M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Gatekeepers
26 These are the groups of the gatekeepers. From the family of Korah, there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, who was from Asaph’s family. 2 Meshelemiah had sons. Zechariah was his first son, Jediael was second, Zebadiah was third, Jathniel was fourth, 3 Elam was fifth, Jehohanan was sixth, and Eliehoenai was seventh.
4 Obed-Edom had sons. Shemaiah was his first son, Jehozabad was second, Joah was third, Sacar was fourth, Nethanel was fifth, 5 Ammiel was sixth, Issachar was seventh, and Peullethai was eighth. God blessed Obed-Edom with children.
6 Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons. They were leaders in their father’s family because they were capable men. 7 Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semakiah. Elihu, and Semakiah were skilled workers. 8 All these were Obed-Edom’s descendants. They and their sons and relatives were capable men and strong workers. Obed-Edom had sixty-two descendants in all.
9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives who were skilled workers. In all, there were eighteen.
10 From the Merari family, Hosah had sons. Shimri was chosen to be in charge. Although he was not the oldest son, his father chose him to be in charge. 11 Hilkiah was his second son, Tabaliah was third, and Zechariah was fourth. In all, Hosah had thirteen sons and relatives.
12 These were the leaders of the groups of gatekeepers, and they served in the Temple of the Lord. Their relatives also worked in the Temple. 13 By throwing lots, each family chose a gate to guard. Young and old threw lots.
14 Meshelemiah was chosen by lot to guard the East Gate. Then lots were thrown for Meshelemiah’s son Zechariah. He was a wise counselor and was chosen for the North Gate. 15 Obed-Edom was chosen for the South Gate, and Obed-Edom’s sons were chosen to guard the storehouse. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were chosen for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road.
Guards stood side by side with guards. 17 Six Levites stood guard every day at the East Gate; four Levites stood guard every day at the North Gate; four Levites stood guard every day at the South Gate; and two Levites at a time guarded the storehouse. 18 There were two guards at the western court and four guards on the road to the court.
19 These were the groups of the gatekeepers from the families of Korah and Merari.
Other Leaders
20 Other Levites were responsible for guarding the treasuries of the Temple of God and for the places where the holy items were kept.
21 Ladan was Gershon’s son and the ancestor of several family groups. Jehiel was a leader of one of the family groups. 22 His sons were Zetham and Joel his brother, and they were responsible for the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord.
23 Other leaders were chosen from the family groups of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 24 Shubael, the descendant of Gershom, who was Moses’ son, was the leader responsible for the treasuries. 25 These were Shubael’s relatives from Eliezer: Eliezer’s son Rehabiah, Rehabiah’s son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah’s son Joram, Joram’s son Zicri, and Zicri’s son Shelomith. 26 Shelomith and his relatives were responsible for everything that had been collected for the Temple by King David, by the heads of families, by the commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, and by other army commanders. 27 They also gave some of the things they had taken in wars to be used in repairing the Temple of the Lord. 28 Shelomith and his relatives took care of all the holy items. Some had been given by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah.
29 Kenaniah was from the Izhar family. He and his sons worked outside the Temple as officers and judges in different places in Israel.
30 Hashabiah was from the Hebron family. He and his relatives were responsible for the Lord’s work and the king’s business in Israel west of the Jordan River. There were seventeen hundred skilled men in Hashabiah’s group. 31 The history of the Hebron family shows that Jeriah was their leader. In David’s fortieth year as king, the records were searched, and some capable men of the Hebron family were found living at Jazer in Gilead. 32 Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives who were skilled men and leaders of families. King David gave them the responsibility of directing the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh in God’s work and the king’s business.
Army Divisions
27 This is the list of the Israelites who served the king in the army. Each division was on duty one month each year. There were leaders of families, commanders of a hundred men, commanders of a thousand men, and other officers. Each division had twenty-four thousand men.
2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division for the first month. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division. 3 Jashobeam, one of the descendants of Perez, was leader of all the army officers for the first month.
4 Dodai, from the Ahohites, was in charge of the division for the second month. Mikloth was a leader in the division. There were twenty-four thousand men in Dodai’s division.
5 The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division. 6 He was the Benaiah who was one of the Thirty[a] soldiers. Benaiah was a brave warrior who led those men. Benaiah’s son Ammizabad was in charge of Benaiah’s division.
