M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Public Assembly at Jerusalem
28 David held a meeting in Jerusalem for all the leaders of Israel—the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the army units that served the king, the commanders of regiments and battalions, the officials in charge of all the property and livestock belonging to the king and his sons, the palace officials, the soldiers, and the fighting men.
2 David stood in front of them and said, “Listen to me, my relatives and subjects. I had my heart set on building the temple where the ark of Yahweh’s promise could be placed. This temple would be a stool for our Elohim’s feet, and I have made preparations to build it. 3 But Elohim told me, ‘You must not build the temple for my name. You have fought wars and caused bloodshed.’ 4 Yet, from my entire family Yahweh Elohim of Israel chose me to be king of Israel permanently. He had chosen the tribe of Judah to lead Israel. From the families of Judah he chose my father’s family. From among my father’s sons he was pleased to make me king of all Israel. 5 And of all my sons (Yahweh has given me many sons) he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of Yahweh’s kingdom to rule Israel.
6 “He told me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my temple and my courtyards because I have chosen him to be my son. I will be his Ab. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever if he will remain determined to obey my commands and laws, as he is doing today.’ 8 Now, leaders, I order you in the sight of Israel (Yahweh’s congregation) and as our Elohim listens to dedicate your lives to doing everything Yahweh your Elohim has commanded. Then you will be able to possess this good land and leave it as an inheritance to your descendants.
9 “And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s Elohim. Serve Yahweh wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought we have. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on. 10 So be careful, because Yahweh has chosen you to build the temple as his holy place. Be strong, and do it.”
11 Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the entrance hall and the temple, its storerooms, upper rooms, inner rooms, and the room for the throne of mercy. 12 He gave him plans for the courtyards of Yahweh’s temple and for all the rooms around it. (These rooms served as treasuries for Elohim’s temple and the gifts dedicated to God.) 13 He determined the divisions of priests and Levites. He planned all the work done for worship in Yahweh’s temple. He designed all the utensils for worship in Yahweh’s temple. 14 David specified the weight of gold to be used for each of the utensils for worship, 15 the weight of the gold lamp stands and their gold lamps (that is, the weight of gold for each lamp stand and its lamps), the weight of silver for each silver lamp stand and its lamps (according to the use of each lamp stand for worship), 16 the weight of gold for each table with the rows of bread, and the silver for the silver tables, 17 the pure gold for the forks, bowls, and pitchers, the weight of each gold bowl, the weight of each silver bowl, 18 and the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave Solomon the plans for the chariot, that is, the gold angels[a] with their wings spread to cover the ark of Yahweh’s promise. 19 David said, “All this was written for me by Yahweh’s hand. He made all the details of the plan clear to me.”
20 David also told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or terrified. Yahweh Elohim, my Elohim, will be with you. He will not abandon you before all the work on Yahweh’s temple is finished. 21 Here are also the divisions of the priests and Levites for every type of worship in Elohim’s temple. You have with you every skilled worker to do all the work. In addition, all the leaders and people are at your command.”
Warnings about False Teachers
2 False prophets were among God’s people in the past, as false teachers will be among you. They will secretly bring in their own destructive teachings. They will deny the Lord, who has bought them, and they will bring themselves swift destruction. 2 Many people will follow them in their sexual freedom and will cause others to dishonor the way of truth. 3 In their greed they will use good-sounding arguments to exploit you. The verdict against them from long ago is still in force, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 God didn’t spare angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, where he has secured them with chains of darkness and is holding them for judgment.
5 God didn’t spare the ancient world either. He brought the flood on the world of ungodly people, but he protected Noah and seven other people. Noah was his messenger who told people about the kind of life that has God’s approval.
6 God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and destroyed them by burning them to ashes. He made those cities an example to ungodly people of what is going to happen to them. 7 Yet, God rescued Lot, a man who had his approval. Lot was distressed by the lifestyle of people who had no principles and lived in sexual freedom. 8 Although he was a man who had God’s approval, he lived among the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Each day was like torture to him as he saw and heard the immoral things that people did.
9 Since the Lord did all this, he knows how to rescue godly people when they are tested. He also knows how to hold immoral people for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow their corrupt nature along the path of impure desires and who despise the Lord’s authority.
These false teachers are bold and arrogant. They aren’t afraid to insult the Lord’s glory. 11 Angels, who have more strength and power than these teachers, don’t bring an insulting judgment against them from the Lord. 12 These false teachers insult what they don’t understand. They are like animals, which are creatures of instinct that are born to be caught and killed. So they will be destroyed like animals 13 and lose what their wrongdoing earned them.
These false teachers are stains and blemishes. They take pleasure in holding wild parties in broad daylight. They especially enjoy deceiving you while they eat with you. 14 They’re always looking for an adulterous woman. They can’t stop looking for sin as they seduce people who aren’t sure of what they believe. Their minds are focused on their greed. They are cursed.
15 These false teachers have left the straight path and wandered off to follow the path of Balaam, son of Beor. Balaam loved what his wrongdoing earned him. 16 But he was convicted for his evil. A donkey, which normally can’t talk, spoke with a human voice and wouldn’t allow the prophet to continue his insanity.
