M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
God Appears to Solomon(A)
1 Solomon, son of David, strengthened his position over the kingdom. Yahweh his Elohim was with him and made him very powerful.
2 Solomon spoke to all Israel—to the commanders of regiments and battalions, judges, every prince, and the heads of Israel’s families. 3 Then Solomon and the entire assembly went to the place of worship in Gibeon because Elohim’s tent of meeting was there. Moses, Yahweh’s servant, had made the tent in the desert. 4 (However, David had already brought Elohim’s ark from Kiriath Jearim to a place he had prepared for it. He had put up a tent for it in Jerusalem.) 5 The bronze altar that Bezalel, son of Uri and grandson of Hur, had made was in front of Yahweh’s tent. There Solomon and the assembly worshiped Yahweh. 6 In Yahweh’s presence Solomon went to the bronze altar in front of the tent of meeting and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on it.
7 That night Elohim appeared to Solomon. He said, “What can I give you?”
8 Solomon responded to Elohim, “You’ve shown great love to my father David, and you’ve made me king in his place. 9 Now, Yahweh Elohim, you’ve kept the promise you made to my father David. You’ve made me king of people who are as numerous as specks of dust on the ground. 10 Give me wisdom and knowledge so that I may lead these people. After all, who can judge this great people of yours?”
11 Elohim replied to Solomon, “I know this request is from your heart. You didn’t ask for riches, fortunes, honor, or the death of those who hate you. You didn’t even ask for a long life. Instead, you’ve asked for wisdom and knowledge to judge my people, over whom I made you king. 12 So wisdom and knowledge will be given to you. I will also give you riches, fortunes, and honor like no other king before or after you.”
13 Solomon went from the tent of meeting at the place of worship in Gibeon to Jerusalem. And he ruled Israel.
14 Solomon built up his army with chariots and war horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 war horses. He stationed some in chariot cities and others with himself in Jerusalem.
15 The king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills.
16 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue. The king’s traders bought them from Kue for a fixed price. 17 They imported each chariot from Egypt for 15 pounds of silver and each horse for 6 ounces of silver. For the same price they obtained horses to export to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.
John’s Reason for Writing
1 The Word of life existed from the beginning. We have heard it. We have seen it. We observed and touched it. 2 This life was revealed to us. We have seen it, and we testify about it. We are reporting to you about this eternal life that was in the presence of the Father and was revealed to us. 3 This is the life we have seen and heard. We are reporting about it to you also so that you, too, can have a relationship with us. Our relationship is with the Father and with his Son Yeshua Christ. 4 We are writing this so that we can be completely filled with joy.
Through Jesus We Have a Relationship with God
5 This is the message we heard from Christ and are reporting to you: God is light, and there isn’t any darkness in him. 6 If we say, “We have a relationship with God” and yet live in the dark, we’re lying. We aren’t being truthful.
7 But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light, we have a relationship with each other. And the blood of his Son Yeshua cleanses us from every sin. 8 If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 God is faithful and reliable. If we confess our sins, he forgives them and cleanses us from everything we’ve done wrong. 10 If we say, “We have never sinned,” we turn God into a liar and his Word is not in us.
The Lord’s People Confess Their Sin
7 Poor me!
I am like those gathering summer fruit,
like those picking grapes.
But there aren’t any grapes to eat
or any ripened figs that I crave.
2 Faithful people are gone from the earth,
and no one is decent.
All people lie in ambush to commit murder.
They trap each other with nets.
3 Their hands are skilled in doing evil.
Officials ask for gifts.
Judges accept bribes.
Powerful people dictate what they want.
So they scheme together.[a]
4 The best of them is like a briar.
The most decent person is sharper than thornbushes.
The day you thought you would be punished has come.
Now is the time you will be confused.
5 Don’t trust your neighbors.
Don’t have confidence in your friends.
Keep your mouth shut even when a woman is lying in your arms.
6 A son treats his father with contempt.
A daughter rebels against her mother.
A daughter-in-law rebels against her mother-in-law.
People’s enemies are the members of their own families.
7 I will look to Yahweh.
I will wait for Elohim to save me.
I will wait for my Elohim to listen to me.
8 Don’t laugh at me, my enemies.
Although I’ve fallen, I will get up.
Although I sit in the dark, Yahweh is my light.
9 I have sinned against Yahweh.
So I will endure his fury
until he takes up my cause and wins my case.
He will bring me into the light,
and I will see his victory.
