M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Young Joash Influenced by Jehoiada
24 (A)Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba. 2 (B)Joash did what was right in the sight of the Lord all the days of Jehoiada the priest. 3 Jehoiada took two wives for him, and he became the father of sons and daughters.
Faithless Priests
4 Now it came about after this that Joash [a]decided (C)to restore the house of the Lord. 5 He gathered the priests and Levites and said to them, “Go out to the cities of Judah and collect money from all (D)Israel to [b]repair the house of your God [c]annually, and you shall do the matter quickly.” But the Levites did not act quickly. 6 So the king summoned Jehoiada the chief priest and said to him, “Why have you not required the Levites to bring in from Judah and from Jerusalem (E)the levy fixed by Moses the servant of the Lord on the congregation of Israel (F)for the tent of the testimony?” 7 For (G)the sons of the wicked Athaliah had broken into the house of God and even [d]used the holy things of the house of the Lord for the Baals.
Temple Repaired
8 So the king commanded, and (H)they made a chest and set it outside by the gate of the house of the Lord. 9 (I)They made a proclamation in Judah and Jerusalem to bring to the Lord (J)the levy fixed by Moses the servant of God on Israel in the wilderness. 10 All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought in their levies and [e]dropped them into the chest until they had finished. 11 It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the Levites, and when (K)they saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money. 12 The king and Jehoiada gave it to those who did the work of the service of the house of the Lord; and they hired masons and carpenters to restore the house of the Lord, and also workers in iron and bronze to [f]repair the house of the Lord. 13 So the workmen labored, and the repair work progressed in their hands, and they [g]restored the house of God [h]according to its specifications and strengthened it. 14 When they had finished, they brought the rest of the money before the king and Jehoiada; and it was made into utensils for the house of the Lord, utensils for the service and the burnt offering, and pans and utensils of gold and silver. And they offered burnt offerings in the house of the Lord continually all the days of Jehoiada.
15 Now when Jehoiada [i]reached a ripe old age he died; he was one hundred and thirty years old at his death. 16 They buried him (L)in the city of David among the kings, because he had done well in (M)Israel and [j]to God and His house.
17 But after the death of Jehoiada the officials of Judah came and bowed down to the king, and the king listened to them. 18 They abandoned (N)the house of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and (O)served the [k]Asherim and the idols; so (P)wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt. 19 Yet (Q)He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; though they testified against them, they would not listen.
Joash Murders Son of Jehoiada
20 (R)Then the Spirit of God [l]came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus God has said, ‘(S)Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord and do not prosper? (T)Because you have forsaken the Lord, He has also forsaken you.’” 21 So (U)they conspired against him and at the command of the king they stoned him [m]to death in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which his father Jehoiada had shown him, but he murdered his son. And as he died he said, “May (V)the Lord see and [n]avenge!”
Aram Invades and Defeats Judah
23 Now it happened at the turn of the year that (W)the army of the Arameans came up against him; and they came to Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed all the officials of the people from among the people, and sent all their spoil to the king of Damascus. 24 Indeed the army of the Arameans came with a small number of men; yet (X)the Lord delivered a very great army into their hands, (Y)because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. Thus they executed judgment on Joash.
25 (Z)When they had departed from him (for they left him very sick), his own servants conspired against him because of the blood of the [o]son of Jehoiada the priest, and murdered him on his bed. So he died, and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. 26 Now these are those who conspired against him: Zabad the son of Shimeath the Ammonitess, and Jehozabad the son of Shimrith the Moabitess. 27 As to his sons and the many [p]oracles against him and (AA)the [q]rebuilding of the house of God, behold, they are written in the [r](AB)treatise of the Book of the Kings. Then Amaziah his son became king in his place.
The Two Witnesses
11 Then there was given me a [a](A)measuring rod like a staff; [b]and (B)someone said, “Get up and measure the [c]temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. 2 [d]Leave out the (C)court which is outside the [e]temple and do not measure it, for (D)it has been given to the nations; and they will (E)tread under foot (F)the holy city for (G)forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two (H)witnesses, and they will prophesy for (I)twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in (J)sackcloth.” 4 These are the (K)two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone wants to harm them, (L)fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, (M)he must be killed in this way. 6 These have the power to (N)shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during (O)the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to (P)turn them into blood, and (Q)to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.
7 When they have finished their testimony, (R)the beast that comes up out of the (S)abyss will (T)make war with them, and overcome them and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the (U)great city which [f]mystically is called (V)Sodom and (W)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. 9 Those from (X)the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead [g]bodies for three and a half days, and [h](Y)will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb. 10 And (Z)those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will (AA)send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented (AB)those who dwell on the earth.
