M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

7 Elisha said, “Listen to the Lord’s word. This is what he says: ‘About this time tomorrow 7 quarts of fine flour will be sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver. And 13 quarts of barley will be sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver. This will happen at the gate of Samaria.’”

² Then the officer who was close to the king answered Elisha. He said, “Even if the Lord opened windows in heaven, that couldn’t happen.”

Elisha said, “Because you have said that, you will see it with your eyes. But you will not eat any of it.”

³ There were four men with a harmful skin disease at the entrance to the city gate. They said to each other, “Why do we sit here until we die? ⁴ A time of hunger is in the city. So if we go into the city, we will die there. If we stay here, we will die. So let’s go to the Aramean camp. If they let us live, we will live. If they kill us, then we die.”

⁵ So they got up at twilight. And they went to the Aramean camp. But when they arrived, no one was there. ⁶ The Lord had caused the Aramean army to hear the sound of chariots, horses and a large army. They had said to each other, “The king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!” ⁷ So they ran away in the twilight. They left their tents, horses and donkeys. They left the camp standing and ran for their lives.

⁸ The men with the skin disease came to the edge of the camp. Then they went into one of the tents. They ate and drank. They carried silver, gold and clothes out of the camp and hid them. Then they came back and entered another tent. They carried things from this tent and hid them, also. ⁹ Then they said to each other, “We’re doing wrong. Today we have good news, but we are silent. If we wait until the sun comes up, we’ll be punished. Let’s go now and tell the people in the king’s palace.”

¹⁰ So they went and called to the gatekeepers of the city. They said, “We went to the Aramean camp. But no one is there. We didn’t hear anyone. The horses and donkeys were still tied up, and the tents were still standing.” ¹¹ Then the gatekeepers shouted out and told the people in the palace.

¹² So the king got up in the night. He said to his officers, “I’ll tell you what the Arameans are doing to us. They know we are hungry. They have gone out of the camp to hide in the field. They’re saying, ‘When the Israelites come out of the city, we’ll capture them alive. Then we’ll enter the city.’”

¹³ One of his officers answered, “Let some men take five horses still left in the city. These men are like all the Israelites who are left. They are also about to die. Let’s send them to see what has happened.”

¹⁴ So the men took two chariots with horses. The king sent them after the Aramean army. He told them, “Go and see what has happened.” ¹⁵ The men followed the Aramean army as far as the Jordan River. The road was full of clothes and equipment. The Arameans had thrown these things away as they had hurried away. So the messengers came back and told the king. ¹⁶ Then the people went out and took valuable things from the Aramean camp. So 7 quarts of fine flour were sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver. And 13 quarts of barley were sold for two-fifths of an ounce of silver. It happened just as the Lord had said.

¹⁷ The king chose the officer who was close to him to guard the gate. But the people ran over the officer so that he died. This happened just as the man of God had told the king. Elisha had said it when the king came to his house. ¹⁸ He had said, “Thirteen quarts of barley and 7 quarts of fine flour will each sell for two-fifths of an ounce of silver. It will happen about this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria.”

¹⁹ But the officer had answered, “Even if the Lord opened windows in heaven, that couldn’t happen.” And Elisha had told him, “Because you have said that, you will see it with your eyes. But you won’t eat any of it.” ²⁰ It happened to the officer just that way. The people ran over him in the gate, and he died.

A Warning About False Teachers

4 The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the later times some people will stop believing the true faith. They will obey spirits that lie and will follow the teachings of demons. ² Such teachings come from hypocrites, men who cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is as if their understanding were destroyed by a hot iron. ³ They tell people that it is wrong to marry. And they tell people that there are some foods that must not be eaten. But God made those foods, and the people who believe and who know the truth can eat those foods with thanks. ⁴ Everything that God made is good. Nothing that God made should be refused if it is accepted with thanks to God. ⁵ Everything God made is made holy by what God has said and by prayer.

