M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samuel Goes to Bethlehem
16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “(A)How long will you grieve over Saul, since (B)I have rejected him from being king over Israel? (C)Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to (D)Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have (E)selected a king for Myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “(F)Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and (G)I will show you what you shall do; and (H)you shall anoint for Me the one whom I [a]designate to you.” 4 So Samuel did what the Lord said, and came to (I)Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, “(J)Do you come in peace?” 5 He said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. (K)Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they entered, he looked at (L)Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for [b]God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, (M)but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called (N)Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Next Jesse made [c](O)Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “(P)There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and [d]bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
David Anointed
12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with (Q)beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “(R)Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and (S)anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and (T)the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
14 (U)Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and (V)an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. 15 Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that (W)he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 Then one of the young men said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, (X)a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and (Y)the Lord is with him.” 19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David who is with the flock.” 20 Jesse (Z)took a donkey loaded with bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent them to Saul by David his son. 21 Then David came to Saul and [e](AA)attended him; and [f]Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 So it came about whenever (AB)the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
Principles of Conscience
14 Now (A)accept the one who is (B)weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 (C)One person has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is (D)weak eats vegetables only. 3 The one who eats is not to (E)regard with contempt the one who does not eat, and the one who does not eat is not to (F)judge the one who eats, for God has (G)accepted him. 4 (H)Who are you to judge the [a]servant of another? To his own [b]master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
5 (I)One person [c]regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be (J)fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, [d]does so for the Lord, for he (K)gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God. 7 For not one of us (L)lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; 8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore (M)whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end (N)Christ died and lived again, that He might be (O)Lord both of the dead and of the living.
10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you (P)regard your brother with contempt? For (Q)we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,
“(R)As I live, says the Lord, (S)every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall [e]give praise to God.”
12 So then (T)each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore let us not (U)judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—(V)not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way. 14 I know and am convinced [f]in the Lord Jesus that (W)nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who (X)thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean. 15 For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer (Y)walking according to love. (Z)Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore (AA)do not let what is for you a good thing be [g]spoken of as evil; 17 for the kingdom of God (AB)is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and (AC)peace and (AD)joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who in this way (AE)serves Christ is (AF)acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 So then [h]we (AG)pursue the things which make for peace and the (AH)building up of one another. 20 (AI)Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. (AJ)All things indeed are clean, but (AK)they are evil for the man who eats [i]and gives offense. 21 (AL)It is good not to eat meat or to drink wine, or to do anything by which your brother stumbles. 22 The faith which you have, have [j]as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who (AM)does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But (AN)he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.
The Sorrows of Zion
1 How (A)lonely sits the city
That was (B)full of people!
She has become like a (C)widow
Who was once (D)great among the nations!
She who was a princess among the [a]provinces
Has become a (E)forced laborer!
2 She (F)weeps bitterly in the night
And her tears are on her cheeks;
She has none to comfort her
Among all her (G)lovers.
All her friends have (H)dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
3 (I)Judah has gone into exile [b]under affliction
And [c]under [d]harsh servitude;
She dwells (J)among the nations,
But she has found no rest;
All (K)her pursuers have overtaken her
In the midst of [e]distress.
4 The roads [f]of Zion are in mourning
Because (L)no one comes to the appointed feasts.
All her gates are (M)desolate;
Her priests are groaning,
Her (N)virgins are afflicted,
And she herself [g]is (O)bitter.
5 Her adversaries have become [h]her masters,
Her enemies [i]prosper;
For the Lord has (P)caused her grief
Because of the multitude of her transgressions;
Her little ones have gone away
As captives before the adversary.
6 All her (Q)majesty
Has departed from the daughter of Zion;
Her princes have become like deer
That have found no pasture;
And they have [j](R)fled without strength
Before the pursuer.
7 In the days of her affliction and homelessness
(S)Jerusalem remembers all her precious things
That were from the days of old,
When her people fell into the hand of the adversary
And (T)no one helped her.
The adversaries saw her,
They (U)mocked at her [k]ruin.
8 Jerusalem sinned (V)greatly,
Therefore (W)she has become an unclean thing.
All who honored her despise her
Because they have seen her nakedness;
Even (X)she herself groans and turns away.
9 Her (Y)uncleanness was in her skirts;
She [l]did not consider her (Z)future.
Therefore she has [m](AA)fallen astonishingly;
(AB)She has no comforter.
“(AC)See, O Lord, my affliction,
For the enemy has (AD)magnified himself!”
10 The adversary has stretched out his hand
Over all her precious things,
For she has seen the (AE)nations enter her sanctuary,
The ones whom You commanded
That they should (AF)not enter into Your congregation.
11 All her people groan (AG)seeking bread;
They have given their precious things for food
To (AH)restore their [n]lives themselves.
“See, O Lord, and look,
For I am (AI)despised.”
12 “Is (AJ)it nothing to all you who pass this way?
Look and see if there is any [o]pain like my [p]pain
Which was severely dealt out to me,
Which the (AK)Lord inflicted on the day of His (AL)fierce anger.
13 “From on high He sent fire into my (AM)bones,
And it [q]prevailed over them.
He has spread a (AN)net for my feet;
He has turned me back;
He has made me (AO)desolate,
[r]Faint all day long.
14 “The (AP)yoke of my transgressions is bound;
By His hand they are knit together.
They have (AQ)come upon my neck;
He has made my strength [s]fail.
The Lord (AR)has given me into the hands
Of those against whom I am not able to stand.
15 “The (AS)Lord has rejected all my strong men
In my midst;
He has called an appointed [t]time against me
To crush my (AT)young men;
The Lord has (AU)trodden as in a wine press
The virgin daughter of Judah.
16 “For these things I (AV)weep;
[u]My eyes run down with water;
Because far from me is a (AW)comforter,
One who restores my soul.
My children are desolate
Because the enemy has prevailed.”
17 Zion (AX)stretches out her hands;
There is no one to comfort her;
The Lord has (AY)commanded concerning Jacob
That the ones round about him should be his adversaries;
(AZ)Jerusalem has become an unclean thing among them.
18 “The Lord is (BA)righteous;
For I have (BB)rebelled against His [v]command;
Hear now, all peoples,
And (BC)behold my [w]pain;
(BD)My virgins and my young men
Have gone into captivity.
19 “I (BE)called to my lovers, but they deceived me;
My (BF)priests and my elders perished in the city
While they sought food to (BG)restore [x]their strength themselves.
20 “See, O Lord, for I am in distress;
My [y](BH)spirit is greatly troubled;
My heart is overturned within me,
For I have been very (BI)rebellious.
In the street the sword [z]slays;
In the house it is like death.
21 “They have heard that I (BJ)groan;
There is no one to comfort me;
All my enemies have heard of my [aa]calamity;
They are (BK)glad that You have done it.
Oh, that You would bring the day which You have proclaimed,
That they may become (BL)like me.
22 “Let all their wickedness come before You;
And (BM)deal with them as You have dealt with me
For all my transgressions;
For my groans are many and my heart is faint.”
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 (A)How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord (B)does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is (C)no deceit!
3 When (D)I kept silent about my sin, (E)my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c](F)groaning all day long.
4 For day and night (G)Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d](H)vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I (I)acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I (J)did not hide;
I said, “(K)I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You (L)forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g](M)in a time when You may be found;
Surely (N)in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are (O)my hiding place; You (P)preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h](Q)songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will (R)instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you (S)with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be (T)as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the (U)sorrows of the wicked,
But (V)he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be (W)glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are (X)upright in heart.
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