M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

18 After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and took Gath and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines. ² He defeated Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

³ David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, toward Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them enough for one hundred chariots. ⁵ When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷ David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took very much bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze sea, the pillars, and the vessels of bronze.

⁹ When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him (for Hadadezer had wars with Tou); and he had with him all kinds of vessels of gold and silver and bronze. ¹¹ King David also dedicated these to Yahweh, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations: from Edom, from Moab, from the children of Ammon, from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

¹² Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah struck eighteen thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ He put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁴ David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteousness for all his people. ¹⁵ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁶ Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was scribe; ¹⁷ and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief officials serving the king.

5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you. ² Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be for a testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up your treasure in the last days. ⁴ Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you have kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of those who reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Armies.^{[a] 5} You have lived in luxury on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn’t resist you.

⁷ Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

⁹ Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door. ¹⁰ Take, brothers, for an example of suffering and of perseverance, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we call them blessed who endured. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and have seen the Lord in the outcome, and how the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

¹² But above all things, my brothers, don’t swear—not by heaven, or by the earth, or by any other oath; but let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no”, “no”, so that you don’t fall into hypocrisy.^[b]

¹³ Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises. ¹⁴ Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the assembly, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; ¹⁵ and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. ¹⁷ Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸ He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

¹⁹ Brothers, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, ²⁰ let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

2 Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God, out of the fish’s belly. ² He said,

¹⁰ Then Yahweh spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah on the dry land.

7 After he had finished speaking in the hearing of the people, he entered into Capernaum. ² A certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and at the point of death. ³ When he heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and save his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy for you to do this for him, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he built our synagogue for us.” ⁶ Jesus went with them. When he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying to him, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I am not worthy for you to come under my roof. ⁷ Therefore I didn’t even think myself worthy to come to you; but say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I also am a man placed under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude who followed him, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith, no, not in Israel.” ¹⁰ Those who were sent, returning to the house, found that the servant who had been sick was well.

¹¹ Soon afterwards, he went to a city called Nain. Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude, went with him. ¹² Now when he came near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only born^[a] son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Don’t cry.” ¹⁴ He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” ¹⁵ He who was dead sat up and began to speak. Then he gave him to his mother.

¹⁶ Fear took hold of all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited his people!” ¹⁷ This report went out concerning him in the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

¹⁸ The disciples of John told him about all these things. ¹⁹ John, calling to himself two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?” ²⁰ When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptizer has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?’”

²¹ In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and to many who were blind he gave sight. ²² Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you have seen and heard: that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. ²³ Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”

²⁴ When John’s messengers had departed, he began to tell the multitudes about John, “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft clothing? Behold, those who are gorgeously dressed and live delicately are in kings’ courts. ²⁶ But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written,

²⁸ “For I tell you, among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptizer; yet he who is least in God’s Kingdom is greater than he.”

²⁹ When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they declared God to be just, having been baptized with John’s baptism. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him themselves.

^31 [b]“To what then should I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? ³² They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, saying, ‘We piped to you, and you didn’t dance. We mourned, and you didn’t weep.’ ³³ For John the Baptizer came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ Wisdom is justified by all her children.”

³⁶ One of the Pharisees invited him to eat with him. He entered into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table. ³⁷ Behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. ³⁸ Standing behind at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and she wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. ³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what kind of woman this is who touches him, that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

He said, “Teacher, say on.”

⁴¹ “A certain lender had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴² When they couldn’t pay, he forgave them both. Which of them therefore will love him most?”

⁴³ Simon answered, “He, I suppose, to whom he forgave the most.”

He said to him, “You have judged correctly.” ⁴⁴ Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered into your house, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave me no kiss, but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. ⁴⁶ You didn’t anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” ⁴⁸ He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ Those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”