M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon’s wealth and wisdom are so well-known that other monarchs in the region come to him to receive advice and to offer gifts. Huram, king of Tyre, may give Solomon great gifts during the construction of Israel’s infrastructure, but his aid is not nearly as memorable as the gifts of the queen of Sheba, who visits from the Arabian peninsula.
9 The queen of Sheba entered Jerusalem with an impressive entourage and camels carrying spices, a large amount of gold, and gems. She had heard about Solomon’s famous wisdom, so she came to ask him difficult questions that addressed her personal concerns. 2 Solomon answered these questions openly and honestly where nothing about the queen was hidden from Solomon’s knowledge. 3-4 His wisdom and frankness impressed and astonished the queen, as did the palace, the meal, the servants, the guests and their clothing, the cupbearers and their clothing, and the stairway[a] that led to the Eternal’s temple. After viewing all these things, the queen was mesmerized and breathless.
Queen of Sheba: 5-6 Although I did not believe the reports of your greatness—it seemed impossible that anyone could have your wisdom, power, and justice—your reputation as a well-spoken and wise king is justified. I have witnessed only a portion of your wisdom, yet even that portion surpasses the stories that are told about you. 7 Those who surround you, your men and your servants, are blessed to be near you and to hear your wise musings daily. 8 Blessed be the Eternal One your God, who favored your potential as a great ruler and placed you on His throne. He has demonstrated His love for Israel by ensuring the nation’s future with you as their just and righteous king.
9 The queen of Sheba gave to Solomon in recognition of his prestige 9,000 pounds of gold, vast quantities of gems, and a large amount of spices previously unknown in Israel. 10 When Solomon’s and Huram’s servants had brought gold from the land of Ophir, they also brought algum wood and costly gems. 11 Solomon had used this non-native algum wood to build the steps to the Eternal’s temple and the king’s palace and to make lyres and harps for the musicians. These were all unmatched by anything that had existed in the land of Judah.
12 Solomon gave the queen of Sheba all that she had traveled to Israel to receive, in addition to gifts equaling those that she brought to him. Contented with her visit, the queen returned home with her servants.
In addition to the gifts of Huram and the queen of Sheba, Solomon collects a substantial treasury from the gifts of other nations.
13 Annually Solomon received about 25 tons of gold 14 in addition to what the traders and merchants brought. The Arabian kings and the local governors also brought gold and silver to him.
15 Solomon used some of this metal to make weapons: 200 large shields (each weighing 7½ pounds of beaten gold) 16 and 300 small, rounded shields (each weighing 3¾ pounds of beaten gold). All the shields were stored in the house made of wood imported from Lebanon.
17 Solomon then constructed a large ivory throne and gilded it. 18-19 At the base of the throne were 6 steps and a golden footstool, and at the sides were armrests. The throne was guarded by 14 lions: one next to each armrest, and one on either side of each step. This throne was unlike any other monarch’s throne.
20 In King Solomon’s house, made of wood from Lebanon, the drinking cups and dishes were of gold (since silver was not recognized as a precious metal in Solomon’s days).
21 Both Solomon and Huram owned ships which traded with the coastal city of Tarshish every three years, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks[b] into Israel. 22 All this made King Solomon richer than all other monarchs, and his wisdom was equally immeasurable. 23 All the kings of the earth wanted an audience with King Solomon, to hear the wisdom which God bestowed upon him, as the queen of Sheba had. 24 Each visitor brought gifts to Solomon every year: silver, gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules.
25 Solomon’s horses and chariots stayed in 4,000 stalls along with the 12,000 horsemen who resided with him in Jerusalem or in Israel’s other fortified cities.
26 During his reign, Solomon ruled the region between the Euphrates River in the east and to the land of the Philistines all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, and southward to north of the border of Egypt. 27 He made Jerusalem so wealthy that silver was as common as stones in the rocky regions and cedars were as plentiful as sycamore trees in the lowland. 28 Solomon also imported and was given expensive horses from Egypt and from other countries.
