M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samuel’s Farewell
12 Then Samuel told all Israel, “Take note! I’ve listened to you, to everything you have told me, and I’ve appointed a king over you. 2 Now here is the king walking before you,[a] while I’m old and gray, and my sons are with you. I’ve walked before you[b] from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am. Testify against me in the Lord’s presence and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken? Who have I cheated? Who have I oppressed? Who bribed me to look the other way?[c] I’ll restore it to you.”
4 They said, “You haven’t cheated us or oppressed us, and you haven’t taken anything from anyone’s hand.”
5 He told them, “Today the Lord is testifying, along with his anointed, that you haven’t found any bribes in my possession.”
They said, “He’s a witness.”
6 Then Samuel told the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now stand up and I’ll pass judgment on you in light of the Lord’s righteous acts that he did for you and your ancestors. 8 After Jacob went to Egypt, and your ancestors cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 But they forgot the Lord their God, so he handed them over to the domination of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into domination by the Philistines and by the king of Moab, and Israel fought against them.
10 “Then they cried out to the Lord: ‘We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and have served[d] the Baals[e] and the Ashtaroth.[f] Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve[g] you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal,[h] Barak,[i] Jephthah, and Samuel and he delivered you from the hand of your enemies on every side, so that you lived securely. 12 But when you saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was coming to fight you, you told me, ‘No, let a king rule over us instead,’ even though the Lord your God was your king.
13 “Now, here is the king you have chosen, the one whom you asked for. See, the Lord has appointed a king over you. 14 If you fear the Lord, serve him, obey him, and don’t rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who rules over you will truly follow the Lord your God. 15 But if you don’t obey the Lord and rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the Lord will turn against you as he did against your ancestors.[j]
16 “Now then, stand up and see this great thing that the Lord is about to do before your eyes. 17 Is it not the wheat harvest today? I’ll call upon the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain. Then you will know and understand that you have done a great evil in the sight of the Lord by asking for a king for yourselves.” 18 Samuel called upon the Lord that same day, and the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 Then all the people told Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants, so that we don’t die, because we made all our sins worse by asking for a king for ourselves.”
20 Samuel told all the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have done all this evil. Yet don’t turn aside from following the Lord, but serve[k] the Lord with all your heart. 21 Don’t turn aside after useless things[l] that cannot profit or deliver because they’re useless. 22 Indeed, the Lord won’t abandon His people for the sake of His great name, for the Lord desires to make you a people for himself. 23 Now as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. I’ll also instruct you in the way that is good and right. 24 Only, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Indeed, consider what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”
The Person who Believes will be Saved
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God about the Jews[a] is that they would be saved. 2 For I can testify on their behalf that they have a zeal for God, but it is not in keeping with full knowledge. 3 For they are ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God while they try to establish their own, and they have not submitted to God’s means to attain[b] righteousness. 4 For the Messiah[c] is the culmination[d] of the Law as far as righteousness is concerned for everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that comes from the Law as follows: “The person who obeys these things will find life by them.”[e] 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ (that is, to bring the Messiah[f] down), 7 or ‘Who will go down into the depths?’ (that is, to bring the Messiah[g] back from the dead).”
8 But what does it say? “The message is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart.”[h] This is the message about faith that we are proclaiming: 9 If you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with his heart and is justified, and declares with his mouth and is saved. 11 The Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will never be ashamed.”[i] 12 There is no difference between Jew and Greek, because they all have the same Lord, who gives richly to all who call on him. 13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord[j] will be saved.”[k]
14 How, then, can people[l] call on someone they have not believed? And how can they believe in someone they have not heard about? And how can they hear without someone preaching? 15 And how can people[m] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are[n] those who bring the good news!”[o] 16 But not everyone has obeyed the gospel, for Isaiah asks, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[p] 17 Consequently, faith results from listening, and listening results through the word of the Messiah.[q]
18 But I ask, “Didn’t they hear?” Certainly they did! In fact,
“Their voice has gone out into the whole world,
and their words to the ends of the earth.”[r]
19 Again I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” Moses was the first to say,
“I will make you jealous
by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry
by a nation that doesn’t understand.”[s]
20 And Isaiah boldly says,
“I was found by those who were not looking for me;
I was revealed to those who were not asking for me.”[t]
21 But about Israel he says,
“All day long I have held out my hands
to a disobedient and rebellious people.”[u]
Prophecies against Ammon
49 To the people of Ammon:
This is what the Lord says:
“Does Israel have no sons?
