M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Goliath’s Challenge
17 Now (A)the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between (B)Socoh and (C)Azekah, in (D)Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in (E)the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them. 4 Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named (F)Goliath, from (G)Gath, whose height was six [a]cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor [b]which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He also had bronze [c]greaves on his legs and a (H)bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. 7 (I)The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear weighed six hundred shekels of iron; (J)his shield-carrier also walked before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel and said to them, “Why do you come out to draw up in battle array? Am I not the Philistine and you (K)servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 9 (L)If he is able to fight with me and [d]kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail against him and [e]kill him, then you shall become our servants and serve us.” 10 Again the Philistine said, “(M)I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
12 Now David was (N)the son of [f]the (O)Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and (P)he had eight sons. And [g]Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men. 13 The three older sons of Jesse had [h]gone after Saul to the battle. And (Q)the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 (R)David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, 15 (S)but David went back and forth from Saul (T)to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem. 16 The Philistine came [i]forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.
17 Then Jesse said to David his son, “(U)Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. 18 (V)Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, (W)and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back [j]news of them. 19 For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.”
David Accepts the Challenge
20 So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the (X)circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army. 22 Then David left his (Y)baggage in the [k]care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke (Z)these same words; and David heard them.
24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. 25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and (AA)will give him his daughter and make his father’s house [l]free in Israel.”
26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away (AB)the reproach from Israel? For who is this (AC)uncircumcised Philistine, that he should (AD)taunt the armies of (AE)the living God?” 27 The people [m]answered him in accord with this word, saying, “(AF)Thus it will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and (AG)Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” 29 But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a [n]question?” 30 Then he turned [o]away from him to another and (AH)said the same thing; and the people answered the same thing as [p]before.
David Kills Goliath
31 When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them [q]to Saul, and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “(AI)Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; (AJ)your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 Then Saul said to David, “(AK)You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went out after him and [r]attacked him, and (AL)rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and [s]struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has [t]killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “(AM)The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “(AN)Go, and may the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor. 39 David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them [u]off. 40 He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and (AO)his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.
41 Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, (AP)he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and (AQ)ruddy, with a handsome appearance. 43 The Philistine said to David, “(AR)Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And (AS)the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh (AT)to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, (AU)but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the (AV)dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, (AW)that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that (AX)the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; (AY)for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”
48 Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that (AZ)David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and (BA)took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. (BB)When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines [v]as far as the valley, and to the gates of (BC)Ekron. And the slain Philistines [w]lay along the way to (BD)Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. 53 The sons of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps. 54 Then David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.
55 Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is (BE)this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” 56 The king said, “You inquire whose son the youth is.” 57 So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and (BF)brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “(BG)I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Self-denial on Behalf of Others
15 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of (A)those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to (B)please his neighbor [a]for his good, to his (C)edification. 3 For even (D)Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “(E)The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For (F)whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the (G)God [b]who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you (H)to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one [c]voice glorify (I)the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore, (J)accept one another, just as Christ also accepted [d]us to the glory of God. 8 For I say that Christ has become a servant to (K)the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm (L)the promises given to the fathers, 9 and for (M)the Gentiles to (N)glorify God for His mercy; as it is written,
10 Again he says,
“(P)Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.”
11 And again,
“(Q)Praise the Lord all you Gentiles,
And let all the peoples praise Him.”
12 Again Isaiah says,
“(R)There shall come (S)the root of Jesse,
And He who arises to rule over the Gentiles,
(T)In Him shall the Gentiles hope.”
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all (U)joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope (V)by the power of the Holy Spirit.
