M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

20 Also it befelled, that a man of Belial was there, Sheba by name, the son of Bichri, a man of the generation of Benjamin; and he sounded with a trump, and said, No part is to us in David, neither heritage in the son of Jesse; thou Israel, turn again into thy tabernacles. (And it befell, that a man of Belial was there, named Sheba, the son of Bichri, a man of the tribe of Benjamin; and he sounded with a trumpet, and said, There is no part for us with David, nor inheritance with the son of Jesse; O Israel, return to thy homes!)

² And all Israel was parted from David, and followed Sheba, the son of Bichri; and the men of Judah cleaved to their king, from Jordan till to Jerusalem. (And so all Israel deserted David, and followed Sheba, the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah cleaved to their king, from the Jordan River unto Jerusalem.)

³ And when the king had come into his house in Jerusalem, he took [the] ten women, his secondary wives, which he had left to keep the house, and he betook them into keeping, and gave meat to them; and he entered not [in] to them; but they were closed (up) till to the day of their death, and lived in widowhood. (And when the king had come to his palace in Jerusalem, he took his secondary wives, the ten women whom he had left in charge of the palace, and he put them under guard, and gave them food; but he did not sleep with them any more; and they were enclosed until the day of their death, and lived in widowhood.)

⁴ And David said to Amasa, Call thou together to me all the men of Judah into the third day, and be thou present. (And David said to Amasa, Call thou together for me all the men of Judah in three days’ time, and be thou present with them.)

⁵ Therefore Amasa went forth, that he call together the people of Judah; and he dwelled over the covenanted time, which the king had set to him. (And so Amasa went out to call together the people of Judah; but he took more time to arrange matters than what the king had set for him.)

⁶ And (so) David said to Abishai, Now Sheba, the son of Bichri, shall torment us (even) more than Absalom did; therefore take the servants of thy lord (and so take my bodyguards), and pursue him, lest in hap he find strengthened, (or fortified,) cities, and escape us.

⁷ Therefore the men of Joab went out with Abishai, and (the) Cherethites and Pelethites, and all the strong men, (and they) went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba, the son of Bichri.

⁸ And when they were beside the great stone, which is in Gibeon, Amasa came, and ran to them; and Joab was clothed with a strait coat at the measure of his shape, and he was girded above with a sword hanging down unto his entrails in a sheath; and it went out, and felled down. (And when they were beside the great stone, which is in Gibeon, Amasa came over to them; and Joab was clothed with a narrow coat tight to his body, and he was girded with a sword in a sheath hanging down to his entrails; and as Amasa came over, it fell out/he secretly took it out.)

⁹ And so Joab said to Amasa, Hail, my brother! And Joab held with his right hand the chin of Amasa, as kissing him (And Joab held Amasa’s chin with his right hand, as if to kiss him).

¹⁰ Forsooth Amasa took not keep of the sword, which sword Joab had, and Joab smote Amasa in the side, and shedded out his entrails into the earth, and Amasa was dead; and Joab added not the second wound. And (then) Joab, and Abishai, his brother, pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri. (But Amasa was not on guard for the sword which Joab had, and suddenly Joab struck, or stabbed, Amasa in the side with it, and poured out his entrails onto the ground, and so Amasa died; and Joab did not need to add a second wound. And then Joab, and his brother Abishai, pursued Sheba, the son of Bichri.)

¹¹ In the meantime, when some of the children of David, of the fellows of Joab, had stood beside the dead body of Amasa, they said, Lo! he that would be the fellow of David, (be) for Joab. (In the meantime, one of Joab’s young men stood beside Amasa’s dead body, and he said, Lo! he who would be the fellow of Joab and of David, follow he Joab!)

¹² And Amasa was besprinkled with blood, and lay in the middle of the way. Some man saw this/A man saw this, that all the people abode to see Amasa, and he removed Amasa from the way into the field, and he covered Amasa with a cloth, lest men passing should abide [still] for him. (And Amasa was covered with blood, and lay in the middle of the road. And some man saw that all the people stood about looking at Amasa, and so he moved Amasa’s body from the road to a nearby field, and he covered it with a cloak, lest men passing by should stand there, and gawk at him.)