29 The actions of King Solomon, from his birth until his death, are recorded in the chronicles of Nathan the prophet, in the prophecies of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer (specifically those concerning Jeroboam, son of Nebat).
30 Solomon’s rule over all Israel lasted 40 years—during which time he governed from his capital city, Jerusalem. 31 And after he joined with his ancestors in death and was laid with his father, our beloved King David, in Jerusalem, Solomon’s son Rehoboam ruled Israel in his place.
1 Jude, a slave of Jesus the Anointed and a brother of James, to you, the ones whom God our Father loves and has called and whom Jesus, the Anointed One, has kept. 2 Kindness, peace, love—may they never stop blooming in you and from you.
3 Friends, I have been trying to write you about our common salvation. But these days my heart is troubled, and I am compelled to write to you and encourage you to continue struggling for the faith that was entrusted to the saints once and for all. 4 Vile men have slithered in among us. Depraved souls who stand condemned have made a mockery of the grace given to us, using it as a pretext for a life of excess, lived without any thought of God. These poor fools have denied Jesus the Anointed, our one Lord and Master.
5 You have heard the stories many times, and the Spirit has enlightened you about their meaning, but you still need to be reminded. Remember when the Lord saved our ancestors from the land in Egypt? He breathed life into their earthen lungs and took back the life from those who did not believe. 6 And God has kept the rebellious heavenly messengers bound and chained in utter darkness—shadowy gloom—until the time when His judgment arrives, because they failed to keep their rightful positions and abandoned their appointed realms. 7 Sodom and Gomorrah and all their neighbors were defeated by their own sexual perversions as they pursued the strange and unnatural impulses of the flesh. Let these who went their own way and are experiencing the eternal heat of God’s vengeance—a punishment by fire—be a warning to you.
8 These stories are examples to help you understand the fate of those dreamers who have slipped in and defiled your community, rejected those in charge, and insulted the glorious majesty of the heavenly messengers. 9 Even their chief, Michael, when disputing with the devil over Moses’ body, did not offer his own taunting judgment against him. Michael simply said, “May the Lord’s rebuke fall on you.”[a]
10 The deceivers among you despise what they do not understand; they live without reason like animals, reacting only with primal instincts; and their ways are corrupting them. 11 Woe to these deceivers! They are doomed! They have followed in the footsteps of their father Cain, sold their souls for profit into Balaam’s deceit, and suffered the devastation of Korah’s rebellion.
12 These men are cold stones on the warm hearth of your love feasts as they glut themselves without fear, thinking only of their own benefit. They are waterless clouds, carried away by the wind; autumn’s lonely and barren trees, twice dead, uprooted; 13 violent waves of the sea breaking over the bow, foaming with shame; lost and wandering stars destined to live forever in gloomy darkness.
14 During the seventh generation after Adam, the prophet Enoch said, “Look! The Lord came, and with Him tens of thousands of His holy messengers 15 to judge wicked men and convict the impious and ungodly for all they have said and all the hard things they have done against the Holy One.” 16 These men are complainers who look long and hard to find the faults of other men. They are led by their own lustful desires like fools down the path of destruction. They are arrogant liars who want only to get ahead of others.
17 But you, friends, remember the words of the emissaries[b] of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, the Liberating King: 18 “At the end of time, some will ridicule the faithful and follow their lusts to the grave.” 19 These are the men among you—those who divide friends, those concerned ultimately with this world, those without the Spirit. 20-21 You, however, should stand firm in the love of God, constructing a life within the holy faith, praying the Spirit’s prayer, as you wait eagerly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus the Anointed, which leads to eternal life.
22 Keep being kind to those who waver in this faith. 23 Pursue those who are singed by the flames of God’s wrath, and bring them safely to Him. Show mercy to others with fear, despising every garment soiled by the weakness of human flesh.
