M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Josiah Celebrates the Passover

35 King Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. The Passover lamb was killed on the fourteenth day of the first month. ² Josiah chose the priests to do their duties. And he encouraged them as they served in the Temple of the Lord. ³ The Levites taught the Israelites and were made holy for service to the Lord. Josiah said to them: “When David’s son Solomon was king of Israel, he built the Temple. Put the Ark of the Covenant in that Temple. Do not carry it from place to place on your shoulders anymore. Now serve the Lord your God and his people the Israelites. ⁴ Prepare yourselves by your family groups for service. Do the jobs that King David and his son Solomon gave you to do.

⁵ “Stand in the holy place with a group of the Levites. Do this for each family group of the people so you may help them. ⁶ Kill the Passover lambs. Make yourselves holy to the Lord. And prepare the lambs for your relatives, the people of Israel. Do everything the Lord through Moses commanded us to do.”

⁷ Josiah gave the Israelites 30,000 sheep and goats to kill for the Passover sacrifices. He also gave them 3,000 cattle. They were all King Josiah’s own animals.

⁸ Josiah’s officers also gave willingly to the people, the priests and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel were the officers in charge of the Temple. They gave the priests 2,600 lambs and goats and 300 cattle for Passover sacrifices. ⁹ Also Conaniah, his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad gave the Levites animals. They gave 5,000 sheep and goats and 500 cattle for Passover sacrifices. These men were leaders of the Levites.

¹⁰ When everything was ready for the Passover service, the priests and Levites went to their places. This is what the king had commanded. ¹¹ The Passover lambs were killed. Then the Levites skinned the animals and gave the blood to the priests. The priests sprinkled the blood on the altar. ¹² Then they gave the animals for the burnt offerings to the different family groups. This was done so the burnt offerings could be offered to the Lord as the Law of Moses taught. They also did this with the cattle. ¹³ The Levites roasted the Passover sacrifices over the fire as they were commanded. And they boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles and pans. Then they quickly gave the meat to the people. ¹⁴ After this was finished, the Levites prepared meat for themselves and for the priests. The priests were the descendants of Aaron. The priests worked until night, offering the burnt offerings and burning the fat of the sacrifices.

¹⁵ The Levite singers were from Asaph’s family. They stood in the places King David had chosen for them. They were Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun, the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not have to leave their places. This was because their fellow Levites had prepared everything for them for the Passover.

¹⁶ So everything was done that day for the worship of the Lord. And it was done as King Josiah commanded. The Passover was celebrated, and the burnt offerings were offered on the Lord’s altar. ¹⁷ The Israelites who were there celebrated the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. ¹⁸ The Passover had not been celebrated like this in Israel since the prophet Samuel was alive. None of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated a Passover like this. King Josiah, the priests and the Levites celebrated it. And the people of Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem celebrated it. ¹⁹ This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year Josiah was king.

The Death of Josiah

²⁰ So Josiah did all this for the Temple. After this, King Neco of Egypt led an army to attack Carchemish. It was a town on the Euphrates River. And Josiah marched out to fight against Neco. ²¹ But Neco sent messengers to Josiah. They said, “King Josiah, there should not be war between us. I did not come to fight you, but my enemies. God told me to hurry, and he is on my side. So don’t fight God, or he will destroy you.”

²² But Josiah did not go away. He wore different clothes so no one would know who he was. He refused to listen to what Neco said at God’s command. So Josiah went to fight on the plain of Megiddo. ²³ In the battle King Josiah was shot by arrows. He told his servants, “Take me away. I am badly wounded.” ²⁴ So they took him out of his chariot. And they put him in another chariot he had brought to the battle. Then they took him to Jerusalem where he died. He was buried in the graves where his ancestors were buried. All the people of Judah and Jerusalem were very sad because he was dead.

²⁵ Jeremiah wrote some sad songs about Josiah. Even to this day all the men and women singers remember and honor Josiah with these songs. It became a custom in Israel to sing these songs. They are written in the collection of sad songs.

^26-27 The other things Josiah did as king, from the beginning to the end, are written down. They are in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. It tells how he loved the Lord and obeyed the Lord’s teachings.

The New Jerusalem

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth had disappeared. Now there was no sea. ² And I saw the holy city coming down out of heaven from God. This holy city is the new Jerusalem.^[a] It was prepared like a bride dressed for her husband. ³ I heard a loud voice from the throne. The voice said, “Now God’s home is with men. He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them and will be their God.^{[b] 4} He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, sadness, crying, or pain. All the old ways are gone.”

⁵ The One who was sitting on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this, because these words are true and can be trusted.”

⁶ The One on the throne said to me: “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega,^[c] the Beginning and the End. I will give free water from the spring of the water of life to anyone who is thirsty. ⁷ Anyone who wins the victory will receive this. And I will be his God, and he will be my son. ⁸ But those who are cowards, who refuse to believe, who do evil things, who kill, who are sexually immoral, who do evil magic, who worship idols, and who tell lies—all these will have a place in the lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

⁹ One of the seven angels came to me. This was one of the angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last troubles. He said, “Come with me. I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰ The angel carried me away by the Spirit to a very large and high mountain. He showed me the holy city, Jerusalem. It was coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It was shining with the glory of God. It was shining bright like a very expensive jewel, like a jasper. It was clear as crystal. ¹² The city had a great high wall with 12 gates. There were 12 angels at the gates. On each gate was written the name of 1 of the 12 tribes of Israel. ¹³ There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south, and three on the west. ¹⁴ The walls of the city were built on 12 foundation stones. On the stones were written the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb.

