M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Wins the Battle Over the Ammonites

19 Nahash was king of Ammon. After he died, his son became the next king after him. ² David thought, “I’m going to be kind to Hanun. His father Nahash was kind to me.” So David sent messengers to Hanun. He wanted them to tell Hanun how sad he was that Hanun’s father had died. David’s messengers went to the land of Ammon. They told Hanun how sad David was.

³ The Ammonite commanders spoke to Hanun. They said, “David has sent messengers to tell you he is sad. They say he wants to honor your father. But the real reason they’ve come is to look the land over. They want to destroy it.” ⁴ So Hanun grabbed David’s messengers. He shaved them. He cut off their clothes just below the waist and left them half naked. Then he sent them away.

⁵ Someone came and told David what had happened to his men. So David sent messengers to them because they were filled with shame. King David said to them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow out again. Then come back here.”

⁶ The Ammonites realized that what they had done had made David very angry with them. So Hanun and the Ammonites got 38 tons of silver. They used it to hire chariots and chariot riders from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maakah and Zobah. ⁷ They hired 32,000 chariots and riders. They also hired the king of Maakah and his troops. All of them came out and camped near Medeba. At the same time the Ammonites brought their troops together from their towns. Then they marched out to fight.

⁸ David heard about it. So he sent Joab out with the entire army of Israel’s fighting men. ⁹ The Ammonites marched out. They took up their battle positions at the entrance to their city. The kings who came to help them gathered their troops together in the open country.

¹⁰ Joab saw that there were lines of soldiers in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the best troops in Israel. He sent them to march out against the Arameans. ¹¹ He put the rest of the men under the command of his brother Abishai. They were sent to march out against the Ammonites. ¹² Joab said, “Suppose the Arameans are too strong for me. Then you must come and help me. But suppose the Ammonites are too strong for you. Then I’ll come and help you. ¹³ Be strong. Let’s be brave as we fight for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he thinks is best.”

¹⁴ Then Joab and the troops with him marched out to attack the Arameans. They ran away from him. ¹⁵ The Ammonites realized that the Arameans were running away. So they also ran away from Joab’s brother Abishai. They went inside the city. Then Joab went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ The Arameans saw that they had been driven away by Israel. So they sent messengers to get some Arameans from east of the Euphrates River. The Arameans were under the command of Shophak. He was the commander of Hadadezer’s army.

¹⁷ David was told about it. So he gathered together the whole army of Israel. They went across the Jordan River. David marched out against the Arameans. He lined up his soldiers opposite them. He lined them up to meet the Arameans in battle. The Arameans began to fight against him. ¹⁸ But then they ran away from Israel. David killed 7,000 of their chariot riders. He killed 40,000 of their soldiers who were on foot. He also killed Shophak, the commander of their army.

¹⁹ The people who were under the rule of Hadadezer saw that Israel had won the battle over them. So they made a peace treaty with David. They were brought under his rule.

After that, the Arameans wouldn’t help the Ammonites anymore.

Joab Captures the City of Rabbah

20 In the spring, Joab led Israel’s army out. It was the time when kings march out to war. Joab destroyed the land of Ammon. He went to the city of Rabbah. He surrounded it and got ready to attack it. But David remained in Jerusalem. Later, Joab attacked Rabbah and completely destroyed it. ² David took the gold crown off the head of the king of Ammon. The crown weighed 75 pounds. It had jewels in it. It was placed on David’s head. He took a huge amount of goods from the city. ³ He brought out the people who were there. He made them work with saws and iron picks and axes. David did that to all the towns in Ammon. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

Israel Goes to War Against the Philistines

⁴ War broke out at Gezer against the Philistines. At that time Sibbekai killed Sippai. So the Philistines were brought under Israel’s control. Sibbekai was a Hushathite. Sippai was from the family line of Rapha.

⁵ In another battle against the Philistines, Elhanan killed Lahmi. Elhanan was the son of Jair. Lahmi was the brother of Goliath. Goliath was from the city of Gath. Lahmi’s spear was as big as a weaver’s rod.

⁶ There was still another battle. It took place at Gath. A huge man lived there. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. So the total number of his toes and fingers was 24. He was also from the family line of Rapha. ⁷ He made fun of Israel. So Jonathan killed him. Jonathan was the son of David’s brother Shimea.

⁸ Those Philistine men lived in Gath. They were from the family line of Rapha. David and his men killed them.

