M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Widow’s Oil
4 Now a certain woman of the wives of (A)the sons of the prophets cried out to [a]Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and (B)the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except (C)a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4 And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6 When (D)the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7 Then she came and told (E)the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
The Shunammite Woman
8 Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to (F)Shunem, where there was a [b]prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat [c]food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat [d]food. 9 She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy (G)man of God passing by us continually. 10 Please, let us (H)make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”
11 [e]One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and [f]rested. 12 Then he said to (I)Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13 He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been [g]careful for us with all this [h]care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?’” And she [i]answered, “I live among my own people.” 14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi [j]answered, “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” 15 He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “(J)At this season [k]next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, (K)do not lie to your maidservant.”
17 The woman conceived and bore a son at that season [l]the next year, as Elisha had said to her.
The Shunammite’s Son
18 When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19 He said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her [m]lap until noon, and then died. 21 She went up and (L)laid him on the bed of (M)the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” 23 He said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither (N)new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down [n]the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she went and came to the man of God to (O)Mount Carmel.
When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, [o]there is the Shunammite. 26 Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she [p]answered, “It is well.” 27 When she came to the man of God (P)to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is [q]troubled within her; and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘(Q)Do not deceive me’?”
29 Then he said to Gehazi, “(R)Gird up your loins and (S)take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not (T)salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and (U)lay my staff on the lad’s face.” 30 The mother of the lad said, “(V)As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. 31 Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was no sound or [r]response. So he returned to meet him and told [s]him, “The lad (W)has not awakened.”
32 When Elisha came into the house, behold the lad was dead and laid on his bed. 33 So he entered and (X)shut the door behind them both and prayed to the Lord. 34 And (Y)he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and (Z)stretched himself on him; and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes. 36 He called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Take up your son.” 37 Then she went in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground, and (AA)she took up her son and went out.
The Poisonous Stew
38 When Elisha returned to (AB)Gilgal, there was (AC)a famine in the land. [t]As (AD)the sons of the prophets (AE)were sitting before him, he said to his servant, “(AF)Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 Then one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were. 40 So they poured it out for the men to eat. And as they were eating of the stew, they cried out and said, “O man of God, there is (AG)death in the pot.” And they were unable to eat. 41 But he said, “Now bring meal.” (AH)He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people that they may eat.” Then there was no harm in the pot.
42 Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, “(AI)Give them to the people that they may eat.” 43 His attendant said, “What, (AJ)will I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” 44 So he set it before them, and they ate and (AK)had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.
Misleadings in Doctrine and Living
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus (C)according to the commandment of (D)God our Savior, and of (E)Christ Jesus, who is our (F)hope,
2 To (G)Timothy, (H)my true child in the faith: (I)Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and (J)Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you [a]upon my departure for (K)Macedonia, [b]remain on at (L)Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to (M)teach strange doctrines, 4 nor to [c]pay attention to (N)myths and endless (O)genealogies, which give rise to mere (P)speculation rather than (Q)furthering [d]the administration of God which is by faith. 5 But the goal of our [e](R)instruction is love (S)from a pure heart and a (T)good conscience and a sincere (U)faith. 6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to (V)fruitless discussion, 7 (W)wanting to be (X)teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.
8 But we know that (Y)the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that (Z)law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and (AA)rebellious, for the (AB)ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and (AC)profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers 10 [f]and [g](AD)immoral men [h]and (AE)homosexuals [i]and (AF)kidnappers [j]and (AG)liars [k]and (AH)perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to (AI)sound teaching, 11 according to (AJ)the glorious gospel of (AK)the blessed God, with which I have been (AL)entrusted.
12 I thank (AM)Christ Jesus our Lord, who has (AN)strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, (AO)putting me into service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a (AP)persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was (AQ)shown mercy because (AR)I acted ignorantly in unbelief; 14 and the (AS)grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the (AT)faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. 15 (AU)It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that (AV)Christ Jesus came into the world to (AW)save sinners, among whom (AX)I am foremost of all. 16 Yet for this reason I (AY)found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might (AZ)demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those [l]who would believe in Him for eternal life. 17 Now to the (BA)King [m]eternal, (BB)immortal, (BC)invisible, the (BD)only God, (BE)be honor and glory [n]forever and ever. Amen.
