M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
14 [a]Abijah lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king. In Asa’s time the land had peace for ten years.
King Asa of Judah(A)
2 Asa did what Yahweh his Elohim considered good and right.
3 He got rid of the altars of foreign gods, broke down the sacred stones, and cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. 4 He told the people of Judah to dedicate their lives to serving Yahweh Elohim of their ancestors and follow his teachings and commands. 5 He got rid of the illegal places of worship and the altars for incense in all the cities of Judah. The kingdom was at peace during his reign.
6 He built fortified cities in Judah because the land had peace. There was no war during those years because Yahweh gave him a time of peace. 7 So Asa told Judah, “Let’s build these cities and make walls around them with towers and doors that can be barred. The country is still ours because we have dedicated our lives to serving Yahweh our Elohim. We have dedicated our lives to him, and he has surrounded us with peace.” So they built the cities, and everything went well.
8 Asa had an army of 300,000 Judeans who were armed with large shields and spears and 280,000 Benjaminites who were armed with small shields and bows. All of these men were good fighting men.
9 Then Zerah from Sudan came with 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots to attack Asa. Zerah got as far as Mareshah. 10 Asa went to confront him, and the two armies set up their battle lines in the Zephathah Valley at Mareshah.
11 Asa called on Yahweh his Elohim. He said, “Yahweh, there is no one except you who can help those who are not strong so that they can fight against a large army. Help us, Yahweh our Elohim, because we are depending on you. In your name we go against this large crowd. You are Yahweh our Elohim. Don’t let anyone successfully oppose you.”
12 Yahweh attacked the Sudanese army in front of Asa and Judah. The Sudanese army fled. 13 Asa and his troops pursued them as far as Gerar. Many of the Sudanese died in battle. As a result, the Sudanese army couldn’t fight again. It was crushed in front of Yahweh and his army. Yahweh’s army captured a lot of goods. 14 It attacked all the cities around Gerar because the cities were afraid of Yahweh. The army looted all the cities because there were many things to take. 15 It also attacked those who were letting their cattle graze and captured many sheep and camels. Then it returned to Jerusalem.
15 The Ruach Elohim came to Azariah, son of Oded. 2 Azariah went to Asa and said to him, “Listen to me, Asa and all you men from Judah and Benjamin. Yahweh is with you when you are with him. If you will dedicate your lives to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will abandon you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true Elohim, without a priest who taught correctly, and without Moses’ Teachings. 4 But when they were in trouble, they turned to Yahweh Elohim of Israel. When they searched for him, he let them find him. 5 At those times no one could come and go in peace, because everyone living in the land had a lot of turmoil. 6 One nation crushed another nation; one city crushed another. Elohim had tormented them with every kind of trouble. 7 But you must remain strong and not become discouraged. Your actions will be rewarded.”
8 When Asa heard the prophet Oded’s words of prophecy, he was encouraged and put away the detestable idols from all of Judah, Benjamin, and the cities he had captured in the mountains of Ephraim. He also repaired Yahweh’s altar in front of Yahweh’s entrance hall.
9 Then Asa gathered all the people from Judah and Benjamin and the foreigners who had come from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon. (Many of them had come to him from Israel when they saw that Asa’s Elohim, Yahweh, was with him.) 10 In the third month of the fifteenth year of Asa’s reign, they gathered in Jerusalem. 11 On that day they sacrificed to Yahweh a part of the loot they had brought with them: 700 cattle and 7,000 sheep. 12 They made an agreement with one another to dedicate their lives to serving Yahweh Elohim of their ancestors with all their heart and soul. 13 All people (young or old, male or female) who refused to dedicate their lives to Yahweh Elohim of Israel were to be killed. 14 Asa and the people swore their oath to Yahweh with shouts, singing, and the blowing of trumpets and rams’ horns. 15 All the people of Judah were overjoyed because of the oath, since they took the oath wholeheartedly. They took great pleasure in looking for Yahweh, and he let them find him. So Yahweh surrounded them with peace.
16 King Asa also removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she made a statue of the repulsive goddess Asherah. Asa cut the statue down, crushed it, and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 17 Although the illegal worship sites in Israel were not taken down, Asa remained committed to the Lord his entire life. 18 He brought into Elohim’s temple the silver, the gold, and the utensils he and his father had set apart as holy.
King Asa’s War with King Baasha(B)
19 There was no war until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.
A Vision of God’s Throne in Heaven
4 After these things I saw a door standing open in heaven. I heard the first voice like a trumpet speaking to me. It said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after this.”
2 Instantly, I came under the Spirit’s power. I saw a throne in heaven, and someone was sitting on it. 3 The one sitting there looked like gray quartz and red quartz. There was a rainbow around the throne which looked like an emerald.
4 Around that throne were 24 other thrones, and on these thrones sat 24 leaders wearing white clothes. They had gold crowns on their heads. 5 Lightning, noise, and thunder came from the throne. Seven flaming torches were burning in front of the throne. These are the seven spirits of God.
6 In front of the throne, there was something like a sea of glass as clear as crystal. In the center near the throne and around the throne were four living creatures covered with eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like a young bull, the third had a face like a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were covered with eyes, inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were singing,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, who is, and who is coming.”
9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, to the one who lives forever and ever, 10 the 24 leaders bow in front of the one who sits on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever. They place their crowns in front of the throne and say,
11 “Our Lord and God, you deserve to receive glory, honor, and power
because you created everything.
Everything came into existence and was created because of your will.”
The New House Will Be Greater Than the Old One
2 On the twenty-first day of the seventh month, Yahweh spoke his word through the prophet Haggai. He said, 2 “Now, speak to Zerubbabel (who is the son of Shealtiel and is governor of Judah), the chief priest Joshua (who is the son of Jehozadak), and the faithful few who returned from Babylon. 3 Ask them, ‘Is there anyone among the faithful few who saw this house in its former glory? How does it look to you now? Doesn’t it seem like nothing to you?’