24 Now to the One who can keep you upright and plant you firmly in His presence—clean, unmarked, and joyful in the light of His glory— 25 to the one and only God, our Savior, through Jesus the Anointed our Lord, be glory and greatness and might and authority; just as it has been since before He created time, may it continue now and into eternity. Amen.
1 The Eternal One had a message for the whole world, and He gave it to a man named Zephaniah when Josiah (Amon’s son) was the king of Judah. Zephaniah’s father was Cushi, the son of Gedaliah (Amariah’s son and a descendant of a commoner named Hezekiah).
2-3 Eternal One: I am going to wipe the face of the earth clean of every living thing.
I will wipe away both people and animals;
Even the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea will be swept away.
Rubble and ruin will be all that is left with the wicked[a]
When I cut off humanity from the face of the earth.
4 I will use My powerful hand to crush the people of Judah
and those who make Jerusalem their home.
I will remove from this place every reminder and remainder of false divine masters;[b]
the names of those pagan priests will be forgotten along with My priests.
5 I will use My power against those who worship creation—
those who bow down on their roofs before the multitude of stars in heaven—
And against those who bow down and pledge allegiance
to both the Eternal One and false gods such as Milcom, god of the Ammonites.
6 I will use My power against those who used to worship the Eternal One
but turned their backs and no longer follow Me.
They don’t look to Me anymore for help and guidance.
7 Keep quiet now! You are standing before the Eternal Lord
because the day of the Eternal One is near;
His judgment is coming. He has prepared the sacrifice,
and He has chosen His guests with care.
8 On the day of the Eternal’s sacrifice,
this will happen just as He describes:
Eternal One: I will punish the rulers of Judah
and those born to royalty
And those so enamored with foreign ways
that they don’t act or dress like My people anymore.
9 On that day, I will punish those who jump temple thresholds fearing pagan demons,
those who exchange true religion for silly superstition,
And those who use violence and betrayal to steal from others
in order to make themselves and their king rich.
10 On that day, you will hear cries from all over the city of Jerusalem—
first a cry for help from the fish gate on the north side of the city,
Then a wailing cry from the newly-built Second Quarter.
Then crash! Stones are falling, breaking;
Sounds of destruction are coming from the suburban hills.
11 Cry out, those of you living in the bottom of Jerusalem’s southern hollow,
because I will stop all the traveling merchants.
Everyone with pockets full of money will be cut off.
12 On that day, I will personally search and illumine every dark corner of Jerusalem.
I will wipe out everyone who has numbed his senses with the dregs of his own wine
And says, “The Eternal will do nothing in our lives,
neither helping us nor hurting us.”
13 But they are wrong. Everything they value will be taken away.
Their houses will be destroyed.
They will build new houses and never have a chance to move in.
They will plant vineyards and never enjoy a sip of their own wine.
14 I’m warning you, this day of judgment is right around the corner.
The great and terrible day of the Eternal One is coming on you very quickly.
Listen, here it comes, the day of the Eternal One, and it will be very bitter!
Even your strongest and bravest will break down and cry out.[c]
15 On that day, you will see what happens when God is furious.
You will be overwhelmed with all the trouble and pain—total destruction.
You will watch the sky fill with the thick clouds and gloomy darkness.
16 You will hear the trumpet blast and battle cry
as He moves against the city that day.
You were so sure it was fortified against attack with its thick walls and high towers,
yet they will surely fall.
17 Eternal One: I will bring distress on all humanity,
and they will stumble around like the blind.
Why? Because they have sinned time and again against the Eternal.
Their lifeblood will be poured out like ash of a burnt offering.
Their bodies will be discarded like excrement.
18 Don’t think any amount of money can save them
from the terrible anger of the Eternal when that day arrives.
He will consume the whole earth in His fiery jealousy,
for He is going to expedite the annihilation of every living thing on the earth.
