M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
King Jotham of Judah(A)
27 Jotham was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerushah, daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what Yahweh considered right, as his father Uzziah had done. But unlike his father, he didn’t illegally enter Yahweh’s temple. Nevertheless, the people continued their corrupt ways.
3 Jotham built the Upper Gate of Yahweh’s temple and did extensive building of the wall at the Ophel. 4 He built cities in the hills of Judah, and he built forts and towers in the wooded areas. 5 He fought with the king of the Ammonites and conquered them. That year the Ammonites gave him 7,500 pounds of silver, 60,000 bushels of wheat, and 60,000 bushels of barley. The Ammonites gave him the same amount for two more years. 6 Jotham grew powerful because he was determined to live as Yahweh his Elohim wanted.
7 Everything else about Jotham—all his wars and his life—is written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was 25 years old when he began to rule as king. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. 9 Jotham lay down in death with his ancestors, and they buried him in the City of David. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.
King Ahaz of Judah(B)
28 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 26 years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do what Yahweh considered right, as his ancestor David had done. 2 He followed the example of the kings of Israel and even made metal idols for worshiping other gods—the Baals. 3 He burned sacrifices in the valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his son by burning him alive, one of the disgusting things done by the nations that Yahweh had forced out of the Israelites’ way. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense as an offering at the illegal worship sites, which were on hills and under every large tree.
5 So Yahweh his Elohim handed him over to the king of Aram, who defeated him, captured many prisoners, and brought them to Damascus. He also handed him over to the king of Israel, who decisively defeated him. 6 In one day Pekah, son of Remaliah, killed 120,000 soldiers in Judah because they had abandoned Yahweh Elohim of their ancestors. 7 Zichri, a fighting man from Ephraim, killed Maaseiah, who was the king’s son, Azrikam, who was in charge of the palace, and Elkanah, who was the king’s second-in-command. 8 The Israelites captured 200,000 women, boys, and girls from their relatives the Judeans. They also took a lot of goods from Judah and brought them to Samaria.
9 A prophet of Yahweh named Oded was there. He went to meet the army coming home to Samaria. He said to them, “Yahweh Elohim of your ancestors handed Judah over to you in his anger. You killed them in a rage that reaches up to heaven. 10 Now you intend to enslave the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But aren’t you also guilty of sinning against Yahweh your Elohim? 11 Listen to me. Return these prisoners you have captured from your relatives, because Yahweh is very angry with you.”
12 Then Azariah, son of Jehohan, Berechiah, son of Meshillemoth, Jehizkiah, son of Shallum, and Amasa, son of Hadlai (some leaders of Ephraim) opposed those coming home from the army. 13 They said to the army, “Don’t bring the prisoners here. You’ll make us responsible for this sin against Yahweh. Do you intend to add to all our sins? Yahweh is very angry with Israel because we have already sinned.”
14 So the army left the prisoners and the loot in front of the leaders and the whole assembly. 15 Then the men who were mentioned by name took charge of the prisoners and gave clothes from the loot to all the prisoners who were naked. They provided clothes for them, gave them sandals, gave them something to eat and drink, and let them bathe. They put everyone who was exhausted on donkeys and brought them to Jericho (the City of Palms) near their own people. Then they returned to Samaria.
16 At that time King Ahaz sent for help from the kings of Assyria. 17 The Edomites had again invaded and defeated Judah and captured prisoners. 18 The Philistines had raided the foothills and the Negev in Judah. They captured and began living in Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco and its villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. 19 Yahweh humbled Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel. Ahaz had spread sin throughout Judah and was unfaithful to Yahweh.
20 King Tillegath Pilneser of Assyria attacked Ahaz. Instead of strengthening Ahaz, Tillegath Pilneser made trouble for him. 21 Ahaz took some of the things from Yahweh’s temple, the royal palace, and the princes, and he gave them to the king of Assyria. But that didn’t help him. 22 When he had this trouble, King Ahaz became more unfaithful to Yahweh. 23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, the gods who had defeated him. He thought, “The gods of the kings of Aram are helping them. I’ll sacrifice to them so that they will help me.” But they ruined him and all Israel.
