M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon Enlists King Hiram’s Help to Build the Temple(A)
2 [a]Now Solomon was determined[b] to build a temple dedicated to the Name of the Lord as well as his own royal palace. 2 [c]So Solomon conscripted 70,000 men to do heavy work, 80,000 men to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 to supervise them. 3 Solomon also sent this message to King Hiram[d] of Tyre:
“Just as you did with my father David, sending him cedars to build him a palace to live in, do the same for me. 4 Look, I’m building a temple dedicated to the name of the Lord my God, to his glory, so we can burn fragrant incense in his presence, display rows of the bread of his presence continuously, and make burnt offerings in the morning, evening, on Sabbath days,[e] during New Moon festivals,[f] and during appointed festivals scheduled[g] by the Lord our God. This is mandated forever in Israel.
5 “The Temple that I’m building will be great, because the greatness of our God surpasses that of[h] all gods. 6 But who can build a temple for him, since neither heaven nor the highest of the heavens can contain him? So who am I, that I should build a temple to him, except to burn incense in his presence?
7 “At any rate, send me an individual who is a skilled craftsman in gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as in purple, crimson, and blue[i] materials,[j] who knows how to craft engravings, so he may work with the craftsmen whom I have assembled in Judah and Jerusalem, as provided for by my father David. 8 Also send me cedar, cypress, and algum timber from Lebanon, since I’m aware that your servants know how to cut down timber from Lebanon. My servants will accompany your servants 9 to prepare an abundant amount of timber for me, because the Temple that I’m building is to be great and awesome.
10 “Now look! I will pay your servants, the lumberjacks who prepare the timber, 20,000 measures[k] of barley, 20,000 baths[l] of wine, and 20,000 baths[m] of oil.”
Solomon’s Wealth
11 In a letter that he sent to Solomon, King Hiram of Tyre wrote,[n] “Because he loves his people, the Lord has placed you as king over them.” 12 Hiram also wrote:
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who made the heavens and the earth. He gave King David a wise son, who is acquainted with discretion and understanding, and who is building a temple to the Lord, as well as a royal palace for himself.
13 Now I’m sending along Hiram-abi,[o] a skilled craftsman, who is very creative.[p] 14 He is the son of a mother from the tribe of Dan, and his father is from Tyre. He’s skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and timber, as well as in purple, blue,[q] linen, and crimson materials.[r] He is skilled in engravings, and can craft any design to which he may be assigned. He will work with your skilled artisans and with all of your craftsmen who have been assigned by my lord David, your father.
15 “So then, may my lord send to his servants the wheat, barley, oil, and wine about which he has spoken. 16 We’ll cut down the timber you need from Lebanon and transport it to you on rafts by sea to Joppa, so you can move it to Jerusalem.”
17 Solomon took a census of all the non-Israeli men[s] who lived in the land of Israel, after the census that his father David had taken, and 153,600 were counted. 18 He conscripted 70,000 of them to do heavy work, 80,000 to quarry in the hill country, and 3,600 men to supervise the people.
The Messiah is Our Advocate
2 My little children, I’m writing these things to you so that you might not sin. Yet if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus, the Messiah,[a] one who is righteous. 2 It is he who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world’s.
3 This is how we can be sure that we have come to know him: if we continually keep his commandments. 4 The person who says, “I have come to know him,” but does not continually keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth has no place in that person. 5 But whoever continually keeps his commandments is the kind of person in whom God’s love has truly been perfected. This is how we can be sure that we are in union with God:[b] 6 The one who says that he abides in him must live the same way he himself lived.
We Must Obey God’s Commandments
7 Dear friends, I am not writing to you a new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning. This old commandment is the word you have heard. 8 On the other hand, I am writing to you a new commandment that is truly in him and in you. For the darkness is fading away, and the true light is already shining.
9 The person who says that he is in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10 The person who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no reason for him to stumble. 11 But the person who hates his brother is in the darkness and lives in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins have been forgiven
on account of his name.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have known the one who
has existed from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young people,
because you have overcome the evil one.
14 I have written to you, little children,
because you have known the Father.
I have written to you, fathers,
because you have known the one who
has existed from the beginning.
I have written to you, young people,
because you are strong
and because God’s word remains in you
and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Stop loving[c] the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father’s love is not in him. 16 For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification,[d] the desire for possessions,[e] and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world and its desires are fading away, but the person who does God’s will remains forever.
Live in the Messiah
18 Little children, it is the last hour. Just as you heard that an antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They left us, but they were not part of us, for if they had been part of us, they would have stayed with us. Their leaving made it clear that none of them was really part of us.
20 You have an anointing from the Holy One and know all things.[f] 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because lies don’t come from truth. 22 Who is a liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Messiah?[g] The person who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. The person who acknowledges the Son also has the Father.
