M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Fights the Ammonites

19 Nahash was king of the Ammonite people. When Nahash died, his son became the king. ² David said, “Nahash was kind to me. So I will be kind to Hanun son of Nahash.” Then David sent a group to comfort Hanun about the death of his father.

David’s men went to comfort Hanun in the country of Ammon. ³ But the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Don’t be fooled. David didn’t send these men to comfort you. They are not here to honor your dead father. David sent his men to spy on you and your land. He wants to destroy your country.” ⁴ So Hanun arrested David’s men. To shame them he cut off their beards and cut off their clothes at the hips. Then he sent them away.

⁵ David’s men were too ashamed to go home. Some people came to David and told him what had happened to his men. So he sent messengers to meet them. He said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then come home.”

⁶ The Ammonite people saw they had caused David to hate them. So Hanun and the Ammonites sent about 74,000 pounds of silver to hire chariots and chariot drivers. They hired Arameans from Northwest Mesopotamia, Aram Maacah and Zobah. ⁷ The Ammonites hired 32,000 chariots and chariot drivers. They also hired the king of Maacah and his army. So he and his army came and set up camp near the town of Medeba. The Ammonites themselves came out of their towns and got ready for battle.

⁸ David heard about this. So he sent out Joab and the whole army of Israel. ⁹ The Ammonites came out and got ready for battle. They were near the city gate. The kings who had come to help stayed out in the fields by themselves.

¹⁰ Joab saw that there were enemy troops in front of him and behind him. So Joab chose some of the best soldiers of Israel. And he sent them out to fight the Arameans. ¹¹ Joab put the rest of the army of Israel under the command of Abishai, his brother. Then they went out to fight the Ammonites. ¹² Joab said to Abishai, “The Arameans may be too strong for me. If they are, then you must help me. Or, the Ammonites may be too strong for you. If they are, then I will help you. ¹³ Let’s be strong. We must fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he thinks is right.”

¹⁴ Then Joab and the army with him went to attack the Arameans. And the Arameans ran away from them. ¹⁵ The Ammonite army saw that the Arameans were running away. So they also ran away from Abishai and his army. The Ammonites went back inside their city. And Joab went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ The Arameans saw that Israel had defeated them. So they sent messengers to bring other Arameans from east of the Euphrates River. Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army led them.

¹⁷ When David heard about this, he gathered all the Israelites. And he led them across the Jordan River. He lined them up for battle, facing the Arameans. And they attacked the Arameans. ¹⁸ But the Arameans ran away from the Israelites. David and his army killed 7,000 Aramean chariot drivers. And they killed 40,000 Aramean foot soldiers. They also killed Shophach, the commander of the Aramean army.

¹⁹ Hadadezer’s officers saw that Israel had defeated them. So they made peace with David. They became his servants. So the Arameans refused to help the Ammonites again.

Joab Destroys the Ammonites

20 In the spring Joab led the army of Israel out to battle. This was the time of year when kings went out to battle. But David stayed in Jerusalem. The army of Israel destroyed the land of Ammon. Then they went to the city of Rabbah. They surrounded it and attacked it until they destroyed it. ² David took the crown from the head of their king.^[a] That gold crown weighed about 75 pounds. And it had valuable gems in it. The crown was put on David’s head. Then David took many valuable things from the city. ³ David brought out the people from Rabbah. And he forced them to work with saws, iron picks and axes. David did the same thing to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

Philistine Giants Are Killed

⁴ Later, war broke out between Israel and the Philistines at Gezer. At this time Sibbecai from Hushah killed Sippai. Sippai was one of the descendants of the Rephaites. So those Philistines were defeated.

⁵ Another time, the Israelites again fought the Philistines. Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath. Goliath was from the town of Gath. Lahmi’s spear was as large as a weaver’s rod.

⁶ Later, the Israelites fought another war with the Philistines at Gath. In this town there was a very large man. He had 6 fingers on each hand and 6 toes on each foot. So he had 24 fingers and toes in all. He also was a descendant of Rapha. ⁷ When he made fun of Israel, Jonathan killed him. Jonathan was the son of Shimea, David’s brother.

⁸ These Philistines were descendants of Rapha from Gath. David and his men killed them.

Encouragement for Suffering Christians

1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

To God’s chosen people who are away from their homes. You are scattered all around Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. ² God the Father planned long ago to choose you by making you his holy people. Making you holy is the Spirit’s work. God wanted you to obey him and to be made clean by the blood of the death of Jesus Christ. Grace and peace be yours more and more.