Be a Good Servant of Christ

⁶ Tell these things to the brothers. This will show that you are a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will show that you are made strong by the words of faith and good teaching that you have been following. ⁷ People tell silly stories that do not agree with God’s truth. Do not follow what those stories teach. But teach yourself only to serve God. ⁸ Training your body helps you in some ways, but serving God helps you in every way. Serving God brings you blessings in this life and in the future life, too. ⁹ What I say is true, and you should fully accept it. ¹⁰ For this is why we work and struggle:^[a] We hope in the living God. He is the Savior of all people. And in a very special way, he is the Savior of all who believe in him.

¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² You are young, but do not let anyone treat you as if you were not important. Be an example to show the believers how they should live. Show them with your words, with the way you live, with your love, with your faith, and with your pure life. ¹³ Continue to read the Scriptures to the people, strengthen them, and teach them. Do these things until I come. ¹⁴ Remember to use the gift that you have. That gift was given to you through a prophecy when the group of elders laid their hands on^[b] you. ¹⁵ Continue to do those things. Give your life to doing them. Then everyone can see that your work is progressing. ¹⁶ Be careful in your life and in your teaching. Continue to live and teach rightly. Then you will save yourself and those people who listen to you.

11 “In the first year Darius the Mede was king, I stood up to support Michael. I supported him in his fight against the prince of Persia.

Kingdoms of the South and North

² “Now then, Daniel, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will rule in Persia. Then a fourth king will come. He will be much richer than all the kings of Persia before him. He will use his riches to get power. And he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece. ³ Then a mighty king will come. He will rule with great power. He will do anything he wants. ⁴ After that king has come, his kingdom will be broken up. It will be divided out toward the four parts of the world. His kingdom will not go to his descendants. And it will not have the power that he had. This is because his kingdom will be pulled up and given to other people.

⁵ “The king of the South will become strong. But one of his commanders will become even stronger. He will begin to rule his own kingdom with great power. ⁶ Then after a few years, the king of the South and the commander will become friends. The daughter of the king of the South will marry the king of the North. She will do this to bring peace. But she will not keep her power. And his family will not last. She, her husband, her child and those who brought her to that country will be killed.

⁷ “But a person from her family will become king of the South. He will attack the armies of the king of the North. He will go into that king’s strong, walled city. He will fight and win. ⁸ He will take their gods and their metal idols. He will also take their valuable things made of silver and gold. He will take those things to Egypt. Then he will not bother the king of the North for a few years. ⁹ Next, the king of the North will attack the king of the South. But he will be beaten back to his own country.

¹⁰ “The sons of the king of the North will prepare for war. They will get a large army together. That army will move through the land very quickly, like a powerful flood. Later, that army will come back and fight. They will fight all the way to the strong, walled city of the king of the South. ¹¹ Then the king of the South will become very angry. He will march out to fight against the king of the North. The king of the North will have a large army. But he will lose the battle. ¹² The soldiers will be carried away. So the king of the South will be very proud. And he will kill thousands of soldiers from the northern army. But he will not continue to be successful. ¹³ The king of the North will gather another army. That army will be larger than the first one. After several years he will attack. That army will be very large, and it will have plenty of weapons.

¹⁴ “In those times many people will be against the king of the South. Some of your own people who love to fight will turn against the king of the South. They will think it is time for God’s promises to come true. But it will not be the time yet. And they will fail. ¹⁵ Then the king of the North will come. He will build dirt roads to the tops of the city walls. And he will capture a strong, walled city. The southern army will not have the power to fight back. Even their best soldiers will not be strong enough to stop the northern army. ¹⁶ The king of the North will do whatever he wants. No one will be able to stand against him. He will gain power and control in the beautiful land of Israel. And he will have the power to destroy it. ¹⁷ The king of the North will decide to use all his power to fight against the king of the South. He will make an agreement with the king of the South. The king of the North will give one of his daughters as a wife to the king of the South. He will do that so he can defeat the king of the South. But those plans will not succeed or help him. ¹⁸ Then the king of the North will turn his attention to other places. He will take many cities along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. But a commander will put an end to the pride of the king of the North. The commander will turn that pride back on him. ¹⁹ After that happens the king of the North will go back to the strong, walled cities of his own country. But he will lose his power. That will be the end of him.