24 Ahaz collected the utensils in Elohim’s temple, cut them up, and closed the doors to Yahweh’s temple. He made altars for himself on every corner in Jerusalem. 25 And in each city of Judah, he made places of worship to sacrifice to other gods. So he made Yahweh Elohim of his ancestors angry.
26 Everything else about him—everything from beginning to end—is written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the city of Jerusalem because they didn’t put him into the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.
The New Song on Mount Zion
14 I looked, and the lamb was standing on Mount Zion. There were 144,000 people with him who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 Then I heard a sound from heaven like the noise of raging water and the noise of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like the music played by harpists. 3 They were singing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the leaders. Only the 144,000 people who had been bought on earth could learn the song.
4 These 144,000 virgins are pure. They follow the lamb wherever he goes. They were bought from among humanity as the first ones offered to God and to the lamb. 5 They’ve never told a lie. They are blameless.
The Harvest of the Earth
6 I saw another angel flying overhead with the everlasting Good News to spread to those who live on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 The angel said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the time has come for him to judge. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs.”
8 Another angel, a second one, followed him, and said, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has made all the nations drink the wine of her passionate sexual sins.”
9 Another angel, a third one, followed them, and said in a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast or its statue, whoever is branded on his forehead or his hand, 10 will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured unmixed into the cup of God’s anger. Then he will be tortured by fiery sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the lamb. 11 The smoke from their torture will go up forever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast or its statue, or for anyone branded with its name.” 12 In this situation God’s holy people, who obey his commands and keep their faith in Yeshua, need endurance.
13 I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: From now on those who die believing in the Lord are blessed.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit. “Let them rest from their hard work. What they have done goes with them.”
14 Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and on the cloud sat someone who was like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel came out of the temple. He cried out in a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, “Swing your sickle, and gather the harvest. The time has come to gather it, because the harvest on the earth is overripe.”
16 The one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the harvesting of the earth was completed.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven. He, too, had a sharp sickle. 18 Yet another angel came from the altar with authority over fire. This angel called out in a loud voice to the angel with the sharp sickle, “Swing your sickle, and gather the bunches of grapes from the vine of the earth, because those grapes are ripe.” 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the grapes from the vine of the earth. He threw them into the winepress of God’s anger. 20 The grapes were trampled in the winepress outside the city. Blood flowed out of the winepress as high as a horse’s bridle for 1,600 stadia.[a]
The Lord’s People Will Be Victorious
10 Ask Yahweh for rain in the springtime.
Yahweh makes thunderstorms.
He gives everyone rain showers for the plants in the field.
2 The idols speak lies.
The fortunetellers see false visions.
They speak about false dreams.
They give useless comfort.
That is why people wander around like sheep.
They are troubled because there is no shepherd.
3 “My burning anger is directed against the shepherds.
I will punish the male goats.
Yahweh Tsebaoth takes care of his flock, the people of Judah.
He makes them like his splendid war horse.”
4 From them will come a cornerstone,
from them a tent peg,
from them a battle bow,
from them every leader.
5 Together they will be like warriors
who trample the enemy in the mud on the streets.
They will fight because Yahweh is with them.
They will put to shame those who ride on horses.
6 “I will strengthen the people of Judah.
I will rescue Joseph’s people.
I will bring them back, because I have compassion for them.
It will be as though I had never rejected them,
because I am Yahweh their Elohim, and I will answer them.
7 The people of Ephraim will be like mighty warriors.
Their hearts will be glad as if they had some wine to drink.
Their sons will see it and be glad.
Their hearts will find joy in Yahweh.
8 I will signal them with a whistle
and gather them because I have reclaimed them.
They will be as numerous as they have ever been.
9 Although I have scattered them among the nations,
they will remember me even in faraway places.