17 These false teachers are dried-up springs. They are a mist blown around by a storm. Gloomy darkness has been kept for them. 18 They arrogantly use nonsense to seduce people by appealing to their sexual desires, especially to sexual freedom. They seduce people who have just escaped from those who live in error. 19 They promise these people freedom, but they themselves are slaves to corruption. A person is a slave to whatever he gives in to.
20 People can know our Lord and Savior Yeshua Christ and escape the world’s filth. But if they get involved in this filth again and give in to it, they are worse off than they were before. 21 It would have been better for them never to have known the way of life that God approves of than to know it and turn their backs on the holy life God told them to live. 22 These proverbs have come true for them: “A dog goes back to its vomit,” and “A sow that has been washed goes back to roll around in the mud.”
5 [a]Now, gather your troops, you city of troops.
We are under attack.
Enemies will strike the judge of Israel on the cheek with a stick.
The Lord’s Leader for Israel
2 You, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
are too small to be included among Judah’s cities.
Yet, from you Israel’s future ruler will come for me.
His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
3 That is why Yahweh will abandon Israel
until the time a mother has a child.
Then the rest of Yahweh’s people will return to the people of Israel.
4 The child will become the shepherd of his flock.
He will lead them with the strength of Yahweh,
with the majestic name of Yahweh his Elohim.
They will live in safety
because his greatness will reach the ends of the earth.
5 This man will be their peace.
When the Assyrians invade our land and trample our palaces,
we will attack them with seven shepherds and eight leaders.
6 They will rule Assyria with their swords
and the country of Nimrod with drawn swords.
They will rescue us from the Assyrians
when they come into our land
and walk within our territory.
7 Then the few people left from Jacob will be among many people
like dew from Yahweh, like showers on the grass.
They do not put their hope in humans or wait for mortals.
8 The few people left from Jacob will be among the nations,
among many people.
They will be like a lion among animals in the forest,
like a young lion among flocks of sheep.
When a lion hunts,
it tramples its victims and tears them to pieces,
and there is no one to rescue them.
9 You will use your power against your opponents,
and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10 “When that day comes,” declares Yahweh,
“I will destroy your horses
and demolish your chariots.
11 I will destroy the cities in your land
and tear down all your fortresses.
12 I will destroy your sorcerers,
and you will have no more fortunetellers.
13 I will destroy your idols and your sacred monuments.
You will no longer worship what your hands have made.
14 I will pull out your poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah.
I will wipe out your cities.
15 I will take revenge with great anger
on the nations that do not obey me.”
Jesus Attends a Banquet
14 On a day of worship Yeshua went to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee. The guests were watching Yeshua very closely.
2 A man whose body was swollen with fluid was there. 3 Yeshua reacted by asking the Pharisees and the experts in Moses’ Teachings, “Is it right to heal on the day of worship or not?” 4 But they didn’t say a thing.
So Yeshua took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away. 5 Yeshua asked them, “If your son or your ox falls into a well on a day of worship, wouldn’t you pull him out immediately?” 6 They couldn’t argue with him about this.
7 Then Yeshua noticed how the guests always chose the places of honor. So he used this illustration when he spoke to them: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding, don’t take the place of honor. Maybe someone more important than you was invited. 9 Then your host would say to you, ‘Give this person your place.’ Embarrassed, you would have to take the place of least honor. 10 So when you’re invited, take the place of least honor. Then, when your host comes, he will tell you, ‘Friend, move to a more honorable place.’ Then all the other guests will see how you are honored. 11 Those who honor themselves will be humbled, but people who humble themselves will be honored.”
12 Then he told the man who had invited him, “When you invite people for lunch or dinner, don’t invite only your friends, family, other relatives, or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they will return the favor. 13 Instead, when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the handicapped, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way to pay you back. You will be paid back when those who have God’s approval come back to life.”
15 One of those eating with him heard this. So he said to Yeshua, “The person who will be at the banquet in the kingdom of God is blessed.”
16 Yeshua said to 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 ready now.’
18 “Everyone asked to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to see how well they plow. Please excuse me.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I recently got married, and that’s why I can’t come.’
21 “The servant went back to report this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry. He told his servant, ‘Run to every street and alley in the city! Bring back the poor, the handicapped, the blind, and the lame.’
22 “The servant said, ‘Sir, what you’ve ordered has been done. But there is still room for more people.’
23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go to the roads and paths! Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. 24 I can guarantee that none of those invited earlier will taste any food at my banquet.’”
The Cost of Being a Disciple
25 Large crowds were traveling with Yeshua. He turned to them and said, 26 “If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples. 27 So those who do not carry their crosses and follow me cannot be my disciples.
28 “Suppose you want to build a tower. You would first sit down and figure out what it costs. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it. 29 Otherwise, if you lay a foundation and can’t finish the building, everyone who watches will make fun of you. 30 They’ll say, ‘This person started to build but couldn’t finish the job.’
31 “Or suppose a king is going to war against another king. He would first sit down and think things through. Can he and his 10,000 soldiers fight against a king with 20,000 soldiers? 32 If he can’t, he’ll send ambassadors to ask for terms of peace while the other king is still far away. 33 In the same way, none of you can be my disciples unless you give up everything.
34 “Salt is good. But if salt loses its taste, how will you restore its flavor? 35 It’s not any good for the ground or for the manure pile. People throw it away.
“Let the person who has ears listen!”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.