M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jehu Anointed King of Israel
9 Elisha called one of the members of the[a] Guild of Prophets and told him, “Get ready to run,[b] take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 As soon as you get there, go find Jehoshaphat’s son Jehu, the grandson of Nimshi. When you do,[c] go in, tell him to get up and go apart with you away from his brothers. Lead him into a private chamber, 3 take the flask of oil, and pour it out on his head. Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m anointing you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and leave. Don’t linger there!”
4 So the young man, who was an attendant to the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 When he arrived, the army commanders were seated, so he said, “I have a message for you, captain!”
Jehu asked, “For which one of us?”
“For you, captain!” he answered.
6 So Jehu[d] got up and went inside the house, and the young man[e] told him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord—that is, over Israel. 7 You are to attack the household of your master Ahab, so I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, as well as the blood of all of the servants of the Lord that has been spilled[f] at Jezebel’s orders.[g] 8 The entire household of Ahab will die, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person in Israel, whether imprisoned or surviving.[h] 9 I will make the household of Ahab like the household of Nebat’s son Jeroboam and the household of Ahijah’s son Baasha. 10 Furthermore, the dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel. There will be no burial for her.’” Then he opened the door and left.
11 As Jehu was coming out to his master’s attendants, one of them asked him, “Is everything all right? Why did this maniac visit you?”
“You know the man and how he speculates,” Jehu replied.
12 “That’s a lie!” they said. “Tell us what’s going on!”
“He said ‘This and that’ to me,” he responded. “‘This is what the Lord says: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’”
13 At this, each man quickly grabbed his own garment, placed it under him at the top of the stairs,[i] sounded a trumpet, and announced, “Jehu is king!”
Joram (Also Known as Jehoram) is Assassinated(A)
14 Meanwhile, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehu, the grandson of Nimshi, had been conspiring against Joram while Joram and all the army of[j] Israel had been defending Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael from Aram. (15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from wounds he had sustained from the Arameans when he had fought against King Hazael from Aram.) So Jehu concluded, “Since this is what you’ve decided,[k] then let no one get away, leave the city, and go report to Jezreel!” 16 Then Jehu rode by chariot to Jezreel, since Joram was recovering[l] there. King Ahaziah from Judah had come to visit Joram.
17 While the watchman was standing guard in the tower at Jezreel, he watched Jehu’s entourage arrive. So he called out, “I see a group arriving.”
Joram ordered, “Take a horseman, send him out to meet them, and have him ask, ‘Have you come in peace?’”[m]
18 So a horseman went out, greeted Jehu and said, “This is what the king said: ‘Have you come in peace?’”
But Jehu responded, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”
The watchman reported, “The messenger arrived there, but he hasn’t returned.”
19 Then Joram sent out a second horseman, who went out to them and said, “This is what the king said: ‘Have you come in peace?’”
Jehu responded, “What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”
20 The watchman reported to Joram, “He arrived there, but he hasn’t returned. Also, he drives like Nimshi’s son Jehu drives—irrationally!”
21 Joram replied, “Let’s begin our attack!” As soon as his chariot was prepared, both King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out, each in his own chariot, to fight against Jehu. They met together in the property that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.[n]
22 As soon as Joram noticed Jehu, he cried out, “Peace, Jehu?”
Jehu[o] replied, “What peace, given[p] your mother Jezebel’s prostitution and all of[q] her witchcraft?”[r]
23 Joram reined his horse[s] around to flee and cried out to Ahaziah, “Ahaziah! Treachery!” 24 But Jehu drew his bow with all of his strength, shooting Joram between his shoulder blades.[t] The arrow pierced his heart, and he collapsed in his chariot.
25 After this, Jehu called out to Bidkar, his third in command, “Pick up Joram’s body and throw it in the field, the property that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite, because you and I remember how when we were riding together in pursuit of his father Ahab, that the Lord pronounced this oracle[u] against him:
26 ‘This is what the Lord says, “I have certainly observed the blood of Naboth and his sons, and I will repay you on this property,” declares the Lord.’
“Therefore take the body and throw it in the field, just as the Lord said.”
King Ahaziah is Also Killed(B)
27 As soon as King Ahaziah of Judah observed this, he attempted to flee by the garden house road, but Jehu pursued him. At the ascent toward Gur which is near Ibleam, he ordered, “Shoot him in the chariot, too!”
Ahaziah fled to Megiddo, where he died. 28 Ahaziah’s servants transported the king’s body[v] by chariot to Jerusalem and buried it in his own sepulcher near his ancestors in the City of David. 29 Ahaziah had begun to reign over Judah in the eleventh year of the reign of[w] Ahab’s son Joram.
Jezebel is Executed
30 As soon as Jehu arrived at Jezreel, Jezebel adorned her eyes, arranged her hair, and peered out a window. 31 When Jehu had entered through the gate, she asked, “Was Zimri, who murdered his master,[x] received well?”
32 Jehu[y] looked up toward the window and called out, “Who is on my side? Who?” When two or three eunuchs looked out at him, 33 he ordered, “Throw her down!”
So they did, and her blood splashed against the wall and on the horses, while Jehu trampled her underfoot. 34 Later on, after he had come in to eat and drink, he ordered, “Go and see to this cursed woman, and bury her, because she was a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing left of her except her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. 36 So they returned and reported to Jehu,[z] and he responded, “This fulfills[aa] this message from the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the foreigner,[ab] who said:
‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh on the property of Jezreel, 37 and her corpse will lie like dung on the surface of the field on the property in Jezreel, but no one will say, “This is Jezebel.”’”