A Living Hope

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. He gave us a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from death. ⁴ Now we hope for the blessings God has for his children. These blessings are kept for you in heaven. They cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty. ⁵ God’s power protects you through your faith, and it keeps you safe until your salvation comes. That salvation is ready to be given to you at the end of time. ⁶ This makes you very happy. But now for a short time different kinds of troubles may make you sad. ⁷ These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold. Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold can be destroyed. But the purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ comes again. ⁸ You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. You are filled with a joy that cannot be explained. And that joy is full of glory. ⁹ Your faith has a goal, to save your souls. And you are receiving that goal—your salvation.

¹⁰ The prophets searched carefully and tried to learn about this salvation. They spoke about the grace that was coming to you. ¹¹ The Spirit of Christ was in the prophets. And the Spirit was telling about the sufferings that would happen to Christ and about the glory that would come after those sufferings. The prophets tried to learn about what the Spirit was showing them. They tried to learn when those things would happen and what the world would be like at that time. ¹² It was shown to them that their service was not for themselves. It was for you. They were serving you when they told about the truths you have now heard. The men who preached the Good News to you told you those things. They did it with the help of the Holy Spirit that was sent from heaven. These are truths that even the angels want very much to know about.

A Call to Holy Living

¹³ So prepare your minds for service and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ comes again. ¹⁴ In the past you did not understand, so you did the evil things you wanted. But now you are children of God who obey. So do not live as you lived in the past. ¹⁵ But be holy in all that you do, just as God is holy. God is the One who called you. ¹⁶ It is written in the Scriptures: “You must be holy, because I am holy.”^[a]

¹⁷ You pray to God and call him Father. And this Father judges each man’s work equally. So while you are here on earth, you should live with respect for God. ¹⁸ You know that in the past you were living in a worthless way. You got that way of living from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that useless life. You were bought, but not with something that ruins like gold or silver. ¹⁹ You were bought with the precious blood of the death of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb. ²⁰ Christ was chosen before the world was made. But he was shown to the world in these last times for you. ²¹ You believe in God through Christ. God raised Christ from death and gave him glory. So your faith and your hope are in God.

²² Now you have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. Now you can have true love for your brothers. So love each other deeply with all your heart. ²³ You have been born again. This new life did not come from something that dies, but from something that cannot die. You were born again through God’s living message that continues forever. ²⁴ The Scripture says,

And this is the word that was preached to you.

God Calls and Jonah Obeys

3 Then the Lord spoke his word to Jonah again. The Lord said, ² “Get up. Go to the great city Nineveh. Preach against it what I tell you.”

³ So Jonah obeyed the Lord. He got up and went to Nineveh. It was a very large city. It took a person three days just to walk across it. ⁴ Jonah entered the city. When he had walked for one day, he preached to the people. He said, “After 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed!”

⁵ The people of Nineveh believed in God. They announced they would stop eating for a while. They put on rough cloth to show how sad they were. All the people in the city wore the cloth. People from the most important to the least important did this.

⁶ When the king of Nineveh heard this news, he got up from his throne. He took off his robe. He covered himself with rough cloth and sat in ashes to show how upset he was.

⁷ He made an announcement and sent it through the city. The announcement said:

¹⁰ God saw what the people did. He saw that they stopped doing evil things. So God changed his mind and did not do what he had warned. He did not punish them.

The Group with Jesus

8 The next day, while Jesus was traveling through some cities and small towns, he preached and told the Good News about God’s kingdom. The 12 apostles were with him. ² There were also some women with him who had been healed of sicknesses and evil spirits. One of the women was Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. ³ Also among the women were Joanna, the wife of Chuza (Herod’s helper), Susanna, and many other women. These women used their own money to help Jesus and his apostles.

A Story About Planting Seed

⁴ A great crowd gathered. People were coming to Jesus from every town. He told them this story:

⁵ “A farmer went out to plant his seed. While he was planting, some seed fell beside the road. People walked on the seed, and the birds ate all this seed. ⁶ Some seed fell on rock. It began to grow but then died because it had no water. ⁷ Some seed fell among thorny weeds. This seed grew, but later the weeds choked the good plants. ⁸ And some seed fell on good ground. This seed grew and made 100 times more grain.”

Jesus finished the story. Then he called out, “Let those with ears use them and listen!”

