M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

25 Forsooth Samuel was dead; and all Israel was gathered together, and they bewailed him greatly, and buried him in his house in Ramah. And David rose up, and went down into the desert of Paran. (And then Samuel died; and all Israel was gathered together, and they greatly bewailed him, and buried him at his house in Ramah. And David rose up, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.)

² And in Maon there was a man, and his possession was in Carmel; and that man was full great, and there were to him three thousand sheep, and a thousand of goats; and it befelled that his flock was shorn in Carmel. (And in Maon there was a man, and his possession was in Carmel; and that man was very rich, and there were to him three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and it befell that his flock was clipped in Carmel.)

³ And the name of that man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail; and that woman was most prudent and fair, (and that woman was very intelligent, and beautiful); but her husband was hard and full wicked and malicious; and he was of the kin of Caleb.

⁴ Therefore when David had heard in desert, that Nabal clipped his flock, (And when David had heard in the wilderness, that Nabal clipped his flock,)

⁵ he sent ten young men, and said to them, Go ye up into Carmel, and ye shall come to Nabal, and ye shall greet him of my name peaceably (and ye shall give him a friendly greeting in my name);

⁶ and ye shall say thus (and so ye shall say), Peace be to my brethren and to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be to all things, whatever thou hast.

⁷ I have heard that thy shepherds, that were with us in desert, have shorn thy flocks; we were never dis-easeful to them, neither any time anything of the flock failed to them, in all the time in which they were with us in Carmel; (I have heard that thy shepherds, who were with us in the wilderness, have clipped thy flocks; we never threatened them, nor at any time did anything of theirs go missing, in all the time when they were with us in Carmel;)

⁸ ask thy young men, and they shall show to thee. Now therefore thy young men find grace in thine eyes; for in a good day we come to thee; whatever thing thine hand findeth, or (it) pleaseth to thee, give it to thy servants, and to thy son David. (ask thy young men, and they shall tell thee. And so now let my young men find favour in thine eyes, for we come to thee on a good day; and whatever thing that thy hand findeth, or it pleaseth thee, give it to thy servants, and to thy son David.)

⁹ And when the young men of David had come, they spake to Nabal all these words in the name of David, and held [their] peace (and then they were silent).

¹⁰ Forsooth Nabal answered to the young men of David, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? Today servants [have] increased that flee their lords (Today too many servants have fled from their lords).

¹¹ Therefore shall I take my loaves, and my waters, and the flesh of (my) beasts, which I have slain to my shearers (which I have killed for my shearers), and shall I give (it) to men, that I know not of whence they be?

¹² Therefore the young men of David went again by their way; and they turned again, and came, and told to him all (the) words which Nabal had said.

¹³ Then David said to his young men, (Let) Each man be gird with his sword. And all (his) men were girded with their swords, and David also was girded with his sword; and as four hundred men followed David, for two hundred (were) left at the fardels (and about four hundred men followed David, for two hundred were left behind with the bundles, or the supplies).

¹⁴ And one of the young men told to Abigail, the wife of Nabal, and said, Lo! David sent messengers from desert, that they should bless our lord, and he turned them away (Lo! David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our lord, but he turned them away);

¹⁵ these men were good enough, and not dis-easeful to us, and nothing of ours perished in all the time in which we were with them in desert, (or in the wilderness);

¹⁶ they were to us for a wall, both in night and day, in all the days in which we pastured flocks with them. (they were like a wall for us, both night and day, all the days in which we pastured the flocks with them.)

¹⁷ Wherefore behold thou, and think, what thou shalt do; for malice is full-filled against thine husband, and against thine house (for malice is now filled full against thy husband, and against all thy family); and he is the son of Belial, so that no man may speak (sense) to him.

¹⁸ Therefore Abigail hasted, and took two hundred loaves, and two vessels of wine, and five wethers sodden, and seven bushels and an half of flour (and five roasted sheep, and seven and a half bushels of flour), and an hundred bundles of dried grapes, or raisins, and two hundred pieces of dried figs; and she put all this upon asses,

¹⁹ and said to her servants, Go ye before me; lo! I shall follow you behind your back. And she showed not this to her husband Nabal (But she did not say anything about this to her husband Nabal).

