M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Hezekiah Succeeds Ahaz in Judah
29 (A)Hezekiah became king when he was twenty-five years old; and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 (B)He did right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father David had done.
3 In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he (C)opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He brought in the priests and the Levites and gathered them into the square on the east.
Reforms Begun
5 Then he said to them, “Listen to me, O Levites. (D)Consecrate yourselves now, and consecrate the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry the uncleanness out from the holy place. 6 For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done evil in the sight of the Lord our God, and have forsaken Him and (E)turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the Lord, and have [a]turned their backs. 7 They have also (F)shut the doors of the porch and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 Therefore (G)the wrath of the Lord was against Judah and Jerusalem, and He has made them an object of terror, of horror, and of (H)hissing, as you see with your own eyes. 9 For behold, (I)our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. 10 Now it is in my heart (J)to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for (K)the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers and burn incense.”
12 Then the Levites arose: (L)Mahath, the son of Amasai and Joel the son of Azariah, from the sons of (M)the Kohathites; and from the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and from the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah and Eden the son of Joah; 13 and from the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and [b]Jeiel; and from the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah; 14 and from the sons of Heman, [c]Jehiel and Shimei; and from the sons of Jeduthun, Shemaiah and Uzziel. 15 They assembled their brothers, (N)consecrated themselves, and went in (O)to cleanse the house of the Lord, according to the commandment of the king (P)by the words of the Lord. 16 So the priests went in to the inner part of the house of the Lord to cleanse it, and every unclean thing which they found in the temple of the Lord they brought out to the court of the house of the Lord. Then the Levites received it to carry out to (Q)the Kidron [d]valley. 17 Now they began [e]the consecration (R)on the first day of the first month, and on the eighth day of the month they entered the porch of the Lord. Then they consecrated the house of the Lord in eight days, and finished on the sixteenth day of the first month. 18 Then they went in to King Hezekiah and said, “We have cleansed the whole house of the Lord, the altar of burnt offering with all of its utensils, and the table of showbread with all of its utensils. 19 Moreover, (S)all the utensils which King Ahaz had discarded during his reign in his unfaithfulness, we have prepared and consecrated; and behold, they are before the altar of the Lord.”
Hezekiah Restores Temple Worship
20 Then King Hezekiah arose early and assembled the princes of the city and went up to the house of the Lord. 21 They brought seven bulls, seven rams, seven lambs and seven male goats (T)for a sin offering for the kingdom, the sanctuary, and Judah. And he ordered the priests, the sons of Aaron, to offer them on the altar of the Lord. 22 So they slaughtered the bulls, and the priests took the blood and sprinkled it on the altar. They also slaughtered the rams and sprinkled the blood on the altar; they slaughtered the lambs also and (U)sprinkled the blood on the altar. 23 Then they brought the male goats of the sin offering before the king and the assembly, and (V)they laid their hands on them. 24 The priests slaughtered them and purged the altar with their blood (W)to atone for all Israel, for the king ordered the burnt offering and the sin offering for all Israel.
25 (X)He then stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with harps and with lyres, (Y)according to the command of David and of (Z)Gad the king’s seer, and of (AA)Nathan the prophet; for the command was from the Lord through His prophets. 26 The Levites stood with (AB)the musical instruments of David, and (AC)the priests with the trumpets. 27 Then Hezekiah gave the order to offer the burnt offering on the altar. When the burnt offering began, (AD)the song to the Lord also began with the trumpets, [f]accompanied by the instruments of David, king of Israel. 28 While the whole assembly worshiped, the singers also sang and the trumpets sounded; all this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
29 Now at the completion of the burnt offerings, (AE)the king and all who were present with him bowed down and worshiped. 30 Moreover, King Hezekiah and the officials ordered the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer. (AF)So they sang praises with joy, and bowed down and worshiped.
31 Then Hezekiah said, “(AG)Now that you have [g]consecrated yourselves to the Lord, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the Lord.” And the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and (AH)all those who were [h]willing brought burnt offerings. 32 The number of the burnt offerings which the assembly brought was 70 bulls, 100 rams, and 200 lambs; all these were for a burnt offering to the Lord. 33 The consecrated things were 600 bulls and 3,000 sheep. 34 But the priests were too few, so that they were unable to skin all the burnt offerings; (AI)therefore their brothers the Levites helped them until the work was completed and until the other priests had consecrated themselves. For (AJ)the Levites were more [i]conscientious to consecrate themselves than the priests. 35 There were also [j](AK)many burnt offerings with (AL)the fat of the peace offerings and with (AM)the libations for the burnt offerings. Thus the service of the house of the Lord was established again. 36 Then Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what God had prepared for the people, because the thing came about suddenly.
A Scene of Heaven
15 Then I saw (A)another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, (B)seven angels who had (C)seven plagues, which are (D)the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
2 And I saw something like a (E)sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had (F)been victorious [a]over the (G)beast and (H)his image and the (I)number of his name, standing on the (J)sea of glass, holding (K)harps of God. 3 And they *sang the (L)song of Moses, (M)the bond-servant of God, and the (N)song of the Lamb, saying,
“(O)Great and marvelous are Your works,
(P)O Lord God, the Almighty;
Righteous and true are Your ways,
(Q)King of the [b]nations!
