M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
War with the Philistines
13 Saul was [a]thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned [b]forty two years over Israel.
2 Now Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in (A)Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan at (B)Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent. 3 Jonathan smote (C)the garrison of the Philistines that was in (D)Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul (E)blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear.” 4 All Israel heard [c]the news that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel (F)had become odious to the Philistines. The people were then summoned [d]to Saul at Gilgal.
5 Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and (G)people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of (H)Beth-aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then (I)the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. 7 Also some of the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of (J)Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
8 Now (K)he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 9 So Saul said, “Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.” And (L)he offered the burnt offering. 10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and (M)Saul went out to meet him and to [e]greet him. 11 But Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that (N)the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 12 therefore I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering.” 13 Samuel said to Saul, “(O)You have acted foolishly; (P)you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom [f]over Israel (Q)forever. 14 But (R)now your kingdom shall not endure. (S)The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to (T)Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul [g]numbered the people who were present with him, (U)about six hundred men. 16 Now Saul and his son Jonathan and the people who were present with them were staying in (V)Geba of Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash. 17 And (W)the [h]raiders came from the camp of the Philistines in three [i]companies: one [j]company turned [k]toward (X)Ophrah, to the land of Shual, 18 and another [l]company turned [m]toward (Y)Beth-horon, and another [n]company turned [o]toward the border which overlooks the valley of (Z)Zeboim toward the wilderness.
19 Now (AA)no blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make [p](AB)swords or spears.” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his hoe. 21 The charge was [q]two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to fix the hoes. 22 So it came about on the day of battle that (AC)neither sword nor spear was found in the hands of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan, but they were found with Saul and his son Jonathan. 23 And (AD)the garrison of the Philistines went out to (AE)the pass of Michmash.
Israel Is Not Cast Away
11 I say then, God has not (A)rejected His people, has He? (B)May it never be! For (C)I too am an Israelite, [a]a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God (D)has not rejected His people whom He (E)foreknew. (F)Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 “Lord, (G)they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what [b]is the divine response to him? “(H)I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time (I)a remnant according to God’s [c]gracious choice. 6 But (J)if it is by grace, it is no longer [d]on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
7 What then? What (K)Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but [e]those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were (L)hardened; 8 just as it is written,
“(M)God gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“(N)Let their table become a snare and a trap,
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 “(O)Let their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.”
11 (P)I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? (Q)May it never be! But by their transgression (R)salvation has come to the Gentiles, to (S)make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their [f](T)fulfillment be! 13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as (U)I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might (V)move to jealousy (W)my [g]fellow countrymen and (X)save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the (Y)reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but (Z)life from the dead? 16 If the (AA)first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too.
17 But if some of the (AB)branches were broken off, and (AC)you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the [h]rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that (AD)it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 (AE)You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you (AF)stand by your faith. (AG)Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s (AH)kindness, (AI)if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also (AJ)will be cut off. 23 And they also, (AK)if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For (AL)I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this (AM)mystery—so that you will not be (AN)wise in your own estimation—that a partial (AO)hardening has happened to Israel until the (AP)fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,
“(AQ)The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “(AR)This is [i]My covenant with them,
(AS)When I take away their sins.”
28 [j]From the standpoint of the gospel they are (AT)enemies for your sake, but [k]from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for (AU)the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the (AV)calling of God (AW)are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For (AX)God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of (AY)the riches [l]both of the (AZ)wisdom and knowledge of God! (BA)How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For (BB)who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or (BC)who has first given to Him [m]that it might be paid back to him again? 36 For (BD)from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. (BE)To Him be the glory [n]forever. Amen.
Prophecy against Babylon
50 The word which the Lord spoke concerning (A)Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, through Jeremiah the prophet:
2 “(B)Declare and proclaim among the nations.
Proclaim it and (C)lift up a standard.
Do not conceal it but say,
‘(D)Babylon has been captured,
(E)Bel has been put to shame, [a]Marduk has been [b]shattered;
Her (F)images have been put to shame, her idols have been shattered.’
3 For a nation has come up against her out of the (G)north; it will make her land (H)an object of horror, and there will be (I)no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away!
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah (J)as well; they will go along (K)weeping as they go, and it will be (L)the Lord their God they will seek. 5 They will (M)ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces [c]in its direction; [d]they [e]will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an (N)everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.
