M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David’s Conquests^(A)

18 Now it happened after this that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, so he took Gath and its neighboring towns from Philistine control.

² He also defeated Moab so that the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

³ Next David struck down Hadadezer the king of Zobah toward Hamath as he marched out to establish his authority along the Euphrates. ⁴ David captured from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand infantry men. Then David hamstrung all the chariot horses except for the one hundred he spared.

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Arameans. ⁶ Then David set garrisons in Aram of Damascus; and Arameans became subject to David, and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

⁷ So David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from Tibhath^[a] and Kun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze; with it Solomon made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and the vessels of bronze.

⁹ When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent his son Hadoram to King David to ask about his welfare and to bless him because he fought and defeated Hadadezer (for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou). He sent all kinds of articles of gold, silver, and bronze.

¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, together with the silver and gold which he had carried away from all the surrounding nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² Also Abishai the son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand men of Edom in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ He set up garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to David. Wherever he went, the Lord gave David victory.

David’s Officials

¹⁴ So David was king over all Israel, and he executed justice and righteousness for all his people. ¹⁵ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the historian. ¹⁶ Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelek the son of Abiathar served as priests, while Shavsha was scribe. ¹⁷ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were the king’s principal officials.

Warning to the Rich

5 Come now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. ² Your riches are corrupted and your garments are moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasures for the last days. ⁴ Indeed the wages that you kept back by fraud from the laborers who harvested your fields are crying, and the cries of those who harvested have entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. ⁵ You have lived in pleasure on the earth and have been wayward. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and killed the righteous man who does not resist you.

Patience and Prayer

⁷ Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Notice how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until he receives the early and late rain. ⁸ You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is drawing near. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, lest you be condemned. Look, the Judge is standing at the door.

¹⁰ My brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. ¹¹ Indeed we count them happy who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the purpose of the Lord, that the Lord is very gracious and merciful.

¹² But above all things, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by the earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No,” that you do not fall into condemnation.

¹³ Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone merry? Let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is anyone sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Confess your faults to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man accomplishes much.

¹⁷ Elijah was a man subject to natural passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.

¹⁹ Brothers, if any one of you strays from the truth and someone corrects him, ²⁰ let him know that he who converts the sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

2 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish. ² He said:

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon dry land.

The Healing of a Centurion’s Servant^(A)

7 When He had completed all His words in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. ² Now a centurion’s^[a] servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³ When he heard of Jesus, he sent the elders of the Jews to Him, asking Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴ When they came to Jesus, they asked Him earnestly, saying, “You should do this for him for he is worthy, ⁵ for he loves our nation, and he has built us a synagogue.” ⁶ So Jesus went with them.

When He was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. ⁷ Likewise, I did not think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸ For I myself am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

⁹ When Jesus heard these words, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the people who followed Him, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” ¹⁰ Then those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

The Raising of the Widow’s Son

¹¹ The following day He went into a city called Nain, and many of His disciples and a large crowd went with Him. ¹² When He came near the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

¹⁴ Then He came and touched the coffin, and those who carried it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵ He who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He gave him to his mother.

¹⁶ Fear came on everyone. And they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us!” and “God has visited His people!” ¹⁷ This rumor of Him went throughout all Judea and the surrounding region.

The Messengers From John the Baptist^(B)

¹⁸ The disciples of John told him of all these things. ¹⁹ John, calling for two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are You the One who is coming, or shall we look for another?”

²⁰ When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the One who is coming, or shall we look for another?’ ”

²¹ In that same hour He cured many of their infirmities and afflictions and evil spirits. And to many who were blind He gave sight. ²² So Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the gospel is preached to the poor. ²³ Blessed is he who does not fall away on account of Me.”

²⁴ When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the crowd concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Now those who are splendidly clothed and live luxuriously are in royal palaces. ²⁶ What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and much more than a prophet. ²⁷ This is he of whom it is written:

²⁸ I say to you, among those who are born of women there is no greater prophet than John the Baptist. Yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

²⁹ All the people who heard Him, including the tax collectors, justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God for themselves, not having been baptized by John.

³¹ Then the Lord said, “To what then shall I compare the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³² They are like children sitting in the marketplace, calling to each other, saying:

³³ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine. But you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking. But you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵ But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

³⁶ One of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. So He went to the Pharisee’s house and sat down for supper. ³⁷ There, a woman of the city who was a sinner, when she learned that Jesus was sitting for supper in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment, ³⁸ and stood behind Him at His feet, weeping, and began to wash His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment.

³⁹ Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw it, he said to himself, “If this Man were a prophet, He would have known who and what kind of woman she is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

He said, “Teacher, say it.”

⁴¹ “A creditor had two debtors. The one owed five hundred denarii,^[c] and the other fifty. ⁴² When they had no money to pay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon answered, “I suppose he whom he forgave more.”

He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”

⁴⁴ Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house. You gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵ You gave Me no kiss, but this woman, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. ⁴⁶ You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with ointment. ⁴⁷ Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ Those who sat at supper with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is He who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”