Duties of Servants and Masters
6 All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their own masters as deserving of the highest respect,[a] so that the name of God and our teaching may not be discredited.[b] 2 Moreover, those who have believing masters should be respectful to them, because they are fellow believers.[c] In fact, they must serve them even better, because those who benefit from their service are believers and dear to them. These are the things you must teach and exhort.
Rules for Godly Living
3 If anyone teaches false doctrine and refuses to agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[d] and godly teaching, 4 he is a conceited person and does not understand anything. He has an unhealthy craving for arguments and debates. This produces jealousy, rivalry, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and incessant conflict between people who are depraved in mind and deprived of truth. They think that godliness is a way to make a profit.[e] 6 Of course, godliness with contentment does bring a great profit.
7 Nothing to this world we bring;
from it take we nothing.
8 With food to eat and clothes to wear;
content we are in everything.
9 But people who want to get rich keep toppling into temptation and are trapped by many stupid and harmful desires that plunge them into destruction and ruin. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and caused[f] themselves a lot of pain.
Advice for Timothy
11 But you, man of God, must flee from all these things.
Instead, you must pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness,[g]
love, endurance, and gentleness.
12 Fight the good fight for the faith.
Keep holding on to eternal life, to which you were called
and about which you gave a good testimony
in front of many witnesses.
13 Since you are[h] in the presence of God, who gives life to everything, and in the presence of the Messiah[i] Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, I solemnly charge you 14 to keep these commands stainlessly and blamelessly until the appearance of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[j] 15 At the right time, he will make him known.
God[k] is the blessed and only Ruler,
the King of kings
and Lord of lords.
16 He alone has endless life
and lives in inaccessible light.
No one has ever seen him,
nor can anyone see him.
Honor and eternal power belong to him!
Amen.
Advice for the Wealthy
17 Tell those who are rich in this age not to be arrogant and not to place their confidence in anything as uncertain as riches. Instead, let them place their confidence[l] in God, who lavishly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good actions, to be generous, and to share. 19 By doing this they store up a treasure for themselves that is a good foundation for the future, so that they can keep their hold on the life that is real.
Final Greeting
20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the pointless discussions and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge. 21 Although some claim to have it, they have abandoned the faith. May grace be with all of you!
The Word of the Lord to Hosea
1 A message from the Lord came[a] to Beeri’s son Hosea[b] during the reigns of[c] Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and during the reign of[d] Joash’s son Jeroboam, who was king of Israel.
Hosea’s Wife and Family
2 When a message from the Lord came to Hosea, the Lord told him,[e] “Go marry a prostitute and have children with her,[f] because the land is prostituting itself by departing from the Lord.” 3 So he went out and married Diblaim’s daughter Gomer. She conceived with him and gave birth to a son.
Naming the Children
4 The Lord told Hosea,[g] “Name the child[h] ‘Jezreel,’[i] because in a little while I’ll avenge the blood that was shed by Jehu’s dynasty at Jezreel. I’ll put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 At that time I’ll shatter the military strength[j] of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 Gomer[k] conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, so the Lord[l] told Hosea,[m] “Name her ‘Lo-ruhamah,’[n] because I will no longer be showing mercy to the house of Israel, nor will I forgive them. 7 But I’ll have mercy on the house of Judah, and I’ll save them by the Lord their God—I will not save them by the bow, by the sword, by battle, by horses, or by cavalry.”
8 After Gomer[o] had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived again and gave birth to a son, 9 so the Lord[p] told Hosea,[q] “Name him ‘Lo-ammi,’[r] because you are not my people, and I will not be your God.[s] 10 [t]Despite this, the number of the people of Israel will be like ocean sand, which can neither be measured nor counted. And the time will come when instead of it being said,[u] ‘You are not my people,’ it will be said,[v] ‘You are children of the living God.’ 11 [w]And the people of Judah and the people of Israel will be united as one. They will appoint for themselves a single leader and will take dominion over[x] the land, for great will be the day of Jezreel.
Yod
Prayer for God’s Grace
73 Your hands made and formed me;
give me understanding,
that I may learn your commands.
74 May those who fear you see me and be glad,
for I have hoped in your word.
75 I know, Lord, that your decrees are just,
and that you have rightfully humbled me.
76 May your gracious love comfort me
in accordance with your promise to your servant.
77 May your mercies come to me that I may live,
for your instruction[a] is my delight.
78 May the arrogant become ashamed,
because they have subverted me with deceit;
as for me, I will meditate on your precepts.
79 May those who fear you turn to me,
along with those who know your decrees.
80 May my heart be blameless with respect to your statutes
so that I may not become ashamed.
Kaf
On Obeying God’s Word
81 I long for your deliverance;
I have looked to your word,
placing my hope in it.
82 My eyes grow weary
with respect to what you have promised—
I keep asking, “When will you comfort me?”
83 Though I have become like a water skin dried by[b] smoke,
I have not forgotten your statutes.
84 How many days must your servant endure this?[c]
When will you judge those who persecute me?
85 The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me,
disobeying your instruction.[d]
86 All of your commands are reliable.
I am persecuted without cause—help me!
87 Though the arrogant[e] nearly destroyed me on earth,
I did not abandon your precepts.
88 Revive me according to your gracious love;
and I will keep the decrees that you have proclaimed.
Lamed
Pay Attention to God’s Word
89 Your word is forever, Lord;
it is firmly established in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness continues from generation to generation.
You established the earth, and it stands firm.
91 To this day they stand by means of your rulings,
for all things serve you.
92 Had your instruction[f] not been my pleasure,
I would have died in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for you have revived me with them.
94 I am yours, so save me,
since I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked lay in wait to destroy me,
while I ponder your decrees.
96 I have observed that all things have their limit,
but your commandment is very broad.
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