M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

24 Joash was of seven years (Joash was seven years old), when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; the name of his mother was Zibiah of Beersheba.

² And he did that, that was good before the Lord, in all the days of Jehoiada, the priest.

³ And Joash took two wives, of which he begat sons and daughters. (And Jehoiada chose two wives for him, of whom Joash begat sons and daughters.)

⁴ And after which things it pleased Joash to repair the house of the Lord.

⁵ And he gathered together [the] priests and deacons, and said to them, Go ye out to the cities of Judah, and gather ye of all Israel money, to the repairing of the temple of your Lord God, by each year; and do ye this thing hastily. Certainly the deacons did this thing negligently. (And he gathered together the priests and the Levites, and said to them, Go ye out to the cities of Judah, and gather ye the yearly money, or the annual tax, from all Israel, for repairs to the Temple of the Lord your God; and do ye this thing promptly, or quickly. But the Levites did it negligently, or slovenly.)

⁶ And the king called Jehoiada, the prince of priests, and said to him, Why was it not (a) charge to thee, to constrain the deacons to bring in (the) money of Judah and of Jerusalem, which money was ordained of Moses, the servant of the Lord, that all the multitude of Israel should bring it into the tabernacle of witnessing? (And so the king called the High Priest Jehoiada, and said to him, Why was it not a concern for thee, to require the Levites to bring in the money, that is, the tax, from Judah and Jerusalem, which was ordained by Moses, the Lord’s servant, that all the multitude of Israel should bring to the Tabernacle of the Witnessing?)

⁷ For the wicked woman Athaliah, and her sons, destroyed the house of God; and of all the things, that were hallowed to the temple of the Lord, they adorned the temple of Baalim. (For that wicked woman Athaliah, and her sons, destroyed the House of God; and they adorned the temple of the Baalim, with all the things that were dedicated to the Temple of the Lord.)

⁸ Therefore the king commanded, and they made an ark, and setted it beside the gate (of the House) of the Lord withoutforth. (And so the king commanded, and they made a box, and put it outside the gate of the House of the Lord.)

⁹ And it was preached in Judah and Jerusalem, that each man should bring to the Lord the price, that Moses, the servant of God, ordained upon all Israel, in desert. (And it was preached in Judah and Jerusalem, that everyone should bring to the Lord the tax, that Moses, the servant of God, had ordained upon all Israel, in the wilderness.)

¹⁰ And all the princes and all the people were glad, and they entered, and brought, and sent freely their gifts into the ark of the Lord (and freely put their gifts into the box for the Lord), so that it was filled with treasure.

¹¹ And when it was time, that they should bear the ark before the king(’s) (officials) by the hands of deacons, for they saw much money, the clerk of the king entered, and he whom the first, or chief, priest had ordained, and they poured out the money, that was in the ark; and they bare again the ark to his place (And when it was time, that they should carry the box to the king’s officials by the hands of the Levites, for they saw much money in it, the king’s clerk entered, and he whom the High Priest had ordained, and they poured out the money, that was in the box; and then they put the box back in its place). And so they did by all days, and money without number was gathered together;

¹² which the king and Jehoiada gave to them that were (the) sovereigns of the works of the house of the Lord. And they hired thereof cutters of stones, and craftsmen of all works, that they should repair the house of the Lord; also they hired smiths of iron, and of brass, that that thing should be underset, that began to fall (and they hired ironsmiths, and bronze-workers, so that what had begun to fall, or to fail, could be strengthened).

¹³ They that wrought did craftily, and the crazing of the walls was stopped by the hands of them; and they raised the house of the Lord into the former state, and made it to stand steadfastly. (They who did the work did so with craftsmanship, and they repaired the breaches in the walls; and so they raised the House of the Lord back to its former state, and made it stand strong and steadfast.)

¹⁴ And when they had fulfilled all the works, they brought before the king and Jehoiada the tother part of the money, of which money vessels were made into the service of the temple, and to burnt sacrifices (and from that money vessels were made for service in the Temple, and for the burnt sacrifices); also vials, or basins, and other vessels of gold and of silver were made thereof. And burnt sacrifices were offered in the house of the Lord continually, in all the days of Jehoiada.

¹⁵ And Jehoiada full of days waxed eld, and he was dead, when he was of an hundred years and thirty; (And Jehoiada grew old, and full of days, and he died when he was a hundred and thirty years old;)

¹⁶ and they buried him in the city of David with (the) kings; for he had done good with Israel, (for God,) and with his house. (and they buried him in the City of David with the kings; for he had done good in Israel, for God, and for his House.)

¹⁷ But after that Jehoiada died, the princes of Judah entered, and worshipped the king, which was flattered with their services, and assented to them. (But after that Jehoiada died, the leaders of Judah entered, and worshipped, or honoured, the king, who was flattered by them, and he assented to them.)

