M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
A servant of God visits Jeroboam[a]
13 King Jeroboam was standing in front of the altar at Bethel. He was ready to make an offering. At that time, the Lord told one of his servants to go from Judah to Bethel. 2 When he arrived at Bethel, he shouted the message that the Lord had given to him. He said, ‘Altar! Altar! This is what the Lord says to you: “Listen! One day, a son will be born in David's family. His name will be Josiah. On this altar, he will burn as sacrifices the priests who offer sacrifices on the hills. He will burn the bones of dead people on you!” ’
3 The same day, God's servant spoke another message to warn Jeroboam. He said, ‘This is the sign to show that the Lord has decided to do this: You will see the altar break into two pieces. The ashes of the sacrifices that are on it will fall to the ground.’
4 King Jeroboam heard the message that God's servant shouted against the altar at Bethel. As he stood there at the altar, the king pointed his hand at God's servant. He said, ‘Take hold of that man!’ But when he pointed with his hand, it suddenly became useless and he could not pull it back. 5 Then the altar broke into two pieces and the ashes fell to the ground. That is what God's servant had said would happen, to show that he spoke with the Lord's authority.
6 The king said to God's servant, ‘Please pray to the Lord your God that he will be kind to me. Pray that my hand will become strong again.’ So God's servant prayed to the Lord. And the king's hand became strong again, as it was before.
7 Then the king said to God's servant, ‘Come home with me. Have some food to eat. I would also like to give you a gift.’ 8 But God's servant said to the king, ‘I could never go with you, even if you gave me half of your riches. I could not eat or drink anything while I am here. 9 The Lord commanded me, “You must not eat or drink anything there. You must not return home on the same road that you came on.” ’ 10 So God's servant started to travel home on a different road. He did not go on the same road that he came to Bethel.
An old prophet in Bethel
11 An old prophet lived in Bethel. His sons came home. They told him about everything that God's servant had done in Bethel that day. They told their father what God's servant had said to the king. 12 Their father asked them, ‘Which road did he go home on?’ So his sons showed him the road that God's servant from Judah was on.
13 Then the old prophet said to his sons, ‘Prepare my donkey for me to ride.’ When they had prepared the donkey, the old prophet got onto it. 14 Then he rode along the road to find God's servant. He found him as he was sitting under an oak tree. The old prophet asked him, ‘Are you the servant of God from Judah?’ He answered, ‘I am.’ 15 The old prophet said to him, ‘Come to my home with me and eat some food.’ 16 God's servant said, ‘I cannot go back with you. I cannot eat or drink anything with you in this place. 17 The Lord commanded me, “You must not eat or drink anything there. You must not return home on the same road that you came on.” ’ 18 The old prophet then said, ‘I am also a prophet, as you are. An angel gave me a message from the Lord. He said, “Bring the man back with you to your house. There, he can eat some food and drink some water.” ’ But what the old prophet said was a lie. 19 So God's servant went back with him and he ate and drank in his house.
20 While they were sitting together to eat, the Lord gave a message to the old prophet. 21 He spoke this message to the servant of God who had come from Judah:
‘This is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed the Lord. You have not done what the Lord your God commanded you to do. 22 He had told you, “You must not eat or drink anything in that place.” But you came back here to eat and to drink. As a result, they will not bury your body in the same place as your ancestors' grave.’
23 God's servant from Judah finished his meal. Then the old prophet prepared his donkey for him to ride. 24 But as God's servant from Judah was travelling along the road, a lion attacked him. The lion killed him and it left his body on the road. The donkey and the lion stood beside the dead body. 25 When some people came along the road, they saw the dead body as it lay there. The lion was standing beside the body. The people went back to Bethel, the city where the old prophet lived. They reported what they had seen on the road.
26 The old prophet who had brought God's servant back to his house heard the news. He said, ‘That dead man is God's servant who did not obey the Lord. So the Lord has given him to the lion, to tear him to pieces and to kill him. The Lord had warned him that this would happen.’
27 The old prophet said to his sons, ‘Prepare my donkey for me to ride.’ So they did that. 28 Then the old prophet went along the road and he found the body. It was lying on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body. It had not attacked the donkey. 29 So the old prophet picked up the body of God's servant. He put it on the donkey. He brought it back to Bethel. He showed that he was very sad that the man had died and then he buried him. 30 He put the body in the grave that he had prepared for himself. He and his sons were very upset, and they said, ‘Oh! My brother!’
31 When they had buried the man, the old prophet said to his sons, ‘When I die, bury me in the same grave where we buried the servant of God. Put my bones there, beside his bones. 32 The Lord's message that he spoke will certainly become true. He spoke against the altar in Bethel and against all the altars on the hills of Samaria's towns.’[b]
33 Even after this happened, Jeroboam did not stop doing evil things. He chose ordinary people to be priests for the altars on the hills. If somebody wanted to become a priest, Jeroboam agreed to make him a priest.[c] 34 This sin caused Jeroboam's family to disappear from the earth. He would no longer have descendants to rule the kingdom.
