M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

4 and the word of Samuel came to all Israel. And it was done in those days (the) Philistines came together into battle; for Israel went out against the Philistines into battle, and setted tents beside the stone of help (and pitched their tents at Ebenezer). And the Philistines came into Aphek,

² and made ready (the) battle array against Israel. And when the battle was begun, Israel turned the(ir) backs to [the] Philistines; and as four thousand of men were slain in that battle everywhere by fields; and the people of Israel turned again to their tents. (and prepared the battle array against Israel. And when the battle was begun, Israel turned their backs to the Philistines; and about four thousand men were killed that day in that battle, in every part of the field; and then the people of Israel returned to their tents.)

³ And the greater men in birth of Israel said, Why hath the Lord smitten us today before the Philistines? Bring we to us from Shiloh the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord, and come it into the midst of us, that it save us from the hand of our enemies. (And the men of great age, that is, the elders, of Israel, said, Why did the Lord let us be defeated today by the Philistines? Let us bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh, and have it come here into our midst, so that it can save us from the hand of our enemies.)

⁴ Therefore the people sent into Shiloh, and they took from thence the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord of hosts, that sat on cherubim. And Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were with the ark of the bond of peace of the Lord. (And so the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from there the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of hosts, who sitteth above, or upon, the cherubim. And Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, came with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.)

⁵ And when the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord had come into the tents (And when the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came to the camp), all Israel cried [out] with [a] great cry, and the earth sounded.

⁶ And the Philistines heard the voice of their cry, and they said, And what is this voice of great cry in the tents of Hebrews? And they knew, that the ark of [the] bond of peace of the Lord had come into the tents of Israel. (And the Philistines heard the sound of their cry, and they said, And what is this sound of a great cry from the Hebrews’ tents? And then they knew, that the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had come to Israel’s camp.)

⁷ And the Philistines dreaded, and said, God is come into their tents; and they wailed, and said, Woe to us! for so great out-joying was not there yesterday, and the third day passed; (And the Philistines were afraid, and said, God hath come to their tents; and they wailed, and said, Woe to us! for there was not so great rejoicing there yesterday, or the third day ago;)

⁸ woe to us! who shall keep us from the hand of these high gods? these be the gods, that smited Egypt with all vengeance in desert. (woe to us! who shall save us from the power of these high gods? these be the gods, who struck down the Egyptians with all that slaughter in the wilderness.)

⁹ Philistines, be ye comforted, and be ye men, serve ye not to the Hebrews, as they have served to you; be ye comforted, and fight ye against Israel. (Philistines, take ye courage, and be ye men, otherwise ye shall serve as slaves to the Hebrews, like they have served you; yea, be ye of good courage, and fight ye against Israel.)

¹⁰ Then the Philistines fought, and Israel was overcome, and each man fled into his tabernacle; and a full great vengeance was made, and thirty thousand of (the) footmen of Israel felled down. (Then the Philistines fought, and Israel was overcome, and each man fled into his tent; and there was a great slaughter, and thirty thousand of the footmen of Israel fell down.)

¹¹ And the ark of God was taken; and, the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were dead. (And the Ark of God was taken; and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed.)

¹² And a man of Benjamin ran from the battle array, and came into Shiloh in that day, with his cloth rent, and with his head besprinkled with dust; (And a man of Benjamin ran from the battle array, and came into Shiloh that day, with his cloak torn, and with his head covered with dirt;)

¹³ and when he was come, Eli sat upon a seat, and beheld against the way; for his heart was dreading for the ark of the Lord (and when he arrived, Eli sat on a seat, looking toward the road; for his heart was fearing for the Ark of the Lord). And after that that man had entered, he told (what had happened) to the men of the city, and (then) all the city yelled.

¹⁴ And Eli heard the sound of the cry, and he said, What is the sound of this noise? (And Eli heard all the yelling, and he said, What is the meaning of this noise?) And the man hasted, and came, and told to Eli.

¹⁵ And Eli was of fourscore years and eighteen, and his eyes (had) dimmed/his eyes (had) darkened, and he might not see.

