M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Amnon and Tamar
13 David had a son named Absalom and a son named Amnon. Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and Amnon loved her. 2 Tamar was a virgin. Amnon made himself sick just thinking about her, because he could not find any chance to be alone with her.
3 Amnon had a friend named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very clever man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Son of the king, why do you look so sad day after day? Tell me what’s wrong!”
Amnon told him, “I love Tamar, the sister of my half-brother Absalom.”
5 Jonadab said to Amnon, “Go to bed and act as if you are sick. Then your father will come to see you. Tell him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come in and give me food to eat. Let her make the food in front of me so I can watch and eat it from her hand.’”
6 So Amnon went to bed and acted sick. When King David came in to see him, Amnon said to him, “Please let my sister Tamar come in. Let her make two of her special cakes for me while I watch. Then I will eat them from her hands.”
7 David sent for Tamar in the palace, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and make some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was in bed. Tamar took some dough and pressed it together with her hands. She made some special cakes while Amnon watched. Then she baked them. 9 Next she took the pan and served him, but he refused to eat.
He said to his servants, “All of you, leave me alone!” So they all left him alone. 10 Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom so I may eat from your hand.”
Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom. 11 She went to him so he could eat from her hands, but Amnon grabbed her. He said, “Sister, come and have sexual relations with me.”
12 Tamar said to him, “No, brother! Don’t force me! This should never be done in Israel! Don’t do this shameful thing! 13 I could never get rid of my shame! And you will be like the shameful fools in Israel! Please talk with the king, and he will let you marry me.”
14 But Amnon refused to listen to her. He was stronger than she was, so he forced her to have sexual relations with him. 15 After that, Amnon hated Tamar. He hated her more than he had loved her before. Amnon said to her, “Get up and leave!”
16 Tamar said to him, “No! Sending me away would be worse than what you’ve already done!”
But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his young servant back in and said, “Get this woman out of here and away from me! Lock the door after her.” 18 So his servant led her out of the room and bolted the door after her.
Tamar was wearing a special robe with long sleeves, because the king’s virgin daughters wore this kind of robe. 19 To show how upset she was, Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her special robe and put her hand on her head. Then she went away, crying loudly.
20 Absalom, Tamar’s brother, said to her, “Has Amnon, your brother, forced you to have sexual relations with him? For now, sister, be quiet. He is your half-brother. Don’t let this upset you so much!” So Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house and was sad and lonely.
21 When King David heard the news, he was very angry. 22 Absalom did not say a word, good or bad, to Amnon. But he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar.
Absalom’s Revenge
23 Two years later Absalom had some men come to Baal Hazor, near Ephraim, to cut the wool from his sheep. Absalom invited all the king’s sons to come also. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “I have men coming to cut the wool. Please come with your officers and join me.”
25 King David said to Absalom, “No, my son. We won’t all go, because it would be too much trouble for you.” Although Absalom begged David, he would not go, but he did give his blessing.
26 Absalom said, “If you don’t want to come, then please let my brother Amnon come with us.”
King David asked, “Why should he go with you?”
27 Absalom kept begging David until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with Absalom.
28 Then Absalom instructed his servants, “Watch Amnon. When he is drunk, I will tell you, ‘Kill Amnon.’ Right then, kill him! Don’t be afraid, because I have commanded you! Be strong and brave!” 29 So Absalom’s young men killed Amnon as Absalom commanded, but all of David’s other sons got on their mules and escaped.
30 While the king’s sons were on their way, the news came to David, “Absalom has killed all of the king’s sons! Not one of them is left alive!” 31 King David tore his clothes and lay on the ground to show his sadness. All his servants standing nearby tore their clothes also.
32 Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said to David, “Don’t think all the young men, your sons, are killed. No, only Amnon is dead! Absalom has planned this ever since Amnon forced his sister Tamar to have sexual relations with him. 33 My master and king, don’t think that all of the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead!”
34 In the meantime Absalom had run away.
A guard standing on the city wall saw many people coming from the other side of the hill. 35 So Jonadab said to King David, “Look, I was right! The king’s sons are coming!”
36 As soon as Jonadab had said this, the king’s sons arrived, crying loudly. David and all his servants began crying also. 37 David cried for his son every day.
But Absalom ran away to Talmai[a] son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. 38 After Absalom ran away to Geshur, he stayed there for three years. 39 When King David got over Amnon’s death, he missed Absalom greatly.
6 We are workers together with God, so we beg you: Do not let the grace that you received from God be for nothing. 2 God says,
“At the right time I heard your prayers.
