M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Gatekeepers
26 These are the groups of the gatekeepers.
From the family of Korah, there was Meshelemiah and his sons. (Meshelemiah son of Kore was from Asaph’s family.) 2 Meshelemiah had sons. Zechariah was his first son. Jediael was his second son. Zebadiah was his third son. Jathniel was his fourth son. 3 Elam was his fifth son. Jehohanan was his sixth son, and Eliehoenai was his seventh son.
4 There were also Obed-Edom and his sons. Obed-Edom’s first son was Shemaiah. Jehozabad was his second son. Joah was his third son. Sacar was his fourth son. Nethanel was his fifth son. 5 Ammiel was his sixth son. Issachar was his seventh son, and Peullethai was his eighth son. God had blessed Obed-Edom with children.
6 Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons. They were leaders in their father’s family because they were capable men. 7 Shemaiah’s sons were Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu and Semakiah. Elihu and Semakiah were skilled workers. 8 All these men were Obed-Edom’s descendants. They and their sons and relatives were capable men. They were strong enough to do the work. Obed-Edom had 62 descendants in all.
9 Meshelemiah had sons and relatives. They were skilled workers. In all, there were 18 sons and relatives.
10 These are the gatekeepers from the Merari family. Hosah had sons. Shimri was chosen to be in charge. He was not the oldest son, but his father chose him to be in charge. 11 Hilkiah was his second son. Tabaliah was his third son, and Zechariah was his fourth son. In all, Hosah had 13 sons and relatives.
12 These were the leaders of the groups of the gatekeepers. They had jobs for serving in the Temple of the Lord. Their relatives also had jobs in the Temple. 13 Each family was given a gate to guard. They were chosen by throwing lots. Young and old threw lots.
14 Meshelemiah was chosen by lot to guard the East Gate. Then lots were thrown for Meshelemiah’s son Zechariah. He was a wise counselor. He was chosen for the North Gate. 15 Obed-Edom was chosen for the South Gate. And Obed-Edom’s sons were chosen to guard the storehouse. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were chosen for the West Gate. They also were to guard the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road.
Guards stood side by side with guards. 17 Six Levites stood guard every day at the East Gate. Four Levites stood guard every day at the North Gate. Four Levites stood guard every day at the South Gate. And two Levites at a time guarded the storehouse. 18 There were two guards at the western court. And there were four guards on the road to the court.
19 These were the groups of the gatekeepers. They were from the families of Korah and Merari.
Other Leaders
20 Other Levites were responsible for taking care of the treasuries of the Temple of God. They were also responsible for the places where the holy things were kept.
21 Ladan was Gershon’s son. Ladan was the ancestor of several family groups. Jehiel was a leader of one of the family groups. 22 Jehiel’s sons were Zetham and his brother Joel. They were responsible for the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord.
23 Other leaders were chosen from the family groups of Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 24 Shubael was the leader responsible for the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord. Shubael was the descendant of Gershom, who was Moses’ son. 25 These were Shubael’s relatives from Eliezer: Eliezer’s son Rehabiah, Rehabiah’s son Jeshaiah, Jeshaiah’s son Joram, Joram’s son Zicri and Zicri’s son Shelomith. 26 Shelomith and his relatives were responsible for everything that had been collected for the Temple. Things had been collected by King David and the heads of families. They had been collected by commanders of 1,000 men and of 100 men and other army commanders. 27 They also gave some of the things they had taken in wars. They gave them to be used in repairing the Temple of the Lord. 28 Shelomith and his relatives took care of all the holy things. Some had been given by Samuel the seer and Saul son of Kish. Some had been given by Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah.
29 Kenaniah was from the Izhar family. He and his sons worked outside the Temple. They worked as officers and judges in different places in Israel.