23 So the whole council got up and took Jesus to Pilate. 2 They brought accusations against Him.
Sanhedrin: We have observed this man leading our nation astray. He even forbade us to pay our taxes to Caesar. He claims to be the Anointed One and a King Himself.
Pilate: 3 Are You the King of the Jews?
Jesus: It’s as you say.
Pilate (to the chief priest and crowd): 4 I find this man guilty of no crime.
Sanhedrin (growing more intense): 5 He has been stirring up discontent among the people all over Judea. He started up in Galilee, and now He’s brought His brand of trouble all the way to Jerusalem!
Pilate: 6 Just a minute. Is this man a Galilean?
7 When Pilate learned that Jesus was indeed Galilean—which meant He was officially under Herod’s jurisdiction—Pilate sent Him over to Herod, who was currently in Jerusalem. 8 Herod was fascinated to meet Jesus for he had heard about Him for a long time. He was hoping he might be treated to a miracle or two. 9 He interrogated Jesus for quite a while, but Jesus remained silent, refusing to answer his questions. 10 Meanwhile the chief priests and religious scholars had plenty to say—angrily hurling accusations at Jesus.
11 Eventually Herod and his soldiers began to insult Jesus, mocking and degrading Him. They put expensive clothing on Him and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 This ended a long-standing rift between Herod and Pilate; they became friends from that day forward.
13 Pilate assembled the chief priests and other Jewish authorities.
Pilate: 14 You presented this man to me as a rabble-rouser, but I examined Him in your presence and found Him not guilty of the charges you have leveled against Him. 15 Herod also examined Him and released Him to my custody. So He hasn’t done anything deserving the death penalty. 16 I’ll see to it that He is properly whipped and then let Him go.
[17 It was the custom for Pilate to set one prisoner free during the holiday festivities.][a]
Crowd (all shouting at once): 18 Away with this man! Free Barabbas instead!
Crucifixion is a favorite Roman punishment for insurrectionists, slaves, and prisoners of war. Anyone daring to defy the power and authority of Caesar is executed in this public and humiliating way. Jesus indeed is a revolutionary. He doesn’t come to proclaim a new religion, but a new kingdom—a new way of life. He is indeed a threat to Caesar’s way of doing things, a way that co-opts the religious leaders.
Jesus’ revolution is a peaceful revolution. He doesn’t advocate the use of violence—in fact, when one of His disciples uses the sword to try to protect Jesus from arrest, Jesus heals the “enemy” and rebukes His disciple. So Jesus doesn’t support the regime of Caesar or follow the usual violent path of revolution: He leads a revolutionary revolution—in a path of love, healing, justice, and reconciliation.
Jesus appropriates and transforms the symbol of their power into a symbol of His greater power. He makes the cross not the icon of violent domination, but the reverse. By hanging on the cross and speaking of forgiveness, Jesus shows that there is a greater power at work in the world than the power of domination: it’s the power of God’s saving and reconciling love.
19 Barabbas had been imprisoned after being convicted of an insurrection he had led in Jerusalem. He had also committed murder. 20 Pilate argued with them, wishing he could release Jesus, 21 but they wouldn’t be silenced.
Crowd (shouting): Crucify Him! Crucify Him!
Pilate (countering a third time): 22 Why? What has He done that is so evil? I have found in Him no offense worthy of capital punishment. As I said, I will punish Him and then release Him.
23 But they would not relent. They shouted louder and louder that He should be crucified, and eventually Pilate capitulated. 24 So he pronounced the punishment they demanded.
25 He released the rebel and murderer Barabbas—the insurrectionist they had pleaded for in His place—and he handed Jesus over to them to do with as they desired.
26 On the way to the place of crucifixion, they pulled a man from the crowd—his name was Simon of Cyrene, a person from the countryside who happened to be entering the city at that moment. They put Jesus’ cross on Simon’s shoulders, and he followed behind Jesus. 27 Along with Him was a huge crowd of common people, including many women shrieking and wailing in grief.