On the day of salvation I helped you.” Isaiah 49:8
I tell you that the “right time” is now, and the “day of salvation” is now.
3 We do not want anyone to find fault with our work, so nothing we do will be a problem for anyone. 4 But in every way we show we are servants of God: in accepting many hard things, in troubles, in difficulties, and in great problems. 5 We are beaten and thrown into prison. We meet those who become upset with us and start riots. We work hard, and sometimes we get no sleep or food. 6 We show we are servants of God by our pure lives, our understanding, patience, and kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by true love, 7 by speaking the truth, and by God’s power. We use our right living to defend ourselves against everything. 8 Some people honor us, but others blame us. Some people say evil things about us, but others say good things. Some people say we are liars, but we speak the truth. 9 We are not known, but we are well known. We seem to be dying, but we continue to live. We are punished, but we are not killed. 10 We have much sadness, but we are always rejoicing. We are poor, but we are making many people rich in faith. We have nothing, but really we have everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you in Corinth and have opened our hearts to you. 12 Our feelings of love for you have not stopped, but you have stopped your feelings of love for us. 13 I speak to you as if you were my children. Do to us as we have done—open your hearts to us.
Warning About Non-Christians
14 You are not the same as those who do not believe. So do not join yourselves to them. Good and bad do not belong together. Light and darkness cannot share together. 15 How can Christ and Belial, the devil, have any agreement? What can a believer have together with a nonbeliever? 16 The temple of God cannot have any agreement with idols, and we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live with them and walk with them. And I will be their God, and they will be my people.”[a]
17 “Leave those people,
and be separate, says the Lord.
Touch nothing that is unclean,
and I will accept you.” Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34, 41
18 “I will be your father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Samuel 7:14
Israel Has Refused God
20 It was the seventh year of our captivity, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month. Some of the elders of Israel came to ask about the Lord and sat down in front of me.
2 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 3 “Human, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: Did you come to ask me questions? As surely as I live, I will not let you ask me questions.’
4 “Will you judge them? Will you judge them, human? Let them know the hateful things their ancestors did. 5 Say to them: ‘This is what the Lord God says: When I chose Israel, I made a promise to the descendants of Jacob. I made myself known to them in Egypt, and I promised them, “I am the Lord your God.” 6 At that time I promised them I would bring them out of Egypt into a land I had found for them, a fertile land, the best land in the world. 7 I said to them, “Each one of you must throw away the hateful idols you have seen and liked. Don’t make yourselves unclean with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.”
8 “‘But they turned against me and refused to listen to me. They did not throw away the hateful idols which they saw and liked; they did not give up the idols of Egypt. Then I decided to pour out my anger against them while they were still in Egypt. 9 But I acted for the sake of my name so it would not be dishonored in full view of the nations where the Israelites lived. I made myself known to the Israelites with a promise to bring them out of Egypt while the nations were watching. 10 So I took them out of Egypt and brought them into the desert. 11 I gave them my rules and told them about my laws, by which people will live if they obey them. 12 I also gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between us so they would know that I am the Lord who made them holy.
13 “‘But in the desert Israel turned against me. They did not follow my rules, and they rejected my laws, by which people will live if they obey them. They dishonored my Sabbaths. Then I decided to pour out my anger against them and destroy them in the desert. 14 But I acted for the sake of my name so it would not be dishonored in full view of the nations who watched as I had brought the Israelites out of Egypt. 15 And in the desert I swore to the Israelites that I would not bring them into the land I had given them. It is a fertile land, the best land in the world. 16 This was because they rejected my laws and did not follow my rules. They dishonored my Sabbaths and wanted to worship their idols. 17 But I had pity on them. I did not destroy them or put an end to them in the desert. 18 I said to their children in the desert, “Don’t live by the rules of your parents, or obey their laws. Don’t make yourselves unclean with their idols. 19 I am the Lord your God. Live by my rules, obey my laws, and follow them. 20 Keep my Sabbaths holy, and they will be a sign between me and you. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.”
21 “‘But the children turned against me. They did not live by my rules, nor were they careful to obey my laws, by which people will live if they obey them. They dishonored my Sabbaths. So I decided to pour out my anger against them in the desert. 22 But I held back my anger. I acted for the sake of my name so it would not be dishonored in full view of the nations who watched as I brought the Israelites out. 23 And in the desert I swore to the Israelites that I would scatter them among the nations and spread them among the countries, 24 because they had not obeyed my laws. They had rejected my rules and dishonored my Sabbaths and worshiped the idols of their parents. 25 I also allowed them to follow rules that were not good and laws by which they could not live. 26 I let the Israelites make themselves unclean by the gifts they brought to their gods when they sacrificed their first children in the fire. I wanted to terrify them so they would know that I am the Lord.’
