M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Lord Rejects Saul as King
13 Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he was king of Israel forty-two years.[a]
2 Saul chose 3,000 men from Israel; 2,000 of them were stationed with Saul at Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and 1,000 were stationed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. But the rest of the people he sent home.
3 Jonathan defeated the Philistine troops at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. With the sounding of the ram’s horn throughout the land, Saul announced, “Listen, Hebrews!” 4 (So all Israel listened.) “I, Saul, have defeated the Philistine troops, and now Israel has become offensive to the Philistines!” All the troops rallied behind Saul at Gilgal.
5 The Philistines assembled to fight against Israel. They had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and as many soldiers as the sand on the seashore. They camped at Michmash, east of Beth Aven. 6 When the Israelites saw they were in trouble because the army was hard-pressed, they hid in caves, in thorny thickets, among rocks, in pits, and in cisterns. 7 Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan River into the territory of Gad and Gilead. But Saul remained in Gilgal, and all the people who followed him trembled in fear.
8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. But Samuel had not come to Gilgal, and the troops began to scatter. 9 Then Saul said, “Bring me the animals for the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” So he sacrificed the burnt offering. 10 As he finished sacrificing the burnt offering, Samuel came, and Saul went to greet him.
11 Samuel asked, “What have you done?”
Saul replied, “I saw the troops were scattering. You didn’t come when you said you would, and the Philistines were assembling at Michmash. 12 So I thought, ‘Now, the Philistines will come against me at Gilgal, but I haven’t sought Yahweh’s favor.’ I felt pressured into sacrificing the burnt offering.”
13 “You did a foolish thing,” Samuel told Saul. “You didn’t follow the command of Yahweh your Elohim. If you had, Yahweh would have established your kingdom over Israel permanently. 14 But now your kingdom will not last. Yahweh has searched for a man after his own heart. Yahweh has appointed him as ruler of his people, because you didn’t follow the command of Yahweh.”
15 Samuel left Gilgal. The rest of the people followed Saul to meet the soldiers. They went from Gilgal[b] to Gibeah in Benjamin, where Saul counted the troops who were still with him—about 600 men. 16 Saul, his son Jonathan, and the troops who were with them stayed at Geba in Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash.
17 Raiding parties left the Philistine camp in three columns. One column turned onto the road to Ophrah to the region of Shual. 18 Another column turned onto the road to Beth Horon. And one turned onto the road toward the region that overlooks the valley of Zeboim and the desert.
19 No blacksmith could be found in the entire land of Israel. In this way the Philistines kept the Hebrews from making swords and spears. 20 Everyone in Israel had to go to the Philistines to sharpen the blade of his plow, his mattock, ax, or sickle. 21 The price was a pim[c] for plow blades and mattocks, and one-tenth of an ounce of silver to sharpen a mattock[d] or set a metal point on a cattle-prod. 22 So on the day of battle, not one sword or spear could be found among all the troops who were with Saul and Jonathan. But Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23 Now, Philistine troops had gone out to the pass at Michmash.
God’s Continuing Love for Jewish People
11 So I ask, “Has God rejected his people Israel?” That’s unthinkable! Consider this. I’m an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he knew long ago. Don’t you know what Elijah says in the Scripture passage when he complains to God about Israel? He says, 3 “Lord, they’ve killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I’m the only one left, and they’re trying to take my life.” 4 But what was God’s reply? God said, “I’ve kept 7,000 people for myself who have not knelt to worship Baal.” 5 So, as there were then, there are now a few left that God has chosen by his kindness.[a] 6 If they were chosen by God’s kindness, they weren’t chosen because of anything they did. Otherwise, God’s kindness wouldn’t be kindness.
7 So what does all this mean? It means that Israel has never achieved what it has been striving for. However, those whom God has chosen have achieved it. The minds of the rest of Israel were closed, 8 as Scripture says,
“To this day God has given them a spirit of deep sleep.
Their eyes don’t see,
and their ears don’t hear!”
9 And David says,
“Let the table set for them become a trap and a net,
a snare and a punishment for them.
10 Let their vision become clouded so that they cannot see.
Let them carry back-breaking burdens forever.”
11 So I ask, “Has Israel stumbled so badly that it can’t get up again?” That’s unthinkable! By Israel’s failure, salvation has come to people who are not Jewish to make the Jewish people jealous. 12 The fall of the Jewish people made the world spiritually rich. Their failure made people who are not Jewish spiritually rich. So the inclusion of Jewish people will make the world even richer.
13 Now, I speak to you who are not Jewish. As long as I am an apostle sent to people who are not Jewish, I bring honor to my ministry. 14 Perhaps I can make my people jealous and save some of them. 15 If Israel’s rejection means that the world has been brought back to God, what does Israel’s acceptance mean? It means that Israel has come back to life.
