immoral ways, and because of them the way of truth will be maligned.[a] 3 In their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. The ancient verdict against them is still in force, and their destruction is not delayed.[b]
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but threw them into the lowest hell[c] and imprisoned them in chains[d] of deepest darkness, holding them for judgment; 5 and if he did not spare the ancient world but protected Noah, a righteous preacher, along with seven others when he brought the flood on the world of ungodly people; 6 and if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them by burning them to ashes, making them an example to ungodly people of what is going to happen to them; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man who was greatly distressed by the immoral conduct of lawless people— 8 for as long as that righteous man lived among them, day after day he was being tortured in his righteous soul by what he saw and heard in their lawless actions— 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials and to hold unrighteous people for punishment on the day of judgment, 10 especially those who satisfy their flesh by indulging in its passions and who despise authority.
Being bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to slander glorious beings. 11 Yet even angels, although they are greater in strength and power, do not bring a slanderous accusation against them from the Lord. 12 These people, like irrational animals, are mere creatures of instinct that are born to be caught and killed. They insult what they don’t understand, and like animals they, too, will be destroyed, 13 suffering harm as punishment for their wrongdoing. They take pleasure in wild parties in broad daylight. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceitful pleasures[e] while they eat with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they cannot get enough of sin. They seduce unsteady souls and have had their hearts expertly trained in greed. They are doomed to a curse.[f] 15 They have left the straight path and wandered off to follow the path of Bosor’s[g] son Balaam, who loved the reward he got for doing wrong. 16 But he was rebuked for his offense. A donkey that normally cannot talk spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s insanity.
17 These men are dried-up springs, mere clouds driven by a storm. Gloomy darkness is reserved for them. 18 By talking high-sounding nonsense and using sinful cravings of the flesh, they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error. 19 Promising them freedom, they themselves are slaves to depravity, for a person is a slave to whatever conquers him.
20 For if, after escaping the world’s corruptions through a full knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Messiah,[h] they are again entangled and conquered by those corruptions,[i] then their last condition is worse than their former one. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and turn their backs on the holy commandment that was committed to them. 22 The proverb is true that describes what has happened to them: “A dog returns to its vomit,”[j] and “A pig that is washed goes back to wallow in the mud.”[k]
5 [a]“Now marshal yourselves as troops.[b]
He has laid siege to us.
They will strike the judge[c] of Israel on the cheek with a rod.”
The Ruler from Bethlehem
2 [d]“As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
even though you remain least among the clans[e] of Judah,
nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me
will emerge from you.
His existence has been[f] from antiquity,
even from eternity.
3 Therefore that ruler[g] will abandon them
until the woman in labor gives birth.
Then the rest of his countrymen will return to the Israelis.”
4 “Then he will take his stand,
shepherding by means of the strength of the Lord,
by the power[h] of the name of the Lord his God.
And they will be firmly[i] established;
indeed, from then on he will become great—
to the ends of the earth.
5 And he will be our peace.”
God’s Judgment on Assyria
“When the Assyrian invades our land,
trampling through our palaces,
we will raise up seven shepherds against him,
even eight significant men.
6 The shepherds[j] will devastate the land of Assyria with the sword,
along with the entrances to the land of Nimrod.
“This is how he will vanquish[k] Assyria
when he invades our land,
trampling within our borders:
7 The survivors of Jacob will live among many nations,
as dew from the Lord,
as showers upon the grass.
They will look to no one,
and will place no hope in human beings.
8 The survivors of Jacob will live among the nations;
they will live among many nations,
like a lion among flocks of sheep,
who, if he passes through,
will trample and tear down
with no one to deliver.
9 You will turn your power[l] against your adversaries,
and all of your enemies will be cut down.”
God Removes Idolatry
10 “It will come about at that time,” declares the Lord,
“I will tear away your horses from you,
and I will destroy your chariots.
11 I will cut off the cities of your land,
and I will tear down all of your fortifications.
12 I will render your witchcraft powerless,[m]
and mediums will no longer exist among you.
13 I will separate you from your carved images and sacred pillars,
and you no longer will worship
what you’ve made with your hands.
14 I will uproot your cultic gods[n] from you,
and I will tear down your cities.
15 I will execute vengeance, anger, and fury
on the nations who do not obey.”
Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath
14 One Sabbath, Jesus[a] went to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal. The guests[b] were watching Jesus[c] closely. 2 A man whose body was swollen with fluid suddenly appeared in front of him. 3 So Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the Law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they kept silent. So he took hold of the man,[d] healed him, and sent him away. 5 Then he asked them, “If your son[e] or ox falls into a well on the Sabbath day, you would pull him out immediately, wouldn’t you?” 6 And they couldn’t argue with him about this.
A Lesson about Guests
7 When Jesus[f] noticed how the guests were choosing the places of honor, he told them a parable. 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, don’t sit down at the place of honor in case someone more important than you was invited by the host.[g] 9 Then the host who invited both of you would come to you and say, ‘Give this person your place.’ In disgrace, you would have to take the place of least honor. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher,’ and you will be honored in the presence of everyone who eats with you. 11 Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the person who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, stop inviting only[h] your friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return and you would be repaid. 13 Instead, when you give a banquet, make it your habit to invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed because they can’t repay you. And you will be repaid when the righteous are resurrected.”
The Parable about a Banquet(A)
15 Now one of those eating with him heard this and told him, “How blessed is the person who will eat[i] in the kingdom of God!”
16 Jesus[j] told him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. 17 When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is now ready.’ 18 Every single one of them began asking to be excused. The first told him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to go out and inspect it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I recently got married, so I can’t come.’
21 “So the servant went back and reported all this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and told his servant, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 The servant said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ 23 Then the master told the servant, ‘Go out into the streets and the lanes and make the people come in, so that my house may be full. 24 Because I tell all of you, none of those men who were invited will taste anything at my banquet.’”
The Cost of Discipleship(B)
25 Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus.[k] He turned and told them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as his own life, he can’t be my disciple. 27 Whoever doesn’t carry his cross and follow me can’t be my disciple.
28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. He will first sit down and estimate the cost to see whether he has enough money to finish it, won’t he? 29 Otherwise, if he lays a foundation and can’t finish the building,[l] everyone who watches will begin to ridicule him 30 and say, ‘This person started a building but couldn’t finish it.’
31 “Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He will first sit down and consider whether with 10,000 men he can fight the one coming against him with 20,000 men, won’t he? 32 If he can’t, he will send a delegation to ask for terms of peace while the other king[m] is still far away. 33 In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all his possessions.”
Tasteless Salt(C)
34 “Now, salt is good. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can its flavor be restored? 35 It’s suitable neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. People[n] throw it away. Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!”
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