6 “My people have become (O)lost sheep;
(P)Their shepherds have led them astray.
They have made them turn aside on the (Q)mountains;
They have gone along from mountain to hill
And have forgotten their (R)resting place.
7 “All who came upon them have devoured them;
And their adversaries have said, ‘(S)We are not guilty,
Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord who is the (T)habitation of righteousness,
Even the Lord, the (U)hope of their fathers.’
8 “Wander away from the (V)midst of Babylon
And [f]go forth from the land of the Chaldeans;
Be also like male goats [g]at the head of the flock.
9 “For behold, I am going to (W)arouse and bring up against Babylon
A horde of great nations from the land of the north,
And they will draw up their battle lines against her;
From there she will be taken captive.
Their arrows will be like [h]an expert warrior
Who does not return empty-handed.
10 “[i](X)Chaldea will become plunder;
All who plunder her will have enough,” declares the Lord.
11 “Because you are glad, because you are jubilant,
O you who (Y)pillage My heritage,
Because you skip about [j]like a threshing (Z)heifer
And neigh like [k]stallions,
12 Your (AA)mother [l]will be greatly ashamed,
She who gave you birth [m]will be humiliated.
Behold, she will be the least of the nations,
A (AB)wilderness, a parched land and a desert.
13 “Because of the indignation of the Lord she will (AC)not be inhabited,
But she will be (AD)completely desolate;
Everyone who passes by Babylon (AE)will be horrified
And will hiss because of all her wounds.
14 “Draw up your battle lines against Babylon on every side,
All you who [n]bend the bow;
Shoot at her, do not be sparing with your arrows,
For she has (AF)sinned against the Lord.
15 “Raise your battle cry against her on every side!
She has (AG)given [o]herself up, her pillars have fallen,
Her (AH)walls have been torn down.
For this is the (AI)vengeance of the Lord:
Take vengeance on her;
(AJ)As she has done to others, so do to her.
16 “Cut off the (AK)sower from Babylon
And the one who wields the sickle at the time of harvest;
From before [p]the (AL)sword of the oppressor
(AM)They will each turn back to his own people
And they will each flee to his own land.
17 “Israel is a (AN)scattered [q]flock, the (AO)lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the (AP)king of Assyria, and this last one who has broken his bones is (AQ)Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 18 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I (AR)punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will (AS)bring Israel back to his pasture and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan, and his [r]desire will be satisfied in the (AT)hill country of Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days and at that time,’ declares the Lord, ‘search will be made for the iniquity of Israel, but (AU)there will be none; and for the sins of Judah, but they will not be found; for I will pardon those (AV)whom I leave as a remnant.’
21 “Against the land of [s]Merathaim, go up against it,
And against the inhabitants of [t](AW)Pekod.
Slay and [u]utterly destroy them,” declares the Lord,
“And do according to all that I have commanded you.
22 “The (AX)noise of battle is in the land,
And great destruction.
23 “How the (AY)hammer of the whole earth
Has been cut off and broken!
How Babylon has become
An object of horror among the nations!
24 “I (AZ)set a snare for you and you were also (BA)caught, O Babylon,
While you yourself were not aware;
You have been found and also seized
Because you have engaged in (BB)conflict with the Lord.”
25 The Lord has opened His armory
And has brought forth the (BC)weapons of His indignation,
For it is a (BD)work of the Lord [v]God of hosts
In the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Come to her from the [w]farthest border;
(BE)Open up her barns,
Pile her up like heaps
And [x](BF)utterly destroy her,
Let nothing be left to her.
27 (BG)Put all her young bulls to the sword;
Let them (BH)go down to the slaughter!
Woe be upon them, for their (BI)day has come,
The time of their punishment.
28 There is a (BJ)sound of fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon,
To declare in Zion the (BK)vengeance of the Lord our God,
Vengeance for His (BL)temple.
29 “Summon [y]many against Babylon,
All those who [z]bend the bow:
Encamp against her on every side,
Let there be no escape[aa].
Repay her according to her work;
(BM)According to all that she has done, so do to her;
For she has become (BN)arrogant against the Lord,
Against the Holy One of Israel.
30 “Therefore her (BO)young men will fall in her streets,
And all her men of war will be [ab](BP)silenced in that day,” declares the Lord.
