M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The sons of David
3 These sons of David were born in Hebron: The firstborn son was Amnon. His mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. The second son was Daniel. His mother was Abigail from Carmel. 2 The third son was Absalom. His mother was Maakah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. The fourth son was Adonijah. His mother was Haggith. 3 The fifth son was Shephatiah. His mother was Abital. The sixth son was Ithream. His mother was David's wife, Eglah.
4 Those six sons of David were all born in Hebron. David ruled in Hebron for seven years and six months. Then he ruled in Jerusalem for 33 years. 5 These are the names of David's sons who were born in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. The mother of these four sons was Ammiel's daughter, Bathsheba. 6 David had nine other sons: Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet. 9 Those were all the sons of David's wives. Tamar was their sister. He also had slave wives who gave birth to sons for him.
Solomon's descendants
10 Solomon's son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam's son was Abijah. Abijah's son was Asa. Asa's son was Jehoshaphat. 11 Jehoshaphat's son was Jehoram. Jehoram's son was Ahaziah. Ahaziah's son was Joash. 12 Joash's son was Amaziah. Amaziah's son was Azariah. Azariah's son was Jotham.[a] 13 Jotham's son was Ahaz. Ahaz's son was Hezekiah. Hezekiah's son was Manasseh. 14 Manasseh's son was Amon. Amon's son was Josiah.
15 Josiah's sons: His firstborn son was Johanan. His second son was Jehoiakim. His third son was Zedekiah. His fourth son was Shallum.
16 Jehoiakim's son was Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin's son was Zedekiah.[b]
17 Jeconiah's enemies took him away as their prisoner.
His sons were: Shealtiel, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.
19 Pedaiah's sons were: Zerubbabel and Shimei.
Zerubbabel's sons were: Meshullam and Hananiah. Their sister was Shelomith. 20 Zerubbabel also had five other sons: Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed.
21 The descendants of Hananiah were: Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. Jeshaiah's son was Rephaiah. Rephaiah's son was Arnan. Arnan's son was Obadiah. Obadiah's son was Shecaniah.
22 The six descendants of Shecaniah were Shemaiah and his sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat.
23 Neariah's three sons were: Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam.
24 Elioenai seven sons were: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani.
Other descendants of Judah
4 Judah's descendants were: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal. 2 Shobal's son Reaiah became the father of Jahath. Jahath became the father of Ahumai and Lahad. Those were the ancestors of the Zorathite clans.
3-4 Caleb's wife Ephrathah gave birth to their firstborn son, Hur. Hur was the ancestor of the people of Bethlehem. His three sons were Etam, Penuel and Ezer.
Etam's sons were: Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. Their sister was Hazzelelponi. Penuel became the father of Gedor. Ezer became the father of Hushah.
5 Tekoa's father Ashhur had two wives called Helah and Naarah. 6 The sons of Ashhur and his wife Naarah were: Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. 7 The sons of Ashhur and his wife Helah were: Zereth, Izhar, Ethnan 8 and Koz. Koz became the father of Anub, Hazzobebah and the clans of Harum's son, Aharhel.
9 Another of Judah's descendants was called Jabez. People respected him more than his brothers. His mother called him Jabez, because she said, ‘I had a lot of pain at his birth.’[c] 10 Jabez prayed to Israel's God for help. He said, ‘Please bless me very much and give me more land. Please take care of me so that nothing hurts me and I do not have pain.’ God did what Jabez had prayed for.
11 Kelub, Shuhah's brother, became the father of Mehir. Mehir became the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton became the father of Beth-Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah. Tehinnah became the father of Ir-Nahash. Those people lived at Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz were: Othniel and Seraiah.
Othniel's sons were: Hathath and Meonothai. 14 Meonothai became the father of Ophrah.
Seraiah became the father of Joab. Joab was the ancestor of the people who live in Ge-Harashim. Those people had special skills to make things.[d]
15 The sons of Jephunneh's son Caleb were: Iru, Elah and Naam. Elah's son was Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel's sons were: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.
17-18 Ezrah's sons were: Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon.
Mered married Bithiah. Her father was the king of Egypt. The children of Mered and Bithiah were: Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah became the father of Eshtemoa.
