M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
13 ¶ And it came to pass after this that Absalom, the son of David, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar, and Amnon, the son of David, loved her.
2 And Amnon was so distressed that he fell sick for his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it difficult for him to do any thing to her.
3 But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, and Jonadab was a very astute man.
4 And he said unto him, Why art thou, being the king’s son, becoming thinner from day to day? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.
5 And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed and pretend to be sick; and when thy father comes to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come and give me food and make the food in my sight that I may see it and eat it at her hand.
6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick, and when the king came to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar, my sister, come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight that I may eat at her hand.
7 Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon’s house and make him something to eat.
8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was lying down. And she took flour and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes.
9 Then she took a pan and poured them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Send everyone out from me. And they all went out from him.
10 Then Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the food into the chamber that I may eat from thy hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon, her brother.
11 And when she had brought them unto him to eat, he took hold of her and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.
12 And she answered him, No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not commit this folly.
13 And I, where shall I go with my reproach? And as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now, therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king, for he will not withhold me from thee.
14 Howbeit, he would not hearken unto her voice, but, being stronger than she, forced her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her exceedingly so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.
16 And she said unto him, There is no cause; this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.
17 Then he called his servant that ministered unto him and said, Put now this woman out from me and bolt the door after her.
18 And she had a garment of different colours upon her, for with such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her.
19 And Tamar put ashes on her head and rent her garment of different colours that was on her and laid her hand on her head and went on crying.
20 And Absalom, her brother, said unto her, Has Amnon thy brother been with thee? But now remain silent, my sister; he is thy brother; do not regard this thing in thy heart. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house.
21 ¶ But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.
22 And Absalom spoke neither good nor bad unto his brother Amnon, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.
23 And it came to pass after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which is beside Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
24 And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, thy slave has sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his slaves go with thy slave.
25 And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go lest we be burdensome unto thee. And he pressed him; however, he would not go but blessed him.
26 Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?
27 But because Absalom pressed him, he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous, and be valiant.
29 And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and they all got upon their mules and fled.
30 ¶ And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the rumour came to David, saying, Absalom has slain all the king’s sons, and there is not one of them left.
31 Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth; and all his slaves stood by with their clothes rent.
32 And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Do not let my lord suppose that they have slain all the young men, the king’s sons, for only Amnon is dead, for by the mouth of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.
33 Now, therefore, do not let my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’s sons are dead, for only Amnon is dead.
34 But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there came many people by the way of the side of the mountain behind him.
35 And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king’s sons come; as thy slave said, so it is.
36 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his slaves wept very sore.
37 But Absalom fled and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.
38 So after Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he was there three years.
39 And King David longed to see Absalom, for he was now comforted concerning Amnon, who was dead.
6 ¶ We then, as workers together with him, exhort you also that ye have not received the grace of God in vain.
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in an acceptable time, and in the day of saving health I have succoured thee; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of saving health.)
3 Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry not be blamed,
4 But in all things showing ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience, in tribulations, in necessities, in distresses,
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings,
6 in chastity, in knowledge, in meekness, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned charity,
7 in the word of truth, in the power of God through the weapons of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8 through honour and dishonour, through evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet as men of the truth;
9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, but, behold, we live; as chastened, but not killed;
10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
11 ¶ O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
13 Now for a recompense in the same (I speak as unto my children), be ye also enlarged.
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness? and what communion does light have with darkness?
15 And what concord does Christ have with Belial? or what part do the faithful have with the unfaithful?
16 And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and do not touch the unclean thing; and I will receive you
18 and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
20 ¶ And it came to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of the LORD and sat before me.
2 Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying,
3 Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel and say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, said the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
4 Dost thou desire to judge them? Dost thou desire to judge them, son of man? Notify them of the abominations of their fathers:
5 ¶ And say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said; In the day when I chose Israel and lifted up my hand for the seed of the house of Jacob and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt when I lifted up my hand unto them, saying, I am the LORD your God;
6 in the day that I lifted up my hand unto them with an oath that I would bring them forth from the land of Egypt into a land that I had prepared for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the most beautiful of all lands,
7 then said I unto them, Cast away each one of you all worship of god fabricated by carnal appearance and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
8 But they rebelled against me and did not desire to hearken unto me; each one did not cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt; then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.
9 With all this, I intervened for my name’s sake that it should not be polluted before the Gentiles, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
10 ¶ Therefore I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness;
11 and I gave them my statutes and declared unto them my rights, by which the man that does them shall live by them.
12 And I also gave them my sabbaths to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctifies them.
13 But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they did not walk in my statutes, and they despised my rights, by which the man that does them shall live by them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted; therefore I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness to consume them.
14 But I intervened for my name’s sake, that it should not be polluted before the Gentiles, in whose sight I brought them out.
15 Yet I also lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, with an oath that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the most beautiful of all lands,
16 because they despised my rights and did not walk in my statutes but polluted my Sabbaths, for their heart went after their idols.
