M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Naaman Is Cured

5 ^(A)Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by the king of Syria, because through Naaman the Lord had given victory to the Syrian forces. He was a great soldier, but he suffered from a dreaded skin disease. ² In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife. ³ One day she said to her mistress, “I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease.” ⁴ When Naaman heard of this, he went to the king and told him what the girl had said. ⁵ The king said, “Go to the king of Israel and take this letter to him.”

So Naaman set out, taking thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes. ⁶ The letter that he took read: “This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease.”

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, “How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God,^[a] with the power of life and death? It's plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!”

⁸ When the prophet Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: “Why are you so upset? Send the man to me, and I'll show him that there is a prophet in Israel!”

⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariot and stopped at the entrance to Elisha's house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be completely cured of his disease. ¹¹ But Naaman left in a rage, saying, “I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the Lord his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot,^[b] and cure me! ¹² Besides, aren't the rivers Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better than any river in Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!”

¹³ His servants went up to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?” ¹⁴ So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child. ¹⁵ He returned to Elisha with all his men and said, “Now I know that there is no god but the God of Israel; so please, sir, accept a gift from me.”

¹⁶ Elisha answered, “By the living Lord, whom I serve, I swear that I will not accept a gift.”

Naaman insisted that he accept it, but he would not. ¹⁷ So Naaman said, “If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me,^[c] because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the Lord. ¹⁸ So I hope that the Lord will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely the Lord will forgive me!”

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said. And Naaman left.

He had gone only a short distance, ²⁰ when Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, “My master has let Naaman get away without paying a thing! He should have accepted what that Syrian offered him. By the living Lord I will run after him and get something from him.” ²¹ So he set off after Naaman. When Naaman saw a man running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him, and asked, “Is something wrong?”

²² “No,” Gehazi answered. “But my master sent me to tell you that just now two members of the group of prophets in the hill country of Ephraim arrived, and he would like you to give them three thousand pieces of silver and two changes of fine clothes.”

²³ “Please take six thousand pieces of silver,” Naaman replied. He insisted on it, tied up the silver in two bags, gave them and two changes of fine clothes to two of his servants, and sent them on ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When they reached the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the two bags and carried them into the house. Then he sent Naaman's servants back. ²⁵ He went back into the house, and Elisha asked him, “Where have you been?”

“Oh, nowhere, sir,” he answered.

²⁶ But Elisha said, “Wasn't I there in spirit when the man got out of his chariot to meet you? This is no time to accept money and clothes, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, or servants! ²⁷ And now Naaman's disease will come upon you, and you and your descendants will have it forever!”

When Gehazi left, he had the disease—his skin was as white as snow.

Church Worship

2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people; ² for kings and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward God and with proper conduct. ³ This is good and it pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants everyone to be saved and to come to know the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one who brings God and human beings together, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself to redeem the whole human race. That was the proof at the right time that God wants everyone to be saved, ^7 (A)and that is why I was sent as an apostle and teacher of the Gentiles, to proclaim the message of faith and truth. I am not lying; I am telling the truth!

⁸ In every church service I want the men to pray, men who are dedicated to God and can lift up their hands in prayer without anger or argument. ^9 (B)I also want the women to be modest and sensible about their clothes and to dress properly; not with fancy hair styles or with gold ornaments or pearls or expensive dresses, ¹⁰ but with good deeds, as is proper for women who claim to be religious. ¹¹ Women should learn in silence and all humility. ¹² I do not allow them to teach or to have authority over men; they must keep quiet. ^13 (C)For Adam was created first, and then Eve. ^14 (D)And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law. ¹⁵ But a woman will be saved through having children,^[a] if she perseveres^[b] in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.

Daniel Prays for His People

9 Darius the Mede, who was the son of Xerxes, ruled over the kingdom of Babylonia. ^2 (A)In the first year of his reign I was studying the sacred books and thinking about the seventy years that Jerusalem would be in ruins, according to what the Lord had told the prophet Jeremiah. ³ And I prayed earnestly to the Lord God, pleading with him, fasting, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes. ⁴ I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed the sins of my people.

I said, “Lord God, you are great, and we honor you. You are faithful to your covenant and show constant love to those who love you and do what you command.

⁵ “We have sinned, we have been evil, we have done wrong. We have rejected what you commanded us to do and have turned away from what you showed us was right. ⁶ We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our rulers, our ancestors, and our whole nation. ^7 (B)You, Lord, always do what is right, but we have always brought disgrace on ourselves. This is true of all of us who live in Judea and in Jerusalem and of all the Israelites whom you scattered in countries near and far because they were unfaithful to you. ⁸ Our kings, our rulers, and our ancestors have acted shamefully and sinned against you, Lord. ⁹ You are merciful and forgiving, although we have rebelled against you. ¹⁰ We did not listen to you, O Lord our God, when you told us to live according to the laws which you gave us through your servants the prophets. ^11 (C)All Israel broke your laws and refused to listen to what you said. We sinned against you, and so you brought on us the curses that are written in the Law of Moses, your servant. ¹² You did what you said you would do to us and our rulers. You punished Jerusalem more severely than any other city on earth, ¹³ giving us all the punishment described in the Law of Moses. But even now, O Lord our God, we have not tried to please you by turning from our sins or by following your truth. ¹⁴ You, O Lord our God, were prepared to punish us, and you did, because you always do what is right, and we did not listen to you.

^15 (D)“O Lord our God, you showed your power by bringing your people out of Egypt, and your power is still remembered. We have sinned; we have done wrong. ¹⁶ You have defended us in the past, so do not be angry with Jerusalem any longer. It is your city, your sacred hill.^[a] All the people in the neighboring countries look down on Jerusalem and on your people because of our sins and the evil our ancestors did. ^17 (E)O God, hear my prayer and pleading. Restore your Temple, which has been destroyed; restore it so that everyone will know that you are God. ^18 (F)Listen to us, O God; look at us and see the trouble we are in and the suffering of the city that bears your name. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done right. ¹⁹ Lord, hear us. Lord, forgive us. Lord, listen to us, and act! In order that everyone will know that you are God, do not delay! This city and these people are yours.”

Gabriel Explains the Prophecy

²⁰ I went on praying, confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel and pleading with the Lord my God to restore his holy Temple. ^21 (G)While I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came flying down to where I was. It was the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered. ²² He explained, “Daniel, I have come here to help you understand the prophecy. ²³ When you began to plead with God, he answered you. He loves you, and so I have come to tell you the answer. Now pay attention while I explain the vision.

²⁴ “Seven times seventy years is the length of time God has set for freeing your people and your holy city from sin and evil. Sin will be forgiven and eternal justice established, so that the vision and the prophecy will come true, and the holy Temple^[b] will be rededicated. ²⁵ Note this and understand it: From the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until God's chosen leader comes, seven times seven years will pass. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, and will stand for seven times sixty-two years, but this will be a time of troubles. ²⁶ And at the end of that time God's chosen leader will be killed unjustly.^[c] The city and the Temple will be destroyed by the invading army of a powerful ruler. The end will come like a flood, bringing the war and destruction which God has prepared. ^27 (H)That ruler will have a firm agreement with many people for seven years, and when half this time is past, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. The Awful Horror^[d] will be placed on the highest point of the Temple and will remain there until the one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him.”

In Praise of the Lord

A Prayer of Thanks for Victory