14 And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of (W)goodness, filled with (X)all knowledge and able also to admonish one another. 15 But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again, because of (Y)the grace that was given me [f]from God, 16 to be (Z)a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the (AA)gospel of God, so that my (AB)offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found (AC)reason for boasting in (AD)things pertaining to God. 18 For I will not presume to speak of anything [g]except what (AE)Christ has accomplished through me, [h]resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of [i](AF)signs and wonders, (AG)in the power of the Spirit; so that (AH)from Jerusalem and round about as (AI)far as Illyricum I have [j]fully preached the gospel of Christ. 20 And thus I aspired to (AJ)preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, (AK)so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; 21 but as it is written,
“(AL)They who had no news of Him shall see,
And they who have not heard shall understand.”
22 For this reason (AM)I have often been prevented from coming to you; 23 but now, with no further place for me in these regions, and since I (AN)have had for many years a longing to come to you 24 whenever I (AO)go to Spain—for I hope to see you in passing, and to be (AP)helped on my way there by you, when I have first (AQ)enjoyed your company [k]for a while— 25 but now, (AR)I am going to Jerusalem (AS)serving the [l]saints. 26 For (AT)Macedonia and (AU)Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the [m]saints in Jerusalem. 27 Yes, they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For (AV)if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they are indebted to minister to them also in material things. 28 Therefore, when I have finished this, and (AW)have [n]put my seal on this fruit of theirs, I will (AX)go on by way of you to Spain. 29 I know that when (AY)I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ.
30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by (AZ)the love of the Spirit, to (BA)strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be (BB)rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my (BC)service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the [o](BD)saints; 32 so that (BE)I may come to you in joy by (BF)the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 33 Now (BG)the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
God’s Anger over Israel
2 How the Lord has (A)covered the daughter of Zion
With a cloud in His anger!
He has (B)cast from heaven to earth
The (C)glory of Israel,
And has not remembered His (D)footstool
In the day of His anger.
2 The Lord has (E)swallowed up; He has not spared
All the habitations of Jacob.
In His wrath He has (F)thrown down
The strongholds of the daughter of Judah;
He has (G)brought them down to the ground;
He has (H)profaned the kingdom and its princes.
3 In fierce anger He has cut off
[a]All the (I)strength of Israel;
He has (J)drawn back His right hand
From before the enemy.
And He has (K)burned in Jacob like a flaming fire
Consuming round about.
4 He has bent His (L)bow like an enemy;
He has set His right hand like an adversary
And slain all that were (M)pleasant to the eye;
In the tent of the daughter of Zion
He has (N)poured out His wrath like fire.
5 The Lord has become like an (O)enemy.
He has (P)swallowed up Israel;
He has swallowed up all its (Q)palaces,
He has destroyed its strongholds
And (R)multiplied in the daughter of Judah
Mourning and moaning.
6 And He has violently treated His [b]tabernacle like a garden booth;
He has (S)destroyed His appointed [c]meeting place.
The Lord has (T)caused to be forgotten
The appointed feast and sabbath in Zion,
And He has (U)despised king and priest
In the indignation of His anger.
7 The Lord has (V)rejected His altar,
He has abandoned His sanctuary;
He (W)has delivered into the hand of the enemy
The walls of her palaces.
They have made a (X)noise in the house of the Lord
As in the day of an appointed feast.
8 The Lord [d]determined to destroy
The wall of the daughter of Zion.
He has (Y)stretched out a line,
He has not restrained His hand from [e]destroying,
And He has (Z)caused rampart and wall to lament;
They have languished together.
9 Her (AA)gates have sunk into the ground,
He has destroyed and broken her bars.
Her king and her princes are among the nations;
The (AB)law is no more.
Also, her prophets find
(AC)No vision from the Lord.
10 The elders of the daughter of Zion
(AD)Sit on the ground, they (AE)are silent.
They have thrown (AF)dust on their heads;
They have girded themselves with (AG)sackcloth.
The (AH)virgins of Jerusalem
Have bowed their heads to the ground.
11 My (AI)eyes fail because of tears,
My [f](AJ)spirit is greatly troubled;
My [g](AK)heart is poured out on the earth
(AL)Because of the [h]destruction of the daughter of my people,
When (AM)little ones and infants faint
In the streets of the city.
