M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord Calls Samuel
3 Meanwhile the boy Samuel was serving the Lord before Eli. A word from the Lord was rare in those days, and visions were infrequent. 2 At that time Eli, whose vision was growing dim,[a] was lying down in his bedroom.[b] 3 The lamp of God had not yet been extinguished, and Samuel was lying down in the tent[c] of the Lord where the Ark of God was. 4 The Lord called out to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.”
5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am! You called me.”
“I didn’t call you,” Eli[d] said. “Go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Then the Lord again called out, “Samuel!”
So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am! You called me.”
He said, “I didn’t call you, my son. Go back and lie down.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord and had not yet had the word of the Lord revealed to him.
8 Then the Lord called out to Samuel again a third time, and he got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am! You called me.”
Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy, 9 so Eli told Samuel, “Go lie down, and then if he calls you, answer, ‘Speak, Lord, because your servant is listening.’” Then Samuel[e] went and lay down.
10 Later, the Lord came and stood there, calling out, “Samuel! Samuel!” as he had before.
Samuel said, “Speak, because your servant is listening.”
11 “Look,” the Lord told Samuel. “I’m about to do something[f] in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears it tingle. 12 I’ll fulfill every promise that I’ve spoken concerning Eli’s family, from beginning to end. 13 I’ve told him that I’m about to judge his family forever because of the iniquity that he knew about. His sons committed blasphemy[g] and he did not rebuke them. 14 Therefore I’ve sworn concerning Eli’s family that the iniquity of his family is not to be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.”
Samuel Delivers God’s Message
15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord, but he[h] was afraid to report the vision to Eli. 16 Then Eli called Samuel: “Samuel, my son.”
He said, “Here I am.”
17 Eli[i] said, “What did the Lord[j] say to you? Please don’t conceal anything[k] from me. May God do this to you and even more[l] if you conceal from me one word of all that he spoke to you.” 18 So Samuel told him everything—he did not conceal anything[m] from him. Eli[n] said, “He is the Lord. May he do what seems good to him.”
19 As Samuel grew, the Lord was with him and did not let any of Samuel’s[o] predictions fail.[p] 20 All Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as the Lord’s prophet. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, because he[q] revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by means of messages from[r] the Lord.
Everyone is a Sinner
3 What advantage, then, does the Jew have, or what value is there in circumcision? 2 There are all kinds of advantages! First of all, the Jews[a] have been entrusted with the utterances of God. 3 What if some of the Jews[b] were unfaithful? Their unfaithfulness cannot cancel God’s faithfulness, can it? 4 Of course not! God is true, even if everyone else is a liar. As it is written,
5 But if our unrighteousness serves to confirm God’s righteousness, what can we say? God is not unrighteous when he vents his wrath on us, is he? (I am talking in human terms.) 6 Of course not! Otherwise, how could God judge the world? 7 For[e] if through my falsehood God’s truthfulness glorifies him even more, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? 8 Or can we say—as some people slander us by claiming that we say—“Let’s do evil that good may result”? They deserve to be condemned!
9 What, then, does this mean?[f] Are we Jews[g] any better off? Not at all! For we have already accused everyone, both Jews and Greeks, of being under the power of[h] sin. 10 As it is written,
“Not even one person is righteous.
11 No one understands.
No one searches for God.
12 All have turned away.
They have become completely worthless.
No one shows kindness, not even one person![i]
13 Their throats are open graves.
With their tongues they deceive.[j]
The venom of poisonous snakes is under their lips.[k]
14 Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.[l]
15 They run swiftly[m] to shed blood.
16 Ruin and misery characterize their lives.
17 They have not learned the path to peace.[n]
18 They don’t fear God.[o]
19 Now we know that whatever the Law says applies to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore, God[p] will not justify any human being by means of the actions prescribed by the Law, for through the Law comes the full knowledge of sin.
God Gives Us Righteousness through Faith
21 But now, apart from the Law, God’s righteousness is revealed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets— 22 God’s righteousness through the faithfulness of Jesus[q] the Messiah[r]— for all who believe. For there is no distinction among people,[s] 23 since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory. 24 By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah[t] Jesus, 25 whom God offered as a place where atonement by the Messiah’s[u] blood would occur through faith. He did this[v] to demonstrate his righteousness, because he had waited patiently to deal with sins committed in the past. 26 He wanted[w] to demonstrate at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies anyone who has the faithfulness of Jesus.[x]
27 What, then, is there to boast about? That has been eliminated. On what principle? On that of actions? No, but on the principle of faith. 28 For[y] we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the actions prescribed by the Law. 29 Is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not the God of the gentiles, too? Yes, of the gentiles, too, 30 since there is only one God who will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith and the uncircumcised by that same faith. 31 Do we, then, abolish the Law by this faith? Of course not! Instead, we uphold the Law.
