M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Shunammite Regains Her Land

8 Elisha spoke to the woman whose son he had brought back to life. He said, “Get up and go with your family. Stay any place you can, because the Lord has called for a time without food that will last seven years.” ² So the woman got up and did as the man of God had said. She left with her family, and they stayed in the land of the Philistines for seven years. ³ After seven years she returned from the land of the Philistines and went to beg the king for her house and land. ⁴ The king was talking with Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. The king had said, “Please tell me all the great things Elisha has done.” ⁵ Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead boy back to life. Just then the woman whose son Elisha had brought back to life came and begged the king for her house and land.

Gehazi said, “My master and king, this is the woman, and this is the son Elisha brought back to life.”

⁶ The king asked the woman, and she told him about it. Then the king chose an officer to help her. “Give the woman everything that is hers,” the king said. “Give her all the money made from her land from the day she left until now.”

Ben-Hadad Is Killed

⁷ Then Elisha went to Damascus, where Ben-Hadad king of Aram was sick. Someone told him, “The man of God has arrived.”

⁸ The king said to Hazael, “Take a gift in your hand and go meet him. Ask the Lord through him if I will recover from my sickness.”

⁹ So Hazael went to meet Elisha, taking with him a gift of forty camels loaded with every good thing in Damascus. He came and stood before Elisha and said, “Your son Ben-Hadad king of Aram sent me to you. He asks if he will recover from his sickness.”

¹⁰ Elisha said to Hazael, “Go and tell Ben-Hadad, ‘You will surely recover,’ but the Lord has told me he will really die.” ¹¹ Hazael stared at Elisha until he felt ashamed. Then Elisha cried.

¹² Hazael asked, “Why are you crying, master?”

Elisha answered, “Because I know what evil you will do to the Israelites. You will burn their strong, walled cities with fire and kill their young men with swords. You will throw their babies to the ground and split open their pregnant women.”

¹³ Hazael said, “Am I a dog? How could I do such things?”

Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you will be king over Aram.”

¹⁴ Then Hazael left Elisha and came to his master. Ben-Hadad said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?”

Hazael answered, “He told me that you will surely recover.” ¹⁵ But the next day Hazael took a blanket and dipped it in water. Then he put it over Ben-Hadad’s face, and he died. So Hazael became king in Ben-Hadad’s place.

Jehoram King of Judah

¹⁶ While Jehoshaphat was king in Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah. This was during the fifth year Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel. ¹⁷ Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he began to rule, and he ruled eight years in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, just as the family of Ahab had done, because he married Ahab’s daughter. Jehoram did what the Lord said was wrong. ¹⁹ But the Lord would not destroy Judah because of his servant David. The Lord had promised that one of David’s descendants would always rule.

²⁰ In Jehoram’s time Edom broke away from Judah’s rule and chose their own king. ²¹ So Jehoram and all his chariots went to Zair. The Edomites surrounded him and his chariot commanders. Jehoram got up and attacked the Edomites at night, but his army ran away to their tents. ²² From then until now the country of Edom has fought against the rule of Judah. At the same time Libnah also broke away from Judah’s rule.

²³ The other acts of Jehoram and all the things he did are written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. ²⁴ Jehoram died and was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, and Jehoram’s son Ahaziah ruled in his place.

²⁵ Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah during the twelfth year Joram son of Ahab was king of Israel. ²⁶ Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he ruled one year in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. ²⁷ Ahaziah followed the ways of Ahab’s family. He did what the Lord said was wrong, as Ahab’s family had done, because he was a son-in-law to Ahab.

²⁸ Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab to Ramoth in Gilead, where they fought against Hazael king of Aram. The Arameans wounded Joram. ²⁹ So King Joram returned to Jezreel to heal from the wound he had received from the Arameans at Ramoth when he fought Hazael king of Aram. Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to visit Joram son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he had been wounded.

Rules for Living with Others

5 Do not speak angrily to an older man, but plead with him as if he were your father. Treat younger men like brothers, ² older women like mothers, and younger women like sisters. Always treat them in a pure way.

