M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Visit of the Queen of Sheba

9 ^(A)Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to Jerusalem to test Solomon with difficult questions. She had a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and a large amount of gold and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was on her heart. ² Solomon ^[a]answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from Solomon which he did not ^[b]explain to her. ³ When the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house which he had built, ⁴ the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his ministers and their attire, his cupbearers and their attire, and ^[c]his stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord, she was breathless. ⁵ Then she said to the king, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. ⁶ Nevertheless I did not believe their reports until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half of the greatness of your wisdom was not told me. You surpass the report that I heard. ⁷ How ^[d]blessed are your men, how ^[e]blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom. ⁸ Blessed be the Lord your God who delighted in you, ^(B)setting you on His throne as king for the Lord your God; ^(C)because your God loved Israel establishing them forever, therefore He made you king over them, to do justice and righteousness.” ⁹ Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty talents of gold and a very great amount of spices and precious stones; there had never been spice like that which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

¹⁰ The servants of Huram and the servants of Solomon ^(D)who brought gold from Ophir, also brought algum trees and precious stones. ¹¹ From the algum trees the king made steps for the house of the Lord and for the king’s palace, and lyres and harps for the singers; and none like that was seen before in the land of Judah.

¹² King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested besides a return for what she had brought to the king. Then she turned and went to her own land with her servants.

Solomon’s Wealth and Power

^13 (E)Now the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was 666 talents of gold, ¹⁴ besides that which the traders and merchants brought; and all ^(F)the kings of Arabia and the governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. ¹⁵ King Solomon made 200 large shields of beaten gold, ^[f]using 600 shekels of beaten gold on each large shield. ¹⁶ He made 300 shields of beaten gold, ^[g]using three hundred shekels of gold on each shield, and the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon.

¹⁷ Moreover, the king made a great throne of ivory and overlaid it with pure gold. ¹⁸ There were six steps to the throne and a footstool in gold attached to the throne, and ^[h]arms ^[i]on each side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the ^[j]arms. ¹⁹ Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps on the one side and on the other; nothing like it was made for any other kingdom. ²⁰ All King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold; silver was not considered ^[k]valuable in the days of Solomon. ^21 (G)For the king had ships which went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram; once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory and apes and peacocks.

^22 (H)So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. ²³ And all the kings of the earth were seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. ^24 (I)They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses and mules, so much year by year.

²⁵ Now Solomon had ^(J)4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. ^26 (K)He was the ruler over all the kings from the Euphrates River even to the land of the Philistines, and as far as the border of Egypt. ^27 (L)The king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the ^[l]lowland. ^28 (M)And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries.

^29 (N)Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, ^(O)are they not written in the ^[m]records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of ^[n]Iddo the seer concerning Jeroboam the son of Nebat? ^30 (P)Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel.

Death of Solomon

³¹ And Solomon slept with his fathers and was buried in ^(Q)the city of his father David; and his son Rehoboam reigned in his place.

The Warnings of History to the Ungodly

^1 [a](A)Jude, a ^(B)bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of ^[b]James,

To ^(C)those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and ^(D)kept for Jesus Christ: ^2 (E)May mercy and peace and love ^(F)be multiplied to you.

^3 (G)Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our ^(H)common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you ^(I)contend earnestly for ^(J)the faith which was once for all ^(K)handed down to ^(L)the ^[c]saints. ⁴ For certain persons have ^(M)crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand ^[d](N)marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn ^(O)the grace of our God into ^(P)licentiousness and ^(Q)deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵ Now I desire to ^(R)remind you, though ^(S)you know all things once for all, that ^[e]the Lord, ^(T)after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, ^[f]subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And ^(U)angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has ^(V)kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, ⁷ just as ^(W)Sodom and Gomorrah and the ^(X)cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and ^(Y)went after ^[g]strange flesh, are exhibited as an ^[h](Z)example in undergoing the ^(AA)punishment of eternal fire.

⁸ Yet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, ^(AB)defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile ^[i]angelic majesties. ⁹ But ^(AC)Michael ^(AD)the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about ^(AE)the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “^(AF)The Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁰ But ^(AG)these men revile the things which they do not understand; and ^(AH)the things which they know by instinct, ^(AI)like unreasoning animals, by these things they are ^[j]destroyed. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they have gone ^(AJ)the way of Cain, and for pay ^[k]they have rushed headlong into ^(AK)the error of Balaam, and ^(AL)perished in the rebellion of Korah. ¹² These are the men who are ^[l]hidden reefs ^(AM)in your love feasts when they feast with you ^(AN)without fear, caring for themselves; ^(AO)clouds without water, ^(AP)carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, ^[m]doubly dead, ^(AQ)uprooted; ^13 (AR)wild waves of the sea, casting up ^(AS)their own ^[n]shame like foam; wandering stars, ^(AT)for whom the ^[o]black darkness has been reserved forever.

