M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

18 ^1-3 After King Saul had finished his conversation with David, David met Jonathan, the king’s son, and there was an immediate bond of love between them. Jonathan swore to be his blood brother, ⁴ and sealed the pact by giving him his robe, sword, bow, and belt.

King Saul now kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home anymore. ⁵ He was Saul’s special assistant, and he always carried out his assignments successfully. So Saul made him commander of his troops, an appointment that was applauded by the army and general public alike. ⁶ But something had happened when the victorious Israeli army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women came out from all the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer for King Saul, and were singing and dancing for joy with tambourines and cymbals.

⁷ However, this was their song: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands!”

⁸ Of course Saul was very angry. “What’s this?” he said to himself. “They credit David with ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!”

⁹ So from that time on King Saul kept a jealous watch on David. ¹⁰ The very next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began to rave like a madman. David began to soothe him by playing the harp, as he did whenever this happened. But Saul, who was fiddling with his spear, ^11-12 suddenly hurled it at David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped. This happened another time, too, for Saul was afraid of him and jealous because the Lord had left him and was now with David. ¹³ Finally Saul banned him from his presence and demoted him to the rank of captain. But the controversy put David more than ever in the public eye.

¹⁴ David continued to succeed in everything he undertook, for the Lord was with him. ^15-16 When King Saul saw this, he became even more afraid of him; but all Israel and Judah loved him, for he was as one of them.

¹⁷ One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my oldest daughter Merab as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real soldier by fighting the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought to himself, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”

¹⁸ “Who am I that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!”

¹⁹ But when the time arrived for the wedding, Saul married her to Adriel, a man from Meholath, instead. ²⁰ In the meantime Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it.

²¹ “Here’s another opportunity to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “You can be my son-in-law after all, for I will give you my youngest daughter.”

²² Then Saul instructed his men to say confidentially to David that the king really liked him a lot, and that they all loved him and thought he should accept the king’s proposition and become his son-in-law.

²³ But David replied, “How can a poor man like me from an unknown family find enough dowry to marry the daughter of a king?”

²⁴ When Saul’s men reported this back to him, ²⁵ he told them, “Tell David that the only dowry I need is one hundred dead Philistines!^[a] Vengeance on my enemies is all I want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.

²⁶ David was delighted to accept the offer. So, before the time limit expired, ²⁷ he and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines and presented their foreskins to King Saul. So Saul gave Michal to him.

²⁸ When the king realized how much the Lord was with David and how immensely popular he was with all the people, ²⁹ he became even more afraid of him and grew to hate him more with every passing day. ³⁰ Whenever the Philistine army attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous throughout the land.

16 ^1-2 Phoebe, a dear Christian woman from the town of Cenchreae, will be coming to see you soon. She has worked hard in the church there. Receive her as your sister in the Lord, giving her a warm Christian welcome. Help her in every way you can, for she has helped many in their needs, including me. ³ Tell Priscilla and Aquila hello. They have been my fellow workers in the affairs of Christ Jesus. ⁴ In fact, they risked their lives for me, and I am not the only one who is thankful to them; so are all the Gentile churches.

⁵ Please give my greetings to all those who meet to worship in their home. Greet my good friend Epaenetus. He was the very first person to become a Christian in Asia. ⁶ Remember me to Mary, too, who has worked so hard to help us. ⁷ Then there are Andronicus and Junias, my relatives who were in prison with me. They are respected by the apostles and became Christians before I did. Please give them my greetings. ⁸ Say hello to Ampliatus, whom I love as one of God’s own children, ⁹ and Urbanus, our fellow worker, and beloved Stachys.

