M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
21 The leaders of Israel had vowed at Mizpah never to let their daughters marry a man from the tribe of Benjamin. 2 And now the Israeli leaders met at Bethel and sat before God until evening, weeping bitterly.
3 “O Lord God of Israel,” they cried out, “why has this happened, that now one of our tribes is missing?”
4 The next morning they were up early and built an altar, and offered sacrifices and peace offerings on it. 5 And they said among themselves, “Was any tribe of Israel not represented when we held our council before the Lord at Mizpah?” For at that time it was agreed by solemn oath that anyone who refused to come must die. 6 There was deep sadness throughout all Israel for the loss of their brother tribe, Benjamin.
“Gone,” they kept saying to themselves, “gone—an entire tribe of Israel has been cut off and is gone. 7 And how shall we get wives for the few who remain, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them our daughters?”
8-9 Then they thought again of their oath to kill anyone who refused to come to Mizpah and discovered that no one had attended from Jabesh-gilead. 10-12 So they sent 12,000 of their best soldiers to destroy the people of Jabesh-gilead. All the men, married women, and children were slain, but the young virgins of marriageable age were saved. There were 400 of these, and they were brought to the camp at Shiloh.
13 Then Israel sent a peace delegation to the little remnant of the men of Benjamin at Rimmon Rock. 14 The 400 girls were given to them as wives, and they returned to their homes; but there were not enough of these girls for all of them. 15 (What a sad time it was in Israel in those days because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel.)
16 “What shall we do for wives for the others, since all the women of the tribe of Benjamin are dead?” the leaders of Israel asked. 17 “There must be some way to get wives for them, so that an entire tribe of Israel will not be lost forever. 18 But we can’t give them our own daughters. We have sworn with a solemn oath that anyone who does this shall be cursed of God.”
19 Suddenly someone thought of the annual religious festival held in the fields of Shiloh, between Lebonah and Bethel, along the east side of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.
20 They told the men of Benjamin who still needed wives, “Go and hide in the vineyards, 21 and when the girls of Shiloh come out for their dances, rush out and catch them and take them home with you to be your wives! 22 And when their fathers and brothers come to us in protest, we will tell them, ‘Please be understanding and let them have your daughters, for we didn’t find enough wives for them when we destroyed Jabesh-gilead, and you couldn’t have given your daughters to them without being guilty.’”
23 So the men of Benjamin did as they were told and kidnapped the girls who took part in the celebration, and carried them off to their own land. Then they rebuilt their cities and lived in them. 24 So the people of Israel returned to their homes.
25 (There was no king in Israel in those days, and every man did whatever he thought was right.)
25 Three days after Festus arrived in Caesarea to take over his new responsibilities, he left for Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and other Jewish leaders got hold of him and gave him their story about Paul. 3 They begged him to bring Paul to Jerusalem at once. (Their plan was to waylay and kill him.) 4 But Festus replied that since Paul was at Caesarea and he himself was returning there soon, 5 those with authority in this affair should return with him for the trial.
6 Eight or ten days later he returned to Caesarea and the following day opened Paul’s trial.
7 On Paul’s arrival in court the Jews from Jerusalem gathered around, hurling many serious accusations which they couldn’t prove. 8 Paul denied the charges: “I am not guilty,” he said. “I have not opposed the Jewish laws or desecrated the Temple or rebelled against the Roman government.”
9 Then Festus, anxious to please the Jews, asked him, “Are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me?”
10-11 But Paul replied, “No! I demand my privilege of a hearing before the emperor himself. You know very well I am not guilty. If I have done something worthy of death, I don’t refuse to die! But if I am innocent, neither you nor anyone else has a right to turn me over to these men to kill me. I appeal to Caesar.”
12 Festus conferred with his advisors and then replied, “Very well! You have appealed to Caesar, and to Caesar you shall go!”
13 A few days later King Agrippa arrived with Bernice[a] for a visit with Festus. 14 During their stay of several days Festus discussed Paul’s case with the king. “There is a prisoner here,” he told him, “whose case was left for me by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders gave me their side of the story and asked me to have him killed. 16 Of course I quickly pointed out to them that Roman law does not convict a man before he is tried. He is given an opportunity to defend himself face-to-face with his accusers.
17 “When they came here for the trial, I called the case the very next day and ordered Paul brought in. 18 But the accusations made against him weren’t at all what I supposed they would be. 19 It was something about their religion and about someone called Jesus who died, but Paul insists is alive! 20 I was perplexed as to how to decide a case of this kind and asked him whether he would be willing to stand trial on these charges in Jerusalem. 21 But Paul appealed to Caesar! So I ordered him back to jail until I could arrange to get him to the emperor.”
22 “I’d like to hear the man myself,” Agrippa said.
