M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Becomes King
11 All the people of Israel came to David at the town of Hebron. They said, “We are your people. 2 Even when Saul was king, you were the man who led Israel in battle. The Lord your God spoke to you. He said, ‘David, you will be the shepherd of my people, the people of Israel. You will become their leader.’”
3 All the elders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made an agreement with them before the Lord in Hebron. The leaders poured olive oil on David to appoint him king over Israel. The Lord had promised this would happen. He had made this promise through Samuel.
David Defeats Jerusalem
4 David and all the Israelites went to the city of Jerusalem. At that time Jerusalem was called Jebus. The people living there were named Jebusites. 5 They said to David, “You can’t get inside our city.” But David captured their strong city of Jerusalem, the City of David.
6 David had said, “The person who leads the attack against the Jebusites will become the commander over all my army.” Joab son of Zeruiah led the attack. So he became the commander of the army.
7 Then David made his home in the strong, walled city. That is why it was named the City of David. 8 David rebuilt the city. He started where the land was filled in and went to the wall that was around the city. Joab repaired the other parts of the city. 9 David became more and more powerful. And the Lord of heaven’s armies was with him.
David’s Mighty Warriors
10 This is a list of the leaders over David’s warriors. These warriors helped make David’s kingdom strong. All the people of Israel also supported David’s kingdom. These heroes and all the people of Israel made David king. This happened as the Lord had promised.
11 This is a list of David’s warriors:
Jashobeam was from the Hacmonite people. He was the leader of the Three,[a] David’s most powerful soldiers. He used his spear to fight 300 men at one time. And he killed them all.
12 Next was Eleazar. He was one of the Three. Eleazar was Dodai’s son. Dodai was from the Ahohite people. 13 Eleazar was with David at Pas-Dammim. The Philistines came there to fight the Israelites. There was a field of barley at that place. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines. 14 But they stopped in the middle of that field and fought the Philistines. And they killed the Philistines. The Lord gave Israel a great victory.
15 Three of the 30 leaders went to David. He was at the rock by the cave near Adullam. At the same time a group from the Philistine army was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16 David was in a protected place at that time. The Philistine army was staying in the town of Bethlehem. 17 David had a strong desire for some water. He said, “Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!” 18 So the Three fought their way through the Philistine army. And they took water out of the well near the city gate in Bethlehem. Then they took it back to David. But he refused to drink it. He poured it out before the Lord. 19 David said, “May God keep me from drinking this water! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives to bring me this water.” So David refused to drink it.
These were the brave things the Three did.
20 Abishai brother of Joab was the leader of the Three. Abishai fought 300 men with his spear and killed them. He became as famous as the Three. 21 He was more honored than the Three. He became their commander even though he was not one of them.
22 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave fighter from Kabzeel. Benaiah did many brave things. He killed two of the best warriors from Moab. He also went down into a pit when it was snowing. There he killed a lion. 23 Benaiah also killed an Egyptian who was about seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian had a spear as large as a weaver’s rod. Benaiah had a club. But he grabbed the spear from the Egyptian’s hand. And he used the Egyptian’s own spear to kill him. 24 These were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. Benaiah became as famous as the Three. 25 He received more honor than the Thirty, David’s most powerful soldiers. But he did not become a member of the Three. David chose Benaiah to be the leader of his bodyguards.
26 These were also mighty warriors:
Asahel brother of Joab;
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
27 Shammoth from the Harorites;
Helez from the Pelonites;
28 Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
Abiezer from the Anathothites;
29 Sibbecai from the Hushathites;
Ilai from the Ahohites;
30 Maharai from the Netophathites;
Heled son of Baanah from the Netophathites;
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin.
Benaiah from the Pirathonites;
32 Hurai from the ravines of Gaash;
Abiel from the Arbathites;
33 Azmaveth from the Baharumites;
Eliahba from the Shaalbonites;
34 the sons of Hashem from the Gizonites;
Jonathan son of Shagee from the Hararites;
35 Ahiam son of Sacar from the Hararites;
Eliphal son of Ur;
36 Hepher from the Mekerathites;
Ahijah from the Pelonites;
37 Hezro from the Carmelites;
Naarai son of Ezbai;
38 Joel brother of Nathan;
Mibhar son of Hagri;
39 Zelek from the Ammonites;
Naharai, from the Berothites, the officer who carried the armor for Joab son of Zeruiah;
40 Ira from the Ithrites;
Gareb from the Ithrites;
41 Uriah from the Hittites;
Zabad son of Ahlai;
42 Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was the leader of the Reubenites, and his 30 soldiers;
43 Hanan son of Maacah;
Joshaphat from the Mithnites;
44 Uzzia from the Ashterathites;
Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham from the Aroer;
45 Jediael son of Shimri;
Joha, Jediael’s brother, from the Tizites;
46 Eliel from the Mahavites;
Jeribai and Joshaviah, Elnaam’s sons;
Ithmah from the Moabites;
