M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon Builds the Temple
3 Then Solomon began to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah. This was where the Lord had appeared to David, Solomon’s father. Solomon built the Temple on the place David had prepared on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 2 Solomon began building in the second month of the fourth year he ruled Israel.
3 Solomon used these measurements for building the Temple of God. It was ninety feet long and thirty feet wide, using the old measurement. 4 The porch in front of the main room of the Temple was thirty feet long and thirty feet high.
He covered the inside of the porch with pure gold. 5 He put panels of pine on the walls of the main room and covered them with pure gold. Then he put designs of palm trees and chains in the gold. 6 He decorated the Temple with gems and gold from Parvaim.[a] 7 He put gold on the Temple’s ceiling beams, doorposts, walls, and doors, and he carved creatures with wings on the walls.
8 Then he made the Most Holy Place. It was thirty feet long and thirty feet wide, as wide as the Temple. He covered its walls with about forty-six thousand pounds of pure gold. 9 The gold nails weighed over a pound. He also covered the upper rooms with gold.
10 He made two creatures with wings for the Most Holy Place and covered them with gold. 11 The wings of the gold creatures were thirty feet across. One wing of one creature was seven and one-half feet long and touched the Temple wall. The creature’s other wing was also seven and one-half feet long, and it touched a wing of the second creature. 12 One wing of the second creature touched the other side of the room and was also seven and one-half feet long. The second creature’s other wing touched the first creature’s wing, and it was also seven and one-half feet long. 13 Together, the creatures’ wings were thirty feet across. The creatures stood on their feet, facing the main room.
14 He made the curtain of blue, purple, and red thread, and expensive linen, and he put designs of creatures with wings in it.
15 He made two pillars to stand in front of the Temple. They were about fifty-two feet tall, and the capital of each pillar was over seven feet tall. 16 He made a net of chains and put them on the tops of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and put them on the chains. 17 Then he put the pillars up in front of the Temple. One pillar stood on the south side, the other on the north. He named the south pillar He Establishes and the north pillar In Him Is Strength.
Things for the Temple
4 He made a bronze altar thirty feet long, thirty feet wide, and fifteen feet tall. 2 Then he made from bronze a large round bowl, which was called the Sea. It was forty-five feet around, fifteen feet across, and seven and one-half feet deep. 3 There were carvings of bulls under the rim of the bowl—ten bulls every eighteen inches. They were in two rows and were made in one piece with the bowl.
4 The bowl rested on the backs of twelve bronze bulls that faced outward from the center of the bowl. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. 5 The sides of the bowl were four inches thick, and it held about seventeen thousand five hundred gallons. The rim of the bowl was like the rim of a cup or like a lily blossom.
6 He made ten smaller bowls and put five on the south side and five on the north. They were for washing the animals for the burnt offerings, but the large bowl was for the priests to wash in.
7 He made ten lampstands of gold, following the plans. He put them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north.
8 He made ten tables and put them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north. And he used gold to make a hundred other bowls.
9 He also made the priests’ courtyard and the large courtyard. He made the doors that opened to the courtyard and covered them with bronze. 10 Then he put the large bowl in the southeast corner of the Temple.
11 Huram also made bowls, shovels, and small bowls. So he finished his work for King Solomon on the Temple of God:
12 two pillars;
two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars;
two nets to cover the two large bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars;
13 four hundred pomegranates for the two nets (there were two rows of pomegranates for each net covering the bowls for the capitals on top of the pillars);
14 the stands with a bowl on each stand;
15 the large bowl with twelve bulls under it;
16 the pots, shovels, forks, and all the things to go with them.
All the things that Huram-Abi made for King Solomon for the Temple of the Lord were made of polished bronze. 17 The king had these things poured into clay molds that were made in the plain of the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. 18 Solomon had so many things made that the total weight of all the bronze was never known.
19 Solomon also made all the things for God’s Temple: the golden altar; tables which held the bread that shows God’s people are in his presence; 20 the lampstands and their lamps of pure gold, to burn in front of the Most Holy Place as planned; 21 the flowers, lamps, and tongs of pure gold; 22 the pure gold wick trimmers, small bowls, pans, and dishes used to carry coals, the gold doors for the Temple, and the inside doors of the Most Holy Place and of the main room.
We Are God’s Children
3 The Father has loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children. The reason the people in the world do not know us is that they have not known him. 2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and we have not yet been shown what we will be in the future. But we know that when Christ comes again, we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. 3 Christ is pure, and all who have this hope in Christ keep themselves pure like Christ.
4 The person who sins breaks God’s law. Yes, sin is living against God’s law. 5 You know that Christ came to take away sins and that there is no sin in Christ. 6 So anyone who lives in Christ does not go on sinning. Anyone who goes on sinning has never really understood Christ and has never known him.
7 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you the wrong way. Christ is righteous. So to be like Christ a person must do what is right. 8 The devil has been sinning since the beginning, so anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work.
9 Those who are God’s children do not continue sinning, because the new life from God remains in them. They are not able to go on sinning, because they have become children of God. 10 So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are: Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children, and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not God’s children.
We Must Love Each Other
11 This is the teaching you have heard from the beginning: We must love each other. 12 Do not be like Cain who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because the things Cain did were evil, and the things his brother did were good.