Mered had another wife who belonged to Judah's tribe. Her sons were Jered, Heber and Jekuthiel. Jered became the father of Gedor. Heber became the father of Soco. And Jekuthiel became the father of Zanoah.
19 Hodiah's wife was Naham's sister. She gave birth to two sons. One of them became the father of Keilah, the ancestor of the Garmites. The other son became the father of Eshtemoa, the ancestor of the Maakathites.
20 Shimon's sons were: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon.
Ishi's descendants were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
21-22 These were the sons of Judah's son, Shelah: Er, Laadah, Jokim, Joash, Saraph and Jashubi-Lehem. Er became the father of Lecah. Laadah became the father of Mareshah. Joash and Saraph both married women from Moab and they returned to live in Lehem. Other clans that were descendants of Shelah worked with linen at Beth-Ashbea, and some lived in Cozeba. (These lists are from old history books.) 23 Those people made pots. They lived in Netaim and Gederah. They lived there and they worked for the king.
The descendants of Simeon
24 Simeon's descendants were: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah and Shaul.
25 Shaul's son was Shallum. Shallum's son was Mibsam. Mibsam's son was Mishma.
26 Mishma's descendants were his son Hammuel, Hammuel's son Zaccur, and Zaccur's son Shimei.
27 Shimei had 16 sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many children. So their clan did not become as large as the people of Judah's tribe. 28 Shimei's descendants lived in these cities and towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth-Marcaboth, Hazar-Susim, Beth-Biri and Shaaraim. They lived in those places until David became king. 32 They also lived in these five villages: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token and Ashan. 33 There were also other villages round the same towns, as far as Baalath town. Those were the places where they lived. They wrote down a list of the names of their ancestors.
34 The leaders of their clans were: Meshobab, Jamlech, Amaziah's son Joshah, 35 Joel, Jehu (son of Joshibiah, who was the son of Seraiah and grandson of Asiel), 36 Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah 37 and Ziza. Ziza was the son of Shiphi, who was the son of Allon and grandson of Jedaiah. Jedaiah was the son of Shimri and grandson of Shemaiah.
38 Those men were the leaders of their clans. Their families became very large. 39 They travelled to the east side of the valley to find grass for their sheep to eat. They went as far as Gedor. 40 They found good fields that had plenty of grass. The soil was good and the place was large. There were no troubles in that region. Some descendants of Ham had been living there.[e]
41 When Hezekiah was the king of Judah, those leaders of Simeon's clans attacked the people who lived there. Some of those people were called Meunites. The men of Simeon destroyed their homes and they killed all the people. So even today none of those people still live there. Simeon's people lived there instead, because there was good grass for their sheep.
42 Later, another 500 men of Simeon's tribe went to the hill country of Seir. Their leaders were Ishi's sons: Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel. 43 They killed all the descendants of Amalek who were still alive. They took their land and they still live there now.
The old agreement and the tabernacle
9 The first agreement included rules about how people should worship God. It also spoke about a special place for people to worship God on this earth. 2 Israel's people made a special tent for God.[a] The first room in that tent was called the holy place. The special lampstand was in this room. The special table with the bread which they offered to God was there too.[b]
3 Behind a second curtain, there was a very special room. It was called the Most Holy Place. 4 The gold altar for incense was in there.[c] The Covenant Box was there too.[d] The box had gold on all its sides. Inside the box was the gold pot that contained the special food called manna.[e] The box also contained Aaron's stick that had grown leaves.[f] It also contained the two flat stones on which God had written the rules of his agreement with his people. 5 The shapes of two special angels stood on the top of the box. They were made from gold and they showed that God was there with great power. The angels held out their wings over the lid of the box. That lid was the place where God forgave the people's sins. But we cannot explain everything about these things now.
6 So that was how they prepared the special tent. Then the priests would go into the first room of the tent every day. They went in there to serve God, as his rules taught. 7 But only the special leader of the priests could go into the second room. He went in there only once every year.[g] He had to take with him blood from an animal that they had killed. He offered the blood to God on his own behalf, so that God would forgive his sins. He also offered it on behalf of the people. Then God would forgive their mistakes too.