Does he have no heir?
Why then has Milcom[a] taken possession of Gad,
and his people settled in its towns?
2 Therefore, look, the time is[b] coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when I’ll cause a battle cry to be heard in
Rabbah[c] of the Ammonites.
It will become a desolate mound,
and its towns will be burned with fire.
Israel will take possession of those who possessed him,”
says the Lord.
3 “Wail, Heshbon, because Ai is destroyed.
Cry out, daughters of Rabbah,
put on sackcloth and lament.
Run back and forth inside the walls,
for Milcom is going into exile
along with his priests and his princes.
4 Why do you boast in your valleys?
Your valley is flowing away, faithless daughter,
who trusted in her treasures,
saying, ‘Who will come against me?’
5 Look, I’m bringing terror on you from all around you,”
declares the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies.
“You will be driven out, fleeing recklessly,[d]
and there will be no one to gather the fugitives.
6 But afterwards I’ll restore the fortunes of
the people of Ammon,”[e]
declares the Lord.
Prophecies against Edom
7 To Edom:
This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished among the prudent?
Is their wisdom gone?
8 Flee, turn around!
Go to a remote place to stay,
residents of Dedan!
For I’ll bring Esau’s[f] disaster on him
at the time when I punish him.
9 If the grape harvesters came to you,
would they not leave gleanings?
If thieves came at night, they would destroy
only until they had enough.
10 But I’ll strip Esau bare.
I’ll uncover his hiding places so he cannot conceal himself.
His offspring, his relatives,
and his neighbors will be destroyed,
and he will no longer exist.
11 Leave your orphans. I’ll keep them alive.
Let your widows trust in me.”
12 For this is what the Lord says: “Look, those who don’t deserve[g] to drink the cup will surely drink it, and will you actually go unpunished? You won’t go unpunished! You will certainly drink it![h] 13 Indeed, I’ve sworn by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become an object of horror and scorn, a waste, and an object of ridicule. All her towns will become perpetual ruins.”
14 I’ve heard a message from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent
among the nations:
“Gather together and come up against her,
and rise up to fight.
15 Indeed, I’ll make you the least of the nations,
despised among men.
16 The terror you cause and the pride of your heart have deceived you.
You who live in hidden places in the rocks,
who hold on to the heights of the hill,
although you make your nest high like the eagle,
I’ll bring you down from there,”
declares the Lord.
17 “Edom will become an object of horror. Everyone who passes by her will be horrified and will scoff[i] because of all her wounds. 18 Just like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and their[j] neighbors,” says the Lord, “no one will live there. No human being will reside in it. 19 Look, like a lion comes up from the thicket of the Jordan to a pasture that grows year round,[k] so I’ll drive them[l] away from her in an instant, and I’ll appoint whomever is chosen over her. Indeed, who is like me? Who gives me counsel? Who is the shepherd who will stand against me?” 20 Therefore, hear the plan that the Lord has made against Edom, and the strategy that he devised against the inhabitants of Teman. Surely he will drag the little ones of the flock away. Surely their pasture will be desolate because of them. 21 The earth will quake at the sound of their fall. A cry—it’s her voice—is heard at the Reed[m] Sea. 22 Look, he will rise up and fly swiftly like an eagle. He will spread his wings against Bozrah, and on that day the hearts of the warriors of Edom will be like the heart of a woman in labor.
Prophecies against Damascus
23 To Damascus:
“Hamath and Arpad will be humiliated.
Their courage melts because they have heard bad news.
There is anxiety like[n] the sea that cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus will become weak.
She will turn to flee, but panic will seize her.
