M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Descendants of Dan Learn about Micah
18 Back in those days, Israel didn’t have a king yet, and during that time the tribe of Dan had been seeking a territorial inheritance to live in, because up until that time no territory had been allotted to them as a possession among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the tribe[a] of Dan sent from their families five valiant men of their number from Zorah and Eshtaol to scout the land and search through it. Following their orders, which were “Go and scout the land,” they came to the mountainous region[b] of Ephraim, arrived at Micah’s home, and stayed there.
3 As they approached Micah’s home, they recognized the voice of the young male descendant of Levi. They turned aside from there and spoke to him, asking him, “Who brought you here? What work are you doing here? And what’s your business here?”
4 He answered, “Micah did such and such for me, and has hired me, so I’ve become his priest.”
5 They replied, “Go ask God, please, about whether or not we’ll be successful in this journey.”
6 The priest responded to them, “Travel in peace. The mission that you’re to accomplish is from the Lord.”
7 So the five men left and went to Laish, and observed the people who were living there carefree, as Sidonians tend to do, in peace and quiet. There was no ruler in the land oppressing them for any reason. They were living far away from the Sidonians, and had no dealings with anyone.[c] 8 When they returned to their relatives at Zorah and Eshtaol, their relatives asked them, “What’s your report?”[d]
9 They replied, “Let’s get going and attack them. We’ve scouted out the land—and look!—it’s a very good one. Why should we sit still? We can’t wait to go back, invade, and take over the land. 10 When you invade, you’ll meet a carefree people living in a spacious territory. God has given it into your control—it’s a place that lacks nothing on this earth!” 11 So 600 descendants of Dan from Zorah and Eshtaol set out for battle, armed with military weapons. 12 They went out and encamped at Kiriath-jearim in the territory of Judah. (That’s why they call the place Mahaneh-dan to this day. It lies west of Kiriath-jearim.) 13 They proceeded from there to the mountainous region[e] of Ephraim and arrived at Micah’s house.
The Descendants of Dan Commandeer Micah’s Idols
14 Then the five men who had gone to scout out the territory of Laish told their relatives, “Are you aware that in these houses there’s an ephod, some household idols,[f] a carved image, and a cast image? You know what you need to do.” 15 So they turned aside from there, went to Micah’s house, and greeted him.
16 While the 600 Danite soldiers, armed with military weapons, stood guard at the entrance to the gate, 17 the five men who had gone to scout out the land arrived, entered Micah’s home[g] and confiscated the carved image, the ephod, the household idols,[h] and the cast image. Meanwhile, the priest stood outside by the entrance to the gate with the 600 men armed with military weapons. 18 After they went into Micah’s home and took possession of the carved image, the ephod, the household idols,[i] and the cast image, the priest challenged them. “What are you doing?” he asked them.
19 They told him, “Shut up and keep quiet.[j] Come with us and be our spiritual[k] father and priest. It’s better for you, isn’t it, to be a priest to an entire[l] tribe and family in Israel than to be priest to the home of one man?”
20 The priest was happy to oblige,[m] so he took the ephod, the household idols,[n] and the carved image and went along with the army. 21 Then they turned around and left, sending their little ones, their livestock, and their valuables on ahead. 22 When they had been gone a short distance from Micah’s home, some of Micah’s neighbors assembled a search party and overtook the descendants of Dan. 23 They yelled at the descendants of Dan, who turned around to face Micah and asked, “What’s wrong[o] with you? You’ve assembled together…?”
24 Micah[p] replied, “You took my gods that I crafted, along with the priest, and left! What do I have left? So what’s with this ‘What’s wrong with you?’”
25 The descendants of Dan answered him, “You had better not talk to us about this,[q] or else these bad guys here will attack you. You will lose your life, along with the lives of your whole[r] household.”
26 Then the descendants of Dan went on their way. Because Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back home. 27 But the descendants of Dan[s] took what Micah had made, along with the priest who had worked for him, and went to Laish, to a quiet and carefree people, and killed them with swords. Then they set fire to the city. 28 They had no one else to deliver them,[t] because they lived far from Sidon and had no dealings with anyone.[u] It lay in the valley near Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it. 29 They renamed the city Dan, after the name of their ancestor Dan, who had been born in Israel. The former name of the city was Laish. 30 The descendants of Dan set up the carved image, and Gershom’s son Jonathan, a descendant of Manasseh, served along with his descendants as priests to the tribe of Dan until the land was taken captive. 31 Micah’s carved image, that he himself had crafted, was in place during the entire time that God’s tent was set up at Shiloh.