¹⁶ And the man said to Eli, I am he that came from the battle, and I am he that fled today from the battle array. To whom Eli said, My son, what is there done? (My son, what is done there?)

¹⁷ And he that told answered, and said, Israel hath fled before the Philistines, and a great falling is made in the people of Israel; furthermore and thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, be dead, and the ark of God is taken. (And he who had given the report answered him, and said, Israel hath fled before the Philistines, and a great number of the people of Israel have fallen; and furthermore thy two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were killed, and the Ark of God was taken.)

¹⁸ And when he named the ark of God, Eli felled (off) from the seat backward beside the door, and was dead (and he died); for his neck was broken. For he was an eld man, and of great age; and he deemed Israel forty years.

¹⁹ And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, and nigh the child bearing; and when the message was heard/and when she (had) heard by the messenger, that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law was dead, and (also) her husband, she bowed herself down, and childed; for sudden sorrows felled into her (for suddenly her pains came upon her).

²⁰ And in that moment of her death, (the) women that stood about her said to her, Dread thou not, for thou hast childed a son. And she answered not to them, neither she took heed. (And at the moment of her death, the women who stood about her said to her, Fear thou not, for thou hast borne a son. But she did not answer them, nor take any heed.)

²¹ And she called the child Ichabod, that is, without glory, and said, The glory of the Lord is translated from Israel, for the ark of God is taken; and for her father-in-law and for her husband (And she called the child Ichabod, that is, Without glory, and said, Now the glory of the Lord hath been taken away from Israel; for the Ark of God was taken, and her father-in-law, and her husband, were dead;)

²² she said, The glory of God is translated from Israel/is taken from Israel, for the ark of God is taken. (and she said again, The glory of God hath been taken away from Israel, for the Ark of God hath been taken from us.)

4 What then shall we say, that Abraham our father after the flesh found?

² For if Abraham is justified of works of the law, he hath glory, but not with God.

³ For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed to God, and it was areckoned [reckoned] to him to rightwiseness.

⁴ And to him that worketh meed is not areckoned by grace [is not given to, or reckoned, after grace], but by debt.

⁵ Soothly to him that worketh not, but believeth into him that justifieth a wicked man, his faith is areckoned to rightwiseness^[a], after the purpose of God's grace.

⁶ As David saith the blessedness of a man, whom God accepteth, he giveth to him rightwiseness without works of the law, [As and David saith the blessedness of a man, to whom God accepteth, rightwiseness without works,]

⁷ Blessed be they, whose wickednesses be forgiven, and whose sins be hid [and whose sins be covered, or hid].

⁸ Blessed is that man, to whom God areckoned [reckoned] not sin.

⁹ Then whether dwelleth this blessedness only in circumcision, or also in prepuce? For we say, that the faith was areckoned [reckoned] to Abraham to rightwiseness.

¹⁰ How then was it areckoned [reckoned]? in circumcision, or in prepuce? Not in circumcision, but in prepuce.

¹¹ And he took a sign of circumcision, a token of rightwiseness of the faith [a marking, or tokening, of rightwiseness of faith] which is in prepuce, that he be father of all men believing by prepuce, that it be areckoned [reckoned] also to them to rightwiseness;

¹² and that he be father of circumcision, not only to them that be of circumcision, but also to them that follow the steps of the faith, which faith is in prepuce of our father Abraham. [and that he be father of circumcision, not only to them that be of circumcision, but and to them that follow the steps of the faith of our father Abraham, that is in prepuce.]

¹³ For not by the law is [the] promise to Abraham, or to his seed, that he should be [the] heir of the world, but by the rightwiseness of faith.

¹⁴ For if they that be of the law, be heirs, faith is destroyed, promise is done away.

¹⁵ For the law worketh wrath; for where is no law, there is no trespass, neither is trespassing. [Forsooth the law worketh wrath; soothly where the law is not, neither is prevarication, or trespassing.]

¹⁶ Therefore rightwiseness is of faith, that by grace promise be stable to each seed [that after grace promise be stable, or steadfast, to each seed], not to that seed only that is of the law, but to that that is of the faith of Abraham, which is father of us all.

