M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon’s Other Achievements
8 It took Solomon 20 years to build the Temple of the Lord and his own palace. 2 Then Solomon rebuilt the towns that Hiram had given him. And Solomon sent Israelites to live in them. 3 Then he went to Hamath Zobah and captured it. 4 Solomon also built the town of Tadmor in the desert. He built all the towns in Hamath as towns for storing things. 5 He rebuilt the towns of Upper Beth Horon and Lower Beth Horon. He made them protected towns with strong walls, gates and bars in the gates. 6 He also rebuilt the town of Baalath. And he built all the other towns where he stored things. He built all the cities where the chariots and horses were kept. Solomon built all he wanted in Jerusalem, Lebanon and in all the country he ruled.
7-8 Many people who were not Israelites were left living in the country. These people were the Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. They were descendants of the people that the Israelites had not destroyed. Solomon forced all of them to be slave workers. This is still true today. 9 But Solomon did not force any of the Israelites to be slave workers. They were his fighting men. They were the commanders of his army officers, his chariots and his chariot drivers. 10 Some of them were his most important officers. There were 250 of them to direct the people.
11 Solomon brought the daughter of the king of Egypt from the older part of Jerusalem. He brought her to the palace he had built for her. Solomon said, “My wife must not live in King David’s palace. This is because the places where the Ark of the Covenant has been are holy places.”
12 Then Solomon offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the Lord’s altar. Solomon built that altar in front of the Temple porch. 13 He offered sacrifices every day as Moses had commanded. Sacrifices were to be offered on the Sabbath days, New Moons and the three yearly feasts. The three yearly feasts were the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Shelters. 14 Solomon followed his father David’s instructions. Solomon chose the groups of priests for their service. He chose the Levites to lead the praise. And they were to help the priests do their daily work. And he chose the gatekeepers by their groups to serve at each gate. This is what David, the man of God, had commanded. 15 They obeyed all of Solomon’s commands to the priests and Levites. And they obeyed his commands about the treasuries.
16 All Solomon’s work was done. Everything was done as he had said from the day the Temple of the Lord was begun until it was finished. So the Temple was finished.
17 Then Solomon went to the towns of Ezion Geber and Elath. They were near the Red Sea in the country of Edom. 18 Hiram sent to Solomon ships commanded by his own men. They were skilled sailors. Hiram’s men went with Solomon’s men to Ophir. And they brought back about 34,000 pounds of gold to King Solomon.
Help Christians Who Teach Truth
1 From the Elder.[a]
To my dear friend Gaius whom I love in the truth:[b]
2 My dear friend, I know your soul is doing well. I pray that you are doing fine in every way and that your health is good. 3 Some brothers in Christ came and told me about the truth in your life. They said that you are following the way of truth. This made me very happy. 4 It always gives me the greatest joy when I hear that my children are following the way of truth.
5 My dear friend, it is good that you continue to help the brothers. You are helping those that you do not even know! 6 These brothers told the church about the love you have. Please help them to continue their trip. Help them in a way that will please God. 7 They started out on their trip to serve Christ. They did not accept any help from those who are not believers. 8 So we should help these brothers. And when we do, we share in their work for the truth.
9 I wrote a letter to the church. But Diotrephes will not listen to what we say. He always wants to be their leader. 10 When I come, I will talk about what Diotrephes is doing. He lies and says evil things about us. But that is not all he does. He refuses to help those who are working to serve Christ. He also stops those who want to help the brothers and puts them out of the church.
11 My dear friend, do not follow what is bad; follow what is good. He who does what is good is from God. But he who does evil has never known God.
12 Everyone says good things about Demetrius. And the truth agrees with what they say. Also, we say good about him. And you know that what we say is true.
13 I have many things I want to tell you, but I do not want to use pen and ink. 14 I hope to visit you soon. Then we can be together and talk. 15 Peace to you. The friends here with me send their love. Please give our love to each one of the friends there.
Habakkuk’s Prayer
3 This is the prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on shigionoth.
2 Lord, I have heard the news about you.
Lord, I am amazed at the powerful things you have done.
Do great things once again in our time.
Make those things happen again in our own days.