¹⁸ And they forsook the temple of the Lord God of their fathers, and served idols in woods, and graven images (and worshipped sacred poles, and carved idols); and the ire of the Lord was made against Judah and Jerusalem for this sin.

¹⁹ And he sent to them prophets, that they should turn again to the Lord (so that they would return to the Lord); the which prophets’ witnessing, they would not hear.

²⁰ Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed, or environed, Zechariah, the priest, the son of Jehoiada; and he stood in the sight of the people, and said to them, The Lord saith these things, Why break ye the commandment of the Lord, which thing shall not profit to you, and ye have forsaken the Lord, that he should forsake you? (Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zechariah, the son of the High Priest Jehoiada; and he stood before the people, and said to them, The Lord saith these things, Why have ye broken the Lord’s commands? truly that shall not profit you; but because ye have abandoned the Lord, now he hath abandoned you.)

²¹ Which were gathered together against him, and casted stones (at him), by commandment of the king, in the large place of the house of the Lord. (And they gathered together against him, and threw stones at him, by the command of the king, in the courtyard of the House of the Lord.)

²² And king Joash had not mind on the mercy, (or goodness,) which Jehoiada, the father of Zechariah, had done with him; but he killed the son of Jehoiada. And when Zechariah died, he said, The Lord see this thing, and again-seek it. (And King Joash forgot about the loyalty which Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father, had shown to him; and so he had Jehoiada’s son killed. And as Zechariah died, he said, May the Lord see what thou hast done, and avenge it.)

²³ And when a year was turned about, either ended, the host of Syria went up against Joash, and it came into Judah and into Jerusalem, and it killed all the princes of the people (and they came into Judah and Jerusalem, and they killed all the leaders of the people); and they sent all the prey to the king of Damascus.

²⁴ And certain(ly), when a full little number of men of Syria was come into Judah, the Lord betook in(to) their hands a multitude of Jews without number, for they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers. Also they used shameful dooms against Joash (And so they executed judgement against Joash);

²⁵ and they went away from him, and they left him in great sorrows. And his servants rose up against him, into vengeance of the blood of the son of Jehoiada, priest; and killed him in his bed, and he was dead. And they buried him in the city of David, but not in the sepulchres of kings. (and then they went away from him, and they left him in great sorrows. And then his servants rose up against him, in vengeance for the blood of the son of the High Priest Jehoiada; and they killed him in his bed, and he was dead. And they buried him in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.)

²⁶ And Zabad, the son of Shimeath of Ammon, and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith of Moab, setted treasons to him. (And it was Zabad, the son of Shimeath of Ammon, and Jehozabad, the son of Shimrith of Moab, who set treason against him.)

²⁷ Soothly his sons, and the sum of money that was gathered under him, and the repairing of the house of God, be written diligently in the book of Kings (all be diligently written about in The Book of the Kings). And Amaziah, his son, reigned for him;

11 And a reed like a rod was given to me, and it was said to me, Rise thou, and mete the temple of God, and the altar, and men that worship in it.

² But cast thou out the foreyard, that is without the temple, and mete not it [Forsooth cast out the porch, that is without the temple, and mete it not]; for it is given to heathen men, and they shall defoul the holy city by forty months and twain [by forty months and two].

³ And I shall give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand days two hundred and sixty, and [they] shall be clothed with sackcloths.

⁴ These be two olives, and two candlesticks, and they stand in the sight of the Lord of the earth [standing in the sight of the Lord of the earth].

⁵ And if any man will harm them, fire shall go out of the mouth of them, and shall devour their enemies. And if any [man] will hurt them, thus it behooveth him to be slain.

⁶ These have power to close heaven [These have power to shut heaven], that it rain not in the days of their prophecy; and they have power on [upon] waters, to turn them into blood; and to smite the earth with every plague [and to smite the earth with all plague, either vengeance], and as oft as they will.

⁷ And when they shall end their witnessing, the beast that ascendeth up from deepness [the beast that ascendeth up of the deepness], shall make battle against them, and shall overcome them, and shall slay them [and slay them].

⁸ And the bodies of them shall lie in the streets of the great city, that is called ghostly Sodom, and Egypt, where the Lord of them was crucified.

⁹ And some of the lineages, and of peoples, and of languages [and tongues], and of heathen men, shall see the bodies of them by three days and an half; and they shall not suffer the bodies of them to be put in burials.

¹⁰ And men inhabiting the earth shall have joy on [upon] them; and they shall make merry, and shall send gifts together, for these two prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth.

¹¹ And after three days and an half, the Spirit of life of God entered into them; and they stood on their feet, and great dread fell on them that saw them [and they stood upon their feet, and great dread fell upon them that saw them].

¹² And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying to them, Come up hither. And they ascended [up] into heaven in a cloud, and the enemies of them saw them.

