M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Absalom Plans to Take David’s Kingdom
15 After this, Absalom got a chariot and horses for himself and fifty men to run before him. 2 Absalom would get up early and stand near the city gate.[a] Anyone who had a problem for the king to settle would come here. When someone came, Absalom would call out and say, “What city are you from?”
The person would answer, “I’m from one of the tribes of Israel.”
3 Then Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are right, but the king has no one to listen to you.” 4 Absalom would also say, “I wish someone would make me judge in this land! Then people with problems could come to me, and I could help them get justice.”
5 People would come near Absalom to bow to him. When they did, Absalom would reach out his hand and take hold of them and kiss them. 6 Absalom did that to all the Israelites who came to King David for decisions. In this way, Absalom stole the hearts of all Israel.
7 After four years Absalom said to King David, “Please let me go to Hebron. I want to carry out my promise that I made to the Lord 8 while I was living in Geshur in Aram. I said, ‘If the Lord takes me back to Jerusalem, I will worship him in Hebron.’”
9 The king said, “Go in peace.”
So Absalom went to Hebron. 10 But he sent secret messengers through all the tribes of Israel. They told the people, “When you hear the trumpets, say this: ‘Absalom is the king at Hebron!’”
11 Absalom had invited two hundred men to go with him. So they went from Jerusalem with him, but they didn’t know what he was planning. 12 While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, one of the people who advised David, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So Absalom’s plans were working very well. More and more people began to support him.
13 A messenger came to David, saying, “The Israelites are giving their loyalty to Absalom.”
14 Then David said to all his officers who were with him in Jerusalem, “We must leave quickly! If we don’t, we won’t be able to get away from Absalom. We must hurry before he catches us and destroys us and kills the people of Jerusalem.”
15 The king’s officers said to him, “We will do anything you say.”
16 The king set out with everyone in his house, but he left ten slave women to take care of the palace. 17 The king left with all his people following him, and they stopped at a house far away. 18 All the king’s servants passed by him—the Kerethites and Pelethites,[b] all those from Gath, and the six hundred men who had followed him.
19 The king said to Ittai, a man from Gath, “Why are you also going with us? Turn back and stay with King Absalom because you are a foreigner. This is not your homeland. 20 You joined me only a short time ago. Should I make you wander with us when I don’t even know where I’m going? Turn back and take your brothers with you. May kindness and loyalty be shown to you.”
21 But Ittai said to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will stay with you, whether it means life or death.”
22 David said to Ittai, “Go, march on.” So Ittai from Gath and all his people with their children marched on. 23 All the people cried loudly as everyone passed by. King David crossed the Kidron Valley, and then all the people went on to the desert. 24 Zadok and all the Levites with him carried the Ark of the Agreement with God. They set it down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had left the city.
25 The king said to Zadok, “Take the Ark of God back into the city. If the Lord is pleased with me, he will bring me back and will let me see both it and Jerusalem again. 26 But if the Lord says he is not pleased with me, I am ready. He can do what he wants with me.”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Aren’t you a seer? Go back to the city in peace and take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan with you. 28 I will wait near the crossings into the desert until I hear from you.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
30 David went up the Mount of Olives, crying as he went. He covered his head and went barefoot. All the people with David covered their heads also and cried as they went. 31 Someone told David, “Ahithophel is one of the people with Absalom who made secret plans against you.”
So David prayed, “Lord, please make Ahithophel’s advice foolish.”
32 When David reached the top of the mountain where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite came to meet him. Hushai’s coat was torn, and there was dirt on his head to show how sad he was. 33 David said to Hushai, “If you go with me, you will be just one more person for me to take care of. 34 But if you return to the city, you can make Ahithophel’s advice useless. Tell Absalom, ‘I am your servant, my king. In the past I served your father, but now I will serve you.’ 35 The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be with you. Tell them everything you hear in the royal palace. 36 Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan are with them. Send them to tell me everything you hear.” 37 So David’s friend Hushai entered Jerusalem just as Absalom arrived.
