M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

24 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. ² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats. ³ And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were ^[a]abiding in the innermost parts of the cave. ⁴ And the men of David said unto him, Behold, the day of which Jehovah said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. ⁵ And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. ⁶ And he said unto his men, Jehovah forbid that I should do this thing unto my lord, Jehovah’s anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is Jehovah’s anointed. ⁷ So David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

⁸ David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and did obeisance. ⁹ And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearkenest thou to men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? ¹⁰ Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that Jehovah had delivered thee to-day into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is Jehovah’s anointed. ¹¹ Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou ^[b]huntest after my life to take it. ¹² Jehovah judge between me and thee, and Jehovah avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee. ¹³ As saith the proverb of the ancients, Out of the wicked cometh forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be upon thee. ¹⁴ After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. ¹⁵ Jehovah therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and ^[c]deliver me out of thy hand.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. ¹⁷ And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil. ¹⁸ And thou hast declared this day how that thou hast dealt well with me, forasmuch as when Jehovah had delivered me up into thy hand, thou killedst me not. ¹⁹ For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore Jehovah reward thee good for that which thou hast done unto me this day. ²⁰ And now, behold, I know that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thy hand. ²¹ Swear now therefore unto me by Jehovah, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house. ²² And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the stronghold.

5 It is actually reported that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles, that one of you hath his father’s wife. ² And ^[a]ye are puffed up, and ^[b]did not rather mourn, that he that had done this deed might be taken away from among you. ³ For I verily, being absent in body but present in spirit, have already as though I were present judged him that hath so wrought this thing, ⁴ in the name of our Lord Jesus, ye being gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, ⁵ to deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord ^[c]Jesus. ⁶ Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? ⁷ Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ: ⁸ wherefore let us ^[d]keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators; ^10 [e]not at all meaning with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world: ¹¹ but ^[f]as it is, I wrote unto you not to keep company, if any man that is named a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such a one no, not to eat. ¹² For what have I to do with judging them that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? ¹³ But them that are without God judgeth. Put away the wicked man from among yourselves.

3 ¹ And he said unto me, Son of man, eat that which thou findest; eat this roll, and go, speak unto the house of Israel. ² So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat the roll. ³ And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.

⁴ And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them. ⁵ For thou art not sent to a people ^[a]of a strange speech and of a hard language, but to the house of Israel; ⁶ not to many peoples ^[b]of a strange speech and of a hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, if I sent thee to them, they would hearken unto thee. ⁷ But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto me: for all the house of Israel are of a hard forehead and of a stiff heart. ⁸ Behold, I have made thy face hard against their faces, and thy forehead hard against their foreheads. ⁹ As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house. ¹⁰ Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thy heart, and hear with thine ears. ¹¹ And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.

¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing, saying, Blessed be the glory of Jehovah from his place. ¹³ And I heard the noise of the wings of the living creatures as they touched one another, and the noise of the wheels ^[c]beside them, even the noise of a great rushing. ¹⁴ So the Spirit lifted me up, and took me away; and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; and the hand of Jehovah was strong upon me. ¹⁵ Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel-abib, that ^[d]dwelt by the river Chebar, ^[e]and to where they ^[f]dwelt; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.

¹⁶ And it came to pass at the end of seven days, that the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, ¹⁷ Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. ¹⁸ When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand. ¹⁹ Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. ²⁰ Again, when a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he hath done shall not be remembered; but his blood will I require at thy hand. ²¹ Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man, that the righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall surely live, because he took warning; and thou hast delivered thy soul.

²² And the hand of Jehovah was there upon me; and he said unto me, Arise, go forth into the ^[g]plain, and I will there talk with thee. ²³ Then I arose, and went forth into the ^[h]plain: and, behold, the glory of Jehovah stood there, as the glory which I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell on my face. ²⁴ Then the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet; and he spake with me, and said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thy house. ²⁵ But thou, son of man, behold, they shall lay bands upon thee, and shall bind thee with them, and thou shalt not go out among them: ²⁶ and I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, that thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them a reprover; for they are a rebellious house. ²⁷ But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: He that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.

The vanity of life.

For the Chief Musician, for ^[a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.