M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Sin—He Takes a Census(A)
24 Yahweh became angry with Israel again, so he provoked David to turn against Israel. He said, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”
2 King David said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people. That way I will know how many there are.”
3 Joab responded to the king, “May Yahweh your Elohim multiply the people a hundred times over, and may Your Majesty live to see it. But why does Your Majesty wish to do this?”
4 However, the king overruled Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king in order to count the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan River and camped at Aroer, south of the city in the middle of the valley. Then they went to Gad and to Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and to Tahtim Hodshi and then to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7 They went to the fortified city of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. 8 When they had covered the whole country, they came to Jerusalem after 9 months and 20 days. 9 Joab reported the census figures to the king: In Israel there were 800,000 able-bodied men who could serve in the army, and in Judah there were 500,000.
10 After David counted the people, his conscience troubled him. David said to Yahweh, “I have committed a terrible sin by what I have done. Yahweh, please forgive me because I have acted very foolishly.”
11 When David got up in the morning, Yahweh spoke his word to the prophet Gad, David’s seer.[a] 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I’m offering you three choices. Choose the one you want me to do to you.’”
13 When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, “Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.”
14 “I’m in a desperate situation,” David told Gad. “Please let us fall into Yahweh’s hands because he is very merciful. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”
15 So Yahweh sent a plague among the Israelites from that morning until the time he had chosen. Of the people from Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 died. 16 But when the Messenger stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, Yahweh changed his mind about the disaster. “Enough!” he said to the Messenger who was destroying the people. “Put down your weapon.” The Messenger of Yahweh was at the threshing floor[b] of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the Messenger who had been killing the people, he said to Yahweh, “I’ve sinned. I’ve done wrong. What have these sheep done? Please let your punishment be against me and against my father’s family.”
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go, set up an altar for Yahweh at Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor.”
19 David went as Gad had told him and as Yahweh had commanded him. 20 When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king. 21 “Why has Your Majesty come to me?” Araunah asked.
David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you and to build an altar for Yahweh. Then the plague on the people will stop.”
22 Araunah said to David, “Take it, Your Majesty, and offer whatever you think is right. There are oxen for the burnt offering, and there are threshers and oxen yokes[c] for firewood.” 23 All this Araunah gave to the king and said, “May Yahweh your Elohim accept you.”
24 “No!” the king said to Araunah. “I must buy it from you at a fair price. I won’t offer Yahweh my Elohim burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver. 25 David built an altar for Yahweh there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So Yahweh heard the prayers for the country, and the plague on Israel stopped.
You Are God’s Children
4 Let me explain further. As long as an heir is a child, he is no better off than a slave, even though he owns everything. 2 He is placed under the control of guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 It was the same way with us. When we were children, we were slaves to the principles of this world. 4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son into the world. A woman gave birth to him, and he came under the control of the laws given to Moses. 5 God sent him to pay for the freedom of those who were controlled by these laws so that we would be adopted as his children. 6 Because you are God’s children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into us to call out, “Abba![a] Father!” 7 So you are no longer slaves but God’s children. Since you are God’s children, God has also made you heirs.
8 When you didn’t know God, you were slaves to things which are really not gods at all. 9 But now you know God, or rather, God knows you. So how can you turn back again to the powerless and bankrupt principles of this world? Why do you want to become their slaves all over again? 10 You religiously observe days, months, seasons, and years! 11 I’m afraid for you. Maybe the hard work I spent on you has been wasted.
What Happened to Your Positive Attitude?
12 Brothers and sisters, I beg you to become like me. After all, I became like you were.
You didn’t do anything wrong to me. 13 You know that the first time I brought you the Good News I was ill. 14 Even though my illness was difficult for you, you didn’t despise or reject me. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were God’s messenger[b] or Christ Yeshua himself. 15 What happened to your positive attitude? It’s a fact that if it had been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Can it be that I have become your enemy for telling you the truth?
17 These people who distort the Good News are devoted to you, but not in a good way. They don’t want you to associate with me so that you will be devoted only to them. 18 (Devotion to a good cause is always good, even when I’m not with you.)
19 My children, I am suffering birth pains for you again until Christ is formed in you. 20 I wish I were with you right now so that I could change the tone of my voice. I’m completely puzzled by what you’ve done!
You Are Children of the Promise
21 Those who want to be controlled by Moses’ laws should tell me something. Are you really listening to what Moses’ Teachings say? 22 Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one by a woman who was a slave and the other by a free woman. 23 Now, the son of the slave woman was conceived in a natural way, but the son of the free woman was conceived through a promise made to Abraham.