Even when you are angry,
remember to be gentle with us.
3 God is coming from Teman in the south.
The Holy One comes from Mount Paran.[a] Selah
The Lord’s greatness covers the heavens.
His praise fills the earth.
4 He is like a bright light.
Rays of light shine from his hand.
And there he hides his power.
5 Sickness goes before him,
and fever follows behind him.
6 The Lord stands and shakes the earth.
He looks, and the nations shake with fear.
The mountains, which stood for ages, break into pieces.
The old hills fall down.
God has always done this.
7 I saw that the tents of Cushan were in trouble.
The tents of Midian trembled.
8 Lord, were you angry at the rivers?
Were you angry at the streams?
Were you angry with the sea
when you rode your horses and chariots to victory?[b]
9 You uncovered your bow.
You commanded many arrows to be brought to you. Selah
You split the earth with rivers.
10 The mountains saw you and shook with fear.
The rushing water flowed by.
The sea made a loud noise,
and its waves rose high.
11 The sun and moon stood still in the sky.
They stopped when they saw the flash of your flying arrows.
They stopped when they saw the gleam of your shining spear.
12 In anger you marched on the earth.
In anger you punished the nations.
13 You came to save your people.
You came to save your chosen one.
You crushed the leader of the wicked ones.
You took everything away from them. Selah
14 With the enemy’s own spear you stabbed the leader of his army.
His soldiers rushed out like a storm to scatter us.
They were happy as if
they were robbing the poor people in secret.
15 But you marched through the sea with your horses,
stirring the great waters.
16 I hear these things, and my body trembles.
My lips tremble when I hear the sound.
My bones feel weak.
My legs shake.
But I will wait patiently for the day of disaster.
That day is coming to the people who attack us.
17 Fig trees may not grow figs.
There may be no grapes on the vines.
There may be no olives growing on the trees.
There may be no food growing in the fields.
There may be no sheep in the pens.
There may be no cattle in the barns.
18 But I will still be glad in the Lord.
I will rejoice in God my Savior.
19 The Lord God gives me my strength.
He makes me like a deer, which does not stumble.
He leads me safely on the steep mountains.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.
Plans to Kill Jesus
22 It was almost time for the Jewish Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover Feast. 2 The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to kill Jesus. But they were afraid of the people.
3 One of Jesus’ 12 apostles was named Judas Iscariot. Satan entered Judas, and he went to 4 the leading priests and some of the soldiers who guarded the Temple. He talked to them about a way to give Jesus to them. 5 They were pleased and promised to give Judas money. 6 Judas agreed. Then he waited for the best time to turn Jesus over to them without the crowd knowing it.
Preparation of the Passover Meal
7 The Day of Unleavened Bread came. This was the day the Passover lambs had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus said to Peter and John, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”
9 They asked, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”
Jesus said to them, 10 “Listen! After you go into the city, you will see a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house that he enters. 11 Tell the person who owns that house, ‘The Teacher asks that you please show us the room where he and his followers may eat the Passover meal.’ 12 Then he will show you a large room upstairs. This room is ready for you. Prepare the Passover meal there.”
13 So Peter and John left. Everything happened as Jesus had said. So they prepared the Passover meal.
The Lord’s Supper
14 When the time came, Jesus and the apostles were sitting at the table. 15 He said to them, “I wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you before I die. 16 I will never eat another Passover meal until it is given its true meaning in the kingdom of God.”
17 Then Jesus took a cup. He gave thanks to God for it and said, “Take this cup and give it to everyone here. 18 I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine[a] until God’s kingdom comes.”
19 Then Jesus took some bread. He thanked God for it, broke it, and gave it to the apostles. Then Jesus said, “This bread is my body[b] that I am giving for you. Do this to remember me.” 20 In the same way, after supper, Jesus took the cup and said, “This cup shows the new agreement that God makes with his people. This new agreement begins with my blood which is poured out for you.”
Who Will Turn Against Jesus?
21 Jesus said, “One of you will turn against me. His hand is by my hand on the table. 22 The Son of Man will do what God has planned. But how terrible it will be for that man who gives the Son of Man to be killed.”
