M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Ziba, a False Servant

16 Now when David had passed ^(A)a little beyond the summit, behold, ^(B)Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him ^(C)with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. ² The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “^(D)The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, ^(E)for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” ³ Then the king said, “And where is ^(F)your master’s son?” And ^(G)Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” ⁴ So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”

David Is Cursed

⁵ When King David came to ^(H)Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul ^(I)whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out ^(J)cursing continually as he came. ⁶ He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. ⁷ Thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, ^(K)you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow! ^8 (L)The Lord has returned upon you all ^(M)the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

⁹ Then ^(N)Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should ^(O)this dead dog ^(P)curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and ^[a]cut off his head.” ¹⁰ But the king said, “^(Q)What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? ^(R)If he curses, and if the Lord has told him, ‘Curse David,’ ^(S)then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” ¹¹ Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, ^(T)my son who came out from ^[b]me seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, ^(U)for the Lord has told him. ¹² Perhaps the Lord will look on my affliction and ^[c](V)return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” ¹³ So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him. ¹⁴ The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

^15 (W)Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. ¹⁶ Now it came about when ^(X)Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that ^(Y)Hushai said to Absalom, “^(Z)Long live the king! Long live the king!” ¹⁷ Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your ^[d]loyalty to your friend? ^(AA)Why did you not go with your friend?” ¹⁸ Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom the Lord, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹ Besides, ^(AB)whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”

²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” ²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, “^(AC)Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” ²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, ^(AD)and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines ^(AE)in the sight of all Israel. ^23 (AF)The advice of Ahithophel, which he ^[e]gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God; ^(AG)so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.

God Gives Most

9 For ^(A)it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ^(B)ministry to the ^[a]saints; ² for I know your readiness, of which I ^(C)boast about you to the ^(D)Macedonians, namely, that ^(E)Achaia has been prepared since ^(F)last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. ³ But I have sent the brethren, in order that our ^(G)boasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, ^(H)as I was saying, you may be prepared; ⁴ otherwise if any ^(I)Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence. ⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the ^(J)brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised ^[b](K)bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a ^[c](L)bountiful gift and not ^[d](M)affected by covetousness.

⁶ Now this I say, ^(N)he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows ^[e]bountifully will also reap ^[f]bountifully. ⁷ Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not ^(O)grudgingly or under compulsion, for ^(P)God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And ^(Q)God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; ⁹ as it is written,

¹⁰ Now He who supplies ^(S)seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and ^(T)increase the harvest of your righteousness; ¹¹ you will be ^(U)enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing ^(V)thanksgiving to God. ¹² For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying ^(W)the needs of the ^[h]saints, but is also overflowing ^(X)through many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ Because of the proof given by this ^(Y)ministry, they will ^(Z)glorify God for your obedience to your ^(AA)confession of the ^(AB)gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your ^[i]contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴ while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. ^15 (AC)Thanks be to God for His indescribable ^(AD)gift!

Oholah and Oholibah’s Sin and Its Consequences

23 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying, ² “Son of man, there were ^(A)two women, the daughters of one mother; ³ and they played the harlot in Egypt. They ^(B)played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and there their virgin bosom was handled. ⁴ Their names were Oholah the elder and Oholibah her sister. And they became Mine, and they bore sons and daughters. And as for their names, Samaria is Oholah and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

⁵ “Oholah played the harlot ^[a]while she was Mine; and she lusted after her lovers, after the ^(C)Assyrians, her neighbors, ⁶ who were clothed in purple, ^(D)governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. ⁷ She bestowed her harlotries on them, all of whom were the choicest ^[b]men of Assyria; and with all whom she lusted after, with all their idols she ^(E)defiled herself. ⁸ She did not forsake her harlotries ^(F)from the time in Egypt; for in her youth ^[c]men had lain with her, and they handled her virgin bosom and poured out their ^[d]lust on her. ⁹ Therefore, I gave her into the hand of her ^(G)lovers, into the hand of the ^[e]Assyrians, after whom she lusted. ¹⁰ They ^(H)uncovered her nakedness; they took her sons and her daughters, but they slew her with the sword. Thus she became a ^[f]byword among women, and they executed judgments on her.

¹¹ “Now her sister Oholibah saw this, yet she was ^(I)more corrupt in her lust than she, and her harlotries were more than the harlotries of her sister. ¹² She lusted after the ^[g](J)Assyrians, governors and officials, the ones near, magnificently dressed, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. ¹³ I saw that she had defiled herself; they both took ^[h]the same way. ¹⁴ So she increased her harlotries. And she saw men ^(K)portrayed on the wall, images of the ^(L)Chaldeans portrayed with vermilion, ¹⁵ girded with belts on their loins, with flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, ^[i]like the ^[j]Babylonians in Chaldea, the land of their birth. ^16 [k]When she saw them she ^(M)lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea. ¹⁷ The ^[l](N)Babylonians came to her to the bed of love and defiled her with their harlotry. And when she had been defiled by them, ^[m]she became disgusted with them. ¹⁸ She ^(O)uncovered her harlotries and uncovered her nakedness; then ^[n]I became ^(P)disgusted with her, as ^[o]I had become disgusted with her ^(Q)sister. ¹⁹ Yet she multiplied her harlotries, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt. ²⁰ She ^(R)lusted after their paramours, whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys and whose issue is like the issue of horses. ²¹ Thus you longed for the ^(S)lewdness of your youth, when ^[p]the Egyptians handled your bosom because of the breasts of your youth.