47 Eliel, Obed and Jaasiel from the Mezobaites.
Warriors Join David
12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag. David was hiding from Saul son of Kish at that time. These were the men who helped David in battle. 2 They came with bows for weapons. They could use either their right or left hands to shoot arrows or to sling rocks. They were Saul’s relatives from the tribe of Benjamin. 3 Ahiezer was their leader. And there was Joash. (Ahiezer and Joash were Shemaah’s sons. He was from the town of Gibeah.) There were also Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth. There were Beracah and Jehu from the town of Anathoth. 4 And there was Ishmaiah from the town of Gibeon. Ishmaiah was one of the Thirty. In fact, he was the leader of the Thirty. There were Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan and Jozabad from Gederah. 5 There were Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah and Shemariah. There was Shephatiah from Haruph. 6 There were Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam. They were from the family group of Korah. 7 And there were Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham. They were from the town of Gedor.
8 Part of the people of Gad joined David at his protected place in the desert. They were brave warriors trained for war. They were skilled with shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions. And they could run as fast as gazelles over the hills.
9 Ezer was the leader of Gad’s army. Obadiah was second in command. Eliab was third. 10 Mishmannah was fourth, and Jeremiah was fifth. 11 Attai was sixth, and Eliel was seventh. 12 Johanan was eighth, and Elzabad was ninth. 13 Jeremiah was tenth, and Macbannai was eleventh in command.
14 They were the commanders of the army from Gad. The weakest of these leaders was in charge of 100 soldiers. The strongest was in charge of 1,000 soldiers. 15 They crossed the Jordan River and chased away the people living in the valleys. They chased them to the east and to the west. This happened in the first month of the year when the Jordan floods the valley.
16 Other people from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah also came to David at his protected place. 17 David went out to meet them. He said to them, “If you have come peacefully to help me, I welcome you. Join me. But you might have come to turn me over to my enemies, even though I have done nothing wrong. If you do this, the God of our ancestors will see this and punish you.”
18 Then the Spirit entered Amasai, the leader of the Thirty. Amasai said:
“We belong to you, David.
We are with you, son of Jesse.
Success, success to you.
Success to those who help you,
because your God helps you.”
So David welcomed these men. He made them leaders of his army.
19 Some of the men from Manasseh also joined David. They joined him when he went with the Philistines to fight Saul. But David and his men did not really help the Philistines. After talking about it, the Philistine leaders decided to send David away. They said, “If David goes back to his master Saul, we will be killed!” 20 The men from Manasseh joined David when he went to Ziklag. These were the men: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai. Each of these men was a leader of a thousand men from Manasseh. 21 All these men of Manasseh were brave soldiers. They helped David fight against groups of men who went around the country robbing people. These soldiers became commanders in David’s army. 22 Every day more men joined David. So his army became large. It was like the army of God.
Others Join David at Hebron
23 These are the numbers of the men who joined David at Hebron. They came ready for battle. They came to help turn the kingdom of Saul over to David. The Lord had said this would happen.
24 There were 6,800 men with their weapons from the people of Judah. They carried shields and spears.
25 There were 7,100 men from the people of Simeon. They were warriors ready for war.
26 There were 4,600 men from the people of Levi. 27 Jehoiada, a leader from Aaron’s family, was in that group. There were 3,700 with him. 28 Zadok was also in that group. He was a strong young warrior. He came with 22 leaders from his family.
29 There were 3,000 men from the people of Benjamin. They were Saul’s relatives. And most of them had remained loyal to Saul’s family until then.
30 There were 20,800 men from the people of Ephraim. They were brave warriors. They were famous men in their own family groups.
31 There were 18,000 men from the western half-tribe of Manasseh. Each man was especially chosen to make David king.
32 There were 200 leaders from the family of Issachar. They knew what Israel should do. And they knew the right time to do it. Their relatives were with them and under their command.
33 There were 50,000 men from the people of Zebulun. They were trained soldiers. They were trained to use every kind of weapon of war. They followed David completely.
34 There were 1,000 officers from the people of Naphtali. They had 37,000 men with them who carried shields and spears.
35 There were 28,600 men from the people of Dan. They were ready for war.
36 There were 40,000 trained soldiers from the people of Asher. They were ready for war.
37 There were 120,000 men from the east side of the Jordan River. They were from the people of Reuben, Gad and the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh. They had every kind of weapon.
