M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jonathan Helps David
20 Then David ·ran away [fled] from Naioth in Ramah. He went to Jonathan and asked, “What have I done? What is my ·crime [guilt; iniquity]? How did I ·sin against [offend; wrong] your father? Why is he ·trying to kill me [L seeking my life]?”
2 Jonathan answered, “·No [Never; Far from it]! You won’t die! See, my father doesn’t do anything ·great or small [important or unimportant] without first ·telling [confiding in] me. Why would he ·keep [hide] this from me? It’s not true!”
3 But David ·took an oath [vowed; swore], saying, “Your father knows very well that ·you like me [L I have found favor in your sight]. He says to himself, ‘Jonathan must not know about it, or he will be ·upset [hurt; grieved].’ As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I am only a step away from death!”
4 Jonathan said to David, “I’ll do ·anything you want me to do [L for you whatever you say].”
5 So David said, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival [Num. 29:6; 2 Chr. 8:13; Ezra 3:5; Col. 2:16]. I am supposed to eat with the king, but let me hide in the field until the ·third evening [L evening of the third day]. 6 If your father notices I am gone, tell him, ‘David begged ·me to let him go [L to hurry/run] to his hometown of Bethlehem. Every year at this time his ·family group [whole clan] offers a sacrifice.’ 7 If your father says, ‘·Fine [Very well; Good],’ ·I am safe [L your servant is well]. But if he becomes angry, you will know that he ·wants to hurt me [is determined to harm me; has an evil plan]. 8 Jonathan, ·be loyal [show kindness/faithful love] to me, your servant. You have made an ·agreement [covenant; solemn pact] with me before the Lord. If I ·am guilty [have sinned], you may kill me yourself! Why ·hand me over [betray me] to your father?”
9 Jonathan answered, “·No, never [L Far be it from you]! If I learn that my father ·plans to hurt you [L decided on evil], ·I will warn you [wouldn’t I tell you?]!”
10 David asked, “Who will let me know if your father answers you ·unkindly [harshly]?”
11 Then Jonathan said [L to David], “Come, let’s go out into the field.” So the two of them went out into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, “·I promise this before [L By] the Lord, the God of Israel: ·At [By] this same time ·the day after tomorrow [or tomorrow or the next day], I will ·find out how my father feels [sound out my father]. If he feels good toward you, I will send word to you and let you know. 13 But if my father plans to ·hurt [harm; kill] you, I will let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord ·punish me terribly [L deal severely with me, and worse,] if I don’t do this. And may the Lord be with you as he ·has been [used to be] with my father. 14 ·But show me the kindness of the Lord as long as I live so that I may not die [or If I am still alive, show me the faithful love/loyalty of the Lord. But if I die…] . 15 You must never ·stop showing [L cut off] your ·kindness [faithful love/loyalty] to my ·family [L house], even when the Lord has ·destroyed [exterminated; L cut off] all your enemies from the [L face of the] earth.”
16 So Jonathan ·made [L cut] an ·agreement [covenant; solemn pact] with David. He said, “May the Lord ·hold David’s enemies responsible [or destroy David’s enemies].” 17 And Jonathan asked David to repeat his ·promise [vow; oath] of love for him, because he loved David as much as he loved ·himself [L his own life/soul].
18 Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon festival [20:5]. Your ·seat [place] will be empty, so my father will miss you. 19 ·On the third day [The day after tomorrow] go to the place where you hid when this trouble began. Wait by the ·rock Ezel [stone pile; mound of rock]. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of the rock as if I am shooting at a target. 21 Then I will send a boy to find the arrows. If I say to him, ‘The arrows are ·near you [L on this side]; bring them here,’ you may come out of hiding. You are safe. As the Lord lives, there is no ·danger [trouble; harm]. 22 But if I say to the ·boy [youngster], ‘Look, the arrows are ·beyond you [further on],’ you must go, because the Lord is sending you away. 23 Remember ·what we talked about [the promise we made]. The Lord is a witness between you and me forever.”
24 So David hid in the field. When the New Moon festival [20:5] came, the king sat down to eat. 25 He sat where he ·always [usually; customarily] sat, near the wall. Jonathan sat ·across from [facing] him, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26 That day Saul said nothing. He thought, “Maybe something has happened to David so that he is unclean. [L Yes, surely he is unclean; C ritually unclean so he could not participate in a religious ceremony; Lev. 11–15] 27 But the next day was the second day of the month, and David’s place was still empty. So Saul said to Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the ·feast [meal] yesterday or today?”
28 Jonathan answered [L Saul], “David begged me to let him go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, because our ·family [whole clan] has a sacrifice in the town, and my brother has ·ordered [commanded] me to be there. Now if I ·am your friend [L have found favor in your sight/eyes], please let me go to see my brothers.’ That is why he has not come to the king’s table.”
