M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jotham Succeeds Uzziah(A)
27 Jotham was 25 years old when he began his reign, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zadok’s daughter Jerusha. 2 He practiced what the Lord considered to be right, just as his father Uzziah had done, even though he did not enter the Temple. Nevertheless, the people continued acting corruptly.
3 Jotham[a] constructed the Upper Gate of the Lord’s Temple and did extensive work on the wall of Ophel.[b] 4 He also built cities in the hill country of Judah, along with fortresses and guard towers in the forests. 5 He launched a military excursion against the king of the Ammonites and defeated him. As a result, that year the Ammonites paid 100 talents[c] of silver in tribute, as well as 10,000 kors[d] of wheat and 10,000 kors[e] of barley. The Ammonites continued to pay this same amount in tribute over the following two years. 6 Jotham grew in power because he had determined to live his life in the presence of the Lord his God. 7 The rest of the accomplishments of Jotham’s reign, including all of his military exploits and campaigns, are recorded in the book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He started his reign at the age of 25 years and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 Then Jotham died, as had his fathers, and he was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz became king in his place.
Ahaz Succeeds Jotham(B)
28 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 16 years in Jerusalem, but he did not practice what the Lord considered to be right, as his ancestor David had done. 2 Instead, he lived like[f] the kings of Israel did. He cast metal images of Baal,[g] 3 burned incense in the Ben-hinnom Valley, and burned his sons[h] as an offering, following the detestable activities of the nations whom the Lord had expelled in front of the people of Israel. 4 He sacrificed and burned incense on high places, on the top of hills, and under every green tree.
Aram and Israel Defeat Judah(C)
5 As a result, the Lord his God handed Ahaz[i] over to the king of Aram, who defeated him and took a large number of captives away to Damascus. Ahaz[j] was also delivered over to the control of the King of Israel, who defeated him with many heavy casualties. 6 Remaliah’s son Pekah killed 120,000 soldiers in a single day, all of them elite forces, because they had forsaken the Lord God of their ancestors. 7 Zichri, a valiant soldier from Ephraim, killed the king’s son Maaseiah, Azrikam, the palace manager, and Elkanah, who was second in rank to the king. 8 The Israelis carried away 200,000 women, sons, and daughters from among their own relatives. They also took a great deal of plunder, and brought it all to Samaria.
Oded the Prophet Rebukes Israel
9 But a prophet of the Lord was there named Oded. He went out to greet the army as it arrived in Samaria. He warned them, “Look! Because the Lord God of your ancestors was angry at Judah, he delivered them into your control, but you have killed them with a vehemence that has reached all the way to heaven! 10 Now you’re intending to make the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem to be your slaves. Surely you have your own sins against the Lord your God for which you’re accountable,[k] don’t you? 11 So listen to me! Return the captives whom you’ve captured from your brothers, because the anger of the Lord is burning hot against you!”
12 Some of the leaders of the descendants of Ephraim, including Johanan’s son Azariah, Meshillemoth’s son Berechiah, Shallum’s son Jehizkiah, and Hadlai’s son Amasa, stood up to the army as they were coming back from the battle 13 and told them, “Don’t bring those captives here! You’ll bring even more guilt on us from the Lord, in addition to our own existing sin and guilt! He’s already mad enough against Israel because of our guilt!”
14 So the army abandoned the captives and the war booty in front of the officers and the entire assembled retinue. 15 After this, some men who were chosen by name took charge of the captives, clothed those who were naked with clothes appropriated from the war booty, gave them clothes and sandals, fed them, gave them something to drink, anointed them with oil, provided those who weren’t able to walk[l] with donkeys to ride on, and took them back to their relatives at Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they returned to Samaria.
