M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Sheba Leads Israel Away from David
20 It happened that a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bicri was there. Sheba was from the tribe of Benjamin. He blew the trumpet and said:
“We have no share in David!
We have no part in the son of Jesse!
People of Israel, let’s go to our own homes!”
2 So all the Israelites left David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed with their king all the way from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.
3 David came to his palace in Jerusalem. Earlier he had left there ten of his slave women who gave birth to his children. He had left them there to take care of the palace. Now he put them in a house where they would be guarded. They were kept there for the rest of their lives. David gave them food, but he did not have physical relations with them. They lived like widows until they died.
4 The king said to Amasa, “Tell the men of Judah to meet with me in three days. And you must also be here.” 5 So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together. But he took longer than the time the king had told him.
6 David said to Abishai, “Sheba son of Bicri is more dangerous to us than Absalom was. Take my men and chase him. Hurry before he finds strong, walled cities. If he gets there, he will escape from us.” 7 So Joab’s men, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, who were the king’s bodyguards, and all the soldiers went with Abishai. They went out from Jerusalem to chase Sheba son of Bicri.
8 When Joab and the army came to the great rock at Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. Joab was wearing his uniform. At his waist he wore a belt. It held his sword in its case. As Joab stepped forward, his sword fell out of its case. 9 Joab asked Amasa, “Brother, is everything all right with you?” Then with his right hand he took Amasa by the beard to kiss him. 10 Amasa did not guard against the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So Joab pushed the sword into Amasa’s stomach. This caused Amasa’s insides to spill on the ground. Joab did not have to stab Amasa again. He was already dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai continued to chase Sheba son of Bicri.
11 One of Joab’s young men stood by Amasa’s body. The young man said, “Everyone who is for Joab and David should follow Joab!” 12 Amasa lay in the middle of the road, covered with his own blood. The young man saw that everyone was stopping to look at the body. So he dragged Amasa’s body from the road and laid it in a field. Then he put a cloth over it. 13 After Amasa’s body was taken off the road, all the men followed Joab. They went with him to chase Sheba son of Bicri.
14 Sheba went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel Beth Maacah. All the Berites also came together and followed him. 15 So Joab and his men came to Abel Beth Maacah and surrounded it. They piled dirt up against the city wall so they could attack it. And they began digging under the city walls to make them fall down.
16 But a wise woman shouted out from the city. She said, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here. I want to talk to him!”
17 So Joab came near her. She asked him, “Are you Joab?”
He answered, “Yes, I am.”
Then she said, “Listen to what I say!”
Joab said, “I’m listening.”
18 Then the woman said, “In the past people would say, ‘Ask for advice at Abel.’ Then the problem would be solved. 19 I am one of the peaceful, loyal people of Israel. You are trying to destroy an important city of Israel. Why must you destroy what belongs to the Lord?”
20 Joab answered, “May I not destroy or ruin anything. 21 That is not what I want. But there is a man here from the mountains of Ephraim. He is named Sheba son of Bicri. He has turned against King David. If you will bring him to me, I will leave the city alone.”
The woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”
22 Then the woman spoke very wisely to all the people of the city. They cut off the head of Sheba son of Bicri. Then they threw it over the wall to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and the army left the city. Every man returned home. And Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.
23 Joab was commander of all the army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada led the Kerethites and Pelethites, the king’s bodyguards. 24 Adoniram led the men who were forced to do hard work. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder. 25 Sheba was the royal assistant. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests. 26 And Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.
Final Warnings and Greetings
13 I will come to you for the third time. And remember, “Every case must be proved by two or three witnesses.”[a] 2 When I was with you the second time, I gave a warning to those who had sinned. Now I am away from you, and I give a warning to all the others. When I come to you again, I will not be easy with them. 3 You want proof that Christ is speaking through me. My proof is that he is not weak among you, but he is powerful. 4 It is true that he was weak when he was killed on the cross. But he lives now by God’s power. It is true that we are weak in Christ. But for you we will be alive in Christ by God’s power.
5 Look closely at yourselves. Test yourselves to see if you are living in the faith. You know that Christ Jesus is in you—unless you fail the test. 6 But I hope you will see that we ourselves have not failed the test. 7 We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong. It is not important to see that we have passed the test. But it is important that you do what is right, even if it seems that we have failed. 8 We cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 We are happy to be weak, if you are strong. And we pray that you will grow stronger and stronger. 10 I am writing this while I am away from you. I am writing so that when I come I will not have to be harsh in my use of authority. The Lord gave me this authority to use to make you stronger, not to destroy you.
11 Now, brothers, I say good-bye. Live in harmony. Do what I have asked you to do. Agree with each other, and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.
12 Give each other a holy kiss when you greet each other. 13 All of God’s holy people send greetings to you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
A Funeral Song for Tyre
27 The Lord spoke his word to me. He said: 2 “Human being, sing a funeral song for the city of Tyre. 3 Speak to Tyre that is at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. For the people of many lands along the seacoast, Tyre is a place for trade. ‘This is what the Lord God says:
Tyre, you have said,
“I am like a beautiful ship.”
4 You were at home on the high seas.
Your builders have made your beauty perfect.
5 Your builders made all your boards
of fir trees from Mount Hermon.
They have taken a cedar tree from Lebanon.
They took it to make a ship’s mast for you.
6 They made your oars
from oak trees in Bashan.
They made your deck
from cypress trees from the coast of Cyprus.
