M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
9 The whole community of Israel was listed in their family histories. They were written down in the records of the kings of Israel and Judah. The people of Judah were taken away from their own land. They were taken as prisoners to Babylon. That’s because they weren’t faithful to the Lord.
The People Who Lived in Jerusalem
2 The first people who came back from Babylon were some Israelites, priests, Levites and temple servants. They made their homes again in their own towns on their own property.
3 Some of them lived in Jerusalem. They included people from Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh.
4 They included Uthai. He was the son of Ammihud. Ammihud was the son of Omri. Omri was the son of Imri. Imri was the son of Bani. Bani belonged to the family line of Perez. Perez was the son of Judah.
5 The family line of Shelah included
his oldest son Asaiah. It also included the sons of Asaiah.
6 The family line of Zerah included
Jeuel.
The total number of the people of Judah was 690.
7 The family line of Benjamin included
Sallu. He was the son of Meshullam. Meshullam was the son of Hodaviah. Hodaviah was the son of Hassenuah.
8 Ibneiah was the son of Jeroham.
Elah was the son of Uzzi. Uzzi was the son of Mikri.
Meshullam was the son of Shephatiah. Shephatiah was the son of Reuel. Reuel was the son of Ibnijah.
9 The total number of the people of Benjamin was 956. They were listed in their family history. All these men were the leaders of their families.
10 The family line of the priests included
Jedaiah, Jehoiarib and Jakin.
11 It also included Azariah. He was the son of Hilkiah. Hilkiah was the son of Meshullam. Meshullam was the son of Zadok. Zadok was the son of Meraioth. Meraioth was the son of Ahitub. Azariah was the official who was in charge of the house of God.
12 Adaiah was the son of Jeroham. Jeroham was the son of Pashhur. Pashhur was the son of Malkijah.
Maasai was the son of Adiel. Adiel was the son of Jahzerah. Jahzerah was the son of Meshullam. Meshullam was the son of Meshillemith. Meshillemith was the son of Immer.
13 The total number of priests was 1,760. They were the leaders of their families. They were able men. It was their duty to serve in the house of God.
14 The family line of the Levites included
Shemaiah. He was the son of Hasshub. Hasshub was the son of Azrikam. Azrikam was the son of Hashabiah. Shemaiah belonged to the family line of Merari.
15 The family line of the Levites also included Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal and Mattaniah. Mattaniah was the son of Mika. Mika was the son of Zikri. Zikri was the son of Asaph.
16 Obadiah was the son of Shemaiah. Shemaiah was the son of Galal. Galal was the son of Jeduthun.
Berekiah was the son of Asa. Asa was the son of Elkanah. He lived in the villages of the people of Netophah.
17 The men who guarded the gates were
Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman and other Levites. Shallum was their chief. 18 He was stationed at the King’s Gate on the east side. That duty has continued to this day. These guards belonged to the camp of the Levites.
19 Shallum was the son of Kore. Kore was the son of Ebiasaph. Ebiasaph was the son of Korah. Shallum and the other Levites in his family belonged to the family line of Korah. They had the duty of guarding the entrances to the tent. From long ago, their people had the duty of guarding the entrance to the house of the Lord.
20 Long ago Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, was in charge of those who guarded the gate. And the Lord was with him.
21 Zechariah guarded the entrance to the tent of meeting. He was the son of Meshelemiah.
22 The total number of the men who were chosen to guard the entrances was 212. They were listed in their family history in their villages.
David and Samuel the prophet had appointed them to their positions. They appointed them because they trusted them. 23 These Levites and their children after them were in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord was also called the tent of meeting. 24 The men who guarded the gates were on the four sides of the tent. They were on the east, west, north and south sides. 25 From time to time, their relatives in their villages had to come to help them. They had to share their duties for a week at a time. 26 But the four main men who guarded the gates were Levites. They were trusted with the duty of taking care of the storerooms and the other rooms in the house of God. 27 They spent the night in their positions around the house of God. That’s because they had to guard it. They were in charge of the key that opened it each morning.