22 “Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense that I am now making before you.” 2 When they heard him speaking to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet, and he continued:
3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia but raised in this city and educated at the feet of Gamaliel in the strict ways of our ancestral Law. I am as zealous for God as all of you are today. 4 I persecuted this Way, even executing people,[a] and kept tying up both men and women and putting them in prison, 5 as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. I also received letters from them to the brothers in Damascus, and I was going there to tie up those who were there and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “But while I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, a bright light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?’
8 “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’[b]
“He told me, ‘I’m Jesus from Nazareth,[c] whom you are persecuting.’ 9 The men who were with me saw the light but didn’t understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
10 “Then I asked, ‘What am I to do, Lord?’
“The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything you are destined to do.’ 11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, the men who were with me took me by the hand and led me into Damascus.
12 “A certain Ananias, who was a devout man with respect to the Law and who was highly regarded by all the Jews living there, 13 came to me. He stood beside me and said, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ At that moment I could see him.
14 “Then he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear his own voice,[d] 15 because you will be his witness to all people of what you have seen and heard. 16 So now, what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized, and have your sins washed away as you call on his name.’
17 “Then I returned to Jerusalem. While I was praying in the Temple, I fell into a trance 18 and saw the Lord[e] saying to me, ‘Hurry up and get out of Jerusalem at once, because the people[f] won’t accept your testimony about me.’
19 “I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that in every synagogue I kept imprisoning and beating those who believe in you. 20 Even when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I was standing there, approving it and guarding the coats of those who were killing him.’
21 “Then he told me, ‘Go, because I’ll send you far away to the gentiles.’”
22 Up to this point they listened to him, but then they began to shout, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! He’s not fit to go on living!” 23 While they were yelling, tossing their coats around, and throwing dirt into the air, 24 the tribune ordered Paul[g] to be taken into the barracks and told the soldiers[h] to beat and question him in order to find out why the people[i] were yelling at him like this.
25 But when they had tied him up with the straps, Paul asked the centurion[j] who was standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t been condemned?”
26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and told him, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”
27 So the tribune went and asked Paul,[k] “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” he said.
28 Then the tribune replied, “I paid a lot of money for this citizenship of mine.”
Paul said, “But I was born a citizen.” 29 Immediately those who were about to examine him stepped back, and the tribune was afraid when he found out that Paul[l] was a Roman citizen and that he had tied him up.
Paul is Brought before the Jewish Council
30 The next day, since the tribune[m] wanted to find out exactly what Paul[n] was being accused of by the Jews, he released him and ordered the high priests and the entire Council[o] to meet. Then he brought Paul down and had him stand before them.
Jeremiah Purchases a Field
32 This is[a] the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of the reign of[b] Zedekiah, king of Judah. It was the eighteenth year of the reign of[c] Nebuchadnezzar. 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard at the palace of the king of Judah 3 where Zedekiah had confined him. Zedekiah had said,[d] “Why did you prophesy and say these things? You said,[e] ‘This is what the Lord says: “I’m about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 4 Zedekiah, king of Judah, won’t escape from[f] the Chaldeans, for he has surely been given over to the king of Babylon. He will speak to him face to face and look at him eye to eye. 5 The king of Babylon[g] will take Zedekiah to Babylon and there he will stay until I judge him,” declares the Lord. “If you fight against the Chaldeans, you won’t succeed.”’”
6 Jeremiah replied, “This message from the Lord came to me: 7 ‘Look, Hanamel, your cousin,[h] is coming to you and will say, “Buy my field in Anathoth for yourself, because the right of redemption to buy it belongs to you.”’
8 “Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard just as the Lord had said, and he told me, ‘Please buy my field in Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin because you have the right to possess it, and the right to redeem it belongs to you. Buy it for yourself.’ So I knew that this was a message from the Lord.
9 “Then I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out the silver for him—seventeen shekels[i] of silver. 10 I signed the deed and sealed it. I called in witnesses and used scales to weigh out the silver. 11 Then I took the deed of purchase—both the sealed one[j] with the terms and conditions and the open one[k]— 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Neriah’s son Baruch, the grandson of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans sitting in the courtyard of the guard. 13 In their presence, I instructed Baruch as follows: 14 ‘This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Take these deeds—both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed—and put them in a clay pot so they’ll last for a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’”’”
Jeremiah’s Prayer
16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Neriah’s son Baruch, I prayed to the Lord: 17 ‘Lord! Look, you made the heavens and the earth with your great power and your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you! 18 You, the great God, the mighty one, show gracious love to thousands and repay the parents’ iniquity to their children after them. The Lord of the Heavenly Armies is his name. 19 You are[l] great in regards to your purposes and mighty in regards to your works. Your eyes are open to everything that people do, and will reward each one according to their ways and just as their actions deserve.[m] 20 You are the one who performed signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and continue to do so[n] until this day, both in Israel and among the rest of humanity. You made a reputation for yourself that continues to this day.[o] 21 By your strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror, you brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders. 22 And you gave them this land which you had promised their ancestors that you would give them—a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They came and took possession of it, but they didn’t obey you or walk according to your Law.[p] They didn’t do what you commanded them to do, so you caused all this calamity to happen to them. 24 Look, the siege ramps have reached the city to take it. Because of the sword, famine, and plague, the city has been given over to the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you said has happened, and you are watching it occur![q] 25 Lord, you have told me, “Buy the field for yourself with money and call in witnesses,[r]” even though the city is being given over to the Chaldeans.’”