27 “So, human, speak to the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: Your ancestors spoke against me by being unfaithful to me in another way. 28 When I had brought them into the land I promised to give them, they saw every high hill and every leafy tree. There they offered their sacrifices to gods. They brought offerings that made me angry and burned their incense and poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them: What is this high place where you go to worship?’” (It is still called High Place today.)
30 “So say to the people of Israel: ‘This is what the Lord God says: Are you going to make yourselves unclean as your ancestors did? Are you going to be unfaithful and desire their hateful idols? 31 When you offer your children as gifts and sacrifice them in the fire, you are making yourselves unclean with all your idols even today. So, people of Israel, should I let you ask me questions? As surely as I live, says the Lord God, I will not accept questions from you.
32 “‘What you want will not come true. You say, “We want to be like the other nations, like the people in other lands. We want to worship idols made of wood and stone.” 33 As surely as I live, says the Lord God, I will use my great power and strength and anger to rule over you. 34 I will bring you out from the foreign nations. With my great power and strength and anger I will gather you from the lands where you are scattered. 35 I will bring you among the nations as I brought your ancestors into the desert with Moses. There I will judge you face to face. 36 I will judge you the same way I judged your ancestors in the desert of the land of Egypt, says the Lord God. 37 I will count you like sheep and will bring you into line with my agreement. 38 I will get rid of those who refuse to obey me and who turn against me. I will bring them out of the land where they are now living, but they will never enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
39 “‘This is what the Lord God says: People of Israel, go serve your idols for now. But later you will listen to me; you will not continue to dishonor my holy name with your gifts and gods. 40 On my holy mountain, the high mountain of Israel, all Israel will serve me in the land, says the Lord God. There I will accept you. There I will expect your offerings, the first harvest of your offerings, and all your holy gifts. 41 I will accept you like the pleasing smell of sacrifices when I bring you out from the foreign nations and gather you from the lands where you are scattered. Then through you I will show how holy I am so the nations will see. 42 When I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I promised your ancestors, you will know that I am the Lord. 43 There you will remember everything you did that made you unclean, and then you will hate yourselves for all the evil things you have done. 44 I will deal with you for the sake of my name, not because of your evil ways or unclean actions. Then you will know I am the Lord, people of Israel, says the Lord God.’”
Babylon, the Lord’s Sword
45 Now the Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 46 “Human, look toward the south. Prophesy against the south and against the forest of the southern area. 47 Say to that forest: ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord God says: I am ready to start a fire in you that will destroy all your green trees and all your dry trees. The flames that burn will not be put out. Every face from south to north will feel their heat. 48 Then all the people will see that I, the Lord, have started the fire. It will not be put out.’”
49 Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! The people are saying about me, ‘He is only telling stories.’”
Praise God for What He Has Done
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
66 Everything on earth, shout with joy to God!
2 Sing about his glory!
Make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, “Your works are amazing!
Because your power is great,
your enemies fall before you.
4 All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you.
They sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done,
the amazing things he has done for people.
6 He turned the sea into dry land.
The people crossed the river on foot.
So let us rejoice because of what he did.
7 He rules forever with his power.
He keeps his eye on the nations,
so people should not turn against him. Selah
8 You people, praise our God;
loudly sing his praise.
9 He protects our lives
and does not let us be defeated.
10 God, you have tested us;
you have purified us like silver.
11 You let us be trapped
and put a heavy load on us.
12 You let our enemies walk on our heads.
We went through fire and flood,
but you brought us to a place with good things.
13 I will come to your Temple with burnt offerings.
I will give you what I promised,
14 things I promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will bring you offerings of fat animals,
and I will offer sheep, bulls, and goats. Selah
16 All of you who fear God, come and listen,
and I will tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth
and praised him with my tongue.
18 If I had known of any sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened to me.
19 But God has listened;
he has heard my prayer.
20 Praise God,
who did not ignore my prayer
or hold back his love from me.
Everyone Should Praise God
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
67 God, have mercy on us and bless us
and show us your kindness Selah
2 so the world will learn your ways,
and all nations will learn that you can save.
3 God, the people should praise you;
all people should praise you.
4 The nations should be glad and sing
because you judge people fairly.
You guide all the nations on earth. Selah
5 God, the people should praise you;
all people should praise you.
6 The land has given its crops.
God, our God, blesses us.
7 God blesses us
so people all over the earth will fear him.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.