M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David and Jonathan Covenant
20 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and (A)said [a]to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?” 2 He said to him, “Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small [b]without disclosing it to me. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” 3 Yet David (B)vowed again, [c]saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.’ But truly (C)as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is [d]hardly a step between me and death.” 4 Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever [e]you say, I will do for you.” 5 So David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is (D)the new moon, and I ought (E)to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, (F)that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to (G)Bethlehem his city, because it is (H)the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’ 7 If he [f]says, ‘It is good,’ your servant will be safe; but if he is very angry, (I)know that he has decided on evil. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for (J)you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But (K)if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” 9 Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?” 10 Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me [g]if your father answers you harshly?” 11 Jonathan said to David, “Come, and let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out to the field.
12 Then Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send to you and [h]make it known to you? 13 If it please my father to do you harm, (L)may the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not [i]make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And (M)may the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord, that I may not die? 15 (N)You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” 16 So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “(O)May the Lord require it at the hands of David’s enemies.” 17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because (P)he loved him as he loved his own life.
18 Then Jonathan said to him, “(Q)Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. 19 When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. 21 And behold, I will send the lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the lad, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come; for there is safety for you and [j]no harm, as the Lord lives. 22 But if I [k]say to the youth, ‘(R)Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for the Lord has sent you away. 23 (S)As for the [l]agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, (T)the Lord is between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan rose up and Abner sat down by Saul’s side, but (U)David’s place was empty. 26 Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he thought, “It is an accident, (V)he is not clean, surely he is not clean.” 27 It came about the next day, the second day of the new moon, that David’s place was empty; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan then answered Saul, “(W)David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem, 29 for he said, ‘Please [m]let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. And now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
Saul Is Angry with Jonathan
30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? 31 For [n]as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for (X)he [o]must surely die.” 32 But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “(Y)Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” 33 Then (Z)Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; (AA)so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. 34 Then Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David because his father had dishonored him.
35 Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little lad was with him. 36 He said to his lad, “(AB)Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot.” As the lad was running, he shot [p]an arrow past him. 37 When the lad reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, “(AC)Is not the arrow beyond you?” 38 And Jonathan called after the lad, “Hurry, be quick, do not stay!” And Jonathan’s lad picked up the arrow and came to his master. 39 But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, “Go, bring them to the city.” 41 When the lad was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, and (AD)bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but (AE)David wept the more. 42 Jonathan said to David, “(AF)Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘(AG)The Lord will be between me and you, and between my [q]descendants and your [r]descendants forever.’” [s]Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.
Paul’s Reliance upon the Spirit
2 And when I came to you, brethren, I (A)did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you (B)the [a]testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except (C)Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in (D)weakness and in (E)fear and in much trembling, 4 and my [b]message and my preaching were (F)not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of (G)the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not [c]rest on the wisdom of men, but on (H)the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are (I)mature; a wisdom, however, not of (J)this age nor of the rulers of (K)this age, who are (L)passing away; 7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a (M)mystery, the hidden wisdom which God (N)predestined before the (O)ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom (P)which none of the rulers of (Q)this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified (R)the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written,
“(S)Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 [d](T)For to us God revealed them (U)through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the (V)depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the (W)spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we (X)have received, not the spirit of (Y)the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, 13 which things we also speak, (Z)not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, [e]combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But [f]a (AA)natural man (AB)does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are (AC)foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually [g]appraised. 15 But he who is (AD)spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. 16 For (AE)who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But (AF)we have the mind of Christ.
A Prayer for Mercy
5 Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us;
Look, and see our (A)reproach!
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to (B)strangers,
Our (C)houses to aliens.
3 We have become orphans (D)without a father,
Our mothers are like widows.
4 [a]We have to pay for our drinking (E)water,
Our wood comes to us at a price.
5 [b]Our pursuers are at our necks;
We are worn out, there is (F)no rest for us.
6 We have [c]submitted to (G)Egypt and Assyria [d]to get enough bread.
7 Our (H)fathers sinned, and are no more;
It is we who have borne their iniquities.
8 (I)Slaves rule over us;
There is (J)no one to deliver us from their hand.
9 We get our bread [e]at the (K)risk of our lives
[f]Because of the sword in the wilderness.
10 Our skin has become as (L)hot as an oven,
Because of [g]the burning heat of famine.
11 They ravished the (M)women in Zion,
The virgins in the cities of Judah.
12 Princes were hung by their hands;
[h](N)Elders were not respected.
13 Young men [i](O)worked at the grinding mill,
And youths (P)stumbled under loads of wood.
14 Elders [j]are gone from the gate,
Young men from their (Q)music.
15 The joy of our hearts has (R)ceased;
Our dancing has been turned into mourning.
16 The (S)crown has fallen from our head;
(T)Woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 Because of this our (U)heart is faint,
Because of these things our (V)eyes are dim;
18 Because of (W)Mount Zion which lies desolate,
(X)Foxes prowl in it.
19 (Y)You, O Lord, [k]rule forever;
Your (Z)throne is from generation to generation.
20 Why do You (AA)forget us forever?
Why do You forsake us [l]so long?
21 (AB)Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored;
Renew (AC)our days as of old,
22 Unless (AD)You have utterly rejected us
And are exceedingly (AE)angry with us.
Wickedness of Men and Lovingkindness of God.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord.
36 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within [a]his heart;
There is (A)no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For [b]it (B)flatters him in his own eyes
Concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it.
3 The (C)words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit;
He has (D)ceased to [c]be wise and to do good.
4 He (E)plans wickedness upon his bed;
He sets himself on a (F)path that is not good;
He (G)does not despise evil.
5 Your (H)lovingkindness, O Lord, [d]extends to the heavens,
Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
6 Your (I)righteousness is like the [e]mountains of God;
Your (J)judgments are like a great deep.
O Lord, You (K)preserve man and beast.
7 How (L)precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
And the children of men (M)take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They (N)drink their fill of the [f]abundance of Your house;
And You give them to drink of the (O)river of Your delights.
9 For with You is the (P)fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.