Christian Giving
8 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace God gave the churches in Macedonia. 2 They have been tested by great troubles, and they are very poor. But they gave much because of their great joy. 3 I can tell you that they gave as much as they were able and even more than they could afford. No one told them to do it. 4 But they begged and pleaded with us to let them share in this service for God’s people. 5 And they gave in a way we did not expect: They first gave themselves to the Lord and to us. This is what God wants. 6 So we asked Titus to help you finish this special work of grace since he is the one who started it. 7 You are rich in everything—in faith, in speaking, in knowledge, in truly wanting to help, and in the love you learned from us.[a] In the same way, be strong also in the grace of giving.
8 I am not commanding you to give. But I want to see if your love is true by comparing you with others that really want to help. 9 You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know that Christ was rich, but for you he became poor so that by his becoming poor you might become rich.
10 This is what I think you should do: Last year you were the first to want to give, and you were the first who gave. 11 So now finish the work you started. Then your “doing” will be equal to your “wanting to do.” Give from what you have. 12 If you want to give, your gift will be accepted. It will be judged by what you have, not by what you do not have. 13 We do not want you to have troubles while other people are at ease, but we want everything to be equal. 14 At this time you have plenty. What you have can help others who are in need. Then later, when they have plenty, they can help you when you are in need, and all will be equal. 15 As it is written in the Scriptures, “The person who gathered more did not have too much, nor did the person who gathered less have too little.”[b]
Titus and His Companions Help
16 I thank God because he gave Titus the same love for you that I have. 17 Titus accepted what we asked him to do. He wanted very much to go to you, and this was his own idea. 18 We are sending with him the brother who is praised by all the churches because of his service in preaching the Good News. 19 Also, this brother was chosen by the churches to go with us when we deliver this gift of money. We are doing this service to bring glory to the Lord and to show that we really want to help.
20 We are being careful so that no one will criticize us for the way we are handling this large gift. 21 We are trying hard to do what the Lord accepts as right and also what people think is right.
22 Also, we are sending with them our brother, who is always ready to help. He has proved this to us in many ways, and he wants to help even more now, because he has much faith in you.
23 Now about Titus—he is my partner who is working with me to help you. And about the other brothers—they are sent from the churches, and they bring glory to Christ. 24 So show these men the proof of your love and the reason we are proud of you. Then all the churches can see it.
The Sins of Jerusalem
22 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 2 “And you, human, will you judge? Will you judge the city of murderers? Then tell her about all her hateful acts. 3 You are to say: ‘This is what the Lord God says: You are a city that kills those who come to live there. You make yourself unclean by making idols. 4 You have become guilty of murder and have become unclean by your idols which you have made. So you have brought your time of punishment near; you have come to the end of your years. That is why I have made you a shame to the nations and why all lands laugh at you. 5 Those near and those far away laugh at you with your bad name, you city full of confusion.
6 “‘Jerusalem, see how each ruler of Israel in you has been trying to kill people. 7 The people in you hate their fathers and mothers. They mistreat the foreigners in you and wrong the orphans and widows in you. 8 You hate my holy things and dishonor my Sabbaths. 9 The men in you tell lies to cause the death of others. The people in you eat food offered to idols at the mountain places of worship, and they take part in sexual sins. 10 The men in you have sexual relations with their fathers’ wives and with women who are unclean, during their time of monthly bleeding. 11 One man in you does a hateful act with his neighbor’s wife, while another has shamefully made his daughter-in-law unclean sexually. And another forces his half sister to have sexual relations with him. 12 The people in you take money to kill others. You take unfair interest and profits and make profits by mistreating your neighbor. And you have forgotten me, says the Lord God.
13 “‘So, Jerusalem, I will shake my fist at you for stealing money and for murdering people. 14 Will you still be brave and strong when I punish you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will act. 15 I will scatter you among the nations and spread you through the countries. That is how I will get rid of your uncleanness. 16 But you, yourself, will be dishonored in the sight of the nations. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
Israel Is Worthless
17 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 18 “Human, the people of Israel have become useless like scum to me. They are like the copper, tin, iron, and lead left in the furnace when silver is purified. 19 So this is what the Lord God says: ‘Because you have become useless like scum, I am going to put you together inside Jerusalem. 20 People put silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin together inside a furnace to melt them down in a blazing fire. In the same way I will gather you in my hot anger and put you together in Jerusalem and melt you down. 21 I will put you together and make you feel the heat of my anger. You will be melted down inside Jerusalem. 22 As silver is melted in a furnace, you will be melted inside the city. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have poured out my anger on you.’”