¹⁰ Then there is Apelles, a good man whom the Lord approves; greet him for me. And give my best regards to those working at the house of Aristobulus. ¹¹ Remember me to Herodion my relative. Remember me to the Christian slaves over at Narcissus House. ¹² Say hello to Tryphaena and Tryphosa, the Lord’s workers, and to dear Persis, who has worked so hard for the Lord. ¹³ Greet Rufus for me, whom the Lord picked out to be his very own; and also his dear mother who has been such a mother to me. ¹⁴ And please give my greetings to Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the other brothers who are with them. ¹⁵ Give my love to Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and to Olympas, and all the Christians who are with them. ¹⁶ Shake hands warmly with each other. All the churches here send you their greetings.

¹⁷ And now there is one more thing to say before I end this letter. Stay away from those who cause divisions and are upsetting people’s faith, teaching things about Christ that are contrary to what you have been taught. ¹⁸ Such teachers are not working for our Lord Jesus but only want gain for themselves. They are good speakers, and simple-minded people are often fooled by them. ¹⁹ But everyone knows that you stand loyal and true. This makes me very happy. I want you always to remain very clear about what is right and to stay innocent of any wrong. ²⁰ The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The blessings from our Lord Jesus Christ be upon you.

²¹ Timothy my fellow worker, and Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my relatives, send you their good wishes. ²² I, Tertius, the one who is writing this letter for Paul, send my greetings too, as a Christian brother. ²³ Gaius says to say hello to you for him. I am his guest, and the church meets here in his home. Erastus, the city treasurer, sends you his greetings and so does Quartus, a Christian brother. ²⁴ Good-bye. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

^25-27 I commit you to God, who is able to make you strong and steady in the Lord, just as the Gospel says, and just as I have told you. This is God’s plan of salvation for you Gentiles, kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as God commands, this message is being preached everywhere, so that people all around the world will have faith in Christ and obey him. To God, who alone is wise, be the glory forever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sincerely, Paul

3 I am the man who has seen the afflictions that come from the rod of God’s wrath. ² He has brought me into deepest darkness, shutting out all light. ³ He has turned against me. Day and night his hand is heavy on me. ⁴ He has made me old and has broken my bones.

⁵ He has built forts against me and surrounded me with anguish and distress. ⁶ He buried me in dark places, like those long dead. ⁷ He has walled me in; I cannot escape; he has fastened me with heavy chains. ⁸ And though I cry and shout, he will not hear my prayers! ⁹ He has shut me into a place of high, smooth walls;^[a] he has filled my path with detours.

¹⁰ He lurks like a bear, like a lion, waiting to attack me. ¹¹ He has dragged me into the underbrush and torn me with his claws, leaving me bleeding and desolate.

¹² He has bent his bow and aimed it squarely at me, ¹³ and sent his arrows deep within my heart.

¹⁴ My own people laugh at me; all day long they sing their ribald songs.

¹⁵ He has filled me with bitterness and given me a cup of deepest sorrows to drink. ¹⁶ He has made me eat gravel and broken my teeth; he has rolled me in ashes and dirt. ¹⁷ O Lord, all peace and all prosperity have long since gone, for you have taken them away. I have forgotten what enjoyment is. ¹⁸ All hope is gone; my strength has turned to water, for the Lord has left me. ¹⁹ Oh, remember the bitterness and suffering you have dealt to me! ²⁰ For I can never forget these awful years; always my soul will live in utter shame.

²¹ Yet there is one ray of hope: ²² his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. ²³ Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day. ²⁴ My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore I will hope in him. ²⁵ The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him. ²⁶ It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

²⁷ It is good for a young man to be under discipline, ²⁸ for it causes him to sit apart in silence beneath the Lord’s demands, ²⁹ to lie face downward in the dust; then at last there is hope for him. ³⁰ Let him turn the other cheek to those who strike him and accept their awful insults, ³¹ for the Lord will not abandon him forever. ³² Although God gives him grief, yet he will show compassion too, according to the greatness of his loving-kindness. ³³ For he does not enjoy afflicting men and causing sorrow.

^34-36 But you have trampled and crushed beneath your feet the lowly of the world, and deprived men of their God-given rights, and refused them justice. No wonder the Lord has had to deal with you! ³⁷ For who can act against you without the Lord’s permission? ³⁸ It is the Lord who helps one and harms another.

