M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

10 And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. ² And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me. So David sent by his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. ³ But the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, in that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David sent his servants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? ⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

⁶ And when the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men. ⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. ⁸ And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate: and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.

⁹ Now when Joab saw that ^[a]the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: ¹⁰ and the rest of the people he committed into the hand of ^[b]Abishai his brother; and he put them in array against the children of Ammon. ¹¹ And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. ¹² Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that which seemeth him good. ¹³ So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him. ¹⁴ And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶ And ^[c]Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the River: and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head. ¹⁷ And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. ¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, so that he died there. ¹⁹ And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

3 Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need we, as do some, epistles of commendation to you or from you? ² Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; ³ being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. ⁴ And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward: ⁵ not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; ⁶ who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. ⁷ But if the ministration of death, ^[a]written, and engraven on stones, came ^[b]with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory ^[c]was passing away: ⁸ how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory? ^9 [d]For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. ¹⁰ For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth. ¹¹ For if that which ^[e]passeth away was ^[f]with glory, much more that which remaineth is in glory.

¹² Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, ¹³ and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly ^[g]on the end of that which ^[h]was passing away: ¹⁴ but their ^[i]minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil ^[j]remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ. ¹⁵ But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. ¹⁶ But whensoever ^[k]it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face ^[l]beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.

17 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, ² Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel; ³ and say, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar: ⁴ he cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it unto ^[a]a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants. ⁵ He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in ^[b]a fruitful soil; he placed it beside ^[c]many waters; he set it as a willow-tree. ⁶ And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose branches turned toward him, and the roots thereof were under him: so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.

⁷ There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers: and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it. ⁸ It was planted in a good ^[d]soil by ^[e]many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a goodly vine. ⁹ Say thou, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it may wither; that all its fresh springing leaves may wither? and not by a strong arm or much people can it be raised from the roots thereof. ¹⁰ Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? it shall wither in the beds where it grew.

¹¹ Moreover the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, ¹² Say now to the rebellious house, Know ye not what these things mean? tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon. ¹³ And he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him; he also brought him under an oath, and took away the mighty of the land; ¹⁴ that the kingdom might be ^[f]base, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand. ¹⁵ But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape? ¹⁶ As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die. ¹⁷ Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company help him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many persons. ¹⁸ For he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant; and behold, he had given his hand, and yet hath done all these things; he shall not escape. ¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head. ²⁰ And I will spread my net upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will enter into judgment with him there for his trespass that he hath trespassed against me. ²¹ And all his fugitives in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind: and ye shall know that I, Jehovah, have spoken it.

²² Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: I will also take of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain: ²³ in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all birds of every wing; in the shade of the branches thereof shall they dwell. ²⁴ And all the trees of the field shall know that I, Jehovah, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I, Jehovah, have spoken and have done it.

Lament over defeat in battle, and prayer for help.

For the Chief Musician; set to ^[a]Shushan Eduth. Michtam of David, to teach; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and Joab returned, and smote of Edom in the Valley of Salt twelve thousand.

Confidence in God’s protection.

For the Chief Musician; on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.