M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Saul and the Medium of Endor
28 ·Later [L In those days], the Philistines ·gathered [mobilized; mustered] their armies [for war] to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You understand that you and your men must ·join [go out with; accompany] my army.”
2 David answered, “You will see for yourself what I, your servant, can do!”
Achish said, “Fine, I’ll make you my ·permanent [lifelong] ·bodyguard [L protector/guard of my head].”
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all the Israelites had ·shown their sadness [mourned; lamented] for him. They had buried Samuel in his hometown of Ramah.
And Saul had ·forced out [removed; banned] the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards; spiritists] from the land [Lev. 19:31; 20:6].
4 The Philistines ·came together [assembled; mobilized] and made camp at Shunem. Saul gathered all the Israelites and made camp at Gilboa. 5 When he saw the Philistine army, he was afraid, and his heart ·pounded with fear [trembled violently]. 6 He ·prayed to [inquired of] the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him through dreams, Urim [C devices carried by the High Priest to inquire of God; Ex. 28:30], or prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his ·servants [advisers; attendants], “Find me a woman who ·is a medium [is a necromancer; T has a familiar spirit] so I may go and ·ask her what will happen [inquire of/consult her].”
His servants answered, “There is a ·medium [a necromancer; T woman with a familiar spirit] in Endor.”
8 Then Saul put on other clothes to disguise himself, and at night he and two of his men went to see the woman. Saul said to her, “·Talk to [Consult] a spirit for me. ·Bring [Conjure] up the person I name.”
9 But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has ·forced [outlawed; L cut off] the mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards; spiritists] from the land. ·You are [Why are you…?] trying to trap me and get me killed.”
10 Saul made a ·promise [vow; oath] to the woman in the name of the Lord. He said, “As surely as the Lord lives, you won’t be ·punished [blamed] for this.”
11 The woman asked, “Whom do you want me to ·bring up [conjure]?”
He answered, “·Bring [Conjure] up Samuel.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed. She said, “Why have you ·tricked [deceived] me? You are Saul!”
13 The king said to the woman, “Don’t be afraid! What do you see?”
The woman said, “I see a ·spirit [ghost; god; divine being] coming up out of the ·ground [earth].”
14 Saul asked, “What ·does he look like [is his appearance/form]?”
The woman answered, “An old man wearing a ·coat [robe; cloak] is coming up.”
Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he ·bowed facedown [prostrated himself] on the ground [and paid homage/did obeisance].
15 Samuel asked Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by ·bringing [conjuring] me up?”
Saul said, “I am ·greatly troubled [L in great trouble/distress]. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has ·left [abandoned; departed/turned away from] me. He won’t answer me anymore, either by prophets or in dreams. That’s why I ·called for [summoned] you. Tell me what to do.”
16 Samuel said, “The Lord has ·left [abandoned; departed/turned away from] you and has become your enemy. So why do you ·call on [ask; consult] me? 17 He has done what he ·said he would do [predicted; foretold]—the things he said ·through me [L by my hand; 15:27–29]. He has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors, David [16:1–13]. 18 You did not obey the [L voice of the] Lord; you did not ·show the Amalekites how angry he was with them [carry out/execute his fierce anger/wrath on Amalek; 15:10–23]. That’s why he has done this to you today. 19 The Lord will hand over both Israel and you ·to [L into the hands of] the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”
20 Saul ·quickly [immediately] fell flat on the ground and was ·afraid [terrified] of what Samuel had said. ·He was also very weak [And his strength was gone] because he had eaten nothing all that day and night.
21 Then the woman came to Saul and saw that he was really ·frightened [terrified; shaken; distraught]. She said, “Look, I, your servant, have obeyed you. I have ·risked my life [L taken my life in my hands] and ·done [listened to] what you told me to do. 22 Now please also listen to me. Let me give you some ·food [bread] so you may eat and have enough strength to go on your way.”
23 But Saul refused, saying, “I won’t eat.”
His servants joined the woman in ·asking [urging] him to eat, and he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the ·bed [couch].