Assyria Plunders the Temple(D)
16 Right about then, King Ahaz sent for help from the kings of Assyria 17 because the Edomites had invaded, attacked Judah, and carried off some captives. 18 The Philistines also invaded some of the cities in the Shephelah[m] and in the Negev[n] of Judah. They captured Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Soco, and their surrounding villages, Timnah and its villages, and Gimzo and its villages. Then the Philistines[o] settled there, 19 because the Lord was humiliating Judah because of King Ahaz of Israel, since Ahaz had brought about a lack of restraint within Judah and had remained unfaithful to the Lord. 20 King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria attacked Ahaz[p] and, instead of helping him, attacked him. 21 Even though Ahaz took some of the assets belonging to the Lord’s Temple from the royal palace, and from the palaces belonging to the princes, and gave them to the king of Assyria, none of his gifts did any good.
The Apostasy and Death of Ahaz(E)
22 In the midst of his troubles, King Ahaz became more and more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him, reasoning, “The gods of the kings of Aram helped them, so I’ll sacrifice to them so they will help me!” But those gods[q] brought about his downfall, and the downfall of all of Israel, too. 24 Ahaz also collected the utensils of God’s Temple, cut them all into pieces, and closed the doors of the Lord’s Temple. Then he made altars to[r] himself on every corner in Jerusalem 25 and established high places in every city of Judah where incense was burned to other gods, thus provoking the Lord God of his ancestors to anger. 26 The rest of his accomplishments, and records of everything he did from first to last are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 27 So Ahaz died, as had his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but they didn’t bury him among the tombs of the kings of Israel. Ahaz’s son Hezekiah reigned in his place.
The Vision of the New Song on Mount Zion
14 Then I looked, and there was the lamb, standing on Mount Zion! With him were 144,000 people who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
2 Then I heard a sound from heaven like that of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The sound I heard was like harpists playing on their harps. 3 They were singing a new song in front of the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 They have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins, and they follow the lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from among humanity as the first fruits for God and the lamb. 5 In their mouth no lie was found. They are blameless.
The Vision of Angels Sounding a Warning
6 Then I saw another angel flying overhead with the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live[a] on earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 7 He said in a loud voice,
“Fear God and give him glory,
because the time for him to judge has arrived.
Worship the one who made heaven and earth,
the sea and springs of water.”
8 Then another angel, a second one, followed him, saying,
“Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen!
She has made all nations drink the wine,
the wrath earned for her sexual sins.”
9 Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying in a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or his hand 10 will drink the wine of God’s wrath, which has been poured undiluted into the cup of his anger. He will be tortured with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the lamb. 11 The smoke from their torture goes up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”
A Call for Endurance
12 Here is a call for[b] the endurance of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to their faithfulness in Jesus:
13 I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this:
How blessed are the dead,
that is, those who die in the Lord from now on!”
“Yes,” says the Spirit.
“Let them rest from their labors,
for their actions follow them.”
The Vision of Earth Harvested
14 Then I looked, and there was a white cloud! On the cloud sat someone who was like the Son of Man, with a gold victor’s crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel came out of the Temple, crying out in a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud,
“Swing your sickle,
and gather the harvest,
for the hour has come to gather it,
because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.”
16 The one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Then another angel came out of the Temple in heaven. He, too, had a sharp sickle. 18 From the altar came another angel who had authority over fire. He called out in a loud voice to the angel[c] who had the sharp sickle,
“Swing your sharp sickle,
and gather the bunches of grapes
from the vine of the earth,
because those grapes are ripe.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle in the earth, gathered the grapes from the earth, and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 The wine press was trampled outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press as high as a horse’s bridle for about 1,600 stadia.[d]
The Lord’s Care for Judah
10 “Ask the Lord for rain in the spring[a]—
the Lord who fashions lightning thunderstorms,
giving rain showers to mankind[b]
along with grain in the fields.[c]
2 Truly the family idols[d] talk nonsense
and the diviners discern lies,
describing delusional dreams.
Since their comfort is vacuous,
they wander off on their own like sheep,
because there is no shepherd.
3 “Against the shepherds my anger rises—
I am punishing the leaders[e] also,
because the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has visited his flock, the house of Judah,
appointing them as his royal war horse for battle.
4 From them arises[f] the cornerstone and tent peg,
from them the battle bow,
from them arise all sorts of oppressive rulers.
5 They will be like mighty soldiers
who trample mud in the streets during battle.
