M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David in Old Age
1 Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. 2 So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her [a]attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.” 3 So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the (A)Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not [b]cohabit with her.
5 Now (B)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” So (C)he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him. 6 His father had never [c]crossed him at any time by asking, “Why have you done so?” And he was also a very handsome man, and [d](D)he was born after Absalom. 7 [e]He had conferred with (E)Joab the son of Zeruiah and with (F)Abiathar the priest; and following (G)Adonijah they helped him. 8 But (H)Zadok the priest, (I)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (J)Nathan the prophet, (K)Shimei, Rei, and (L)the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the [f]stone of Zoheleth, which is beside (M)En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and (N)Solomon his brother.
Nathan and Bathsheba
11 Then Nathan spoke to (O)Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? 12 So now come, please let me (P)give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. 13 Go [g]at once to King David and say to him, ‘Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, “(Q)Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 14 “Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.”
15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now (R)the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. 16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself [h]before the king. And the king said, “What [i]do you wish?” 17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘(S)Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’ 18 Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. 19 (T)He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. 20 As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. 21 Otherwise it will come about, (U)as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered [j]offenders.”
22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 23 They told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself [k]before the king with his face to the ground. 24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? 25 (V)For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘(W)Long live King Adonijah!’ 26 (X)But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your [l]servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
28 Then King David said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 The king vowed and said, “(Y)As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as (Z)I vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’; I will indeed do so this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself [m]before the king and said, “(AA)May my lord King David live forever.”
32 Then King David said, “Call to me (AB)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence. 33 The king said to them, “Take with you (AC)the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to (AD)Gihon. 34 Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet (AE)anoint him there as king over Israel, and (AF)blow the trumpet and say, ‘(AG)Long live King Solomon!’ 35 Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! Thus may the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say. 37 (AH)As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and (AI)make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
Solomon Anointed King
38 So (AJ)Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, (AK)the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to (AL)Gihon. 39 Zadok the priest then (AM)took the horn of oil from the tent and (AN)anointed Solomon. Then they (AO)blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “(AP)Long live King Solomon!” 40 All the people went up after him, and the people [n]were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth [o]shook at their noise.
41 Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why [p]is the city making such an uproar?” 42 While he was still speaking, behold, (AQ)Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for (AR)you are a valiant man and bring good news.” 43 But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. 45 Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, (AS)so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard. 46 Besides, (AT)Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. 47 Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May (AU)your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!’ And (AV)the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 The king has also said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who (AW)has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”
49 Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified; and they arose and each went on his way. 50 And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went and (AX)took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 Now it was told Solomon, saying, “Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’” 52 Solomon said, “If he is a worthy man, (AY)not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die.” 53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself [q]before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
Walk by the Spirit
5 [a](A)It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore (B)keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a (C)yoke of slavery.
2 Behold I, (D)Paul, say to you that if you receive (E)circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 And I (F)testify again to every man who receives (G)circumcision, that he is under obligation to (H)keep the whole Law. 4 You have been severed from Christ, you who [b]are seeking to be justified by law; you have (I)fallen from grace. 5 For we [c]through the Spirit, [d]by faith, are (J)waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in (K)Christ Jesus (L)neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but (M)faith working through love.
7 You were (N)running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion did not come from (O)Him who calls you. 9 (P)A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough. 10 (Q)I have confidence [e]in you in the Lord that you (R)will adopt no other view; but the one who is (S)disturbing you will bear his judgment, whoever he is. 11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still (T)persecuted? Then (U)the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. 12 I wish that (V)those who are troubling you would even [f](W)mutilate themselves.
13 For you were called to (X)freedom, brethren; (Y)only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love (Z)serve one another. 14 For (AA)the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “(AB)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you (AC)bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, (AD)walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out (AE)the desire of the flesh. 17 For (AF)the flesh [g]sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, (AG)so that you may not do the things that you [h]please. 18 But if you are (AH)led by the Spirit, (AI)you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: [i](AJ)immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, (AK)sorcery, enmities, (AL)strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, (AM)disputes, dissensions, [j](AN)factions, 21 envying, (AO)drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not (AP)inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But (AQ)the fruit of the Spirit is (AR)love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, (AS)self-control; against such things (AT)there is no law. 24 Now those who [k]belong to (AU)Christ Jesus have (AV)crucified the flesh with its passions and (AW)desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also [l]walk (AX)by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become (AY)boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
Lament over Pharaoh and Egypt
32 In the (A)twelfth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, take up a (B)lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him,
‘You [a]compared yourself to a young (C)lion of the nations,
Yet you are like the (D)monster in the seas;
And you (E)burst forth in your rivers
And muddied the waters with your feet
And [b]fouled their rivers.’”
3 Thus says the Lord [c]God,
“Now I will (F)spread My net over you
With a company of many peoples,
And they shall lift you up in My net.
4 “I will leave you on the land;
I will cast you on the [d]open field.
And I will cause all the (G)birds of the heavens to dwell on you,
And I will satisfy the beasts of the whole earth [e]with you.
5 “I will lay your flesh (H)on the mountains
And fill the valleys with your refuse.
6 “I will also make the land drink the discharge of your (I)blood
As far as the mountains,
And the ravines will be full of you.
7 “And when I (J)extinguish you,
I will (K)cover the heavens and darken their (L)stars;
I will cover the (M)sun with a cloud
And the moon will not give its light.
8 “All the shining (N)lights in the heavens
I will darken over you
And will set darkness on your land,”
Declares the Lord God.
