M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon Turns from God
11 Now (A)King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “(B)You shall not [a]associate with them, nor shall they [b]associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. 3 (C)He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and (D)his heart was not [c]wholly devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. 5 For Solomon went after (E)Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after [d](F)Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for (G)Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is [e]east of Jerusalem, and for (H)Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 Now (I)the Lord was angry with Solomon (J)because his heart was turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, (K)who had appeared to him twice, 10 and (L)had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the Lord had commanded. 11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because [f]you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, (M)I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. 12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, (N)I will not tear away all the kingdom, but (O)I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and (P)for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
God Raises Adversaries
14 Then the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite; he was of the [g]royal line in Edom. 15 For it came about, (Q)when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, and had (R)struck down every male in Edom 16 (for Joab and all Israel stayed there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom), 17 that Hadad fled [h]to Egypt, he and certain Edomites of his father’s servants with him, while Hadad was a young boy. 18 They arose from Midian and came to (S)Paran; and they took men with them from Paran and came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and assigned him food and gave him land. 19 Now Hadad found great favor [i]before Pharaoh, so that he gave him in marriage the sister of his own wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 20 The sister of Tahpenes bore his son Genubath, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh’s house; and Genubath was in Pharaoh’s house among the sons of Pharaoh. 21 But (T)when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Send me away, that I may go to my own country.” 22 Then Pharaoh said to him, “But what have you lacked with me, that behold, you are seeking to go to your own country?” And he answered, “Nothing; nevertheless you must surely [j]let me go.”
23 (U)God also raised up another adversary to him, Rezon the son of Eliada, who had fled from his lord (V)Hadadezer king of Zobah. 24 He gathered men to himself and became leader of a marauding band, (W)after David slew them of Zobah; and they went to Damascus and stayed [k]there, and reigned in Damascus. 25 So he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, along with the evil that Hadad did; and he abhorred Israel and reigned over Aram.
26 Then (X)Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, (Y)also [l]rebelled against the king. 27 Now this was the reason why he [m]rebelled against the king: (Z)Solomon built the [n]Millo, and closed up the breach of the city of his father David. 28 Now the man Jeroboam was a valiant warrior, and when (AA)Solomon saw that the young man was [o]industrious, he appointed him over all the [p]forced labor of the house of Joseph. 29 It came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that (AB)the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the road. Now [q]Ahijah had clothed himself with a new cloak; and both of them were alone in the field. 30 Then (AC)Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces. 31 He said to Jeroboam, “Take for yourself ten pieces; for thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, (AD)I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and give you ten tribes 32 ((AE)but he will have one tribe, for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, (AF)the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel), 33 because they have forsaken Me, and (AG)have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, (AH)Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the sons of Ammon; and they have not walked in My ways, doing what is right in My sight and observing My statutes and My ordinances, as his father David did. 34 Nevertheless I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him [r]ruler all the days of his life, for the sake of My servant David whom I chose, who observed My commandments and My statutes; 35 but (AI)I will take the kingdom from his son’s hand and give it to you, even ten tribes. 36 But (AJ)to his son I will give one tribe, (AK)that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, (AL)the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name. 37 I will take you, and you shall reign over whatever [s]you desire, and you shall be king over Israel. 38 Then it will be, that if you listen to all that I command you and walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight by observing My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then (AM)I will be with you and (AN)build you an enduring house as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you. 39 Thus I will afflict the [t]descendants of David for this, but not always.’” 40 Solomon sought therefore to put Jeroboam to death; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt to (AO)Shishak king of Egypt, and he was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
The Death of Solomon
41 (AP)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon and whatever he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the book of the acts of Solomon? 42 Thus (AQ)the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years. 43 And Solomon (AR)slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of his father David, and his son (AS)Rehoboam reigned in his place.