31 “Behold, (BQ)I am against you, O [ac]arrogant one,”
Declares the Lord [ad]God of hosts,
“For your day has come,
The time [ae]when I will punish you.
32 “The [af](BR)arrogant one will stumble and fall
With no one to raise him up;
And I will (BS)set fire to his cities
And it will devour all his environs.”
33 Thus says the Lord of hosts,
“The sons of Israel are oppressed,
And the sons of Judah as well;
And (BT)all who took them captive have held them fast,
They have refused to let them go.
34 “Their (BU)Redeemer is strong, (BV)the Lord of hosts is His name;
He will vigorously (BW)plead their case
So that He may (BX)bring rest to [ag]the earth,
But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 “A (BY)sword against the Chaldeans,” declares the Lord,
“And against the inhabitants of Babylon
And against her (BZ)officials and her (CA)wise men!
36 “A sword against the (CB)oracle priests, and they will become fools!
A sword against her (CC)mighty men, and they will be [ah](CD)shattered!
37 “A sword against [ai]their (CE)horses and against [aj]their chariots
And against all the [ak](CF)foreigners who are in the midst of her,
And they will become (CG)women!
A sword against her treasures, and they will be plundered!
38 “A [al](CH)drought on her waters, and they will be dried up!
For it is a land of (CI)idols,
And they are mad over fearsome idols.
39 “Therefore the (CJ)desert creatures will live there along with the jackals;
The ostriches also will live in it,
And it will (CK)never again be inhabited
Or dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 “As when God overthrew (CL)Sodom
And Gomorrah with its neighbors,” declares the Lord,
“No man will live there,
Nor will any son of man reside in it.
41 “Behold, a people is coming (CM)from the north,
And a great nation and many kings
Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.
42 “They (CN)seize their bow and javelin;
They are (CO)cruel and have no mercy.
Their (CP)voice roars like the sea;
And they ride on (CQ)horses,
(CR)Marshalled like a man for the battle
Against you, O daughter of Babylon.
43 “The (CS)king of Babylon has heard the report about them,
And his hands hang limp;
(CT)Distress has gripped him,
Agony like a woman in childbirth.
44 “(CU)Behold, one will come up like a lion from the [am]thicket of the Jordan to [an]a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is (CV)chosen I will appoint over it. For who is (CW)like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can (CX)stand before Me?” 45 Therefore hear the (CY)plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: (CZ)surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their [ao]pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the [ap]shout, “Babylon has been seized!” the (DA)earth is shaken, and an (DB)outcry is heard among the nations.
A Prayer for Help, and Praise for Its Answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 To You, O Lord, I call;
My (A)rock, do not be deaf to me,
For if You (B)are silent to me,
I will become like those who (C)go down to the pit.
2 Hear the (D)voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help,
When I (E)lift up my hands (F)toward [a]Your holy (G)sanctuary.
3 (H)Do not drag me away with the wicked
And with those who work iniquity,
Who (I)speak peace with their neighbors,
While evil is in their hearts.
4 Requite them (J)according to their work and according to the evil of their practices;
Requite them according to the deeds of their hands;
Repay them their [b]recompense.
5 Because they (K)do not regard the works of the Lord
Nor the deeds of His hands,
He will tear them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord,
Because He (L)has heard the voice of my supplication.
7 The Lord is my (M)strength and my (N)shield;
My heart (O)trusts in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore (P)my heart exults,
And with (Q)my song I shall thank Him.
8 The Lord is [c]their (R)strength,
And He is a [d](S)saving defense to His anointed.
9 (T)Save Your people and bless (U)Your inheritance;
Be their (V)shepherd also, and (W)carry them forever.
The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.
A Psalm of David.
29 (X)Ascribe to the Lord, O [e]sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory [f]due to His name;
Worship the Lord (Y)in [g]holy array.
3 The (Z)voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The God of glory (AA)thunders,
The Lord is over [h](AB)many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is (AC)powerful,
The voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
Yes, the Lord breaks in pieces (AD)the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon (AE)skip like a calf,
And (AF)Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord hews out [i]flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord [j]shakes the wilderness;
The Lord shakes the wilderness of (AG)Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes (AH)the deer to calve
And strips the forests bare;
And (AI)in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
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