24 I’m going to use these historical events as an illustration. The women illustrate two arrangements.[c] The one woman, Hagar, is the arrangement made on Mount Sinai. Her children are born into slavery. 25 Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. She is like Jerusalem today because she and her children are slaves. 26 But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. 27 Scripture says:
“Rejoice, women who cannot get pregnant,
who cannot give birth to any children!
Break into shouting, those who feel no pains of childbirth!
Because the deserted woman will have more children
than the woman who has a husband.”
28 Now you, brothers and sisters, are children of the promise like Isaac.
29 Furthermore, at that time the son who was conceived in a natural way persecuted the son conceived in a spiritual way. That’s exactly what’s happening now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, because the son of the slave woman must never share the inheritance with the son of the free woman.” 31 Brothers and sisters, we are not children of a slave woman but of the free woman.
Egypt Will Be Conquered as Assyria Was Conquered
31 On the first day of the third month in the eleventh year, Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and his many people,
‘Was there ever anyone as great as you?
3 What about Assyria?
It was a cedar in Lebanon
with fine branches that shaded the forest.
It was very tall.
Its top was among the clouds.
4 Water made the tree grow,
and underground springs made it tall.
Rivers flowed around the place where the tree was planted.
Streams ran beside all the other trees around it.
5 That is why it grew taller than all the other trees in the field.
Its branches became large and long because of so much water.
6 All the birds made their nests in its branches.
All the wild animals gave birth to their young under it.
All the powerful nations lived in its shade.
7 So the tree was big and beautiful with its long branches.
Its roots reached down to many sources of water.
8 The cedar trees in Elohim’s garden couldn’t compare to it.
The pine trees couldn’t equal its branches.
The plane trees couldn’t measure up to its branches.
All the trees in Elohim’s garden couldn’t match its beauty.
9 I was the one who made it beautiful with its many branches.
This tree was the envy of all the trees in Eden, in Elohim’s garden.
10 “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: The tree grew very tall, and its top reached the clouds. It became arrogant because it was so tall. 11 So I handed it over to a mighty ruler among the nations, and he surely dealt with it. I forced it out because of its wickedness. 12 Foreigners from the most ruthless nation cut it down and threw it away. Its branches fell on the mountains and in every valley. Its broken branches fell in every ravine in the land. All the nations in the world came out from under its shade and left. 13 All the birds perched on the fallen tree, and all the wild animals lived in its branches. 14 Then all the other trees growing by the water were kept from becoming arrogant because of their height, and their tops were no longer allowed to reach the clouds. So no tree, even if it is well-watered, will ever stand that tall. Every tree is going to die and go below the earth to join those who have died and gone down to the pit.
15 “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: When the tree went down to the grave, I made people mourn. I covered the underground springs and held back the rivers. The many water sources stopped flowing. I made Lebanon mourn for the tree, and all the trees in the field fainted as they grieved over it. 16 I made the nations tremble in fear at the sound of the tree’s crash. I brought the tree down to the grave to join those who had gone down to the pit. Then all the trees in Eden, the choicest and best trees of Lebanon, and all the trees that were well-watered were comforted below the earth. 17 They had gone down with the tree in the grave to join others killed in battle. All who lived in its shadow were scattered among the nations.
18 “‘This tree is you, Pharaoh, and all your many people. No tree in Eden has ever been as honorable and as great as you. But you will be brought down below the earth with the trees of Eden. You will lie among the godless people who were killed in battle, declares Adonay Yahweh.’”
Psalm 79
A psalm by Asaph.
1 O Elohim, the nations have invaded the land that belongs to you.
They have dishonored your holy temple.
They have left Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the dead bodies of your servants
to the birds for food.
They have given the flesh of your godly ones
to the animals.
3 They have shed the blood of your people around Jerusalem
as though it were water.
There is no one to bury your people.
4 We have become a disgrace to our neighbors,
an object of ridicule and contempt to those around us.
5 How long, O Yahweh?
Will you remain angry forever?
Will your fury continue to burn like fire?
6 Pour your fury on the nations that do not know you,
on the kingdoms that have not called you.
7 They have devoured Jacob.
They have destroyed his home.
8 Do not hold the crimes of our ancestors against us.
Reach out to us soon with your compassion,
because we are helpless.
9 Help us, O Elohim, our savior, for the glory of your name.
Rescue us, and forgive our sins for the honor of your name.
10 Why should the nations be allowed to say,
“Where is their Elohim?”
Let us watch as the nations learn
that there is punishment for shedding the blood of your servants.
11 Let the groans of prisoners come into your presence.
With your powerful arm rescue those who are condemned to death.
12 Pay each one of our neighbors back
with seven times the number of insults they used to insult you, O Adonay.
13 Then we, your people, the flock in your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever.
We will praise you throughout every generation.
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.