28 Some Levites were in charge of the objects that were used when they served at the temple. They counted the objects when they were brought in. They also counted them when they were taken out. 29 Other Levites were appointed to take care of all the other things that belonged to the temple. They also took care of the special flour, wine, olive oil, incense and spices. 30 Some of the priests took care of mixing the spices. 31 There was a Levite named Mattithiah. He was the oldest son of Shallum. Shallum belonged to the family line of Korah. Mattithiah was trusted with the duty of baking the offering bread. 32 The bread was placed on the table every Sabbath day. Some Levites in the family line of Kohath were in charge of preparing the bread.
33 Those who led the music lived in rooms in the temple. They were the leaders of their Levite families. Their only duty was to lead the music. They had to do that work day and night.
34 All of them were the leaders of their Levite families. They were listed as chiefs in their family history. They lived in Jerusalem.
The Family History of Saul
35 Jeiel lived in the city of Gibeon. He was the father of Gibeon.
Jeiel had a wife named Maakah. 36 His oldest son was Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah and Mikloth. 38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. Mikloth and Shimeam lived near their relatives in Jerusalem.
39 Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab and Esh-Baal.
40 The son of Jonathan was
Merib-Baal. Merib-Baal was the father of Micah.
41 The sons of Micah were
Pithon, Melek, Tahrea and Ahaz. 42 Ahaz was the father of Jadah. Jadah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza. 43 Moza was the father of Binea. Rephaiah was Binea’s son. Eleasah was Rephaiah’s son. And Azel was Eleasah’s son.
44 Azel had six sons. Their names were
Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah and Hanan. They were the sons of Azel.
Saul Takes His Own Life
10 The Philistines fought against Israel. The men of Israel ran away from them. But many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines kept chasing Saul and his sons. They killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting was heavy around Saul. Men armed with bows and arrows caught up with him. They shot their arrows at him and wounded him badly.
4 Saul spoke to the man who was carrying his armor. He said, “Pull out your sword and stick it through me. If you don’t, these men who aren’t circumcised will come and hurt me badly.”
But the man was terrified. He wouldn’t do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 The man saw that Saul was dead. So he fell on his own sword and died. 6 Saul and his three sons died. All of them died together.
7 All the Israelites who lived in the valley saw that their army had run away. They saw that Saul and his sons were dead. So the Israelites left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived in them.
8 The day after the Philistines had won the battle, they came to take what they wanted from the dead bodies. They found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they took what they wanted from Saul’s body. They cut off his head and took his armor. Then they sent messengers through the whole land of the Philistines. They announced the news to the statues of their gods. They also announced it among their people. 10 They put Saul’s armor in the temple of their gods. They hung up his head in the temple of their god Dagon.
11 The people of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. 12 So all the brave men of Jabesh Gilead went and got the bodies of Saul and his sons. They brought them to Jabesh. Then they buried the bones of Saul and his sons under the great tree that was there. They didn’t eat anything for seven days.
13 Saul died because he wasn’t faithful to the Lord. He didn’t obey the word of the Lord. He even asked for advice from a person who gets messages from people who have died. 14 He didn’t ask the Lord for advice. So the Lord put him to death. He turned the kingdom over to David. David was the son of Jesse.
12 A huge cloud of witnesses is all around us. So let us throw off everything that stands in our way. Let us throw off any sin that holds on to us so tightly. And let us keep on running the race marked out for us. 2 Let us keep looking to Jesus. He is the one who started this journey of faith. And he is the one who completes the journey of faith. He paid no attention to the shame of the cross. He suffered there because of the joy he was looking forward to. Then he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 He made it through these attacks by sinners. So think about him. Then you won’t get tired. You won’t lose hope.
God Trains His Children
4 You struggle against sin. But you have not yet fought to the point of spilling your blood. 5 Have you completely forgotten this word of hope? It speaks to you as a father to his children. It says,
“My son, think of the Lord’s training as important.
