M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Elijah Confronts Ahab
18 After many days, in the third year, the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.” 2 Elijah went to show himself to Ahab.
And there was a great famine in Samaria. 3 Ahab called Obadiah, who was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly. 4 When Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them in groups of fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water.) 5 And Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go into the land, to all the springs of water and to all the brooks. Perhaps we will find grass to save the horses and mules, so that we do not lose all the beasts.” 6 So they divided the land between them to search throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 As Obadiah was going along, he met Elijah, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?”
8 And he answered him, “I am. Go, tell your lord, ‘Elijah is here.’ ”
9 He said, “What evil have I done that you would hand your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death? 10 As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not looked for you, and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom and nation swear that they could not find you, 11 and now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Elijah is here!” ’ 12 As soon as I am gone from you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know, and so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will execute me. But I, your servant, have feared the Lord since my youth. 13 Were you not told what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord’s prophets in groups of fifty in a cave and fed them with bread and water? 14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Elijah is here,” ’ and he will execute me.”
15 Elijah said, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.”
Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him. And Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Are you he that troubles Israel?”
18 And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed the Baals. 19 Now send word out and gather for me all Israel on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
20 So Ahab called out all the children of Israel and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah came to all the people and said, “How long will you stay between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him, but if Baal, then follow him.”
And the people did not say a word.
22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets number four hundred and fifty men. 23 Therefore, let them give us two bulls, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on some wood, but do not light a fire under it, and I will prepare the other bull, lay it on some wood, and not light a fire underneath it. 24 And you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and the God that answers by fire, let Him be God.”
And all the people answered and said, “It is well spoken.”
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for there are many of you, and call on the name of your god, but do not light a fire underneath.”
26 They took the bull which was given to them, and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us.” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.
27 By noon, Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry out loud, for he is a god. Either he is talking or is gone away or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” 28 They cried out loud and cut themselves with knives and spears according to their custom until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And as midday passed, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
30 Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came saying, “Israel shall be your name,” 32 and he built an altar in the name of the Lord with stones, and he made a trench around the altar, so deep that it could contain two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged the wood and cut the bull in pieces and laid him on the wood and said, “Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood.”
34 He said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time.
And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran all around the altar and also filled the trench with water.
36 At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “The Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, so that this people may know that You are the Lord God and that You have turned their hearts back again.”
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”
40 Elijah said to them, “Arrest the prophets of Baal, and do not let one of them escape.” And they arrested them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon brook and executed them there.
End of the Drought
41 Elijah said to Ahab, “Get up, eat and drink, for there is a sound of a heavy rainfall.” 42 So Ahab got up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, and he threw himself down on the ground and put his face between his knees.
43 And he said to his servant, “Go up now, and look toward the sea.”
And he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.”
And he said, “Go again,” seven times.
44 On the seventh time, he said, “A small cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising out of the sea.”
And he said, “Go up and say to Ahab, ‘Mount your chariot and get down, so that the rain does not stop you.’ ”
45 In the meantime, the sky turned black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel. 46 The hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Salutation
1 Paul, Silas, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example
2 We give thanks to God always for you all, mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patient hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of God and our Father.
4 For we know, beloved brothers, your election by God. 5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance, just as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 You became followers of us and the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit. 7 Therefore you were examples to all who believe in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord sounded out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith in God has gone forth, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare how we were received by you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.
The Division of the Land
48 Now these are the names of the tribes: From the north end beside the way of Hethlon as one goes to Lebo Hamath, as far as Hazar Enan at the border of Damascus northward beside Hamath going from east to west, Dan, one portion;
2 by the border of Dan from the east side to the west side, a portion for Asher;
3 by the border of Asher from the east side even to the west side, a portion for Naphtali;
4 by the border of Naphtali from the east side to the west side, a portion for Manasseh;
5 by the border of Manasseh from the east side to the west side, a portion for Ephraim;
6 by the border of Ephraim from the east side even to the west side, a portion for Reuben;
7 by the border of Reuben from the east side to the west side, a portion for Judah;
8 by the border of Judah from the east side to the west side shall be the allotment which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits[a] in width and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side to the west side. And the sanctuary shall be in the middle of it.
9 The allotment that you shall set apart to the Lord shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length, and ten thousand[b] in width. 10 For them, even for the priests, shall be this holy allotment, toward the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length and toward the west ten thousand in width and toward the east ten thousand in width and toward the south twenty-five thousand cubits in length. And the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in its midst. 11 It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the sons of Zadok, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the sons of Israel went astray as the Levites went astray. 12 It shall be an allotment to them, a thing most holy, the allotment of the land by the border of the Levites.
