M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Is Made King of Judah
2 Later, David ·prayed to [consulted; inquired of] the Lord, saying, “Should I ·go up [move back; return] to any of the ·cities [or towns] of Judah?”
The Lord said to David, “·Go [Move back; Return].”
David asked, “·Where [To which town] should I go?”
The Lord answered, “To Hebron [C in the heartland of Judah, David’s tribe].”
2 So David went up to Hebron with his two wives: Ahinoam from Jezreel [1 Sam. 25:43] and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel [1 Sam. 25:39–42]. 3 David also brought his men and their ·families [households], and they all ·made their homes in the cities of [settled in the villages near] Hebron. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and ·appointed [anointed] David king over [the people/house of] Judah.
They told David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul [1 Sam. 31:11–13]. 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “The Lord bless you. You have shown ·loyalty [kindness; faithful love] to your master Saul by burying him. 6 May the Lord now ·be loyal [show kindness/faithful love] and ·true [faithfulness] to you. I will also ·treat you well [show this goodness to you; reward you] because you have done this. 7 Now ·be [L let your hands be] strong and ·brave [valiant]. Saul your ·master [lord] is dead, and the ·people [L house] of Judah have appointed me their king.”
War Between Judah and Israel
8 Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul’s army [1 Sam. 14:50–51; 17:55–57; 26:14–15]. Abner took Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth [C “man of shame”] to Mahanaim 9 and ·made [proclaimed] him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 10 Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he ·ruled [reigned] two years. But the ·people [L house] of Judah followed David. 11 David was king in Hebron for seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner and the ·servants [soldiers; men] of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah [C David’s general] and David’s men also went there and met Abner and Ish-Bosheth’s men at the pool of Gibeon. Abner’s group sat on one side of the pool; Joab’s group sat on the other.
14 Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men ·have a contest [perform; sport; L play] ·here [before us].”
Joab said, “Yes, let them ·have a contest [L come forward].”
15 Then the men got up and were counted—twelve from the people of Benjamin for Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s men. 16 Each man grabbed the one opposite him by the ·head [hair] and stabbed him in the side with a ·knife [dagger; sword]. So the men fell down together. For that reason, that place in Gibeon is called the Field of ·Knives [Daggers; Swords; or Sides]. 17 That day there was a ·terrible [fierce] battle, and David’s ·men [L servants] defeated Abner and the Israelites.
Abner Kills Asahel
18 Zeruiah’s three sons, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was ·a fast runner, as fast as a deer [L as fleet-footed as a gazelle] in the field. 19 Asahel chased Abner, ·going straight toward him [L turning neither to the right or left]. 20 Abner looked back and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”
Asahel said, “Yes, it is.”
21 Then Abner said to Asahel, “·Turn to your right or left [Go elsewhere] and catch one of the young men and ·take his armor [strip him of his weapons; L take his spoil].” But Asahel refused to ·stop [L turn away from] chasing him.
22 Abner again said to Asahel, “·Stop chasing me [L Turn another way]! ·If you don’t stop, I’ll have to kill you! [L Why should I strike you down?] Then ·I won’t be able to [L how could I…?] face your brother Joab again!”
23 But Asahel refused to ·stop chasing Abner [L turn aside/back]. So using the ·back [butt] end of his spear, Abner ·stabbed [struck] Asahel in the stomach, and the spear came out of his back. Asahel [L fell/stumbled and] died right there, and everyone ·stopped [stood still] when they came to the place where Asahel’s body lay.
24 But Joab and Abishai ·continued chasing [took up the pursuit of] Abner. As the sun was going down, they arrived at the hill of Ammah, ·near [in front of] Giah on the way to the ·desert [wilderness] near Gibeon. 25 The men of Benjamin [C part of Abner’s troops] came to Abner, and ·all stood together [regrouped; reunited] at the top of the hill.
26 Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword ·kill [L devour] forever? Surely you must know this will only end in ·sadness [bitterness]! ·Tell [L How long before you tell…?] the people to stop chasing their own brothers!”
27 Then Joab said, “As surely as God lives, if you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning.” 28 Then Joab blew a ·trumpet [ram’s horn], and his people stopped chasing ·the Israelites [L Israel]. They did not fight them anymore.
29 Abner and his men marched all night through the ·Jordan Valley [Arabah]. They crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all ·day [morning], arrived at Mahanaim.
30 After he had stopped chasing Abner, Joab came back and gathered the people together. Asahel and nineteen of David’s ·men [soldiers; L servants] were missing. 31 But David’s ·men [L servants] had ·killed [L struck] three hundred sixty Benjaminites who had followed Abner. 32 David’s men took Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. ·The sun came up as [At daybreak] they reached Hebron.
