M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

18 A long time passed. Then, in the third year, the word of Adonai came to Eliyahu: “Go, present yourself to Ach’av, and I will send rain down on the land.” ² When Eliyahu went to present himself to Ach’av, the famine in Shomron had become severe. ³ Ach’av called ‘Ovadyah, who was in charge of the palace. Now ‘Ovadyah greatly revered Adonai; ⁴ for example, when Izevel was murdering Adonai’s prophets, ‘Ovadyah took a hundred prophets, hid them in two caves, fifty in each, and supplied them with food and water. ⁵ Ach’av said to ‘Ovadyah, “Go throughout the land, and check all the springs and vadis; maybe we can find grass somewhere, so that we can keep the horses and mules alive and not lose all the animals.” ⁶ So they divided between them the territory to be visited; Ach’av went one way by himself, and ‘Ovadyah went another way by himself.

⁷ ‘Ovadyah was on the road when suddenly Eliyahu encountered him. ‘Ovadyah recognized him, fell on his face and said, “Is it really you, my lord Eliyahu?” ⁸ He answered, “Yes, it is I; go, tell your master, ‘Eliyahu is here.’” ⁹ ‘Ovadyah replied, “How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ach’av to kill me? ¹⁰ As Adonai your God lives, there can’t be a single nation or kingdom where my master hasn’t sent to search you out; and in each kingdom or nation where they said, ‘He isn’t here,’ he made them take an oath that they hadn’t found you. ¹¹ Now you say, ‘Go tell your master, “Eliyahu is here.”’ ¹² But as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of Adonai will carry you off to I don’t know where; so that when I come and tell Ach’av, and he can’t find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have revered Adonai from my youth — ¹³ wasn’t my lord told what I did when Izevel killed Adonai’s prophets, how I hid a hundred of Adonai’s prophets by fifties in caves and supplied their food and water? ¹⁴ Now you say, ‘Go tell your master, “Look, Eliyahu is here.”’ Why, he’ll kill me!” ¹⁵ Eliyahu said, “As Adonai-Tzva’ot lives, before whom I stand, I will present myself to him today.”

¹⁶ So ‘Ovadyah went, found Ach’av and told him; and Ach’av went to meet Eliyahu. ¹⁷ When Ach’av saw Eliyahu, Ach’av said to him, “Is it really you, you troubler of Isra’el?” ¹⁸ He answered, “I haven’t troubled Isra’el, you have, you and your father’s house, by abandoning Adonai’s mitzvot and following the ba‘alim. ¹⁹ Now order all Isra’el to assemble before me on Mount Karmel, along with the 450 prophets of Ba‘al and the 400 prophets of the asherah who eat at Izevel’s table.”

²⁰ Ach’av sent word to all the people of Isra’el and assembled the prophets together on Mount Karmel. ²¹ Eliyahu stepped forward before all the people and said, “How long are you going to jump back and forth between two positions? If Adonai is God, follow him; but if it’s Ba‘al, follow him!” The people answered him not a word. ²² Then Eliyahu said to the people, “I, I alone, am the only prophet of Adonai who is left, while Ba‘al’s prophets number 450. ²³ Let them give us two young bulls, and they can choose the bull they want for themselves. Then let them cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood but put no fire under it. I will prepare the other bull, lay it on the wood and put no fire under it. ²⁴ Then, you, call on the name of your god; and I will call on the name of Adonai; and the God who answers with fire, let him be God!” All the people answered, “Good idea! Agreed!”

²⁵ Then Eliyahu said to the prophets of Ba‘al, “Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first; because there are many of you. Then call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” ²⁶ They took the bull that was given to them, prepared it and called on the name of Ba‘al from morning till noon — “Ba‘al! Answer us!” But no voice was heard; and no one answered, as they jumped around on the altar they had made. ²⁷ Around noon Eliyahu began ridiculing them: “Shout louder! After all, he’s a god, isn’t he? Maybe he’s daydreaming, or he’s on the potty, or he’s away on a trip. Maybe he’s asleep, and you have to wake him up.” ²⁸ So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and knives, as their custom was, until blood gushed out all over them. ²⁹ By now it was afternoon, and they went on ranting and raving until it was time for the evening offering. But no voice came, no one answered, no one paid any attention.

