M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Josiah King of Judah
22 Josiah was eight years old when he became king. He ruled 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah daughter of Adaiah. Adaiah was from Bozkath. 2 Josiah did what the Lord said was right. He did good things as his ancestor David had done. Josiah did not stop doing what was right.
3 In Josiah’s eighteenth year as king, he sent Shaphan to the Temple of the Lord. Shaphan was the son of Azaliah, who was the son of Meshullam. Shaphan was the royal assistant. Josiah said, 4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest. Have him empty out the money the gatekeepers have gathered from the people. This is the money they have brought into the Temple of the Lord. 5 Have him give the money to the supervisors of the work on the Temple. They must pay the men who work to repair the Temple of the Lord. 6 The workers are carpenters, builders and stoneworkers. Also use the money to buy timber and cut stone to repair the Temple. 7 They do not need to report how they use the money given to them. They are working honestly.”
The Book of the Law Is Found
8 Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the royal assistant, “I’ve found the Book of the Teachings. It was in the Temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan, who read it.
9 Then Shaphan the royal assistant went to the king and reported to Josiah, “Your officers have paid out the money that was in the Temple of the Lord. They have given it to the workers and supervisors at the Temple.” 10 Then Shaphan the royal assistant told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from the book to the king.
11 The king heard the words of the Book of the Teachings. Then he tore his clothes to show how upset he was. 12 He gave these orders to Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam son of Shaphan. He also gave them to Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan and Asaiah. Shaphan was the royal assistant. And Asaiah was the king’s servant. These were the orders: 13 “Go and ask the Lord about the words in the book that has been found. Ask for me and for all the people and for all Judah. The Lord’s anger is burning against us because our ancestors did not obey the words of this book. They did not do all the things written for us to do!”
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan and Asaiah left. They went to talk to Huldah the prophetess. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas. Harhas took care of the king’s clothes. Huldah lived in Jerusalem, in the new area of the city.
15 She said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 ‘This is what the Lord says: I will bring trouble to this place and to the people living here. It is in the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 The people of Judah have left me. They have burned incense to other gods. They have made me angry by all the idols they have made. My anger burns against this place like a fire. It will not be put out.’ 18 Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to ask the Lord, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the words you heard: 19 You heard my words against this place and its people. You became sorry in the Lord’s presence for what you had done. I said they would become cursed and would be destroyed. Then you tore your clothes to show how upset you were. And you cried in my presence. This is why I have heard you, says the Lord. 20 So I will cause you to die. You will be buried in peace. You won’t see all the trouble I will bring to this place.’”
So they took her message back to the king.
4 Now God has left us that promise that we may enter and have his rest. Let us be very careful, then, so that none of you will fail to get that rest. 2 The Good News was preached to us just as it was to them. But the teaching they heard did not help them. They heard it but did not accept it with faith.[a] 3 We who have believed are able to enter and have God’s rest. As God has said,
“So I was angry and made a promise.
‘They will never enter my land of rest.’” Psalm 95:11
But God’s work was finished from the time he made the world. 4 Somewhere in the Scriptures he talked about the seventh day of the week: “And on the seventh day God rested from all his work.”[b] 5 And again in the Scripture God said, “They will never enter my land of rest.”
6 It is still true that some people will enter and have God’s rest. But those who first heard the way to be saved did not enter. They did not enter because they did not obey. 7 So God planned another day, called “today.” He spoke about that day through David a long time later. It is the same Scripture used before:
“Today listen to what he says.
Do not be stubborn.” Psalm 95:7-8
8 We know that Joshua[c] did not lead the people into that rest. We know this because God spoke later about another day. 9 This shows that the seventh-day rest[d] for God’s people is still coming. 10 For anyone who enters and has God’s rest will rest from his work as God did. 11 So let us try as hard as we can to enter God’s rest. We must try hard so that no one will be lost by following the example of those who refused to obey.
12 God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than a sword sharpened on both sides. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined. It cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. And God’s word judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts. 13 Nothing in all the world can be hidden from God. Everything is clear and lies open before him. And to him we must explain the way we have lived.
Jesus Is Our High Priest
14 We have a great high priest who has gone into heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us hold on to the faith we have. 15 For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he did not sin. 16 Let us, then, feel free to come before God’s throne. Here there is grace. And we can receive mercy and grace to help us when we need it.
Locusts Destroy the Crops
1 The Lord spoke his word to Joel son of Pethuel:
2 Elders, listen to this message.
Listen to me, all you people who live in the land.
