M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Obadiah Meets Elijah
18 Now it happened (A)after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and (B)I will send rain on the face of the earth.” 2 So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab called Obadiah (C)who was over the household. (Now Obadiah [a](D)feared the Lord greatly; 4 for (E)when Jezebel [b]destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and (F)provided them with bread and water.) 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not [c]have to kill some of the cattle.” 6 So they divided the land between them to [d]survey it; Ahab went one way by himself and Obadiah went another way by himself.
7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah [e]met him, (G)and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, “Is this you, Elijah my master?” 8 He said to him, “It is I. Go, say to your master, ‘Behold, Elijah is here.’” 9 He said, “What [f]sin have I committed, that you are giving your servant into the hand of Ahab to put me to death? 10 (H)As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent to search for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he made the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you. 11 And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’ 12 It will come about when I leave you (I)that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have [g]feared the Lord from my youth. 13 (J)Has it not been told to my master what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid [h]a hundred prophets of the Lord by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water? 14 And now you are saying, ‘Go, say to your master, “Behold, Elijah is here”’; he will then kill me.” 15 Elijah said, “(K)As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” 16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
17 When Ahab saw Elijah, (L)Ahab said to him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” 18 He said, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, because (M)you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and (N)you have followed the Baals. 19 Now then send and gather to me all Israel at (O)Mount Carmel, (P)together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of (Q)the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
God or Baal on Mount Carmel
20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, “(R)How long will you [i]hesitate between two opinions? (S)If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I (T)alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are (U)450 men. 23 Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord, and (V)the God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people said, “[j]That is a good idea.”
25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.” 26 Then they took the ox which [k]was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was (W)no voice and no one answered. And they [l]leaped about the altar which [m]they made. 27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened.” 28 So they cried with a loud voice and (X)cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 When midday was past, they [n]raved (Y)until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no [o]one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And (Z)he repaired the altar of the Lord which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “(AA)Israel shall be your name.” 32 So with the stones he built an altar in (AB)the name of the Lord, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two [p]measures of seed. 33 (AC)Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood. 34 And he said, “Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time,” and they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time,” and they did it a third time. 35 The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.
Elijah’s Prayer
36 (AD)At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “(AE)O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that (AF)You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and (AG)I have done all these things at Your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again.” 38 Then the (AH)fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “(AI)The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.” 40 Then Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to (AJ)the brook Kishon, (AK)and slew them there.
41 Now Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of the roar of a heavy shower.” 42 So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of (AL)Carmel; and he (AM)crouched down on the earth and put his face between his knees. 43 He said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said, “Go back” seven times. 44 It came about at the seventh time, that he said, “Behold, (AN)a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.” And he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘[q]Prepare your chariot and go down, so that the heavy shower does not stop you.’” 45 In a little while the sky grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy shower. And Ahab rode and went to (AO)Jezreel. 46 Then (AP)the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and (AQ)he girded up his loins and [r]outran Ahab [s]to Jezreel.
Thanksgiving for These Believers
1 (A)Paul and (B)Silvanus and (C)Timothy,
To the (D)church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: (E)Grace to you and peace.
2 (F)We give thanks to God always for all of you, (G)making mention of you in our prayers; 3 constantly bearing in mind your (H)work of faith and labor of (I)love and [a](J)steadfastness of hope [b]in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of (K)our God and Father, 4 knowing, (L)brethren beloved by God, (M)His choice of you; 5 for our (N)gospel did not come to you in word only, but also (O)in power and in the Holy Spirit and with (P)full conviction; just as you know (Q)what kind of men we [c]proved to be among you for your sake. 6 You also became (R)imitators of us and of the Lord, (S)having received (T)the word in much tribulation with the (U)joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in (V)Macedonia and in (W)Achaia. 8 For (X)the word of the Lord has (Y)sounded forth from you, not only in (Z)Macedonia and (AA)Achaia, but also (AB)in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. 9 For they themselves report about us what kind of a [d](AC)reception we had [e]with you, and how you (AD)turned to God (AE)from [f]idols to serve [g](AF)a living and true God, 10 and to (AG)wait for His Son from [h]heaven, whom He (AH)raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who (AI)rescues us from (AJ)the wrath to come.
