M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
18 Jehoshaphat had great wealth and honor. He joined forces with Ahab by marrying Ahab’s daughter. 2 Some years later he went down to see Ahab in Samaria. Ahab killed a lot of sheep and cattle for Jehoshaphat and the people with him. Ahab tried to get Jehoshaphat to attack Ramoth Gilead. 3 Ahab was the king of Israel. He spoke to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. He asked, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?”
Jehoshaphat replied, “Yes. I’ll go with you. My men will also go with your men. We’ll join you in the war.” 4 He continued, “First ask the Lord for advice.”
5 So the king of Israel brought 400 prophets together. He asked them, “Should we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?”
“Go,” they answered. “God will hand it over to you.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here? If there is, ask him what we should do.”
7 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat. He said, “There is still one prophet we can go to. We can ask the Lord for advice through him. But I hate him. He never prophesies anything good about me. He only prophesies bad things. His name is Micaiah. He’s the son of Imlah.”
“You shouldn’t say bad things about him,” Jehoshaphat replied.
8 So the king of Israel called for one of his officials. He told him, “Bring Micaiah, the son of Imlah, right away.”
9 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, were wearing their royal robes. They were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor. It was near the entrance of the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 10 Zedekiah was the son of Kenaanah. Zedekiah had made horns out of iron. They looked like animal horns. He announced, “The Lord says, ‘With these horns you will drive back the men of Aram until they are destroyed.’ ”
11 All the other prophets were prophesying the same thing. “Attack Ramoth Gilead,” they said. “Win the battle over it. The Lord will hand it over to you.”
12 A messenger went to get Micaiah. He said to him, “Look. The other prophets agree. All of them are saying the king will have success. So agree with them. Say the same thing they do.”
13 But Micaiah said, “You can be sure that the Lord lives. And you can be just as sure that I can only tell the king what my God says.”
14 When Micaiah arrived, the king spoke to him. He asked, “Should we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?”
“Attack,” he answered. “You will win. The people of Ramoth Gilead will be handed over to you.”
15 The king said to him, “I’ve made you promise to tell the truth many times before. So don’t tell me anything but the truth in the name of the Lord.”
16 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all the Israelites scattered on the hills. They were like sheep that didn’t have a shepherd. The Lord said, ‘These people do not have a master. Let each of them go home in peace.’ ”
17 The king of Israel spoke to Jehoshaphat. He said, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies anything good about me? He only prophesies bad things.”
18 Micaiah continued, “Listen to the Lord’s message. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne. Some of the angels of heaven were standing at his right side. The others were standing at his left side. 19 The Lord said, ‘Who will get Ahab, the king of Israel, to attack Ramoth Gilead? I want him to die there.’
“One angel suggested one thing. Another suggested something else. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward and stood in front of the Lord. The spirit said, ‘I’ll get Ahab to do it.’
“ ‘How?’ the Lord asked.
21 “The spirit said, ‘I’ll go and put lies in the mouths of all his prophets.’
“ ‘You will have success in getting Ahab to attack Ramoth Gilead,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
22 “So the Lord has put lies in the mouths of your prophets. He has said that great harm will come to you.”
23 Then Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. Zedekiah asked Micaiah, “Do you think the spirit sent by the Lord left me? Do you think that spirit went to speak to you?”
24 Micaiah replied, “You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inside room to save your life.”
25 Then the king of Israel gave an order. He said, “Take Micaiah away. Send him back to Amon. Amon is the ruler of the city of Samaria. And send Micaiah back to Joash. Joash is a member of the royal court. 26 Tell them, ‘The king says, “Put this fellow in prison. Don’t give him anything but bread and water until I return safely.” ’ ”
27 Micaiah announced, “Do you really think you will return safely? If you do, the Lord hasn’t spoken through me.” He continued, “All you people, remember what I’ve said!”
Ahab Is Killed at Ramoth Gilead
28 So the king of Israel went up to Ramoth Gilead. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, went there too. 29 The king of Israel spoke to Jehoshaphat. He said, “I’ll go into battle wearing different clothes. Then people won’t recognize me. But you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel put on different clothes. Then he went into battle.