13 Brothers and sisters, do not be surprised when the people of the world hate you. 14 We know we have left death and have come into life because we love each other. Whoever does not love is still dead. 15 Everyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer,[a] and you know that no murderers have eternal life in them. 16 This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. So we should give our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then God’s love is not living in that person. 18 My children, we should love people not only with words and talk, but by our actions and true caring.
19 - 20 This is the way we know that we belong to the way of truth. When our hearts make us feel guilty, we can still have peace before God. God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 My dear friends, if our hearts do not make us feel guilty, we can come without fear into God’s presence. 22 And God gives us what we ask for because we obey God’s commands and do what pleases him. 23 This is what God commands: that we believe in his Son, Jesus Christ, and that we love each other, just as he commanded. 24 The people who obey God’s commands live in God, and God lives in them. We know that God lives in us because of the Spirit God gave us.
Nineveh Will Be Defeated
2 The destroyer[a] is coming to attack you, Nineveh.
Guard the defenses.
Watch the road.
Get ready.
Gather all your strength!
2 Destroyers have destroyed God’s people
and ruined their vines,
but the Lord will bring back Jacob’s greatness
like Israel’s greatness.
3 The shields of his soldiers are red;
the army is dressed in red.
The metal on the chariots flashes like fire
when they are ready to attack;
their horses are excited.
4 The chariots race through the streets
and rush back and forth through the city squares.
They look like torches;
they run like lightning.
5 He[b] calls his officers,
but they stumble on the way.
They hurry to the city wall,
and the shield is put into place.
6 The river gates are thrown open,
and the palace is destroyed.
7 It has been announced that the people of Nineveh
will be captured and carried away.
The slave girls moan like doves
and beat their breasts, because they are sad.
8 Nineveh is like a pool,
and now its water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” the people yell,
but no one turns back.
9 Take the silver!
Take the gold!
There is no end to the treasure—
piles of wealth of every kind.
10 Nineveh is robbed, ruined, and destroyed.
The people lose their courage, and their knees knock.
Stomachs ache, and everyone’s face grows pale.
11 Where is the lions’[c] den
and the place where they feed their young?
Where did the lion, lioness, and cubs go
without being afraid?
12 The lion killed enough for his cubs,
enough for his mate.
He filled his cave with the animals he caught;
he filled his den with meat he had killed.
13 “I am against you, Nineveh,”
says the Lord All-Powerful.
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will kill your young lions.
I will stop you from hunting down others on the earth,
and your messengers’ voices
will no longer be heard.”
God Will Answer His People
18 Then Jesus used this story to teach his followers that they should always pray and never lose hope. 2 “In a certain town there was a judge who did not respect God or care about people. 3 In that same town there was a widow who kept coming to this judge, saying, ‘Give me my rights against my enemy.’ 4 For a while the judge refused to help her. But afterwards, he thought to himself, ‘Even though I don’t respect God or care about people, 5 I will see that she gets her rights. Otherwise she will continue to bother me until I am worn out.’”
6 The Lord said, “Listen to what the unfair judge said. 7 God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them. 8 I tell you, God will help his people quickly. But when the Son of Man comes again, will he find those on earth who believe in him?”
Being Right with God
9 Jesus told this story to some people who thought they were very good and looked down on everyone else: 10 “A Pharisee and a tax collector both went to the Temple to pray. 11 The Pharisee stood alone and prayed, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people who steal, cheat, or take part in adultery, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast[a] twice a week, and I give one-tenth of everything I get!’
13 “The tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even look up to heaven. But he beat on his chest because he was so sad. He said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, when this man went home, he was right with God, but the Pharisee was not. All who make themselves great will be made humble, but all who make themselves humble will be made great.”
Who Will Enter God’s Kingdom?
15 Some people brought even their babies to Jesus so he could touch them. When the followers saw this, they told them to stop. 16 But Jesus called for the children, saying, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, you must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a child, or you will never enter it.”
A Rich Man’s Question
18 A certain leader asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to have life forever?”
19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. 20 You know the commands: ‘You must not be guilty of adultery. You must not murder anyone. You must not steal. You must not tell lies about your neighbor. Honor your father and mother.’”[b]
21 But the leader said, “I have obeyed all these commands since I was a boy.”
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one more thing you need to do. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me.” 23 But when the man heard this, he became very sad, because he was very rich.
24 Jesus looked at him and said, “It is very hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of God. 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.”
Who Can Be Saved?
26 When the people heard this, they asked, “Then who can be saved?”
27 Jesus answered, “The things impossible for people are possible for God.”
28 Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.”
29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, all those who have left houses, wives, brothers, parents, or children for the kingdom of God 30 will get much more in this life. And in the age that is coming, they will have life forever.”
Jesus Will Rise from the Dead
31 Then Jesus took the twelve apostles aside and said to them, “We are going to Jerusalem. Everything the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will happen. 32 He will be turned over to those who are evil. They will laugh at him, insult him, spit on him, 33 beat him with whips, and kill him. But on the third day, he will rise to life again.” 34 The apostles did not understand this; the meaning was hidden from them, and they did not realize what was said.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man
35 As Jesus came near the city of Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging. 36 When he heard the people coming down the road, he asked, “What is happening?”
37 They told him, “Jesus, from Nazareth, is going by.”
38 The blind man cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 The people leading the group warned the blind man to be quiet. But the blind man shouted even more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the blind man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
He said, “Lord, I want to see.”
42 Jesus said to him, “Then see. You are healed because you believed.”
43 At once the man was able to see, and he followed Jesus, thanking God. All the people who saw this praised God.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.