²⁰ “The next king of the North will send out a tax collector. He will then have plenty of money. In a few years that ruler will be killed. But he will not die in anger or in a battle.

²¹ “That ruler will be followed by a very cruel and hated man. He will not have the honor of being from a king’s family. He will attack the kingdom when the people feel safe. He will take power by lying to the people. ²² He will sweep away in defeat large and powerful armies. He will even defeat a prince who made an agreement. ²³ Many nations will make agreements with that cruel and hated ruler. But he will lie to them. He will gain much power. But only a few people will support him. ²⁴ The richest areas will feel safe. But that cruel and hated ruler will attack them. And he will succeed where his ancestors did not. He will take things from the countries he defeated. And he will give those things to his followers. He will plan to defeat and destroy strong cities. He will be successful, but only for a short time.

²⁵ “That very cruel and hated ruler will have a large army. He will use it to stir up his strength and courage. He will attack the king of the South. The king of the South will get a large and very powerful army and get ready for war. But the people who are against him will make secret plans. And the king of the South will be defeated. ²⁶ There were people who were supposed to be good friends of the king of the South. But they will try to destroy him. His army will be swept away in defeat. Many of his soldiers will be killed in battle. ²⁷ Those two kings will want to hurt each other. They will sit at the same table and lie to each other. But it will not do either one any good. This is because God has set a time for their end to come. ²⁸ The king of the North will go back to his own country with much wealth. Then he will decide to go against the holy agreement. He will do what he planned. Then he will go back to his own country.

²⁹ “At the right time the king of the North will attack the king of the South again. But this time he will not be successful as he was before. ³⁰ Ships from the west will come and fight against the king of the North. He will see those ships coming and be afraid. Then he will return and show his anger against God’s people who obey the holy agreement. He will be good to those who have stopped obeying the holy agreement.

³¹ “The king of the North will send his army. They will make the Temple in Jerusalem unclean. They will stop the people from offering the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the horrible thing that destroys. ³² The king of the North will tell lies to God’s people. Those who have not obeyed God will be ruined. But there will be some who know God and obey him. They will be strong and fight back.

³³ “Those who are wise will help the others understand what is happening. But some of them will be killed with swords. Some will be burned or taken captive. Some of them will have their homes and things taken away. These things will continue for many days. ³⁴ When the wise ones are suffering, they will get a little help. Many who join the wise ones will not love God. ³⁵ Some of the wise ones will be killed. But the hard times must come. This is so they can be made stronger and purer. They will be without faults until the time of the end comes. Then, at the right time the end will come.

The King Who Praises Himself

³⁶ “The king of the North will do whatever he wants. He will brag about himself. He will praise himself and think he is even better than a god. He will say things against the God of gods that no one has ever heard. He will be successful until all the bad things have happened. What God has planned to happen will happen. ³⁷ That king of the North will not care about the gods his ancestors worshiped. He won’t care about the god that women worship. He won’t care about any god. Instead, he will make himself more important than any god. ³⁸ The king of the North will worship power and strength. His ancestors did not love power as he will. He will honor the god of power with gold and silver, expensive jewels and gifts. ³⁹ That king will attack strong, walled cities. He will do it with the help of a foreign god. He will give much honor to the people who join him. He will make them rulers in charge of many other people. He will make those rulers pay him for the land they rule.

⁴⁰ “At the time of the end, the king of the South will fight a battle against the king of the North. The king of the North will attack him. He will attack with chariots and soldiers on horses and many large ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through their lands like a flood. ⁴¹ The king of the North will attack the beautiful land of Judah. He will defeat many countries. But Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be saved from him. ⁴² The king of the North will show his power in many countries. Egypt will not escape. ⁴³ The king will get treasures of gold and silver. And he will get all the riches of Egypt. The Libyan and Nubian people will obey him. ⁴⁴ But the king of the North will hear news from the east and the north. And it will make him afraid and angry. He will go to destroy completely many nations. ⁴⁵ He will set up his royal tents. They will be between the sea and the beautiful mountain where the Temple is built. But, finally, his end will come. There will not be anyone to help him when he dies.