30 The king of Aram had given an order to his chariot commanders. He had said, “Fight only against the king of Israel. Don’t fight against anyone else.” 31 The chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat. They thought, “That’s the king of Israel.” So they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out. And the Lord helped him. God drew the commanders away from him. 32 They saw he wasn’t the king of Israel after all. So they stopped chasing him.
33 But someone shot an arrow without taking aim. The arrow hit the king of Israel between the parts of his armor. The king told the chariot driver, “Turn the chariot around. Get me out of this battle. I’ve been wounded.” 34 All day long the battle continued. The king of Israel kept himself standing up by leaning against the inside of his chariot. He kept his face toward the men of Aram until evening. At sunset he died.
144,000 People Are Marked With the Seal of the Living God
7 After this I saw four angels. They were standing at the four corners of the earth. They were holding back the four winds of the earth. This kept the winds from blowing on the land or the sea or on any tree. 2 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east. He brought the official seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels. They had been allowed to harm the land and the sea. 3 “Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees,” he said. “Wait until we mark with this seal the foreheads of those who serve our God.” 4 Then I heard how many people were marked with the seal. There were 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
5 From the tribe of Judah, 12,000 were marked with the seal.
From the tribe of Reuben, 12,000.
From the tribe of Gad, 12,000.
6 From the tribe of Asher, 12,000.
From the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000.
From the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000.
7 From the tribe of Simeon, 12,000.
From the tribe of Levi, 12,000.
From the tribe of Issachar, 12,000.
8 From the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000.
From the tribe of Joseph, 12,000.
From the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000.
The Huge Crowd Wearing White Robes
9 After this I looked, and there in front of me was a huge crowd of people. They stood in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb. There were so many that no one could count them. They came from every nation, tribe and people. That’s true no matter what language they spoke. They were wearing white robes. In their hands they were holding palm branches. 10 They cried out in a loud voice,
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne.
Salvation also belongs to the Lamb.”
11 All the angels were standing around the throne. They were standing around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces in front of the throne and worshiped God. 12 They said,
“Amen!
May praise and glory
and wisdom be given to our God for ever and ever.
Give him thanks and honor and power and strength.
Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders spoke to me. “Who are these people dressed in white robes?” he asked. “Where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “Sir, you know.”
He said, “They are the ones who have come out of the time of terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 So
“they are in front of the throne of God.
They serve him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne
will be with them to keep them safe.
16 ‘Never again will they be hungry.
Never again will they be thirsty.
The sun will not beat down on them.’ (Isaiah 49:10)
The heat of the desert will not harm them.
17 The Lamb, who is at the center of the area around the throne,
will be their shepherd.
‘He will lead them to springs of living water.’ (Isaiah 49:10)
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ ” (Isaiah 25:8)
A Vision of the High Priest Dressed in Fine Clothes
3 Then the Lord showed me Joshua the high priest. He was standing in front of the angel of the Lord. Satan was standing to the right of Joshua. He was there to bring charges against the high priest. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “May the Lord correct you! He has chosen Jerusalem. So may he correct you! Isn’t this man Joshua like a burning stick pulled out of the fire?”
3 Joshua stood in front of the angel. He was wearing clothes that were very dirty. 4 The angel spoke to those who were standing near him. He said, “Take his dirty clothes off.”
He said to Joshua, “I have taken your sin away. I will put fine clothes on you.”
5 I added, “Put a clean turban on his head.” So they did. And they dressed him while the angel of the Lord stood by.
6 Then the angel spoke to Joshua. He said, 7 “The Lord who rules over all says, ‘You must obey me. You must do what I have commanded. Then you will rule in my temple. You will be in charge of my courtyards. And I will give you a place among these who are standing here.
8 “ ‘High Priest Joshua, pay attention! I want you other priests who are sitting with Joshua to listen also. All you men are signs of things to come. I am going to bring to you my servant the Branch. 9 Look at the stone I have put in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone. I will carve a message on it,’ says the Lord who rules over all. ‘And I will remove the sin of this land in one day.
