M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem(A)
15 David built ·houses [buildings] for himself in the City of David [C Jerusalem]. Then he prepared a place for the Ark of God, and he set up a tent for it. 2 David said, “Only the Levites may carry the Ark of God. The Lord chose them to carry the Ark of the Lord and to ·serve [minister to/for] him forever.”
3 David ·called [summoned; assembled] all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted to bring the Ark of the Lord to the place he had ·made [prepared] for it. 4 David called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites. 5 There were one hundred twenty ·people from [L sons of] Kohath’s ·family group [clan], with Uriel as their ·leader [chief]. 6 There were two hundred twenty ·people from [L sons of] Merari’s ·family group [clan], with Asaiah as their ·leader [chief]. 7 There were one hundred thirty ·people from [L sons of] ·Gershon’s [or Gersom’s; 6:1] ·family group [clan], with Joel as their ·leader [chief]. 8 There were two hundred ·people from [L sons of] Elizaphan’s ·family group [clan], with Shemaiah as their ·leader [chief]. 9 There were eighty ·people from [L sons of] Hebron’s ·family group [clan], with Eliel as their ·leader [chief]. 10 And there were one hundred twelve ·people from [L sons of] Uzziel’s ·family group [clan], with Amminadab as their ·leader [chief].
11 Then David ·asked [called for; summoned] the priests Zadok and Abiathar and these Levites to come to him: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 David said to them, “You are the leaders of the ·families [clans] of Levi. You and the other Levites must ·give yourselves for service [consecrate/purify/sanctify yourselves] to the Lord, so that you can bring up the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have ·made [prepared] for it. 13 The first time we did not ask the Lord ·how [the proper/lawful way] to carry it. You Levites didn’t carry it, so the Lord our God ·punished [L burst/broke out against] us.”
14 Then the priests and Levites ·prepared themselves for service to the Lord [consecrated/purified/sanctified themselves] so they could ·carry [bring up] the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 The Levites used special poles to carry the Ark of God on their shoulders, as Moses had ·commanded [ordered; instructed], ·just as the Lord had said they should [L according to the word of the Lord].
16 David ·told [commanded; ordered] the ·leaders [chiefs] of the Levites to appoint their ·relatives [kinsmen; L brothers] as ·singers [musicians] to play their lyres, harps, and cymbals and to ·sing happy songs [play/sing joyfully].
17 So the Levites appointed Heman and his ·relatives [kinsmen; L brothers] Asaph and Ethan. Heman was Joel’s son. Asaph was Berekiah’s son. And Ethan, from the Merari ·family group [clan], was Kushaiah’s son. 18 There was also a second ·group [rank; C possibly assistants] of Levites: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel. They were the Levite ·guards [gatekeepers].
19 The ·singers [musicians] Heman, Asaph, and Ethan played bronze cymbals. 20 Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah played ·the lyres [harps] according to alamoth [C possibly indicating to be sung by a soprano; Ps. 46:title]. 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played the ·harps [lyres] according to ·sheminith [L eighth; C a reference to an eight-stringed instrument or perhaps to the manner of singing; Ps. 12:title; Ps. 16:title]. 22 The Levite leader Kenaniah was in charge of the singing, because he was ·very good at it [highly skilled; very knowledgeable].
23 Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the ·guards [gatekeepers] for the Ark. 24 The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer had the job of blowing trumpets ·in front of [before] the Ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also ·guards [gatekeepers] for the Ark.
25 David, the ·leaders [elders] of Israel, and the ·commanders [captains] of a thousand soldiers went to ·get [bring up] the Ark of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant] with the Lord. They all went to bring the Ark from Obed-Edom’s house with great ·joy [celebration]. 26 Because God helped the Levites who carried the Ark of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant] with the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven ·male sheep [rams]. 27 All the Levites who carried the Ark, and Kenaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers wore robes of fine linen. David also wore a robe of fine linen and a ·holy vest of fine linen [L ephod; Ex. 28:6–14]. 28 So all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant] with the Lord. They shouted, blew horns and trumpets, and played cymbals, lyres, and harps.
29 As the Ark of the ·Agreement [Testimony; Treaty; Covenant] with the Lord entered the City of David [C Jerusalem], Saul’s daughter Michal watched from a window. When she saw King David ·dancing [leaping] and celebrating, she hated him in her heart.
Love All People
2 My dear brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, never ·think some people are more important than others [show favoritism/partiality; Lev. 19:15; Deut. 10:17–18]. 2 Suppose someone comes into your ·church meeting [gathering; assembly; C the word can mean “synagogue,” but here refers to a house church gathering] wearing nice clothes and a gold ring. At the same time a poor person comes in wearing ·old, dirty [shabby; filthy] clothes. 3 You ·show special attention to [take notice of; look favorably on] the one wearing nice clothes and say, “Please, sit here in this good seat.” But you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit on the floor ·by my feet [or beside my footstool].” 4 ·What are you doing? You are making some people more important than others [L Are you not discriminating among yourselves…?], and ·with evil thoughts you are deciding that one person is better [or you are judging with evil thoughts; or you are acting like judges with evil motives].