Do not lose hope when he corrects you.
6 The Lord trains the one he loves.
He corrects everyone he accepts as his son.” (Proverbs 3:11,12)
7 Put up with hard times. God uses them to train you. He is treating you as his children. What children are not trained by their parents? 8 God trains all his children. But what if he doesn’t train you? Then you are not really his children. You are not God’s true sons and daughters at all. 9 Besides, we have all had human fathers who trained us. We respected them for it. How much more should we be trained by the Father of spirits and live! 10 Our parents trained us for a little while. They did what they thought was best. But God trains us for our good. He does this so we may share in his holiness. 11 No training seems pleasant at the time. In fact, it seems painful. But later on it produces a harvest of godliness and peace. It does this for those who have been trained by it.
12 So put your hands to work. Strengthen your legs for the journey. 13 “Make level paths for your feet to walk on.” (Proverbs 4:26) Then those who have trouble walking won’t be disabled. Instead, they will be healed.
A Warning and an Appeal
14 Try your best to live in peace with everyone. Try hard to be holy. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 Be sure that no one misses out on God’s grace. See to it that a bitter plant doesn’t grow up. If it does, it will cause trouble. And it will make many people impure. 16 See to it that no one commits sexual sins. See to it that no one is godless like Esau. He sold the rights to what he would receive as the oldest son. He sold them for a single meal. 17 As you know, after that he wanted to receive his father’s blessing. But he was turned away. With tears he tried to get the blessing. But he couldn’t change what he had done.
The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy
18 You haven’t come to a mountain that can be touched. You haven’t come to a mountain burning with fire. You haven’t come to darkness, gloom and storm. 19 You haven’t come to a blast from God’s trumpet. You haven’t come to a voice speaking to you. When people heard that voice long ago, they begged it not to say anything more to them. 20 What God commanded was too much for them. He said, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be killed with stones.” (Exodus 19:12,13) 21 The sight was terrifying. Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” (Deuteronomy 9:19)
22 But you have come to Mount Zion. You have come to the city of the living God. This is the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to a joyful gathering of angels. There are thousands and thousands of them. 23 You have come to the church of God’s people. God’s first and only Son is over all things. God’s people share in what belongs to his Son. Their names are written in heaven. You have come to God, who is the Judge of all people. You have come to the spirits of godly people who have been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus. He is the go-between of a new covenant. You have come to the sprinkled blood. It promises better things than the blood of Abel.
25 Be sure that you don’t say no to the one who speaks. People did not escape when they said no to the one who warned them on earth. And what if we turn away from the one who warns us from heaven? How much less will we escape! 26 At that time his voice shook the earth. But now he has promised, “Once more I will shake the earth. I will also shake the heavens.” (Haggai 2:6) 27 The words “once more” point out that what can be shaken can be taken away. I’m talking about created things. Then what can’t be shaken will remain.
28 We are receiving a kingdom that can’t be shaken. So let us be thankful. Then we can worship God in a way that pleases him. Let us worship him with deep respect and wonder. 29 Our “God is like a fire that burns everything up.” (Deuteronomy 4:24)
How Terrible for Those Who Feel Secure When They Shouldn’t
6 How terrible it will be for you men
who are so contented on Mount Zion!
How terrible for you who feel secure
on the hill of Samaria!
You are famous men from the greatest nation.
The people of Israel come to you
for help and advice.
2 Go and look at the city of Kalneh.
Go from there to the great city of Hamath.
Then go down to Gath in Philistia.
Are those places better off than your two kingdoms?
Is their land larger than yours?
3 You are trying to avoid the time
when trouble will come.
But you are only bringing closer
the Assyrian rule of terror.
4 You lie down on beds
that are decorated with ivory.
You rest on your couches.
You eat the best lambs
and the fattest calves.
5 You pluck away on your harps as David did.
You play new songs on musical instruments.
6 You drink wine by the bowlful.
You use the finest lotions.
But Joseph’s people will soon be destroyed.