24 At the house the woman had a fat calf, which she quickly ·killed [slaughtered]. She took some flour and kneaded dough with her hands. Then she baked some ·bread without yeast [unleavened bread]. 25 She put the food before Saul and his servants, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.
Paul Is like the Other Apostles
9 ·I am a free man [L Am I not free?]. ·I am [L Am I not…?] an apostle. ·I have [Haven’t I…?] seen Jesus our Lord. ·You people are all an example of [L Are you not…?] my work in the Lord. 2 If others do not accept me as an apostle, surely you do, because you are ·proof that I am an apostle [L the seal/verification of my apostleship] in the Lord.
3 This is the answer I give people who want to ·judge me [examine me; question my credentials]: 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink [C receive hospitality and support for their missionary work]? 5 Do we not have the right to ·bring a believing wife with us when we travel [or be married to a believer; L take along a wife who is a sister] as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers [Matt. 13:55; Acts 1:14] and ·Peter [L Cephas; C Peter’s name in Aramaic; see 1:12]? 6 Are Barnabas [Acts 13—14] and I the only ones who ·must work to earn our living [L don’t have the authority/right not to work]? 7 ·No soldier [L Who…?] ever serves in the army and pays his own salary. ·No one [L Who…?] ever plants a vineyard without eating some of the grapes. ·No person [L Who…?] takes care of a flock without drinking some of the milk.
8 I do not say this ·by human authority [from human experience; L according to man]; God’s law also says the same thing. 9 [L For] It is written in the law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox when it is ·working in [treading; threshing] the grain [Deut. 25:4].” When God said this, was he ·thinking only [concerned] about oxen? No. 10 He was ·really [surely] talking ·about us [for our benefit]. Yes, that Scripture was written for us, because it goes on to say: “The one who plows and the one who ·works in the grain [threshes] should hope to get some of the grain for their work.” 11 ·Since [If] we ·planted [sowed] spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we should harvest material things from you [C receive support for ministry]? 12 If others have the right to get something from you, surely we have this right, ·too [or even more so]. But we ·do not use it [have not exercised this right]. No, we put up with everything ourselves so that we will not ·keep anyone from believing [L put up a hindrance to] the ·Good News [Gospel] of Christ. 13 ·Surely [L Don’t…?] you know that those who ·work at the Temple [perform priestly temple service] get their food from the Temple, and those who serve at the altar get part of what is offered at the altar. 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who ·tell the Good News [proclaim/preach the Gospel] should get their living from ·this work [L the Gospel].
15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this now to get anything from you. I would rather die than to have my reason for ·bragging [boasting] taken away. 16 ·Telling the Good News [Preaching the Gospel] does not give me any reason for ·bragging [boasting]. Telling the Good News is my duty—something I must do. And ·how terrible it will be for [L woe to] me if I do not ·tell the Good News [preach the Gospel]. 17 If I preach ·because it is my own choice [voluntarily], I have a reward. But if I preach ·and it is not my choice to do so [without volunteering], I am ·only doing the duty that was given to me [L entrusted with a stewardship/responsibility]. 18 So what ·reward [payment; wages] do I get? Only this: that when I tell the ·Good News [Gospel] I can offer it ·freely [free of charge]. I do not ·use [take advantage of; or misuse] my full rights in ·my work of preaching the Good News [L the Gospel].
19 I am free and belong to no one. But I make myself a slave to all people to win as many as I can. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to win the Jews. I myself am not ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. But to those who are ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law I became like a person who is ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. I did this to win those who are ·ruled by [subject to; L under] the law. 21 To those who are without the law [C Gentiles] I became like a person who is without the law. I did this to win those people who are without the law. (But really, I am not without God’s law—I am ·ruled by [L under] Christ’s law.) 22 To those who are weak [C in faith; 8:7–13], I became weak so I could win the weak. I have become all things to all people so I could save some of them in any way possible. 23 I do all this because of the ·Good News [Gospel] and so I can ·share in its blessings [or be a participant in it].