⁹ Jesus’ followers asked him, “What does this story mean?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “You have been chosen to know the secret truths of the kingdom of God. But I use stories to speak to other people. I do this so that:

¹¹ “This is what the story means: The seed is God’s teaching. ¹² What is the seed that fell beside the road? It is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but then the devil comes and takes it away from their hearts. So they cannot believe the teaching and be saved. ¹³ What is the seed that fell on rock? It is like those who hear God’s teaching and accept it gladly. But they don’t have deep roots. They believe for a while, but then trouble comes. They stop believing and turn away from God. ¹⁴ What is the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? It is like those who hear God’s teaching, but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life keep them from growing. So they never produce good fruit. ¹⁵ And what is the seed that fell on the good ground? That is like those who hear God’s teaching with a good, honest heart. They obey God’s teaching and patiently produce good fruit.

Use What You Have

¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or hides it under a bed. Instead, he puts the lamp on a lampstand so that those who come in will have enough light to see. ¹⁷ Everything that is hidden will become clear. Every secret thing will be made known. ¹⁸ So be careful how you listen. The person who has something will be given more. But to the person who has nothing, this will happen: Even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

Jesus’ True Family

¹⁹ Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. There was such a crowd that they could not get to him. ²⁰ Someone said to Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”

²¹ Jesus answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who listen to God’s teaching and obey it!”

Jesus Stops a Storm

²² One day Jesus and his followers got into a boat. He said to them, “Come with me across the lake.” And so they started across. ²³ While they were sailing, Jesus fell asleep. A big storm blew up on the lake. The boat began to fill with water, and they were in danger.

²⁴ The followers went to Jesus and woke him. They said, “Master! Master! We will drown!”

Jesus got up and gave a command to the wind and the waves. The wind stopped, and the lake became calm. ²⁵ Jesus said to his followers, “Where is your faith?”

The followers were afraid and amazed. They said to each other, “What kind of man is this? He commands the wind and the water, and they obey him!”

A Man with Demons Inside Him

²⁶ Jesus and his followers sailed across the lake from Galilee to the area where the Gerasene^[a] people live. ²⁷ When Jesus got out of the boat, a man from the town came to Jesus. This man had demons inside him. For a long time he had worn no clothes. He lived in the burial caves, not in a house. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him. The man said with a loud voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please don’t punish me!” ²⁹ He said this because Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. Many times it had taken hold of him. He had been kept under guard and chained hand and foot. But he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon out into the desert.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

The man answered, “Legion.”^[b] (He said his name was “Legion” because many demons were in him.) ³¹ The demons begged Jesus not to send them into eternal darkness.^{[c] 32} On the hill there was a large herd of pigs eating. The demons begged Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs. So Jesus allowed them to do this. ³³ Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs. The herd of pigs ran down the hill and into the lake. All the pigs drowned.

³⁴ The men who took care of the pigs ran away. They told about this in the town and the countryside. ³⁵ And people went to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man sitting there at Jesus’ feet. The man was clothed and in his right mind because the demons were gone. But the people were frightened. ³⁶ The men who saw these things happen told the others all about how Jesus had made the man well. ³⁷ All the people of the Gerasene country asked Jesus to go away. They were all very afraid. So Jesus got into the boat and went back across the lake.

³⁸ The man that Jesus had healed begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹ “Go back home and tell people what God did for you.” So the man went all over town telling how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman

⁴⁰ When Jesus got back to the other side of the lake, a crowd welcomed him. Everyone was waiting for him. ⁴¹ A man named Jairus came to Jesus. Jairus was a ruler of the synagogue. He bowed down at Jesus’ feet and begged him to come to his house. ⁴² Jairus had only one daughter. She was 12 years old, and she was dying.

While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house, the people were crowding all around him. ⁴³ A woman was there who had been bleeding for 12 years. She had spent all her money on doctors, but no doctor was able to heal her. ⁴⁴ The woman came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his coat. At that moment, her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ Then Jesus said, “Who touched me?”

All the people said they had not touched Jesus. Peter said, “Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me! I felt power go out from me.” ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she could not hide, she came forward, shaking. She bowed down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she told why she had touched him. Then, she said, she was healed immediately. ⁴⁸ Jesus said to her, “Dear woman, you are healed because you believed. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue ruler and said to the ruler, “Your daughter has died! Don’t bother the teacher now.”

⁵⁰ When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be well.”

⁵¹ Jesus went to the house. He let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him. ⁵² All the people were crying and feeling sad because the girl was dead. But Jesus said, “Don’t cry. She is not dead; she is only sleeping.”

⁵³ The people laughed at Jesus because they knew that the girl was dead. ⁵⁴ But Jesus took her by the hand and called to her, “My child, stand up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit came back into her, and she stood up immediately. Jesus said, “Give her something to eat.” ⁵⁶ The girl’s parents were amazed. Jesus told them not to tell anyone about what happened.