M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Bathsheba, David’s Great Sin

11 ^(A)Then it happened ^[a](B)in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and ^(C)besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.

² Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on ^(D)the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. ³ So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not ^(E)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of ^(F)Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴ David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, ^(G)he lay with her; ^(H)and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, “^(I)I am pregnant.”

⁶ Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, ^(J)David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and ^[b]the people and the state of the war. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and ^(K)wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and a present from the king ^[c]was sent out after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept ^(L)at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ Now when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹ Uriah said to David, “^(M)The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in ^[d]temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and ^(N)the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” ¹² Then David said to Uriah, “^(O)Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the ^[e]next. ¹³ Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he ^(P)made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed ^(Q)with his lord’s servants, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ Now in the morning David ^(R)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ^15 (S)He had written in the letter, saying, “^[f]Place Uriah in the front line of the ^[g]fiercest battle and withdraw from him, ^(T)so that he may be struck down and die.” ¹⁶ So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. ¹⁷ The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and ^(U)Uriah the Hittite also died. ¹⁸ Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war. ¹⁹ He charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, ²⁰ and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Who ^(V)struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

²² So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we ^[h]pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Moreover, the archers shot at your servants from the wall; so some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” ²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let this thing ^[i]displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it’; and so encourage him.”

²⁶ Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, ^(W)she mourned for her husband. ²⁷ When the time of mourning was over, David sent and ^[j]brought her to his house and ^(X)she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But ^(Y)the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Paul’s Apostolic Ministry

4 Therefore, since we have this ^(A)ministry, as we ^(B)received mercy, we ^(C)do not lose heart, ² but we have renounced the ^(D)things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or ^(E)adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ^(F)commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our ^(G)gospel is ^(H)veiled, it is veiled ^[a]to ^(I)those who are perishing, ⁴ in whose case ^(J)the god of ^(K)this ^[b]world has ^(L)blinded the minds of the unbelieving ^[c]so that they might not see the ^(M)light of the gospel of the ^(N)glory of Christ, who is the ^(O)image of God. ⁵ For we ^(P)do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants ^[d]for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “^(Q)Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has ^(R)shone in our hearts to give the ^(S)Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in ^(T)earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of ^(U)the power will be of God and not from ourselves; ⁸ we are ^(V)afflicted in every way, but not ^(W)crushed; ^(X)perplexed, but not despairing; ^9 (Y)persecuted, but not ^(Z)forsaken; ^(AA)struck down, but not destroyed; ^10 (AB)always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that ^(AC)the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death works in us, but life in you.

¹³ But having the same ^(AD)spirit of faith, according to what is written, “^(AE)I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, ¹⁴ knowing that He who ^(AF)raised the Lord Jesus ^(AG)will raise us also with Jesus and will ^(AH)present us with you. ¹⁵ For all things are ^(AI)for your sakes, so that the grace which is ^[e](AJ)spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

¹⁶ Therefore we ^(AK)do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our ^(AL)inner man is ^(AM)being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For momentary, ^(AN)light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we ^(AO)look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

God Deals Justly with Individuals

18 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “^(A)What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying,

³ As I live,” declares the Lord ^[b]God, “you are surely not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. ⁴ Behold, ^(C)all ^[c]souls are Mine; the ^[d]soul of the father as well as the ^[e]soul of the son is Mine. The ^[f]soul who ^(D)sins will die.

⁵ “But if a man is righteous and practices justice and righteousness, ⁶ and does not ^(E)eat at the mountain shrines or ^(F)lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or ^(G)defile his neighbor’s wife or approach a woman during her menstrual period— ⁷ if a man does not oppress anyone, but ^(H)restores to the debtor his pledge, ^(I)does not commit robbery, but ^(J)gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, ⁸ if he does not lend money on ^(K)interest or take ^(L)increase, if he keeps his hand from iniquity and ^(M)executes true justice between man and man, ⁹ if he walks in ^(N)My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully—^(O)he is righteous and will surely ^(P)live,” declares the Lord God.

¹⁰ “Then he may ^[g]have a violent son who sheds blood and who does any of these things to a brother ¹¹ (though he himself did not do any of these things), that is, he even eats at the mountain shrines, and ^(Q)defiles his neighbor’s wife, ¹² oppresses the ^(R)poor and needy, ^(S)commits robbery, does not restore a pledge, but lifts up his eyes to the idols and ^(T)commits abomination, ¹³ he ^(U)lends money on interest and takes increase; will he live? He will not live! He has committed all these abominations, he will surely be put to death; his ^(V)blood will be ^[h]on his own head.

¹⁴ “Now behold, he ^[i]has a son who has observed all his father’s sins which he committed, and ^(W)observing does not do likewise. ¹⁵ He does not eat at the mountain shrines or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶ or oppress anyone, or retain a pledge, or commit robbery, but he ^(X)gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing, ¹⁷ he keeps his hand from ^[j]the poor, does not take interest or increase, but executes My ordinances, and walks in My statutes; ^(Y)he will not die for his father’s iniquity, he will surely live. ¹⁸ As for his father, because he practiced extortion, robbed his brother and did what was not good among his people, behold, he will die for his iniquity.

¹⁹ “Yet you say, ‘^(Z)Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity?’ When the son has practiced ^(AA)justice and righteousness and has observed all My statutes and done them, he shall surely live. ²⁰ The person who ^(AB)sins will die. The ^(AC)son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the ^(AD)righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

²¹ “But if the ^(AE)wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ^22 (AF)All his transgressions which he has committed will not be remembered against him; because of his ^(AG)righteousness which he has practiced, he will live. ^23 (AH)Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “^[k]rather than that he should ^(AI)turn from his ways and live?

²⁴ “But when a righteous man ^(AJ)turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and does according to all the abominations that a wicked man does, will he live? ^(AK)All his righteous deeds which he has done will not be remembered for his ^(AL)treachery which he has committed and his sin which he has committed; for them he will die. ²⁵ Yet you say, ‘^(AM)The way of the Lord is not right.’ Hear now, O house of Israel! Is ^(AN)My way not right? Is it not your ways that are not right? ²⁶ When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die. ²⁷ Again, when a wicked man turns away ^(AO)from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. ²⁸ Because he considered and turned away from all his transgressions which he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die. ²⁹ But the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ Are My ways not right, O house of Israel? Is it not your ways that are not right?

³⁰ “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord God. “^(AP)Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you. ^31 (AQ)Cast away from you all your transgressions which you have committed and make yourselves a ^(AR)new heart and a new spirit! For why will you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I have ^(AS)no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

God Alone a Refuge from Treachery and Oppression.

For the choir director; ^[a]according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.

The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God.

A Psalm of David, ^[g]when he was in the wilderness of Judah.