²⁰ Therefore when she had gone upon an ass, and came down to the foot of the hill, David and his men came down into her coming; the which she met (and she met them).

²¹ And (earlier) David (had) said, Verily in vain I have kept all these things that were of this Nabal in the desert, and nothing perished of all things that pertained to him, and (yet) he hath yielded to me evil for good. (And earlier David had said, Truly in vain have I kept watch over all those things that were Nabal’s in the wilderness, and though nothing perished of all the things that pertained to him, yet he hath yielded to me evil for good.)

²² The Lord do these things, and add he these things to the enemies of David, if I shall leave (anything) undestroyed of all things that pertain to him till tomorrow (yea, even) a pisser to a wall. (May the Lord do these things, and add he other things, to David’s enemies, if I leave anything unwasted until tomorrow out of all the things that pertain to him, yea, even a pisser on the wall.)

²³ And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and went down off the ass; and she fell down before David on her face, and worshipped him on the earth (bowing low to the ground before him).

²⁴ And she felled down to his feet, and said, My lord the king, this wickedness be in me; I beseech thee, speak thine handmaid in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy servantess; (And she fell down at his feet, and said, My lord the king, let this wickedness be upon me; I beseech thee, let thy servantess speak to thee, and listen thou to the words of thy servantess;)

²⁵ I pray (thee), my lord the king, set not his heart on this wicked man Nabal, for by his name he is a fool, and folly is with him; but, my lord, I thine handmaid saw not thy young men, which thou sentest (but my lord, I thy servantess, did not see thy young men, whom thou sentest).

²⁶ Now therefore, my lord, the Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, the which Lord hath forbidden thee, that thou shouldest come into blood, and the Lord saved thy life to thee; and now thine enemies, and they that seek evil to thee my lord, be they made as Nabal. (And so now, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, the which Lord hath forbidden thee, that thou shouldest come to shed blood, and so to avenge thyself with thy own hand; yea, now let thy enemies, and they who seek evil for thee my lord, be they made like Nabal.)

²⁷ Wherefore receive thou this blessing, (or this gift,) which thine handmaid [hath] brought to thee, my lord, and give it to the young men that follow thee, my lord.

²⁸ (And) Do thou away the wickedness of thy servantess; for the Lord making shall make a faithful house to thee, my lord (for the Lord shall make a faithful family for thee, my lord), for thou, my lord, fightest the battles of the Lord; therefore malice be not found in thee in all the days of thy life.

²⁹ For if a man riseth any time, and pursueth thee, and seeketh thy life, the life of my lord shall be kept (safe) as in a bundle of living trees, at thy Lord God (with the Lord thy God); but the soul of thine enemies shall be hurled round about as in [the] fierceness, and [the] circle of a sling.

³⁰ Therefore when the Lord hath done to thee, my lord, all these good things, which he hath spoken of thee, and hath ordained thee duke upon Israel (and hath ordained thee ruler upon Israel),

³¹ this shall not be into sighing, that is, into mourning of soul, and into remorse of conscience, and into doubt of heart to thee, my lord, that thou hast shed out guiltless blood, either that thou hast (a)venged thyself. And when the Lord hath done well to thee, my lord, thou shalt have mind on thine handmaid (thou shalt remember thy servantess), and thou shalt do well to her.

³² And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that sent thee today into my coming (who sent thee today to meet me),

³³ and blessed be thy speech; and blessed be thou, that hast forbade me, lest I went today to (shed) blood, and had venged me with mine hand (and had avenged myself with my own hands);

³⁴ else the Lord God of Israel liveth, which forbade me, lest I did evil to thee, if thou haddest not soon come into meeting to me, (yea, even) a pisser to the wall should not have (been) left to Nabal till to the morrow light. (else as the Lord God of Israel liveth, who forbade me, lest I did evil to thee, if thou haddest not swiftly come to meet me, yea, even a pisser on the wall would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light.)