Jesus (to the people in the crowd): 28 Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me. Weep instead for yourselves and weep for your children. 29 Days are coming when people will say, “Blessed are the infertile; blessed are the wombs that never bore a child; blessed are the breasts that never nursed an infant.” 30 People will beg the mountains, “Surround us!” They’ll plead with the hills, “Cover us!”[b] 31 For if they treat Me like this when I’m like green unseasoned wood, what will they do to a nation that’s ready to burn like seasoned firewood?
32 Jesus wasn’t the only one being crucified that day. There were two others, criminals, who were also being led to their execution. 33 When they came to the place known as “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, in the company of criminals, one to the right of Jesus and the other to His left.
Jesus: 34 [Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.][c]
Meanwhile they were drawing lots to see who would win Jesus’ clothing. 35 The crowd of people stood, watching.
Authorities (mocking Jesus): So He was supposed to rescue others, was He? He was supposed to be God’s Anointed, the Liberating King? Let’s see Him start by liberating Himself!
36 The soldiers joined in the mockery. First, they pretended to offer Him a soothing drink—but it was sour wine.
Soldiers: 37 Hey, if You’re the King of the Jews, why don’t You free Yourself!
38 Even the inscription they placed over Him was intended to mock Him—“This is the King of the Jews!” [This was written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.][d]
39 One of the criminals joined in the cruel talk.
Cynical Criminal: You’re supposed to be the Anointed One, right? Well—do it! Rescue Yourself and us!
40 But the other criminal told him to be quiet.
Believing Criminal: Don’t you have any fear of God at all? You’re getting the same death sentence He is! 41 We’re getting what we deserve since we’ve committed crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong at all! 42 (turning to Jesus) Jesus, when You come into Your kingdom, please remember me.
Jesus: 43 I promise you that this very day you will be with Me in paradise.
44 At this point, it was about noon, and a darkness fell over the whole region. The darkness persisted until about three in the afternoon, 45 and at some point during this darkness, the curtain in the temple was torn in two.
The tearing of this heavy curtain in the temple is highly symbolic. Because this curtain separated the holiest place in the temple from the rest of the temple, some see in this act a symbol of God opening the way for unholy humans to enter into His holy presence: Jesus’ death brought forgiveness and opened the way for all to come to God. Others see in the curtain’s being torn the opposite meaning: God’s presence can no longer be confined to any single geographical place. The suffering and death of Jesus ended one age of human history, and now a new era has begun. Now God is on the move, at large, invading the whole world. Or perhaps this graphic image means both.
Jesus (shouting out loudly): 46 Father, I entrust My spirit into Your hands![e]
And with those words, He exhaled—and breathed no more.
47 The Centurion[f]—one of the soldiers who performed the execution—saw all this, and he praised God.
Centurion: No doubt, this man must have been innocent.
48 The crowds of common people who had gathered and watched the whole ordeal through to its conclusion left for their homes, pounding on their own chests in profound grief. 49 And all who knew Jesus personally, including the group of women who had been with Him from the beginning in Galilee, stood at a distance, watching all of these things unfold.
50 Meanwhile a man named Joseph had been at work. He was a member of the council, a good and fair man, 51 from a Judean town called Arimathea. He had objected to the plans and actions of the council; he was seeking the kingdom of God. 52 He had gone to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 He removed the body from the cross and wrapped it in a shroud made of fine linen. He then laid the body in a cavelike tomb cut from solid rock, a tomb that never had been used before. 54 It was Preparation Day—the day before the holy Sabbath—and it was about to begin at sundown. 55 The women who had accompanied Jesus from the beginning in Galilee now came, took note of where the tomb was and how His body had been prepared, 56 then left to prepare spices and ointments for His proper burial. They ceased their work on the Sabbath so they could rest as the Hebrew Scriptures required.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.