How Christians should live
4 My dear Christian friends, I love you very much. I want very much to see you again. You make me very happy. You show that my work among you had good results. Please continue to live in a way that pleases the Lord. This is what I have taught you to do.
2 I say this to Euodia and to Syntyche: ‘You belong to the Lord, so please agree with each other. Stop arguing.’ 3 I ask you too, my true friend, please help these two women to agree together.[a] They have worked with me to tell people the good news. They have worked very hard to help me. They worked together with Clement, and with the other people who helped me in the work. All those workers' names are written in God's book of life.[b]
4 Always be happy because you belong to the Lord. I will say that again, ‘Be happy!’ 5 Be kind and patient in a way that everyone can see. Remember that the Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything. Instead, pray to God about everything. Ask him to help you with the things that you need. And thank him for his help. 7 If you do that, God will give you peace in your minds. That peace is so great that nobody can completely understand it. You will not worry or be afraid, because you belong to Christ Jesus.
8 Now my friends, I want to say this to you. Fill your minds with thoughts about good things. Think about things that are true, clean, right and lovely. Always think about things which people know are very good. 9 Remember what I have taught you. Remember the message that you heard from me. Remember what you saw when I lived among you. You also must do those same things. God is the one who gives us peace in our minds. He will be with you.
Paul thanks the believers at Philippi
10 I am very happy that you want to help me again. I praise the Lord for that. I know that you wanted to help me before. But you have not had a chance to do anything until now. 11 When I say that, it is not because I need anything. I have learned to be happy, whatever things may happen to me. 12 I know what it is like to need things. I also know what it is like to have more than enough. I have learned this secret. I know how to be happy whatever happens. I can be happy when I have enough food to eat, and also when I am hungry. I can be happy when I have plenty of things, and also when I have nothing. 13 I can do all these things because Christ makes me strong.
14 But certainly, you have been very kind to me. You have helped me now, when I am in trouble. 15 Also, you Christians in Philippi know that you already helped me earlier. That was the time when I started to tell people God's good news. When I left Macedonia, you were the only group of Christians who helped me. We were able to help one another, and no other group of Christians did that for me.[c] 16 Even when I was at Thessalonica, you helped me. More than once, you sent gifts to me because I needed things.[d]
17 It is not your gifts themselves that I want. But I want you to do good things so that God will bless you in return. 18 Epaphroditus has brought the gifts that you sent to me. I have received those gifts, so that I no longer need anything. You have sent me more than enough. Your gifts are like a sacrifice with a nice smell that you have offered to God. God accepts that kind of sacrifice. It makes him very happy. 19 My Lord God in heaven has plenty of good and valuable things. Because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will give to you everything that you need.
20 Our Father God is very great! It is right that everyone should praise him always and for ever! Amen. This is true.
Paul finishes his letter
21 Say ‘hello’ on my behalf to all of God's people there who belong to Christ Jesus. The believers who are here with me say ‘hello’ to you. 22 All God's people here say ‘hello’ to you. The Christians who live in the king's house say a special ‘hello’ to you.
23 We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to be kind to you, so that your spirits are strong.
The Lord returns to the temple
43 Then the man brought me to the east gate. 2 There I suddenly saw the bright glory of the God of Israel as it came from the east. His voice was like the noise of lots of water that pours along a river. The land around shone with the bright light of his glory. 3 I had seen a vision like this when I was beside the Kebar River.[a] I had also seen a vision like this when God came to destroy Jerusalem. I bent down low with my face on the ground. 4 The Lord's bright glory went through the east gate into the temple. 5 Then a spirit lifted me up and took me into the temple's inside yard.[b] As I watched, the Lord's glory filled the temple.
6 While the man stood beside me, I heard a voice come from inside the temple.
7 The Lord said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place where I sit on my throne. It is my home where I will live among Israel's people. Israel's people and their kings will never again spoil the honour of my holy name. They will not turn away from me and worship other gods. They will not put the graves of their kings in this place. 8 Their kings built their palaces too near to my holy temple. There was only a wall between me and them. They did many disgusting things that spoiled the honour of my holy name. As a result, I became very angry with them and I destroyed them. 9 Now they must be faithful to me. They must no longer worship other gods. The must not give honour to the graves of their kings. If they stop doing these things, I will live among them for ever.
10 Son of man, you must describe the temple to Israel's people. It should make them ashamed of their sins. They must study the plan of the temple. 11 Then they will be ashamed of everything that they have done. Explain the temple's plan to them. Describe its shape, its entrances, and everything about it. Explain its rules and its laws. You must write all this down while they watch you. Then they can study the temple's plan and they can obey its rules.