1 I, Peter, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am sending this letter to you, God’s chosen people. You are people who have had to wander in the world. You are scattered all over the areas of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. ² You have been chosen in keeping with what God the Father had planned. That happened through the Spirit’s work to make you pure and holy. God chose you so that you might obey Jesus Christ. God wanted you to be in a covenant relationship with him. He established this relationship by the blood of Christ.

May more and more grace and peace be given to you.

Peter Praises God for a Living Hope

³ Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a living hope. This hope is living because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. ⁴ He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. This is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you. ⁵ Through faith you are kept safe by God’s power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days. ⁶ Because you know all this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble. ⁷ Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. Your faith is worth more than gold. That’s because gold can pass away even when fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns. ⁸ Even though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him. You are filled with a glorious joy that can’t be put into words. ⁹ You are receiving the salvation of your souls. This salvation is the final result of your faith.

¹⁰ The prophets searched very hard and with great care to find out about this salvation. They spoke about the grace that was going to come to you. ¹¹ They wanted to find out when and how this salvation would come. The Spirit of Christ in them was telling them about the sufferings of the Messiah. These were his sufferings that were going to come. The Spirit of Christ was also telling them about the glory that would follow. ¹² It was made known to the prophets that they were not serving themselves. Instead, they were serving you when they spoke about the things that you have now heard. Those who have preached the good news to you have told you these things. They have done it with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Be Holy

¹³ So be watchful, and control yourselves completely. In this way, put your hope in the grace that lies ahead. This grace will be brought to you when Jesus Christ returns. ¹⁴ You should obey your Father. You shouldn’t give in to evil desires. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better. ¹⁵ The God who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do. ¹⁶ It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44,45; 19:2)

¹⁷ You call on a Father who judges each person’s work without favoring one over another. So live as outsiders during your time here. Live with the highest respect for God. ¹⁸ You were set free from an empty way of life. This way of life was handed down to you by your own people of long ago. You know that you were not bought with things that can pass away, like silver or gold. ¹⁹ Instead, you were bought with the priceless blood of Christ. He is a perfect lamb. He doesn’t have any flaws at all. ²⁰ He was chosen before God created the world. But he came into the world for your sake in these last days. ²¹ Because of what Christ has done, you believe in God. It was God who raised him from the dead. And it was God who gave him glory. So your faith and hope are in God.

²² You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for each other. So love one another deeply, from your hearts. ²³ You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts forever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can’t die. ²⁴ It is written,

And this is the word that was preached to you.

Jonah Goes to Nineveh

3 A message from the Lord came to Jonah a second time. The Lord said, ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce to its people the message I give you.”

³ Jonah obeyed the Lord. He went to Nineveh. It was a very large city. In fact, it took about three days to go through it. ⁴ Jonah began by going one whole day into the city. As he went, he announced, “In 40 days Nineveh will be destroyed.” ⁵ The people of Nineveh believed God’s warning. So they decided not to eat any food for a while. And all of them put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. That’s what everyone did, from the least important of them to the most important.

⁶ Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh. He got up from his throne. He took off his royal robes. He also dressed himself in the clothing of sadness. And then he sat down in the dust. ⁷ Here is the message he sent out to the people of Nineveh.

“I and my nobles give this order.

Don’t let people or animals taste anything. That includes your herds and flocks. People and animals must not eat or drink anything. ⁸ Let people and animals alike be covered with the clothing of sadness. All of you must call out to God with all your hearts. Stop doing what is evil. Don’t harm others. ⁹ Who knows? God might take pity on us. He might not be angry with us anymore. Then we won’t die.”

¹⁰ God saw what they did. He saw that they stopped doing what was evil. So he took pity on them. He didn’t destroy them as he had said he would.

The Story of the Farmer

8 After this, Jesus traveled around from one town and village to another. He announced the good news of God’s kingdom. His 12 disciples were with him. ² So were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses. One was Mary Magdalene. Seven demons had come out of her. ³ Another was Joanna, the wife of Chuza. He was the manager of Herod’s household. Susanna and many others were there also. These women were helping to support Jesus and the 12 disciples with their own money.

⁴ A large crowd gathered together. People came to Jesus from town after town. As they did, he told a story. He said, ⁵ “A farmer went out to plant his seed. He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. People walked on it, and the birds ate it up. ⁶ Some seed fell on rocky ground. When it grew, the plants dried up because they had no water. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up with it and crowded out the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It grew up and produced a crop 100 times more than the farmer planted.”

