M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Naboth’s Vineyard
21 A man named Naboth owned a vineyard. It was in Jezreel, near the palace of Ahab king of Israel. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard. It is near my palace. I want to make it into a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in its place. Or, if you prefer, I will pay you what it is worth.”
3 Naboth answered, “May the Lord keep me from ever giving my land to you. It belongs to my family.”
4 So Ahab went home, angry and upset. He did not like what Naboth from Jezreel had said. (Naboth had said, “I will not give you my family’s land.”) So Ahab lay down on his bed. He turned his face to the wall and refused to eat.
5 His wife, Jezebel, came in. She asked him, “Why are you upset? Why do you refuse to eat?”
6 Ahab answered, “I talked to Naboth, the man from Jezreel. I said, ‘Sell me your vineyard. Or, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ But Naboth refused.”
7 Jezebel answered, “Is this how you rule as king over Israel? Get out of bed. Eat something. Cheer up. I will get Naboth’s vineyard for you.”
8 So Jezebel wrote some letters and signed Ahab’s name to them. And she used his own seal to seal them. Then she sent them to the elders and important men who lived in Naboth’s town. 9 The letter she wrote said: “Declare a day during which the people are to give up eating. Call the people together. And give Naboth a place of honor among them. 10 Seat two troublemakers across from him. Have them say they heard Naboth speak against God and the king. Then take Naboth out of the city and kill him with stones.”
11 So the elders and important men of Jezreel obeyed Jezebel’s command. 12 They declared a special day. On that day the people were to give up eating. They called the people together. And they put Naboth in a place of honor before the people. 13 Then two troublemakers sat across from Naboth. They said they had heard Naboth speak against God and the king. So the people carried Naboth out of the city. And they killed him with stones. 14 Then the leaders sent a message to Jezebel. It said, “Naboth has been killed.”
15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been killed, she told Ahab. She said, “Naboth of Jezreel is dead. Now you may go and take for yourself his vineyard you wanted.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he left. He went to the vineyard to take it for his own.
17 At this time the Lord spoke his word to Elijah. (Elijah was the prophet from Tishbe.) The Lord said, 18 “Go to Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is at Naboth’s vineyard to take it as his own. 19 Tell Ahab that I, the Lord, say to him, ‘Ahab! You have murdered Naboth and have taken his land. So I tell you this! In the same place that Naboth died, you will also die. The dogs that licked up Naboth’s blood will lick up your blood in the same place!’”
20 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
Elijah answered, “Yes, I have found you. You have always chosen to do what the Lord says is wrong. 21 So the Lord says to you, ‘I will destroy you. I will kill you and every male in your family, both slave and free. 22 Your family will be like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat. And it will be like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah. Both of these families were completely destroyed. I will do this to you because you have made me angry. And you have caused the people of Israel to sin.’
23 “And the Lord also says, ‘Dogs will eat the body of Jezebel in the city of Jezreel.’
24 “Anyone in your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs. Anyone who dies in the fields will be eaten by birds.”
25 There was no one like Ahab. No one had so often chosen to do what the Lord said was wrong. His wife Jezebel influenced him to do evil. 26 Ahab sinned terribly by worshiping idols. This was the same thing the Amorite people did. So the Lord took their land away from them. And he gave it to the people of Israel.
27 After Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes. He put on rough cloth and refused to eat. He even slept in the rough cloth. He did this to show how sad and upset he was.
28 The Lord spoke his word to Elijah from Tishbe: 29 “I see that Ahab is now sorry for what he has done. So I will not cause the trouble to come to him during his life. I will wait until his son is king. Then I will bring this trouble to Ahab’s family.”
A Life That Pleases God
4 Brothers, now I have some other things to tell you. We taught you how to live in a way that will please God. And you are living that way. Now we ask you and encourage you in the Lord Jesus to live that way more and more. 2 You know what we told you to do by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 3 God wants you to be holy and to stay away from sexual immorality. 4 He wants each one of you to learn how to take a wife[a] in a way that is holy and honorable. 5 Don’t give in to lust like people who do not know God. 6 So do not wrong your brother or cheat him in this way. The Lord will punish people who do those things. We have already told you and warned you about that. 7 God called us to be holy and does not want us to live in sin. 8 So the person who refuses to obey this teaching is refusing to obey God, not man. And God is the One who gives us his Holy Spirit.
9 We do not need to write to you about having love for your brothers and sisters in Christ. God has already taught you to love each other. 10 And truly you do love the brothers in all of Macedonia. Brothers, now we encourage you to love them more and more.
11 Do all you can to live a peaceful life. Take care of your own business. Do your own work. We have already told you to do these things. 12 If you do, then people who are not believers will respect you. And you will not have to depend on others for what you need.
The Lord’s Coming
13 Brothers, we want you to know about those who have died. We do not want you to be sad as others who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and that he rose again. So, because of Jesus, God will bring together with Jesus those who have died. 15 What we tell you now is the Lord’s own message. We who are living now may still be living when the Lord comes again. We who are living at that time will be with the Lord, but not before those who have already died. 16 The Lord himself will come down from heaven. There will be a loud command with the voice of the archangel[b] and with the trumpet call of God. And those who have died and were in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, those who are still alive at that time will be gathered up with them. We will be taken up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So comfort each other with these words.