Be Like Christ
2 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any (A)fellowship of the Spirit, if any [a](B)affection and compassion, 2 (C)make my joy complete [b]by (D)being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing [c]from [d](E)selfishness or (F)empty conceit, but with humility of mind (G)regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 (H)do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 (I)Have this attitude [e]in yourselves which was also in (J)Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He (K)existed in the (L)form of God, (M)did not regard equality with God a thing to be [f]grasped, 7 but [g](N)emptied Himself, taking the form of a (O)bond-servant, and (P)being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, (Q)He humbled Himself by becoming (R)obedient to the point of death, even (S)death [h]on a cross. 9 (T)For this reason also, God (U)highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him (V)the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus (W)every knee will bow, of (X)those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is (Y)Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 So then, my beloved, (Z)just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your (AA)salvation with (AB)fear and trembling; 13 for it is (AC)God who is at work in you, both to will and to work (AD)for His good pleasure.
14 Do all things without (AE)grumbling or disputing; 15 so that you will [i]prove yourselves to be (AF)blameless and innocent, (AG)children of God above reproach in the midst of a (AH)crooked and perverse generation, among whom you [j](AI)appear as [k]lights in the world, 16 holding [l]fast the word of life, so that in (AJ)the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not (AK)run in vain nor (AL)toil in vain. 17 But even if I am being (AM)poured out as a drink offering upon (AN)the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. 18 You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 But I hope [m]in the Lord Jesus to (AO)send (AP)Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else (AQ)of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all (AR)seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know (AS)of his proven worth, that (AT)he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel (AU)like a child serving his father. 23 (AV)Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24 and (AW)I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. 25 But I thought it necessary to send to you (AX)Epaphroditus, my brother and (AY)fellow worker and (AZ)fellow soldier, who is also your [n](BA)messenger and (BB)minister to my need; 26 because he was longing [o]for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29 (BC)Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and (BD)hold men like him in high regard; 30 because he came close to death [p](BE)for the work of Christ, risking his life to (BF)complete [q]what was deficient in your service to me.
The Inner Temple
41 Then he (A)brought me to the [a](B)nave and measured the (C)side pillars; six cubits wide on each side was the width of the [b]side pillar. 2 The width of the entrance was ten cubits and the [c]sides of the entrance were five cubits on each side. And he measured [d]the length of the nave, (D)forty cubits, and the width, (E)twenty cubits. 3 Then he went [e](F)inside and measured each (G)side pillar of the doorway, two cubits, and the doorway, six cubits high; and the width of the doorway, seven cubits. 4 He measured its length, (H)twenty cubits, and the width, twenty cubits, before the (I)nave; and he said to me, “This is the (J)most holy place.”
5 Then he measured the wall of the [f]temple, six cubits; and the width of the (K)side chambers, four cubits, all around about the house on every side. 6 (L)The side chambers were in three stories, [g]one above another, and [h]thirty in each story; and [i]the side chambers (M)extended to the wall which stood on [j]their inward side all around, that they might be fastened, and not be fastened into the wall of the temple itself. 7 The side chambers surrounding the temple were wider at each successive story. Because the (N)structure surrounding the temple went upward by stages on all sides of the temple, therefore the width of the temple increased as it went higher; and thus one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the [k]second story. 8 I saw also that the house had a raised [l]platform all around; the foundations of the side chambers were a full rod of (O)six [m]long cubits in height. 9 The [n]thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits. But the (P)free space between the side chambers belonging to the temple 10 and the outer (Q)chambers was twenty cubits in width all around the temple on every side. 11 The [o]doorways of the [p]side chambers toward the (R)free space consisted of one doorway toward the north and another doorway toward the south; and the width of the (S)free space was five cubits all around.
12 The (T)building that was in front of the (U)separate area at the side toward the west was seventy cubits wide; and the wall of the building was five cubits [q]thick all around, and its length was ninety cubits.
13 Then he measured the temple, a (V)hundred cubits long; the (W)separate area with the (X)building and its walls were also a (Y)hundred cubits long. 14 Also the width of the front of the temple and that of the separate [r]areas along the east side totaled a hundred cubits.