30 Hashabiah was from the Hebron family. He and his relatives were responsible for the Lord’s work and the king’s business in Israel west of the Jordan River. There were 1,700 skilled men in Hashabiah’s group. 31 The history of the Hebron family shows that Jeriah was their leader. In David’s fortieth year as king, the records were searched. Some capable men of the Hebron family were found living at Jazer in Gilead. 32 Jeriah had 2,700 relatives who were skilled men. They were leaders of families. King David gave them the responsibility of directing the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh. They took care of the Lord’s work and the king’s business for them.
Army Divisions
27 This is the list of the Israelite people who served the king in the army. Each division was on duty one month each year. There were leaders of families, commanders of 100 men, commanders of 1,000 men and other officers. Each division had 24,000 men.
2 Jashobeam son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division for the first month. There were 24,000 men in his division. 3 He was one of the descendants of Perez. Jashobeam was leader of all the army officers for the first month.
4 Dodai was in charge of the division for the second month. He was from the Ahohites. Mikloth was a leader in the division. There were 24,000 men in Dodai’s division.
5 The third commander was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was the commander for the third month. There were 24,000 men in Benaiah’s division. 6 He was the Benaiah who was one of the Thirty[a] soldiers. Benaiah was a brave warrior who led those men. Benaiah’s son Ammizabad was in charge of Benaiah’s division.
7 The fourth commander was Asahel, the brother of Joab. He was the commander for the fourth month. Later, Asahel’s son Zebadiah took his place as commander. There were 24,000 men in his division.
8 The fifth commander was Shamhuth, from Izrah’s family. He was the commander for the fifth month. There were 24,000 men in his division.
9 The sixth commander was Ira son of Ikkesh. He was the commander for the sixth month. He was from the town of Tekoa. There were 24,000 men in his division.
10 The seventh commander was Helez. He was the commander for the seventh month. He was from the Pelonites and a descendant of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in his division.
11 The eighth commander was Sibbecai. He was the commander for the eighth month. He was from Hushah and was from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in his division.
12 The ninth commander was Abiezer, from the town of Anathoth. He was the commander for the ninth month. He was from the tribe of Benjamin. There were 24,000 men in his division.
13 The tenth commander was Maharai. He was the commander for the tenth month. He was from Netophah and was from Zerah’s family. There were 24,000 men in his division.
14 The eleventh commander was Benaiah. He was the commander for the eleventh month. He was from Pirathon and was from the tribe of Ephraim. There were 24,000 men in his division.
15 The twelfth commander was Heldai. He was the commander for the twelfth month. He was from Netophah and was from Othniel’s family. There were 24,000 men in his division.
Leaders of the Tribes
16 These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. Eliezer son of Zicri was over the tribe of Reuben. Shephatiah son of Maacah was over the tribe of Simeon. 17 Hashabiah son of Kemuel was over the tribe of Levi. Zadok was over the people of Aaron. 18 Elihu, one of David’s brothers, was over the tribe of Judah. Omri son of Michael was over the tribe of Issachar. 19 Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was over the tribe of Zebulun. Jerimoth son of Azriel was over the tribe of Naphtali. 20 Hoshea son of Azaziah was over the tribe of Ephraim. Joel son of Pedaiah was over the western half-tribe of Manasseh. 21 Iddo son of Zechariah was over the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh. Jaasiel son of Abner was over the tribe of Benjamin. 22 Azarel son of Jeroham was over the tribe of Dan.
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
23 The Lord had promised to make the Israelites as many as the stars in the sky. So David only counted the men who were 20 years old and older. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the people. But he did not finish. God became angry with Israel for counting the people. So the number of the people was not put in the history book about King David’s rule.
The King’s Directors
25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses.
Jonathan was in charge of the storehouses in the towns, villages and towers. He was the son of Uzziah.
26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the field workers. They farmed the land.
27 Shimei was in charge of the vineyards. He was from the town of Ramah.
Zabdi was in charge of storing the wine that came from the vineyards. Zabdi was from Shepham.
28 Baal-Hanan was in charge of the olive trees and sycamore trees in the western mountain slopes. He was from Geder.
Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.
29 Shitrai was in charge of the cows that fed in the Plain of Sharon. He was from Sharon.
Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the cows in the valleys.