5 Listen, my ·dear [L beloved] brothers and sisters [C fellow believers]! ·God chose [L Did not God choose…?] the poor in the world [1 Cor. 1:26–29] to be rich with faith and to ·receive [L be heirs of] the kingdom God promised to those who love him [Luke 6:20]. 6 But you ·show no respect to [dishonor; have insulted] the poor. ·The rich are always trying to control your lives. They are the ones who take you to court [L Don’t the rich exploit/oppress you and drag you into court?]. 7 ·And they are the ones who speak against Jesus, who owns you [or Don’t they slander the noble/good name by which you were called? L Don’t they blaspheme the noble/good name that was invoked over you? C The “name” may be the person’s name or the name of Jesus, to whom they belong].
8 This royal law [C because God the king decreed it, or because it is the supreme law] is found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself [Lev. 19:18; Matt. 22:37–40].” ·If you [or If you really; or If you, however,] ·obey [fulfill; carry out] this law, you are doing ·right [well]. 9 But if you ·treat one person as being more important than another [show favoritism/partiality; 2:1], you are sinning. You are ·guilty of breaking God’s law [L convicted by the law as lawbreakers/ transgressors]. 10 [L For] A person who ·follows [keeps; obeys] all of God’s law but ·fails to obey even one command [L stumbles/falls in one point] is guilty of breaking all the commands in that law. 11 [L For] The same God who said, “You must not ·be guilty of [commit] adultery [Ex. 20:14; Deut. 5:18],” also said, “You must not murder anyone [Ex. 20:13; Deut. 5:17].” So if you do not ·take part in [commit] adultery but you murder someone, ·you are guilty of breaking all of God’s law [L you have become a breaker/transgressor of the law; Matt. 5:18–19; Gal. 5:3]. 12 ·In everything you say and do, remember that you [L So speak and so act as those who] will be judged by the law ·that makes people free [L of freedom/liberty]. 13 ·So you must show mercy to others, or God will not show mercy to you when he judges you [L For judgment is without mercy to the one who does not act mercifully]. ·But the person who shows mercy can stand without fear at the judgment [L But mercy triumphs over judgment].
Faith and Good Works
14 My brothers and sisters [C fellow believers], if people ·say [claim] they have faith, but do nothing, ·their faith is worth nothing [what good/profit/gain is it?]. Can faith like that save them? 15 [L Suppose; If] A brother or sister in Christ ·might need clothes or food [L is naked and lacks daily food]. 16 If you say to that person, “·God be with you [or I wish you well; L Go in peace]! ·I hope you stay warm and get plenty to eat, [T Be warmed and filled]” but you do not ·give what that person needs [provide for the needs of their body], ·your words are worth nothing [L what good/profit/gain is that?]. 17 In the same way, faith by itself—·that does nothing [L if it does not have works]—is dead.
18 [L But] Someone might say, “You have faith, but I have ·deeds [works].” ·Show me [Prove; Demonstrate] your faith without ·doing anything [L works], and I will ·show you [prove; demonstrate] my faith by ·what I do [my works]. 19 You believe ·there is one God [or that God is one; Deut. 6:4]. ·Good [L You do well]! But the demons believe that, too, and they ·tremble with fear [shudder].
20 You ·foolish [senseless; emptyheaded] person! ·Must you be shown [Do you want evidence; Can’t you see] that faith ·that does nothing [without works] is ·worth nothing [useless; barren]? 21 Abraham, our ·ancestor [father; patriarch; Gen. 12:1–3], was ·made right with God [justified] by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar [Gen. 22]. 22 So you see that Abraham’s faith and ·the things he did [his works] worked together. His faith was made ·perfect [complete] by ·what he did [his works]. 23 This ·shows the full meaning of [fulfills] the Scripture that says: “Abraham believed God, and ·God accepted Abraham’s faith, and that faith made him right with God [L it was credited/counted to him as righteousness; Gen. 15:6].” And Abraham was called God’s friend [2 Chr. 20:7; Is. 41:8]. 24 So you see that people are ·made right with God [justified] by ·what they do [their works], not by faith only.
25 ·Another example is Rahab, the prostitute, who was ·made right with God [justified] by ·something she did [works]. She welcomed the ·spies [L messengers; envoys] into her home and ·helped them escape [L sent them out] by a different road [Josh. 2; C she is named in Jesus’ genealogy (Matt. 1:5), and in Heb. 11:31 as a hero of the faith].
26 Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit [C the force of life that animates the body; Gen. 2:7] is dead, so faith ·that does nothing [T without works] is dead!