38 All these fighting men were ready to go to war. They came to Hebron fully agreed to make David king of all Israel. All the other Israelites also agreed to make David king. 39 The men spent three days there with David. They ate and drank, because their relatives had prepared food for them. 40 Also, their neighbors brought food. They came from as far as the areas belonging to Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali. They brought food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. They brought much flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, cows and sheep. This was because the people of Israel were very happy.
13 Keep on loving each other as brothers in Christ. 2 Remember to welcome strangers into your homes. Some people have done this and have welcomed angels without knowing it. 3 Do not forget those who are in prison. Remember them as if you were in prison with them. Remember those who are suffering as if you were suffering with them.
4 Marriage should be honored by everyone. Husband and wife should keep their marriage pure. God will judge guilty those who are sexually immoral and commit adultery. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money. And be satisfied with what you have. God has said,
“I will never leave you;
I will never abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
6 So we can feel sure and say,
“I will not be afraid because the Lord is my helper.
People can’t do anything to me.” Psalm 118:6
7 Remember your leaders. They taught God’s message to you. Remember how they lived and died, and copy their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you into the wrong way. Your hearts should be strengthened by God’s grace, not by obeying rules about foods. Obeying such rules does not help anyone.
10 We have a sacrifice. But the priests who serve in the Holy Tent cannot eat from it. 11 The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place. There he offers this blood for sins. But the bodies of the animals are burned outside the camp. 12 So Jesus also suffered outside the city. He died to make his people holy with his own blood. 13 So let us go to Jesus outside the camp. We should accept the same shame that Jesus had.
14 Here on earth we do not have a city that lasts forever. But we are looking for the city that we will have in the future. 15 So through Jesus let us always offer our sacrifice to God. This sacrifice is our praise, coming from lips that speak his name. 16 Do not forget to do good to others. And share with them what you have. These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your leaders and be under their authority. These men are watching you because they are responsible for your souls. Obey them so that they will do this work with joy, not sadness. It will not help you to make their work hard.
18 Continue praying for us. We feel sure about what we are doing, because we always want to do the right thing. 19 And I beg you to pray that God will send me back to you soon.
20-21 I pray that the God of peace will give you every good thing you need so that you can do what he wants. God is the One who raised from death our Lord Jesus, the Great Shepherd of the sheep. God raised him because of the blood of his death. His blood began the agreement that God made with his people. And this agreement is eternal. I pray that God, through Christ, will do in us what pleases him. And to Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.
22 My brothers, I beg you to listen patiently to this message I have written to encourage you. This letter is not very long. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been let out of prison. If he arrives soon, we will both come to see you.
24 Greet all your leaders and all of God’s people. Those from Italy send greetings to you.
25 God’s grace be with you all.
The Vision of Locusts
7 This is what the Lord God showed me: He was forming a swarm of locusts. This was after the king had taken his share of the first crop. The second crop had just begun growing. 2 The locusts ate all the crops in the country. After that I said, “Lord God, forgive us, I beg you! No one in Israel could live through this. Israel is too small already!”
3 So the Lord felt sorry about this. “This will not happen,” said the Lord.
The Vision of Fire
4 This is what the Lord God showed me: The Lord God was calling for fire to come to punish. The fire dried up the deep water and destroyed the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Lord God, stop, I beg you! No one in Israel could live through this. Israel is too small already.”
6 So the Lord felt sorry about this. “This will not happen either,” said the Lord God.
The Vision of the Plumb Line
7 This is what the Lord showed me: The Lord stood by a straight wall. He had a plumb line in his hand. 8 The Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?”
I said, “A plumb line.”
Then the Lord said, “See, I will put a plumb line among my people Israel to show how crooked they are. I will not feel sorry for them any longer.
9 “The places where Isaac’s descendants worship will be destroyed.
Israel’s holy places will be turned into ruins.
And I will attack King Jeroboam’s family with the sword.”
Amaziah and Amos
10 So Amaziah, a priest at Bethel, sent this message to Jeroboam king of Israel: “Amos is making evil plans against you with the people of Israel. He has been speaking so much that this land can’t hold all his words. 11 Amos has said this:
‘Jeroboam will die by the sword,
and the people of Israel will be taken as captives
out of their own country.’”
12 Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Seer, go, run away to Judah. Do your prophesying and earn your living there. 13 But don’t prophesy anymore here at Bethel. This is King Jeroboam’s holy place. This is Israel’s temple.”
14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I do not make my living as a prophet. And I am not a member of a group of prophets. I make my living as a shepherd. And I take care of sycamore trees. 15 But the Lord took me away from tending the sheep. He said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people, the Israelites.’ 16 So listen to the Lord’s message. You tell me,
‘Don’t prophesy against Israel.