The Gold Idol and Blazing Furnace
3 Now King Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue made. That statue was 90 feet high and 9 feet wide. He set up the statue on the plain of Dura in the area of Babylon. 2 Then the king called the important leaders: the governors, assistant governors, captains of the soldiers, people who advised the king, keepers of the treasury, judges, rulers and all other officers in his kingdom. He wanted these men to come to the special service for the statue he had set up. 3 So they all came for the special service. And they stood in front of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then the man who made announcements for the king spoke in a loud voice. He said, “People, nations and men of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 You will hear the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, zithers,[a] harps, pipes and all the other musical instruments. When this happens, you must bow down and worship the gold statue. This is the one King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Everyone must bow down and worship this gold statue. Anyone who doesn’t will be quickly thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 Now people, nations and men who spoke every language were there. And they heard the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, zithers, pipes and all the other musical instruments. So they bowed down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Then some Babylonians came up to the king. They began speaking against the men of Judah. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Our king, live forever! 10 Our king, you gave a command. You said that everyone would hear the horns, lyres, zithers, harps, pipes and all the other musical instruments. Then they would have to bow down and worship the gold statue. 11 Anyone who wouldn’t do this was to be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 Our king, there are some men of Judah who did not pay attention to your order. You made them important officers in the area of Babylon. Their names are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They do not serve your gods. And they do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
13 Nebuchadnezzar became very angry. He called for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So those men were brought to the king. 14 And Nebuchadnezzar said, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods? And is it true that you did not worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 Now, you will hear the sound of the horns, flutes, lyres, zithers, harps, pipes and all the other musical instruments. And you must be ready to bow down and worship the statue I made. That will be good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown quickly into the blazing furnace. Then no god will be able to save you from my power!”
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered the king. They said, “Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves to you. 17 You can throw us into the blazing furnace. The God we serve is able to save us from the furnace and your power. If he does this, it is good. 18 But even if God does not save us, we want you, our king, to know this: We will not serve your gods. We will not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The king told the soldiers to throw them into the blazing furnace.
21 So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were tied up and thrown into the blazing furnace. They were still wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes. 22 The king was very angry when he gave the command. And the furnace was made very hot. The fire was so hot that the flames killed the strong soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego there. 23 Firmly tied, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was very surprised and jumped to his feet. He asked the men who advised him, “Didn’t we tie up only three men? Didn’t we throw them into the fire?”
They answered, “Yes, our king.”
25 The king said, “Look! I see four men. They are walking around in the fire. They are not tied up, and they are not burned. The fourth man looks like a son of the gods.”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar went to the opening of the blazing furnace. He shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, come out! Servants of the Most High God, come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire. 27 When they came out, the princes, assistant governors, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies. Their hair was not burned. Their robes were not burned. And they didn’t even smell like smoke.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Their God has sent his angel and saved his servants from the fire! These three men trusted their God. They refused to obey my command. And they were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god other than their own. 29 So I now make this law: The people of any nation or language must not say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Anyone who does will be torn apart. And his house will be turned into a pile of stones. No other god can save his people like this.” 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the area of Babylon.
Book 5
Psalms 107—150
God Saves from Many Dangers
107 Thank the Lord because he is good.
His love continues forever.
2 That is what the people the Lord has saved should say.
They are the ones he has saved from the enemy.
3 He has gathered them from other lands,
from east and west, north and south.
4 Some people had wandered in the desert lands.
They found no city to live in.
5 They were hungry and thirsty.
They were discouraged.
6 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
7 He led them on a straight road
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
9 He satisfies the thirsty.
He fills up the hungry.
10 Some sat in gloom and darkness.
They were prisoners suffering in chains.
11 They had turned against the words of God.
They had refused the advice of God Most High.
12 So he broke their pride by hard work.
They stumbled, and no one helped.
13 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
14 He brought them out of their gloom and darkness.
He broke their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
16 He breaks down bronze gates.
And he cuts apart iron bars.
17 Some became fools who turned against God.
They suffered for the evil they did.
18 They refused to eat anything.
So they almost died.
19 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
20 God gave the command and healed them.
So they were saved from dying.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
22 Let them offer sacrifices to thank him.
With joy they should tell what he has done.
23 Others went out to sea in ships.
They did business on the great oceans.
24 They saw what the Lord could do.
They saw the miracles he did.
25 He spoke, and a storm came up.
It blew up high waves.
26 The ships tossed as high as the sky and fell low in the waves.
The storm was so bad the men lost their courage.
27 They stumbled and fell like men who were drunk.
They did not know what to do.
28 In their misery they cried out to the Lord.
And he saved them from their troubles.
29 He made the storm be still.
He calmed the waves.
30 They were happy that it was quiet.
And God guided them to the port they wanted.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his love
and for the miracles he does for people.
32 Let them praise his greatness in the meeting of the people.
They should praise him in the meeting of the elders.
33 He changed rivers into a desert,
and springs of water into dry ground.
34 He made fertile land salty
because the people there did evil.
35 He changed the desert into pools of water
and dry ground into springs of water.
36 He had the hungry settle there.
They built a city to live in.
37 They planted seeds in the fields and vineyards.
And they had a good harvest.
38 God blessed them, and they grew in number.
Their cattle did not become fewer.
39 Because of disaster, troubles and sadness,
their families grew smaller and weaker.
40 He showed he was displeased with their important men.
He made them wander in a pathless desert.
41 But he lifted the poor out of their suffering.
And he made their families grow like flocks of sheep.
42 Good people see this and are happy.
But the wicked say nothing.
43 Whoever is wise will remember these things.
He will think about the love of the Lord.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.