M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
A Place for the Ark is Prepared(A)
15 David built palaces for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the Ark of God and erected a tent for it. 2 Then David ordered that the Ark of God was to be carried by no one except the descendants of Levi, because the Lord had chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve him forever. 3 David assembled all of Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its proper place that he had prepared for it.
Ministry Appointments
4 David also assembled the descendants of Aaron, who were descendants of Levi, 5 including[a] Uriel their leader from the descendants of Kohath, along with 120 of his relatives, 6 from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah their leader, along with 220 of his relatives, 7 from the descendants of Gershom, Joel their chief, along with 130 of his relatives, 8 from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah their leader, along with 200 of his relatives, 9 from Hebron’s descendants, Eliel their leader, along with 80 of his relatives, 10 and from Uzziel’s descendants, Amminadab their leader, along with 112 of his relatives.
11 Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, along with the descendants of Levi Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab 12 and addressed them: “As leaders of your Levitical families, set yourselves apart, both you and your relatives, so you can be qualified to[b] bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I’ve prepared for it. 13 Because you didn’t carry it from the very first, the Lord our God attacked[c] us, since we didn’t care for it appropriately.” 14 So the priests and descendants of Levi set themselves apart to carry the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15 The descendants of Levi carried the Ark of God the way Moses had commanded and in accordance with the command from[d] the Lord—that is, with poles[e] on their shoulders.
Music Ministry Appointments
16 David also told the leaders of the descendants of Levi to appoint their relatives as singers, to play musical instruments such as harps, lyres, and cymbals, and to keep sounding aloud with joyful voices. 17 So the descendants of Levi appointed Joel’s son Heman, his relative Berechiah’s son Asaph, as well as certain[f] relatives of Merari’s sons, including[g] Kushaiah’s son Ethan, 18 their second order relatives[h] Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, as well as the trustees[i] Obed-edom and Jeiel. 19 The singers included Heman, Asaph, and Ethan (who played bronze cymbals). 20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played harps to accompany the women singers,[j] 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah led on lyres, sounding the octaves.[k] 22 Chenaniah, music leader for the descendants of Levi, served as music director, because he was expert at it. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah served as gatekeepers for the ark. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer the priests were appointed to sound the trumpets before the Ark of God, and Obed-edom and Jehiah were trustees[l] for the ark.
The Ark is Moved to Jerusalem
25 Then David, the elders of Israel, and the leaders of groups of thousands[m] proceeded to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Obed-edom’s house, rejoicing as they went.[n] 26 As God helped the descendants of Levi who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David wore a robe made from fine linen, as did all of the descendants of Levi who were carrying the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music and choir director. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 All of Israel were bringing up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, accompanied by shouting, sounding of horns, trumpets, and cymbals, along with loud music on harps and lyres. 29 But as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord approached the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal was peering out a window, watching King David dancing and cavorting around, and she despised him in her heart.
Do Not Show Partiality
2 My brothers, do not let your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[a] be tainted by favoritism. 2 Suppose a man wearing gold rings and fine clothes comes into your assembly,[b] and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in. 3 If you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Please take this seat,” but you say to the poor man, “Stand over there” or “Sit on the floor at my feet,”[c] 4 then you will have made false distinctions among yourselves and will have judged from evil motives, will you not?
5 Listen, my dear brothers! God has chosen the poor in the world to become rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who keep on loving him, has he not? 6 But you have humiliated the man who is poor. Are not rich people the ones who oppress you and drag you into court? 7 Are not they the ones who blaspheme the noble Name[d] by which you have been called?
8 Nevertheless, you are doing the right thing if you obey the royal Law in keeping with the Scripture, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”[e] 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and will be convicted by the Law as violators. 10 For whoever keeps the whole Law but fails in one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For the one who said, “Never commit adultery,”[f] also said, “Never murder.”[g] Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you become a violator of the Law. 12 You must make it your habit to speak and act like people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For the one who has shown no mercy will be judged without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith is Shown by Actions
14 What good does it do, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but does not prove it with actions? This kind of faith cannot save him, can it? 15 Suppose a brother or sister does not have any clothes or daily food 16 and one of you tells them, “Go in peace! Stay warm and eat heartily.” If you do not provide for their bodily needs, what good does it do? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not prove itself with actions, is dead.
18 But someone may say, “You have faith, and I have actions.” Show me your faith without any actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions. 19 You believe that there is one God. That’s fine! Even the demons believe that and tremble with fear. 20 Do you want proof, you foolish person, that faith without actions is worthless? 21 Our ancestor Abraham was justified by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar, wasn’t he? 22 You[h] see that his faith worked together with what he did, and by his actions his faith was made complete. 23 And so the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[i] And so he was called God’s friend. 24 You[j] observe that a person is justified through actions and not through faith alone. 25 Likewise, Rahab the prostitute was justified through actions when she welcomed the messengers[k] and sent them away on a different road, wasn’t she? 26 For just as the body without the spirit[l] is dead, so faith without actions is also dead.
Israel to be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing beside the altar as he was saying,
“Strike the doorposts
so that the thresholds tremble,
bringing them down on the heads of all of them.
Those who survive I will kill with the sword.
Those who flee will not escape.
There will be no deliverance for the fugitives.
2 “Even if they burrow into Sheol,[a]
from there my hand will find them.
Even if they ascend to the heavens,
from there I will bring them down.
3 Even if they hide at the top of Mount[b] Carmel,
from there I will search and seize them.
Even if they hide from my sight in the depths of the sea,
from there I will order the serpent to strike them.