³⁵ Therefore David received (out) of her hand all (the) things which she had brought to him; and he said to her, Go thou in peace into thine house; lo! I have heard thy voice, and I honoured thy face (and I grant thy request).

³⁶ Forsooth Abigail came to Nabal; and lo! a feast was to him in his house, as the feast of a king; and the heart of Nabal was merry, certainly he was full drunken; and she showed not to him a word, little or great, till the morrow. (And Abigail came back to Nabal; and lo! he was giving a feast in his house, a feast fit for a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry, for he was very drunk; and so she did not tell him anything, little or great, until the morning.)

³⁷ But in the morrowtide, when Nabal had voided the wine, his wife showed to him all these words; and his heart was almost dead within, and he was made as a stone. (But in the morning, when Nabal had voided the wine, his wife told him everything; and his heart was almost dead within, and he was made like a stone.)

³⁸ And when ten days had passed, the Lord smote Nabal, and he was dead (and he died).

³⁹ The which thing when David had heard, Nabal to be dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord God, that hath venged the cause of my shame of the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil, and the Lord hath yielded the malice of Nabal into the head of him. Therefore David sent, and spake to Abigail, that he would take her (as a) wife to him. (Which thing when David had heard, that is, that Nabal had died, he said, Blessed be the Lord God, who hath avenged the cause of my shame at the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil; yea, the Lord hath yielded the malice of Nabal onto his own head. Then David sent word to Abigail that he would take her for his wife.)

⁴⁰ And the servants of David came to Abigail into Carmel, and spake to her, and said, David sent us to thee, that he take thee into wife to him. (And so David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, and spoke to her, and said, David sent us to tell thee, that he would take thee as his wife.)

⁴¹ And she rose up, and worshipped low to the earth (and bowed low to the ground), and said, Lo! (let) thy servantess be into an handmaid, that she wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

⁴² And Abigail hasted, and rose (up), and ascended on an ass (and mounted her donkey); and five damsels, (the) followers of her feet, went with her, and she followed the messengers of David, and (so) was made [a] wife to him.

⁴³ But also David took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and ever either was wife to him (and they both became his wives);

⁴⁴ and Saul gave Michal his daughter, [the] wife of David, to Phalti, the son of Laish, that was of Gallim.

6 Dare any of you that hath a cause against another, be deemed at wicked men, and not at holy men? [Dare any of you, having a cause against another, be deemed at wicked men, and not at saints, or holy men?]

² Whether ye know not, that saints shall deem this world? And if the world shall be deemed by you, be ye unworthy to deem the least things?

³ Know ye not, that we shall deem angels? how much more worldly things?

⁴ Therefore if ye have worldly dooms, ordain ye those contemptible men [ordain ye those contemptible men, or of little reputation], that be in the church, to deem.

⁵ I say to make you ashamed. So there is not any wise man, that may deem betwixt a brother and his brother; [I say to your shame. So there is not any wise man, that may deem between a brother and his brother;]

⁶ but brother with brother striveth in doom, and that among unfaithful men.

⁷ And now trespass is always among you [Now forsooth trespass is all-gates in you], for ye have dooms among you. Why rather take ye not wrong? why rather suffer ye not deceit [why not more suffer ye fraud, or deceit]?

⁸ But also ye do wrong, and do fraud [and defraud], and that to brethren.

⁹ Whether ye know not, that wicked men shall not wield the kingdom of God? Do not ye err; neither lechers, neither men that serve maumets [neither men serving to idols], neither adulterers, neither lechers against kind, neither they that do lechery with men,

¹⁰ neither thieves, neither avaricious men [neither covetous men, or niggards], neither men full of drunkenness, neither cursers, neither raveners, shall wield the kingdom of God.

¹¹ And ye were sometime these things [And these things ye were sometime]; but ye be washed, but ye be hallowed, but ye be justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.

¹² All things be leaveful to me, but not all things be speedful. All things be leaveful to me, but I shall not be brought down under any man's power.