24 ·You [L Don’t you…?] know that in a ·race [L stadium] all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. So run to win! 25 All those who compete in the games ·use self-control [train with strict discipline] so they can win a ·crown [victor’s wreath]. That ·crown [victor’s wreath] is ·an earthly thing that lasts only a short time [L perishable], but our crown ·will never be destroyed [L is imperishable]. 26 So I do not run ·without a goal [aimlessly]. I fight like a boxer who is hitting something—not just the air. 27 I ·treat my body hard [discipline/subdue/pummel my body] and ·make it my slave [subdue it] so that I myself will not be disqualified after I have preached to others.
Ezekiel Tells of the End
7 Again the ·Lord spoke his word to me [L word of the Lord came], saying: 2 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], the Lord God says this to the land of Israel: An end! The end has come on the four corners of the land. 3 Now the end has come for you, and I will send my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived, and I will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable; L place upon you] for all your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. 4 ·I will have no pity on [L My eye will not pity] you; I will not ·hold back punishment from [spare] you. Instead, I will make you pay for the way you have lived and for your ·actions that I hate [detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 “This is what the Lord God says: Disaster ·on top of [or unheard of] disaster ·is [L look/T behold, it is] coming. 6 The end has come! The end has come! It has ·stirred itself up [aroused; awakened] against you! Look! It ·has come [or is coming]! 7 ·Disaster [Doom] has come for you who live in the land! The time has come; the day of is near. It will be a day of ·confusion [panic], not ·celebration [shouts of joy], on the mountains. 8 Soon I will pour out my ·anger [wrath] against you; I will ·carry out [spend; exhaust] my anger against you. I will judge you for the way you have lived and will ·make you pay [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·everything you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. 9 ·I will show no pity [L My eye will not pity you], and I will not ·hold back punishment [spare you]. I will ·pay you back [punish you; or hold you accountable] for ·the way you have lived and the things you have done that I hate [your detestable/abominable practices]. Then you will know that I am the Lord who ·punishes [strikes you].
10 “·Look [T Behold], the day is here. ·Look [T Behold] It has come. ·Disaster [Doom] has ·come [gone out], ·violence has grown [L the rod has budded; Num. 17; C may refer to Nebuchadnezzar, the instrument of God’s judgment], ·and there is more pride than ever [L pride/arrogance has blossomed]. 11 Violence has grown into a ·weapon [rod; staff] for punishing wickedness. None of the people will be left—none of that crowd, none of their wealth, and ·nothing of value [or none of their prominent ones]. 12 The time has come; the day has arrived. Don’t let the buyer ·be happy [rejoice] or the seller ·be sad [grieve; mourn], because my ·burning anger [wrath] is against the whole crowd. 13 Sellers will not ·return to the land [or recover the property] they have sold as long as they live, because the vision against all that crowd will not be ·changed [revoked; reversed]. Because of their ·sins [iniquity], they will not ·save [preserve] their lives. 14 They have blown the trumpet, and everything is ready. But no one is going to the battle, because my ·anger [wrath] is against all that crowd.
15 “The sword is outside, and ·disease [pestilence; plague] and ·hunger [famine] are inside [6:12]. Whoever is in the field will die by the sword. ·Hunger [Famine] and ·disease [pestilence; plague] will destroy those in the city. 16 ·Those who are left alive and [The survivors] who escape will be on the mountains, moaning like doves of the valleys about their own ·sin [iniquity]. 17 All hands ·will hang weakly with fear [are weak/limp], and all knees will ·become weak as water [or be wet with urine; L run with water]. 18 They will put on ·rough cloth to show how sad they are [burlap; sackcloth]. ·They will tremble all over with fear [L Terror/Horror covers them]. Their faces will show their shame, and all their heads will be shaved. 19 The people will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. Their silver and gold will not save them from the Lord’s ·anger [wrath]. It will not satisfy their hunger or fill their stomachs, because it ·caused them to fall [was their stumbling block] into sin. 20 ·They were proud of their beautiful jewelry [or They used God’s ornaments for their own prideful means; C the ornaments could refer to the temple treasures] and used it to make their ·idols [abominable images] and their ·evil statues, which I hate [detestable/abominable idols]. So I will turn their wealth into ·trash [filth; an unclean thing]. 21 I will give it to foreigners as loot from war and to the ·evil [or most wicked] people in the world as ·treasure [plunder], and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] it. 22 I will also turn [L my face] away from the ·people [L house] of Israel, and they will ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] my treasured place. Then robbers will enter and ·dishonor [desecrate; defile; C ritually] it.
