M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Temple Guards Are Assigned Their Duties
26 The temple guards were also divided into groups according to clans.
Meshelemiah son of Kore was from the Korah clan and was a descendant of Asaph. 2 He had seven sons, who were born in the following order: Zechariah, Jediael, Zebadiah, Jathniel, 3 Elam, Jehohanan, and Eliehoenai.
4-5 (A) Obed-Edom had been blessed with eight sons: Shemaiah, Jehozabad, Joah, Sachar, Nethanel, Ammiel, Issachar, and Peullethai.
6-7 Shemaiah was the father of Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semachiah. They were all respected leaders in their clan. 8 There were 62 descendants of Obed-Edom who were strong enough to be guards at the temple.
9 Eighteen descendants of Meshelemiah were chosen for this work.
10-11 Hosah, from the Merari clan, was the father of Shimri, Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. Hosah had made Shimri the family leader, even though he was not the oldest son. Thirteen men from Hosah's family were chosen to be temple guards.
12 The guards were divided into groups, according to their family leaders, and they were assigned duties at the temple, just like the other Levites. 13 Each group, no matter how large or small, was assigned a gate to guard, and they let the Lord show them what he wanted done.[a]
14 Shelemiah[b] was chosen to guard the East Gate. Zechariah his son was a wise man and was chosen to guard the North Gate. 15 Obed-Edom was then chosen to guard the South Gate, and his sons were chosen to guard the storerooms. 16 Shuppim and Hosah were chosen to guard the West Gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road.
The guards were assigned the following work schedule: 17 Each day six guards were on duty on the east side of the temple, four were on duty on the north side, and four were on duty on the south side. Two guards were stationed at each of the two storerooms, 18 four were stationed along the road leading to the west courtyard,[c] and two guards stayed in the court itself.
19 These were the guard duties assigned to the men from the clans of Korah and Merari.
Guards Are Assigned to the Treasury
20 The Levites who were relatives of the Korahites and the Merarites were[d] in charge of guarding the temple treasury and the gifts that had been dedicated to God.
21 Ladan was from the Gershon clan and was the father of Jehieli. Many of his other descendants were family leaders in the clan.[e] 22 Jehieli was the father of Zetham and Joel, and they were responsible for guarding the treasury.
23 Other guards at the treasury were from the Kohathite clans of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
24 Shebuel was a descendant of Gershom the son of Moses. He was the chief official in charge of the temple treasury. 25 The descendants of Gershom's brother Eliezer included Rehabiah, Jeshaiah, Joram, Zichri, and Shelomoth.
26 Shelomoth and his relatives were in charge of all the gifts that were dedicated to the Lord. These included the gifts that King David had dedicated, as well as those dedicated by the family leaders, army officers, and army commanders. 27 And whenever valuable things were captured in battle, these men brought back some of them to make repairs to the temple. 28 Shelomoth and his relatives were responsible for any gifts that had been given to the temple, including those from Samuel the prophet, King Saul the son of Kish, Abner the son of Ner,[f] and Joab the son of Zeruiah.
Other Officers Are Assigned Their Duties
29 Chenaniah from the Izhar clan and his sons were government officials and judges. They did not work at the temple.
30 Hashabiah from the Hebron clan and 1,700 of his skilled relatives were the officials in charge of all religious and government business in the Israelite territories west of the Jordan River.
31-32 Jerijah was the leader of the Hebron clan. David assigned him and 2,700 of his relatives, who were all respected family leaders, to be the officials in charge of all religious and government business in the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. David found out about these men during the fortieth year of his rule, when he had a list made of all the families in the Hebron clan. They were from the town of Jazer in the territory of Gilead.
David Assigns Army Commanders
27 Each month a group of 24,000 men served as soldiers in Israel's army. These men, which included the family leaders, army commanders, and officials of the king, were under the command of the following men, arranged by the month of their service:
2 In the first month, Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel, 3 a descendant of Perez;
4 in the second month, Dodai the Ahohite, whose assistant was Mikloth;[g]
5 in the third month, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada the priest, 6 who was the leader of the Thirty Warriors, and whose son Ammizabad was also an army commander;[h]
7 in the fourth month, Asahel the brother of Joab, whose son Zebadiah took over command after him;
8 in the fifth month, Shamhuth from the Izrah clan;
9 in the sixth month, Ira the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
10 in the seventh month, Helez from Pelon in the territory of Ephraim;
11 in the eighth month, Sibbecai from Hushah of the Zerah clan;
12 in the ninth month, Abiezer from Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin;
13 in the tenth month, Maharai from Netophah of the Zerah clan;
14 in the eleventh month, Benaiah from Pirathon in the territory of Ephraim;
15 in the twelfth month, Heldai from Netophah, who was a descendant of Othniel.
