M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Made King over Judah
2 Then it came about afterwards that (A)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “(B)To Hebron.” 2 So David went up there, and (C)his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the [a]widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And (D)David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came and there (E)anointed David king over the house of Judah.
And they told David, saying, “It was (F)the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” 5 David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “(G)May you be blessed of the Lord because you have [b]shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. 6 Now (H)may the Lord [c]show lovingkindness and truth to you; and I also will [d]show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore, let your hands be strong and be [e]valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel
8 But (I)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken [f]Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to (J)Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over (K)Gilead, over the (L)Ashurites, over (M)Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. 10 Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. 11 (N)The [g]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
Civil War
12 Now Abner the son of Ner, went out from Mahanaim to (O)Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. 13 And (P)Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met [h]them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, [i]one on the one side of the pool and [j]the other on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Now let the young men arise and [k](Q)hold a contest before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” 15 So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 Each one of them seized his [l]opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his [m]opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called [n]Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. 17 That day the battle was very severe, and (R)Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
18 Now (S)the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was (T)as [o]swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field. 19 Asahel pursued Abner and did not [p]turn to the right or to the left from following Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” 21 So Abner said to him, “[q]Turn to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his spoil.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. 22 Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn [r]aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? (U)How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” 23 However, he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it came about that all who came to the place where (V)Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and when the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is in front of Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one band, and they stood on the top of a certain hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you [s]refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?” 27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have gone away in the morning, each from following his brother.” 28 So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people halted and pursued Israel no longer, (W)nor did they continue to fight anymore. 29 Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to (X)Mahanaim.
30 Then Joab returned from following Abner; when he had gathered all the people together, [t]nineteen of David’s servants besides Asahel were missing. 31 But the servants of David had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner’s men, so that three hundred and sixty men died. 32 And they took up Asahel and buried him (Y)in his father’s tomb which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men went all night until the day [u]dawned at Hebron.
The Excellence of Love
13 If I speak with the (A)tongues of men and of (B)angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a (C)clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of (D)prophecy, and know all (E)mysteries and all (F)knowledge; and if I have (G)all faith, so as to (H)remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I (I)give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I (J)surrender my body [a]to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.
4 Love (K)is patient, love is kind and (L)is not jealous; love does not brag and is not (M)arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it (N)does not seek its own, is not provoked, (O)does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 (P)does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but (Q)rejoices with the truth; 7 [b](R)bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of [c](S)prophecy, they will be done away; if there are (T)tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we (U)know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I [d]became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we (V)see in a mirror [e]dimly, but then (W)face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also (X)have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the [f]greatest of these is (Y)love.
Evil Rulers to Be Judged
11 Moreover, the (A)Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the east gate of the Lord’s house which faced eastward. And behold, there were twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, and among them I saw Jaazaniah son of Azzur and (B)Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people. 2 He said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and (C)give evil advice in this city, 3 who say, ‘The time is not near to build houses. [a]This (D)city is the pot and we are the flesh.’ 4 Therefore, (E)prophesy against them, son of man, prophesy!”
5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and He said to me, “Say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “So you think, house of Israel, for (F)I know [b]your (G)thoughts. 6 You have (H)multiplied your slain in this city, filling its streets with [c]them.” 7 Therefore, thus says the Lord [d]God, “Your (I)slain whom you have laid in the midst of [e]the city are the flesh and this city is the pot; but [f]I will (J)bring you out of it. 8 You have (K)feared a sword; so I will (L)bring a sword upon you,” the Lord God declares. 9 “And I will bring you out of the midst of [g]the city and deliver you into the hands of (M)strangers and (N)execute judgments against you. 10 You will (O)fall by the sword. I will judge you to the (P)border of Israel; so you shall know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will (Q)not be a pot for you, nor will you be flesh in the midst of it, but I will judge you to the border of Israel. 12 Thus you will know that I am the Lord; for you have not walked in My statutes nor have you (R)executed My ordinances, but have acted according to the ordinances of the (S)nations around you.”’”
13 Now it came about as I prophesied, that (T)Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I fell on my face and cried out with a loud voice and said, “(U)Alas, Lord God! Will You bring the remnant of Israel to a complete end?”
Promise of Restoration
14 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers, your [h]relatives, [i]your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the Lord; this land has been given (V)us as a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a (W)sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “I will (X)gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 When they come there, they will (Y)remove all its (Z)detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 And I will (AA)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within [j]them. And I will take the (AB)heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a (AC)heart of flesh, 20 that they may (AD)walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be (AE)My people, and I shall be their God. 21 [k]But as for those whose hearts go after their (AF)detestable things and abominations, I will (AG)bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim (AH)lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and (AI)the glory of the God of Israel [l]hovered over them. 23 The (AJ)glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and (AK)stood over the mountain which is east of the city. 24 And the (AL)Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles [m]in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen [n](AM)left me. 25 Then I (AN)told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.
God the Judge of the Righteous and the Wicked.
A Psalm of [a]Asaph.
50 (A)The Mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth (B)from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, (C)the perfection of beauty,
God (D)has shone forth.
3 May our God (E)come and not keep silence;
(F)Fire devours before Him,
And it is very (G)tempestuous around Him.
4 He (H)summons the heavens above,
And the earth, to judge His people:
5 “Gather My (I)godly ones to Me,
Those who have made a (J)covenant with Me by (K)sacrifice.”
6 And the (L)heavens declare His righteousness,
For (M)God Himself is judge. [b]Selah.
7 “(N)Hear, O My people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify [c]against you;
I am God, (O)your God.
8 “I do (P)not reprove you for your sacrifices,
And your burnt offerings are continually before Me.
9 “I shall take no (Q)young bull out of your house
Nor male goats out of your folds.
10 “For (R)every beast of the forest is Mine,
The cattle on a thousand hills.
11 “I know every (S)bird of the mountains,
And everything that moves in the field is [d]Mine.
12 “If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the (T)world is Mine, and [e]all it contains.
13 “Shall I eat the flesh of [f](U)bulls
Or drink the blood of male goats?
14 “Offer to God (V)a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And (W)pay your vows to the Most High;
15 (X)Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I shall (Y)rescue you, and you will (Z)honor Me.”
16 But to the wicked God says,
“What right have you to tell of My statutes
And to take (AA)My covenant in your mouth?
17 “For you (AB)hate discipline,
And you (AC)cast My words behind you.
18 “When you see a thief, you [g](AD)are pleased with him,
And [h]you (AE)associate with adulterers.
19 “You [i](AF)let your mouth loose in evil
And your (AG)tongue frames deceit.
20 “You sit and (AH)speak against your brother;
You slander your own mother’s son.
21 “These things you have done and (AI)I kept silence;
You thought that I was just like you;
I will (AJ)reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.