³⁰ Then Eliyahu said to all the people, “Come here to me.” All the people came up to him, as he set about repairing the altar of Adonai that had been broken down. ³¹ Eliyahu took twelve stones, in keeping with the number of tribes of the sons of Ya‘akov, to whom the word of Adonai had come, saying, “Your name is to be Isra’el.” ³² With the stones he built an altar in the name of Adonai. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough for half a bushel of grain. ³³ He arranged the wood, cut up the bull and laid it on the wood. ³⁴ Then he said, “Fill four pots with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” They did it. “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he said, and they did it a third time. ³⁵ By now the water was flowing around the altar, and it had filled the trench. ³⁶ Then, when it came time for offering the evening offering, Eliyahu the prophet approached and said, “Adonai, God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Isra’el, let it be known today that you are God in Isra’el, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. ³⁷ Hear me, Adonai, hear me, so that this people may know that you, Adonai, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back to you.”

³⁸ Then the fire of Adonai fell. It consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water in the trench. ³⁹ When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “Adonai is God! Adonai is God!” ⁴⁰ Eliyahu said to them, “Seize the prophets of Ba‘al! Don’t let one of them escape!” They seized them; and Eliyahu brought them down to Vadi Kishon and killed them there.

⁴¹ Then Eliyahu said to Ach’av, “Get up, eat, and drink, because I hear the sound of heavy rain.” ⁴² Ach’av went up to eat and drink, while Eliyahu went up to the top of the Karmel. He bowed down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ⁴³ “Now,” he said to his servant, “go up, and look out toward the sea.” He went up, looked, and said, “There’s nothing there.” Seven times he said, “Go again.” ⁴⁴ The seventh time, the servant said, “Now there’s a cloud coming up out of the sea, no bigger than a man’s hand.” Eliyahu said, “Go up, and say to Ach’av, ‘Prepare your chariot, and get down the mountain before the rain stops you!” ⁴⁵ A little later, the sky grew black with clouds and wind; and heavy rain began falling; as Ach’av, riding in his chariot, made for Yizre‘el. ⁴⁶ The hand of Adonai was on Eliyahu; he tucked up his clothing and ran ahead of Ach’av to the entrance of Yizre‘el.

1 From: Sha’ul, Sila and Timothy

To: The Messianic Community of the Thessalonians, united with God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah:

Grace to you and shalom.

² We always thank God for all of you, regularly mentioning you in our prayers, ³ calling to mind before God our Father what our Lord Yeshua the Messiah has brought about in you — how your trust produces action, your love hard work, and your hope perseverance. ⁴ We know, brothers, that God has loved and chosen you; ⁵ that the Good News we brought did not become for you a matter only of words, but also one of power, the Ruach HaKodesh and total conviction — just as you know how we lived for your sakes when we were with you. ⁶ You, indeed, became imitators of us and of the Lord; so that even though you were going through severe troubles, you received the Word with joy from the Ruach HaKodesh.

⁷ Thus you became a pattern for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia; ⁸ for the Lord’s message sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but everywhere your trust toward God became known. The result is that we don’t need to say anything; ⁹ since they themselves keep telling us about the welcome we received from you and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the true God, the one who is alive, ¹⁰ and to wait for his Son Yeshua, whom he raised from the dead, to appear from heaven and rescue us from the impending fury of God’s judgment.

48 “‘Following is the list of tribes:

“‘This is Dan’s territory: from the north end, through Hetlon to the entrance of Hamat, Hatzar-‘Einan (at the border of Dammesek), northward, next to Hamat; and they will have their sides east and west.

² “‘Asher’s territory will run alongside the territory of Dan from east to west.

³ “‘Naftali’s territory will run alongside the territory of Asher from east to west.