Prophecy of Jerusalem’s Fall
26 Then this message from the Lord came to Jeremiah: 27 “Look, I am the Lord, the God who rules over all flesh. Is anything too difficult for me?” 28 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: “I’m about to give this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city will come, set this city on fire, and burn it along with the houses on whose roofs incense was burned to Baal and liquid offerings were poured out to other gods in order to provoke me. 30 Indeed, the Israelis[s] and Judeans[t] have been doing only evil in my presence since their youth. Indeed, the Israelis have done nothing but provoke me by what they have made with their hands,” declares the Lord.
31 “Indeed, this city has provoked me to anger and wrath from the day they built it until now, and so I’ll remove it[u] from my sight 32 because of all the evil that the Israelis and Judeans have done to provoke me. They, their kings, their officials, their priests, their prophets, the people of Judah, and those living in Jerusalem have done these things.[v] 33 They have turned their backs to me rather than their faces. Even though I taught them, teaching them again and again,[w] they didn’t listen to accept correction. 34 They put their detestable idols in the house that is called by my name and defiled it. 35 They built the high places of Baal that are in the Hinnom Valley[x] in order to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech—something that I didn’t command, nor did it ever enter my mind for them to require this utterly repugnant thing—and lead Judah into sin.”
A Promise of Restoration
36 “Now therefore,” says the Lord God of Israel, “concerning this city about which you are saying, ‘It is being given into the control of the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and plague,’ 37 I’m about to gather my people[y] from all the lands where I’ve driven them in my anger, wrath, and great indignation. I’ll bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They’ll be my people, and I’ll be their God. 39 I’ll give them one heart and one lifestyle[z] so they’ll fear me always for their own good and for the good of[aa] their descendants after them. 40 I’ll make an everlasting covenant with them that I won’t turn away from doing good for them.[ab] I’ll put the fear of me in their hearts so they won’t turn away from me. 41 I’ll rejoice over them to do good for them, and I’ll faithfully plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.’
42 “Indeed, this is what the Lord says: ‘Just as I’m bringing all this great disaster on this people, so I’ll bring on them all the good things that I’m promising concerning them. 43 Fields will be bought in this land about which you will say, “It is a desolate place without people or animals. It is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” 44 People[ac] will buy fields for money, sign deeds, seal them, and call witnesses in the land of Benjamin, in the areas around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, the towns of the hill country, the towns of the Shephelah,[ad] and the towns of the Negev,[ae] for I’ll restore their fortunes,’ declares the Lord.”
BOOK I (Psalms 1-41)
The Righteous and the Wicked[a]
1 How blessed is the person,
who does not take[b] the advice of the wicked,
who does not stand on the path with sinners,
and who does not sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But he delights in the Lord’s instruction,[c]
and meditates in his instruction[d] day and night.
3 He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
yielding its fruit in its season,
and whose leaf does not wither.
He will prosper in everything he does.
4 But this is not the case with the wicked.
They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not escape[e] judgment,
nor will sinners have a place[f] in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
The Nations and God’s Anointed
2 Why are the nations in an uproar,
and their people involved in a vain plot?
2 As the kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his anointed one, they say,[g]
3 “Let us tear off their shackles from us,[h]
and cast off their chains.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 In his anger he rebukes them,
and in his wrath he terrifies them:
6 “I have set my king on Zion,
my holy mountain.”
The Anointed King Speaks
7 Let me announce the decree of the Lord
that he told me:
“You are my son,
today I have become your father.
8 Ask of me, and I will give you
the nations as your inheritance,
the ends of the earth as your possession.
9 You will break them with an iron rod,
you will shatter them like pottery.”
10 Therefore, kings, act wisely!
Earthly rulers, be warned!
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss[i] the son before he becomes[j] angry,
and you die where you stand.[k]
Indeed, his wrath can flare up quickly.
How blessed are those who take refuge in him.
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