M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Athaliah and Joash
11 When Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, she killed all the royal family. 2 But Jehosheba, King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, took Joash, Ahaziah’s son. She stole him from among the other sons of the king who were about to be murdered. She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah, so he was not killed. 3 He hid with her in the Temple of the Lord for six years. During that time Athaliah ruled the land.
4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of groups of a hundred men, as well as the Carites.[a] He brought them together in the Temple of the Lord and made an agreement with them. There, in the Temple of the Lord, he made them promise loyalty, and then he showed them the king’s son. 5 He commanded them, “This is what you must do. A third of you who go on duty on the Sabbath will guard the king’s palace. 6 A third of you will be at the Sur Gate, and another third will be at the gate behind the guard. This way you will guard the Temple. 7 The two groups who go off duty on the Sabbath must protect the Temple of the Lord for the king. 8 All of you must stand around the king, with weapons in hand. Kill anyone who comes near. Stay close to the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”
9 The commanders over a hundred men obeyed everything Jehoiada the priest had commanded. Each one took his men who came on duty on the Sabbath and those who went off duty on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 He gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were kept in the Temple of the Lord.
Joash Becomes King
11 Then each guard took his place with his weapons in his hand. There were guards from the south side of the Temple to the north side. They stood by the altar and the Temple and around the king. 12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him and gave him a copy of the agreement. They appointed him king and poured olive oil on him. Then they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”
13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people, she went to them at the Temple of the Lord. 14 She looked, and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and trumpeters were standing beside him, and all the people of the land were very happy and were blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Traitors! Traitors!”
15 Jehoiada the priest gave orders to the commanders of a hundred men, who led the army. He said, “Surround her with soldiers and kill with a sword anyone who follows her.” He commanded this because he had said, “Don’t put Athaliah to death in the Temple of the Lord.” 16 So they caught her when she came to the horses’ entrance near the palace. There she was put to death.
17 Then Jehoiada made an agreement between the Lord and the king and the people that they would be the Lord’s special people. He also made an agreement between the king and the people. 18 All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down, smashing the altars and idols. They also killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.
Then Jehoiada the priest placed guards at the Temple of the Lord. 19 He took with him the commanders of a hundred men and the Carites, the royal bodyguards, as well as the guards and all the people of the land. Together they took the king out of the Temple of the Lord and went into the palace through the gate of the guards. Then the king sat on the royal throne. 20 So all the people of the land were very happy, and Jerusalem had peace, because Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the palace.
21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.
12 Joash became king of Judah in Jehu’s seventh year as king of Israel, and he ruled for forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah, and she was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what the Lord said was right as long as Jehoiada the priest taught him. 3 But the places where gods were worshiped were not removed; the people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.
Joash Repairs the Temple
4 Joash said to the priests, “Take all the money brought as offerings to the Temple of the Lord. This includes the money each person owes in taxes and the money each person promises or brings freely to the Lord. 5 Each priest will take the money from the people he serves. Then the priests must repair any damage they find in the Temple.”
6 But by the twenty-third year Joash was king, the priests still had not repaired the Temple. 7 So King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage of the Temple? Don’t take any more money from the people you serve, but hand over the money for the repair of the Temple.” 8 The priests agreed not to take any more money from the people and not to repair the Temple themselves.
9 Jehoiada the priest took a box and made a hole in the top of it. Then he put it by the altar, on the right side as the people came into the Temple of the Lord. The priests guarding the doorway put all the money brought to the Temple of the Lord into the box.
10 Each time the priests saw that the box was full of money, the king’s royal secretary and the high priest came. They counted the money that had been brought to the Temple of the Lord, and they put it into bags. 11 Next they weighed the money and gave it to the people in charge of the work on the Temple. With it they paid the carpenters and the builders who worked on the Temple of the Lord, 12 as well as the bricklayers and stonecutters. They also used the money to buy timber and cut stone to repair the damage of the Temple of the Lord. It paid for everything.