¹³ Meat to the womb, and the womb to meats; and God shall destroy both this and that. And the body not to fornication, but to the Lord, and the Lord to the body.

¹⁴ For God raised the Lord, and shall raise us by his virtue.

¹⁵ Know ye not, that your bodies be members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and shall I make them the members of a whore? God forbid [Far be it].

¹⁶ Whether ye know not, that he that cleaveth to a whore, is made one body? For he saith, There shall be twain in one flesh [There shall be two in one flesh].

¹⁷ And he that cleaveth to the Lord, is one spirit.

¹⁸ Flee ye fornication; all sin whatever sin a man doeth [all sin whatever a man shall do], is without the body; but he that doeth fornication, sinneth against his body.

¹⁹ Whether ye know not, that your members be the temple of the Holy Ghost, that is in you, whom ye have of God, and ye be not your own?

²⁰ For ye be bought with great price. Glorify ye, and bear ye God in your body.

4 And thou, son of man, take to thee a tilestone; and thou shalt set it before thee, and thou shalt describe therein the city of Jerusalem (and thou shalt draw upon it the city of Jerusalem).

² And thou shalt ordain besieging against that Jerusalem; and thou shalt build strongholds, and thou shalt bear together [an heap of] earth, and thou shalt give hosts of battle against it, and thou shalt set engines by compass (and thou shalt set up battering rams all around it).

³ And take thou to thee an iron frying pan; and thou shalt set it into an iron wall betwixt thee and betwixt the city; and thou shalt set steadfastly thy face to it, and it shall be into besieging, and thou shalt (en)compass it; it is a sign to the house of Israel. (And take thou thee an iron frying pan; and thou shalt set it there like an iron wall between thee and the city; and thou shalt steadfastly set thy face toward the city, and it shall be into besieging, and so thou shalt surround, or besiege, it; this shall be a sign to the house of Israel.)

⁴ And thou shalt sleep on thy left side, and thou shalt put the wickednesses of the house of Israel on that side; in the number of days in which thou shalt sleep on that side, and thou shalt take the wickedness of them (for the number of days in which thou shalt sleep on that side, thou shalt bear their wickedness).

⁵ Forsooth I gave to thee the years of the wickedness of them by (the) number of days, three hundred and ninety days; and thou shalt bear the wickedness of the house of Israel.

⁶ And when thou hast [ful]filled these things, thou shalt sleep the second time on thy right side. And thou shalt take the wickedness of the house of Judah by forty days; I gave to thee a day for a year, a day soothly for a year (And thou shalt bear the wickedness of the house of Judah for forty days; I shall give thee a day for a year, truly a day for a year).

⁷ And thou shalt turn thy face to the besieging of Jerusalem; and thine arm shall be stretched forth, and thou shalt prophesy against it.

⁸ Lo! I have (en)compassed thee with bonds, and thou shalt not turn thee from this side into the other side, till thou [ful]fill the days of thy besieging. (Lo! I have surrounded thee with bonds, and thou shalt not turn thyself from one side to the other side, until thou fulfill the days of thy besieging.)

⁹ And take thou to thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches; and thou shalt put those into one vessel. And thou shalt make to thee loaves for the number of days, by which thou shalt sleep on thy side; by three hundred and ninety days thou shalt eat it. (And get thou for thyself some wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and vetches; and thou shalt put them into one pot. And thou shalt make loaves for thyself for the number of days by which thou shalt sleep on thy side; for three hundred and ninety days thou shalt eat it.)

¹⁰ Forsooth thy meat, which thou shalt eat, shall be in weight twenty staters in a day (And thy food, which thou shalt eat, shall be, by weight, twenty staters a day); from time till to time thou shalt eat it.

¹¹ And thou shalt drink water in measure, the sixth part of hin (And thou shalt drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin); from time till to time thou shalt drink it.