Love Is the Greatest Gift
13 I may speak in ·different languages [L tongues; 12:10, 29, 30] of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a ·noisy [resounding] ·bell [gong] or a ·crashing [clanging] cymbal. 2 I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all ·the secret things of God [L mysteries] and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. 3 I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body ·as an offering to be burned [L to be burned].[a] But I gain nothing if I do not have love.
4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not ·jealous [envious], it does not brag, and it is not ·proud [arrogant; conceited; puffed up]. 5 Love is not ·rude [disrespectful], is not ·selfish [self-serving], and ·does not get upset with others [is not easily provoked/angered]. Love does not ·count up [keep a record of] wrongs that have been done. 6 Love ·takes no pleasure [does not rejoice] in ·evil [wrongdoing; injustice] but rejoices over the truth. 7 Love ·patiently accepts all things [T bears all things; or always protects], ·always trusts [T believes all things], ·always hopes [T hopes all things], and ·always endures [T endures all things].
8 Love never ·ends [fails; falls short]. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will ·be ended [cease; pass away]. There are gifts of ·speaking in different languages [or ecstatic utterance; L tongues], but those gifts will ·stop [cease; fall silent]. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will ·come to an end [pass away; be set aside]. 9 ·The reason is that [For] ·our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect [L we know in part/imperfectly and we prophesy in part/incompletely]. 10 But when ·perfection [the perfect; completeness; wholeness] comes, the ·things that are not perfect [partial] will ·end [pass away; be set aside]. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I ·stopped [set aside] those childish ways. 12 ·It is the same with us [L For…]. Now we see ·a dim reflection [obscurely; or indirectly], ·as if we were looking into a mirror [T through a glass darkly], but then we shall see ·clearly [L face to face]. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as ·God has known me [L I am fully known]. 13 So these three things ·continue forever [endure; remain]: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.
Prophecies Against Evil Leaders
11 ·The Spirit [or A spirit/or wind] lifted me up and brought me to the ·front [L eastern] gate of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, which faces east. ·I saw [T And behold] twenty-five men at the entrance of the gate, among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, who were ·leaders [princes; officials] of the people. 2 Then the Lord said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], these are the men who plan evil and give wicked advice in this city [C Jerusalem]. 3 They say, ‘·It is almost time [or Isn’t it a good time…?; or The time is not near] for us to build houses [C meaning either (1) let’s keep building, since no judgment is coming, or (2) we don’t need to build our own houses, since we can seize the houses of others (Mic. 2:1–2)]. This city is ·like a cooking pot [the cauldron], and we are ·like the best meat [L the meat; C the city will protect them; see 24:3–11 for the same image used differently].’ 4 So prophesy against them, prophesy, ·human [T son of man; 2:1].”
5 Then the ·Spirit [or spirit] of the Lord ·entered [fell upon] me and told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: You have said these things, ·people [L house] of Israel, and I know ·what you are thinking [L the steps of your spirits]. 6 You have killed many people in this city, filling its streets with ·their bodies [the slain].
7 “So this is what the Lord God says: Those people you have killed and left in the middle of the city are ·like the best meat [L the meat], and this city is ·like the cooking pot [L the cauldron]. But I will ·force [drive; take] you out of the city. 8 You have feared the sword, ·but [so] I will bring a sword against you, says the Lord God. 9 I will ·force [drive; take] you out of the city and hand you over to ·strangers [foreigners] and ·punish [execute judgments upon] you. 10 You will die by the sword. I will ·punish [judge] you at the border of Israel so you will know that I am the Lord. 11 This city will not be ·your cooking pot [the cauldron], and you will not be ·the best meat [L meat] in the middle of it. I will ·punish [judge] you at the border of Israel. 12 Then you will know that I am the Lord. You did not live by my ·rules [statutes] or obey my ·laws [rules; judgments]. Instead, you ·did the same things as [obeyed the laws/rules/judgments of] the nations around you.”
13 While I was prophesying, Pelatiah son of Benaiah died. Then I ·bowed [fell] facedown on the ground and ·shouted [cried out] with a loud voice, “·Oh no [Ah], Lord God! Will you completely destroy the ·Israelites who are left alive [remnant of Israel]?”
Promise to Those Remaining
14 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to me, saying, 15 “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], the people still in Jerusalem have spoken about your ·own relatives[a] [L brothers, your kinsmen redeemers; Lev. 25:25–55] and all the ·people [L house] of Israel, saying, ‘They are far from the Lord. This land has been given to us as our ·property [possession].’