30 Then Saul ·became very angry with [L burned with anger against] Jonathan. He said, “You son of a ·wicked, worthless woman [whore; rebellious slut]! ·I [L Do I not…?] know you are on the side of David son of Jesse! ·You bring shame on yourself and on your mother who gave birth to you [L …to your own shame and the shame of your mother’s nakedness]. 31 As long as Jesse’s son lives [L on this earth], ·you will never be king or have a kingdom [L neither you nor your kingdom will be established]. Now send for David and bring him to me. He ·must [deserves to] die!”
32 Jonathan asked his father, “Why should David be killed? What wrong has he done?” 33 Then Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, ·trying to kill [L to strike] him. So Jonathan knew that his father ·really wanted [was determined] to kill David. 34 Jonathan ·was very angry [rose in fierce anger] and left the table. That second day of the ·month [or New Moon festival] he refused to eat. He ·was ashamed of his father and upset over David [grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David; or grieved for David and because his father had disgraced/insulted/dishonored him].
35 The next morning Jonathan went out to the field to meet David as they had agreed. He had a young boy with him. 36 Jonathan said to the boy, “Run and find the arrows I shoot.” When he ran, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. 37 The boy ran to the place where Jonathan’s arrow fell, but Jonathan called, “The arrow is ·beyond [further ahead of] you!” 38 Then he shouted [L to the boy], “Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t ·stop [stay; linger]!” The boy picked up the arrow and brought it back to his master. 39 (The boy ·knew nothing about what this meant [suspected nothing]; only Jonathan and David ·knew [understood].) 40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and told him, “Go [L bring them] back to town.”
41 When the boy left, David came out from the south side of the rock. He bowed facedown on the ground ·before Jonathan three [three] times. Then David and Jonathan kissed each other and cried together, but David cried the more.
42 Jonathan said to David, “Go in ·peace [safety]. We have ·promised [vowed; sworn] by the [L name of the] Lord ·that we will be friends [to each other]. We said, ‘The Lord will ·be a witness [L be] between you and me, and between our descendants always.’” Then ·David [L he got up and] left, and Jonathan went back to town.
The Message of Christ’s Death
2 Dear brothers and sisters, when I came to you, I did not come preaching God’s ·secret[a] [mystery; C something God had not previously disclosed; Eph. 1:9] with ·fancy [superior; eloquent] words or a show of human wisdom. 2 [L For] I ·decided [resolved] that while I was with you I would ·forget about everything [L not know anything] except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. 3 So when I came to you, I was weak and fearful and trembling. 4 My ·teaching [message; speech] and preaching were not with words of human wisdom that ·persuade [or entice] people but with ·proof of the power that the Spirit gives [or proof powerfully revealed by the Spirit; or demonstrations of the Spirit and of power]. 5 This was so that your faith would be in God’s power and not in human wisdom.
God’s Wisdom
6 However, we speak wisdom to those who are mature. But this wisdom is not from this ·world [age] or from the rulers of this ·world [age], who ·are losing their power [will soon disappear; are passing away]. 7 We speak God’s ·secret wisdom [or wisdom in a mystery; 2:1], which he has kept hidden. Before the ·world began [ages], God ·planned [decreed; destined] this wisdom for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this ·world [age] understood it. If they had, they would not have crucified the ·Lord of glory [glorious Lord]. 9 But as it is written in the Scriptures:
“No ·one [L eye] has ever seen this,
and no ·one [L ear] has ever heard about it.
No ·one [L human heart] has ever imagined
what God has prepared for those who love him [Is. 64:4].”
10 But God has ·shown [revealed to] us these things through the Spirit.
[L For] The Spirit ·searches out [examines; scrutinizes] all things, even the ·deep secrets [deep things; depths] of God. 11 Who knows the thoughts that another person has? Only a person’s spirit that lives within him knows his thoughts. It is the same with God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we did not receive the spirit of the world, but we received the Spirit that is from God so that we can know all that God has [freely] given us. 13 And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom but with words taught us by the Spirit. And so we explain spiritual truths ·to spiritual people [or to those who have the Spirit; or with the Spirit’s words]. 14 A ·person who does not have the Spirit [or natural person] does not accept the ·truths [L things] that come from the Spirit of God. That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be ·judged to be true [discerned; assessed] by the Spirit. 15 The ·spiritual person [or person with the Spirit] is able to ·judge [discern; assess] all things, but no one can ·judge [discern; assess] him. ·The Scripture says [L For]:
16 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Who has been able to ·teach [advise; counsel] him [Is. 40:13]?”