7 The fourth commander, for the fourth month, was Asahel, the brother of Joab. Later, Asahel’s son Zebadiah took his place as commander. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
8 The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth, from Izrah’s family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
9 The sixth commander, for the sixth month, was Ira son of Ikkesh from the town of Tekoa. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
10 The seventh commander, for the seventh month, was Helez. He was from the Pelonites and a descendant of Ephraim. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
11 The eighth commander, for the eighth month, was Sibbecai. He was from Hushah and was from Zerah’s family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
12 The ninth commander, for the ninth month, was Abiezer. He was from Anathoth in Benjamin. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
13 The tenth commander, for the tenth month, was Maharai. He was from Netophah and was from Zerah’s family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
14 The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah. He was from Pirathon in Ephraim. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
15 The twelfth commander, for the twelfth month, was Heldai. He was from Netophah and was from Othniel’s family. There were twenty-four thousand men in his division.
Leaders of the Tribes
16 These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. Eliezer son of Zicri was over the tribe of Reuben. Shephatiah son of Maacah was over the tribe of Simeon. 17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel was over the tribe of Levi. Zadok was over the people of Aaron. 18 Elihu, one of David’s brothers, was over the tribe of Judah. Omri son of Michael was over the tribe of Issachar. 19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was over the tribe of Zebulun. Jerimoth son of Azriel was over the tribe of Naphtali. 20 Hoshea son of Azaziah was over the tribe of Ephraim. Joel son of Pedaiah was over West Manasseh. 21 Iddo son of Zechariah was over East Manasseh. Jaasiel son of Abner was over the tribe of Benjamin. 22 Azarel son of Jeroham was over the tribe of Dan.
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 The Lord had promised to make the Israelites as many as the stars in the sky. So David only counted the men who were twenty years old and older. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the people, but he did not finish. God became angry with Israel for counting the people, so the number of the people was not put in the history book about King David’s rule.
The King’s Directors
25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses.
Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the country, towns, villages, and towers.
26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers who farmed the land.
27 Shimei, from the town of Ramah, was in charge of the vineyards.
Zabdi, from Shapham, was in charge of storing the wine that came from the vineyards.
28 Baal-Hanan, from Geder, was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore trees in the western hills.
Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.
29 Shitrai, from Sharon, was in charge of the herds that fed in the Plain of Sharon.
Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.
30 Obil, an Ishmaelite, was in charge of the camels.
Jehdeiah, from Meronoth, was in charge of the donkeys.
31 Jaziz, from the Hagrites, was in charge of the flocks.
All these men were the officers who took care of King David’s property.
32 Jonathan was David’s uncle, and he advised David. Jonathan was a wise man and a teacher of the law. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king’s sons. 33 Ahithophel advised the king. Hushai, from the Arkite people, was the king’s friend. 34 Jehoiada and Abiathar later took Ahithophel’s place in advising the king. Jehoiada was Benaiah’s son. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.
1 From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To you who have received a faith as valuable as ours, because our God and Savior Jesus Christ does what is right.
2 Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because you truly know God and Jesus our Lord.
God Has Given Us Blessings
3 Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness. 4 Through these he gave us the very great and precious promises. With these gifts you can share in God’s nature, and the world will not ruin you with its evil desires.
5 Because you have these blessings, do your best to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; 6 and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add patience; and to your patience, add service for God; 7 and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love. 8 If all these things are in you and are growing, they will help you to be useful and productive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But anyone who does not have these things cannot see clearly. He is blind and has forgotten that he was made clean from his past sins.
10 My brothers and sisters, try hard to be certain that you really are called and chosen by God. If you do all these things, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
12 You know these things, and you are very strong in the truth, but I will always help you remember them. 13 I think it is right for me to help you remember as long as I am in this body. 14 I know I must soon leave this body, as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me. 15 I will try my best so that you may be able to remember these things even after I am gone.
We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 When we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling just clever stories that someone invented. But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. 17 Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory, when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.” 18 We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.
19 This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave. It is good for you to follow closely what they said as you would follow a light shining in a dark place, until the day begins and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 No prophecy ever came from what a person wanted to say, but people led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.