¹⁷ As it is written, For I have set thee father of many folks, before God to whom thou hast believed. The which God quickeneth dead men [The which quickeneth the dead], and calleth those things that be not, as those that be.

¹⁸ [The] Which Abraham against hope believed into hope, that he should be made father of many folks, as it was said to him [after that it is said to him], Thus shall thy seed be, as the stars of heaven, and as the gravel [and as gravel, or sand,] that is in the brink of the sea.

¹⁹ And he was not made unsteadfast in the belief, neither he beheld his body then nigh dead [neither he beheld his body now nigh dead], when he was almost of an hundred years, nor the womb of Sarah nigh dead.

²⁰ Also in the promise of God he doubted not with untrust; but he was comforted in belief, giving glory to God,

²¹ witting most fully that whatever things God hath promised, he is mighty also to do.

²² Therefore it was areckoned [reckoned] to him to rightwiseness.

²³ And it is not written only for him, that it was areckoned [reckoned] to him to rightwiseness,

²⁴ but also for us, to whom it shall be areckoned [reckoned], that believe in him that raised our Lord Jesus Christ from death [from dead].

²⁵ Which was betaken for our sins, and rose again for our justifying.

42 And all the princes of (the) warriors nighed, and Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, and the residue common people, from a little man unto a great man. (And all the leaders of the warriors, including Johanan, the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah, the son of Hoshaiah, along with the common people, from a little man unto a great man, came to the prophet Jeremiah.)

² And they said to Jeremy, the prophet, Our prayer fall in thy sight, and pray thou for us to thy Lord God, for all these remnants; for we be left a few of many, as thine eyes behold us; (And they said to the prophet Jeremiah, May our prayer come before thee, and thou pray for us to the Lord thy God, yea, for all these remnants; for we who be left be but a few of many, as thine eyes do see;)

³ and thy Lord God tell to us the way, by which we shall go, and the word which we shall do. (and the Lord thy God tell us the way, by which we shall go, and everything that we should do.)

⁴ Forsooth Jeremy, the prophet, said to them, I have heard (you); lo! I pray to our Lord God, by your words (lo! I shall pray to the Lord your God, with your words); I shall show to you each word, whatever word the Lord shall answer to me, neither I shall hide anything from you.

⁵ And they said to Jeremy, The Lord be (a) witness of truth and of faith betwixt us; if not by each word, in which thy Lord God shall send thee to us, so we shall do, (And they said to Jeremiah, May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not do each command, which the Lord thy God shall give to thee, for us,)

⁶ whether it be good either evil. We shall obey to the voice of our Lord God, to whom we send thee, that it be well to us, when we have heard the voice of our Lord God. (whether it be good or evil. We shall obey the voice of the Lord our God, to whom we send thee, so that it may be well with us, when we have heard the voice of the Lord our God.)

⁷ Forsooth when ten days were [ful]filled, the word of the Lord was made to Jeremy.

⁸ And he called Johanan, the son of Kareah, and all the princes of warriors, that were with him (and all the leaders of the warriors, who were with him), and all the people from the least unto the most;

⁹ and he said to them, The Lord God of Israel saith these things, to whom ye sent me, that I should meekly set forth your prayers in his sight.

¹⁰ If ye rest, and dwell in this land, I shall build you, and I shall not destroy; I shall plant, and I shall not draw out; for now I am pleased on the evil which I did to you. (If ye rest, and live in this land, I shall build you, and I shall not destroy you; I shall plant you, and I shall not draw you out; for now I repent for the evil which I have done to you.)

¹¹ Do not ye dread of the face of the king of Babylon, whom ye that be fearful, dread; do not ye dread him, saith the Lord, for I am with you, to make you safe, and to deliver [you] from his hand. (Do not ye fear the king of Babylon, whom ye who be fearful, do fear; do not ye fear him, saith the Lord, for I am with you, to make you safe, and to deliver you out of his hands.)