But we have the mind of Christ [C the Holy Spirit reveals God and his ways to us; Rom. 11:34].
A Prayer to the Lord
5 Remember, Lord, what happened to us [C a call to God for help and revenge].
Look and see our ·disgrace [scorn].
2 Our ·land [L inheritance] has been turned over to strangers;
our houses have been given to foreigners.
3 We are like orphans with no father;
our mothers are like widows [C defenseless and vulnerable].
4 We have to buy the water we drink;
·we must pay for the firewood [L our wood comes with a price].
5 ·Those who chase after us want to catch us [L We are pursued] by the neck.
We are ·tired [exhausted] and find no rest.
6 We ·made an agreement with [L gave a hand to] Egypt
and with Assyria to get enough food [Is. 28:1—33:24; Jer. 2:35].
7 Our ·ancestors [fathers] sinned against you, but they are ·gone [L no more];
now we ·suffer because of their sins [L bear their iniquity].
8 ·Slaves [Servants] ·have become our rulers [L rule over us; Prov. 19:10; 30:21–22; Eccl. 10:5–7; Is. 24:2],
and no one can ·save us from them [L tear them off us].
9 We risk our lives to get our ·food [bread];
·we face death in the desert [L because of the sword in the wilderness; C fields were outside the walls of the city where the enemy camped].
10 Our skin is ·hot [or black] like an oven;
·we burn with [from the heat/fever of] ·starvation [famine].
11 ·The enemy [L They] ·abused [violated; raped] the women ·of Jerusalem [L in Zion; C the location of the Temple]
and the ·girls [L virgins] in the ·cities [towns] of Judah.
12 Princes were hung by the hands;
they did not respect our ·elders [or old men].
13 The young men ·ground grain at the mill [are forced to grind],
and boys stumbled under loads of wood.
14 The ·elders [or old men] ·no longer sit at the city [L have left the] gates [C the center of government and business];
the young men no longer sing.
15 ·We have no more joy in [L Joy has left] our hearts;
our dancing has turned to ·sadness [mourning].
16 The crown has fallen from our head.
·How terrible it is [L Woe to us] because we sinned.
17 Because of this ·we are afraid [L our hearts are sick],
and now our eyes ·are dim [grow dark; Ps. 69:23].
18 Mount Zion [C Jerusalem] is ·empty [desolate],
and ·wild dogs [jackals] wander around it [Jer. 9:11; 10:22].
19 But you ·rule [sit; C as king] forever, Lord.
·You will be King [L Your throne] ·from now on [L from generation to generation].
20 Why have you forgotten us for so long?
Have you ·left [abandoned; forsaken] us ·forever [L for length of days]?
21 Bring us back to you, Lord, and we will ·return [be restored].
·Make [L Renew] our days as they were before,
22 or have you completely rejected us?
Are you so angry with us?
Wicked People and a Good God
For the director of music. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
36 ·Sin speaks to the wicked in their hearts [L Oracle/Decree of transgression to the wicked in the midst of their heart].
They have no ·fear [terror] of God [Prov. 1:7; Rom. 3:18].
2 They ·think too much of themselves [L flatter themselves in their own eyes]
so they don’t ·see [discover; find] their sin and ·hate [or change] it.
3 ·Their words [L The words of their mouth] are ·wicked lies [mischief and deceit];
they ·are no longer wise or good [L have stopped being wise/insightful in order to do good].
4 ·At night [L In their bed] they make evil plans;
·what they do leads to nothing [L they are set on a way that does no] good.
They don’t ·refuse [reject] things that are evil.
5 Lord, your ·love [loyalty; covenant love] ·reaches [extends] to the heavens,
your ·loyalty [faithfulness] to the skies.
6 Your ·goodness [righteousness] is like the mighty mountains [C majestic].
Your ·justice [judgment] is like the great ocean [C deep].
Lord, you ·protect [save] both people and animals.
7 God, ·your love is so precious [L how precious is your loyalty/covenant love?]!
You ·protect [provide refuge for] people in the shadow of your wings.
8 They ·eat [feast on; are filled with] ·the rich food [L from the fat/abundance] in your house,
and you let them drink from your river of ·pleasure [delights].
9 You are the ·giver [L fountain] of life.
·Your light lets us enjoy life [L In your light we see light].
10 Continue to ·love [show loyalty/covenant love to] those who know you
and ·to do good [L your good/righteousness] to those who are ·good [upright/virtuous in heart].
11 Don’t let ·proud people attack me [L the foot of the arrogant come near me]
·and the wicked [L or the hand of the wicked] ·force [drive] me away.
12 Those who do evil ·have been defeated [L fall there].
They are overwhelmed;
they cannot ·do evil any longer [L arise again].
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