16 “So say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: I sent the people far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries. But ·for a little while [or in a small measure] I have become a ·Temple [sanctuary] to them in the countries where they have gone.’
17 “So say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you together from the countries where you have been scattered. Then I will give you back the land of Israel.’
18 “When they come to this land, they will remove all the ·evil idols [detestable things] and all the ·hateful images [abominations]. 19 I will give them ·a desire to respect me completely [a unified heart; L one heart], and ·I will put inside them a new way of thinking [L a new spirit]. I will take away their ·stubborn heart [L heart of stone], and I will give them an ·obedient heart [or tender heart; L heart of flesh]. 20 Then they will ·live by my rules [walk in my statutes/decrees] and obey my ·laws [rules; judgments] and keep them. They will be my people, and I will be their God. 21 But those who ·want to serve [are devoted to; pursue] their ·evil statues [detestable things] and ·hateful idols [abominations], I will ·pay back for their evil ways [L bring their way/path down upon their head], says the Lord God.”
Ezekiel’s Vision Ends
22 Then the ·living creatures [L cherubim] lifted their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the God of Israel [C his manifest presence] was above them. 23 The glory of the Lord went up from inside Jerusalem and stopped on the mountain on the east side of the city. 24 ·The Spirit [or A wind/or spirit] lifted me up and brought me to the ·captives [exiles] who had been taken from Judah to ·Babylonia [L Chaldea]. This happened in a vision given by the ·Spirit [spirit] of God, and then the vision I had seen ·ended [L went up from me]. 25 And I told the ·captives [exiles] from Judah all the things the Lord had shown me.
God Wants True Worship
A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
50 The God of gods, the Lord, speaks.
He ·calls [proclaims to; summons] the earth from the rising to the setting sun.
2 God shines from ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
·whose beauty is perfect [L the perfection of beauty; 48:2; Lam. 2:15].
3 Our God comes, and he will not be silent.
A fire ·burns [consumes] in front of him [Heb. 12:29],
and a ·powerful storm [whirlwind; tempest] surrounds him [Is. 66:15].
4 He ·calls to [summons] the ·sky [heavens] above and to the earth
that he might judge his people.
5 He says, “Gather around, you ·who worship me [holy ones; saints],
who have made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with me, using a sacrifice [Ex. 24:5–8].”
6 God is the judge,
and even the ·skies say he is right [heavens proclaim his righteousness]. ·
7 God says, “My people, listen to me;
Israel, I will ·testify [witness] against you.
I am God, your God.
8 I do not ·scold [reprimand; rebuke] you for your sacrifices.
You always bring me your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17].
9 But I do not ·need [or accept] bulls from your ·stalls [L house]
or goats from your ·pens [folds],
10 because every animal of the forest is already mine.
The cattle on a thousand hills are mine.
11 I know every bird on the mountains,
and every living thing in the fields is mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
because the earth and ·everything in it [L its fullness] are mine.
13 ·I don’t [L Do I…?] eat the meat of bulls
or drink the blood of goats.
14 Give an ·offering to show thanks [thank offering] to God [Lev. 7:12; 22:29; Heb. 13:15].
Give God Most High what you have ·promised [vowed].
15 Call to me in times of ·trouble [distress].
I will ·save [rescue; T deliver] you, and you will ·honor [glorify] me.”
16 But God says to the wicked,
“Why do you ·talk about [recount] my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements]?
Why do you ·mention [L lift up on your mouth] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]?
17 You hate my ·teachings [instruction; discipline; Prov. 1:7]
and turn your back on what I say.
18 When you see a thief, you ·join [delight in; or run with] him.
·You take part in adultery [Your lot/portion is with adulterers].
19 You ·don’t stop your mouth from speaking evil [L send your mouth into evil],
and your tongue ·makes up lies [L is yoked to deception].
20 You sit around and speak against your brother
and ·lie [L give a stain/fault] about your mother’s son.
21 I have kept quiet while you did these things,
so you thought I was just like you.
But I will ·scold [reprimand; reprove] you
and ·accuse [indict] you ·to your face [L before your eyes].
22 “·Think about [Understand] this, you who forget God.
Otherwise, I will tear you apart,
and no one will ·save [protect] you.
23 Those people ·honor [glorify] me
who bring me ·offerings to show thanks [thank offerings; v. 14].
And I, God, will save those who ·do that [L go on my way/path].”
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