¹² And thou shalt eat it as barley bread baken under the ashes; and with the dung that goeth out of a man thou shalt cover it, before the eyes of them. (And thou shalt eat it like barley bread baked under ashes; and thou shalt cover it with the dung that goeth out of a person, before their eyes.)

¹³ The Lord saith these things, So the sons of Israel shall eat their bread defouled among heathen men, to whom I shall cast them out. (The Lord saith these things, And so shall the Israelites eat their defiled bread among the heathen, to whom I shall cast them out.)

¹⁴ And I said, A! A! A! Lord God, lo! my soul is not defouled, and from my young childhood till to now I ate not a thing dead by itself, and rent of beasts; and all unclean flesh entered not into my mouth. (And I said, O! O! O! Lord God, lo! my soul is not defiled, and from my young childhood until now I have not eaten anything that died naturally, or was torn apart by beasts; and no unclean flesh hath ever entered into my mouth.)

¹⁵ And (so) he said to me, Lo! I have given to thee the dung of oxes for men’s turds; and thou shalt make (ready) thy bread with it (instead).

¹⁶ And he said to me, Son of man, lo! I shall all-break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat their bread in weight and in busyness, and they shall drink water in measure and in anguish; (And he said to me, Son of man, lo! I shall all-break the staff of bread in Jerusalem, and they shall eat their bread by weight and in busyness, or in distress, or in dis-ease, and they shall drink water by measure and in anguish;)

¹⁷ that when bread and water fail, each man fall down to his brother, and they fail in their wickednesses. (so that when the bread and water fail, each person shall fall down before their neighbour, and they shall die in their wickednesses.)

40 For victory, the psalm of David. I abiding abode the Lord; and he gave attention to me. And he heard my prayers; (To victory, the song of David. Patiently waiting, I waited for the Lord; and he gave attention to me. And he heard my prayers;)

² and he led out me from the pit of wretchedness, and from the filth of dregs. And he ordained my feet on a stone; and he (ad)dressed my goings. (and he led me out of the pit of wretchedness, and out of the filth of dregs. And he ordained my feet upon a stone; and he directed my goings.)

³ And he sent into my mouth a new song; a song to our God. Many men shall see, and dread; and shall hope in the Lord. (And he put a new song in my mouth; a song to our God. And many shall see this, and shall have fear/and shall be in awe; and then they shall put their trust in the Lord.)

⁴ Blessed is the man, of whom the name of the Lord is his hope; and he beheld not into vanities, and into false vengeances. (Happy is the person, for whom the Lord’s name is his hope; and he looketh not to idols, or to false gods.)

⁵ My Lord God, thou hast made thy marvels many; and in thy thoughts none is, that is like thee (toward us). I told and I spake; and they be multiplied above number. (My Lord God, thou hast done many marvellous deeds; and there is no one like thee, for all thy thoughts be for our benefit. I have told about them; yea, I have spoken about them, and they be multiplied far above number.)

⁶ Thou wouldest not sacrifice and offering; but thou madest perfectly ears to me. Thou askedest not burnt sacrifice, and other sacrifice for sin; (Thou desiredest not sacrifices and offerings; but thou hast given me ears to hear thee. Thou askedest not for burnt sacrifices, and other sacrifices for sin;)

⁷ then I said, Lo! I come. In the head of the book it is written of me, (and so I said, Lo! I am here. From the beginning, the Book of thy Law was written for me,)

⁸ that I should do thy will; my God, I would/I desired also to do (it); and thy law in the midst of mine heart. (so that I would do thy will; my God, I desire to do it; and thy Law is there in the midst of my heart.)

⁹ I told thy rightfulness in a great church; lo! I shall not refrain my lips, Lord, thou knewest. (I told of thy righteousness in the great congregation; lo! I shall not refrain my lips, Lord, thou knowest that.)

¹⁰ I hid not thy rightfulness in mine heart; I said thy truth and thine health. I hid not thy mercy, and thy truth, from a much council. (I kept not thy righteousness, or thy goodness, hidden in my heart; I spoke about thy faithfulness, and thy salvation, or thy deliverance. I hid not thy love, and thy faithfulness, from the great congregation.)