David Assigns Tribal Leaders
16-22 Here is a list of the leaders of each tribe in Israel:
Eliezer son of Zichri was over Reuben; Shephatiah son of Maacah was over Simeon; Hashabiah son of Kemuel was over the Levites, and Zadok the priest was over the descendants of Aaron; Elihu the brother of David was over Judah; Omri son of Michael was over Issachar; Ishmaiah son of Obadiah was over Zebulun; Jerimoth son of Azriel was over Naphtali; Hoshea son of Azaziah was over Ephraim; Joel son of Pedaiah was over West Manasseh; Iddo son of Zechariah was over East Manasseh; Jaasiel son of Abner was over Benjamin; Azarel son of Jeroham was over Dan.
23 (B) When David decided to count the people of Israel, he gave orders not to count anyone under 20 years of age, because the Lord had promised long ago that Israel would have as many people as there are stars in the sky. 24 (C) Joab the son of Zeruiah had begun to count the people, but he stopped when the Lord began punishing Israel. So the total number was never included in David's official records.
Officials in Charge of the King's Property
25 Azmaveth the son of Adiel was in charge of the king's personal storage rooms. Jonathan the son of Uzziah was in charge of the king's other storerooms that were in the towns, the villages, and the defense towers in Israel.
26 Ezri the son of Chelub was in charge of the workers who farmed the king's land.
27 Shimei from Ramah was in charge of the vineyards, and Zabdi from Shepham was in charge of storing the wine.
28 Baal Hanan from Geder was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the western foothills, and Joash was in charge of storing the olive oil.
29 Shitrai from Sharon was responsible for the cattle that were kept in Sharon Plain, and Shaphat son of Adlai was responsible for those kept in the valleys.
30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels, Jehdeiah from Meronoth was in charge of the donkeys, and Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the sheep and goats.
31 These were the men in charge of David's royal property.
David's Personal Advisors
32 David's uncle Jonathan was a wise and intelligent advisor. He and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni taught David's sons.
33 Ahithophel and Hushai the Archite were two of David's advisors. 34 Jehoiada the son of Benaiah was the king's advisor after Ahithophel, and later, Abiathar was his advisor.
Joab was commander of Israel's army.
1 From Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
To everyone who shares with us in the privilege of believing that our God and Savior Jesus Christ will do what is just and fair.[a]
2 I pray that God will be kind to you and will let you live in perfect peace! May you keep learning more and more about God and our Lord Jesus.
Living as the Lord's Followers
3 We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God's own power, when we learned he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness. 4 God made great and marvelous promises, so his nature would become part of us. Then we could escape our evil desires and the corrupt influences of this world.
5 Do your best to improve your faith by adding goodness, understanding, 6 self-control, patience, devotion to God, 7 concern for others, and love. 8 If you keep growing in this way, it will show that what you know about our Lord Jesus Christ has made your lives useful and meaningful. 9 But if you don't grow, you are like someone who is nearsighted or blind, and you have forgotten that your past sins are forgiven.
10 My friends, you must do all you can to show God has really chosen and selected you. If you keep on doing this, you won't stumble and fall. 11 Then our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will give you a glorious welcome into his kingdom that will last forever.
12 You are holding firmly to the truth you were given. But I am still going to remind you of these things. 13 In fact, I think I should keep on reminding you until I leave this body. 14 And our Lord Jesus Christ has already told me that I will soon leave it behind. 15 This is why I am doing my best to make sure that each of you remembers all of this after I am gone.
The Message about the Glory of Christ
16 When we told you about the power and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not telling clever stories someone had made up. But with our own eyes we saw his true greatness. 17 (A) God, our great and wonderful Father, truly honored him by saying, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him.” 18 We were there with Jesus on the holy mountain and heard this voice speak from heaven.
19 All of this makes us even more certain that what the prophets said is true. So you should pay close attention to their message, as you would to a lamp shining in some dark place. You must keep on paying attention until daylight comes and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 But you need to realize that no one alone can understand any of the prophecies in the Scriptures. 21 The prophets did not think these things up on their own, but they were guided by the Spirit of God.
Peace and Prosperity
4 In the future, the mountain
with the Lord's temple
will be the highest of all.
It will reach above the hills,
and every nation
will rush to it.
2 People of many nations
will come and say,
“Let's go up to the mountain
of the Lord God of Jacob
and worship in his temple.”
The Lord will teach us his Law
from Jerusalem,
and we will obey him.
3 (A) He will settle arguments
between distant
and powerful nations.