When Jesus said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears should listen.”

⁹ His disciples asked him what the story meant. ¹⁰ He said, “You have been given the chance to understand the secrets of God’s kingdom. But to outsiders I speak by using stories. In that way,

¹¹ “Here is what the story means. The seed is God’s message. ¹² The seed on the path stands for God’s message in the hearts of those who hear. But then the devil comes. He takes away the message from their hearts. He does it so they won’t believe. Then they can’t be saved. ¹³ The seed on rocky ground stands for those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But they have no roots. They believe for a while. But when they are tested, they fall away from the faith. ¹⁴ The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear the message. But as they go on their way, they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. So they do not reach full growth. ¹⁵ But the seed on good soil stands for those with an honest and good heart. Those people hear the message. They keep it in their hearts. They remain faithful and produce a good crop.

A Lamp on a Stand

¹⁶ “No one lights a lamp and then hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand. Then those who come in can see its light. ¹⁷ What is hidden will be seen. And what is out of sight will be brought into the open and made known. ¹⁸ So be careful how you listen. Whoever has something will be given more. Whoever has nothing, even what they think they have will be taken away from them.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

¹⁹ Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him. But they could not get near him because of the crowd. ²⁰ Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside. They want to see you.”

²¹ He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and do what it says.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

²² One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and left. ²³ As they sailed, Jesus fell asleep. A storm came down on the lake. It was so bad that the boat was about to sink. They were in great danger.

²⁴ The disciples went and woke Jesus up. They said, “Master! Master! We’re going to drown!”

He got up and ordered the wind and the huge waves to stop. The storm quieted down. It was completely calm. ²⁵ “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

They were amazed and full of fear. They asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey him.”

Jesus Heals a Man Controlled by Demons

²⁶ Jesus and his disciples sailed to the area of the Gerasenes across the lake from Galilee. ²⁷ When Jesus stepped on shore, he was met by a man from the town. The man was controlled by demons. For a long time he had not worn clothes or lived in a house. He lived in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet. He shouted at the top of his voice, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God, what do you want with me? I beg you, don’t hurt me!” ²⁹ This was because Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times the spirit had taken hold of him. The man’s hands and feet were chained, and he was kept under guard. But he had broken his chains. And then the demon had forced him to go out into lonely places in the countryside.

³⁰ Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. ³¹ And they begged Jesus again and again not to order them to go into the Abyss.

³² A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs. And he allowed it. ³³ When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep bank. They ran into the lake and drowned.

³⁴ Those who were tending the pigs saw what had happened. They ran off and reported it in the town and countryside. ³⁵ The people went out to see what had happened. Then they came to Jesus. They found the man who was now free of the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet. He was dressed and thinking clearly. All this made the people afraid. ³⁶ Those who had seen it told the others how the man who had been controlled by demons was now healed. ³⁷ Then all the people who lived in the area of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them. They were filled with fear. So he got into the boat and left.

³⁸ The man who was now free of the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him away. He said to him, ³⁹ “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away. He told people all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

Jesus Heals a Dead Girl and a Suffering Woman

⁴⁰ When Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him. They were all expecting him. ⁴¹ Then a man named Jairus came. He was a synagogue leader. He fell at Jesus’ feet and begged Jesus to come to his house. ⁴² His only daughter was dying. She was about 12 years old. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.

⁴³ A woman was there who had a sickness that made her bleed. Her sickness had lasted for 12 years. No one could heal her. ⁴⁴ She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his clothes. Right away her bleeding stopped.

⁴⁵ “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

Everyone said they didn’t do it. Then Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pushing against you.”

⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me. I know that power has gone out from me.”

⁴⁷ The woman realized that people would notice her. Shaking with fear, she came and fell at his feet. In front of everyone, she told why she had touched him. She also told how she had been healed in an instant. ⁴⁸ Then he said to her, “Dear woman, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

⁴⁹ While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus. Jairus was the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” the messenger said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe. She will be healed.”

⁵¹ When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let everyone go in with him. He took only Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² During this time, all the people were crying and sobbing loudly over the child. “Stop crying!” Jesus said. “She is not dead. She is sleeping.”

⁵³ They laughed at him. They knew she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and right away she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were amazed. But Jesus ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.