¹³ And in that hour a great earth-moving was made, and the tenth part of the city fell down [and the tenth part of the city fell]; and the names of men seven thousand were slain in the earth-moving [and there be slain in the earth-moving the names of men seven thousand]; and the others were sent into dread, and gave glory to God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second woe is gone, and lo! the third woe shall come soon.

¹⁵ And the seventh angel trumpeted [And the seventh angel sang in trump], and great voices were made in heaven, and said, The realm of this world is made of our Lord, and of Christ, his Son [saying, The realm of this world is made our Lord's, and of Christ's, his Son]; and he shall reign into worlds of worlds. Amen.

¹⁶ And the four and twenty elder men [And the four and twenty seniors], that sat in their seats in the sight of the Lord, fell on their faces, and worshipped God,

¹⁷ and said [saying], We do thankings to thee, Lord God almighty, which art, and which were, and which art to coming [and which art to come]; which hast taken thy great virtue [that hast taken thy great virtue], and hast reigned.

¹⁸ And folks be wroth, and thy wrath came, and time of dead men to be deemed, and to yield meed to thy servants, and prophets, and hallows [and to yield hire to thy servants, prophets, and hallows], and dreading thy name, to small and to great, and to destroy them that corrupt the earth [and to destroy them that corrupted the earth].

¹⁹ And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his testament was seen in his temple; and lightnings were made, and voices, and thunders, and earth-moving, and great hail.

7 And it is made in the fourth year of Darius, king, the word of the Lord was made to Zechariah, in the fourth day of the ninth month, that is Chisleu, that is, November. (And it was done in the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord was made to Zechariah, on the fourth day of the ninth month, that is Chisleu, or November.)

² And Sherezer, and Regemmelech, and men that were with them, sent to the house of the Lord, for to pray the face of the Lord; (And Sherezer, and Regemmelech, and the men who were with them, sent word to the House of the Lord, for them to pray to the Lord;)

³ that they should say to priests of the house of the Lord of hosts, and to prophets, and speak, Whether it is to weep to me in the fifth month, either I shall hallow me, as I did now many years? (and so that they could ask the priests of the House of the Lord of hosts, and the prophets, Is it for me to weep and to consecrate, or to dedicate, myself in the fifth month, as I have done now for so many years?)

⁴ And the word of the Lord [of hosts] was made to me, and said,

⁵ Speak thou to all the people of the land, and to priests, and say thou, When ye fasted, and wailed in the fifth and seventh month(s), by these seventy years, whether ye fasted a fast to me? (Speak thou to all the people of the land, and to the priests, and say thou, When ye fasted, and wailed in the fifth month and in the seventh month, during those seventy years, did ye ever fast in honour of me?)

⁶ And when ye ate, and drank, whether ye ate not to you, and drank not to yourselves? (And when ye ate, and drank, did ye not eat, and drink, to please only yourselves?)

⁷ Whether the words of prophets be not, which the Lord spake in the hand of the former prophets, when yet Jerusalem was inhabited, and was full of riches, and it, and the cities thereof in compass thereof, and at the south and in field place was inhabited? (Were not these the words of the prophets, which the Lord spoke by the earlier prophets, or by the prophets of old, when Jerusalem was still inhabited, and was full of riches, and it, and the cities there all around it, and to the south, or in the Negeb, and on the lowlands, or on the Shephelah, were all inhabited?)

⁸ And the word of the Lord was made to Zechariah, and said,

⁹ The Lord of hosts saith these things, and speaketh, Deem ye true doom, and do ye mercy, and doings of mercy, each man with his brother. (The Lord of hosts speaketh these things, and saith, Judge ye with true justice, and do ye mercy, and doings of mercy, each man with his brother/each person with his neighbour.)

¹⁰ And do not ye falsely challenge a widow, and fatherless, either motherless, and comeling, and poor man; and a man think not in his heart evil to his brother. (And do not ye oppress a widow, or the fatherless, or the motherless, child, or a newcomer, that is, a stranger, or a poor person; and do not let anyone think evil in his heart against his brother, or against his neighbour.)

¹¹ And they would not take heed, and they turned away the shoulder, and went away, and made heavy their ears (and closed their ears), lest they heard.

¹² And they set their heart as an adamant (stone), lest they heard the law, and words which the Lord of hosts sent in his [holy] Spirit, by the hand of the former prophets; and great indignation was made of the Lord of hosts. (And they hardened their hearts like a stone, lest they heard the Law, and the words which the Lord of hosts sent by his Holy Spirit, by the earlier prophets, or by the prophets of old; and so the Lord of hosts had great indignation.)