8 In this way, God's Holy Spirit was showing that the most holy place was not yet open to everyone. While the tent with its first room was still there, those were the rules for people to worship God. 9 This is like a picture that means something for us today. It teaches us about the gifts and sacrifices that people offered to God, to worship him. When someone gave those things to God, it could not make him clean again in his mind. 10 The old rules taught people about different kinds of food and drink. They taught about how people should wash in special ways. Those rules were about people's bodies. They had authority only until the time when God would make things new and better.
God's new agreement
11 But now Christ has come as our special priest. He brings us the good things that are now here. He has gone into God's own place in heaven. That is a greater and much better tent than the old tabernacle. No person made this tent. It does not belong to this world at all. 12 Christ went into the Most Holy Place on our behalf. He did this once, for all time. He did not take with him the blood of goats or young cows when he went in there. Instead, he took the blood of his own death to offer to God. In that way, he made us free from sin for ever. 13 The old rules said that the priest must use the blood of goats or bulls to make people clean. Or he could burn a young cow and mix the ashes with water.[h] He would then splash the blood or the ashes over the people who were unclean. Then those people became clean again in their bodies, and they could worship God.
14 But the blood of Christ's sacrifice will do much more than that! Christ offered himself to God, in the power of his Spirit, who lives for ever. That sacrifice was completely good. There was no wrong thing in Christ. He offered his own blood to make us completely clean inside ourselves. We no longer have to do things that lead to death. Instead, we can serve the God who lives for ever. 15 So, by Christ's death, God brings a new agreement between him and his people. God's people receive from him the good things that will be with them for ever. God has promised to give those things to the people that he has chosen. Christ's death has made them free from their sins. God will no longer punish them like the first agreement says should happen.
16 Think about this. A person may make an agreement about who will receive his things after his death. But nobody receives anything until it is clear that the person has really died. 17 The agreement only has authority after the death of the person who made it. It has no authority while that person is still alive.
18 So even God's first agreement with his people needed the blood of an animal. The agreement only had authority after a death. 19 It was like this. Moses read God's laws aloud to all Israel's people. He told them every rule that God had given them. After that, Moses killed some young cows and goats. He took some of their blood and he mixed it with water. He threw some of the blood to drop onto the book of God's laws. He also caused some to drop onto all the people. He used red sheep's hair and some small branches of a plant called hyssop to throw the blood and water. 20 When Moses did this, he said to the people, ‘This blood shows that God's agreement with you has authority.’ 21 In the same way, Moses threw some of the blood onto the tabernacle. He also caused blood to drop onto all the things that the priests used to serve God there.[i] 22 God's Law taught that blood was necessary to make almost everything clean. We see that God does not forgive people for their sins unless there is blood from a death.
Christ's sacrifice on the cross
23 The tabernacle and the things that were in it needed animals' blood to make them clean. That was a picture of the true place in heaven where people worship God. But the true things in heaven need better sacrifices to make them clean than the sacrifices of animals. 24 Christ did not go into a holy place that people had made on earth. A place like that is only a picture of the true place in heaven. No, Christ went into heaven itself, where God is. Now he is there with God and he speaks to God on our behalf.
25 The leader of the priests here on earth goes into the Most Holy Place every year. Each time, he takes with him the blood of an animal and he offers it to God. But when Christ went into heaven to offer himself to God, he did not do that again and again. 26 To do that, he would need to die again and again, many times since the world began. No! Christ has appeared just once. He has appeared now, when time is near its end. He came and he died as a sacrifice. In that way, he has removed the power of sin. 27 Every person must die once. After death, God will judge each person. 28 Christ also died only once as a sacrifice. In this way, he took God's punishment for the sins of many people. Christ will return to earth a second time, but that will not be as a sacrifice for sins. That time, he will come to save those people who are waiting patiently for him.
The Lord has decided what he will do
3 You Israelites, listen to this message that the Lord speaks against you. This message is to all you people that he saved from Egypt. 2 He says, ‘There are many nations of people on the earth. But I chose you alone to belong to me. So I will punish you when you do wrong things.’
The prophet's work
3 If two people travel together, they have first agreed to meet together. 4 If a lion roars in the forest, it means that he has killed an animal to eat. A young lion does not shout unless he has caught something.
5 If there is no food in a trap, a bird will not fly into it. If the door of the trap closes, it means that it has caught something. 6 Also, if the people in a city hear a trumpet's sound, they become very afraid. If bad trouble comes to a city, it means that the Lord has sent it.