And you aren’t even sad about it.
7 So you will be among the first
to be taken away as prisoners.
You won’t be able to enjoy good food.
You won’t lie around on couches anymore.
The Lord Hates the Pride of Israel
8 The Lord and King has made a promise in his own name. He is the Lord God who rules over all. He announces,
“I hate the pride of Jacob’s people.
I can’t stand their forts.
I will hand the city of Samaria
and everything in it over to their enemies.”
9 Ten people might be left in one house. If they are, they will die there. 10 Relatives might come to burn the dead bodies. If they do, they’ll have to carry them out of the house first. They might ask someone still hiding there, “Is anyone else here with you?” If the answer is no, the relatives will go on to say, “Be quiet! We must not pray in the Lord’s name.”
11 That’s because the Lord has already given an order.
He will smash large houses to pieces.
He will crush small houses to bits.
12 Horses don’t run on rocky ground.
People don’t plow the sea with oxen.
But you have turned fair treatment into poison.
You have turned the fruit of right living into bitterness.
13 You are happy because you captured the town of Lo Debar.
You say, “We were strong enough to take Karnaim too.”
14 But the Lord God rules over all. He announces, “People of Israel,
I will stir up a nation against you.
They will crush you from Lebo Hamath
all the way down to the Arabah Valley.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in Judea’s hill country. 40 There she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby inside her jumped. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she called out, “God has blessed you more than other women. And blessed is the child you will have! 43 But why is God so kind to me? Why has the mother of my Lord come to me? 44 As soon as I heard the sound of your voice, the baby inside me jumped for joy. 45 You are a woman God has blessed. You have believed that the Lord would keep his promises to you!”
Mary’s Song
46 Mary said,
“My soul gives glory to the Lord.
47 My spirit delights in God my Savior.
48 He has taken note of me
even though I am not considered important.
From now on all people will call me blessed.
49 The Mighty One has done great things for me.
His name is holy.
50 He shows his mercy to those who have respect for him,
from parent to child down through the years.
51 He has done mighty things with his powerful arm.
He has scattered those who are proud in their deepest thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones.
But he has lifted up people who are not considered important.
53 He has filled with good things those who are hungry.
But he has sent away empty those who are rich.
54 He has helped the people of Israel, who serve him.
He has always remembered to be kind
55 to Abraham and his children down through the years.
He has done it just as he promised to our people of long ago.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months. Then she returned home.
John the Baptist Is Born
57 The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby. She gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her. They shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day, they came to have the child circumcised. They were going to name him Zechariah, like his father. 60 But his mother spoke up. “No!” she said. “He must be called John.”
61 They said to her, “No one among your relatives has that name.”
62 Then they motioned to his father. They wanted to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for something to write on. Then he wrote, “His name is John.” Everyone was amazed. 64 Right away Zechariah could speak again. Right away he praised God. 65 All his neighbors were filled with fear and wonder. Throughout Judea’s hill country, people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it. And because the Lord was with John, they asked, “What is this child going to be?”
Zechariah’s Song
67 John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit. He prophesied,
68 “Give praise to the Lord, the God of Israel!
He has come to his people and purchased their freedom.
69 He has acted with great power and has saved us.
He did it for those who are from the family line of his servant David.
70 Long ago holy prophets said he would do it.
71 He has saved us from our enemies.
We are rescued from all who hate us.
72 He has been kind to our people of long ago.
He has remembered his holy covenant.
73 He made a promise to our father Abraham.
74 He promised to save us from our enemies.
Then we could serve him without fear.
75 He wants us to be holy and godly as long as we live.
76 “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High God.
You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare the way for him.
77 You will tell his people how they can be saved.
You will tell them that their sins can be forgiven.
78 All of that will happen because our God is tender and caring.
His kindness will bring the rising sun to us from heaven.
79 It will shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death.
It will guide our feet on the path of peace.”
80 The child grew up, and his spirit became strong. He lived in the desert until he appeared openly to Israel.
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