16 If the first handful of dough is holy, the whole batch of dough is holy. If the root is holy, the branches are holy. 17 But some of the olive branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive branch, have been grafted in their place. You get your nourishment from the roots of the olive tree. 18 So don’t brag about being better than the other branches. If you brag, remember that you don’t support the root, the root supports you. 19 “Well,” you say, “Branches were cut off so that I could be grafted onto the tree.” 20 That’s right! They were broken off because they didn’t believe, but you remain on the tree because you do believe. Don’t feel arrogant, but be afraid. 21 If God didn’t spare the natural branches, he won’t spare you, either. 22 Look at how kind and how severe God can be. He is severe to those who fell, but kind to you if you continue to hold on to his kindness. Otherwise, you, too, will be cut off from the tree.
23 If Jewish people do not continue in their unbelief, they will be grafted onto the tree again, because God is able to do that. 24 In spite of the fact that you have been cut from a wild olive tree, you have been grafted onto a cultivated one. So wouldn’t it be easier for these natural branches to be grafted onto the olive tree they belong to?
25 Brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery so that you won’t become arrogant. The minds of some Israelites have become closed until all of God’s non-Jewish people are included. 26 In this way Israel as a whole will be saved, as Scripture says,
“The Savior will come from Zion.
He will remove godlessness from Jacob.
27 My promise[b] to them will be fulfilled
when I take away their sins.”
28 The Good News made the Jewish people enemies because of you. But by God’s choice they are loved because of their ancestors. 29 God never changes his mind when he gives gifts or when he calls someone. 30 In the past, you disobeyed God. But now God has been merciful to you because of the disobedience of the Jewish people. 31 In the same way, the Jewish people have also disobeyed so that God may be merciful to them as he was to you. 32 God has placed all people into the prison of their own disobedience so that he could be merciful to all people.
33 God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep
that it is impossible to explain his decisions
or to understand his ways.
34 “Who knows how the Lord thinks?
Who can become his adviser?”
35 Who gave the Lord something
which the Lord must pay back?
36 Everything is from him and by him and for him.
Glory belongs to him forever! Amen!
A Prophecy against Babylon
50 This is the message that Yahweh spoke about Babylon and the land of the Babylonians through the prophet Jeremiah.
2 “Announce this among the nations, and spread the news.
Raise a flag, and announce it.
Don’t hide anything.
Say, ‘Babylon will be captured.
Bel will be put to shame.
Marduk will be filled with terror.
Babylon’s statues will be put to shame.
Its idols will be filled with terror.’
3 A nation from the north will attack Babylon
and destroy its land so that no one will live in it.
People and animals will run away.
4 “In those days and at that time,” declares Yahweh,
“the people of Israel and Judah will cry as they go together
to seek Yahweh their Elohim.
5 They will ask which road goes to Zion and turn in that direction.
They will go there to make a permanent agreement with Yahweh.
It will not be forgotten.
6 My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds have led them astray.
They wander around on the mountains.
They go from mountains to hills.
They have forgotten their resting place.
7 Everyone who finds them eats them.
Their enemies say, ‘We’re not guilty.
They have sinned against Yahweh, their true pasture.
They have sinned against Yahweh, the hope of their ancestors.’
8 “Run away from Babylon.
Leave the land of the Babylonians.
Be like the male goats that lead the flock.
9 I am going to stir up an alliance of strong nations from the north
and bring it against Babylon.
Those nations will take up positions against Babylon.
Babylon will be captured from the north.
Its enemy’s arrows will be like skilled soldiers
who don’t come back empty-handed.
10 The Babylonians will become the prize.
All who loot them will get everything they want,”
declares Yahweh.
11 “You are happy and excited.
You have looted the people who belong to me.
You dance around like calves on the grass
and neigh like stallions.
12 But your mother will be greatly ashamed.
The woman who gave birth to you will be disgraced.
Babylon, you will be the least important nation.
You will become a parched desert.
13 No one will live in Babylon because of Yahweh’s anger.
It will be completely abandoned.
Everyone who passes by Babylon will be horrified
and hiss at all its wounds.
14 “Take up your positions around Babylon, all you archers with bows.
Shoot at it; don’t save any arrows,
because the people of Babylon have sinned against Yahweh.
15 Shout a war cry against them on every side.
They’ll surrender.
Their towers will fall and their walls will be torn down.
Since this is Yahweh’s vengeance, take revenge against them.
Do to them what they did to others.
16 Don’t allow anyone in Babylon to plant or harvest.
Everyone will turn to his own people and flee to his own homeland
because of the enemies’ swords.
17 “The people of Israel are like scattered sheep that lions have chased.
The first to devour them was the king of Assyria.
The last to gnaw at their bones was King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
18 “This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth, the Elohim of Israel, says:
I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land
as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 I will bring the people of Israel back to their pastures.
They will eat on Mount Carmel and Mount Bashan.
They will eat until they are full
on the mountains of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 In those days and at that time,” declares Yahweh,
“people will look for Israel’s crimes, but they will find none.
They will look for Judah’s sins, but none will be found.
I will forgive the faithful few whom I have spared.
21 Attack the land of Merathaim
and the people who live in Pekod.
Claim them for me by killing them with a sword,”
declares Yahweh.
“Do everything I commanded you.
22 The noise of battle and great destruction fills the land.
23 The hammer of the whole earth is broken and shattered.
See how desolate Babylon is of all the nations!
24 I will set traps for you, Babylon.
You will be caught, but you won’t know it.