Israel Will Be Destroyed
9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:
“·Smash [Strike] the top of the pillars
so that even the ·bottom of the doors [thresholds] will shake.
·Make the pillars fall [L Strike/Shatter them] on the people’s heads;
anyone left alive I will kill with a sword.
Not one person will get away;
no one will escape.
2 If they dig down ·as deep as the place of the dead [or into the depths of the earth; L into Sheol],
·I [L My hand] will pull them up from there.
If they climb up into heaven,
I will bring them down from there.
3 If they hide at the top of Mount Carmel,
I will ·find them [hunt them down] and ·take them away [seize them].
If they try to hide from me at the bottom of the sea,
I will command ·a snake [or the serpent; C perhaps the mythological beast symbolic of chaos] to bite them.
4 If they are ·captured and taken away [driven into exile] by their enemies,
I will command the sword to ·kill [slay] them.
I will ·keep watch over them [fix my eyes on them],
but ·I will keep watch to give them trouble, not to do them good [L for evil/harm, not for good/prosperity].”
5 The Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] touches the land,
and the land ·shakes [dissolves; melts].
Then everyone who lives in the land ·cries for the dead [mourns].
The whole ·land [or earth] rises like the Nile River
and ·falls [sinks; subsides] like the river of Egypt [8:8].
6 The Lord builds his ·upper rooms [or steps] ·above the skies [in the heavens];
he sets their foundations on the earth.
He calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the ·land [L face of the earth/land; C as rain].
The Lord is his name.
7 The Lord says,
“Israel, you are no different to me than the people of Cush [C Ethiopia].
·I brought [L Did I not bring…?] Israel out of the land of Egypt,
and the Philistines from ·Crete [L Caphtor],
and the Arameans [C Syrians] from Kir.
8 [L Look; T Behold] I, the Lord God, am watching the sinful kingdom [C Israel].
I will destroy it
from ·off [L the face of] the earth,
but I will not completely destroy
·Jacob’s descendants [L the house of Jacob],” says the Lord.
9 “[L For look/T behold] I am giving the command
to ·scatter [L shake] the nation of Israel among all nations.
It will be like someone shaking grain through a ·strainer [sieve],
but not even a ·tiny stone [pebble; or kernel of grain] falls ·through [L to the ground].
10 All the sinners among my people
will die by the sword—
those who say,
‘·Nothing bad will happen to us [L Disaster will not approach and meet us].’
The Lord Promises to Restore Israel
11 In that day I will ·restore [rebuild; raise up] the ·tent [hut; shack; C referring to the weakened state of the Davidic dynasty] of David that has fallen,
and ·mend [repair] its broken places.
I will ·rebuild [restore; raise up] its ruins
as it was ·before [in days long ago/of antiquity].
12 Then Israel ·will take over [possess; conquer] ·what is left [the remnant] of Edom
and the other nations that ·belong to me [L are called by my name],”
says the Lord,
who will make it happen.
13 The Lord says, “The time is coming when there will be all kinds of food.
·People will still be harvesting crops
when it’s time to plow again [L The plowman will overtake the reaper].
·People will still be taking the juice from grapes
when it’s time to plant again [L …and the treader of grapes (will overtake) the one who sows the seed].
Wine will drip from the mountains
and pour from the hills [C symbols of great prosperity].
14 I will bring my people Israel back from ·captivity [exile];
they will build the ruined cities again,
and they will live in them.
They will plant vineyards and drink the wine from them;
they will plant ·gardens [or orchards] and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant my people on their land,
and they will not be ·pulled out again [uprooted]
from the land which I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
Jesus Is Tempted by the Devil(A)
4 Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. The Spirit led Jesus into the ·desert [wilderness] 2 where the devil ·tempted [or tested] Jesus for forty days [C like Israel’s forty years of testing in the wilderness]. Jesus ate nothing during that time, and when those days were ended, he was very hungry [Ex. 34:28].
3 The devil said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, ·tell [command] this rock to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘A person does not live on bread alone [Deut. 8:3].’”
5 Then the devil took Jesus [L up] and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant. 6 The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you all these kingdoms and all their ·power [authority] and ·glory [splendor]. [L …because] It has all been ·given [handed over] to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. 7 If you worship me, then it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written in the Scriptures: ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him [Deut. 6:13; 10:20].’”
9 Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on ·a high place [the pinnacle] of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, ·jump [throw yourself] down [L from here]. 10 [L For] It is written in the Scriptures:
‘He ·has put his angels in charge of you [or will order his angels to protect you; L will command his angel concerning you]
to ·watch over you [guard you carefully; Ps. 91:11].’
11 It is also written:
‘They will ·catch you in [lift you up with] their hands
so that you will not ·hit your foot on [trip/stumble over] a rock [Ps. 91:12].’”