23 “·Make chains for captives [L Prepare/Forge the chains], because the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence. 24 So I will bring the ·worst [most evil/wicked/ruthless] of the nations to take over the people’s houses. I will also end the pride of the strong, and their ·holy places [sanctuaries] will be ·dishonored [desecrated; defiled; C ritually]. 25 ·When the people are suffering greatly [or Terror/Anguish is coming!], they will look for peace, but there will be none. 26 Disaster will come on top of disaster, and rumor will be added to rumor. Then they will ·try to get [seek] a vision from a prophet; the ·teachings of God [L laws; instructions] from the priest and the ·advice [counsel] from the elders ·will be lost [perishes]. 27 The king will ·cry greatly [mourn], the prince will ·give up hope [L be clothed/wrapped in despair], and the hands of the people of land will shake with fear. I will ·punish [deal with] them for the way they have lived. The way they have judged others is the way I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
A Song for the King’s Wedding
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation]. A love song of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
45 ·Beautiful words fill my mind [L My heart is stirred with a good word].
I ·am speaking of royal things [or address my work to the king].
My tongue is like the pen of a skilled writer [Ezra 7:6].
2 You are more ·handsome [or excellent] than anyone,
and ·you are an excellent speaker [L grace flows from your lips; Prov. 22:11],
so God has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword ·at your side [L on your thigh], powerful warrior.
Show your ·glory [splendor] and majesty.
4 In your majesty ·win [L ride forth for] the victory
for what is ·true [faithful] and ·right [righteous].
Your ·power [L right hand] ·will do [L teaches you] amazing things.
5 Your sharp arrows will ·enter [pierce]
the hearts of the king’s enemies.
·Nations [Peoples] will ·be defeated before [L fall beneath] you.
6 ·God, your throne will last [or Your throne is a throne of God] forever and ever.
·You will rule your kingdom with fairness [L A scepter of virtue will be the scepter of your kingdom].
7 You love ·right [righteousness] and hate ·evil [wickedness],
so God has ·chosen [anointed] you from among your ·friends [companions];
·he has set you apart with much joy [L …with the oil of joy; C kings were anointed with oil at their coronation; 1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13; Heb. 1:8–9].
8 Your clothes smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From palaces of ivory
·music [stringed instruments] comes to make you happy.
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women.
Your ·bride [queen; consort] stands at your right side
wearing gold from Ophir [C perhaps a region in southern Arabia].
10 Listen to me, daughter; look and ·pay attention [L incline your ear].
Forget your people and your father’s ·family [L house; Gen. 2:24].
11 The king ·loves [L desires; longs for] your beauty.
Because he is your ·master [lord], you should ·obey [L bow yourself before] him.
12 ·People from the city [L The daughter] of Tyre have brought ·a gift [tribute].
Wealthy people ·will want to meet you [seek your favor].
13 The ·princess [L daughter of the king] is ·very beautiful [L all glorious within].
Her gown is woven with gold.
14 In her ·beautiful [embroidered] clothes she is brought to the king.
·Her bridesmaids [Virgins] follow behind her,
and ·they are also brought to him [L her friends follow].
15 They come with happiness and joy;
they enter the king’s palace.
16 You will have sons to replace your fathers [C addressed to the king].
You will make them ·rulers [princes] through all the land.
17 I will make your name famous from now on,
so people will praise you forever and ever.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.