They will live with their children and then return.
10 I will bring them back from Egypt.
I will gather them from Assyria.
I will bring them to Gilead and to Lebanon,
and there won’t be enough room for them.”
11 Yahweh will pass through a sea of distress,
strike the waves in the sea,
and dry up all the deep places of the Nile River.
The pride of Assyria will be humiliated,
and the scepter of Egypt will depart.
12 “I will strengthen them in Yahweh.
They will live in his name,” declares Yahweh.
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
13 Before the Passover festival, Yeshua knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. Yeshua loved his own who were in the world, and he loved them to the end.
2 While supper was taking place, the devil had already put the idea of betraying Yeshua into the mind of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.
3 The Father had put everything in Yeshua’s control. Yeshua knew that. He also knew that he had come from God and was going back to God. 4 So he got up from the table, removed his outer clothes, took a towel, and tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel that he had tied around his waist.
6 When Yeshua came to Simon Peter, Peter asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Yeshua answered Peter, “You don’t know now what I’m doing. You will understand later.”
8 Peter told Yeshua, “You will never wash my feet.”
Yeshua replied to Peter, “If I don’t wash you, you don’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, don’t wash only my feet. Wash my hands and my head too!”
10 Yeshua told Peter, “People who have washed are completely clean. They need to have only their feet washed. All of you, except for one, are clean.” 11 (Yeshua knew who was going to betray him. That’s why he said, “All of you, except for one, are clean.”)
12 After Yeshua had washed their feet and put on his outer clothes, he took his place at the table again. Then he asked his disciples, “Do you understand what I’ve done for you? 13 You call me teacher and Lord, and you’re right because that’s what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you must wash each other’s feet. 15 I’ve given you an example that you should follow. 16 I can guarantee this truth: Slaves are not superior to their owners, and messengers are not superior to the people who send them. 17 If you understand all of this, you are blessed whenever you follow my example.
18 “I’m not talking about all of you. I know the people I’ve chosen to be apostles. However, I’ve made my choice so that Scripture will come true. It says, ‘The one who eats my bread has turned against me.’ 19 I’m telling you now before it happens. Then, when it happens, you will believe that I am the one.
20 “I can guarantee this truth: Whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
Jesus Knows Who Will Betray Him(A)
21 After saying this, Yeshua was deeply troubled. He declared, “I can guarantee this truth: One of you is going to betray me!”
22 The disciples began looking at each other and wondering which one of them Yeshua meant.
23 One disciple, the one whom Yeshua loved, was near him at the table. 24 Simon Peter motioned to that disciple and said, “Ask Yeshua whom he’s talking about!”
25 Leaning close to Yeshua, that disciple asked, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Yeshua answered, “He’s the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after I’ve dipped it in the sauce.” So Yeshua dipped the bread and gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.
27 Then, after Judas took the piece of bread, Satan entered him. So Yeshua told him, “Hurry! Do what you have to do.” 28 No one at the table knew why Yeshua said this to him. 29 Judas had the moneybag. So some thought that Yeshua was telling him to buy what they needed for the festival or to give something to the poor.
30 Judas took the piece of bread and immediately went outside. It was night.
31 When Judas was gone, Yeshua said, “The Son of Man is now glorified, and because of him God is glorified. 32 If God is glorified because of the Son of Man, God will glorify the Son of Man because of himself, and he will glorify the Son of Man at once.”
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(B)
33 Yeshua said, “Dear children, I will still be with you for a little while. I’m telling you what I told the Jews. You will look for me, but you can’t go where I’m going.
34 “I’m giving you a new commandment: Love each other in the same way that I have loved you. 35 Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other.”
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Yeshua answered him, “You can’t follow me now to the place where I’m going. However, you will follow me later.”
37 Peter said to Yeshua, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I’ll give my life for you.”
38 Yeshua replied, “Will you give your life for me? I can guarantee this truth: No rooster will crow until you say three times that you don’t know me.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.