M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 23
The Last Words of David[a] 1 These are the last words of David:
“The oracle of David, the son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom the Most High exalted,
the anointed of the God of Jacob
and the beloved of the Mighty One of Israel:
2 “The Spirit of the Lord has spoken through me;
his word is on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said of me:
‘He who rules people justly,
who rules in the fear of God
4 is like the morning light at sunrise
on a cloudless morning after rainfall
that causes the grass of the earth to sparkle.’
5 “My house stands firm with God,
for he has made an everlasting covenant with me,
well ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not bring to fruition
my salvation and my every desire?
6 “But the ungodly are all like thorns
that must be cast aside,
for they cannot be grasped by the hand.
7 No one dares to touch them
except with an iron bar or the shaft of a spear,
and then only to consume them by fire.”
David’s Warriors. 8 These are the names of David’s warriors. Ishbaal, a Hachamonite, was the leader of the Three. It was he who brandished his spear over eight hundred men and slew all of them at one time.
9 Next to him among the Three was Eleazar, the son of Dodo the Ahohite. He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines had assembled there for battle. When the Israelites withdrew, 10 he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines until his hand became so stiff that he was unable to release it from the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Afterward the people rallied around him, but only so that they might be able to strip the dead.
11 Next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered together at Lehi where there was a field with an abundant crop of lentils. When the Israelites fled upon being confronted by the Philistines, 12 Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and cut down the Philistines. Thus the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 At the beginning of the harvest, three of the Thirty went down to join David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and there was a garrison of Philistines in Bethlehem.
15 One day David said longingly: “Oh, if only someone would give me some water to drink from the well that is by the gate of Bethlehem!” 16 On hearing this, the Three forced their way through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem, and presented it to David. However, he refused to drink it, and instead, he poured it out to the Lord, 17 saying: “The Lord forbid that I should do this. How can I drink the blood of the men who went forth to obtain it and thereby placed their lives at risk?” Therefore, he would not drink it.
18 Abishai, the brother of Joab and the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the Thirty. It was he who brandished his spear over three hundred men whom he had killed. 19 He was the most illustrious member of the Thirty and he became their commander. However, he never became one of the Three.
20 Benaiah of Kabzeel was the son of Jehoiada and a valiant warrior who was renowned for many great exploits. It was he who slaughtered two of Moab’s most renowned warriors. On one occasion he also lowered himself into a pit and killed a lion on a day when snow had fallen. 21 Further-more, he was the one who slew an Egyptian, a man of striking stature who was armed with a spear. Benaiah went against him with a club, wrested the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear. 22 Such exploits of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, won for him a name among the Thirty warriors. 23 Although he commanded greater respect than the rest of the Thirty, he was not equal to the Three. David appointed him to be the commander of his bodyguard.
24 Among the Thirty were Asahel, the brother of Joab; Elhanan, the son of Dodo, from Bethlehem; 25 Shammah from Harod; Elika from Harod; 26 Helez from Beth-pelet; Ira, the son of Ikkesh, from Tekoa; 27 Abiezer from Anathoth; Mebunnai the Hushathite; 28 Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai from Netophah; 29 Heled, the son of Baanah, from Netophah; Ittai, the son of Ribai, from Gibeah in Benjamin; 30 Benaiah from Pira-thon; Hiddai from the torrents of Gaash; 31 Ali-albon from Beth-arabah; Azmaveth from Bahurim; 32 Eliahba from Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen; 33 Jonathan, the son of Shammah, from Harar; Ahiam, the son of Sharar, from Harar; 34 Eliphelet, the son of Abishai, from Bath-maacah; Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, from Gilo; 35 Hezro from Carmel; Paarai the Arbite; 36 Igal, the son of Nathan, from Zobah; Bani the Gadite; 37 Zelek the Ammonite; Nahari from Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab, the son of Zeruiah; 38 Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite; 39 Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.
Chapter 3
The Christian Experience. 1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly presented as crucified. 2 I only wish you to tell me this: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the Law or by believing what you heard?
3 How can you be so foolish? After having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending in the flesh? 4 Is everything you have suffered to result in absolutely nothing—if indeed it was for nothing? 5 Does God give you the Spirit and work mighty deeds among you because you have kept the Law or because you believed what you have heard?
The Blessing of Abraham.[a] 6 Thus Abraham believed in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. 7 You can be assured that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Because Scripture foresaw[b] that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, it declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you all the nations will be blessed.” 9 For this reason, those who have faith share the blessing with Abraham, the faithful one.
10 The Curse of the Law. In contrast, those who rely on the works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written “Cursed is everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things that are written in the book of the Law.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the Law, for the one who is righteous will live by faith. 12 However, the Law is not based on faith. On the contrary, whoever does these things shall live by them.
13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse himself for us, as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hung upon a tree.” 14 This is so that the blessing bestowed upon Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
15 The Promise of the Covenant. Brethren, allow me to give you an everyday example. Once a human will has been ratified, no one can make further additions to it or set it aside. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and his descendant. It does not say “and to your descendants,” as referring to many, but it says “and to your descendant,” that is, to one person, who is Christ.
17 This is what I am saying: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, cannot invalidate a covenant that had been previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. 18 Obviously, if the inheritance comes from the Law, it no longer comes from the promise. However, God bestowed it on Abraham through a promise.
19 The Purpose of the Law. Why then? It was added because of transgressions[c] until the descendant appeared to whom the promise had been made, and it was promulgated by angels through an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary is not necessary when there is only one party, and God is one.
21 Is the Law then opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! If the Law that had been given had the power to bestow life, then righteousness would have come through the Law. 22 But according to Scripture all things have been confined under sin, so that through faith in Jesus Christ what was promised might be given to those who believe.