The Mountain of the Lord
4 In the last days
the mountain on which the Lord’s Temple stands
will become the most important of all mountains.
It will be raised above the hills,
and people from other nations will come streaming to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the Temple of the God of Jacob,
so that he can teach us his ways,
and we can obey his teachings.”
His teachings will go out from Jerusalem,
the word of the Lord from that city.
3 The Lord will judge many nations;
he will make decisions about strong nations that are far away.
They will hammer their swords into plow blades
and their spears into hooks for trimming trees.
Nations will no longer raise swords against other nations;
they will not train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under his own vine and fig tree,
and no one will make him afraid,
because the Lord All-Powerful has said it.
5 All other nations may follow their own gods,
but we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.
6 The Lord says, “At that time,
I will gather the crippled;
I will bring together those who were sent away,
those whom I caused to have trouble.
7 I will keep alive those who were crippled,
and I will make a strong nation of those who were sent away.
The Lord will be their king in Mount Zion from now on and forever.
8 And you, watchtower of the flocks,[a] hill of Jerusalem,
to you will come the kingdom as in the past.
Jerusalem, the right to rule will come again to you.”
Why the Israelites Must Go to Babylon
9 Now, why do you cry so loudly?
Is your king gone?
Have you lost your helper,
so that you are in pain, like a woman trying to give birth?
10 People of Jerusalem, strain and be in pain.
Be like a woman trying to give birth,
because now you must leave the city
and live in the field.
You will go to Babylon,
but you will be saved from that place.
The Lord will go there
and buy you back from your enemies.
11 But now many nations
have come to fight against you,
saying, “Let’s destroy Jerusalem.
We will look at her and be glad we have defeated her.”
12 But they don’t know
what the Lord is thinking;
they don’t understand his plan.
He has gathered them like bundles of grain to the threshing floor.
13 “Get up and beat them, people of Jerusalem.
I will make you strong as if you had horns of iron
and hoofs of bronze.
You will beat many nations into small pieces
and give their wealth to the Lord,
their treasure to the Lord of all the earth.”
Change Your Hearts
13 At that time some people were there who told Jesus that Pilate[a] had killed some people from Galilee while they were worshiping. He mixed their blood with the blood of the animals they were sacrificing to God. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to them because they were more sinful than all others from Galilee? 3 No, I tell you. But unless you change your hearts and lives, you will be destroyed as they were! 4 What about those eighteen people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you. But unless you change your hearts and lives, you will all be destroyed too!”
The Useless Tree
6 Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none. 7 So the man said to his gardener, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down. Why should it waste the ground?’ 8 But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some fertilizer. 9 If the tree produces fruit next year, good. But if not, you can cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11 A woman was there who, for eighteen years, had an evil spirit in her that made her crippled. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are free from your sickness.” 13 Jesus put his hands on her, and immediately she was able to stand up straight and began praising God.
14 The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days when one has to work. So come to be healed on one of those days, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord answered, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you untie your work animals and lead them to drink water every day—even on the Sabbath day? 16 This woman that I healed, a daughter of Abraham, has been held by Satan for eighteen years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be freed from her sickness on a Sabbath day!” 17 When Jesus said this, all of those who were criticizing him were ashamed, but the entire crowd rejoiced at all the wonderful things Jesus was doing.
Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast
18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 It is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree, and the wild birds build nests in its branches.”
20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and hid in a large tub of flour until it made all the dough rise.”
The Narrow Door
22 Jesus was teaching in every town and village as he traveled toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone said to Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
Jesus said, 24 “Try hard to enter through the narrow door, because many people will try to enter there, but they will not be able. 25 When the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you can stand outside and knock on the door and say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in the streets of our town.’ 27 But he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Go away from me, all you who do evil!’ 28 You will cry and grind your teeth with pain when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom, but you yourselves thrown outside. 29 People will come from the east, west, north, and south and will sit down at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 There are those who are last now who will be first in the future. And there are those who are first now who will be last in the future.”
Jesus Will Die in Jerusalem
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here! Herod wants to kill you!”
32 Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox Herod, ‘Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out and healing people. Then, on the third day, I will reach my goal.’ 33 Yet I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. Surely it cannot be right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to you. Many times I wanted to gather your people as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not let me. 35 Now your house is left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me until that time when you will say, ‘God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.’”[b]
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.