M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Saul and His Sons Die
31 Meanwhile, the Philistines were fighting Israel at Mount Gilboa. Israel's soldiers ran from the Philistines, and many of them were killed. 2 The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. 3 The fighting was fierce around Saul, and he was badly wounded by enemy arrows.
4 Saul told the soldier who carried his weapons, “Kill me with your sword! I don't want these worthless Philistines to torture and make fun of me.” But the soldier was afraid to kill him.
Saul then took out his own sword; he stuck the blade into his stomach, and fell on it. 5 When the soldier knew that Saul was dead, he killed himself in the same way.
6 Saul was dead, his three sons were dead, and the soldier who carried his weapons was dead. They and all his soldiers died on that same day. 7 The Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley[a] and the other side of the Jordan learned that Saul and his sons were dead. They saw that the Israelite army had run away. So they ran away too, and the Philistines moved into the towns the Israelites had left behind.
8 The day after the battle, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to take the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. 9-10 The Philistines cut off Saul's head and pulled off his armor. Then they put his armor in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the city wall of Beth-Shan. They also sent messengers everywhere in Philistia to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among their people.
11 The people who lived in Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul's body. 12 So one night, some brave men from Jabesh went to Beth-Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons, then brought them back to Jabesh and burned them. 13 They buried the bones under a small tree in Jabesh, and for seven days, they went without eating to show their sorrow.
11 1 (A) You must follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Rules for Worship
2 I am proud of you, because you always remember me and obey the teachings I gave you. 3 Now I want you to know that Christ is the head of all men, and a man is the head of a woman. But God is the head of Christ. 4 This means that any man who prays or prophesies with something on his head brings shame to his head.
5 But any woman who prays or prophesies without something on her head brings shame to her head. In fact, she may as well shave her head.[a] 6 A woman should wear something on her head. It is a disgrace for a woman to shave her head or cut her hair. But if she refuses to wear something on her head, let her cut off her hair.
7 (B) Men were created to be like God and to bring honor to God. This means a man should not wear anything on his head. Women were created to bring honor to men. 8 (C) It was the woman who was made from a man, and not the man who was made from a woman. 9 He wasn't created for her. She was created for him. 10 And so, because of this, and also because of the angels, a woman ought to wear something on her head, as a sign of her authority.[b]
11 As far as the Lord is concerned, men and women need each other. 12 It is true that the first woman came from a man, but all other men have been given birth by women. Yet God is the one who created everything. 13 Ask yourselves if it is proper for a woman to pray without something on her head. 14 Isn't it unnatural and disgraceful for men to have long hair? 15 But long hair is a beautiful way for a woman to cover her head. 16 This is how things are done in all of God's churches,[c] and this is why none of you should argue about what I have said.
Rules for the Lord's Supper
17 Your worship services do you more harm than good. I am certainly not going to praise you for this. 18 I am told you can't get along with each other when you worship, and I am sure that some of what I have heard is true. 19 You are bound to argue with each other, but it is easy to see which of you have God's approval.
20 When you meet together, you don't really celebrate the Lord's Supper. 21 You even start eating before everyone gets to the meeting, and some of you go hungry, while others get drunk. 22 Don't you have homes where you can eat and drink? Do you hate God's church? Do you want to embarrass people who don't have anything? What can I say to you? I certainly cannot praise you.
The Lord's Supper
(Matthew 26.26-29; Mark 14.22-25; Luke 22.14-20)
23 I have already told you what the Lord Jesus did on the night he was betrayed. And it came from the Lord himself.
He took some bread in his hands. 24 Then after he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this and remember me.”
25 (D) After the meal, Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and said, “This is my blood, and with it God makes his new agreement with you. Drink this and remember me.”
26 The Lord meant that when you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you tell about his death until he comes.
27 But if you eat the bread and drink the wine in a way that isn't worthy of the Lord, you sin against his body and blood. 28 This is why you must examine the way you eat and drink. 29 If you fail to understand that you are the body of the Lord, you will condemn yourselves by the way you eat and drink. 30 This is why many of you are sick and weak and why a lot of others have died. 31 If we carefully judge ourselves, we won't be punished. 32 But when the Lord judges and punishes us, he does it to keep us from being condemned with the rest of the world.
33 My dear friends, you should wait until everyone gets there before you start eating. 34 If you really are hungry, you can eat at home. Then you won't condemn yourselves when you meet together.
After I arrive, I will instruct you about the other matters.
The Lord Gives the Command To Punish Jerusalem
9 After that, I heard the Lord shout, “Come to Jerusalem, you men chosen to destroy the city. And bring your weapons!”
2 I saw six men come through the north gate of the temple, each one holding a deadly weapon. A seventh man dressed in a linen robe was with them, and he was carrying things to write with. The men went into the temple and stood by the bronze altar.
3 The brightness of God's glory then left its place above the statues of the winged creatures[a] inside the temple and moved to the entrance. The Lord said to the man in the linen robe, 4 (A) “Walk through the city of Jerusalem and mark the forehead of anyone who is truly upset and sad about the terrible things that are being done here.”
5-6 He turned to the other six men and said, “Follow him and put to death everyone who doesn't have a mark on their forehead. Show no mercy or pity! Kill men and women, parents and children. Begin here at my temple, but be sure not to harm those who are marked.”
The men immediately killed the leaders who were standing there.
7 Then the Lord said, “Pollute the temple by piling the dead bodies in the courtyards. Now get busy!” They left and started killing the people of Jerusalem.
8 I was then alone, so I bowed down and cried out to the Lord, “Why are you doing this? Are you so angry with the people of Jerusalem that everyone must die?”
9 The Lord answered, “The people of Israel and Judah have done horrible things. Their country is filled with murderers, and Jerusalem itself is filled with violence. They think that I have deserted them, and that I can't see what they are doing. 10 And so I will not have pity on them or forgive them. They will be punished for what they have done.”
11 Just then, the man in the linen robe returned and said, “I have done what you commanded.”
(A song and a psalm by the clan of Korah.)
The City of God
1 The Lord God is wonderful!
He deserves all praise
in the city where he lives.
His holy mountain,
2 (A) beautiful and majestic,
brings joy to all on earth.
Mount Zion, truly sacred,
is home for the Great King.
3 God is there to defend it
and has proved to be
its protector.
4 Kings joined forces
to attack the city,
5 but when they saw it,
they were terrified
and ran away.
6 They trembled all over
like women giving birth
7 or like seagoing ships[a]
wrecked by eastern winds.
8 We had heard about it,
and now we have seen it
in the city of our God,
the Lord All-Powerful.
This is the city that God
will let stand forever.
9 Our God, here in your temple
we think about your love.
10 You are famous and praised
everywhere on earth,
as you win victories
with your powerful arm.
11 Mount Zion will celebrate,
and all Judah will be glad,
because you bring justice.
12 Let's walk around Zion
and count its towers.
13 We will see its strong walls
and visit each fortress.
Then you can say
to future generations,
14 “Our God is like this forever
and will always[b] guide us.”
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