10 Then my enemies will see this, and they will be covered with shame,
because they asked me, “Where is Yahweh your Elohim?”
Now I look at them.
They are trampled like mud in the streets.
11 The day for rebuilding your walls
and extending your borders is coming.
12 When that day comes, your people will come to you
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
from Egypt to the Euphrates River,
from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
13 The earth will become a wasteland for those who live on it
because of what the people living there have done.
14 With your shepherd’s staff, take care of your people,
the sheep that belong to you.
They live alone in the woods, in fertile pastures.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead like before.
15 Let us see miracles
like the time you came out of Egypt.
16 Nations will see this and be ashamed in spite of all their strength.
They will put their hands over their mouths.
Their ears will become deaf.
17 They will lick dust like snakes,
like animals that crawl on the ground.
They will come out of their hiding places trembling.
They will turn away from your presence in fear, O Yahweh our Elohim.
They will be afraid of you.
18 Who is an El like you?
You forgive sin
and overlook the rebellion of your faithful people.
You will not be angry forever,
because you would rather show mercy.
19 You will again have compassion on us.
You will overcome our wrongdoing.
You will throw all our sins into the deep sea.
20 You will be faithful to Jacob.
You will have mercy on Abraham
as you swore by an oath to our ancestors long ago.
Jesus Speaks about Dishonesty
16 Then Yeshua said to his disciples, “A rich man had a business manager. The manager was accused of wasting the rich man’s property. 2 So the rich man called for his manager and said to him, ‘What’s this I hear about you? Let me examine your books. It’s obvious that you can’t manage my property any longer.’
3 “The manager thought, ‘What should I do? My master is taking my job away from me. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I’ll do so that people will welcome me into their homes when I’ve lost my job.’
5 “So the manager called for each one of his master’s debtors. He said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’
6 “The debtor replied, ‘Eight hundred gallons of olive oil.’
“The manager told him, ‘Take my master’s ledger. Quick! Sit down, and write “four hundred!” ’
7 “Then he asked another debtor, ‘How much do you owe?’
“The debtor replied, ‘A thousand bushels of wheat.’
“The manager told him, ‘Take the ledger, and write “eight hundred!” ’
8 “The master praised the dishonest manager for being so clever. Worldly people are more clever than spiritually-minded people when it comes to dealing with others.”
9 Yeshua continued, “I’m telling you that although wealth is often used in dishonest ways, you should use it to make friends for yourselves. When life is over, you will be welcomed into an eternal home. 10 Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with a lot. Whoever is dishonest with very little is dishonest with a lot. 11 Therefore, if you can’t be trusted with wealth that is often used dishonestly, who will trust you with wealth that is real? 12 If you can’t be trusted with someone else’s wealth, who will give you your own?
13 “A servant cannot serve two masters. He will hate the first master and love the second, or he will be devoted to the first and despise the second. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
14 The Pharisees, who love money, heard all this and were making sarcastic remarks about him. 15 So Yeshua said to them, “You try to justify your actions in front of people. But God knows what’s in your hearts. What is important to humans is disgusting to God.
16 “Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets were in force until the time of John. Since that time, people have been telling the Good News about the kingdom of God, and everyone is trying to force their way into it. 17 It is easier for the earth and the heavens to disappear than to drop a comma from the Scriptures.
18 “Any man who divorces his wife to marry another woman is committing adultery. The man who marries a woman divorced in this way is committing adultery.
A Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “There was a rich man who wore expensive clothes. Every day was like a party to him. 20 There was also a beggar named Lazarus who was regularly brought to the gate of the rich man’s house. 21 Lazarus would have eaten any scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Lazarus was covered with sores,[a] and dogs would lick them.
22 “One day the beggar died, and the angels carried him to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 He went to hell, where he was constantly tortured. As he looked up, in the distance he saw Abraham and Lazarus. 24 He yelled, ‘Father Abraham! Have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool off my tongue. I am suffering in this fire.’
25 “Abraham replied, ‘Remember, my child, that you had a life filled with good times, while Lazarus’ life was filled with misery. Now he has peace here, while you suffer. 26 Besides, a wide area separates us. People couldn’t cross it in either direction even if they wanted to.’
27 “The rich man responded, ‘Then I ask you, Father, to send Lazarus back to my father’s home. 28 I have five brothers. He can warn them so that they won’t end up in this place of torture.’
29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets. Your brothers should listen to them!’
30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! If someone comes back to them from the dead, they will turn to God and change the way they think and act.’
31 “Abraham answered him, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone comes back to life.’”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.