¹³ Therefore when he was removed from the way, each man passed forth, following Joab to pursue Sheba, the son of Bichri.

¹⁴ Forsooth Sheba had passed by all the lineages of Israel till into Abel, and into Bethmaachah; and all the chosen men were gathered to him. (And Sheba passed through the territories of all the tribes of Israel unto Abel of Bethmaachah; and all the men of Bichri/and all the Berites were gathered to him, and followed him.)

¹⁵ Therefore they came, and fought against him in Abel, and in Bethmaachah, and (en)compassed the city with strongholds; and the city was besieged. And all the company, that was with Joab, enforced to destroy the walls. (And then Joab and his men came, and fought against him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and surrounded the city with strongholds; and the city was besieged. And all the men who were with Joab endeavoured to destroy the walls.)

¹⁶ And a wise woman of the city cried (out from) on high, Hear ye! hear ye! say ye to Joab, Nigh thou hither (Come thou here), and I shall speak with thee.

¹⁷ And when he had nighed to her, she said to him, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am. To whom she spake thus, Hear thou the words of thine handmaid. Joab answered, I hear (And Joab answered, I am listening).

¹⁸ And again she said, A word was said in (an) eld proverb, They that ask, ask in Abel; and so they profited.

¹⁹ Whether I am not, that answer truth to Israel? and seekest thou to destroy a city, and to do away a mother city in Israel?^[a] why castedest thou down/why throwest thou down the heritage of the Lord? (My city is one of the most peaceful, and faithful, in all of Israel; so why seekest thou to destroy such a city, and to do away such a mother in Israel? why throwest thou down the Lord’s inheritance?)

²⁰ And Joab answered, and said, Far be (this), far be this from me; I cast not down, neither I destroy (I do not want to destroy this city).

²¹ The thing hath not so itself; but a man of the hill of Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri, by surname, raised his hand against king David; betake ye him alone to us, and we shall go away from the city (That is not my goal; but a man named Sheba, the son of Bichri, of the hill country of Ephraim, raised a rebellion against King David; deliver ye him to us, and him alone, and we shall go away from your city). And the woman said to Joab, Lo! his head shall be sent to thee by the wall.

²² Then the woman went in to all the people, and she spake to them wisely; and they threw (out) to Joab the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, girded off. And Joab sounded with a trump, and they departed from the city, each man into his tabernacles; and Joab turned again to Jerusalem to the king. (Then the woman went to all the people, and she spoke wisely to them; and so they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And then Joab sounded with a trumpet, and they left the city, and each man went back to his home; and Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.)

²³ Therefore Joab was on all the host of Israel; forsooth Benaiah, [the] son of Jehoiada, was on Cherethites and Pelethites; (And so Joab was over all of Israel’s army; and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and Pelethites;)

²⁴ and Adoram was upon the tributes (and Adoram was over the forced labour/was over the taxation); and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was (the) chancellor;

²⁵ and Sheva was scribe; but Zadok and Abiathar were priests; (and Sheva was the writer; and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests;)

²⁶ and Ira of Jairites was the priest of David.

13 Lo! this third time I come to you, and in the mouth of two or of three witnesses [and in the mouth of two or three witnesses] every word shall stand.

² I said before, and [I] say before, as present twice, and now absent, to them that before have sinned, and to all others; for if I come again, I shall not spare.

³ Whether ye seek the proof of that Christ, that speaketh in me, which is not feeble in you, [but is mighty in you]?^[a]

⁴ For though he was crucified of infirmity, but he liveth of the virtue of God. For also we be frail in him [For why and we be sick in him], but we shall live with him of the virtue of God in us.

⁵ Assay yourselves, if ye be in the faith; ye yourselves prove. Whether ye know not yourselves, for Christ Jesus is in you? but (it) happens ye be reprovable [no but peradventure, ye be reprovable].

⁶ But I hope, that ye know, that we be not reprovable.

⁷ And we pray the Lord, that ye do nothing of evil; not that we seem approved [not that we seem proved], but that ye do that that is good, and that we be as reprovable.

⁸ For we be able to do nothing against truth, but for the truth. [Forsooth we may do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.]

⁹ For we joy, when we be frail [when we be sick], but ye be mighty; and we pray this thing, your perfection.

