M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon’s Officials
4 Now King Solomon was king over all Israel. 2 These were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok was (A)the priest; 3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha were secretaries; (B)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; 4 and (C)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and (D)Abiathar were priests; 5 and Azariah the son of Nathan was over (E)the deputies; and Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s friend; 6 and Ahishar was over the household; and Adoniram the son of Abda was over the men subject to forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve deputies over all Israel, who [a]provided for the king and his household; each man had to [b]provide for a month in the year. 8 These are their names: Ben-hur, in the (F)hill country of Ephraim; 9 Ben-deker in Makaz and (G)Shaalbim and (H)Beth-shemesh and Elonbeth-hanan; 10 Ben-hesed, in Arubboth ((I)Socoh was his and all the land of (J)Hepher); 11 Ben-abinadab, in all [c]the (K)height of Dor (Taphath the daughter of Solomon was his wife); 12 Baana the son of Ahilud, in (L)Taanach and Megiddo, and all (M)Beth-shean which is beside (N)Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to (O)Abel-meholah as far as the other side of (P)Jokmeam; 13 Ben-geber, in (Q)Ramoth-gilead ((R)the towns of Jair, the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead were his: (S)the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars were his); 14 Ahinadab the son of Iddo, in (T)Mahanaim; 15 (U)Ahimaaz, in Naphtali (he also married Basemath the daughter of Solomon); 16 Baana the son of (V)Hushai, in Asher and [d]Bealoth; 17 Jehoshaphat the son of Paruah, in Issachar; 18 (W)Shimei the son of Ela, in Benjamin; 19 Geber the son of Uri, in the land of Gilead, (X)the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and of Og king of Bashan; and he was the only deputy who was in the land.
Solomon’s Power, Wealth and Wisdom
20 (Y)Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the [e]seashore in abundance; they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.
21 [f](Z)Now Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms (AA)from the [g]River to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt; (AB)they brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.
22 Solomon’s [h]provision for one day was thirty [i]kors of fine flour and sixty [j]kors of meal, 23 ten fat oxen, twenty [k]pasture-fed oxen, a hundred sheep besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. 24 For he had dominion over everything [l]west of the [m]River, from Tiphsah even to (AC)Gaza, (AD)over all the kings [n]west of the [o]River; and (AE)he had peace on all sides around about him. 25 (AF)So Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, (AG)from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon. 26 (AH)Solomon had [p]40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen. 27 Those deputies [q]provided for King Solomon and all who came to King Solomon’s table, each in his month; they left nothing lacking. 28 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and (AI)swift steeds to the place where it should be, each according to his charge.
29 Now (AJ)God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of [r]mind, (AK)like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all (AL)the sons of the east and (AM)all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For (AN)he was wiser than all men, than (AO)Ethan the Ezrahite, Heman, (AP)Calcol and [s]Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his [t]fame was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 (AQ)He also spoke 3,000 proverbs, and his songs were 1,005. 33 He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the hyssop that grows on the wall; he spoke also of animals and birds and creeping things and fish. 34 [u]Men (AR)came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.
Alliance with King Hiram
5 [v](AS)Now Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, when he heard that they had anointed him king in place of his father, for (AT)Hiram had [w]always been a friend of David. 2 Then (AU)Solomon sent word to Hiram, saying, 3 “You know that (AV)David my father was unable to build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the wars which surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now (AW)the Lord my God has given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary nor [x]misfortune. 5 Behold, (AX)I [y]intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, ‘Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he will build the house for My name.’ 6 Now therefore, command that they cut for me (AY)cedars from Lebanon, and my servants will be with your servants; and I will give you wages for your servants according to all that you say, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”
7 When Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be the Lord today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.” 8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon, saying, “I have heard the message which you have sent me; I will do [z]what you desire concerning the cedar and cypress timber. 9 My servants will bring them down from Lebanon to the sea; and I will make them into rafts to go by sea (AZ)to the place where you [aa]direct me, and I will have them broken up there, and you shall carry them away. Then (BA)you shall accomplish my desire by giving food to my household.” 10 So [ab]Hiram [ac]gave Solomon [ad]as much as he desired of the cedar and cypress timber. 11 (BB)Solomon then gave Hiram 20,000 [ae]kors of wheat as food for his household, and twenty [af]kors of beaten oil; thus Solomon would give Hiram year by year. 12 (BC)The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon, just as He [ag]promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a covenant.
Conscription of Laborers
13 Now (BD)King Solomon [ah]levied forced laborers from all Israel; and the forced laborers [ai]numbered 30,000 men. 14 He sent them to Lebanon, 10,000 a month in relays; they were in Lebanon a month and two months at home. And (BE)Adoniram was over the forced laborers. 15 Now (BF)Solomon had 70,000 [aj]transporters, and 80,000 hewers of stone in the mountains, 16 (BG)besides Solomon’s 3,300 chief deputies who were over the [ak]project and who ruled over the people who were doing the work. 17 Then (BH)the king commanded, and they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with cut stones. 18 So Solomon’s builders and [al]Hiram’s builders and (BI)the Gebalites [am]cut them, and prepared the timbers and the stones to build the house.