13 The money brought into the Temple of the Lord was not used to make silver cups, wick trimmers, bowls, trumpets, or gold or silver vessels. 14 They paid the money to the workers, who used it to repair the Temple of the Lord. 15 They did not demand to know how the money was spent, because the workers were honest. 16 The money from the penalty offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the Temple of the Lord, because it belonged to the priests.
Joash Saves Jerusalem
17 About this time Hazael king of Aram attacked Gath and captured it. Then he went to attack Jerusalem. 18 Joash king of Judah took all the holy things given by his ancestors, the kings of Judah—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah. He also took his own holy things as well as the gold that was found in the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord and the gold from the palace. Joash sent all this treasure to Hazael king of Aram, who turned away from Jerusalem.
19 Everything else Joash did is written in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. 20 His officers made plans against him and killed him at Beth Millo on the road down to Silla. 21 The officers who killed him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem, and Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.
A Loyal Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 You then, Timothy, my child, be strong in the grace we have in Christ Jesus. 2 You should teach people whom you can trust the things you and many others have heard me say. Then they will be able to teach others. 3 Share in the troubles we have like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 A soldier wants to please the enlisting officer, so no one serving in the army wastes time with everyday matters. 5 Also an athlete who takes part in a contest must obey all the rules in order to win. 6 The farmer who works hard should be the first person to get some of the food that was grown. 7 Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you the ability to understand everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, who was raised from the dead, who is from the family of David. This is the Good News I preach, 9 and I am suffering because of it to the point of being bound with chains like a criminal. But God’s teaching is not in chains. 10 So I patiently accept all these troubles so that those whom God has chosen can have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. With that salvation comes glory that never ends.
11 This teaching is true:
If we died with him, we will also live with him.
12 If we accept suffering, we will also rule with him.
If we say we don’t know him, he will say he doesn’t know us.
13 If we are not faithful, he will still be faithful,
because he must be true to who he is.
A Worker Pleasing to God
14 Continue teaching these things, warning people in God’s presence not to argue about words. It does not help anyone, and it ruins those who listen. 15 Make every effort to give yourself to God as the kind of person he will approve. Be a worker who is not ashamed and who uses the true teaching in the right way. 16 Stay away from foolish, useless talk, because that will lead people further away from God. 17 Their evil teaching will spread like a sickness inside the body. Hymenaeus and Philetus are like that. 18 They have left the true teaching, saying that the rising from the dead has already taken place, and so they are destroying the faith of some people. 19 But God’s strong foundation continues to stand. These words are written on the seal: “The Lord knows those who belong to him,”[a] and “Everyone who wants to belong to the Lord must stop doing wrong.”
20 In a large house there are not only things made of gold and silver, but also things made of wood and clay. Some things are used for special purposes, and others are made for ordinary jobs. 21 All who make themselves clean from evil will be used for special purposes. They will be made holy, useful to the Master, ready to do any good work.
22 But run away from the evil desires of youth. Try hard to live right and to have faith, love, and peace, together with those who trust in the Lord from pure hearts. 23 Stay away from foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they grow into quarrels. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, a good teacher, and patient. 25 The Lord’s servant must gently teach those who disagree. Then maybe God will let them change their minds so they can accept the truth. 26 And they may wake up and escape from the trap of the devil, who catches them to do what he wants.
Hosea Buys a Wife
3 The Lord said to me again, “Go, show your love to a woman loved by someone else, who has been unfaithful to you. In the same way the Lord loves the people of Israel, even though they worship other gods and love to eat the raisin cakes.”[a]
2 So I bought her for six ounces of silver and ten bushels of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You must wait for me for many days. You must not be a prostitute, and you must not have sexual relations with any other man. I will act the same way toward you.”
4 In the same way Israel will live many days without a king or leader, without sacrifices or holy stone pillars, and without the holy vest or an idol. 5 After this, the people of Israel will return to the Lord their God and follow him and the king from David’s family. In the last days they will turn in fear to the Lord, and he will bless them.
