M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Jehoshaphat Allies with Ahab
18 Now (A)Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. 2 (B)Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. 3 Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?” And he said to him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle.”
4 Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire [a]first for the word of the Lord.” 5 Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king.” 6 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?” 7 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so.”
Ahab’s False Prophets Assure Victory
8 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, “[b]Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla’s son.” 9 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting (C)at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. 10 Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.’” 11 All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.”
Micaiah Brings Word from God
12 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably.” 13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, (D)what my God says, that I will speak.”
14 When he came to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?” He said, “Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand.” 15 Then the king said to him, “How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?” 16 So he said,
“I saw all Israel
Scattered on the mountains,
(E)Like sheep which have no shepherd;
And the Lord said,
‘These have no master.
Let each of them return to his house in peace.’”
17 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”
18 Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. (F)I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. 19 The Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. 20 Then a (G)spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘How?’ 21 He said, ‘I will go and be (H)a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.’ 22 Now therefore, behold, (I)the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and (J)struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “[c]How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?” 24 Micaiah said, “Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.” 25 Then the king of Israel said, “(K)Take Micaiah and return him to Amon (L)the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 26 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “(M)Put this man in prison and feed him [d]sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” 27 Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me.” And he said, “(N)Listen, all you people.”
Ahab’s Defeat and Death
28 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. 29 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. 30 Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone.” 31 So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “It is the king of Israel,” and they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat (O)cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. 32 When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. 33 A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel [e]in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, “Turn [f]around and take me out of the [g]fight, for I am severely wounded.” 34 The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.
An Interlude
7 After this I saw (A)four angels standing at the (B)four corners of the earth, holding back (C)the four winds of the earth, (D)so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending (E)from the rising of the sun, having the (F)seal of (G)the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the (H)four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “(I)Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have (J)sealed the bond-servants of our God on their (K)foreheads.”
The 144,000
4 And I heard the (L)number of those who were sealed, (M)one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel:
5 from the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin, twelve thousand were sealed.
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from (N)every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing (O)before the throne and (P)before the Lamb, clothed in (Q)white robes, and (R)palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying,
“(S)Salvation to our God (T)who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 And all the angels were standing (U)around the throne and around (V)the elders and the (W)four living creatures; and they (X)fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“(Y)Amen, (Z)blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. (AA)Amen.”
13 Then one of the elders (AB)answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the (AC)white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” 14 I [a]said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the (AD)great tribulation, and they have (AE)washed their robes and made them (AF)white in the (AG)blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason, they are (AH)before the throne of God; and they (AI)serve Him day and night in His [b](AJ)temple; and (AK)He who sits on the throne will spread His (AL)tabernacle over them. 16 (AM)They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun [c]beat down on them, nor any heat; 17 for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their (AN)shepherd, and will guide them to springs of the [d](AO)water of life; and (AP)God will wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Joshua, the High Priest
3 Then he showed me (A)Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and [a](B)Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 The Lord said to Satan, “(C)The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has (D)chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a (E)brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was clothed with (F)filthy garments and standing before the angel. 4 He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, “(G)Remove the filthy garments from him.” Again he said to him, “See, I have (H)taken your iniquity away from you and [b]will (I)clothe you with festal robes.” 5 Then I said, “Let them put a clean (J)turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by.
6 And the angel of the Lord admonished Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If you will (K)walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also (L)govern My house and also have charge of My (M)courts, and I will grant you [c]free access among these who are standing here.
The Branch
8 Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a (N)symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the [d](O)Branch. 9 For behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are (P)seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will (Q)remove the iniquity of that land in one day. 10 ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his (R)vine and under his fig tree.’”
Five Thousand Fed
6 After these things (A)Jesus went away to the other side of (B)the Sea of Galilee (or (C)Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the [a](D)signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 Then (E)Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now (F)the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to (G)Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to (H)test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 (I)Philip answered Him, “(J)Two hundred [b]denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His (K)disciples, (L)Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two (M)fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people [c]sit down.” Now there was (N)much grass in the place. So the men [d]sat down, in number about (O)five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and (P)having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the (Q)fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He *said to His (R)disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve (S)baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the [e]sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the (T)Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Water
15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were [f]intending to come and take Him by force (U)to make Him king, (V)withdrew again to (W)the mountain by Himself alone.
16 Now when evening came, His (X)disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea (Y)to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 Then, when they had rowed about [g]three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20 But He *said to them, “It is I; [h](Z)do not be afraid.” 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
22 The next day (AA)the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus (AB)had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. 23 There came other small boats from (AC)Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the (AD)Lord (AE)had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and (AF)came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “(AG)Rabbi, when did You get here?”
Words to the People
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you (AH)seek Me, not because you saw (AI)signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not (AJ)work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to (AK)eternal life, which (AL)the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, (AM)has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is (AN)the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He (AO)has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “(AP)What then do You do for a (AQ)sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 (AR)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘(AS)He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is [i]that which (AT)comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always (AU)give us this bread.”
35 Jesus said to them, “(AV)I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me (AW)will never thirst. 36 But (AX)I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 (AY)All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 For (AZ)I have come down from heaven, (BA)not to do My own will, but (BB)the will of Him who (BC)sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of (BD)all that He has given Me I (BE)lose nothing, but (BF)raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who (BG)beholds the Son and (BH)believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will (BI)raise him up on the last day.”
Words to the Jews
41 (BJ)Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that (BK)came down out of heaven.” 42 They were saying, “(BL)Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother (BM)we know? How does He now say, ‘(BN)I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me (BO)draws him; and I will (BP)raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written (BQ)in the prophets, ‘(BR)And they shall all be (BS)taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 (BT)Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes (BU)has eternal life. 48 (BV)I am the bread of life. 49 (BW)Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which (BX)comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and (BY)not die. 51 (BZ)I am the living bread that (CA)came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, (CB)he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give (CC)for the life of the world is (CD)My flesh.”
52 (CE)Then the Jews (CF)began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of (CG)the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will (CH)raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood (CI)abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the (CJ)living Father (CK)sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which (CL)came down out of heaven; not as (CM)the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread (CN)will live forever.”
Words to the Disciples
59 These things He said (CO)in the synagogue as He taught (CP)in Capernaum.
60 Therefore many of His (CQ)disciples, when they heard this said, “(CR)This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, (CS)conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this (CT)cause you to stumble? 62 What then if you see (CU)the Son of Man (CV)ascending to where He was before? 63 (CW)It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; (CX)the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are (CY)some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus (CZ)knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and (DA)who it was that would [j]betray Him. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have (DB)said to you, that no one can come to Me unless (DC)it has been granted him from the Father.”
Peter’s Confession of Faith
66 As a result of this many of His (DD)disciples (DE)withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to (DF)the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 (DG)Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have (DH)words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are (DI)the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “(DJ)Did I Myself not choose you, (DK)the twelve, and yet one of you is (DL)a devil?” 71 Now He meant Judas (DM)the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, (DN)one of (DO)the twelve, [k]was going to betray Him.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.