¹⁰ Therefore I absent write these things, that I present do not harder, by the power, which the Lord gave to me into edification, and not into your destruction^[b].

¹¹ Brethren, henceforward joy ye, be ye perfect, excite ye [be ye perfect, and teach ye]; understand ye the same thing; have ye peace, and God of peace and of love shall be with you [and God of peace and love shall be with you].

¹² Greet ye well together in holy kiss.

¹³ All holy men greet you well.

¹⁴ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communing of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

27 And the word of the Lord was made to me, and he said,

² Therefore thou, son of man, take wailing on Tyre. (And so thou, son of man, take up a wailing for Tyre.)

³ And thou shalt say to Tyre, that dwelleth in the entering of the sea, to the (selling of) merchandise of peoples to many isles, The Lord God saith these things, O! Tyre, thou saidest, I am of perfect fairness, (And thou shalt say to Tyre, that dwelleth at the entrance to the sea, for the selling of the merchandise of the nations to many islands, The Lord God saith these things, O! Tyre, thou saidest, I am of great beauty,)

⁴ and I am set in the heart of the sea. They that be in thy coasts that builded thee, [ful]filled thy fairness;

⁵ they builded thee with fir trees of Senir, with all works of boards of the sea; they took a cedar of the Lebanon, to make a mast to thee (they took a cedar from Lebanon, to make a mast for thee).

⁶ They hewed oaks of Bashan into thine oars, they made to thee thy seats of (the) rowers of (the) ivory of India, and (thy) cabins (of the wood) of the isles of Italy. (They cut oaks of Bashan into thy oars, they made the seats for thy rowers out of the ivory of the Ashurites, and thy cabins out of the wood from the islands of Chittim, or of Cyprus.)

⁷ Diverse bis, either white silk, of Egypt, was woven to thee into a veil, that it should be set in the mast (Diverse bis, or white silk, from Egypt, was woven for thee into a sail, so that it could be set on the mast); jacinth and purple of the isles of Elishah were made thy covering.

⁸ The dwellers of Sidon and Arvadians were thy rowers (The inhabitants of Sidon and the Arvadians were thy rowers); Tyre, thy wise men were made thy governors.

⁹ The old men of Byblos, and the prudent men thereof, had shipmen to the service of thy diverse array of household; all the ships of the sea, and the shipmen of these, were in the people of thy merchandise (all the ships of the sea, and the shipmen from these, were of the people of thy merchandise).

¹⁰ Persians, and Ludians, and Libyans were in thine host, (Persians, and Ludians, and Libyans were in thy army); thy men warriors hanged in thee a shield and helmet, for thine adorning.

¹¹ Sons (of) Arvadians with thine host were on thy walls in thy compass; but also Gammadims, that were in thy towers, hanged their arrow cases on thy walls by compass; they [ful]filled thy fairness. (The sons of the Arvadians were with thy army upon thy walls all around; and also the Gammadims, who were in thy towers, hung up their arrow cases on thy walls all around; they fulfilled, or made perfect, thy beauty.)

¹² Carthaginians, thy merchants, of the multitude of all (kind of) riches filled thy fairs, with silver, and iron, with tin, and lead. (Tarshish, thy merchants, filled thy fairs with the multitude of all kinds of riches, with silver, and iron, and tin, and lead.)

¹³ Greece, and Tubal, and Meshech, they were thy merchants, and brought bondmen and brazen vessels to thy people (and brought slaves and bronze vessels to thy people).

¹⁴ From the house of Togarmah they brought horses, and horsemen, and mules, to thy chapping.

¹⁵ The sons of Dedan were thy merchants; many isles (provided) the merchandise of thine hand, (they) (ex)changed teeth of ivory, and of ebony, in thy price (at thy price).

¹⁶ Syria was thy merchant, for the multitude of thy works, they setted forth in thy market gem(s), and purple, and clothes woven diversely at the manner of shields, and bis, and silk, and coral, either avoirdupois.

¹⁷ Judah and the land of Israel were thy merchants in the best wheat, and setted forth in thy fairs balm, and honey, and oil, and resin. (Judah and the land of Israel were thy merchants of the wheat of Minnith, and set forth in thy fairs balm, and honey, and oil, and resin.)