Distress and anguish will take hold of her
like that of[o] a woman giving birth.
25 Why[p] is the famous city,[q] the joyful town,
not abandoned?
26 Therefore her young men will fall in her streets,
and all her soldiers will be silenced on that day,”
declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
27 “I’ll kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus,
and it will devour the strongholds of Ben-hadad.”
Prophecies against Kedar and Hazor
28 To Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon destroyed:
This is what the Lord says:
“Arise, go against Kedar!
Plunder the people of the east!
29 Take their tents and their flocks,
their tent curtains and all their goods.
Take their camels away from them.
Cry out against them, ‘Terror is all around!’
30 Flee! Run away quickly!
Go to a remote place to stay, residents of Hazor,”
declares the Lord.
“For King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has formed a plan
and devised a strategy against them.
31 “Arise, go up against a nation at ease, living securely,”
declares the Lord,
“without gates or bars, living alone.
32 Their camels will become booty,
their many herds will become spoil.
I’ll scatter to the winds
those who shave the corners of their beards,[r]
and I’ll bring disaster on them from every side,”
declares the Lord.
33 “Hazor will become a dwelling place for jackals,
a perpetual wasteland.
No one will live there;
no human being will reside in it.”
Prophecies against Elam
34 This is what came as a message from the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam at the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah:
35 This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says:
“Look, I’m going to break the bow of Elam,
the finest of their troops.
36 I’ll bring the four winds against Elam
from the four corners of the heavens,
and I’ll scatter them to all these winds.
There will be no nation to which the exiles
from Elam won’t go.
37 I’ll terrify Elam before their enemies
and before those who seek to kill them.
I’ll bring on them disaster and become fiercely angry at them,”
declares the Lord.
“I’ll send the sword after them,
until I’ve made an end of them.
38 I’ll put my throne in Elam,
and destroy the king and the officials there,”
declares the Lord.
39 “But in the latter days I’ll restore
the fortunes of Elam,”
declares the Lord.
Davidic
A Man of Integrity Pleads for Justice
26 Vindicate me, Lord,
because I have walked in integrity;
I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2 Examine me, Lord, and inspect me!
Test my heart and mind.[a]
3 For your gracious love precedes me,
and I continuously walk according to your truth.
4 I do not sit with those committed to what is false,
nor do I travel with hypocrites.
5 I hate the company of those who practice evil,
nor do I sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands innocently.
I go around your altar, Lord,
7 so I may praise you loudly with thanksgiving
and declare all your wondrous acts.
8 Lord, I love the dwelling place that is your house,
the place where your glory resides.
9 Do not group me[b] with sinners,
nor include me[c] with men who shed blood.
10 Their hands are filled with wicked schemes,
and their right hands with bribes.
11 But as for me,
I walk in my integrity.
Redeem me and be gracious to me!
12 My feet stand on level ground;
among the worshiping congregations
I will bless the Lord.
Davidic
Confidence in the Lord
27 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom will I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom will I be afraid?
2 When those who practice evil, my enemies, and my oppressors
come near me to devour my flesh,
they stumble and fall.
3 If an army encamps against me,
my heart will not fear.
If a war is launched against me,
I will even trust in that situation.
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I really seek:
that I may remain in the Lord’s Temple
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord;
and to inquire in his Temple.
5 For he will conceal me in his shelter on the day of evil;
He will hide me in a secluded chamber within his tent;
He will place me on a high rock.
6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies,
even those who surround me.
I will sacrifice in his tent with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melodies to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice, Lord, when I cry out!
Be gracious to me and answer me.
8 My mind recalls your word,[d]
“Seek my face,”
so your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me;
do not turn away in anger from your servant.
You have been my help,
therefore do not abandon or forsake me,
God of my salvation.
10 Though my father and my mother abandoned me,
the Lord gathers me up.
11 Teach me your way, Lord,
and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not hand me over to the desires of my enemies;
for false witnesses have risen up against me;
even the one who breathes out violence.
13 I believe that I will see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the Lord.
Be courageous, and he will strengthen your heart.
Wait on the Lord!
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