¹³ And it is done, as he spake; and as they heard not, so they shall cry, and I shall not hear [them], saith the Lord of hosts. (And it is done, as he had said it would be; and because they did not listen to me, so now they shall cry, and I shall not hear them/and I shall not listen to them, saith the Lord of hosts.)

¹⁴ And I scattered them by all realms, which they knew not, and the land is desolate from them; for that there was not a man going and turning again, and they have put [the] desirable land into desert. (And I scattered them into all the kingdoms, which they did not know about, and the land was made empty of them; and because there was no one going forth, and returning, they have made, or turned, this most desirable land into a desert, or deserted and desolate.)

10 Truly, truly, I say to you, he that cometh not in by the door into the fold of sheep, but ascendeth [up] by another way, is a night thief and a day thief.

² But he that entereth by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep.

³ To this the porter openeth, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

⁴ And when he hath done out his own sheep [And when he hath sent out his own sheep], he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him; for they know his voice.

⁵ But they follow not an alien, but flee from him; for they have not known the voice of aliens.

⁶ Jesus said to them this proverb; but they knew not what he spake to them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.

⁸ As many as have come, were night thieves and day thieves, but the sheep heard not them. [All how many ever came before me, be night thieves and day thieves, but the sheep heard not them.]

⁹ I am the door. If any man shall enter by me, he shall be saved; and he shall go in, and shall go out, and he shall find pastures.

¹⁰ A night thief cometh not, but that he steal, slay, and destroy; and I came, that they have life, and have more plenteously. [A night thief cometh not, but that he steal, and slay, and lose; I came, that they have life, and have more plenteously.]

¹¹ I am a good shepherd; a good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.

¹² But an hired hind, and that is not the shepherd, whose be not the sheep his own [whose the sheep be not his own], seeth a wolf coming, and he leaveth the sheep, and fleeth; and the wolf snatcheth, and scattereth the sheep.

¹³ And the hired hind fleeth, for he is an hired hind, and it pertaineth not to him of the sheep.

¹⁴ I am a good shepherd, and I know my sheep, and my sheep know me.

¹⁵ As the Father hath known me, I know the Father; and I put my life for my sheep.

¹⁶ [And] I have other sheep, that be not of this fold, and it behooveth me to bring them together, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be made one fold and one shepherd.

¹⁷ Therefore the Father loveth me, for I put my life, that again I take it.

¹⁸ No man taketh it from me, but I put it of myself. I have power to put it, and I have power to take it again. This commandment I have taken of my Father.

¹⁹ Again dissension was made among the Jews for these words.

²⁰ And many of them said, He hath a devil, and maddeth [He hath a devil, and maddeth, or waxeth mad]; what hear ye him?

²¹ Other men said, These words be not of a man that hath a devil. Whether the devil may open the eyes of blind men [Whether a devil may open the eyes of blind men]?

²² But the feasts of hallowing of the temple were made in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

²³ And Jesus walked in the temple, in the porch of Solomon.

²⁴ Therefore the Jews came about him, and said to him, How long takest thou away our soul? if thou art Christ, say thou to us openly [and said to him, How long dost thou away our soul? if thou art Christ, say to us plainly, or openly].

²⁵ Jesus answered to them, I speak to you, and ye believe not; the works that I do in the name of my Father, bear witnessing of me [the works that I do in the name of my Father, these bear witness of me].

²⁶ But ye believe not, for ye be not of my sheep.

²⁷ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

²⁸ And I give to them everlasting life, and they shall not perish without end, and none shall snatch them out of mine hand. [And I shall give to them everlasting life, and they shall not perish into without end, and any man shall not snatch them out of mine hand.]

²⁹ That thing that my Father gave to me, is more than all things [That thing that my Father gave to me, is more than all]; and no man may snatch from my Father's hand.

³⁰ I and the Father be one.

³¹ The Jews took up stones, to stone him.

³² Jesus answered to them, I have showed to you many good works of my Father, for which work of them stone ye me?

³³ The Jews answered to him, We stone thee not of good work, but of blasphemy, and for thou, since thou art a man, makest thyself God.

³⁴ Jesus answered to them, Whether it is not written in your law, That I said, Ye be gods?

³⁵ If he said that they were gods, to whom the word of God was made, and the scripture may not be undone,

³⁶ that that the Father hath hallowed, and hath sent into the world [which the Father hallowed, and sent into the world], ye say, That thou blasphemest, for I said, I am God's Son?

³⁷ If I do not the works of my Father, do not ye believe to me;

³⁸ but if I do, though ye will not believe to me, believe ye to the works; that ye know and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

³⁹ Therefore they sought to take him, and he went out of their hands.

⁴⁰ And he went again over Jordan, into that place where John was first baptizing, and he dwelt there.

⁴¹ And many came to him, and said, For John did no miracle [Forsooth John did no sign, or miracle]; and all things whatever John said of this, were sooth.

⁴² And many believed in him.