4 Even if they go into exile among their enemies,
from there I will order the sword to kill them.
I will fix my gaze on them to inflict disaster,
and not to do good.[c]
5 “The Lord God of the Heavenly Armies
who is touching the earth so that it melts
and all of its inhabitants mourn there—
the land rises like the Nile[d] River,
but sinks like the river of Egypt—
6 who is building his stairway to heaven
and setting its foundation on earth;
who is calling for the waters of the sea
and pouring them out over the surface of the land—
the Lord is his name!
7 “Aren’t you people of Israel like the people of Cush to me?”
declares the Lord.
“I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt, did I not,
as well as the Philistines from Caphtor[e]
and the Arameans from Kir?
8 Look! The eyes of the Lord God are on the sinful kingdom.
I will destroy it from the face of the earth;
but I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob,”
declares the Lord.
9 “Look! I’m giving the order:
I will sift the house of Israel throughout all the nations,
as one sifts with a sieve,
yet not a single kernel will reach the ground!
10 All sinners among my people will die by the sword,
especially all who are saying,
‘Disaster will not come upon or conquer us!’”
Israel to be Restored
11 “At that time I will restore David’s fallen tent,
restoring its torn places.
I will restore its ruins,
rebuilding it as it was long ago,
12 so my people[f] may inherit the remnant of Edom
and all of the nations that bear my name,”
declares the Lord who is bringing this about.
13 “Look! The days are coming,”
declares the Lord,
“when the one who sows will overtake the harvester
and the treader of grapes will overtake[g] the planter.
Fresh wine will drip down from the mountains,
cascading down from the hills.
14 I will surely restore my people Israel;
they will rebuild the ruined cities
and inhabit them.[h]
They will plant vineyards
and drink the wine from them.
They will plant gardens
and eat the fruit from them.
15 I will plant the people of Israel[i] in their own land,
never again to be torn out of their land
that I gave them,”
says the Lord your God.
Jesus is Tempted by Satan(A)
4 Then Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan. He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where he was being tempted by the Devil for 40 days. During that time he ate nothing at all, and when they were over he became hungry.
3 The Devil told him, “Since[a] you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”
4 Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘One must not live on bread alone,
but on every word of God.’”[b]
5 The Devil[c] also took him to a high place[d] and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. 6 He told Jesus,[e] “I will give you all this authority, along with their glory, because it has been given to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 So if you will worship me, all this will be yours.”
8 But Jesus answered him, “It is written,
9 The Devil[h] also took him into Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple. He told Jesus,[i] “Since[j] you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 because it is written,
‘God[k] will put his angels in charge of you
to watch over you carefully.
11 With their hands they will hold you up,
so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.’”[l]
12 Jesus answered him, “It has been said, ‘You must not tempt the Lord[m] your God.’”[n]
13 After the Devil had finished tempting Jesus in every possible way, he left him until another time.
Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee(B)
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee by the power of the Spirit. Meanwhile, the news about him spread throughout the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was continuously receiving praise from everyone.
Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth(C)
16 Then Jesus[o] came to Nazareth, where he had been raised. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When he stood up to read, 17 the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord[p] is upon me;
he has anointed me to tell
the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set oppressed people free,
19 and to announce the year of the Lord’s[q] favor.”[r]
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. While the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on him, 21 he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled, as you’ve heard it read aloud.”[s]
22 All the people began to speak well of him and to wonder at the gracious words that flowed from his mouth. They said, “This is Joseph’s son, isn’t it?”
23 So he told them, “You will probably quote this proverb to me, ‘Doctor, heal yourself! Do everything here in your hometown that we hear you did in Capernaum.’”
24 He added, “I tell all of you[t] with certainty, a prophet is not accepted in his hometown. 25 I’m telling you the truth—there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when it didn’t rain[u] for three years and six months and there was a severe famine everywhere in the land. 26 Yet Elijah wasn’t sent to a single one of those widows except to one at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the prophet Elisha’s time, yet not one of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 All the people in the synagogue became furious when they heard this. 29 They got up, forced Jesus[v] out of the city, and led him to the edge of the hill on which their city was built, intending to throw him off. 30 But he walked right through the middle of them and went away.
Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit(D)
31 Then Jesus[w] went down to Capernaum, a city in Galilee, and began teaching the people[x] on Sabbath days.[y] 32 They were utterly amazed at what he taught, because his message was spoken[z] with authority.
33 In the synagogue was a man who had a demon.[aa] He screamed with a loud voice, 34 “Oh, no! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
35 But Jesus rebuked him. “Be quiet,” he said, “and come out of him!” At this, the demon threw the man[ab] down in the middle of the synagogue[ac] and came out of him without hurting him.
36 Overwhelmed with amazement, they all kept saying to one another, “What kind of statement is this?—because with authority and power he gives orders to unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 So news about him spread to every place in the surrounding region.
Jesus Heals Many People(E)
38 Then Jesus[ad] got up to leave the synagogue and went into Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, so they asked Jesus[ae] about her. 39 He bent over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began serving them. 40 When the sun was setting, everyone who had any friends[af] suffering from various diseases brought them to him. He placed his hands on each of them and began healing them. 41 Even demons came out of many people, screaming, “You are the Son of God!” But Jesus[ag] rebuked them and ordered them not to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.[ah]
Jesus Goes on a Preaching Tour(F)
42 At daybreak he left and went to a deserted place, while the crowds kept looking for him. When they came to him, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he told them, “I have to proclaim the good news about the kingdom of God in other cities, because I was sent to do that also.” 44 So he continued to preach in the synagogues of Galilee.[ai]
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