M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
22 ¶ And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel.
2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, came down to the king of Israel.
3 And the king of Israel said unto his slaves, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we are late in not taking it out of the hand of the king of Syria?
4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses.
5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD today.
6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there even yet a prophet of the LORD here that we might enquire of him?
8 And the king of Israel replied unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah, the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD; but I hate him, for he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
9 Then the king of Israel called a eunuch and said, Bring Micaiah, the son of Imlah, here quickly.
10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in the plaza at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets prophesied before them.
11 And Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, made himself horns of iron, and he said, Thus hath the LORD said, With these shalt thou push the Syrians until thou have consumed them.
12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver it into the king’s hand.
13 And the messenger that had gone to call Micaiah spoke unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth; now let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them and speak that which is good.
14 And Micaiah said, As the LORD lives, all that the LORD says unto me, that will I speak.
15 ¶ So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go and be prospered, for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
16 And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?
17 Then he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains as sheep without a shepherd; and the LORD said, These have no master; let them return each man to his house in peace.
18 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?
19 Then he said, Hear thou, therefore, the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne and all the host of the heavens standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said in this manner and another said in that manner.
21 And there came forth a spirit and stood before the LORD and said, I will persuade him.
22 And the LORD said unto him, In what manner? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also; go forth and do so.
23 Now, therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD has decreed evil concerning thee.
24 Then Zedekiah, the son of Chenaanah, went near and smote Micaiah on the cheek and said, Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak unto thee?
25 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
26 Then the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah and carry him back unto Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son
27 and say, Thus hath the king said, Put this fellow in the prison and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace.
28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me. Then he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.
29 ¶ So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went up to Ramothgilead.
30 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and enter into the battle, but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle.
31 But the king of Syria commanded his thirty-two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, but only with the king of Israel.
32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, Surely this is the king of Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
34 But a certain man, shooting his bow in perfection, smote the king of Israel between the joints of his coat of mail; therefore, he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thy hand and carry me out of the host, for I am wounded.
35 And the battle had increased that day, and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians and died in the evening, and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot.
36 And at the going down of the sun there went a proclamation throughout the camp, saying, Every man to his city and every man to his own land.
37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And they washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, and they also washed his armour; {Heb. fornications} and the dogs licked up his blood, according unto the word of the LORD which he had spoken.
39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah, his son, reigned in his stead.
41 ¶ And Jehoshaphat, the son of Asa, began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab, king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.
43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa, his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD. Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away, for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places.
44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his might that he showed and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
46 And the remnant of the male cult prostitutes, which had remained from the days of his father Asa, he consumed out of the land.
47 There was then no king in Edom; there was a president instead of a king.
48 Jehoshaphat had made ships in Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were broken at Eziongeber.
49 Then Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, said unto Jehoshaphat, Let my slaves go with thy slaves in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.
50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, his father, and Jehoram, his son, reigned in his stead.
51 Ahaziah, the son of Ahab, began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the year seventeen of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel.
52 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin,
53 for he served Baal and worshipped him and provoked to anger the LORD God of Israel, according to all that his father had done.hhhhhhhhh
5 ¶ But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For ye know well that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should take you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the sons of light, and the sons of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 ¶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For those that sleep sleep in the night, and those that are drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet, the hope of saving health.
9 For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain saving health by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we watch or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 ¶ Therefore comfort and edify one another, even as ye do.
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to recognize those who labour among you and preside over you in the Lord and admonish you
13 and that you express greater charity unto them for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
14 We also exhort you, brethren, that you warn those that are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one renders evil for evil unto anyone, but always follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men.
16 ¶ Always rejoice.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
19 Quench not the Spirit.
20 Despise not prophecies.
21 Examine all things; retain that which is good.
22 Separate yourselves from all appearance of evil.
23 ¶ And the very God of peace sanctify you completely, that your spirit, soul, and body be preserved whole without reprehension for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is he that has called you, who will also do it.
25 Brethren, pray for us.
26 Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss.
27 I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.
28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
4 ¶ King Nebuchadnezzar, to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
2 The signs and wonders that the high God has wrought with me are such that I must publish them.
3 How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
4 ¶ I Nebuchadnezzar was quiet in my house and flourishing in my palace;
5 I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the imaginations and visions of my head troubled me in my bed.
6 Therefore I made a decree to bring in all the wise men of Babylon before me that they might show me the interpretation of the dream.
7 Then the magicians, the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the fortune-tellers came in and I told the dream before them; but they never showed me its interpretation.
8 But at the last Daniel came in before me, whose name is Belteshazzar, who when I name him it seems to me that I name my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy God; and before him I told the dream, saying,
9 Belteshazzar, prince of the wise men, now that I have understood that the spirit of the holy God is in thee, and that no mystery is hidden from thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen and its interpretation.
10 Thus were the visions of my head in my bed: It seemed that I saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and its height was great.
11 The tree grew and made itself strong, and its height reached unto heaven, and its sight to the end of all the earth:
12 His leaves were fair, and his fruit abundant, and in him was food for all; underneath him the beasts of the field lay down in his shadow, and in his branches dwelt the fowls of the heaven, and all flesh was fed of him.
13 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, one who was a watchman and holy descended from heaven;
14 he cried aloud and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit; let the beasts get away from under him and the fowls from his branches:
15 nevertheless leave the stump of his roots in the earth, even with a band of iron and of brass shall he be bound in the green grass of the field; and let him be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts in the grass of the earth:
16 let his heart be changed from a man’s heart, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him.
