M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Spares Saul’s Life

24 ^[a]After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.^(A)” ² So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look^(B) for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats.

³ He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave^(C) was there, and Saul went in to relieve^(D) himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. ⁴ The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke^(E) of when he said^[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’”^(F) Then David crept up unnoticed and cut^(G) off a corner of Saul’s robe.

⁵ Afterward, David was conscience-stricken^(H) for having cut off a corner of his robe. ⁶ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed,^(I) or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” ⁷ With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

⁸ Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.^{(J) 9} He said to Saul, “Why do you listen^(K) when men say, ‘David is bent on harming^(L) you’? ¹⁰ This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared^(M) you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ¹¹ See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut^(N) off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty^(O) of wrongdoing^(P) or rebellion. I have not wronged^(Q) you, but you are hunting^(R) me down to take my life.^{(S) 12} May the Lord judge^(T) between you and me. And may the Lord avenge^(U) the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. ¹³ As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,^(V)’ so my hand will not touch you.

¹⁴ “Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog?^(W) A flea?^{(X) 15} May the Lord be our judge^(Y) and decide^(Z) between us. May he consider my cause and uphold^(AA) it; may he vindicate^(AB) me by delivering^(AC) me from your hand.”

¹⁶ When David finished saying this, Saul asked, “Is that your voice,^(AD) David my son?” And he wept aloud. ¹⁷ “You are more righteous than I,”^(AE) he said. “You have treated me well,^(AF) but I have treated you badly.^{(AG) 18} You have just now told me about the good you did to me; the Lord delivered^(AH) me into your hands, but you did not kill me. ¹⁹ When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward^(AI) you well for the way you treated me today. ²⁰ I know that you will surely be king^(AJ) and that the kingdom^(AK) of Israel will be established in your hands. ²¹ Now swear^(AL) to me by the Lord that you will not kill off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.^(AM)”

²² So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.^(AN)

Dealing With a Case of Incest

5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.^{(A) 2} And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning^(B) and have put out of your fellowship^(C) the man who has been doing this? ³ For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit.^(D) As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus^(E) on the one who has been doing this. ⁴ So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, ⁵ hand this man over^(F) to Satan^(G) for the destruction of the flesh,^[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.^(H)

⁶ Your boasting is not good.^(I) Don’t you know that a little yeast^(J) leavens the whole batch of dough?^{(K) 7} Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.^{(L) 8} Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread^(M) of sincerity and truth.

⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate^(N) with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world^(O) who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. ¹¹ But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister^[c](P) but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater^(Q) or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.^(R)

¹² What business is it of mine to judge those outside^(S) the church? Are you not to judge those inside?^{(T) 13} God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”^[d](U)

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, eat what is before you, eat this scroll; then go and speak to the people of Israel.” ² So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.

³ Then he said to me, “Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it.” So I ate^(A) it, and it tasted as sweet as honey^(B) in my mouth.

⁴ He then said to me: “Son of man, go now to the people of Israel and speak my words to them.^{(C) 5} You are not being sent to a people of obscure speech and strange language,^(D) but to the people of Israel— ⁶ not to many peoples of obscure speech and strange language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely if I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you.^{(E) 7} But the people of Israel are not willing to listen^(F) to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for all the Israelites are hardened and obstinate.^{(G) 8} But I will make you as unyielding and hardened as they are.^{(H) 9} I will make your forehead^(I) like the hardest stone, harder than flint.^(J) Do not be afraid of them or terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people.^(K)”

¹⁰ And he said to me, “Son of man, listen carefully and take to heart^(L) all the words I speak to you. ¹¹ Go^(M) now to your people in exile and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says,’^(N) whether they listen or fail to listen.^(O)”

¹² Then the Spirit lifted me up,^(P) and I heard behind me a loud rumbling sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.^{[a] 13} It was the sound of the wings of the living creatures^(Q) brushing against each other and the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound.^{(R) 14} The Spirit^(S) then lifted me up^(T) and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord^(U) on me. ¹⁵ I came to the exiles who lived at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River.^(V) And there, where they were living, I sat among them for seven days^(W)—deeply distressed.

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

¹⁶ At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me:^{(X) 17} “Son of man, I have made you a watchman^(Y) for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.^{(Z) 18} When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,^(AA)’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for^[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^{(AB) 19} But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn^(AC) from their wickedness^(AD) or from their evil ways, they will die^(AE) for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.^(AF)

²⁰ “Again, when a righteous person turns^(AG) from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block^(AH) before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.^{(AI) 21} But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.^(AJ)”

²² The hand of the Lord^(AK) was on me there, and he said to me, “Get up and go^(AL) out to the plain,^(AM) and there I will speak to you.” ²³ So I got up and went out to the plain. And the glory of the Lord was standing there, like the glory I had seen by the Kebar River,^(AN) and I fell facedown.^(AO)

²⁴ Then the Spirit came into me and raised me^(AP) to my feet. He spoke to me and said: “Go, shut yourself inside your house.^{(AQ) 25} And you, son of man, they will tie with ropes; you will be bound so that you cannot go out among the people.^{(AR) 26} I will make your tongue stick to the roof^(AS) of your mouth so that you will be silent and unable to rebuke them, for they are a rebellious people.^{(AT) 27} But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth and you shall say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says.’^(AU) Whoever will listen let them listen, and whoever will refuse let them refuse; for they are a rebellious people.^(AV)

Psalm 39^[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.