¹² And I shall give mercies to you, and I shall have mercy on you, and I shall make you dwell in your land (and I shall help you to live in your own land).

¹³ Forsooth if ye say, We shall not dwell in this land, neither we shall hear the voice of our Lord God, (But if ye say, We shall not live in this land, nor shall we listen to the voice of the Lord our God,)

¹⁴ and say, Nay, but we shall go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see battle, and shall not hear the noise, either sound, of trump, and we shall not suffer hunger, and there we shall dwell; (and say, Nay! but we shall go to the land of Egypt, where we shall not see battle, and shall not hear the sound of the trumpet, and we shall not suffer hunger, and we shall live there;)

¹⁵ for this thing, ye remnants of Judah, hear now the word of the Lord. The Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, If ye set your face, for to enter into Egypt, and if ye enter, to dwell there (If ye set your face, to enter into Egypt, and if ye go, to live there),

¹⁶ the sword which ye dread shall take you there in the land of Egypt, and the hunger for which ye be anguished shall cleave to you in Egypt; and there ye shall die (and ye shall die there).

¹⁷ And all the men that setted their face, to enter into Egypt, and to dwell there, shall die by sword, and hunger, and pestilence; no man of them shall dwell still, neither shall escape from the face of [the] evil, which I shall bring on them. (And all those who set their face, to enter into Egypt, and to live there, shall die by the sword, and hunger, and pestilence; not one of them shall still remain, nor shall escape from the face of the evil, which I shall bring upon them.)

¹⁸ For why the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith these things, As my strong vengeance and mine indignation is welled together on the dwellers of Jerusalem, so mine indignation shall be welled together on you, when ye have entered into Egypt; and ye shall be into swearing, and into wondering, and into cursing, and into shame; and ye shall no more see this place. (For the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saith these things, As my strong vengeance and my indignation is welled together upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my indignation shall be welled together upon you, when ye have entered into Egypt; and ye shall be into swearing, and into wondering, and into cursing, and into shame; and ye shall no longer see this place.)

¹⁹ The word of the Lord is on you, ye remnants of Judah; do not ye enter into Egypt; ye (that be) witting shall know, that I have witnessed (against that) to you today; (This word of the Lord is for you, ye remnant of Judah; do not ye enter into Egypt; ye who be witting, or who understand, now know, that I have witnessed against that to you today;)

²⁰ for ye have deceived your souls, for ye sent me to your Lord God, and said, Pray thou for us to our Lord God, and by all things whatever things our Lord [God] shall say to thee, so tell thou to us, and we shall do. (for ye have deceived your own souls, when ye sent me to the Lord your God, and said, Pray thou for us to the Lord our God, and everything that the Lord our God shall say to thee, tell thou to us, and we shall do it.)

²¹ And I told to you today, and ye heard not the voice of your Lord God, on all things for which he sent me to you. (And so I told it to you today, but ye have not listened to, or obeyed, the voice of the Lord your God, regarding anything for which he hath sent me to you.)

²² Now therefore, ye (that be) witting shall know, for ye shall die by sword, and hunger, and pestilence, in the place to which ye would enter, to dwell there. (And so, ye who be witting now know, or understand, that ye shall die by the sword, and hunger, and pestilence, in the place where ye would go, to live there.)

18 To victory, the word of the Lord to David; which spake the words of this song, in the day in which the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; and he said: Lord, my strength, I shall love thee; (To victory, the word of the Lord to David; who spoke the words of this song, on the day in which the Lord rescued him from the power of all his enemies, and from the power of Saul; and he said, O Lord, my strength, I shall love thee;)^[a]

² the Lord is my steadfastness, and my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is mine helper; and I shall hope in him. My defender, and the horn of mine health; and mine up-taker (My God is my helper; and I shall trust him. My defender, and the horn of my salvation, or of my deliverance; and my rescuer).

³ I shall praise, and inwardly call the Lord; and I shall be safe from mine enemies. (I shall praise him, and I shall call on the Lord; and I shall be saved from my enemies.)

⁴ The sorrows of death (en)compassed me; and the strands of wickedness have troubled me. (The sorrows of death surrounded me; and the streams of wickedness have flowed over me.)