17 By sentence of the watchmen is the matter resolved, and the case by the word of the holy ones to the intent that the living may know that the most High takes rule over the kingdom of men and gives it to whoever he will and sets up over it the man who is the lowest.
18 I, King Nebuchadnezzar, saw this dream. Now thou, O Belteshazzar, shall declare its interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom could never show me its interpretation; but thou art able, for the spirit of the holy God in thee.
19 ¶ Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was silent for almost one hour, and his thoughts troubled him. Then the king spoke and said, Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its interpretation trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, let the dream be to thine enemies, and its interpretation to those that wish thee evil.
20 The tree that thou didst see, which grew and made himself strong, whose height reached unto the heaven and the sight thereof to all the earth;
21 whose leaves were fair and his fruit abundant and in him was food for all, under whom the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the fowls of the heaven dwelt:
22 it is thou, O king, that grew and made thyself strong; for thy greatness has grown and has reached unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.
23 And regarding that which the king saw, one who was a watchman and holy who came down from heaven and said, Hew the tree down and destroy it; yet leave the stump of its roots in the earth, and with a band of iron and of brass let it remain bound in the green grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts of the field until seven times pass over him:
24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the most High, which is come upon my lord the king:
25 that they shall drive thee from among men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall feed thee with grass of the field as the oxen, and with the dew of heaven shalt thou be bathed, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou shalt understand that the most High takes rule over the kingdom of men and that he shall give it to whoever he will.
26 And whereas they commanded to leave the stump of the tree roots in the earth; thy kingdom shall remain sure unto thee, that thou shalt understand that the rule is in the heavens.
27 Therefore, O king, approve my counsel and redeem thy sins with righteousness and thine iniquities with mercies unto the poor: behold the medicine for thy sin.
28 ¶ All this came upon the king Nebuchadnezzar.
29 At the end of twelve months as he was walking upon the palace of the kingdom of Babylon,
30 the king spoke and said, Is this not the great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the glory of my greatness?
31 The word was yet in the king’s mouth when there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O King Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee;
32 and they drive thee from among men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field; and they shall feed thee as the oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee until thou know that the most High takes rule in the kingdom of men and gives it to whomever he will.
33 The same hour the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar: and he was driven from among men and ate grass as the oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
34 ¶ But at the end of the time I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up my eyes unto heaven, and my understanding was returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and glorified him that lives for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is through all ages:
35 and all the inhabitants of the earth are counted as nothing; and in the army of heaven and in the inhabitants of the earth, he does according to his will; nor is there anyone who can interfere with his hand and say unto him, What doest thou?
36 In the same time my reason was returned unto me, and I turned to the majesty of my kingdom; my dignity and greatness returned unto me; and my governors and my great ones sought me; and I was restored in my kingdom, and more excellent greatness was added unto me.
37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and build up and glorify the King of heaven because all his works are truth, and his ways judgment: and he is able to humble those that walk with arrogance.
A Song or Psalm of David.
1 ¶ O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise; this is my glory.
2 Awake, psaltery and harp; I will awake the dawn.
3 I will praise thee, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
4 For thy mercy is great above the heavens, and thy truth reaches unto the heavens.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth;
6 ¶ that thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me.
7 God has spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem and mete out the valley of Succoth.
8 Gilead shall be mine; Manasseh shall be mine; Ephraim also shall be the strength of my head; Judah shall be my lawgiver;
9 Moab shall be my washpot; over Edom I will cast my shoe; over Philistia I will triumph.
10 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
11 Surely thou, O God, who had cast us off and did not, O God, go forth with our hosts.
12 Give us help from trouble; for the salvation of man is deception.
13 Through God we shall do valiantly, for he shall tread down our enemies again.
To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ Do not hold thy peace, O God of my praise;
2 for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me; they have spoken of me with a lying tongue.
3 They compassed me about with words of hatred and fought against me without a cause.
4 They have responded to my love by becoming my adversaries, but I give myself unto prayer.
5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 ¶ Set thou the wicked man over him, and let Satan stand at his right hand.
7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned, and let his prayer become sin.
8 Let his days be few, and let another take his office.
9 Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds and beg; let them seek their bread out of their desolate places.
11 Let the extortioner catch all that he has, and let the strangers spoil his labour.
12 Let there be no one to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
13 Let his posterity be cut off, and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy but persecuted the man who is poor in spirit and destitute and broken in heart, that he might slay him.
17 As he loved the curse, so let it come unto him; as he delighted not in the blessing, so let it be far from him.
18 As he clothed himself with the curse like as with his garment, and it entered into his bowels like water and like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covers him and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20 Let this be the reward from the LORD of those who spoke falsely against me and of those that speak evil against my soul.
21 ¶ And thou, O GOD the Lord, do unto me for thy name’s sake; because thy mercy is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am gone like the shadow when it declines; I am tossed up and down by the wind as the locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting, and my flesh fails for lack of fatness.
25 I have become a reproach unto them; when they looked upon me they shook their heads.
26 Help me, O LORD my God; O save me according to thy mercy,
27 that they may know that this is thy hand, that thou, O LORD, hast done it.
28 Let them curse, but bless thou; when they arise, let them be ashamed, but let thy slave rejoice.
29 Let those who speak evil against me falsely be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion as with a mantle.
30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor in spirit to save his soul from those that judge him.
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