30 Obil was in charge of the camels. He was an Ishmaelite.
Jehdeiah was in charge of the donkeys. He was from Meronoth.
31 Jaziz was in charge of the sheep. He was from the Hagrites.
All these men were the officers who took care of King David’s property.
32 Jonathan was David’s uncle. He advised David. Jonathan was a wise man and a teacher of the law. Jehiel son of Hacmoni took care of the king’s sons. 33 Ahithophel advised the king. Hushai was the king’s friend. He was from the Arkite people. 34 Jehoiada and Abiathar later took Ahithophel’s place in advising the king. Jehoiada was Benaiah’s son. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.
Correcting False Teachings
1 From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To you who have received a faith as valuable as ours. You received that faith because our God and Savior Jesus Christ is fair and does what is right.
2 Grace and peace be given to you more and more. You will have grace and peace because you truly know God and Jesus our Lord.
God Has Given Us Blessings
3 Jesus has the power of God. His power has given us everything we need to live and to serve God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus called us by his glory and goodness. 4 Through his glory and goodness, he gave us the very great and rich gifts he promised us. With those gifts you can share in God’s nature. And so the world will not ruin you with its evil desires.
5 Because you have these blessings, you should try as much as you can to add these things to your lives: to your faith, add goodness; and to your goodness, add knowledge; 6 and to your knowledge, add self-control; and to your self-control, add the ability to hold on; and to your ability to hold on, add service for God; 7 and to your service for God, add kindness for your brothers and sisters in Christ; and to this kindness, add love. 8 If all these things are in you and are growing, they will help you never to be useless. They will help your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ make your lives better. 9 But if anyone does not have these things, he cannot see clearly. He is blind. He has forgotten that he was made clean from his past sins.
10 My brothers, God called you and chose you to be his. Try hard to show that you really are God’s chosen people. If you do all these things, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That kingdom continues forever.
12 You know these things, and you are very strong in the truth. But I will always help you to remember these things. 13 I think it is right for me to help you remember while I am still living here on earth. 14 I know that I must soon leave this body. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that. 15 I will try the best I can to help you remember these things always. I want you to be able to remember them even after I am gone.
We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 We have told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What we told you were not just smart stories that someone invented. But we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. 17 Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory. That was when Jesus received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.” 18 We heard that voice. It came from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.
19 This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave. And it is good for you to follow closely what they said. Their message is like a light shining in a dark place. That light shines until the day begins and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Most of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 No prophecy ever came from what a man wanted to say. But men led by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God.
The Mountain of the Lord
4 In the last days
the mountain on which the Lord’s Temple stands
will become the most important of all mountains.
It will be raised above the hills.
People from other nations will come streaming to it.
2 Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.
Let us go to the Temple of the God of Jacob!
Then God will teach us his ways.
And we will obey his teachings.”
The Lord’s teachings will go out from Jerusalem.
The word of the Lord will go out from Jerusalem.
3 The Lord will settle arguments among many nations.
He will decide between strong nations that are far away.
Then the nations will make their swords into plows.
They will make their spears into hooks for trimming trees.
Nations will no longer fight other nations.
They will not even train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under his own vine and fig tree.
No one will make him afraid.
This is because the Lord of heaven’s armies has said it.
5 All other nations follow their own gods.
But we will follow the Lord our God forever and ever.
6 The Lord says, “At that time,
I will bring back to me the crippled.
I will bring back to Jerusalem those who were sent away.
I will bring back to me those who were hurt.
7 I will keep alive those who were crippled.
I will make a strong nation of those who were sent away.
The Lord will be their king in Mount Zion forever.
8 And you, watchtower of the flocks,[a] strong city of Jerusalem,
you will be a kingdom as in the past.
Jerusalem, the right to rule will come again to you.”
Why the Israelites Must Go to Babylon
9 Now, why do you cry so loudly?
Is your king gone?
Have you lost your leader?
You are in pain like a woman trying to give birth.
10 People of Jerusalem, be in pain.
Be like a woman trying to give birth.