Sins of the People
23 The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: 24 “Human, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has not had rain or showers when God is angry.’ 25 Like a roaring lion that tears the animal it has caught, Israel’s rulers make evil plans. They have destroyed lives and have taken treasure and valuable things. They have caused many women to become widows. 26 Israel’s priests do cruel things to my teachings and do not honor my holy things. They make no difference between holy and unholy things, and they teach there is no difference between clean and unclean things. They do not remember my Sabbaths, so I am dishonored by them. 27 Like wolves tearing a dead animal, Jerusalem’s leaders have killed people for profit. 28 And the prophets try to cover this up by false visions and by lying messages. They say, ‘This is what the Lord God says’ when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people cheat others and steal. They hurt people who are poor and needy. They cheat foreigners and do not treat them fairly.
30 “I looked for someone to build up the walls and to stand before me where the walls are broken to defend these people so I would not have to destroy them. But I could not find anyone. 31 So I let them see my anger. I destroyed them with an anger that was like fire because of all the things they have done, says the Lord God.”
A Cry for Help
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” A psalm of David.
69 God, save me,
because the water has risen to my neck.
2 I’m sinking down into the mud,
and there is nothing to stand on.
I am in deep water,
and the flood covers me.
3 I am tired from calling for help;
my throat is sore.
My eyes are tired from waiting
for God to help me.
4 There are more people who hate me for no reason than hairs on my head;
powerful enemies want to destroy me for no reason.
They make me pay back
what I did not steal.
5 God, you know what I have done wrong;
I cannot hide my guilt from you.
6 Lord God All-Powerful,
do not let those who hope in you be ashamed because of me.
God of Israel,
do not let your worshipers be disgraced because of me.
7 For you, I carry this shame,
and my face is covered with disgrace.
8 I am like a stranger to my closest relatives
and a foreigner to my mother’s children.
9 My strong love for your Temple completely controls me.
When people insult you, it hurts me.
10 When I cry and fast,
they make fun of me.
11 When I wear clothes of sadness,
they joke about me.
12 They make fun of me in public places,
and the drunkards make up songs about me.
13 But I pray to you, Lord, for favor.
God, because of your great love, answer me.
You are truly able to save.
14 Pull me from the mud,
and do not let me sink.
Save me from those who hate me
and from the deep water.
15 Do not let the flood drown me
or the deep water swallow me
or the grave close its mouth over me.
16 Lord, answer me because your love is so good.
Because of your great kindness, turn to me.
17 Do not hide from me, your servant.
I am in trouble. Hurry to help me!
18 Come near and save me;
rescue me from my enemies.
19 You see my shame and disgrace.
You know all my enemies and what they have said.
20 Insults have broken my heart
and left me weak.
I looked for sympathy, but there was none;
I found no one to comfort me.
21 They put poison in my food
and gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their own feasts cause their ruin;
let their feasts trap them and pay them back.
23 Let their eyes be closed so they cannot see
and their backs be forever weak from troubles.
24 Pour your anger out on them;
let your anger catch up with them.
25 May their place be empty;
leave no one to live in their tents.
26 They chase after those you have hurt,
and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Charge them with crime after crime,
and do not let them have anything good.
28 Wipe their names from the book of life,
and do not list them with those who do what is right.
29 I am sad and hurting.
God, save me and protect me.
30 I will praise God in a song
and will honor him by giving thanks.
31 That will please the Lord more than offering him cattle,
more than sacrificing a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Poor people will see this and be glad.
Be encouraged, you who worship God.
33 The Lord listens to those in need
and does not look down on captives.
34 Heaven and earth should praise him,
the seas and everything in them.
35 God will save Jerusalem
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will live there and own the land.
36 The descendants of his servants will inherit that land,
and those who love him will live there.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.