10 “ ‘At that time each of you will invite your neighbors to visit you. They will sit under your vines and fig trees,’ announces the Lord.”
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. It is also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd of people followed him. They had seen the signs he had done by healing sick people. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside. There he sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
5 Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. So he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test Philip. He already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “Suppose we were able to buy enough bread for each person to have just a bite. That would take more than half a year’s pay!”
8 Another of his disciples spoke up. It was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He said, 9 “Here is a boy with five small loaves of barley bread. He also has two small fish. But how far will that go in such a large crowd?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down. About 5,000 men were there. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. He handed out the bread to those who were seated. He gave them as much as they wanted. And he did the same with the fish.
12 When all of them had enough to eat, Jesus spoke to his disciples. “Gather the leftover pieces,” he said. “Don’t waste anything.” 13 So they gathered what was left over from the five barley loaves. They filled 12 baskets with the pieces left by those who had eaten.
14 The people saw the sign that Jesus did. Then they began to say, “This must be the Prophet who is supposed to come into the world.” 15 But Jesus knew that they planned to come and force him to be their king. So he went away again to a mountain by himself.
Jesus Walks on the Water
16 When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the Sea of Galilee. 17 There they got into a boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. By now it was dark. Jesus had not yet joined them. 18 A strong wind was blowing, and the water became rough. 19 They rowed about three or four miles. Then they saw Jesus coming toward the boat. He was walking on the water. They were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they agreed to take him into the boat. Right away the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake realized something. They saw that only one boat had been there. They knew that Jesus had not gotten into it with his disciples. And they knew that the disciples had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats arrived from Tiberias. It was near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord gave thanks. 24 The crowd realized that Jesus and his disciples were not there. So they got into boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus.
Jesus Is the Bread of Life
25 They found him on the other side of the lake. They asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You are not looking for me because you saw the signs I did. You are looking for me because you ate the loaves until you were full. 27 Do not work for food that spoils. Work for food that lasts forever. That is the food the Son of Man will give you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”
28 Then they asked him, “What does God want from us? What works does he want us to do?”
29 Jesus answered, “God’s work is to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign will you give us? What will you do so we can see it and believe you? 31 Long ago our people ate the manna in the desert. It is written in Scripture, ‘The Lord gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” (Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25)
32 Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. It is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven. It is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven. He gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry. And whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But it is just as I told you. You have seen me, and you still do not believe. 37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me. I will never send away anyone who comes to me. 38 I have not come down from heaven to do what I want to do. I have come to do what the one who sent me wants me to do. 39 The one who sent me doesn’t want me to lose anyone he has given me. He wants me to raise them up on the last day. 40 My Father wants all who look to the Son and believe in him to have eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day.”
41 Then the Jews there began to complain about Jesus. That was because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don’t we know his father and mother? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop complaining among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me brings them. Then I will raise them up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘God will teach all of them.’ (Isaiah 54:13) Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who has come from God. Only he has seen the Father. 47 What I’m about to tell you is true. Everyone who believes has life forever. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Long ago your people ate the manna in the desert, and they still died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven. A person can eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Everyone who eats some of this bread will live forever. This bread is my body. I will give it for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. They said, “How can this man give us his body to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You must eat the Son of Man’s body and drink his blood. If you don’t, you have no life in you. 54 Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day. 55 My body is real food. My blood is real drink. 56 Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood remains in me. And I remain in them. 57 The living Father sent me, and I live because of him. In the same way, those who feed on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Long ago your people ate manna and died. But whoever eats this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Leave Jesus
60 Jesus’ disciples heard this. Many of them said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, “Does this upset you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? 63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit. They give life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies. 65 So he continued speaking. He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps them.”
66 From this time on, many of his disciples turned back. They no longer followed him.
67 “You don’t want to leave also, do you?” Jesus asked the 12 disciples.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, who can we go to? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Then Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you, the 12 disciples? But one of you is a devil!” 71 He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 disciples. But later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.
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