M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

33 M’nasheh was twelve years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for fifty-five years in Yerushalayim. ² He did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective, following the disgusting practices of the nations whom Adonai had expelled ahead of the people of Isra’el. ³ For he rebuilt the high places which Hizkiyahu his father had smashed; he erected altars for the ba‘alim, made sacred poles and worshipped all the army of heaven and served them. ⁴ He erected altars in the house of Adonai, concerning which Adonai had said, “My name will be in Yerushalayim forever.” ⁵ He erected altars for all the army of heaven in the two courtyards of the house of Adonai. ⁶ He made his children pass through the fire [as a sacrifice] in the Ben-Hinnom Valley. He practiced soothsaying, divination and sorcery; and he appointed mediums and persons who used spirit guides. He did much that was evil from Adonai’s perspective, thus provoking him to anger. ⁷ He set the carved image of the idol he had made in the house of God, concerning which God had told David and Shlomo his son, “In this house and in Yerushalayim, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Isra’el, I will put my name forever. ⁸ Also I will not remove the feet of Isra’el from the land I assigned your ancestors, if only they will take heed to obey every order I have given them, that is, all the Torah, laws and rulings that came through Moshe.” ⁹ M’nasheh caused Y’hudah and the people of Yerushalayim to go astray, so that they did even worse things than the nations whom Adonai destroyed ahead of the people of Isra’el.

¹⁰ Adonai spoke to M’nasheh and to his people, but they paid no attention. ¹¹ Therefore Adonai brought against them the commanders of the king of Ashur’s army. They took M’nasheh captive with hooks, bound him in chains and carried him off to Bavel. ¹² Then, when he was in distress, he began to appease the anger of Adonai, abjectly humbling himself before the God of his ancestors. ¹³ He prayed to him; and God was moved by his plea, paid attention to his entreaty and brought him back to Yerushalayim, to his kingly office. Then M’nasheh understood that Adonai really is God.

¹⁴ After this he built an outer wall for the City of David on the west side of Gichon, in the valley, extending as far as the entrance at the Fish Gate; it encompassed the ‘Ofel, and he built it very high. He stationed army commanders in all the fortified cities of Y’hudah. ¹⁵ He removed the foreign gods and the idol from the house of Adonai and all the altars he had built on the hill of the house of Adonai and in Yerushalayim, and threw them out of the city. ¹⁶ He repaired the altar of Adonai and offered on it sacrifices as peace offerings and for thanksgiving; and he ordered Y’hudah to serve Adonai the God of Isra’el. ¹⁷ However, the people continued sacrificing on the high places, although only to Adonai their God.

¹⁸ Other activities of M’nasheh, his prayer to his God and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of Adonai the God of Isra’el are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra’el. ¹⁹ Also his prayer and how God was moved by his plea, all his sin and disloyalty, and the locations where he built high places and set up the sacred poles and carved images before he humbled himself are written in the History of the Seers.

²⁰ Then M’nasheh slept with his ancestors and was buried at his own house, and Amon his son took his place as king.

²¹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he began his reign, and he ruled for two years in Yerushalayim. ²² He did what was evil from Adonai’s perspective, as had M’nasheh his father. Amon sacrificed to all the carved images that M’nasheh his father had made, and served them. ²³ He did not humble himself before Adonai, as M’nasheh his father had done; rather, this Amon kept adding to his guilt.

²⁴ His servants conspired against him and put the king to death in his own palace. ²⁵ But the people of the land put to death all those who had been part of the conspiracy against King Amon. Then the people of the land made Yoshiyahu his son king in place of him.

19 After these things, I heard what sounded like the roar of a huge crowd in heaven, shouting,

³ And a second time they said,

⁴ The twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshipped God, sitting on the throne, and said,

⁵ A voice went out from the throne, saying,

⁶ Then I heard what sounded like the roar of a huge crowd, like the sound of rushing waters, like loud peals of thunder, saying,

(“Fine linen” means the righteous deeds of God’s people.)