12 Jesus answered, “But it also says in the Scriptures: ‘Do not test the Lord your God [Deut. 6:16].’”
13 After the devil had ·tempted [tested] Jesus ·in every way [or with all these temptations], he left him to wait until a ·better [opportune] time.
Jesus Teaches the People(B)
14 Jesus returned to Galilee ·in the power of [empowered by] the Holy Spirit, and ·stories [news; reports] about him spread all through the ·area [region; countryside]. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues, and everyone ·praised [acclaimed; glorified] him.
16 Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read. 17 The ·book [or scroll] of Isaiah the prophet was given to him. He ·opened [L unrolled] the ·book [or scroll] and found the place where this is written:
18 “·The Lord has put his Spirit in me [L The Spirit of the Lord is on me],
because he ·appointed [L anointed; C at Jesus’ baptism he was anointed by the Spirit as the Messiah, meaning the Anointed One] me to ·tell [proclaim; preach] the ·Good News [Gospel] to the poor.
He has sent me to ·tell the captives they are free [proclaim liberty/release for the captives/prisoners]
and to tell the blind that they can see again [Is. 61:1].
God sent me to free ·those who have been treated unfairly [the oppressed; Is. 58:6]
19 and to ·announce [proclaim] the ·time [year] when the Lord will show his ·kindness [favor; Is. 61:2; C an allusion to the release of slaves during the Jubilee year; Lev. 25].”
20 Jesus ·closed the book [or rolled up the scroll], gave it back to the ·assistant [synagogue attendant], and sat down. ·Everyone [L All the eyes] in the synagogue was watching Jesus closely. 21 He began to say to them, “·While you heard these words just now, they were coming true [L Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your ears]!”
22 All the people spoke well of Jesus and were amazed at the ·words of grace [or gracious words] he spoke. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
23 Jesus said to them, “·I know that [No doubt; Surely] you will ·tell [quote] me ·the old saying [this proverb]: ‘·Doctor [T Physician], heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum [C a town in Galilee where Jesus lived and ministered]. Do those things here in your own town!’” 24 Then Jesus said, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly/Amen I say to you], a prophet is not ·accepted [welcomed] in his hometown. 25 But I tell you ·the truth [truly], there were many widows in Israel during the time of Elijah. ·It did not rain [L The sky/heavens were shut] in Israel for three and one-half years, and there was ·no food anywhere [L a great famine] in the whole country [1 Kin. 17]. 26 But Elijah was sent to none of those widows, only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon [C a Gentile city on the coast north of Israel]. 27 And there were many ·with skin diseases [T lepers] living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were ·healed [cured; cleansed], only Naaman, ·who was from the country of Syria [L the Syrian; 2 Kin. 5].”
28 When all the people in the synagogue heard these things, they ·became very angry [were furious; L were filled with wrath]. 29 They got up, ·forced [drove] Jesus out of town, and took him to the ·edge [brow] of the ·cliff [hill] on which the town was built. They planned to throw him off the ·edge [cliff], 30 but Jesus ·walked [passed] through the crowd and went on his way.
Jesus Forces Out an Evil Spirit(C)
31 Jesus went to Capernaum [4:23], a city in Galilee, and on the Sabbath day, he taught the people. 32 They were amazed at his teaching, because ·he spoke with [his words/message had] authority. 33 In the synagogue a man who had within him an ·evil spirit [L unclean spirit; C demons were viewed as “unclean” or defiling spirit-beings] shouted in a loud voice, 34 “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you ·want [have to do] with us? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”
35 Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the evil spirit, “Be quiet! Come out of the man!” The ·evil spirit [L demon] threw the man down to the ground before all the people and then left the man without ·hurting [injuring] him.
36 [L All] The people were amazed and said to each other, “·What does this mean? [or What words these are!] With authority and power he ·commands [gives orders to] ·evil [defiling; L unclean; v. 33] spirits, and they come out.” 37 And so the news about Jesus spread to every place in the whole area.
Jesus Heals Many People(D)
38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon [C Peter]. Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a high fever, and they asked Jesus ·to help her [L concerning her]. 39 He ·came to her side [or stood over her] and ·commanded the fever to leave [L rebuked the fever]. It left her, and immediately she got up and ·began serving them [or waiting on them; C presumably meal preparation].
40 ·When [or As] the sun went down, the people brought those who were sick to Jesus. ·Putting [Laying] his hands on each sick person, he healed every one of them. 41 Demons [L also] came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God.” But Jesus ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew Jesus was the ·Christ [Messiah].
42 At daybreak, Jesus went to a ·lonely [isolated; deserted] place, but the ·people [crowds] ·looked [were looking] for him. When they ·found [came to] him, they tried to keep him from leaving. 43 But Jesus said to them, “I must preach [L the good news] about God’s kingdom to other towns, too. [L …because] This is why I was sent.”
44 Then he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.[a]
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