11 But after the three and a half days, (AC)the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “(AD)Come up here.” Then they (AE)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And in that hour there was a great (AF)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; [i]seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and (AG)gave glory to the (AH)God of heaven.
14 The second (AI)woe is past; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.
The Seventh Trumpet—Christ’s Reign Foreseen
15 Then the (AJ)seventh angel sounded; and there were (AK)loud voices in heaven, saying,
“(AL)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of (AM)His [j]Christ; and (AN)He will reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders, who (AO)sit on their thrones before God, (AP)fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,
“We give You thanks, (AQ)O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to (AR)reign. 18 And (AS)the nations were enraged, and (AT)Your wrath came, and (AU)the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to [k]reward Your (AV)bond-servants the prophets and the [l]saints and those who fear Your name, (AW)the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
19 And (AX)the [m]temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and (AY)the ark of His covenant appeared in His [n]temple, and there were flashes of (AZ)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a (BA)great [o]hailstorm.
Hearts like Flint
7 In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is (A)Chislev. 2 Now the town of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regemmelech and [a]their men to [b](B)seek the favor of the Lord, 3 speaking to the (C)priests who belong to the house of the Lord of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, “Shall I weep in the (D)fifth month [c]and abstain, as I have done these many years?” 4 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 5 “Say to all the people of the land and to the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months [d]these (E)seventy years, was it actually for (F)Me that you fasted? 6 When you eat and drink, [e]do you not eat for yourselves and do you not drink for yourselves? 7 Are not these the words which the Lord (G)proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and [f](H)prosperous along with its cities around it, and the [g](I)Negev and the [h]foothills were inhabited?’”
8 Then the word of the Lord came to Zechariah saying, 9 “Thus has the Lord of hosts said, ‘(J)Dispense true justice and practice (K)kindness and compassion each to his brother; 10 and (L)do not oppress the widow or the [i]orphan, the [j]stranger or the poor; and do (M)not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11 But they (N)refused to pay attention and [k](O)turned a stubborn shoulder and [l](P)stopped their ears from hearing. 12 They made their (Q)hearts like [m](R)flint [n]so that they could not hear the law and the (S)words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the (T)former prophets; therefore great (U)wrath came from the Lord of hosts. 13 And just as (V)He called and they would not listen, so (W)they called and I would not listen,” says the Lord of hosts; 14 “but I [o](X)scattered them with a (Y)storm wind among all the nations whom they have not known. Thus the land is (Z)desolated behind them [p]so that (AA)no one went back and forth, for they (AB)made the pleasant land desolate.”
Parable of the Good Shepherd
10 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is (A)a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is (B)a shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear (C)his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and (D)leads them out. 4 When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know (E)his voice. 5 A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know (F)the voice of strangers.” 6 This (G)figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them.
7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am (H)the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are (I)thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 (J)I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they (K)may have life, and [a]have it abundantly.
11 “(L)I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd (M)lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a (N)shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 (O)I am the good shepherd, and (P)I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as (Q)the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and (R)I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 I have (S)other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become (T)one flock with (U)one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I (V)lay down My life so that I may take it again. 18 (W)No one has taken it away from Me, but I (X)lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. (Y)This commandment I received from My Father.”
19 (Z)A division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them were saying, “He (AA)has a demon and (AB)is insane. Why do you listen to Him?” 21 Others were saying, “These are not the sayings of one (AC)demon-possessed. (AD)A demon cannot open the eyes of the blind, can he?”
Jesus Asserts His Deity
22 At that time the Feast of the Dedication took place at Jerusalem; 23 it was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of (AE)Solomon. 24 (AF)The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long [b]will You keep us in suspense? If You are [c]the Christ, tell us (AG)plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “(AH)I told you, and you do not believe; (AI)the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26 But you do not believe because (AJ)you are not of My sheep. 27 My sheep (AK)hear My voice, and (AL)I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give (AM)eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and (AN)no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 [d]My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 (AO)I and the Father are [e]one.”
31 The Jews (AP)picked up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” 33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for (AQ)blasphemy; and because You, being a man, (AR)make Yourself out to be God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in (AS)your (AT)Law, ‘(AU)I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him, whom the Father (AV)sanctified and (AW)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘(AX)I am the Son of God’? 37 (AY)If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe (AZ)the works, so that you may [f]know and understand that (BA)the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.” 39 Therefore (BB)they were seeking again to seize Him, and (BC)He eluded their grasp.
40 And He went away (BD)again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there. 41 Many came to Him and were saying, “While John performed no (BE)sign, yet (BF)everything John said about this man was true.” 42 (BG)Many believed in Him there.
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