And Festus replied, “You shall—tomorrow!”
23 So the next day, after the king and Bernice had arrived at the courtroom with great pomp, accompanied by military officers and prominent men of the city, Festus ordered Paul brought in.
24 Then Festus addressed the audience: “King Agrippa and all present,” he said, “this is the man whose death is demanded both by the local Jews and by those in Jerusalem! 25 But in my opinion he has done nothing worthy of death. However, he appealed his case to Caesar, and I have no alternative but to send him. 26 But what shall I write the emperor? For there is no real charge against him! So I have brought him before you all, and especially you, King Agrippa, to examine him and then tell me what to write. 27 For it doesn’t seem reasonable to send a prisoner to the emperor without any charges against him!”
35 This is the message the Lord gave Jeremiah when Jehoiakim (son of Josiah) was the king of Judah:[a]
2 Go to the settlement where the families of the Rechabites live and invite them to the Temple. Take them into one of the inner rooms and offer them a drink of wine.
3 So I went over to see Jaazaniah (son of Jeremiah, who was the son of Habazziniah) and brought him and all his brothers and sons—representing all the Rechab families— 4 to the Temple, into the room assigned for the use of the sons of Hanan the prophet (the son of Igdaliah). This room was located next to the one used by the palace official, directly above the room of Maaseiah (son of Shallum), who was the Temple doorman. 5 I set cups and jugs of wine before them and invited them to have a drink, 6 but they refused.
“No,” they said. “We don’t drink, for Jonadab our father (son of Rechab) commanded that none of us should ever drink, neither we nor our children forever. 7 He also told us not to build houses or plant crops or vineyards and not to own farms, but always to live in tents; and that if we obeyed, we would live long, good lives in our own land. 8 And we have obeyed him in all these things. We have never had a drink of wine since then, nor have our wives or our sons or daughters either. 9 We haven’t built houses or owned farms or planted crops. 10 We have lived in tents and have fully obeyed everything that Jonadab our father commanded us. 11 But when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, arrived in this country, we were afraid and decided to move to Jerusalem. That’s why we are here.”
12 Then the Lord gave this message to Jeremiah:
13 The Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go and say to Judah and Jerusalem, Won’t you learn a lesson from the families of Rechab? 14 They don’t drink because their father told them not to. But I have spoken to you again and again, and you won’t listen or obey. 15 I have sent you prophet after prophet to tell you to turn back from your wicked ways and to stop worshiping other gods, and that if you obeyed, then I would let you live in peace here in the land I gave to you and your fathers. But you wouldn’t listen or obey. 16 The families of Rechab have obeyed their father completely, but you have refused to listen to me. 17 Therefore, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Because you refuse to listen or answer when I call, I will send upon Judah and Jerusalem all the evil I have ever threatened.
18-19 Then Jeremiah turned to the Rechabites and said: “The Lord, the God of Israel, says that because you have obeyed your father in every respect, he shall always have descendants who will worship me.”
7 I am depending on you, O Lord my God, to save me from my persecutors. 2 Don’t let them pounce upon me as a lion would and maul me and drag me away with no one to rescue me. 3 It would be different, Lord, if I were doing evil things— 4 if I were paying back evil for good or unjustly attacking those I dislike. 5 Then it would be right for you to let my enemies destroy me, crush me to the ground, and trample my life in the dust.
6 But Lord! Arise in anger against the anger of my enemies. Awake! Demand justice for me, Lord! 7-8 Gather all peoples before you; sit high above them, judging their sins. But justify me publicly; establish my honor and truth before them all. 9 End all wickedness, O Lord, and bless all who truly worship God;[a] for you, the righteous God, look deep within the hearts of men and examine all their motives and their thoughts.
10 God is my shield; he will defend me. He saves those whose hearts and lives are true and right.[b]
11 God is a judge who is perfectly fair, and he is angry with the wicked every day. 12 Unless they repent, he will sharpen his sword and slay them.
He has bent and strung his bow 13 and fitted it with deadly arrows made from shafts of fire.
14 The wicked man conceives an evil plot, labors with its dark details, and brings to birth his treachery and lies; 15 let him fall into his own trap. 16 May the violence he plans for others boomerang upon himself; let him die.
17 Oh, how grateful and thankful I am to the Lord because he is so good. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord who is above all lords.
8 O Lord our God, the majesty and glory of your name fills all the earth and overflows the heavens. 2 You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies!
3 When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you have made— 4 I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him!
5 And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels[c] and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head.
6 You have put him in charge of everything you made; everything is put under his authority: 7 all sheep and oxen, and wild animals too, 8 the birds and fish, and all the life in the sea. 9 O Jehovah, our Lord, the majesty and glory of your name fills the earth.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.