24 What you have heard from the beginning must abide in you. If what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, you will also abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 The message that the Son[h] himself declared to us is eternal life. 26 I have written[i] to you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 The anointing you received from God[j] abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you this.[k] Instead, because God’s[l] anointing teaches you about everything and is true and not a lie, abide in him, as he taught you to do.[m]
Abide in Him
28 Even now, little children, abide in him. Then, when he appears, we will have confidence and will not turn away from him in shame when he comes. 29 Since you know that he is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been fathered by God.[n]
Nahum’s Vision
1 A pronouncement[a] about Nineveh: The record of the vision of Nahum[b] from Elkosh.
The Lord’s Anger against Assyria
2 A jealous God, the Lord avenges.
The Lord avenges;
The Lord is an angry husband.
The Lord takes vengeance on his enemies,
reserving anger for his adversaries.
3 The Lord is slow to anger and powerful,
and he will never let the guilty[c] go unpunished.
The Lord’s path is in the windstorm and hurricane;
thunderclouds are dust beneath his feet.
4 He rebukes the sea, and it evaporates;
he dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither,
while the flowers of Lebanon languish.
5 Mountains shake because of him,
and the hills melt.
The earth goes into upheaval at his presence,
as does the world with all of its inhabitants.
6 Who can stand before his fury?
And who can endure his fierce anger?
His displeasure pours out like fire,
and rocks are broken to pieces because of him.
The Lord’s Goodness in the Midst of Judgment
7 The Lord is good—
a refuge in troubled times.[d]
He knows those who are confiding in him.
8 But with an overwhelming deluge he will bring utter desolation to Nineveh,[e]
and his enemies he will pursue with darkness.
9 What are you scheming against the Lord?
He will bring about utter desolation—
adversity will not strike twice!
10 Indeed, while tangled as by a thorn bush,
while drunken as by a strong drink,
the Ninevites[f] will be burned like dry straw.
11 Someone has left you who plans evil against the Lord.
He is a demonic counselor.[g]
The Lord’s Rebuke to Assyria
12 This is what the Lord says:
“No matter how strong they are,[h]
and no matter how numerous,
they will surely be annihilated[i] and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you,[j]
I will do so no more.
13 Now I will break off Assyria’s[k] yoke from you,
and tear apart your shackles.”
14 Now this is what the Lord has decreed about you, Nineveh:[l]
“There will be no more children born[m] to carry on your name.
I will cut out the graven and molten images from the temples of your gods.
I myself will dig your grave,
because you are vile.”
The Sure and Certain Deliverance of Judah
Causing Others to Sin(A)
17 Jesus[a] told his disciples, “It is inevitable that temptations to sin will come, but how terrible it will be for the person through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
3 “Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 Even if he sins against you seven times in a day and comes back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”
Faith and Obedience
5 Then the apostles told the Lord, “Give us more faith!”
6 The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of[b] a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!
7 “Suppose a man among you has a servant plowing or watching sheep. Would he say to him when he comes in from the field, ‘Come at once and have something to eat’? 8 Of course not. Instead, he would say to him, ‘Get dinner ready for me, and put on your apron and wait on me until I eat and drink. Then you can eat and drink.’ 9 He doesn’t praise the servant for doing what was commanded, does he? 10 That’s the way it is with you. When you have done everything you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless servants. We have done only what we ought to have done.’”
Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers
11 One day, Jesus[c] was traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee on the way to Jerusalem. 12 As he was going into a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
14 When Jesus[d] saw them, he told them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” While they were going, they were made clean. 15 But one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, came back and praised God with a loud voice. 16 He fell on his face at Jesus’[e] feet and thanked him. Now that man[f] was a Samaritan.
17 Jesus asked, “Ten men were made clean, weren’t they? Where are the other nine? 18 Except for this foreigner, were any of them found to return and give praise to God?” 19 Then he told the man,[g] “Get up, and go home! Your faith has saved you.”[h]
The Coming of the Kingdom(B)
20 Once Jesus[i] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come. He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with a visible display. 21 People[j] won’t be saying, ‘Look! Here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ because now the kingdom of God is among[k] you.”
22 Then Jesus[l] told the disciples, “The time will come during which you will long to see one of these days when the Son of Man is with you,[m] but you won’t see it. 23 People[n] will say to you, ‘Look! There he is!’ or ‘Look! Here he is!’ But don’t go and chase after him. 24 Because just as lightning flashes and shines from one end of the sky to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his time.[o] 25 But first he must suffer a great deal and be rejected by those living today.[p]
26 “Just as it was in Noah’s time, so it will be in the Son of Man’s time. 27 People[q] were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage right up to the day when Noah went into the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed all of them. 28 So it was in Lot’s time. People[r] were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But on the very day when Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed all of them. 30 The day when the Son of Man is revealed will be like that.
31 “The person who is on the housetop that day must not come down to get his belongings out of his house. The person in the field, too, must not turn back to what’s left behind. 32 Remember Lot’s wife! 33 Whoever tries to save his life[s] will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, two will be seated on the same couch[t] that night. The one will be taken, and the other will be left behind. 35 Two women will be grinding grain[u] together. The one will be taken, and the other will be left behind.”[v]
37 Then they asked him, “Where, Lord, will this take place?”[w]
He told them, “Wherever there’s a corpse, that’s where the vultures[x] will gather.”
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