9 “I will also (O)trouble the hearts of many peoples when I (P)bring your destruction among the nations, into lands which you have not known. 10 I will make many peoples (Q)appalled at you, and their kings will be horribly afraid of you when I brandish My sword before them; and (R)they will tremble every moment, every man for his own life, on the day of your fall.”
11 For (S)thus says the Lord God, “The sword of the king of Babylon will come upon you. 12 By the swords of the mighty ones I will cause your hordes to fall; all of them are (T)tyrants of the nations,
And they will (U)devastate the pride of Egypt,
And all its hordes will be destroyed.
13 “I will also destroy all its cattle from beside many waters;
And (V)the foot of man will not muddy them anymore
And the hoofs of beasts will not muddy them.
14 “Then I will make their waters settle
And will cause their rivers to run like oil,”
Declares the Lord God.
15 “When I make the land of Egypt a (W)desolation,
And the land is destitute of that which filled it,
When I smite all those who live in it,
Then they shall (X)know that I am the Lord.
16 This is a (Y)lamentation and they shall [f]chant it. The daughters of the nations shall [g]chant it. Over Egypt and over all her hordes they shall [h]chant it,” declares the Lord God.
17 In the (Z)twelfth year, on the (AA)fifteenth of the month, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 18 “Son of man, (AB)wail for the hordes of Egypt and (AC)bring it down, her and the daughters of the powerful nations, to the (AD)nether world, with those who go down to the pit;
19 ‘Whom do you surpass in beauty?
Go down and make your bed with the (AE)uncircumcised.’
20 They shall fall in the midst of those who are slain by the sword. [i]She is given over to the sword; they have (AF)drawn her and all her hordes away. 21 The (AG)strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol, ‘They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.’
22 “(AH)Assyria is there and all her company; [j]her graves are round about [k]her. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, 23 whose (AI)graves are set in the remotest parts of the pit and her company is round about her grave. All of them are slain, fallen by the sword, who [l]spread terror in the land of the living.
24 “(AJ)Elam is there and all her hordes around her grave; all of them slain, fallen by the sword, who went down uncircumcised to the (AK)lower parts of the earth, who instilled their terror in the (AL)land of the living and (AM)bore their disgrace with those who went down to the pit. 25 They have made a (AN)bed for her among the slain with all her hordes. Her graves are around it, they are all uncircumcised, slain by the sword (although their terror was [m]instilled in the land of the living), and they bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit; [n]they were put in the midst of the slain.
26 “(AO)Meshech, (AP)Tubal and all their hordes are there; their graves [o]surround them. All of them were slain by the sword (AQ)uncircumcised, though they instilled their terror in the land of the living. 27 (AR)Nor do they lie beside the fallen [p](AS)heroes of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were laid under their heads; but the punishment for their (AT)iniquity rested on their bones, though the terror of these [q]heroes was once in the land of the living. 28 But in the midst of the uncircumcised you will be broken and lie with those slain by the sword.
29 “There also is (AU)Edom, its kings and all its [r]princes, who [s]for all their might are laid with those slain by the sword; they will lie with the uncircumcised and with those who go down to the pit.
30 “There also are the [t]chiefs of the (AV)north, all of them, and all the (AW)Sidonians, who in spite of the terror resulting from their might, in shame went down with the slain. So they lay down uncircumcised with those slain by the sword and bore their disgrace with those who go down to the pit.
31 “These Pharaoh will see, and he will be (AX)comforted for all his hordes slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his army,” declares the Lord God. 32 “Though I instilled a terror of him in the land of the living, yet he will be made to lie down among the uncircumcised along with those slain by the sword, even Pharaoh and all his hordes,” declares the Lord God.
God Implored to Rescue His People from Their Calamities.
For the choir director; set to [a]El Shoshannim; [b]Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.
80 Oh, give ear, (A)Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead (B)Joseph like a flock;
You who (C)are enthroned above the cherubim, shine forth!
2 Before (D)Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, (E)stir up Your power
And come to save us!
3 O God, (F)restore us
And (G)cause Your face to shine upon us, [c]and we will be saved.
4 O (H)Lord God of hosts,
(I)How long will You [d]be angry with the prayer of Your people?
5 You have fed them with the (J)bread of tears,
And You have made them to drink tears in [e]large measure.
6 You make us [f]an object of contention (K)to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 O God of hosts, restore us
And cause Your face to shine upon us, [g]and we will be saved.
8 You removed a (L)vine from Egypt;
You (M)drove out the [h]nations and (N)planted it.
9 You (O)cleared the ground before it,
And it (P)took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shadow,
And [i]the cedars of God with its (Q)boughs.
11 It was sending out its branches (R)to the sea
And its shoots to the River.
12 Why have You (S)broken down its [j]hedges,
So that all who pass that way pick its fruit?
13 A boar from the forest (T)eats it away
And whatever moves in the field feeds on it.
14 O God of hosts, (U)turn again now, we beseech You;
(V)Look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine,
15 Even the [k](W)shoot which Your right hand has planted,
And on the [l]son whom You have [m]strengthened for Yourself.
16 It is (X)burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the (Y)rebuke of Your countenance.
17 Let (Z)Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You (AA)made strong for Yourself.
18 Then we shall not (AB)turn back from You;
(AC)Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.
19 O Lord God of hosts, (AD)restore us;
Cause Your face to shine upon us, [n]and we will be saved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.