7 Before the Lord God decides to send trouble, he first tells his prophets about it. 8 So now the lion has roared! Everyone should be afraid! The Lord God has spoken, so his prophets must tell his message.
Samaria
9 Tell this message now in Ashdod city. Go to the strong cities in Egypt and speak the message there. Say this: ‘Come to the mountains in Samaria. Look at the cruel things that people are doing in Samaria. Many people are afraid.’ 10 The Lord says, ‘People have forgotten how to be honest. They rob people and they store valuable things in their big houses. They become rich because they are so cruel.’
11 So the Lord God says, ‘Enemies will come to attack your land. They will destroy your strong buildings. They will take all your good things from you.’
12 The Lord says, ‘When a lion catches a young sheep, the shepherd will try to save as much as he can. He might save only two legs, or a small part of an ear. It will be the same for the Israelites who live in Samaria. They will escape with only a piece of a bed, or a bit of cloth.’
13 The Lord God Almighty said to me, ‘Listen! Go and warn the Israelites that they have done wrong things. 14 I will punish them because they have not obeyed my Law. I will destroy the altars at Bethel. The horns of the altar will break off and they will fall to the ground. 15 I will destroy all their houses, the homes that they live in during the winter, and the ones that they live in during the summer. I will completely destroy all their big, beautiful houses, with their valuable things made from ivory.’ That is what the Lord says.
The 1st Hallelujah Psalm[a]
146 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
I say to myself, ‘Praise the Lord!’
2 I will praise the Lord through all my life.
While I am alive, I will always sing to praise my God.
3 Do not trust in human leaders.
No human can save you.
4 When they die, they return to the ground.
On that day, their plans come to an end.
5 The person who knows that the God of Jacob will help him is a happy person![b]
If he trusts in the Lord as his God, he is happy.
6 The Lord made the skies, the earth and the sea.
He also made everything that is in them.
He always does what he has promised to do.
7 He helps poor people to receive justice.
He gives food to the hungry.
He makes people that are in a prison go free.
8 The Lord makes blind people see again.
The Lord lifts up people who have fallen down.
The Lord loves people who are righteous.
9 The Lord takes care of strangers who live among us.
He helps widows and children who have no family.
But he stops wicked people doing what they want.
10 The Lord will rule as king for ever!
Zion's people, he will always be your God
and your descendants' God.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
The 2nd Hallelujah Psalm
147 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
It is good to sing to praise our God!
Yes, it is right to praise him and it makes us happy.
2 The Lord is building Jerusalem again.
He is bringing home the Israelite exiles.
3 He makes people who are very sad well again.[c]
He helps their wounds to get better.
4 He decided how many stars there should be in the sky.
He has given a name to each of them.
5 Our Lord is great and very powerful.
He understands everything!
6 The Lord gives help to poor people,
but he knocks down wicked people to the ground.
7 Offer a song to the Lord,
to thank him for what he has done.
Make music with a harp
to praise our God.
8 He fills the sky with clouds.
He sends rain to make the earth wet.
He causes grass to grow on the hills.
9 He gives food for the animals to eat.
He feeds the young ravens when they cry.[d]
10 If a horse is very strong,
that does not please him.
If a soldier is brave,
that does not make him happy.
11 Who does make the Lord happy?
People who respect him and serve him well.
People who trust him because they know he loves them.
12 Jerusalem's people, praise the Lord!
Yes, Zion's people, praise your God![e]
13 Praise him because he makes your city's gates strong.
He blesses the people who live there.
14 He causes your borders to be safe from your enemies.
He gives you lots of the best wheat to eat.
15 He sends his commands to reach all the earth.
Very soon the whole world knows what he wants.
16 He covers the earth with snow,
like a white blanket.
He puts white frost everywhere,
like ashes that the wind blows.
17 He throws hail from the sky,
like small stones.
When he sends a cold wind,
nobody can continue to stand.
18 Then he commands it all to melt.
He makes the warm wind blow,
and the ice becomes streams of water.
19 He sends his message to Jacob's descendants.
He gives his rules and laws to Israel's people.[f]
20 He has not done that for any other nation.
They do not know his laws.[g]
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
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