⁹ The angel said to me, “Write: ‘How blessed are those who have been invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb!’” Then he added, “These are God’s very words.” ¹⁰ I fell at his feet to worship him; but he said, “Don’t do that! I’m only a fellow-servant with you and your brothers who have the testimony of Yeshua. Worship God! For the testimony of Yeshua is the Spirit of prophecy.”

¹¹ Next I saw heaven opened, and there before me was a white horse. Sitting on it was the one called Faithful and True, and it is in righteousness that he passes judgment and goes to battle. ¹² His eyes were like a fiery flame, and on his head were many royal crowns. And he had a name written which no one knew but himself. ¹³ He was wearing a robe that had been soaked in blood, and the name by which he is called is, “THE WORD OF GOD.” ¹⁴ The armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ And out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down nations — “He will rule them with a staff of iron.”^[b] It is he who treads the winepress from which flows the wine of the furious rage of Adonai, God of heaven’s armies. ¹⁶ And on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written:

KING OF KINGS

AND

LORD OF LORDS.

¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice to all the birds that fly about in mid-heaven, “Come, gather together for the great feast God is giving, ¹⁸ to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of generals, the flesh of important men, the flesh of horses and their riders and the flesh of all kinds of people, free and slave, small and great!” ¹⁹ I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to do battle with the rider of the horse and his army. ²⁰ But the beast was taken captive, and with it the false prophet who, in its presence, had done the miracles which he had used to deceive those who had received the mark of the beast and those who had worshipped his image. The beast and the false prophet were both thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. ²¹ The rest were killed with the sword that goes out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

1 A prophecy, the word of Adonai to Isra’el through Mal’akhi:

⁶ “A son honors his father and a servant his master. But if I’m a father, where is the honor due me? and if I’m a master, where is the respect due me? — says Adonai-Tzva’ot to you cohanim who despise my name. You ask, ‘How are we despising your name?’ ⁷ By offering polluted food on my altar! Now you ask, ‘How are we polluting you?’ By saying that the table of Adonai doesn’t deserve respect; ⁸ so that there’s nothing wrong with offering a blind animal as a sacrifice, nothing wrong with offering an animal that’s lame or sick. Try offering such an animal to your governor, and see if he will be pleased with you! Would he even receive you?” asks Adonai-Tzva’ot. ⁹ So if you pray now that God will show us favor, what your actions have accomplished is that Adonai-Tzva’ot asks, “Will he receive any of you? ¹⁰ Why doesn’t even one of you shut the doors and thus stop this useless lighting of fires on my altar? I take no pleasure in you,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “and I will not receive an offering from you. ¹¹ For from farthest east to farthest west my name is great among the nations. Offerings are presented to my name everywhere, pure gifts; for my name is great among the nations,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. ¹² “But you profane it by saying that the table of Adonai is polluted, so that the fruit and food offered deserve contempt. ¹³ You also say, ‘It’s all so tiresome!’ and sniff scornfully at it,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. “Then you bring animals that were taken by violence, or they are lame or sick. This is the sort of offering you bring. Am I supposed to accept this from you?” asks Adonai. ¹⁴ “Moreover, cursed is the deceiver who has a male animal in his flock that is damaged, but vows and sacrifices to Adonai anyway. For I am a great king,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot, “and my name is respected among the nations.

18 After Yeshua had said all this, he went out with his talmidim across the stream that flows in winter through the Vadi Kidron, to a spot where there was a grove of trees; and he and his talmidim went into it. ² Now Y’hudah, who was betraying him, also knew the place; because Yeshua had often met there with his talmidim. ³ So Y’hudah went there, taking with him a detachment of Roman soldiers and some Temple guards provided by the head cohanim and the P’rushim; they carried weapons, lanterns and torches. ⁴ Yeshua, who knew everything that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Whom do you want?” ⁵ “Yeshua from Natzeret,” they answered. He said to them, “I AM.” Also standing with them was Y’hudah, the one who was betraying him. ⁶ When he said, “I AM,” they went backward from him and fell to the ground. ⁷ So he inquired of them once more, “Whom do you want?” and they said, “Yeshua from Natzeret.” ⁸ “I told you, ‘I AM,’” answered Yeshua, “so if I’m the one you want, let these others go.” ⁹ This happened so that what he had said might be fulfilled, “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

¹⁰ Then Shim‘on Kefa, who had a sword, drew it and struck the slave of the cohen hagadol, cutting off his right ear; the slave’s name was Melekh. ¹¹ Yeshua said to Kefa, “Put your sword back in its scabbard! This is the cup the Father has given me; am I not to drink it?”