And stop prophesying against the descendants of Isaac.’
17 “Because you have said this, the Lord says:
‘Your wife will become a prostitute in the city.
Your sons and daughters will be killed with swords.
Other people will take your land and divide it among themselves.
And you will die in a foreign country.
The people of Israel will definitely be taken
from their own land as captives.’”
The Birth of Jesus
2 At that time, Augustus Caesar sent an order to all people in the countries that were under Roman rule. The order said that they must list their names in a register. 2 This was the first registration[a] taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone went to their own towns to be registered.
4 So Joseph left Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He went to the town of Bethlehem in Judea. This town was known as the town of David. Joseph went there because he was from the family of David. 5 Joseph registered with Mary because she was engaged to marry him. (Mary was now pregnant.) 6 While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, the time came for her to have the baby. 7 She gave birth to her first son. There were no rooms left in the inn. So she wrapped the baby with cloths and laid him in a box where animals are fed.
Some Shepherds Hear About Jesus
8 That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. 9 An angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and suddenly they became very frightened. 10 The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. 11 Today your Savior was born in David’s town. He is Christ, the Lord. 12 This is how you will know him: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a feeding box.”
13 Then a very large group of angels from heaven joined the first angel. All the angels were praising God, saying:
14 “Give glory to God in heaven,
and on earth let there be peace to the people who please God.”[b]
15 Then the angels left the shepherds and went back to heaven. The shepherds said to each other, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. We will see this thing the Lord told us about.”
16 So the shepherds went quickly and found Mary and Joseph. 17 And the shepherds saw the baby lying in a feeding box. Then they told what the angels had said about this child. 18 Everyone was amazed when they heard what the shepherds said to them. 19 Mary hid these things in her heart; she continued to think about them. 20 Then the shepherds went back to their sheep, praising God and thanking him for everything that they had seen and heard. It was just as the angel had told them.
21 When the baby was eight days old, he was circumcised, and he was named Jesus. This name had been given by the angel before the baby began to grow inside Mary.
Jesus Is Presented in the Temple
22 The time came for Mary and Joseph to do what the law of Moses taught about being made pure.[c] They took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 It is written in the law of the Lord: “Give every firstborn male to the Lord.”[d] 24 Mary and Joseph also went to offer a sacrifice, as the law of the Lord says: “You must sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons.”[e]
Simeon Sees Jesus
25 A man named Simeon lived in Jerusalem. He was a good man and very religious. He was waiting for the time when God would help Israel. The Holy Spirit was in him. 26 The Holy Spirit told Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Christ promised by the Lord. 27 The Spirit led Simeon to the Temple. Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the Temple to do what the law said they must do. 28 Then Simeon took the baby in his arms and thanked God:
29 “Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant,
die in peace as you said.
30 I have seen your Salvation[f] with my own eyes.
31 You prepared him before all people.
32 He is a light for the non-Jewish people to see.
He will bring honor to your people, the Israelites.”
33 Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what Simeon had said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, “Many in Israel will fall and many will rise because of this child. He will be a sign from God that many people will not accept. 35 The things they think in secret will be made known. And the things that will happen will make your heart sad, too.”
Anna Sees Jesus
36 Anna, a prophetess, was there at the Temple. She was from the family of Phanuel in the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. She had once been married for seven years. 37 Then her husband died and she lived alone. She was now 84 years old. Anna never left the Temple. She worshiped God by going without food and praying day and night. 38 She was standing there at that time, thanking God. She talked about Jesus to all who were waiting for God to free Jerusalem.
Joseph and Mary Return Home
39 Joseph and Mary finished doing everything that the law of the Lord commanded. Then they went home to Nazareth, their own town in Galilee. 40 The little child began to grow up. He became stronger and wiser, and God’s blessings were with him.
Jesus As a Boy
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. 42 When Jesus was 12 years old, they went to the feast as they always did. 43 When the feast days were over, they went home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Joseph and Mary traveled for a whole day. They thought that Jesus was with them in the group. Then they began to look for him among their family and friends, 45 but they did not find him. So they went back to Jerusalem to look for him there. 46 After three days they found him. Jesus was sitting in the Temple with the religious teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and wise answers. 48 When Jesus’ parents saw him, they were amazed. His mother said to him, “Son, why did you do this to us? Your father and I were very worried about you. We have been looking for you.”
49 Jesus asked, “Why did you have to look for me? You should have known that I must be where my Father’s work is!” 50 But they did not understand the meaning of what he said.
51 Jesus went with them to Nazareth and obeyed them. His mother was still thinking about all that had happened. 52 Jesus continued to learn more and more and to grow physically. People liked him, and he pleased God.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.