23 The Benefit of Faith.[d]Now before faith came, we were prisoners of the Law, confined as we waited for the faith that would eventually be revealed. 24 Therefore, the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 However, now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 Children of God in Christ. Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free man, there is no longer male or female. For all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are the offspring of Abraham and heirs according to the promise.
Chapter 30
The Lord’s Vengeance on Egypt.1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, prophesy, and say: Thus says the Lord God:
Cry out, “Alas for the day!”
3 For near is the day.
The day of the Lord is near.
It will be a day of clouds,
a day of reckoning for the nations.
4 The sword will fall on Egypt,
and there will be anguish in Ethiopia
when the slain fall in Egypt,
when her riches are seized
and her foundations are destroyed.
5 Ethiopia and Put and Lud,
and all Arabia and Lybia,
and the people of the covenant land
will fall with them by the sword.
6 Thus says the Lord:
Those who support Egypt shall fall,
and her proud strength will be brought low.
From Migdol to Syene,
they shall fall by the sword,
says the Lord God.
7 They will be the most desolate of desolate lands,
and their cities will lie
in the midst of ruined cities.
8 Then they will know that I am the Lord
when I set fire to Egypt
and all her helpers are crushed.
9 On that day, I will commission messengers to hasten forth by ship at my command to strike terror into the hearts of the complacent Ethiopians, and anguish will afflict them on the day of Egypt’s destruction, which is near at hand.
10 Thus says the Lord God:
I will put an end to the hordes of Egypt
by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
11 He and his armed forces,
the most ruthless of the nations,
will be brought in to ravage the land.
They shall draw their swords against Egypt,
and the land will be covered with corpses.
12 I will dry up the channels of the Nile
and sell the land to wicked men.
By the hand of foreigners
the entire land and everything in it
will be laid waste.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 Thus says the Lord God:
I will destroy the idols
and put an end to the false gods in Memphis.
There will no longer be a prince in Egypt,
and I will instill terror in that land.
14 I will make Pathros a place of desolation;
I will set fire to Zoan
and inflict my punishments on Thebes.
15 I will pour forth my wrath upon Pelusium,[a]
the stronghold of Egypt,
and destroy the hordes of Thebes.
16 I will set fire to Egypt;
Syene shall writhe in agony.
Thebes shall be breached,
and its walls shall be demolished.
17 The young men of On and Pi-beseth
shall fall by the sword,
and the cities themselves
shall be taken into captivity.
18 At Tahpanhes, the day will turn into darkness
when I shatter the scepter of Egypt there,
and its proud might shall come to an end.
Egypt will be covered with a cloud,
and her villages will go into captivity.
19 These will be the punishments I inflict upon Egypt.
Then they will know that I am the Lord.
20 Pharaoh’s Broken Arm. In the eleventh year, on the seventh day of the first month, this word of the Lord came to me: 21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. As you can see, it has not been bound up for healing or wrapped with a bandage to make it strong enough to wield a sword.
22 Therefore, thus says the Lord God: I am prepared to move against Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. I will break his arms, both the uninjured one and the one that was broken, and make the sword fall from his hand. 23 I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands. 24 I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand. However, I will break the arms of Pharaoh, and he will lie wounded and groaning before him like a dying man.
25 I will strengthen even more the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh will fall. Then they shall know that I am the Lord, when I put my sword into the hand of the king of Babylon for him to wield against the land of Egypt. 26 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them in foreign countries. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
38 Even so, he was compassionate toward them;
he forgave their guilt
and did not destroy them.
Time after time he held back his anger,
unwilling to stir up his rage.
39 For he remembered that they were flesh,
like a breath of wind that does not return.
40 [a]How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and pained him in the wasteland.
41 Again and again they tested God’s patience,
provoking the Holy One of Israel.[b]
42 They did not keep in mind his power
or the day when he delivered them from their oppressor,
43 when he manifested his wonders in Egypt
and his portents in the Plain of Zoan.
44 [c]He turned their rivers into blood;
they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them
and frogs that devastated them.
46 He assigned their harvest to the caterpillars
and their produce to the locusts.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail
and their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He exposed their cattle to hailstones
and their flocks to bolts of lightning.
49 He sent upon them his blazing anger,
wrath, fury, and hostility,
a band of destroying angels.[d]
50 He gave his anger free rein;
he did not spare them from death
but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their manhood in the tents of Ham.[e]
52 Then he led forth his people like sheep
and guided them through the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them in safety, and they were not afraid,
while the sea engulfed their enemies.
54 He brought them to his holy land,
to the mountain his right hand had purchased.
55 He drove out the nations before them,
apportioning a heritage for each of them
and settling the tribes of Israel in their tents.[f]
56 [g]Even so, they put God to the test
and rebelled against the Most High,
refusing to observe his decrees.
57 They turned away and were disloyal like their ancestors;
they were as unreliable as a faulty bow.
58 They angered him with their high places[h]
and made him jealous with their idols.
59 When God saw this, he became enraged
and rejected Israel totally.[i]
60 He forsook his dwelling in Shiloh,[j]
the tent where he dwelt among mortals.
61 He surrendered his might into captivity
and his glory[k] into the hands of the enemy.
62 He abandoned his people to the sword
and vented his wrath on his own heritage.
63 Fire devoured their young men,
and their maidens had no wedding song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows sang no lamentation.
65 [l]Then the Lord awakened as from sleep,
like a warrior flushed from the effects of wine.
66 He struck his enemies and routed them,
inflicting perpetual shame on them.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 Rather, he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion,[m] which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
and like the earth[n] that he founded forever.
70 He chose David[o] to be his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds.
71 From tending sheep he brought him
to be the shepherd of his people Jacob,
of Israel, his heritage.
72 He shepherded them with an unblemished heart
and guided them with a knowing hand.[p]
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