M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Solomon Worships at Gibeon
1 Now (A)Solomon the son of David established himself securely over his kingdom, and the Lord his God was with him and (B)exalted him greatly.
2 Solomon spoke to all Israel, (C)to the commanders of thousands and of hundreds and to the judges and to every leader in all Israel, the heads of the fathers’ households. 3 Then Solomon and all the assembly with him went to (D)the high place which was at Gibeon, (E)for God’s tent of meeting was there, which Moses the servant of the Lord had made in the wilderness. 4 However, David had brought up (F)the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim [a]to (G)the place he had prepared for it, for he had pitched a tent for it in Jerusalem. 5 Now (H)the bronze altar, which Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, had made, [b]was there before the tabernacle of the Lord, and Solomon and the assembly sought it out. 6 Solomon went up there before the Lord to the bronze altar which was at the tent of meeting, and (I)offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.
7 (J)In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, “Ask what I shall give you.”
Solomon’s Prayer for Wisdom
8 Solomon said to God, “You have dealt with my father David with great lovingkindness, and (K)have made me king in his place. 9 Now, O Lord God, (L)Your [c]promise to my father David is fulfilled, for You have made me king over (M)a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. 10 (N)Give me now wisdom and knowledge, (O)that I may go out and come in before this people, for who can rule this great people of Yours?” 11 (P)God said to Solomon, “Because [d]you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge that you may rule My people over whom I have made you king, 12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. And (Q)I will give you riches and wealth and honor, [e]such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed nor those who will [f]come after you.” 13 (R)So Solomon went [g]from the high place which was at Gibeon, from the tent of meeting, to Jerusalem, and he reigned over Israel.
Solomon’s Wealth
14 (S)Solomon amassed chariots and horsemen. (T)He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in (U)the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem. 15 (V)The king made (W)silver and gold as plentiful in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamores in the [h]lowland. 16 Solomon’s (X)horses were imported from Egypt and from Kue; the king’s traders procured them from Kue for a price. 17 They [i]imported chariots from Egypt for 600 shekels of silver apiece and horses for 150 apiece, and [j]by the same means they [k]exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aram.
Introduction, The Incarnate Word
1 What was (A)from the beginning, what we have (B)heard, what we have (C)seen with our eyes, what we (D)have looked at and (E)touched with our hands, concerning the (F)Word of Life— 2 and (G)the life was manifested, and we have (H)seen and (I)testify and proclaim to you (J)the eternal life, which was (K)with the Father and was (L)manifested to us— 3 what we have (M)seen and (N)heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our (O)fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 (P)These things we write, so that our (Q)joy may be made complete.
God Is Light
5 (R)This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that (S)God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 (T)If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we (U)lie and (V)do not practice the truth; 7 but if we (W)walk in the Light as (X)He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and (Y)the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 (Z)If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the (AA)truth is not in us. 9 (AB)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and (AC)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 (AD)If we say that we have not sinned, we (AE)make Him a liar and (AF)His word is not in us.
The Prophet Acknowledges
7 Woe is me! For I am
Like the fruit pickers, like the (A)grape gatherers.
There is not a cluster of grapes to eat,
Or a (B)first-ripe fig which [a]I crave.
2 The [b]godly person has (C)perished from the land,
And there is no upright person among men.
All of them lie in wait for (D)bloodshed;
Each of them hunts the other with a (E)net.
3 Concerning evil, both hands do it (F)well.
The prince asks, also the judge, for a (G)bribe,
And a great man speaks the desire of his soul;
So they weave it together.
4 The best of them is like a (H)briar,
The most upright like a (I)thorn hedge.
The day when you post your watchmen,
Your (J)punishment will come.
Then their (K)confusion will occur.
5 Do not (L)trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard [c]your lips.
6 For (M)son treats father contemptuously,
Daughter rises up against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
(N)A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
God Is the Source of Salvation and Light
7 But as for me, I will (O)watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will (P)wait for the God of my salvation.
My (Q)God will hear me.
8 (R)Do not rejoice over me, O (S)my enemy.
Though I fall I will (T)rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a (U)light for me.
9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord
Because I have sinned against Him,
Until He (V)pleads my case and executes justice for me.
He will bring me out to the (W)light,
And I will see His [d](X)righteousness.
10 Then my enemy will see,
And shame will cover her who (Y)said to me,
“Where is the Lord your God?”
My eyes will look on her;
[e]At that time she will [f]be (Z)trampled down
Like mire of the streets.
11 It will be a day for (AA)building your walls.
On that day will your boundary be extended.
12 It will be a day when [g]they will (AB)come to you
From Assyria and the cities of Egypt,
From Egypt even to the [h]Euphrates,
Even from sea to sea and mountain to mountain.
13 And the earth will become (AC)desolate because of her inhabitants,
On account of the (AD)fruit of their deeds.
14 (AE)Shepherd Your people with Your (AF)scepter,
The flock of Your [i]possession
Which dwells by itself in the woodland,
In the midst of [j]a fruitful field.
Let them feed in (AG)Bashan and Gilead
(AH)As in the days of old.
15 “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt,
I will show [k](AI)you miracles.”
16 Nations (AJ)will see and be ashamed
Of all their might.
They will (AK)put their hand on their mouth,
Their ears will be deaf.
17 They will (AL)lick the dust like a serpent,
Like (AM)reptiles of the earth.
They will come (AN)trembling out of their [l]fortresses;
To the Lord our God they will come in (AO)dread
And they will be afraid before You.
18 Who is a God like You, who (AP)pardons iniquity
And passes over the rebellious act of the (AQ)remnant of His [m]possession?
He does not (AR)retain His anger forever,
Because He (AS)delights in [n]unchanging love.
19 He will again have compassion on us;
(AT)He will tread our iniquities under foot.
Yes, You will (AU)cast all [o]their sins
Into the depths of the sea.
20 You will give [p](AV)truth to Jacob
And [q]unchanging love to Abraham,
Which You (AW)swore to our forefathers
From the days of old.
The Unrighteous Steward
16 Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was [a]reported to him as (A)squandering his possessions. 2 And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ 3 The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my [b]master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. 4 I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ 5 And he summoned each one of his [c]master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ 6 And he said, ‘A hundred [d]measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred [e]measures of wheat.’ He *said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 And his [f]master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of (B)this age are more shrewd in relation to their own [g]kind than the (C)sons of light. 9 And I say to you, (D)make friends for yourselves by means of the [h](E)wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, (F)they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.
10 “(G)He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous [i](H)wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you? 12 And if you have not been faithful in the use of that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 (I)No [j]servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and [k](J)wealth.”
14 Now the Pharisees, who were (K)lovers of money, were listening to all these things and (L)were scoffing at Him. 15 And He said to them, “You are those who (M)justify yourselves [l]in the sight of men, but (N)God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable [m]in the sight of God.
16 “(O)The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time (P)the gospel of the kingdom of God [n]has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it. 17 (Q)But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one [o]stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.
18 “(R)Everyone who [p]divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is [q]divorced from a husband commits adultery.
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. 20 And a poor man named Lazarus (S)was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. 22 Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to (T)Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In (U)Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried out and said, ‘(V)Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in (W)this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that (X)during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 And [r]besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may (Y)warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham *said, ‘They have (Z)Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 But he said, ‘No, (AA)father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.