¹⁸ Damascus was thy merchant, in the multitude of thy works, in the multitude of diverse riches, in fat wine (in the wine of Helbon), and wools of (the) best colour.

¹⁹ Dan, and Greece, and Uzal, setted forth in thy fairs iron made subtly, gum of myrrh, and calamus, that is, a spice sweet smelling, in thy merchandise. (Dan, and Greece, and Mosel, set forth in thy markets wrought iron, and gum of myrrh, and calamus, that is, a sweet smelling spice, for thy merchandise.)

²⁰ Dedan were thy merchants, in tapets to sit (upon). (Dedan were thy merchants of carpets to sit upon.)

²¹ Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, they were the merchants of thine hand; with lambs, and wethers, and (goat-)kids, (they) thy merchants came to thee.

²² The sellers of Sheba and of Raamah, they were thy merchants, with all the best sweet smelling spices, and precious stone, and gold, which they setted forth in thy market.

²³ Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, were thy merchants; Sheba, and Assur, and Chilmad, were thy sellers.

²⁴ They were thy merchants in many manners, in fardels of jacinth, and of clothes of many colours, and of precious riches, that were wrapped and bound with cords.

²⁵ Also ships of the sea had cedars in their merchandises; thy princes were in thy merchandise; and thou were [ful]filled, and were glorified greatly in the heart of the sea. (And the ships of Tarshish had cedars for their merchandise; they were filled full, and thou were greatly glorified in the heart of the sea.)

²⁶ Thy rowers brought thee in(to) many waters, (but) the south wind all-brake thee; in the heart of the sea were (Thy rowers brought thee into many waters, but the east wind broke thee in pieces, in the heart of the sea.)

²⁷ thy riches, and thy treasures, and thy manyfold instrument(s). Thy shipmen, and thy governors that held thy purtenance of household, and were sovereigns of thy people, and thy men warriors that were in thee, with all thy multitude which is in the midst of thee, shall fall down in the heart of the sea, in the day of thy falling. (Thy riches, and thy treasures, and thy manifold instruments, and thy shipmen, and thy governors who held thy purtenance of household, and thy people’s merchants, and thy warriors who were of thee, with all thy multitude who be in thy midst, they all fell down in the heart of the sea, on the day of thy falling.)

²⁸ Ships shall be troubled of the sound of the cry of thy governors; (And the ships were troubled at the sound of the cry of thy governors;)

²⁹ and all men that held oar, shall go down (out) of their ships. Shipmen and all governors of the sea shall stand in the land; (and all the men who held an oar shall go down from their ships. The shipmen and all the governors of the sea shall stand upon the land;)

³⁰ and shall yell on thee with great voice (and they shall yell about thee with a great voice). And they shall cry bitterly, and shall cast powder, [or dust,] on their heads, and shall be sprinkled with ashes.

³¹ And they shall shave baldness on thee, and shall be gird with hair-shirts (And they shall shave themselves bald for thee, and shall be clothed in hair-shirts), and they shall beweep thee in bitterness of soul, with most bitter weeping.

³² And they shall take on thee a song of mourning, and they shall bewail thee, (and say,) Who is as Tyre, that was dumb in the midst of the sea? (And they shall take up a song of mourning for thee, and they shall bewail thee, and say, Who is like Tyre, that now is silent in the midst of the sea?)

³³ And thou, Tyre, filledest (the needs of) many peoples in the going out of thy merchandise of the sea; in the multitude of thy riches, and of thy peoples (with the multitude of thy riches, and of thy peoples), thou madest rich the kings of (the) earth.

³⁴ Now thou art all-broken of the sea, in the depths of waters. Thy riches and all thy multitude that was in the midst of thee fell down; (Now thou art broken in pieces by the sea, lying in the depths of the waters. Thy riches and all thy multitude who were in thy midst fell down;)

³⁵ all the dwellers of isles and the kings of those were astonied on thee. All they were smitten with tempest, and changed (their) cheers; (all the inhabitants of the islands and their kings were astonished at thee. They were all as if struck with a tempest, or horrified, and changed their faces;)

³⁶ the merchants of peoples hissed on, [or scorned,] thee. Thou art brought to nought, and thou shalt not be till into without end. (the merchants of the peoples hissed at, or mocked, thee. Thou art brought down to nothing, and so thou shalt be until forever.)