⁵ The sorrows of hell (en)compassed me; the snares of death before-occupied me. (The sorrows of Sheol, or of the land of the dead, surrounded me./The sorrows of the grave surrounded me; the snares of death were set for me.)

⁶ In my tribulation I inwardly called the Lord; and I cried to my God. And he heard my voice from his holy temple; and my cry in his sight entered into his ears. (In my trouble I called to the Lord; yea, I cried to my God. And he heard my voice in his holy Temple; yea, my cry came before him, and entered into his ears.)

⁷ The earth was moved (al)together, and trembled greatly; the foundaments of hills were troubled together, and moved together, for he was wroth to them. (The earth was altogether shaken, and greatly trembled; the foundations of the mountains were altogether troubled, and altogether shaken, for he was angry.)

⁸ Smoke went up in the ire of the Lord, and fire burnt out from his face; coals were kindled of him. (Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire came out of his mouth; and coals were kindled by it.)

⁹ He bowed down (the) heavens, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰ And he ascended on cherubim, and flew; he flew over the pens of winds. (And he went up on cherubim, and flew; yea, he flew upon the wings of the wind.)

¹¹ And he setted darknesses his hiding place, his tabernacle in his compass; and dark water was in the clouds of the air. (And he made the darkness his hiding place; and the clouds of the heavens, which were filled with water, surrounded him.)

¹² Full clear clouds passed in his sight; hail and the coals of fire.

¹³ And the Lord thundered from heaven; and the highest gave his voice, hail and coals of fire. (And the Lord thundered from the heavens; yea, the Most High sent forth his voice, and hail, and coals of fire.)

¹⁴ And he sent his arrows, and destroyed those men; he multiplied lightnings, and troubled those men.

¹⁵ And the wells of waters appeared; and the foundaments of the earth were showed. Lord, of thy blaming; of the breathing of the spirit of thine ire. (And the seabed appeared; and the foundations of the earth were uncovered. Yea, by the Lord’s rebuke; by the blast of the breath from his nostrils.)

¹⁶ He sent from the highest place, and took me; and he took me from many waters. (He reached down from the highest place, and took hold of me; yea, he took me out of the deep waters.)

¹⁷ He delivered me from my strongest enemies; and from them that hated me, for they were comforted on me. (He rescued me from my strongest enemies; yea, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.)

¹⁸ They came before me in the day of my torment; and the Lord was made my defender.

¹⁹ And he led out me into breadth; he made me safe, for he would me. (And he led me out into an open place; he saved me, for he delighted in me.)

²⁰ And the Lord shall yield to me by my rightfulness; and he shall yield to me by the cleanness of mine hands. (And the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; he rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.)

²¹ For I (have) kept the ways of the Lord; and I did not (go away) unfaithfully from my God.

²² For all his dooms be in my sight; and I putted not away from me his rightfulnesses. (For all his laws were before me; and I did not go away from his commands.)

²³ And I shall be unwemmed with him; and I shall keep me from my wickedness. (And I was without blemish, or without fault, before him; for I have kept myself from my own wickedness.)

²⁴ And the Lord shall yield to me by my rightfulness; and by the cleanness of mine hands in the sight of his eyes. (And so the Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; and according to the cleanness of my hands before him.)

²⁵ With the holy, thou shalt be holy; and with an innocent man, thou shalt be innocent. (With the holy, O Lord, thou shalt be holy; and with the innocent, thou shalt be innocent.)

²⁶ And with a chosen man, thou shalt be chosen; and with a wayward man, thou shalt be wayward. (And with the chosen, thou shalt be chosen; but to the wicked, thou shalt be vengeful, or punishing.)

²⁷ For thou shalt make safe a meek people; and thou shalt make meek the eyes of proud men. (And thou shalt save, or help, the poor; but thou shalt humble those who be high in their own eyes/but thou shalt look with contempt upon the proud.)

²⁸ For thou, Lord, lightenest my lantern; my God, lighten thou my darknesses. (For thou, Lord, brightenest my lantern; my God, thou lightest up my darknesses.)