¹² So the detachment of Roman soldiers and their captain, together with the Temple Guard of the Judeans, arrested Yeshua, tied him up, ¹³ and took him first to ‘Anan, the father-in-law of Kayafa, who was cohen gadol that fateful year. ¹⁴ (It was Kayafa who had advised the Judeans that it would be good for one man to die on behalf of the people.) ¹⁵ Shim‘on Kefa and another talmid followed Yeshua. The second talmid was known to the cohen hagadol, and he went with Yeshua into the courtyard of the cohen hagadol; ¹⁶ but Kefa stood outside by the gate. So the other talmid, the one known to the cohen hagadol, went back out and spoke to the woman on duty at the gate, then brought Kefa inside. ¹⁷ The woman at the gate said to Kefa, “Aren’t you another of that man’s talmidim?” He said, “No, I’m not.” ¹⁸ Now the slaves and guards had lit a fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it warming themselves; Kefa joined them and stood warming himself too.

¹⁹ The cohen hagadol questioned Yeshua about his talmidim and about what he taught. ²⁰ Yeshua answered, “I have spoken quite openly to everyone; I have always taught in a synagogue or in the Temple where all Jews meet together, and I have said nothing in secret; ²¹ so why are you questioning me? Question the ones who heard what I said to them; look, they know what I said.” ²² At these words, one of the guards standing by slapped Yeshua in the face and said, “This is how you talk to the cohen hagadol?” ²³ Yeshua answered him, “If I said something wrong, state publicly what was wrong; but if I was right, why are you hitting me?” ²⁴ So ‘Anan sent him, still tied up, to Kayafa the cohen hagadol.

²⁵ Meanwhile, Shim‘on Kefa was standing and warming himself. They said to him, “Aren’t you also one of his talmidim?” He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.” ²⁶ One of the slaves of the cohen hagadol, a relative of the man whose ear Kefa had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the grove of trees?” ²⁷ So again Kefa denied it, and instantly a rooster crowed.

²⁸ They led Yeshua from Kayafa to the governor’s headquarters. By now it was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters building because they didn’t want to become ritually defiled and thus unable to eat the Pesach meal. ²⁹ So Pilate went outside to them and said, “What charge are you bringing against this man?” ³⁰ They answered, “If he hadn’t done something wrong, we wouldn’t have brought him to you.” ³¹ Pilate said to them, “You take him and judge him according to your own law.” The Judeans replied, “We don’t have the legal power to put anyone to death.” ³² This was so that what Yeshua had said, about how he was going to die, might be fulfilled.

³³ So Pilate went back into the headquarters, called Yeshua and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” ³⁴ Yeshua answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have other people told you about me?” ³⁵ Pilate replied, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and head cohanim have handed you over to me; what have you done?” ³⁶ Yeshua answered, “My kingship does not derive its authority from this world’s order of things. If it did, my men would have fought to keep me from being arrested by the Judeans. But my kingship does not come from here.” ³⁷ “So then,” Pilate said to him, “You are a king, after all.” Yeshua answered, “You say I am a king. The reason I have been born, the reason I have come into the world, is to bear witness to the truth. Every one who belongs to the truth listens to me.” ³⁸ Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

Having said this, Pilate went outside again to the Judeans and told them, “I don’t find any case against him. ³⁹ However, you have a custom that at Passover I set one prisoner free. Do you want me to set free for you the ‘king of the Jews’?” ⁴⁰ But they yelled back, “No, not this man but Bar-Abba!” (Bar-Abba was a revolutionary.)