¹⁴ It was also about these men that ^(AU)Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “^(AV)Behold, the Lord came with ^[p]many thousands of His holy ones, ^15 (AW)to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ^(AX)ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” ¹⁶ These are ^(AY)grumblers, finding fault, ^(AZ)following after their own lusts; ^[q]they speak ^(BA)arrogantly, flattering people ^(BB)for the sake of gaining an advantage.

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

¹⁷ But you, ^(BC)beloved, ^(BD)ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by ^(BE)the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ that they were saying to you, “^(BF)In the last time there will be mockers, ^(BG)following after their own ungodly lusts.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, ^[r](BH)worldly-minded, ^[s]devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, ^(BI)beloved, ^(BJ)building yourselves up on your most holy ^(BK)faith, ^(BL)praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, ^(BM)waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on some, who are doubting; ²³ save others, ^(BN)snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, ^(BO)hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

^24 (BP)Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to ^(BQ)make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with ^(BR)great joy, ²⁵ to the ^(BS)only ^(BT)God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, ^(BU)be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, ^(BV)before all time and now and ^[t]forever. Amen.

Day of Judgment on Judah

1 The word of the Lord which came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of ^(A)Josiah son of ^(B)Amon, king of Judah:

Jesus before Pilate

23 Then the whole body of them got up and ^(A)brought Him before Pilate. ^2 (B)And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man ^(C)misleading our nation and ^(D)forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is ^[a]Christ, a King.” ³ So Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And He answered him and said, “^(E)It is as you say.” ⁴ Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “^(F)I find no guilt in this man.” ⁵ But they kept on insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching all over Judea, ^(G)starting from Galilee even as far as this place.”

⁶ When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. ⁷ And when he learned that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to ^(H)Herod, who himself also was in Jerusalem ^[b]at that time.

Jesus before Herod

⁸ Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for ^(I)he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some ^[c]sign performed by Him. ⁹ And he questioned Him ^[d]at some length; but ^(J)He answered him nothing. ¹⁰ And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently. ¹¹ And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, ^(K)dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² Now ^(L)Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.

Pilate Seeks Jesus’ Release

¹³ Pilate summoned the chief priests and the ^(M)rulers and the people, ¹⁴ and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one who ^(N)incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I ^(O)have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him. ¹⁵ No, nor has ^(P)Herod, for he sent Him back to us; and behold, nothing deserving death has been done by Him. ¹⁶ Therefore I will ^(Q)punish Him and release Him.” ¹⁷ [^[e]Now he was obliged to release to them at the feast one prisoner.]

¹⁸ But they cried out all together, saying, “^(R)Away with this man, and release for us Barabbas!” ¹⁹ (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, ²¹ but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!” ²² And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will ^(S)punish Him and release Him.” ²³ But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. ²⁴ And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted. ²⁵ And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, but he delivered Jesus to their will.

Simon Bears the Cross

^26 (T)When they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of ^(U)Cyrene, coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.

²⁷ And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were ^[f](V)mourning and lamenting Him. ²⁸ But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. ²⁹ For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘^(W)Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ ³⁰ Then they will begin to ^(X)say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ For if they do these things ^[g]when the tree is green, what will happen ^[h]when it is dry?”

^32 (Y)Two others also, who were criminals, were being led away to be put to death with Him.

The Crucifixion

^33 (Z)When they came to the place called ^[i]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. ^34 [j]But Jesus was saying, “^(AA)Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” ^(AB)And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves. ³⁵ And the people stood by, looking on. And even the ^(AC)rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; ^(AD)let Him save Himself if this is the ^[k]Christ of God, His Chosen One.” ³⁶ The soldiers also mocked Him, coming up to Him, ^(AE)offering Him sour wine, ³⁷ and saying, “^(AF)If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” ³⁸ Now there was also an inscription above Him, “^(AG)THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

^39 (AH)One of the criminals who were hanged there was ^[l]hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the ^[m]Christ? ^(AI)Save Yourself and us!” ⁴⁰ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving ^[n]what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come ^[o]in Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in ^(AJ)Paradise.”

^44 (AK)It was now about ^[p](AL)the sixth hour, and darkness ^[q]fell over the whole land until ^[r]the ninth hour, ^45 [s]because the sun was obscured; and ^(AM)the veil of the temple was torn ^[t]in two. ⁴⁶ And Jesus, ^(AN)crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, ^(AO)into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Having said this, He breathed His last. ^47 (AP)Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began ^(AQ)praising God, saying, “Certainly this man was ^[u]innocent.” ⁴⁸ And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, when they observed what had happened, began to return, ^[v](AR)beating their breasts. ^49 (AS)And all His acquaintances and ^(AT)the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.

Jesus Is Buried

^50 (AU)And a man named Joseph, who was a ^(AV)member of the Council, a good and righteous man ⁵¹ (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was ^(AW)waiting for the kingdom of God; ⁵² this man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ⁵³ And he took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever lain. ⁵⁴ It was ^(AX)the ^[w]preparation day, and the Sabbath was about to ^[x]begin. ⁵⁵ Now ^(AY)the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ Then they returned and ^(AZ)prepared spices and perfumes.

And ^(BA)on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.