Your deck has ivory set into it.
7 Your sail of linen with designs sewed on it came from Egypt.
Your sail became like a flag for you.
Your cloth shades over the deck were blue and purple.
They came from the island of Cyprus.
8 Men from Sidon and Arvad used oars to row you.
Tyre, your skilled men were the sailors on your deck.
9 Workers of Byblos were on board ship with you.
They put caulk[a] in your ship’s seams.
All the ships of the sea and their sailors
came alongside to trade with you.
10 “‘Men of Persia, Lydia and Put
were soldiers in your army.
They hung their shields and helmets on your walls.
Their victories made you famous.
11 Men of Arvad and Celicia
guarded your city walls all around.
Men of Gammad
were in your watchtowers.
They hung their shields around your walls.
They made your beauty perfect.
12 “‘Tarshish traded with you for many kinds of things. They paid for them with silver, iron, tin and lead.
13 “‘People of Greece, Tubal and Meshech traded with you. They traded slaves and bronze things for the things you sell.
14 “‘People of Beth Togarmah traded work horses, war horses and mules for the things you sell.
15 “‘People of Rhodes traded with you. You sold your things on many coastlands. They paid you with ivory tusks and valuable black wood.
16 “‘Aram traded with you because you had so many good things to sell. They traded turquoise, purple cloth and cloth with designs sewed on. They also traded fine linen, coral and rubies for the things you sell.
17 “‘Judah and Israel traded with you. They paid for the things you sell with wheat from Minnith. They also paid with honey, olive oil and balm.
18 “‘Damascus traded with you because you have many good things. They paid for them with wine from Helbon and wool from Zahar.
19 “‘The Greeks from Uzal traded for the things you sold. They paid with wrought iron, cassia and sugar cane for your good things.
20 “‘Dedan traded saddle blankets to you.
21 “‘Arabia and all the rulers of Kedar traded with you. They traded lambs, male sheep and goats to you.
22 “‘The traders of Sheba and Raamah traded with you. They paid with all the best spices, valuable gems and gold.
23 “‘Haran, Canneh, Eden and the traders of Sheba, Asshur and Kilmad traded with you. 24 They paid with the best clothes, blue cloth and cloth with designs sewed on. They traded carpets of many colors and tightly wound ropes.
25 “‘Trading ships
carried the things you sold.
You were like a ship full of heavy cargo
in the middle of the sea.
26 The men who rowed you
brought you out into the high seas.
But the east wind has broken you to pieces
in the middle of the sea.
27 Your wealth, your trade and the things you sell will sink.
Your seamen, your sailors and your workers will sink.
Your traders, your soldiers,
and everyone else on board
will sink into the sea.
This will happen on the day your ship is wrecked.
28 The people on the shore will shake with fear
when your sailors cry out.
29 All the men who row
will leave their ships.
The seamen and the sailors of other ships
will stand on the shore.
30 They will cry loudly about you.
They will cry very much.
They will throw dust on their heads.
They will roll in ashes to show they are sad.
31 They will shave their heads for you.
And they will put on rough cloth to show they are upset.
They will cry very much for you.
They will cry loudly.
32 And in their loud crying
they will sing a funeral song for you.
“No one was ever destroyed like Tyre,
surrounded by the sea.”
33 The things you traded went out over the seas.
You met the needs of many nations.
With your great wealth and things you sold,
you made kings of the earth rich.
34 But now you are broken by the sea.
You have sunk to the bottom.
The things you sell and all your people
have gone down with you.
35 All those who live along the shore
are shocked by what happened to you.
Their kings are terribly afraid.
Their faces show their fear.
36 The traders among the nations hiss at you.
You have come to a terrible end.
And you are gone forever.’”
God the Judge
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A song of Asaph.
75 God, we thank you.
We thank you because you are near.
We tell about the wonderful things you do.
2 You say, “I set the time for trial.
I will judge fairly.
3 The earth with all its people may shake.
I am the one who holds it steady. Selah
4 I say to those who are proud, ‘Don’t brag.’
I say to the wicked, ‘Don’t show your power.
5 Don’t try to use your power against heaven.
Don’t be stubborn.’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or the desert can judge you.
7 God is the judge.
He judges one person as guilty, and another as innocent.
8 The Lord holds a cup of anger in his hand.
It is full of wine mixed with spices.
He pours it out even to the last drop.
And the wicked drink it all.
9 I will tell about this forever.
I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.
10 He will take all power away from the wicked.
But the power of good people will grow.
The God Who Always Wins
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A song of Asaph.
76 People in Judah know God.
People in Israel know he is great.
2 He lives in Jerusalem.
His home is on Mount Zion.
3 There God broke the flaming arrows,
the shields and swords of war. Selah
4 God, how wonderful you are!
You are more wonderful than the hills full of animals.
5 The brave soldiers were stripped
as they lay asleep in death.
Not one warrior
had the strength to stop it.
6 God of Jacob, when you spoke strongly,
horses and riders fell dead.
7 You should be feared.
Who can stand against you when you are angry?
8 From heaven you gave the decision.
And the earth was afraid and silent.
9 God, you stood up to judge
and to save the people of the earth who were not proud. Selah
10 People praise you for your anger against evil.
Those who live through your anger are stopped from doing more evil.
11 Keep your promises to the Lord your God.
From all around gifts should come to the God we worship.
12 God defeats great leaders.
The kings on earth fear him.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.