⁴ “‘M’nasheh’s territory will run alongside the territory of Naftali from east to west.

⁵ “‘Efrayim’s territory will run alongside the territory of M’nasheh from east to west.

⁶ “‘Re’uven’s territory will run alongside the territory of Efrayim from east to west.

⁷ “‘Y’hudah’s territory will run alongside the territory of Re’uven from east to west.

⁸ “‘Alongside the territory of Y’hudah, from east to west, will be the offering you are to set aside, 25,000 [cubits] wide [eight miles], and in length equal to distance between the east and west boundaries of one of the portions, with the sanctuary inside it. ⁹ The offering you are to set aside for Adonai is to be eight [miles] long and three wide. ¹⁰ This holy offering will be for the cohanim; it will be eight [miles] in length along its north and south sides and three in width along its west and east sides; Adonai’s sanctuary will be inside it. ¹¹ The portion set aside as holy will be for the cohanim who are descendants of Tzadok that remained faithful to my commission and did not go astray when the people of Isra’el and the L’vi’im went astray. ¹² It is to be an especially holy portion set apart for them and taken from the offering of the land, next to the border of the L’vi’im.

¹³ “ ‘Alongside the territory for the cohanim, the L’vi’im are to have a portion eight [miles] long and three wide — its total length will be eight and its width three. ¹⁴ They may not sell, exchange or alienate any of this choice land; because it is holy, for Adonai.

¹⁵ “‘The 5,000 [cubits, that is, the one-and-a-half miles] that are left of the width is to be for the common use of the city, for housing and for open fields. The city will be inside it. ¹⁶ and will measure 4,500 cubits [just under one-and-a-half miles] along each of its sides — north, south, east and west. ¹⁷ The city is to have outside it a border of land 440 feet wide on each side — north, south, east and west. ¹⁸ A strip next to the holy offering extending three [miles] to the east and three to the west is to be left. This area by the holy offering is to be used to grow food for those serving the city. ¹⁹ The people from all the tribes of Isra’el who serve in the city will farm it. ²⁰ The entire offering will be eight [miles] square, including the section for the city.

²¹ “‘What remains will be for the prince — the land on the two sides of the holy offering and section for the city, that is, the portion eastward from the eight [miles] of the offering’s eastern border to the land’s eastern border and the portion westward from the eight [miles] of the offering’s western border to the land’s western border — this land adjacent to the [tribal] portions will be for the prince, with the holy offering and the sanctuary of the house inside it. ²² Thus the land belonging to the L’vi’im and the section for the city will be inside that which belongs to the prince.

“‘The territory belonging to the prince will be between the territory of Y’hudah and the territory of Binyamin — ²³ which brings us to the rest of the tribes:

“‘Binyamin’s territory will run from east to west.

²⁴ “‘Shim‘on’s territory will run alongside the territory of Binyamin from east to west.

²⁵ “‘Yissakhar’s territory will run alongside the territory of Shim‘on from east to west.

²⁶ “‘Z’vulun’s territory will run alongside the territory of Yissakhar from east to west.

²⁷ “‘Gad’s territory will run alongside the territory of Z’vulun from east to west.

²⁸ “‘Alongside the territory of Gad, from the Negev southward, the border will run from Tamar to the water at M’rivat-Kadesh, then to the Vadi [of Egypt], and on to the Great Sea. ²⁹ This is the land you are to distribute by lot to the tribes of Isra’el for inheritance, and these are their portions,’ says Adonai Elohim.

^30-34 “‘These are the city exits; they are to be named after the tribes of Isra’el, three gates on each of the four sides; the four sides each measure just under one-and-a-half [miles]: on the north, gates named after Re’uven, Y’hudah and Levi; on the east, gates named after Yosef, Binyamin and Dan; on the south, gates named after Shim‘on, Yissakhar and Z’vulun; and on the west, gates named after Gad, Asher and Naftali.

³⁵ “‘The perimeter of [the city] will be just under six [miles] long. And from that day on the name of the city will be Adonai Shamah [Adonai is there].’”