Gedaliah is Assassinated
41 In the seventh month, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, the grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family and one of the chief officers of the king, came to Ahikam’s son Gedaliah at Mizpah, along with ten men. While they were dining together there at Mizpah, 2 Nethaniah’s son Ishmael and the ten men with him got up and killed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, the grandson of Shaphan, with swords and killed the man whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Judeans who were with him (that is, with Gedaliah) at Mizpah, along with the Chaldean soldiers who were found there.
4 Now on the day after Gedaliah was killed, when as yet no one knew about it,[a] 5 eighty men from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria came with their beards shaved, their clothes torn, and their bodies slashed. They had grain offerings and incense with them to present at the Lord’s Temple.
6 Nethaniah’s son Ishmael went out from Mizpah to meet them, crying as he went. As he met them he told them, “Come meet with Ahikam’s son Gedaliah.” 7 When they reached the middle of the city, Nethaniah’s son Ishmael and the men who were with him slaughtered them and threw them into a cistern.[b]
8 Ten men who were among[c] them told Ishmael, “Don’t kill us, because we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the field.” So Ishmael stopped and did not kill them or their companions. 9 Ishmael threw the bodies of the men he killed on account of Gedaliah into the cistern that King Asa had made for protection against[d] King Baasha of Israel. That is the same one Nethaniah’s son Ishmael filled with those he killed. 10 Then Ishmael took captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, including the king’s daughters and all the rest of the people in Mizpah over whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had appointed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah. Nethaniah’s son Ishmael took them captive and then set out to cross over to the Ammonites.
The Captives Rescued; Ishmael Escapes
11 Kareah’s son Jonathan and all the military leaders who were with him heard about all the terrible things that Nethaniah’s son Ishmael had done. 12 So they took all the men and went to fight Nethaniah’s son Ishmael, and they found him at the large pool that is at Gibeon. 13 When all the people who were with Ishmael saw Kareah’s son Jonathan and all the military leaders who were with him, they were glad. 14 All the people whom Ishmael had taken captive from Mizpah turned around and went back to Kareah’s son Jonathan. 15 But Nethaniah’s son Ishmael and eight other[e] men escaped from Jonathan and went to the Ammonites. 16 Kareah’s son Jonathan and all the military leaders who were with him took all the rest of the people from Mizpah whom he had rescued[f] from Nethaniah’s son Ishmael after he had killed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, including the young men, the soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs[g] whom he had rescued from Gibeon. 17 They traveled and then stopped at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem on their way to Egypt 18 because of the Chaldeans. They were afraid of the Chaldeans[h] because Nethaniah’s son Ishmael had killed Ahikam’s son Gedaliah, whom the king of Babylon had appointed over the land.
A Davidic Prayer.
A Cry for Justice
17 Lord, hear my just plea!
Pay attention to my cry!
Listen to my prayer,
since it does not come from lying lips.
2 Justice for me will come from your presence;
your eyes see what is right.
3 When you probe my heart,
and examine me at night;
when you refine me,
you will find nothing wrong,[a]
for I have determined that I will not transgress with my mouth.
4 As for the ways of mankind,
I have, according to the words of your lips,
avoided the ways of the violent.
5 Because my steps have held fast to your paths,
my footsteps have not faltered.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, God.
Listen closely to me
and hear my prayer.
7 Show forth your gracious love,
save those who take refuge in you
from those who rebel against your sovereign power.[b]
8 Protect me as the most precious part of the eye;[c]
hide me under the shadow of your wings
9 from the wicked[d] who have afflicted me,
from my enemies who have surrounded me.
10 They are imprisoned by their own prosperity,[e]
they have boasted proudly with their mouth.
11 Now they have encircled our paths[f]
and are determined[g] to cast us down to the ground.
12 Like a lion they desire to rip us to pieces,
like a young lion waiting in ambush.
13 Arise, Lord,
confront them,
bring them to their knees!
Deliver me from the wicked by your sword—
14 from men, Lord, by your hand—
from men who belong to this world,
whose reward is only[h] in this[i] life.
But as for your treasured ones,
may their stomachs be full,
may their children have an abundance,
and may they leave wealth to their offspring.
15 But as for me, justified, I will behold your face;
when I awake, your presence[j] will satisfy me.
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