17 With all this, my eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.
18 But I said unto their sons in the wilderness: Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, neither keep their laws, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
19 I am the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my rights, and do them;
20 and hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
21 Notwithstanding, the sons rebelled against me: they did not walk in my statutes, nor keep my rights to do them, by which the man that does them shall live by them; they polluted my Sabbaths; then I said: I would pour out my fury upon them to accomplish my anger against them in the wilderness.
22 Nevertheless, I withdrew my hand and intervened for my name’s sake that it should not be polluted in the sight of the Gentiles in whose sight I brought them forth.
23 I lifted up my hand unto them also in the wilderness with an oath that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them through the countries
24 because they had not executed my rights and had despised my statutes and had polluted my sabbaths, and their eyes were after their fathers’ idols.
25 For this reason I also gave them statutes that were not good and rights by which they could not live,
26 and I polluted them in their offerings when they caused to pass through the fire all that opens the womb that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am the LORD.
27 ¶ Therefore, son of man, speak unto the house of Israel and say unto them, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Even in this your fathers have blasphemed me when they committed rebellion against me.
28 For when I had brought them into the land, for which I lifted up my hand to give it to them, then they saw every high hill and all the thick trees, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they presented the provocation of their offerings; there also they made their sweet savour and poured out there their drink offerings.
29 Then I said unto them, What is the high place unto which ye go? And its name is called Bamah unto this day.
30 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Perchance are ye polluted after the manner of your fathers? and do ye commit whoredom after their abominations?
31 For when ye offer your gifts, when ye make your sons to pass through the fire, ye pollute yourselves with all your idols, even unto this day; and shall I be enquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, said the Lord GOD, I will not be enquired of by you.
32 And that which ye think shall not be at all, that ye say, We will be as the Gentiles, as the families of the nations to serve wood and stone.
33 ¶ As I live, said the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm and with fury poured out, I must rule over you:
34 and I will bring you out from among the peoples and will gather you out of the countries in which ye are scattered with a mighty hand and with a stretched out arm and with fury poured out.
35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of peoples, and there I will litigate with you face to face.
36 Like as I litigated with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will litigate with you, said the Lord GOD.
37 And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant:
38 and I will purge out from among you the rebels and those that rebelled against me; I will take them out of the country where they have gone, and they shall not enter into the land of Israel: and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
39 As for you, O house of Israel, thus hath the Lord GOD said: Go, serve ye each one his idols, and hereafter also, if ye will not hearken unto me, but do not pollute my holy name any longer with your gifts and with your idols.
40 For in the mountain of my holiness, in the high mountain of Israel, said the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel serve me, all of them in the land; there will I be pleased with them, and there will I require your offerings and the firstfruits of your gifts with all your sacred things.
41 I will accept you with your sweet savour when I have brought you out from among the peoples and gathered you out of the countries in which ye have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the eyes of the Gentiles.
42 And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the land for which I lifted up my hand to give it to your fathers.
43 And there ye shall remember your ways and all your doings, in which ye have been defiled; and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.
44 And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have intervened with you for my name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways, nor according to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, said the Lord GOD.
45 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
46 Son of man, set thy face toward the south and drop thy word toward the south, and prophesy against the forest of the south field;
47 and thou shalt say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD. Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Behold, I kindle a fire in thee, which shall devour every green tree in thee and every dry tree; the flame of the fire shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
48 And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it; it shall not be quenched.
49 Then I said, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Does he not speak parables?
To the Overcomer, A Song or Psalm.
1 ¶ Make a joyful noise unto God, all the earth;
2 sing forth the glory of his name; put glory into thy praise.
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
4 All the earth shall worship thee and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
5 Come and see the works of God; he is terrible in his doing toward the sons of men.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they went through the river on foot; there did we rejoice in him.
7 He rules by his power for ever; his eyes watch the Gentiles; the rebellious shall not exalt themselves. Selah.
8 ¶ O bless our God, ye peoples, and make the voice of his praise to be heard.
9 It is he who placed our soul into life and did not suffer our feet to slip.
10 For thou, O God, hast proved us; thou hast refined us as silver is refined.
11 Thou didst bring us into the net; thou didst lay affliction upon our loins.
12 Thou hast placed a man over our head; we went through fire and through water, but thou didst bring us out into abundance.
13 ¶ I will go into thy house with burnt offerings; I will pay thee my vows,
14 which my lips have uttered and my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he has done unto my soul.
17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
19 But verily God has heard me; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer nor his mercy from me.
To the Overcomer on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song.
1 ¶ God be merciful unto us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us. Selah.
2 That thy way may be known upon the earth, thy saving health among all the Gentiles.
3 Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee.
4 O let the Gentiles be glad and sing for joy, for thou shalt judge the people righteously and shepherd the Gentiles upon the earth. Selah.
5 Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee.
6 Then shall the earth bring forth her fruit, and God, even our own God, shall bless us.
7 God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.
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