4 “But now, Zerubbabel, be strong,” declares Yahweh. “Chief Priest Joshua (son of Jehozadak), be strong. Everyone in the land, be strong,” declares Yahweh. “Work, because I am with you,” declares Yahweh Tsebaoth. 5 “This is the promise I made to you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains with you. Don’t be afraid.
6 “This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: Once again, in a little while,[a] I am going to shake the sky and the earth, the sea and the dry land. 7 I will shake all the nations, and the one whom all the nations desire will come. Then I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh Tsebaoth. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares Yahweh Tsebaoth. 9 This new house will be more glorious than the former, declares Yahweh Tsebaoth. And in this place I will give them peace, declares Yahweh Tsebaoth.”
Though the People Are Sinful, the Lord Will Bless Them
10 On the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month in Darius’ second year as king, Yahweh spoke his word to the prophet Haggai. He said, 11 “This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says: Ask the priests for a decision. 12 Suppose a person carries meat set aside for a holy purpose and he folds it up in his clothes. If his clothes touch bread, boiled food, wine, oil, or any kind of food, does that make the food holy?”
The priests answered, “No.”
13 Haggai asked, “Suppose a person becomes unclean[b] by touching a corpse. If he touches any of these things, does that make them unclean?”
The priests answered, “That makes them unclean.”
14 Then Haggai answered, “In the same way, I have decided that these people are unclean, and so is this nation, declares Yahweh. So is everything they do. Whatever offering they bring is unclean.
15 “And from now on, carefully consider this. Consider how things were before one stone was laid on another in the temple of Yahweh. 16 When anyone came to a pile of grain to get 20 measures, there would be only 10. And when anyone came to a wine vat to draw out 50 measures, there would be only 20 in it. 17 I infested all your work with blight and mildew and struck it with hail. But you didn’t come back to me, declares Yahweh. 18 Carefully consider from now on, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, from the day when the foundation of the house of Yahweh was laid. Carefully consider: 19 Is there any seed left in the barn? The vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still haven’t produced. But from now on I will bless you.”
A Promise to Zerubbabel
20 Yahweh spoke his word to Haggai a second time on the twenty-fourth day of the month. He said, 21 “Say to Zerubbabel (governor of Judah), ‘I am going to shake the heavens and the earth. 22 I will overthrow the thrones of kingdoms and destroy the power of nations. I will overthrow chariots and their riders, and the horses will fall along with their riders. They will kill one another with swords. 23 On that day, declares Yahweh Tsebaoth, I will take you, my servant Zerubbabel (son of Shealtiel), declares Yahweh. I will make you like a signet ring, because I have chosen you, declares Yahweh Tsebaoth.’”
A Conversation with Nicodemus
3 Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish council. 2 He came to Yeshua one night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that God has sent you as a teacher. No one can perform the miracles you perform unless God is with him.”
3 Yeshua replied to Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.”[a]
4 Nicodemus asked him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?”
5 Yeshua answered Nicodemus, “I can guarantee this truth: No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh and blood give birth to flesh and blood, but the Spirit gives birth to things that are spiritual. 7 Don’t be surprised when I tell you that all of you must be born from above. 8 The wind[b] blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where the wind comes from or where it’s going. That’s the way it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
9 Nicodemus replied, “How can that be?”
10 Yeshua told Nicodemus, “You’re a well-known teacher of Israel. Can’t you understand this? 11 I can guarantee this truth: We know what we’re talking about, and we confirm what we’ve seen. Yet, you don’t accept our message. 12 If you don’t believe me when I tell you about things on earth, how will you believe me when I tell you about things in heaven? 13 No one has gone to heaven except the Son of Man, who came from heaven.
14 “As Moses lifted up the snake on a pole in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up. 15 Then everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.”
16 God loved the world this way: He gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. 18 Those who believe in him won’t be condemned. But those who don’t believe are already condemned because they don’t believe in God’s only Son.
19 This is why people are condemned: The light came into the world. Yet, people loved the dark rather than the light because their actions were evil. 20 People who do what is wrong hate the light and don’t come to the light. They don’t want their actions to be exposed. 21 But people who do what is true come to the light so that the things they do for God may be clearly seen.
John the Baptizer Talks about Christ
22 Later, Yeshua and his disciples went to the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them and baptized people. 23 John was baptizing in Aenon, near Salim. Water was plentiful there. (People came to John to be baptized, 24 since John had not yet been put in prison.)
25 Some of John’s disciples had an argument with a Jew about purification ceremonies. 26 So they went to John and asked him, “Rabbi, do you remember the man you spoke so favorably about when he was with you on the other side of the Jordan River? Well, he’s baptizing, and everyone is going to him!”
27 John answered, “People can’t receive anything unless it has been given to them from heaven. 28 You are witnesses that I said, ‘I’m not the Messiah, but I’ve been sent ahead of him.’
29 “The groom is the person to whom the bride belongs. The best man, who stands and listens to him, is overjoyed when the groom speaks. This is the joy that I feel. 30 He must increase in importance, while I must decrease in importance.
31 “The person who comes from above is superior to everyone. I, a person from the earth, know nothing but what is on earth, and that’s all I can talk about. The person who comes from heaven is superior to everyone 32 and tells what he has seen and heard. Yet, no one accepts what he says. 33 I have accepted what that person said, and I have affirmed that God is truthful. 34 The man whom God has sent speaks God’s message. After all, God gives him the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves his Son and has put everything in his power. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, he will see God’s constant anger.”
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.