²⁹ For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and in my God I shall go over the wall. (For I shall be rescued, or saved, from temptation by thee; and by my God/and with God’s help, I shall go over the wall.)

³⁰ My God, his way is undefouled; the speeches of the Lord be examined by fire; he is [the] defender of all men hoping in him. (My God, his way is undefiled; the words of the Lord be assayed by fire, that is, they be tried and tested, and found to be true; he is the defender of all who put their trust in him.)

³¹ For why, who is God, except the Lord? either who is God, except our God? (For who else is God, except the Lord? yea, who else is God, except our God?)

³² God that hath girded me with virtue; and hath set my way unwemmed. (God who hath girded me with strength; and hath made my way without blemish, or without fault.)

³³ Which made perfect my feet as the feet of harts; and ordaining me on high things. (Who made my feet like the feet of harts; and hath ordained me upon the high places.)

³⁴ Which teacheth mine hands to battle; and thou hast set mine arms as a brazen bow. (Who teacheth my hands in battle; and now my arms can break a bronze bow.)

³⁵ And thou hast given to me the covering of thine health; and thy right hand hath up-taken me (And thou hast given me the covering of thy salvation, or thy deliverance; and thy right hand hath taken me up). And thy chastising amended me into the end; and that chastising of thee shall teach me.

³⁶ Thou alargedest my paces under me; and my steps be not made unsteadfast. (Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet have not slipped, or stumbled.)

³⁷ I shall pursue mine enemies, and I shall take (hold of) them; and I shall not turn (again) till they fail (and I shall not return until they fall).

³⁸ I shall all-break them, and they shall not be able to stand; they shall fall under my feet.

³⁹ And thou hast girded me with virtue to battle; and thou hast overturned under me men rising against me. (And thou hast girded me with strength for the battle; and thou hast put beneath me those who rose up against me.)

⁴⁰ And thou hast given mine enemies aback to me; and thou hast destroyed men hating me/and thou hast destroyed them that hated me. (And thou hast given me the backs of my enemies; and I have destroyed those who hated me.)

⁴¹ They cried, and none there was that made them safe; they cried to the Lord, and he heard not them. (They cried, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.)

⁴² And I shall all-break them, as dust before the face of the wind; I shall do them away, as the clay of streets. (And I broke them all in pieces, so that they became like the dust in the wind; I did them away, and trampled them underfoot, like the clay in the streets.)

⁴³ Thou shalt deliver me from [the] against-sayings of the people; thou shalt set me into the head of folks. The people, which I knew not, hath served me; (Thou delivered me from the gainsaying of the people; thou put me as the head of the nations. The people, whom I knew not, now serve me.)

⁴⁴ in the hearing of ear it obeyed to me. Alien sons lied (down) to me, (The sons of foreigners, or of strangers, now bow down to me; and after hearing me speak, they obey me.)

⁴⁵ alien sons waxed eld; and (went) crooked from thy paths. (The courage of the sons of foreigners, or of strangers, faded away; and they slunk out of their strongholds together.)

⁴⁶ The Lord liveth, and my God be blessed; and the God of mine health be enhanced. (The Lord liveth, and blessed is my God; let the God of my salvation be exalted!)

⁴⁷ God, that givest vengeances to me, and makest subject peoples under me; (O God, who givest vengeance to me, and makest the nations subject under me;)

⁴⁸ thou art my deliverer from my wrathful enemies. And thou shalt enhance me from them, that rise against me; thou shalt deliver me from a wicked man. (thou art my deliverer from all my enemies. And thou hast raised me up over those who rose up against me; thou hast rescued me from violent men.)

⁴⁹ Therefore, Lord, I shall acknowledge to thee among nations; and I shall say psalm to thy name. (And so, Lord, I shall praise thee before the nations; and I shall sing to thy name.)

⁵⁰ Magnifying the healths of his king; and doing mercy to his christ David, and to his seed till into the world. (He who giveth victories to his king; who showeth love to his anointed king, yea, to David, and to his children, or his descendants, forever.)