¹¹ But thou, Lord, make not far thy merciful doings from me; thy mercy and truth ever[more] take me up. (But thou, Lord, make not thy merciful doings to be far away from me; let thy love, and thy faithfulness, keep me safe forevermore.)

¹² For why evils, of which is no number, (en)compassed me; my wickednesses have taken me, and I might not, that I should (even) see. Those be multiplied above the hairs of mine head; and mine heart forsook me. (For evils, of which there is no number, surrounded me; my wickednesses have taken hold of me, and I can no longer see. Yea, they be multiplied far above the hairs of my head; and my heart hath deserted me.)

¹³ Lord, please it to thee, that thou deliver me; Lord, behold thou to help me. (Lord, may it please thee to save me; Lord, look thou to help me.)^[a]

¹⁴ Be they shamed, and ashamed together; that seek my life, to take away it. Be they turned aback, and be they shamed/and be they ashamed; that will evils to me. (Be they shamed, and ashamed; all who seek to take my life. Be they turned back, and be shamed/and be ashamed; all who desire evil for me.)

¹⁵ Bear they their confusion anon; that say to me, Well! well! in scorn. (Bear they their own shame at once/Be they ashamed at once; who scornfully say to me, Well! well!)

¹⁶ All men that seek thee, be fully joyful, and be glad in thee; and say they, that love thine health, The Lord be magnified ever[more]. (But let all those who seek thee, be very joyful, and be glad in thee; and let those who love thy salvation, or thy deliverance, say forevermore, The Lord be magnified.)

¹⁷ Forsooth I am a beggar and poor; the Lord is busy of me (But I am a poor and needy man, yea, a beggar; Lord, help thou me). Thou art mine helper and my defender; my God, tarry thou not.

41 For victory, the song of David. Blessed is he that understandeth of the needy man and poor; the Lord shall deliver him in the evil day. (To victory, the psalm of David. Happy is he who hath concern for the poor and the needy; the Lord shall save him on the evil day/the Lord shall rescue him in his time of trouble.)

² The Lord keep him, and quicken him, and make him blessful in the land; and betake not him into the will of his enemies. (The Lord shall keep him safe, and alive, and make him happy in the land; and he shall not deliver him unto the power, or the will, of his enemies.)

³ The Lord (shall) bear help to him on the bed of his sorrow; thou hast oft turned all his bedstraw in his sickness.

⁴ I said, Lord, have thou mercy on me; heal thou my soul, for I have sinned against thee.

⁵ Mine enemies said evils to me; When shall he die, and his name shall perish?

⁶ And if he entered for to see (me), he spake vain things (to me); his heart gathered wickedness to himself. He went withoutforth; and spake to the same thing/and spake to the same end. (And when he entered to see me, he spoke to me of empty, or useless, things; and his heart gathered wickedness unto itself. And then he went withoutforth; and spoke the same thing everywhere he went.)

⁷ All mine enemies backbited privily against me; against me they thought evils to me. (All my enemies secretly backbite me; they think up evil things to do to me.)

⁸ They ordained an evil word against me; Whether he that sleepeth, shall not lie to, that he rise again? (They ordained an evil word against me; and they said, He who sleepeth, now that he lieth down, shall not rise up again.)

⁹ For why the man of my peace, in whom I hoped, he that ate my loaves; made great deceit on me. (For my friend, in whom I trusted, he who ate my bread; brought forth great deceptions, or lies, against me.)

¹⁰ But thou, Lord, have mercy on me, and raise me (up) again; and I shall yield to them (and I shall repay them).

¹¹ In this thing I knew, that thou wouldest me; for mine enemy shall not have joy on me. (And by this I shall know that thou delightest in me; and that my enemy shall not have any joy over me.)

¹² Forsooth thou hast taken me up for (mine) innocence; and hast confirmed me in thy sight [into] without end. (For thou hast upheld me because of my innocence; and will keep me before thee forever.)

¹³ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from the world, and into the world (Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, forever and ever); be it done, be it done.