75 To the overcomer, lose thou not the psalm of the song of Asaph. God, we shall acknowledge to thee, we shall acknowledge; and we shall inwardly call thy name. We shall tell thy marvels; (To the overcomer, destroy thou not the psalm of the song of Asaph. God, we shall give thee thanks, we shall give thee thanks; and we shall call on thy name. We shall tell of all thy marvellous deeds.)

² when I shall take (hold of the) time, I shall deem (with) rightfulnesses. (And God said, I shall take hold of the time; and I shall judge with righteousness/and I shall judge with justice.)

³ The earth is melted, and all that dwell therein; I confirmed the pillars thereof. (The earth was shaken, and all who live on it; but I made its pillars firm.)

⁴ I said to wicked men (I said to the wicked), Do not ye do wickedly; and to trespassers, Do not ye enhance the horn.

⁵ Do not ye raise on high your horn (Do not ye raise up your horn on high); do not ye speak wickedness against God.

⁶ For (promotion cometh) neither from the east, neither from the west, neither from desert hills; (For judgement cometh not from the east, nor from the west, nor from the hills in the wilderness;)

⁷ for God is the judge. He meeketh this man, and enhanceth him; (for God is the judge. He humbleth this one, and raiseth up that one;)

⁸ for a cup of clean wine, full of meddling, is in the hand of the Lord (for there is a cup of clear wine, full of mixing, or of mixture, in the Lord’s hand). And he bowed (some) of this into that; nevertheless the dregs thereof is not diminished, either made less, (for) all [the] sinners of [the] earth shall drink thereof.

⁹ Forsooth I shall tell into the world; I shall sing to God of Jacob. (And I shall tell this out forever; I shall sing to the God of Jacob.)

¹⁰ And I shall break all the horns of sinners; and the horns of the just man shall be enhanced. (And I shall break all the horns of the sinners; but the horns of the righteous shall be raised up.)

76 To the victory in organs, the psalm of the song of Asaph. (To victory, on instruments, the psalm of the song of Asaph.) God is known in Judah; his name is great in Israel.

² And his place is made in peace; and his dwelling is in Zion. (And his Tabernacle, or his Tent, is pitched in Salem; and his dwelling place is in Zion.)

³ There he brake powers; bow, shield, sword, and battle.

⁴ And thou, God, lightenest wonderfully (coming back) from everlasting hills; (And thou, O God, wonderfully lightenest, coming back from the everlasting hills;)

⁵ all unwise men of heart were troubled. They slept their sleep, that is, were dead; and all men found nothing of riches in their hands. (and all who were foolish and ignorant were troubled. But now they have slept their sleep, that is, they be dead; and all their riches be found to be nothing in their hands.)

⁶ They that ascended on horses; slept for thy blaming, thou God of Jacob. (They who ascended on horses; now be asleep, or dead, after thy rebuke, O God of Jacob.)

⁷ Thou art fearful, and who shall against-stand thee? from that time (of) thine ire. (Thou art to be feared; and who shall be able to stand against thee, when thou art angry?)

⁸ From heaven thou madest doom heard; the earth trembled, and rested. (From heaven thou madest thy judgement heard; and the earth trembled, or shook, and kept silent.)

⁹ When God rose up into doom; to make safe all the mild men of earth. (When God rose up to judge; and to save all the humble of the earth.)

¹⁰ For the thought of man shall acknowledge to thee; and the remnants of thought/the leavings of thought shall make a feast day to thee. (For all their anger, people shall still praise thee; and they who be the remnants/who be the survivors shall make a feast day to thee.)

¹¹ Make ye a vow, and yield ye to your Lord God; all that bring gifts in the compass of it. To God fearedful, (Make ye a vow, and pay ye it to the Lord your God; and let those who be all around bring gifts to him. To him who is to be feared,)

¹² and to him that taketh away the spirit of princes; to the fearedful at the kings of earth. (to him who breaketh the spirit of princes, or of the leaders; to him who is feared by all the kings of the earth.)