You will be found and captured
because you have opposed Yahweh.
25 Yahweh will open his armory
and bring out the weapons of his fury,
because Adonay Yahweh Tsebaoth
has a job to do in the land of the Babylonians.
26 Attack them from a distance,
open their storehouses,
pile up their corpses like piles of grain,
claim them for me by destroying them,
and don’t leave anyone behind.
27 Kill all their young bulls.
Let them go to be slaughtered.
How horrible it will be for them when their time has come,
the time for them to be punished.
28 Listen! Fugitives and refugees from Babylon
are coming to Zion to tell about
the vengeance of Yahweh our Elohim, the vengeance for his temple.
29 “Call together the archers, the soldiers with bows, against Babylon.
Set up blockades around it. Don’t let anyone escape.
Pay the people of Babylon back for what they have done.
Do to them what they did to others.
They have disobeyed Yahweh, Qedosh Yisrael.
30 That is why their young men will die in the streets,
and all their soldiers will be silenced that day,”
declares Yahweh.
31 “I’m against you, you arrogant city,”
declares Adonay Yahweh Tsebaoth.
“Your day has come, the time when I will punish you.
32 Those arrogant people will stumble and fall,
and there will be no one to help them get up.
I will light a fire in their cities
that will burn up everything around them.”
33 This is what Yahweh Tsebaoth says:
All the people of Israel and Judah are oppressed.
All their enemies have captured them.
They refuse to let them go.
34 Their Go’el is strong.
His name is Yahweh Tsebaoth.
He will certainly take up their cause
in order to bring rest to the land of Israel
and unrest to the people who live in Babylon.
35 “A sword will kill the Babylonians and everyone who lives in Babylon,”
declares Yahweh.
“A sword will kill their officials and their wise men.
36 A sword will kill the false prophets.
They will become fools.
A sword will kill their soldiers and defeat them.
37 A sword will kill their horses, their chariots,
and all the foreigners within their ranks.
They will become women.
A sword will destroy their treasures, and they will be looted.
38 A drought will diminish their water supply, and it will dry up.
Babylon is a land of idols, statues that will go crazy with fear.
39 That is why desert animals will live with hyenas.
Desert owls will also live there.
It will no longer be inhabited or lived in for generations.
40 Babylon will be like Sodom, Gomorrah, and their neighboring cities
when I, Elohim, destroyed them.
No one will live there.
No human will stay there,” declares Yahweh.
41 “People are going to come from the north.
A great nation and many kings will rise from the ends of the earth.
42 They will take hold of bows and spears.
They will be cruel and have no compassion.
They will sound like the sea when it roars.
They will ride horses.
They are ready for war, ready to attack you, people of Babylon.
43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and he loses courage.
Anguish will grip him as pain grips a woman in labor.
44 I will suddenly chase them from their places
like a lion coming out of the jungle
along the Jordan River into pastureland.
I will appoint over Babylon whomever I choose.
Who is like me? Who can challenge me?
Is there any leader who can stand up to me?
45 Listen to the plans that Yahweh is making against Babylon
and the things he intends to do to the land of the Babylonians.
He will surely drag away the little ones of the flock.
He will surely destroy the pasture because of the Babylonians.
46 The earth will quake at the news that Babylon has been captured.
Its cry will be heard among the nations.”
Psalm 28
By David.
1 O Yahweh, I call to you.
O my rock, do not turn a deaf ear to me.
If you remain silent,
I will be like those who go into the pit.
2 Hear my prayer for mercy when I call to you for help,
when I lift my hands toward your most holy place.
3 Do not drag me away with wicked people,
with troublemakers who speak of peace with their neighbors
but have evil in their hearts.
4 Pay them back for what they have done,
for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for what their hands have done,
and give them what they deserve.
5 Yahweh will tear them down and never build them up again,
because they never consider what he has done
or what his hands have made.
6 Thank Yahweh!
He has heard my prayer for mercy!
7 Yahweh is my strength and my Magen.
My heart trusted him, so I received help.
My heart is triumphant; I give thanks to him with my song.
8 Yahweh is the strength of his people
and a fortress for the victory of his Messiah.[a]
9 Save your people, and bless those who belong to you.
Be their Roeh, and carry them forever.
Psalm 29
A psalm by David.
1 Give to Yahweh, you heavenly beings.
Give to Yahweh glory and power.
2 Give to Yahweh the glory his name deserves.
Worship Yahweh in his holy splendor.
3 The voice of Yahweh rolls over the water.
The El of glory thunders.
Yahweh shouts over raging water.
4 The voice of Yahweh is powerful.
The voice of Yahweh is majestic.
5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars.
Yahweh splinters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip along like a calf
and Mount Sirion like a wild ox.
7 The voice of Yahweh strikes with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of Yahweh makes the wilderness tremble.
Yahweh makes the wilderness of Kadesh tremble.
9 The voice of Yahweh splits the oaks[b]
and strips the trees of the forests bare.
Everyone in his temple is saying, “Glory!”
10 Yahweh sat enthroned over the flood.
Yahweh sits enthroned as Melek forever.
11 Yahweh will give power to his people.
Yahweh will bless his people with peace.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.