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and the opposing[g] horsemen will be confused.
6 “I will fortify the house of Judah,
and the house of Joseph I will save.
I will surely bring them back,
because I care about them.
They will be as if I had never cast them away.
Since I am the Lord their God,
I will answer them.
7 “The people of Ephraim will become like mighty soldiers;
they will be glad, like those who have wine.
Their children will see this and rejoice;
their hearts will find joy in the Lord.
8 I will whistle for them, gathering them together,
because I have redeemed them,
and they will multiply as they were before.[h]
9 I will scatter them among the nations,
and so they will remember me in distant countries.
They will rear their children,
and they will return.
10 I will bring them once again out of the land of Egypt,
gathering them from Assyria.
I will bring them into the land of Gilead and Lebanon,
but there will not be enough space for them.
11 They[i] will pass through the sea of affliction,
and they[j] will strike the waves[k] in that sea.
All of the depths of the Nile will evaporate,
Assyria’s arrogance will be brought down low,
and the ruling power[l] of Egypt will disappear.
12 “I will strengthen them in the Lord,
and they will march here and there in his name,”
declares the Lord.
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
13 Now before the Passover Festival, Jesus realized that his hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.[a] 2 By supper time, the Devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray him. 3 Because Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into his control,[b] that he had come from God, and that he was returning to God, 4 therefore he got up from the table, removed his outer robe, and took a towel and fastened it around his waist. 5 Then he poured some water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel that was tied around his waist.
6 Then he came to Simon Peter, who asked him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus answered him, “You don’t realize now what I’m doing, but later on you’ll understand.”
8 Peter told him, “You must never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you cannot be involved with me.”
9 Simon Peter told him, “Lord, not just my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
10 Jesus told him, “Whoever has bathed is entirely clean. He doesn’t need to wash himself further, except for his feet. And you men[c] are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him. That’s why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 When Jesus[d] had washed their feet and put on his outer robe, he sat down again and told them, “Do you realize what I’ve done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right[e] because that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you must also wash one another’s feet. 15 I’ve set an example for you, so that you may do as I have done to you. 16 Truly, I tell all of you[f] emphatically, a servant isn’t greater than his master, and a messenger isn’t greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you understand these things, how blessed you are if you put them into practice! 18 I’m not talking about all of you. I know the ones I have chosen. But the Scripture must be fulfilled: ‘The one who ate bread with me[g] has turned against me.’[h] 19 I’m telling you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I AM. 20 Truly, I tell all of you[i] emphatically, the one who receives whomever I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me.”
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal(A)
21 After saying this, Jesus was deeply troubled in spirit and declared solemnly, “Truly, I tell all of you[j] emphatically, one of you is going to betray me!” 22 The disciples began looking at one another, completely mystified about whom he was speaking. 23 One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus kept loving, had been sitting very close to him.
24 So Simon Peter motioned to this man to ask Jesus about whom he was speaking. 25 Leaning forward on Jesus’ chest, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?”
26 Jesus answered, “He is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread after I have dipped it in the dish.”[k]
Then he took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.[l] 27 After he had taken the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus told him, “Do quickly what you are going to do!” 28 Now no one at the table knew why Jesus[m] said this to him. 29 Some thought that, since Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him to buy what they needed for the festival or to give something to the destitute. 30 So Judas[n] took the piece of bread, immediately went outside…and it was night.
The New Commandment
31 After Judas[o] had gone out, Jesus said, “The Son of Man is now glorified, and God has been glorified by him. 32 If God has been glorified by him,[p] God himself also will glorify the Son of Man,[q] and he will do so[r] quickly. 33 Little children, I’m with you only a little longer. You will look for me, but what I told the Jewish leaders[s] I now tell you, ‘Where I’m going, you cannot come.’ 34 I’m giving you a new commandment…to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(B)
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus answered him, “I’m going where you cannot follow me now, though you will follow me later on.”
37 “Lord,[t] why can’t I follow you now?” Peter asked him. “I would lay down my life for you!”
38 Jesus answered him, “Would you lay down your life for me? I tell you[u] emphatically, a rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.”
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