15 He measured the length of the (Z)building [s]along the front of the (AA)separate area behind it, with a [t](AB)gallery on each side, a hundred cubits; he also measured the inner nave and the porches of the court. 16 The (AC)thresholds, the [u](AD)latticed windows and the [v](AE)galleries round about their (AF)three stories, opposite the threshold, were (AG)paneled with wood all around, and from the ground to the windows (but the windows were covered), 17 over the entrance, and to the inner house, and on the outside, and on all the wall all around inside and outside, by measurement. 18 It was [w]carved with (AH)cherubim and (AI)palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces, 19 a (AJ)man’s face toward the palm tree on one side and a young (AK)lion’s face toward the palm tree on the other side; they were [x]carved on all the house all around. 20 From the ground to above the entrance (AL)cherubim and (AM)palm trees were [y]carved, as well as on the wall of the nave.
21 The (AN)doorposts of the (AO)nave were square; as for the front of the sanctuary, the appearance of one doorpost was like that of the other. 22 The (AP)altar was of wood, three cubits high and its length two cubits; its corners, its [z]base and its [aa]sides were of wood. And he said to me, “This is the (AQ)table that is before the Lord.” 23 The (AR)nave and the (AS)sanctuary each had a double (AT)door. 24 Each of the doors had two leaves, two [ab](AU)swinging leaves; two leaves for one door and two leaves for the other. 25 Also there were [ac]carved on them, on the doors of the nave, (AV)cherubim and (AW)palm trees like those [ad]carved on the walls; and there was a [ae](AX)threshold of wood on the front of the porch outside. 26 There were [af](AY)latticed windows and (AZ)palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the (BA)porch; thus were the (BB)side chambers of the house and the [ag]thresholds.
Praise for the Lord’s Goodness.
A Psalm, a Song for the Sabbath day.
92 It is (A)good to give thanks to the Lord
And to (B)sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
2 To (C)declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your (D)faithfulness [a]by night,
3 [b]With the (E)ten-stringed lute and [c]with the (F)harp,
[d]With resounding music [e]upon the (G)lyre.
4 For You, O Lord, have made me glad by [f]what You (H)have done,
I will (I)sing for joy at the (J)works of Your hands.
5 How (K)great are Your works, O Lord!
Your [g](L)thoughts are very (M)deep.
6 A (N)senseless man has no knowledge,
Nor does a (O)stupid man understand this:
7 That when the wicked (P)sprouted up like grass
And all (Q)who did iniquity flourished,
It was only that they might be (R)destroyed forevermore.
8 But You, O Lord, are (S)on high forever.
9 For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord,
For, behold, (T)Your enemies will perish;
All who do iniquity will be (U)scattered.
10 But You have exalted my (V)horn like that of the wild ox;
I have [h]been (W)anointed with fresh oil.
11 And my eye has (X)looked exultantly upon [i]my foes,
My ears hear of the evildoers who rise up against me.
12 The (Y)righteous man will [j]flourish like the palm tree,
He will grow like a (Z)cedar in Lebanon.
13 (AA)Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish (AB)in the courts of our God.
14 They will still [k](AC)yield fruit in old age;
They shall be [l]full of sap and very green,
15 To [m]declare that (AD)the Lord is upright;
He is my (AE)rock, and there is (AF)no unrighteousness in Him.
The Majesty of the Lord.
93 (AG)The Lord [n]reigns, He is (AH)clothed with majesty;
The Lord has (AI)clothed and girded Himself with strength;
Indeed, the (AJ)world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
2 Your (AK)throne is established from of old;
You (AL)are from everlasting.
3 The (AM)floods have lifted up, O Lord,
The floods have lifted up their voice,
The floods lift up their pounding waves.
4 More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord (AN)on high is mighty.
5 Your (AO)testimonies are fully confirmed;
(AP)Holiness befits Your house,
O Lord, [o]forevermore.
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