¹⁵ The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod made of gold. He had this rod to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. ¹⁶ The city was built in a square. Its length was equal to its width. The angel measured the city with the rod. The city was 1,500 miles long, 1,500 miles wide, and 1,500 miles high. ¹⁷ The angel also measured the wall. It was 216 feet high, by man’s measurement. That was the measurement the angel was using. ¹⁸ The wall was made of jasper. The city was made of pure gold, as pure as glass. ¹⁹ The foundation stones of the city walls had every kind of jewel in them. The first cornerstone was jasper, the second was sapphire, the third was chalcedony, the fourth was emerald, ²⁰ the fifth was onyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, the eighth was beryl, the ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst. ²¹ The 12 gates were 12 pearls. Each gate was made from a single pearl. The street of the city was made of pure gold. The gold was clear as glass.

²² I did not see a temple in the city. The Lord God All-Powerful and the Lamb are the city’s temple. ²³ The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it. The glory of God is its light, and the Lamb is the city’s lamp. ²⁴ By its light the people of the world will walk. The kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. ²⁵ The city’s gates will never be shut on any day, because there is no night there. ²⁶ The greatness and the honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷ Nothing unclean will ever enter the city. No one who does shameful things or tells lies will ever go into it. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will enter the city.

3 The Lord of heaven’s armies says, “I will send my messenger. He will prepare the way for me to come. Suddenly, the Lord you are looking for will come to his Temple. The messenger of the agreement, whom you want, will come.” ² No one can live through that time. No one can survive when he comes. He will be like a purifying fire. He will be like laundry soap. ³ He will be like someone who heats and purifies silver. He will purify the Levites. He will make them pure like gold and silver. Then they will bring offerings to the Lord in the right way. ⁴ And he will accept the offerings from Judah and Jerusalem. It will be as it was in the past. ⁵ The Lord of heaven’s armies says, “Then I will come to you and judge you. I will testify against those who take part in evil magic, adultery and lying. I will testify against those who cheat workers of their pay and who cheat widows and orphans. And I will testify against those who are unfair to foreigners. These people do not respect me.

Stealing from God

⁶ “I am the Lord. I do not change. So you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. ⁷ Like your ancestors before you, you have disobeyed my rules. You have not kept them. Return to me. Then I will return to you,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies.

“But you ask, ‘How can we return?’

⁸ “Should a man rob God? But you rob me.

“You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’

“You have robbed me in your offerings and the tenth of your crops. ⁹ So a curse is on you because the whole nation has robbed me. ¹⁰ Bring to the storehouse a tenth of what you gain. Then there will be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies. “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out more blessings than you have room for. ¹¹ I will stop the insects so they won’t eat your crops. The grapes won’t fall from your vines before they are ready to pick,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies. ¹² “All the nations will call you blessed. You will have a pleasant country,” says the Lord of heaven’s armies.

The Lord’s Promise of Mercy

¹³ The Lord says, “You have said terrible things about me.

“But you ask, ‘What have we said about you?’

¹⁴ “You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. It did no good to obey his laws. And it did no good to show the Lord of heaven’s armies that we are sorry for what we did. ¹⁵ So we say that proud people are happy. Evil people succeed. They challenge God and get away with it.’”

¹⁶ Then those who honored the Lord spoke with each other. The Lord listened and heard them. The names of those who honored the Lord and respected him were written in a book. The Lord will remember them.

¹⁷ The Lord of heaven’s armies says, “They belong to me. On that day they will be my very own. A father shows mercy to his son who serves him. In the same way I will show mercy to my people. ¹⁸ You will again see the difference between good and evil people. You will see the difference between those who serve God and those who don’t.

Jesus’ Tomb Is Empty

20 Early on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. It was still dark. Mary saw that the large stone had been moved away from the tomb. ² So Mary ran to Simon Peter and the other follower (the one Jesus loved). Mary said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb. We don’t know where they have put him.”

³ So Peter and the other follower started for the tomb. ⁴ They were both running, but the other follower ran faster than Peter. So the other follower reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent down and looked in. He saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then following him came Simon Peter. He went into the tomb and saw the strips of linen lying there. ⁷ He also saw the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up and laid in a different place from the strips of linen. ⁸ Then the other follower, who had reached the tomb first, also went in. He saw and believed. ⁹ (These followers did not yet understand from the Scriptures that Jesus must rise from death.)

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

¹⁰ Then the followers went back home. ¹¹ But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. While she was still crying, she bent down and looked inside the tomb. ¹² She saw two angels dressed in white. They were sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the feet.

¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

She answered, “They have taken away my Lord. I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ When Mary said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know that it was Jesus.

¹⁵ Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Whom are you looking for?”

Mary thought he was the gardener. So she said to him, “Did you take him away, sir? Tell me where you put him, and I will get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Mary turned toward Jesus and said in the Jewish language,^[a] “Rabboni.” (This means Teacher.)

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold me. I have not yet gone up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them this: ‘I am going back to my Father and your Father. I am going back to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and said to the followers, “I saw the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.

Jesus Appears to His Followers

¹⁹ It was the first day of the week. That evening Jesus’ followers were together. The doors were locked, because they were afraid of the Jews. Then Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. His followers were very happy when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Then Jesus said again, “Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, I now send you.” ²² After he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven. If you don’t forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Jesus Appears to Thomas

²⁴ Thomas (called Didymus) was not with the followers when Jesus came. Thomas was 1 of the 12. ²⁵ The other followers told Thomas, “We saw the Lord.”

But Thomas said, “I will not believe it until I see the nail marks in his hands. And I will not believe until I put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side.”

²⁶ A week later the followers were in the house again. Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand here in my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

²⁸ Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you see me. Those who believe without seeing me will be truly happy.”

Why John Wrote This Book

³⁰ Jesus did many other miracles before his followers that are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you can believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Then, by believing, you can have life through his name.