23 Then the apostles asked each other, “Which one of us would do that to Jesus?”
Be Like a Servant
24 Then the apostles began to argue about which one of them was the most important. 25 But Jesus said to them, “The kings of the world rule over their people. Men who have authority over others are called ‘very important.’ 26 But you must not be like that. The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the leader should be like the servant. 27 Who is more important: the one sitting at the table or the one serving him? You think the one at the table is more important. But I am like a servant among you!
28 “You men have stayed with me through many struggles. 29 My Father has given me the power to rule. I also give you authority to rule with me. 30 You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. You will sit on thrones and judge the 12 tribes of Israel.
Don’t Lose Your Faith!
31 “Satan has asked to test all of you as a farmer tests his wheat. Simon, Simon, 32 I have prayed that you will not lose your faith! Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me.”
33 But Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you. I will even die with you!”
34 But Jesus said, “Peter, before the rooster crows tonight, you will say you don’t know me. You will say this three times!”
Be Ready for Trouble
35 Then Jesus said to the apostles, “When I sent you out without money, a bag, or sandals, did you need anything?”
They said, “No.”
36 He said to them, “But now if you have money or a bag, carry that with you. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. 37 The Scripture says, ‘He was treated like a criminal.’[c] This scripture must have its full meaning. It was written about me, and it is happening now.”
38 The followers said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords!”
He said to them, “That’s enough.”
Jesus Prays Alone
39-40 Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives. His followers went with him. (Jesus went there often.) He said to his followers, “Pray for strength against temptation.”
41 Then Jesus went about a stone’s throw away from them. He kneeled down and prayed, 42 “Father, if it is what you want, then let me not have this cup[d] of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.” 43 Then an angel from heaven appeared to him to help him. 44 Jesus was full of pain; he prayed even more. Sweat dripped from his face as if he were bleeding. 45 When he finished praying, he went to his followers. They were asleep. (Their sadness had made them very tired.) 46 Jesus said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray for strength against temptation.”
Jesus Is Arrested
47 While Jesus was speaking, a crowd came up. One of the 12 apostles was leading them. He was Judas. He came close to Jesus so that he could kiss him.
48 But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you using the kiss to give the Son of Man to his enemies?”
49 The followers of Jesus were standing there too. They saw what was happening. They said to Jesus, “Lord, should we use our swords?” 50 And one of them did use his sword. He cut off the right ear of the servant of the high priest.
51 Jesus said, “Stop!” Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed him.
52 Those who came to arrest Jesus were the leading priests, the soldiers who guarded the Temple, and the Jewish elders. Jesus said to them, “Why did you come out here with swords and sticks? Do you think I am a criminal? 53 I was with you every day in the Temple. Why didn’t you try to arrest me there? But this is your time—the time when darkness rules.”
Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus
54 They arrested Jesus and took him away. They brought him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed them, but he did not go near Jesus. 55 The soldiers started a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat together. Peter sat with them. 56 A servant girl saw Peter sitting there near the light. She looked closely at Peter’s face and said, “This man was also with him!”
57 But Peter said this was not true. He said, “Girl, I don’t know him.”
58 A short time later, another person saw Peter and said, “You are also one of them.”
But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 About an hour later, another man insisted, “It is true! This man was with him. He is from Galilee!”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!”
Immediately, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered what the Lord had said: “Before the rooster crows tonight, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” 62 Then Peter went outside and cried with much pain in his heart.
The People Laugh at Jesus
63-64 Some men were guarding Jesus. They made fun of him like this: They covered his eyes so that he could not see them. Then they hit him and said, “Prove that you are a prophet, and tell us who hit you!” 65 The men said many cruel things to Jesus.
Jesus Before the Leaders
66 When day came, the elders of the people, the leading priests, and the teachers of the law came together. They led Jesus away to their highest court. 67 They said, “If you are the Christ, then tell us that you are!”
Jesus said to them, “If I tell you I am the Christ, you will not believe me. 68 And if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But beginning now, the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the powerful God.”
70 They all said, “Then are you the Son of God?”
Jesus said to them, “Yes, you are right when you say that I am.”
71 They said, “Why do we need witnesses now? We ourselves heard him say this!”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.