Nothing like this has ever happened during your lifetime.
Nothing like this has ever happened during your fathers’ lifetimes.
3 Tell your children about these things.
And let your children tell their children.
And let your grandchildren tell their children.
4 What the cutting locusts have not eaten,
the swarming locusts have eaten.
And what the swarming locusts have left,
the hopping locusts have eaten.
And what the hopping locusts have left,
the destroying locusts[a] have eaten.
5 Drunks, wake up and cry!
All of you people who drink wine, cry!
Cry because your sweet wine
has been taken away from you.
6 A powerful nation has come into my land.
It has too many soldiers to count.
It has teeth like a lion.
And it has fangs like a female lion.
7 That army has eaten my grapevines.
It has destroyed my fig trees.
It has eaten the bark off my trees
and left the branches white.
8 Cry as a young woman cries
when the man she was going to marry is killed.
9 There will be no more grain or drink offerings
to offer in the Temple of the Lord.
Because of this, the priests,
the servants of the Lord, cry.
10 The fields are ruined.
Even the ground is dried up.
The grain is destroyed.
The new wine is dried up.
And the olive oil runs out.
11 Be sad, farmers.
Cry loudly, you who grow grapes.
Cry for the wheat and the barley.
Cry because the harvest in the field is lost.
12 The vines have become dry.
And the fig trees are dying.
The pomegranate trees, the date palm trees and the apple trees have dried up.
All the trees in the field have died.
And the happiness of the people has died, too.
13 Priests, put on your rough cloth and cry to show your sadness.
Servants of the altar, cry out loud.
Servants of my God,
sleep in your rough cloth to show your sadness.
Cry because there will be no more grain or drink offerings
to offer in the Temple of your God.
14 Call the people together.
Tell them there will be a time to give up food.
Bring together the elders
and everyone who lives in the land.
Bring them to the Temple of the Lord your God.
And cry out to the Lord.
15 This will be a terrible day!
The Lord’s day of judging is near.
At that time punishment will come
like an attack from God All-Powerful.
16 Our food is taken away
while we watch.
Joy and happiness are gone
from the Temple of our God.
17 We planted seeds,
but they lie dry and dead in the dirt.
Our barns are empty and falling down.
The storerooms for grain have been broken down.
This is because the grain has dried up.
18 The animals are hungry and groaning!
The herds of cattle wander around confused.
They have no grass to eat.
Even the flocks of sheep suffer.
19 Lord, I am calling to you for help.
Fire has burned up the open pastures.
Flames have burned all the trees in the field.
20 Wild animals also need your help.
The water in the streams has dried up.
Fire has burned up the open pastures.
A Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. A song of David.
140 Lord, rescue me from evil people.
Save me from cruel men.
2 They make evil plans.
They always start fights.
3 They make their tongues sharp as a snake’s.
Their words are like snake poison. Selah
4 Lord, guard me from the power of wicked people.
Save me from cruel men
who plan to trip me up.
5 Proud men have hidden a trap for me.
They have spread out a net beside the road.
They have set traps for me. Selah
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Lord, listen to my prayer for help.
7 Lord God, my mighty savior,
you protect me in battle.
8 Lord, do not give the wicked what they want.
Don’t let their plans succeed,
or they will become proud. Selah
9 Those around me have planned trouble.
Now let it come to them.
10 Let burning coals fall on them.
Throw them into the fire
or into pits from which they cannot escape.
11 Don’t let liars settle in the land.
Let evil quickly hunt down cruel men.
12 I know the Lord will get justice for the poor.
He will defend the needy in court.
13 Good people will praise his name.
Honest people will live in his presence.
A Prayer Not to Sin
A song of David.
141 Lord, I call to you. Come quickly.
Listen to me when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be like incense placed before you.
Let my praise be like the evening sacrifice.
3 Lord, help me control my tongue.
Help me be careful about what I say.
4 Don’t let me want to do evil
or join others in doing wrong.
Don’t let me eat
with those who do evil.
5 If a good man punished me, that would be kind.
If he corrected me,
that would be like having perfumed oil on my head.
I shouldn’t refuse it.
But I pray against those who do evil.
6 Let their leaders be thrown down the cliffs.
Then people will know that I have spoken the truth:
7 “The ground is plowed and broken up.
In the same way, our bones have been scattered at the grave.”
8 Lord God, I look to you for help.
I trust in you. Don’t let me die.
9 Protect me from the traps they set for me
and from the net evil people have spread.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own pits.
And let me pass by safely.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.