²² “Therefore, O Oholibah, thus says the Lord ^[q]God, ‘Behold I will arouse your lovers against you, from whom ^[r]you were alienated, and I will bring them against you from every side: ²³ the ^[s](T)Babylonians and all the ^(U)Chaldeans, ^(V)Pekod and Shoa and Koa, and all the ^[t](W)Assyrians with them; desirable young men, governors and officials all of them, officers and ^[u]men of renown, all of them riding on horses. ²⁴ They will come against you with weapons, ^(X)chariots and ^[v]wagons, and with a company of peoples. They will set themselves against you on every side with buckler and shield and helmet; and I will commit the ^(Y)judgment to them, and they will judge you according to their customs. ²⁵ I will set My ^(Z)jealousy against you, that they may deal with you in wrath. They will remove your nose and your ears; and your ^[w]survivors will fall by the sword. They will take your ^(AA)sons and your daughters; and your ^[x]survivors will be consumed by the fire. ²⁶ They will also ^(AB)strip you of your clothes and take away your ^(AC)beautiful jewels. ²⁷ Thus ^(AD)I will make your lewdness and your harlotry brought from the land of Egypt to cease from you, so that you will not lift up your eyes to them or remember Egypt anymore.’ ²⁸ For thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I will give you into the hand of those whom you ^(AE)hate, into the hand of those from whom ^[y]you were alienated. ²⁹ They will ^(AF)deal with you in hatred, take all your property, and leave you naked and bare. And the nakedness of your harlotries will be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotries. ³⁰ These things will be done to you because you have ^(AG)played the harlot with the nations, because you have defiled yourself with their idols. ³¹ You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will give ^(AH)her cup into your hand.’ ³² Thus says the Lord God,

for I have spoken,’ declares the Lord God. ³⁵ Therefore, thus says the Lord God, ‘Because you have ^(AM)forgotten Me and ^(AN)cast Me behind your back, bear now the punishment of your lewdness and your harlotries.’”

³⁶ Moreover, the Lord said to me, “Son of man, will you ^(AO)judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then ^(AP)declare to them their abominations. ³⁷ For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, ^(AQ)whom they bore to Me, to pass through the fire to ^[aa]them as food. ³⁸ Again, they have done this to Me: they have ^(AR)defiled My sanctuary on the same day and have ^(AS)profaned My sabbaths. ³⁹ For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered My ^(AT)sanctuary on the same day to profane it; and lo, thus they did within My house.

⁴⁰ “Furthermore, ^[ab]they have even sent for men who come from afar, to whom a messenger was sent; and lo, they came—for whom you bathed, ^(AU)painted your eyes and ^(AV)decorated yourselves with ornaments; ⁴¹ and you sat on a splendid ^(AW)couch with a ^(AX)table arranged before it on which you had set My ^(AY)incense and My ^(AZ)oil. ⁴² The sound of a ^[ac](BA)carefree multitude was with her; and ^(BB)drunkards were brought from the wilderness with men of the ^[ad]common sort. And they put ^(BC)bracelets on ^[ae]the hands of the women and beautiful crowns on their heads.

⁴³ “Then I said concerning her who was ^(BD)worn out by adulteries, ‘^[af]Will they now commit adultery with her when she is thus?’ ^44 [ag]But they went in to her as they would go in to a harlot. Thus they went in to Oholah and to Oholibah, the lewd women. ⁴⁵ But they, righteous men, will ^(BE)judge them with the judgment of adulteresses and with the judgment of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

⁴⁶ “For thus says the Lord God, ‘Bring up a company against them and give them over to ^(BF)terror and plunder. ⁴⁷ The company will ^(BG)stone them with stones and cut them down with their swords; they will slay their sons and their daughters and ^(BH)burn their houses with fire. ⁴⁸ Thus I will make lewdness cease from the land, that all women may be admonished and not commit ^[ah]lewdness as you have done. ⁴⁹ Your lewdness ^[ai]will be ^(BI)requited upon you, and you will bear the penalty of worshiping your idols; thus you will know that I am the Lord God.’”

Prayer for Help against Persecutors.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David; for a memorial.

Prayer of an Old Man for Deliverance.