M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Commits Adultery and Murder

11 Now it came to pass at the turn of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his officials with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. ² One evening David rose from his bed and strolled on the roof of the royal palace. Then from the roof he saw a woman washing—a very beautiful woman. ³ So David sent someone to inquire about the woman, and he reported, “Isn’t this Bath-sheba, daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

⁴ Then David sent messengers and took her when she came to him, and he lay with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David saying, “I’m pregnant.”

⁶ So David sent a message to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the troops fared, and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” When Uriah left the royal palace, a present from the king followed him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the door of the royal palace with all his master’s servants, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ When they informed David saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?”

¹¹ But Uriah answered David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my lord Joab and the officers of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you off.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. The next day, ¹³ David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk. But in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his master’s servants, but did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah’s hand. ¹⁵ In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and withdraw from him so that he may be struck down and die.” ¹⁶ So it came to pass, when Joab was besieging the city, that he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were. ¹⁷ Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the troops of David’s officers fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.

¹⁸ When Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war, ¹⁹ he charged the messenger saying, “When you finish reporting all the events of the war to the king, ²⁰ if it happens that the king’s wrath flares up and he says to you, ‘Why did you come so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you come so close to the wall?’ Then you will say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead, too.’”

²² So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to report. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the open field, but we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot at your troops from the wall, and some of the king’s officers fell dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite died, too.”

²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Don’t let this matter upset you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Press your attack against the city and overthrow it!’ So tell him, chazak!”

²⁶ Now when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah had died, she mourned over her husband. ²⁷ When the time of mourning was over, David sent someone who brought her to his palace. So she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done was evil in Adonai’s eyes.

Treasures in Jars of Clay

4 For this reason, since we have this ministry, just as we received mercy, we do not lose heart. ² Instead, we renounced the hidden shameful ways—not walking in deception or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone’s conscience by the open proclamation of the truth. ³ And even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, so they might not see the light of the Good News of the glory of Messiah, who is the image of God. ⁵ For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Messiah Yeshua as Lord—and ourselves as your slaves for Yeshua’s sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”^[a] is the One who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Messiah.^[b]

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay,^[c] so that the surpassing greatness of the power may be from God and not from ourselves. ⁸ We are hard pressed in every way, yet not crushed; perplexed, yet not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, yet not forsaken; struck down, yet not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Yeshua, so that the life of Yeshua may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹¹ For we who live are always being handed over to death for Yeshua’s sake, so that the life of Yeshua may be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. ¹³ But we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, and therefore I spoke.”^[d] So we also believe, and therefore we also speak, ¹⁴ knowing that the One who raised the Lord Yeshua will raise us also with Yeshua, and will bring us with you into His presence. ¹⁵ For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace that is spreading through more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow—to the glory of God.

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. ^{[e] 17} For our trouble, light and momentary, is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ as we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

No More Sour Grapes

18 The word of Adonai came to me saying: ² “What do you mean by using this proverb in the land of Israel saying,

³ As I live”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“you will never again use this proverb in Israel. ⁴ Behold, every living soul is Mine—the soul of father as well as the soul of son—both are Mine. Behold, the soul who sins is the one who will die.

⁵ “Suppose a man is just and does what is lawful and right: ⁶ He has not eaten at mountain shrines or lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel. He has not defiled his neighbor’s wife or come near to a woman during niddah. ⁷ He does not wrong anyone, returns his pledge for a debt, does not commit robbery, gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment. ⁸ He does not loan with interest or take unjust gain. He keeps his hand from iniquity, executes true justice between people, ⁹ walks in My laws and keeps My statutes, behaving honestly. Such a person is just—he will surely live.” It is a declaration of Adonai.

¹⁰ “Now suppose he fathers a son who is violent, who sheds blood and does any of these things to a brother ¹¹ (though the father himself does none of these things). He has even eaten at mountain shrines, defiled his neighbor’s wife, ¹² wronged the poor and needy, taken by robbery, not restored the pledge, lifted up his eyes to the idols, committed abomination, ¹³ loaned with interest and taken unjust gain. Will he then live? He will not live! He has done all these detestable things. He will surely be put to death and his blood will be on him.

¹⁴ “Now behold, suppose he fathers a son who sees all his father’s sins that he committed, and observing, does not do likewise. ¹⁵ He does not eat at mountain shrines, or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, or defile his neighbor’s wife, ¹⁶ nor does he wrong anyone, take pledged property or commit robbery, but he gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with a garment, ¹⁷ withholds his hand from mistreating the poor, does not take interest or increase, practices My laws and walks in My statutes—he will not die for the iniquity of his father, he will surely live.

¹⁸ “As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, committed robbery from his brother and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die for his iniquity. ¹⁹ Yet you say, ‘Why does the son not bear the iniquity of the father with him?’ When the son has done what is lawful and right, has kept all My statutes and has done them, he will surely live. ²⁰ The soul that sins, he will die. The son will not bear the iniquity of the father with him, nor will the father bear the iniquity of the son with him. The righteousness of the righteous will be on him and the wickedness of the wicked will be on him. ²¹ But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and keeps all My laws and does what is lawful and right, he will surely live, he will not die. ²² None of his transgressions that he committed will be remembered; because of his righteousness that he practiced, he will live.

²³ “Do I delight at all in the death of the wicked?” It is a declaration of Adonai. “Rather, should he not return from his ways, and live? ²⁴ But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity and does according to all the detestable acts that the wicked man does, will he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done will be remembered; for his trespass that he trespassed and for his sin that he has sinned, for them he will die.^[a]

²⁵ “Yet you say, ‘Adonai’s way is unfair!’ Hear now, house of Israel! Is My way not fair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? ²⁶ When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he will die for it; because of his iniquity that he did, he will die. ²⁷ But when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he committed and does what is lawful and right, his soul will live. ²⁸ Because he considers and turns away from all his transgressions that he committed, he will surely live, not die. ²⁹ Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of Adonai is unfair!’ House of Israel, are My ways not fair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

³⁰ “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, each one according to his ways.” It is a declaration of Adonai. “Return, and turn away from all your transgressions, so they would not be a stumbling block of iniquity for you. ³¹ Cast off from you all your transgressions that you have committed. Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, house of Israel? ³² For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“so return, and live!”

My Rock and My Salvation

Psalm 62

You Are My God

Psalm 63