Made Alive in Christ
2 And you [a]were (A)dead [b]in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you (B)formerly walked according to the [c]course of (C)this world, according to (D)the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in (E)the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all (F)formerly lived in (G)the lusts of our flesh, [d]indulging the desires of the flesh and of the [e]mind, and were (H)by nature (I)children of wrath, (J)even as the rest. 4 But God, being (K)rich in mercy, because of (L)His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were (M)dead [f]in our transgressions, made us alive together [g]with Christ ((N)by grace you have been saved), 6 and (O)raised us up with Him, and (P)seated us with Him in (Q)the heavenly places in (R)Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing (S)riches of His grace in (T)kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For (U)by grace you have been saved (V)through faith; and [h]that not of yourselves, it is (W)the gift of God; 9 (X)not as a result of works, so that (Y)no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, (Z)created in (AA)Christ Jesus for (AB)good works, which God (AC)prepared beforehand so that we would (AD)walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that (AE)formerly (AF)you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “(AG)Uncircumcision” by the so-called “(AH)Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, [i](AI)excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to (AJ)the covenants of promise, having (AK)no hope and (AL)without God in the world. 13 But now in (AM)Christ Jesus you who (AN)formerly were (AO)far off [j]have (AP)been brought near [k](AQ)by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is (AR)our peace, (AS)who made both groups into one and broke down the [l]barrier of the dividing wall, 15 [m]by (AT)abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is (AU)the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might [n](AV)make the two into (AW)one new man, thus establishing (AX)peace, 16 and might (AY)reconcile them both in (AZ)one body to God through the cross, [o]by it having (BA)put to death the enmity. 17 And (BB)He came and preached (BC)peace to you who were (BD)far away, and peace to those who were (BE)near; 18 for through Him we both have (BF)our access in (BG)one Spirit to (BH)the Father. 19 So then you are no longer (BI)strangers and aliens, but you are (BJ)fellow citizens with the [p]saints, and are of (BK)God’s household, 20 having been (BL)built on (BM)the foundation of (BN)the apostles and prophets, (BO)Christ Jesus Himself being the (BP)corner stone, 21 (BQ)in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into (BR)a holy [q]temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being (BS)built together into a (BT)dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Prophecy against Mount Seir
35 Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, 2 “Son of man, set your face against (A)Mount Seir, and prophesy against it 3 and say to it, ‘Thus says the Lord [a]God,
“Behold, I am against you, Mount Seir,
And I will (B)stretch out My hand against you
And make you a (C)desolation and a waste.
4 “I will (D)lay waste your cities
And you will become a desolation.
Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 Because you have had everlasting (E)enmity and have [b]delivered the sons of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of the [c](F)punishment of the end, 6 therefore as I live,” declares the Lord God, “I will [d]give you over to (G)bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you; since you have not hated bloodshed, therefore bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a waste and a desolation and I will cut off from it the one who passes through and returns. 8 I will (H)fill its mountains with its slain; on your hills and in your valleys and in all your ravines those slain by the sword will [e]fall. 9 I will make you an everlasting (I)desolation and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
10 “Because you have (J)said, ‘These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess [f]them,’ although the (K)Lord was there, 11 therefore as I live,” declares the Lord God, “I will deal with you (L)according to your anger and according to your envy which you showed because of your hatred against them; so I will (M)make Myself known among them when I judge you. 12 Then you will know [g]that I, the Lord, have heard all your revilings which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel saying, ‘They are laid desolate; they are (N)given to us for food.’ 13 And you have [h](O)spoken arrogantly against Me and have multiplied your words against Me; (P)I have heard it.” 14 Thus says the Lord God, “As all the (Q)earth rejoices, I will make you a desolation. 15 As you (R)rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel because it was desolate, (S)so I will do to you. You will be a (T)desolation, O Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”’
Prayer for God’s Mercy upon the Nation.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
85 O Lord, You showed (A)favor to Your land;
You [a](B)restored the captivity of Jacob.
2 You (C)forgave the iniquity of Your people;
You (D)covered all their sin. [b]Selah.
3 You (E)withdrew all Your fury;
You (F)turned away from Your burning anger.
4 (G)Restore us, O God of our salvation,
And (H)cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
5 Will (I)You be angry with us forever?
Will You prolong Your anger to [c]all generations?
6 Will You not Yourself [d](J)revive us again,
That Your people may (K)rejoice in You?
7 Show us Your lovingkindness, O Lord,
And (L)grant us Your salvation.
8 [e]I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will (M)speak peace to His people, [f]to His godly ones;
But let them not (N)turn back to [g]folly.
9 Surely (O)His salvation is near to those who [h]fear Him,
That (P)glory may dwell in our land.
10 (Q)Lovingkindness and [i]truth have met together;
(R)Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 [j]Truth (S)springs from the earth,
And righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 Indeed, (T)the Lord will give what is good,
And our (U)land will yield its produce.
13 (V)Righteousness will go before Him
And will make His footsteps into a way.
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