4 “(R)Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy;
For (S)all the nations will come and worship before You,
For Your [c](T)righteous acts have been revealed.”
5 After these things I looked, and (U)the [d]temple of the (V)tabernacle of testimony in heaven was opened, 6 and the (W)seven angels who had the seven plagues (X)came out of the [e]temple, clothed in [f]linen, clean and bright, and (Y)girded around their chests with golden sashes. 7 Then one of the (Z)four living creatures gave to the (AA)seven angels seven (AB)golden bowls full of the (AC)wrath of God, who (AD)lives forever and ever. 8 And the [g]temple was filled with (AE)smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no one was able to enter the [h]temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.
The Doomed Flock
11 Open your doors, O Lebanon,
That a (A)fire may feed on your (B)cedars.
2 Wail, O [a]cypress, for the cedar has fallen,
Because the glorious trees have been destroyed;
Wail, O oaks of Bashan,
For the [b]impenetrable forest has come down.
3 There is a sound of the shepherds’ (C)wail,
For their glory is ruined;
There is a (D)sound of the young lions’ roar,
For the [c]pride of the Jordan is ruined.
4 Thus says the Lord my God, “Pasture the flock doomed to (E)slaughter. 5 Those who buy them slay them and [d]go (F)unpunished, and each of those who sell them says, ‘Blessed be the Lord, for (G)I have become rich!’ And their (H)own shepherds have no pity on them. 6 For I will (I)no longer have pity on the inhabitants of the land,” declares the Lord; “but behold, I will (J)cause the men to [e]fall, each into another’s [f]power and into the [g]power of his king; and they will strike the land, and I will (K)not deliver them from their [h]power.”
7 So I (L)pastured the flock doomed to slaughter, [i]hence the (M)afflicted of the flock. And I took for myself two (N)staffs: the one I called [j](O)Favor and the other I called [k](P)Union; so I pastured the flock. 8 Then I annihilated the three shepherds in (Q)one month, for my soul was impatient with them, and their soul also [l]was weary of me. 9 Then I said, “I will not pasture you. What is to (R)die, [m]let it die, and what is to be annihilated, [n]let it be annihilated; and [o]let those who are left eat one another’s flesh.” 10 I took my staff [p](S)Favor and cut it in pieces, to [q](T)break my covenant which I had made with all the peoples. 11 So it was [r]broken on that day, and [s]thus the (U)afflicted of the flock who were watching me realized that it was the word of the Lord. 12 I said to them, “If it is good in your sight, give me my (V)wages; but if not, [t]never mind!” So they weighed out (W)thirty shekels of silver as my wages. 13 Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the (X)potter, that magnificent price at which I was valued by them.” So I took the thirty shekels of silver and threw them to the potter in the house of the Lord. 14 Then I cut in pieces my second staff [u](Y)Union, to (Z)break the brotherhood between Judah and Israel.
15 The Lord said to me, “Take again for yourself the equipment of a [v](AA)foolish shepherd. 16 For behold, I am going to raise up a shepherd in the land who will (AB)not care for the perishing, seek the scattered, heal the broken, or sustain the one standing, but will (AC)devour the flesh of the fat sheep and tear off their hoofs.
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “(A)Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for (B)I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If I go and prepare a place for you, (C)I will come again and receive you to Myself, that (D)where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 (E)Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am (F)the way, and (G)the truth, and (H)the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Oneness with the Father
7 (I)If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you (J)know Him, and have (K)seen Him.”
8 (L)Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? (M)He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that (N)I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? (O)The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11 Believe Me that (P)I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise (Q)believe because of the works themselves. 12 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and (R)greater works than these he will do; because (S)I go to the Father. 13 (T)Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that (U)the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask Me anything (V)in My name, I will do it.
15 “(W)If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Role of the Spirit
16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another [b](X)Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is (Y)the Spirit of truth, (Z)whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; (AA)I will come to you. 19 [c](AB)After a little while (AC)the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; (AD)because I live, you will live also. 20 (AE)In that day you will know that (AF)I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 (AG)He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and (AH)he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will (AI)disclose Myself to him.” 22 (AJ)Judas (not Iscariot) *said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened (AK)that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “(AL)If anyone loves Me, he will (AM)keep My word; and (AN)My Father will love him, and We (AO)will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24 He who does not love Me (AP)does not keep My words; and (AQ)the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the (AR)Helper, the Holy Spirit, (AS)whom the Father will send in My name, (AT)He will teach you all things, and (AU)bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. 27 (AV)Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. (AW)Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. 28 (AX)You heard that I said to you, ‘I go away, and (AY)I will come to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because (AZ)I go to the Father, for (BA)the Father is greater than I. 29 Now (BB)I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe. 30 I will not speak much more with you, for (BC)the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; 31 but so that the world may know that I love the Father, [d]I do exactly as (BD)the Father commanded Me. Get up, (BE)let us go from here.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.