Now you must leave the city
and live in the field.
You will go to Babylon.
But you will be saved from that place.
The Lord will go there
and take you back from your enemies.
11 But now many nations
have come to fight against you.
They say, “Let’s destroy Jerusalem
and be proud we have defeated her.”
12 But they don’t know
what the Lord is thinking.
They don’t understand his plan for them.
He will crush them like a bundle of grain on the threshing floor.
13 “Get up and crush them, people of Jerusalem.
I will make you strong as if you had horns of iron.
I will make you strong as if you had hooves of bronze.
You will beat many nations into small pieces.
You will give their wealth to the Lord.
You will give their treasure to the Lord of all the earth.”
Change Your Hearts
13 At that time some people were there with Jesus. They told him about what had happened to some people from Galilee. Pilate[a] killed those people while they were worshiping. He mixed their blood with the blood of the animals they were sacrificing to God. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think this happened to them because they were more sinful than all others from Galilee? 3 No, they were not! But if all of you don’t change your hearts and lives, then you will be destroyed as they were! 4 What about those 18 people who died when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were more sinful than all the others who live in Jerusalem? 5 They were not! But I tell you, if you don’t change your hearts and lives, then you will all be destroyed too!”
The Useless Tree
6 Jesus told this story: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard. He came looking for some fruit on the tree, but he found none. 7 So the man said to his servant who took care of his vineyard, ‘I have been looking for fruit on this tree for three years, but I never find any. Cut it down! Why should it waste the ground?’ 8 But the servant answered, ‘Master, let the tree have one more year to produce fruit. Let me dig up the dirt around it and put on some fertilizer. 9 Maybe the tree will produce fruit next year. If the tree still doesn’t produce fruit, then you can cut it down.’”
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath day. 11 In the synagogue there was a woman who had an evil spirit in her. This spirit had made the woman a cripple for 18 years. Her back was always bent; she could not stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, your sickness has left you!” 13 Jesus put his hands on her. Immediately she was able to stand up straight and began praising God.
14 The synagogue leader was angry because Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. He said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come to be healed on one of those days. Don’t come for healing on the Sabbath day.”
15 The Lord answered, “You people are hypocrites! All of you untie your work animals and lead them to drink water every day—even on the Sabbath day! 16 This woman that I healed is our Jewish sister. But Satan has held her for 18 years. Surely it is not wrong for her to be freed from her sickness on a Sabbath day!” 17 When Jesus said this, all the men who were criticizing him were ashamed. And all the people were happy for the wonderful things Jesus was doing.
Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast
18 Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant.[b] A man plants this seed in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree. The wild birds build nests on its branches.”
20 Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? 21 It is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”
The Narrow Door
22 Jesus was teaching in every town and village. He continued to travel toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone said to Jesus, “Lord, how many people will be saved? Only a few?”
Jesus said, 24 “Try hard to enter through the narrow door that opens the way to heaven! Many people will try to enter there, but they will not be able. 25 A man gets up and closes the door of his house. You can stand outside and knock on the door. You can say, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you! Where did you come from?’ 26 Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you. You taught in the streets of our town.’ 27 But he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you! Where did you come from? Go away from me! All of you do evil!’ 28 You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom. But you will be thrown outside. Then you will cry and grind your teeth with pain. 29 People will come from the east, west, north, and south. They will sit down at the table in the kingdom of God. 30 Those who are last now will be first in the future. And those who are first now will be last in the future.”
Jesus Will Die in Jerusalem
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away from here! Herod wants to kill you!”
32 Jesus said to them, “Go tell that fox Herod, ‘Today and tomorrow I am forcing demons out of people and finishing my work of healing. Then, on the third day, I will reach my goal.’ 33 Yet I must be on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. Surely it cannot be right for a prophet to be killed anywhere except in Jerusalem.
34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You kill with stones those men that God has sent you. Many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me. 35 Now your home will be left completely empty. I tell you, you will not see me again until that time when you will say, ‘God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.’”[c]
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.