³⁹ Why then should we, mere humans as we are, murmur and complain when punished for our sins? ⁴⁰ Let us examine ourselves instead, and let us repent and turn again to the Lord. ⁴¹ Let us lift our hearts and hands to him in heaven, ⁴² for we have sinned; we have rebelled against the Lord, and he has not forgotten it.

⁴³ You have engulfed us by your anger, Lord, and slain us without mercy. ⁴⁴ You have veiled yourself as with a cloud so that our prayers do not reach through. ⁴⁵ You have made us as refuse and garbage among the nations. ⁴⁶ All our enemies have spoken out against us. ⁴⁷ We are filled with fear, for we are trapped and desolate, destroyed.

^48-49 My eyes flow day and night with never-ending streams of tears because of the destruction of my people. ⁵⁰ Oh, that the Lord might look down from heaven and respond to my cry! ⁵¹ My heart is breaking over what is happening to the young girls of Jerusalem.

⁵² My enemies, whom I have never harmed, chased me as though I were a bird. ⁵³ They threw me in a well and capped it with a rock. ⁵⁴ The water flowed above my head. I thought, This is the end! ⁵⁵ But I called upon your name, O Lord, from deep within the well, ⁵⁶ and you heard me! You listened to my pleading; you heard my weeping! ⁵⁷ Yes, you came at my despairing cry and told me not to fear.

⁵⁸ O Lord, you are my lawyer! Plead my case! For you have redeemed my life. ⁵⁹ You have seen the wrong they did to me; be my Judge, to prove me right. ⁶⁰ You have seen the plots my foes have laid against me. ⁶¹ You have heard the vile names they have called me, ⁶² and all they say about me and their whispered plans. ⁶³ See how they laugh and sing with glee, preparing my doom.

⁶⁴ O Lord, repay them well for all the evil they have done. ⁶⁵ Harden their hearts and curse them, Lord. ⁶⁶ Go after them in fierce pursuit and wipe them off the earth, beneath the heavens of the Lord.

34 I will praise the Lord no matter what happens. I will constantly speak of his glories and grace.^{[a] 2} I will boast of all his kindness to me. Let all who are discouraged take heart. ³ Let us praise the Lord together and exalt his name.

⁴ For I cried to him and he answered me! He freed me from all my fears. ⁵ Others too were radiant at what he did for them. Theirs was no downcast look of rejection! ⁶ This poor man cried to the Lord—and the Lord heard him and saved him out of his troubles. ⁷ For the Angel of the Lord guards and rescues all who reverence him.

⁸ Oh, put God to the test and see how kind he is! See for yourself the way his mercies shower down on all who trust in him. ⁹ If you belong to the Lord, reverence him; for everyone who does this has everything he needs. ¹⁰ Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those of us who reverence the Lord will never lack any good thing.

¹¹ Sons and daughters, come and listen and let me teach you the importance of trusting and fearing the Lord. ¹² Do you want a long, good life? ¹³ Then watch your tongue! Keep your lips from lying. ¹⁴ Turn from all known sin and spend your time in doing good. Try to live in peace with everyone; work hard at it.

¹⁵ For the eyes of the Lord are intently watching all who live good lives, and he gives attention when they cry to him. ¹⁶ But the Lord has made up his mind to wipe out even the memory of evil men from the earth. ¹⁷ Yes, the Lord hears the good man when he calls to him for help and saves him out of all his troubles.

¹⁸ The Lord is close to those whose hearts are breaking; he rescues those who are humbly sorry for their sins. ¹⁹ The good man does not escape all troubles—he has them too. But the Lord helps him in each and every one. ²⁰ Not one of his bones is broken.

²¹ Calamity will surely overtake the wicked; heavy penalties are meted out to those who hate the good. ²² But as for those who serve the Lord, he will redeem them; everyone who takes refuge in him will be freely pardoned.