Division of the Land
48 “Now (A)these are the names of the tribes: from the northern extremity, [a]beside the way of Hethlon to [b]Lebo-hamath, as far as Hazar-enan at the border of Damascus, toward the north [c]beside Hamath, [d]running from east to west, (B)Dan, one portion. 2 Beside the border of Dan, from the east side to the west side, (C)Asher, one portion. 3 Beside the border of Asher, from the east side to the west side, (D)Naphtali, one portion. 4 Beside the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west side, (E)Manasseh, one portion. 5 Beside the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west side, (F)Ephraim, one portion. 6 Beside the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west side, (G)Reuben, one portion. 7 Beside the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west side, (H)Judah, one portion.
8 “And beside the border of Judah, from the east side to the west side, shall be the [e]allotment which you shall [f]set apart, 25,000 [g]cubits in width, and in length like one of the portions, from the east side to the west side; and the (I)sanctuary shall be in the middle of it. 9 The allotment that you shall set apart to the Lord shall be 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in width.
Portion for the Priests
10 The holy allotment shall be for these, namely for the (J)priests, toward the north 25,000 cubits in length, toward the west 10,000 in width, toward the east 10,000 in width, and toward the south 25,000 in length; and the sanctuary of the Lord shall be in its midst. 11 It shall be for the priests who are sanctified of the (K)sons of Zadok, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the sons of Israel went astray as the (L)Levites went astray. 12 It shall be an allotment to them from the allotment of the land, a most holy place, by the border of the Levites. 13 Alongside the border of the priests the Levites shall have 25,000 cubits in length and 10,000 in width. The whole length shall be 25,000 cubits and the width 10,000. 14 Moreover, they (M)shall not sell or exchange any of it, or alienate this [h]choice portion of land; for it is holy to the Lord.
15 “The remainder, 5,000 cubits in width and 25,000 [i]in length, shall be for (N)common use for the city, for dwellings and for [j]open spaces; and the city shall be in its midst. 16 These shall be its measurements: the north side 4,500 cubits, the south side (O)4,500 cubits, the east side 4,500 cubits, and the west side 4,500 cubits. 17 The city shall have [k]open spaces: on the north 250 cubits, on the south 250 cubits, on the east 250 cubits, and on the west 250 cubits. 18 The remainder of the length alongside the holy allotment shall be 10,000 cubits toward the east and 10,000 toward the west; and it shall be [l]alongside the holy allotment. And its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. 19 The workers of the city, out of all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. 20 The whole allotment shall be 25,000 by 25,000 cubits; you shall [m]set apart the holy allotment, a [n]square, with the [o]property of the city.
Portion for the Prince
21 “The (P)remainder shall be for the prince, on the one side and on the other of the holy allotment and of the [p]property of the city; in front of the 25,000 cubits of the allotment toward the east border and westward in front of the 25,000 toward the west border, alongside the portions, it shall be for the prince. And the holy allotment and the sanctuary of the house shall be in the middle of it. 22 Exclusive of the [q]property of the Levites and the [r]property of the city, which are in the middle of that which belongs to the prince, everything between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall be for the prince.
Portion for Other Tribes
23 “As for the rest of the tribes: from the east side to the west side, (Q)Benjamin, one portion. 24 Beside the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west side, (R)Simeon, one portion. 25 Beside the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west side, (S)Issachar, one portion. 26 Beside the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west side, (T)Zebulun, one portion. 27 Beside the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west side, (U)Gad, one portion. 28 And beside the border of Gad, at the south side toward the south, the border shall be from (V)Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the brook of Egypt, to the (W)Great Sea. 29 This is the (X)land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for an inheritance, and these are their several portions,” declares the Lord [s]God.