18 This (BF)command I entrust to you, Timothy, (BG)my [o]son, in accordance with the (BH)prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you (BI)fight the good fight, 19 keeping (BJ)faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to [p](BK)their faith. 20 [q]Among these are (BL)Hymenaeus and (BM)Alexander, whom I have (BN)handed over to Satan, so that they will be (BO)taught not to blaspheme.
Vision of the Ram and Goat
8 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, [a]Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me [b]previously. 2 I (A)looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of (B)Susa, which is in the province of (C)Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai [c]Canal. 3 Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a (D)ram which had two horns was standing in front of the [d]canal. Now the two horns were [e]long, but one was [f]longer than the other, with the [g]longer one coming up last. 4 I saw the ram (E)butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his [h]power, but (F)he did as he pleased and magnified himself.
5 While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the [i]goat had a (G)conspicuous horn between his eyes. 6 He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the [j]canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. 7 I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his [k]power. 8 Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as (H)he was mighty, the (I)large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the (J)four winds of heaven.
The Little Horn
9 Out of one of them came forth a rather (K)small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the [l](L)Beautiful Land. 10 It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the (M)stars to fall to the earth, and it (N)trampled them down. 11 It even (O)magnified itself [m]to be equal with the [n]Commander of the host; and it removed the (P)regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. 12 And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will (Q)fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. 13 Then I heard a (R)holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “(S)How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, [o]while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host [p]to be (T)trampled?” 14 He said to me, “For (U)2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be [q]properly restored.”
Interpretation of the Vision
15 When (V)I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought [r]to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one [s]who looked like a (W)man. 16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “(X)Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.” 17 So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and (Y)fell on my face; but he said to me, “Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the (Z)time of the end.”
18 Now while he was talking with me, I (AA)sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he (AB)touched me and made me stand [t]upright. 19 He said, “Behold, I am going to (AC)let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end.
The Ram’s Identity
20 The (AD)ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia.
The Goat
21 The shaggy [u]goat represents the [v]kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. 22 The (AE)broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power.
23 “In the latter period of their [w]rule,
When the transgressors have [x]run their course,
A king will arise,
[y]Insolent and skilled in [z]intrigue.
24 “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power,
And he will [aa](AF)destroy to an extraordinary degree
And prosper and perform his will;
He will [ab]destroy mighty men and [ac]the holy people.
25 “And through his shrewdness
He will cause deceit to succeed by his [ad]influence;
And he will magnify himself in his heart,
And he will [ae]destroy many while they are [af]at ease.
He will even [ag](AG)oppose the Prince of princes,
But he will be broken (AH)without [ah]human agency.
26 “The vision of the evenings and mornings
Which has been told is (AI)true;
But (AJ)keep the vision secret,
For it pertains to many (AK)days in the future.”
27 Then I, Daniel, was [ai](AL)exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and (AM)carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to [aj]explain it.
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Death.
116 (A)I love the Lord, because He (B)hears
My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has (C)inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The (D)cords of death encompassed me
And the [a]terrors of [b]Sheol [c]came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
4 Then (E)I called upon the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I beseech You, [d](F)save my life!”
5 (G)Gracious is the Lord, and (H)righteous;
Yes, our God is (I)compassionate.
6 The Lord preserves (J)the simple;
I was (K)brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your (L)rest, O my soul,
For the Lord has (M)dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have (N)rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
9 I shall walk before the Lord
In the [e](O)land of the living.
10 I (P)believed when I said,
“I am (Q)greatly afflicted.”
11 I (R)said in my alarm,
“(S)All men are liars.”
12 What shall I (T)render to the Lord
For all His (U)benefits [f]toward me?
13 I shall lift up the (V)cup of salvation
And (W)call upon the name of the Lord.
14 I shall (X)pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be (Y)in the presence of all His people.
15 (Z)Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His godly ones.
16 O Lord, [g]surely I am (AA)Your servant,
I am Your servant, the (AB)son of Your handmaid,
You have (AC)loosed my bonds.
17 To You I shall offer (AD)a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And (AE)call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I shall (AF)pay my vows to the Lord,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
19 In the (AG)courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O (AH)Jerusalem.
[h]Praise [i]the Lord!
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