They will pound their swords
and their spears
into rakes and shovels;
they will never again make war
or attack one another.
4 (B) Everyone will find rest
beneath their own fig trees
or grape vines,
and they will live in peace.
This is a solemn promise
of the Lord All-Powerful.
5 Others may follow their gods,
but we will always follow
the Lord our God.
The Lord Will Lead His People Home
6 The Lord said:
At that time
I will gather my people—
the lame and the outcasts,
and all others into whose lives
I have brought sorrow.
7 Then the lame and the outcasts
will belong to my people
and become a strong nation.
I, the Lord, will rule them
from Mount Zion forever.
8 Mount Zion in Jerusalem,
guardian of my people,
you will rule again.
9 Jerusalem, why are you crying?
Don't you have a king?
Have your advisors gone?
Are you suffering
like a woman in childbirth?
10 Keep on groaning with pain,
you people of Jerusalem!
If you escape from your city
to the countryside,
you will still be taken
as prisoners to Babylonia.
But later I will rescue you
from your enemies.
11 Zion, because of your sins
you are surrounded
by many nations who say,
“We can hardly wait
to see you disgraced.”[a]
12 But they don't know
that I, the Lord,
have gathered them here
to grind them like grain.
13 Smash them to pieces, Zion!
I'll let you be like a bull
with iron horns
and bronze hoofs.
Crush those nations
and bring their wealth to me,
the Lord of the earth.
Turn Back to God
13 About this same time Jesus was told that Pilate had given orders for some people from Galilee to be killed while they were offering sacrifices. 2 Jesus replied:
Do you think that these people were worse sinners than everyone else in Galilee just because of what happened to them? 3 Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also be killed. 4 What about those 18 people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem? 5 Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also die.
A Story about a Fig Tree
6 Jesus then told them this story:
A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard. One day he went out to pick some figs, but he didn't find any. 7 So he said to the gardener, “For three years I have come looking for figs on this tree, and I haven't found any yet. Chop it down! Why should it take up space?”
8 The gardener answered, “Master, leave it for another year. I'll dig around it and put some manure on it to make it grow. 9 Maybe it will have figs on it next year. If it doesn't, you can have it cut down.”
Healing a Woman on the Sabbath
10 One Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by an evil spirit for 18 years. She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. 12 When Jesus saw the woman, he called her over and said, “You are now well.” 13 He placed his hands on her, and at once she stood up straight and praised God.
14 (A) The man in charge of the synagogue was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath. So he said to the people, “Each week has six days when we can work. Come and be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord replied, “Are you trying to fool someone? Won't any one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out to drink on a Sabbath? 16 This woman belongs to the family of Abraham, but Satan has kept her bound for 18 years. Isn't it right to set her free on the Sabbath?” 17 Jesus' words made his enemies ashamed. But everyone else in the crowd was happy about the wonderful things he was doing.
A Mustard Seed and Yeast
(Matthew 13.31-33; Mark 4.30-32)
18 Jesus said, “What is God's kingdom like? What can I compare it with? 19 It is like what happens when someone plants a mustard seed in a garden. The seed grows as big as a tree, and birds nest in its branches.”
20 Then Jesus said, “What can I compare God's kingdom with? 21 It is like what happens when a woman mixes yeast into three batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.”
The Narrow Door
(Matthew 7.13,14,21-23)
22 As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, he taught the people in the towns and villages. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”
Jesus answered:
24 Do all you can to go in by the narrow door! A lot of people will try to get in, but will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and locks the door, you will be left standing outside. You will knock on the door and say, “Sir, open the door for us!”
But the owner will answer, “I don't know a thing about you!”
26 Then you will start saying, “We dined with you, and you taught in our streets.”
27 (B) But he will say, “I really don't know who you are! Get away from me, you evil people!”
28 (C)(D) Then when you have been thrown outside, you will weep and grit your teeth because you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom. 29 People will come from all directions and sit down to feast in God's kingdom. 30 (E) There the ones who are now least important will be the most important, and those who are now most important will be least important.
Jesus and Herod
31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “You had better get away from here, because Herod[a] wants to kill you!”
32 Jesus said to them:
Go tell that fox, “I am going to force out demons and heal people today and tomorrow, and three days later I'll be through.” 33 But I am going on my way today and tomorrow and the next day. After all, Jerusalem is the place where prophets are killed.
Jesus Loves Jerusalem
(Matthew 23.37-39)
34 (F) Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Your people have killed the prophets and have stoned the messengers who were sent to you. I have often wanted to gather your people, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you wouldn't let me. 35 (G) Now your temple will be deserted. You won't see me again until the time when you say,
“Blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord.”
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