³ Take care of widows who are truly widows. ⁴ But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to do their duty to their own family and to repay their parents or grandparents. That pleases God. ⁵ The true widow, who is all alone, puts her hope in God and continues to pray night and day for God’s help. ⁶ But the widow who uses her life to please herself is really dead while she is alive. ⁷ Tell the believers to do these things so that no one can criticize them. ⁸ Whoever does not care for his own relatives, especially his own family members, has turned against the faith and is worse than someone who does not believe in God.

⁹ To be on the list of widows, a woman must be at least sixty years old. She must have been faithful to her husband. ¹⁰ She must be known for her good works—works such as raising her children, welcoming strangers, washing the feet of God’s people, helping those in trouble, and giving her life to do all kinds of good deeds.

¹¹ But do not put younger widows on that list. After they give themselves to Christ, they are pulled away from him by their physical desires, and then they want to marry again. ¹² They will be judged for not doing what they first promised to do. ¹³ Besides that, they learn to waste their time, going from house to house. And they not only waste their time but also begin to gossip and busy themselves with other people’s lives, saying things they should not say. ¹⁴ So I want the younger widows to marry, have children, and manage their homes. Then no enemy will have any reason to criticize them. ¹⁵ But some have already turned away to follow Satan.

¹⁶ If any woman who is a believer has widows in her family, she should care for them herself. The church should not have to care for them. Then it will be able to take care of those who are truly widows.

¹⁷ The elders who lead the church well should receive double honor, especially those who work hard by speaking and teaching, ¹⁸ because the Scripture says: “When an ox is working in the grain, do not cover its mouth to keep it from eating,”^[a] and “A worker should be given his pay.”^[b]

¹⁹ Do not listen to someone who accuses an elder, without two or three witnesses. ²⁰ Tell those who continue sinning that they are wrong. Do this in front of the whole church so that the others will have a warning.

²¹ Before God and Christ Jesus and the chosen angels, I command you to do these things without showing favor of any kind to anyone.

²² Think carefully before you lay your hands on^[c] anyone, and don’t share in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure.

²³ Stop drinking only water, but drink a little wine to help your stomach and your frequent sicknesses.

²⁴ The sins of some people are easy to see even before they are judged, but the sins of others are seen only later. ²⁵ So also good deeds are easy to see, but even those that are not easily seen cannot stay hidden.

The Time of the End

12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will stand up. There will be a time of much trouble, the worst time since nations have been on earth, but your people will be saved. Everyone whose name is written in God’s book will be saved. ² Many people who have already died will live again. Some of them will wake up to have life forever, but some will wake up to find shame and disgrace forever. ³ The wise people will shine like the brightness of the sky. Those who teach others to live right will shine like stars forever and ever.

⁴ “But you, Daniel, close up the book and seal it. These things will happen at the time of the end. Many people will go here and there to find true knowledge.”

⁵ Then I, Daniel, looked, and saw two other men. One was standing on my side of the river, and the other was standing on the far side. ⁶ The man who was dressed in linen was standing over the water in the river. One of the two men spoke to him and asked, “How long will it be before these amazing things come true?”

⁷ The man dressed in linen, who stood over the water, raised his hands toward heaven. And I heard him swear by the name of God who lives forever, “It will be for three and one-half years. The power of the holy people will finally be broken, and then all these things will come true.”

⁸ I heard the answer, but I did not really understand, so I asked, “Master, what will happen after all these things come true?”

⁹ He answered, “Go your way, Daniel. The message is closed up and sealed until the time of the end. ¹⁰ Many people will be made clean, pure, and spotless, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. Those wicked people will not understand these things, but the wise will understand them.

¹¹ “The daily sacrifice will be stopped. Then, after 1,290 days from that time, a blasphemous object that brings destruction will be set up. ¹² Those who wait for the end of the 1,335 days will be happy.

¹³ “As for you, Daniel, go your way until the end. You will get your rest, and at the end you will rise to receive your reward.”