The City Gates
30 “These are the exits of the city: on the (Y)north side, 4,500 cubits by measurement, 31 [t]shall be the gates of the city, [u](Z)named for the tribes of Israel, three gates toward the north: the gate of Reuben, one; the gate of Judah, one; the gate of Levi, one. 32 On the east side, 4,500 cubits, [v]shall be three gates: the gate of Joseph, one; the gate of Benjamin, one; the gate of Dan, one. 33 On the south side, 4,500 cubits by measurement, [w]shall be three gates: the gate of Simeon, one; the gate of Issachar, one; the gate of Zebulun, one. 34 On the west side, 4,500 cubits, shall be three gates: the gate of Gad, one; the gate of Asher, one; the gate of Naphtali, one. 35 The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the (AA)name of the city from that day shall be, ‘[x]The (AB)Lord is there.’”
The Lord’s Care over All His Works.
104 (A)Bless the Lord, O my soul!
O Lord my God, You are very great;
You are (B)clothed with splendor and majesty,
2 Covering Yourself with (C)light as with a cloak,
(D)Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.
3 [a]He (E)lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters;
[b]He makes the (F)clouds His chariot;
[c]He walks upon the (G)wings of the wind;
4 [d]He makes [e](H)the winds His messengers,
[f]Flaming (I)fire His ministers.
5 He (J)established the earth upon its foundations,
So that it will not [g]totter forever and ever.
6 You (K)covered it with the deep as with a garment;
The waters were standing above the mountains.
7 At Your (L)rebuke they fled,
At the (M)sound of Your thunder they hurried away.
8 The mountains rose; the valleys sank down
To the (N)place which You established for them.
9 You set a (O)boundary that they may not pass over,
So that they will not return to cover the earth.
10 [h]He sends forth (P)springs in the valleys;
They flow between the mountains;
11 They (Q)give drink to every beast of the field;
The (R)wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 [i]Beside them the birds of the heavens (S)dwell;
They [j]lift up their voices among the branches.
13 [k]He (T)waters the mountains from His upper chambers;
(U)The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.
14 [l]He causes the (V)grass to grow for the [m]cattle,
And (W)vegetation for the [n]labor of man,
So that [o]he may bring forth [p]food (X)from the earth,
15 And (Y)wine which makes man’s heart glad,
(Z)So that he may make his face glisten with oil,
And [q]food which (AA)sustains man’s heart.
16 The trees of the Lord [r]drink their fill,
The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,
17 Where the (AB)birds build their nests,
And the (AC)stork, whose home is the [s]fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the (AD)wild goats;
The (AE)cliffs are a refuge for the [t](AF)shephanim.
19 He made the moon (AG)for the seasons;
The (AH)sun knows the place of its setting.
20 You (AI)appoint darkness and it becomes night,
In which all the (AJ)beasts of the forest [u]prowl about.
21 The (AK)young lions roar after their prey
[v]And (AL)seek their food from God.
22 When the sun rises they withdraw
And lie down in their (AM)dens.
23 Man goes forth to (AN)his work
And to his labor until evening.
24 O Lord, how (AO)many are Your works!
[w]In (AP)wisdom You have made them all;
The (AQ)earth is full of Your [x]possessions.
25 [y]There is the (AR)sea, great and [z]broad,
In which are swarms without number,
Animals both small and great.
26 There the (AS)ships move along,
And [aa](AT)Leviathan, which You have formed to sport in it.
27 They all (AU)wait for You
To (AV)give them their food in [ab]due season.
28 You give to them, they gather it up;
You (AW)open Your hand, they are satisfied with good.
29 You (AX)hide Your face, they are dismayed;
You (AY)take away their [ac]spirit, they expire
And (AZ)return to their dust.
30 You send forth Your [ad](BA)Spirit, they are created;
And You renew the face of the ground.
31 Let the (BB)glory of the Lord endure forever;
Let the Lord (BC)be glad in His works;
32 [ae]He (BD)looks at the earth, and it (BE)trembles;
He (BF)touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 [af]I will sing to the Lord [ag](BG)as long as I live;
[ah]I will (BH)sing praise to my God [ai]while I have my being.
34 Let my (BI)meditation be pleasing to Him;
As for me, I shall (BJ)be glad in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be (BK)consumed from the earth
And let the (BL)wicked be no more.
(BM)Bless the Lord, O my soul.
[aj](BN)Praise [ak]the Lord!
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.