13 Opposite the border of the priests, the Levites shall have twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. All the length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. 14 They shall not sell of it or exchange or alienate this choice portion of the land, for it is holy to the Lord.
15 The five thousand cubits[c] in width that remain and the twenty-five thousand in length shall be for common use for the city, for dwellings and for suburbs. And the city shall be in the midst. 16 These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits;[d] and the south side four thousand five hundred cubits; and on the east side four thousand five hundred cubits; and the west side four thousand five hundred cubits. 17 The suburbs of the city shall be: to the north, two hundred and fifty cubits;[e] to the south, two hundred and fifty cubits; to the east, two hundred and fifty cubits; and to the west, two hundred and fifty cubits. 18 The rest in length alongside the holy portion shall be ten thousand cubits eastward and ten thousand westward. And it shall be alongside the holy portion. And its increase shall be for food to those who serve the city. 19 Those who serve the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. 20 All the allotment shall be twenty-five thousand by twenty-five thousand cubits. You shall set apart the holy allotment foursquare, with the property of the city.
21 The rest shall belong to the prince, on both sides of the holy allotment and the city property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the allotment toward the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand toward the western border, next to the portions for the prince. And the holy allotment and the sanctuary of the temple shall be in its midst. 22 Moreover excluding the property of the Levites and the property of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince’s, everything between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall be for the prince.
23 As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west side, Benjamin shall have one portion.
24 By the border of Benjamin from the east side to the west side, Simeon shall have one portion.
25 By the border of Simeon from the east side to the west side, Issachar shall have one portion.
26 By the border of Issachar from the east side to the west side, Zebulun shall have one portion.
27 By the border of Zebulun from the east side to the west side, Gad shall have one portion.
28 By the border of Gad at the south side southward the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribah Kadesh and to the brook of Egypt toward the Mediterranean Sea.
29 This is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, says the Lord God.
The Gates of the New City
30 These are the exits of the city on the north side, four thousand five hundred cubits by measurement. 31 The gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel, three gates northward: one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi.
32 At the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, shall be three gates: one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.
33 At the south side, four thousand five hundred cubits[f] by measurement, shall be three gates: one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.
34 At the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits, shall be three gates: one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.
35 The circumference shall be eighteen thousand cubits.[g]
And the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord Is There.
Psalm 104
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great!
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 covering Yourself with light as a garment,
who stretches out the heavens like a tent curtain,
3 who lays the upper beams of His chambers on the waters above,
who makes the clouds His chariot,
who rides upon the wings of the wind,
4 who makes His angels as winds,
His ministers a flaming fire.
5 You laid the earth on its foundations,
so that it should never be moved.
6 You covered it with the deep as a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Your rebuke they fled;
at the sound of Your thunder they departed away.
8 The mountains rose up;
the valleys went down
to the place that You appointed them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass over,
that they may not again cover the earth.
10 You send the springs to gush forth in the valleys,
which flow between the hills.
11 They give drink to every animal of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 By them the birds of the heavens have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
13 You water the mountains from Your lofty chamber;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle
and plants for the cultivation of man,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15 and wine that makes glad the heart of man,
and oil that makes shine his face,
and bread that strengthens his heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are well watered,
the cedars of Lebanon that He has planted,
17 where the birds make their nests,
where the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats,
and the rocks a refuge for the badgers.
19 He set the moon to mark the appointed seasons;
the sun knows its time for going down.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the animals of the forest go forth.
21 The young lions roar after their prey
and seek their food from God.
22 When the sun arises, they gather themselves together
and lay down in their dens.
23 Man goes forth to his work
and to his labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are Your works!
With wisdom You have made them all;
the earth is full of Your creatures—
25 so is this great and wide sea,
which is full of innumerable creatures,
living animals both small and great.
26 There go the ships,
and there is Leviathan, which You have made to play in it.
27 These all wait upon You,
that You may give them their food in due season.
28 When You give it to them,
they gather it;
when You open Your hand,
they are filled with good food.
29 When You hide Your face,
they are troubled;
You take away their breath,
and they die and return to their dust.
30 When You send forth Your Spirit,
they are created,
and You renew the surface of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in His works.
32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles;
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 May my meditation be sweet to Him,
for I will be glad in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Praise the Lord!
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.