12 This is the most important law about the temple: All the top of the mountain around the temple will be most holy.
The great altar
13 This is the size of the altar.[c] There is a hole, 50 centimetres deep and 50 centimetres wide, all around the altar. There is a border around its outside edge, 25 centimetres high. 14 The lowest part of the altar, from its base up, is 1 metre high. The part above that is 2 metres high. It is 50 centimetres smaller than the part below it, all around. The top part of the altar is also 50 centimetres smaller than the middle part. 15 This top part is 2 metres high. They burn the sacrifices on this top part. Its four corners have points like horns that go up. 16 The top of the altar is square, with each side 6 metres long. 17 The middle part is also square, with each side 7 metres long. It has a border around its edge that is 25 centimetres high. There is a hole all around that is 50 centimetres wide. There are steps up to the top of the altar on the east side.’
They must make the altar holy
18 Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, this is what the Almighty Lord says: These are the rules about the altar. On the day that it is ready to use, the priests will offer burnt offerings on it. They will alsosplash blood from the sacrifices on it. 19 You must give a young bull to the priests to offer as a sacrifice to me. The priests must belong to Zadok's family in the tribe of Levi. They are the only men who can come near to me to serve me. That is what I, the Almighty Lord, say. 20 You will take some of the bull's blood and put it on the four horns on the top of the altar. Also put some blood on the corners of the middle part of the altar. And put some on the border around the edge of the altar. Do that to make the altar clean and pure for me. 21 You must take the bull to burn as a sin offering. Burn it in the proper place in the temple yard, outside the temple building.
22 The next day, choose a male goat that has nothing wrong with it. Offer it as a sin offering. Use its blood to make the altar clean and pure, as you did with the bull's blood. 23 After you have done that, choose a young bull and a male sheep that have nothing wrong with them. 24 Bring them to me, the Lord. The priests will throw salt on them. Then they will offer them to me as a burnt offering.
25 Each day for seven days, you must offer a male goat as a sin offering. You must also choose a young bull and a male sheep each day as sacrifices. They must all have nothing wrong with them. 26 The priests will make the altar clean and pure on each of those seven days. That will make it ready for holy use.
27 When the seven days have finished, the priests can begin to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar. They can do this for you on the eighth day and after that. Then I will accept you as my own people. That is what I, the Almighty Lord, say.’
Worship God and obey him[a]
95 Come now! Let us sing together to worship the Lord!
We will shout aloud
to praise God, the strong Rock who makes us safe!
2 Let us come near to God
and thank him![b]
Let us sing songs to praise him,
because we are so happy!
3 Yes, the Lord is the great God.
He is the great king who rules over all gods.
4 The deepest places of the earth are in his hand.
The highest mountains belong to him.
5 The seas are his,
because he made them.
He also made the dry land,
with his own hands.
6 Come now! Let us bend down to worship him!
Let us bend our knees in front of the Lord.
He is the one who made us.
7 He is our God.
He takes care of us,
like a shepherd takes care of his sheep.[c]
As his sheep, he gives us what we need.
Today, you must listen to him
and obey him.
8 He says, ‘Do not refuse to obey me,
like my people did at Meribah.
They also did that one day at Massah,
in the desert.
9 Your ancestors tested me there,
to see if I would punish them.
But they had already seen the great things
that I had done for them!
10 So I was angry with those people
all the time for 40 years.
I said, “These people love to go the wrong way.
They refuse to follow my ways.”
11 I was very angry and I promised,
“They will never come into my place of rest.” ’[d]
Sing a new song![e]
96 Sing a new song to praise the Lord!
All the world,
sing to praise the Lord!
2 Sing to praise the Lord's great name!
Every day, tell people the message
that he has rescued us.
3 Tell the other nations that he is very great.
Tell all of them
about the great things that he has done.
4 Yes, the Lord is great!
Everyone should praise him as he deserves.
People should respect him with fear,
more than all other gods.
5 All the other nations' gods are useless idols.
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 We see that he is a very great king.
His holy home is full of his power and his beauty.
7 You people of other nations,
recognize that the Lord is great and powerful.
8 Agree that the Lord's name is great.
Bring a gift to offer to him in his temple.
9 Worship the Lord,
who is beautiful and holy.
Everyone on earth must shake with fear in front of him.
10 Tell all the nations,
‘The Lord rules as King!’
He has fixed the world in its place,
so that nothing can shake it.
He will judge all the people of the world fairly.
11 The earth and the sky
should be happy!
The sea and everything in it
should shout aloud!
12 The fields and all their crops should shout with joy!
Then all the trees in the forests will also sing
because they are so happy!
13 They will sing to praise the Lord,
for he will come to judge the earth.
He is a fair judge.
He will judge all the people of the world with his truth.
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