The Lord’s Word Against Israel
4 People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message.
The Lord has this
against you who live in the land:
“The people are not true, not loyal to God,
nor do those who live in the land even know him.
2 Cursing, lying, killing, stealing and adultery are everywhere.
One murder follows another.
3 Because of this the land dries up,
and all its people are dying.
Even the wild animals and the birds of the air
and the fish of the sea are dying.
God’s Case Against the Priests
4 “No one should accuse
or blame another person.
Don’t blame the people, you priests,
when they quarrel with you.
5 You will be ruined in the day,
and your prophets will be ruined with you in the night.
I will also destroy your mother.[b]
6 My people will be destroyed,
because they have no knowledge.
You have refused to learn,
so I will refuse to let you be priests to me.
You have forgotten the teachings of your God,
so I will forget your children.
7 The more priests there are,
the more they sin against me.
I will take away their honor
and give them shame.
8 Since the priests live off the sin offerings of the people,
they want the people to sin more and more.
9 The priests are as wrong as the people,
and I will punish them both for what they have done.
I will repay them for the wrong they have done.
10 “They will eat
but not have enough;
they will have sexual relations with the prostitutes,
but they will not have children,
because they have left the Lord
to give themselves to 11 prostitution,
to old and new wine,
which take away their ability to understand.
God’s Case Against the People
12 “My people ask wooden idols for advice;
they ask those sticks of wood to advise them!
Like prostitutes, they have chased after other gods
and have left their own God.
13 They make sacrifices on the tops of the mountains.
They burn offerings on the hills,
under oaks, poplars, and other trees,
because their shade is nice.
So your daughters become prostitutes,
and your daughters-in-law are guilty of adultery.
14 “But I will not punish your daughters
for becoming prostitutes,
nor your daughters-in-law
for their sins of adultery.
I will not punish them,
because the men have sexual relations with prostitutes
and offer sacrifices with the temple prostitutes.
A foolish people will be ruined.
15 “Israel, you act like a prostitute,
but do not be guilty toward the Lord.
Don’t go to Gilgal
or go up to Beth Aven.[c]
Don’t make promises,
saying, ‘As surely as the Lord lives . . .’
16 The people of Israel are stubborn
like a stubborn young cow.
Now the Lord will feed them
like lambs in the open country.
17 The Israelites have chosen to worship idols,
so leave them alone.
18 When they finish their drinking,
they completely give themselves to being prostitutes;
they love these disgraceful ways.
19 They will be swept away as if by a whirlwind,
and their sacrifices will bring them only shame.
121 I have done what is fair and right.
Don’t leave me to those who wrong me.
122 Promise that you will help me, your servant.
Don’t let proud people wrong me.
123 My eyes are tired from looking for your salvation
and for your good promise.
124 Show your love to me, your servant,
and teach me your demands.
125 I am your servant. Give me wisdom
so I can understand your rules.
126 Lord, it is time for you to do something,
because people have disobeyed your teachings.
127 I love your commands
more than the purest gold.
128 I respect all your orders,
so I hate lying ways.
129 Your rules are wonderful.
That is why I keep them.
130 Learning your words gives wisdom
and understanding for the foolish.
131 I am nearly out of breath.
I really want to learn your commands.
132 Look at me and have mercy on me
as you do for those who love you.
133 Guide my steps as you promised;
don’t let any sin control me.
134 Save me from harmful people
so I can obey your orders.
135 Show your kindness to me, your servant.
Teach me your demands.
136 Tears stream from my eyes,
because people do not obey your teachings.
137 Lord, you do what is right,
and your laws are fair.
138 The rules you commanded are right
and completely trustworthy.
139 I am so upset I am worn out,
because my enemies have forgotten your words.
140 Your promises are proven,
so I, your servant, love them.
141 I am unimportant and hated,
but I have not forgotten your orders.
142 Your goodness continues forever,
and your teachings are true.
143 I have had troubles and misery,
but I love your commands.
144 Your rules are always good.
Help me understand so I can live.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.