12 They say to their mothers,
“(AN)Where is grain and wine?”
As they faint like a wounded man
In the streets of the city,
As their (AO)life is poured out
On their mothers’ bosom.
13 How shall I admonish you?
To what (AP)shall I compare you,
O daughter of Jerusalem?
To what shall I liken you as I comfort you,
O (AQ)virgin daughter of Zion?
For your [i]ruin is as vast as the sea;
Who can (AR)heal you?
14 Your (AS)prophets have seen for you
False and foolish visions;
And they have not (AT)exposed your iniquity
So as to restore you from captivity,
But they have (AU)seen for you false and misleading [j]oracles.
15 All who pass along the way
(AV)Clap their hands in derision at you;
They (AW)hiss and shake their heads
At the daughter of Jerusalem,
“Is this the city of which they said,
‘(AX)The perfection of beauty,
(AY)A joy to all the earth’?”
16 All (AZ)your enemies
Have opened their mouths wide against you;
They hiss and (BA)gnash their teeth.
They say, “We have (BB)swallowed her up!
Surely this is the (BC)day for which we waited;
We have reached it, we have seen it.”
17 The Lord has (BD)done what He purposed;
He has accomplished His word
Which He commanded from days of old.
He has thrown down (BE)without sparing,
And He has caused the enemy to (BF)rejoice over you;
He has (BG)exalted the [k]might of your adversaries.
18 Their (BH)heart cried out to the Lord,
“O (BI)wall of the daughter of Zion,
Let your (BJ)tears run down like a river day and night;
Give yourself no relief,
Let [l]your eyes have no rest.
19 “Arise, cry aloud in the (BK)night
At the beginning of the night watches;
(BL)Pour out your heart like water
Before the presence of the Lord;
Lift up your hands to Him
For the (BM)life of your little ones
Who are (BN)faint because of hunger
At the head of every street.”
20 See, O Lord, and look!
With (BO)whom have You dealt thus?
Should women (BP)eat their [m]offspring,
The little ones who were [n]born healthy?
Should (BQ)priest and prophet be slain
In the sanctuary of the Lord?
21 On the ground in the streets
Lie (BR)young and old;
My (BS)virgins and my young men
Have fallen by the sword.
You have slain them in the day of Your anger,
You have slaughtered, (BT)not sparing.
22 You called as in the day of an appointed feast
My (BU)terrors on every side;
And there was (BV)no one who escaped or survived
In the day of the Lord’s anger.
Those (BW)whom I [o]bore and reared,
My enemy annihilated them.
Praise to the Creator and Preserver.
33 (A)Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones;
Praise is (B)becoming to the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the (C)lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a (D)harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to Him a (E)new song;
Play skillfully with (F)a shout of joy.
4 For the word of the Lord (G)is upright,
And all His work is done (H)in faithfulness.
5 He (I)loves righteousness and justice;
The (J)earth is full of the lovingkindness of the Lord.
6 By the (K)word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And (L)by the breath of His mouth (M)all their host.
7 He gathers the (N)waters of the sea together [a]as a heap;
He lays up the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let (O)all the earth fear the Lord;
Let all the inhabitants of the world (P)stand in awe of Him.
9 For (Q)He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it [b]stood fast.
10 The Lord (R)nullifies the counsel of the nations;
He frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The (S)counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The (T)plans of His heart from generation to generation.
12 Blessed is the (U)nation whose God is the Lord,
The people whom He has (V)chosen for His own inheritance.
13 The Lord (W)looks from heaven;
He (X)sees all the sons of men;
14 From (Y)His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who (Z)fashions [c]the hearts of them all,
He who (AA)understands all their works.
16 (AB)The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A (AC)horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
18 Behold, (AD)the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who [d](AE)hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To (AF)deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive (AG)in famine.
20 Our soul (AH)waits for the Lord;
He is our (AI)help and our shield.
21 For our (AJ)heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have [e]hoped in You.
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