M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Judah’s King Ahaz
16 In the seventeenth year of Pekah son of Remaliah,(A) Ahaz(B) son of Jotham became king of Judah. 2 Ahaz was 20 years old when he became king and reigned 16 years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God like his ancestor David(C) 3 but walked in the way of the kings of Israel.(D) He even made his son pass through the fire,[a] imitating the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.(E) 4 He sacrificed and burned incense(F) on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.(G)
5 Then(H) Aram’s King Rezin and Israel’s King Pekah son of Remaliah came to wage war against Jerusalem. They besieged Ahaz but were not able to conquer him.(I) 6 At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath for Aram and expelled the Judahites from Elath.(J) Then the Arameans came to Elath, and they live there until today.(K)
7 So Ahaz sent messengers(L) to Tiglath-pileser(M) king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. March up and save me from the power of the king of Aram and of the king of Israel, who are rising up against me.” 8 Ahaz also took the silver and gold found in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the king’s palace and sent them to the king of Assyria as a gift.(N) 9 So the king of Assyria listened to him(O) and marched up to Damascus and captured it.(P) He deported its people to Kir(Q) but put Rezin to death.
Ahaz’s Idolatry
10 King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser(R) king of Assyria. When he saw the altar that was in Damascus, King Ahaz sent a model of the altar and complete plans for its construction to Uriah the priest.(S) 11 Uriah built the altar according to all the instructions King Ahaz sent from Damascus. Therefore, by the time King Ahaz came back from Damascus, Uriah the priest had completed it. 12 When the king came back from Damascus, he saw the altar. Then he approached the altar(T) and ascended it. 13 He offered his burnt offering(U) and his grain offering, poured out his drink offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offerings(V) on the altar. 14 He took the bronze altar(W) that was before the Lord in front of the temple between his altar and the Lord’s temple, and put it on the north side of his altar.
15 Then King Ahaz commanded Uriah the priest, “Offer on the great altar the morning burnt offering, the evening grain offering, and the king’s burnt offering and his grain offering. Also offer the burnt offering of all the people of the land, their grain offering, and their drink offerings. Sprinkle on the altar all the blood of the burnt offering and all the blood of sacrifice. The bronze altar will be for me to seek guidance.”[b] 16 Uriah the priest did everything King Ahaz commanded.
17 Then King Ahaz cut off the frames of the water carts[c](X) and removed the bronze basin from each of them. He took the reservoir[d](Y) from the bronze oxen that were under it and put it on a stone pavement. 18 To satisfy the king of Assyria, he removed from the Lord’s temple the Sabbath canopy they had built in the palace, and he closed the outer entrance for the king.
Ahaz’s Death
19 The rest(Z) of the events of Ahaz’s reign, along with his accomplishments, are written in the Historical Record of Judah’s Kings.(AA) 20 Ahaz rested with his fathers(AB) and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and his son Hezekiah became king in his place.
Sound Teaching and Christian Living
2 But you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching.(A) 2 Older men(B) are to be level headed, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love,(C) and endurance. 3 In the same way, older women(D) are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 so they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, and submissive(E) to their husbands, so that God’s message(F) will not be slandered.
6 In the same way, encourage the young men(G) to be self-controlled 7 in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity[a] in your teaching. 8 Your message is to be sound beyond reproach,(H) so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.
9 Slaves are to be submissive to their masters(I) in everything, and to be well-pleasing,(J) not talking back 10 or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior(K) in everything.
11 For the grace of God has appeared with salvation[b] for all people,(L) 12 instructing us to deny godlessness(M) and worldly lusts(N) and to live in a sensible, righteous,(O) and godly(P) way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope(Q) and appearing of the glory(R) of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave Himself for us(S) to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession,(T) eager to do good works.
15 Say these things, and encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard[c] you.
The Coming Exile
9 Israel, do not rejoice jubilantly as the nations do,(A)
for you have acted promiscuously,(B) leaving your God.
You have loved the wages of a prostitute
on every grain-threshing floor.(C)
2 Threshing floor and wine vat will not sustain them,(D)
and the new wine will fail them.
3 They will not stay in the land of the Lord.
Instead, Ephraim will return to Egypt,(E)
and they will eat unclean food(F) in Assyria.(G)
4 They will not pour out
their wine offerings to the Lord,(H)
and their sacrifices will not please Him.
Their food will be like the bread of mourners;
all who eat it become defiled.(I)
For their bread will be for their appetites alone;
it will not enter the house of the Lord.
5 What will you do on a festival day,(J)
on the day of the Lord’s feast?(K)
6 For even if they flee from devastation,
Egypt will gather them, and Memphis will bury them.(L)
Thistles will take possession of their precious silver;
thorns will invade their tents.(M)
7 The days of punishment have come;(N)
the days of retribution have come.(O)
Let Israel recognize it!
The prophet is a fool,(P)
and the inspired man is insane,(Q)
because of the magnitude
of your guilt and hostility.(R)
8 Ephraim’s watchman is with my God.
The prophet encounters a fowler’s snare
on all his ways.(S)
Hostility is in the house of his God!
9 They have deeply corrupted themselves(T)
as in the days of Gibeah.(U)
He will remember their guilt;
He will punish their sins.(V)
Ephraim Bereaved of Offspring
10 I discovered Israel
like grapes in the wilderness.(W)
I saw your fathers
like the first fruit of the fig tree in its first season.(X)
But they went to Baal-peor,(Y)
consecrated themselves to Shame,[a](Z)
and became detestable,(AA)
like the thing they loved.
11 Ephraim’s glory will fly away like a bird:(AB)
no birth, no gestation, no conception.(AC)
12 Even if they raise children,
I will bereave them of each one.
Yes, woe to them when I depart from them!(AD)
13 I have seen Ephraim like Tyre,(AE)
planted in a meadow,
so Ephraim will bring out his children
to the executioner.
14 Give them, Lord—
What should You give?
Give them a womb that miscarries
and breasts that are dry!(AF)
15 All their evil appears at Gilgal,(AG)
for there I came to hate them.
I will drive them from My house
because of their evil, wicked actions.(AH)
I will no longer love them;
all their leaders are rebellious.(AI)
16 Ephraim(AJ) is struck down;
their roots are withered;
they cannot bear fruit.(AK)
Even if they bear children,
I will kill the precious offspring of their wombs.(AL)
17 My God will reject them
because they have not listened to Him;(AM)
they will become wanderers among the nations.(AN)
Psalm 126
Zion’s Restoration
A song of ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
we were like those who dream.(A)
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter then,(B)
and our tongues with shouts of joy.(C)
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”(D)
3 The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful.(E)
4 Restore our fortunes,[b] Lord,
like watercourses in the Negev.(F)
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with shouts of joy.(G)
6 Though one goes along weeping,
carrying the bag of seed,
he will surely come back with shouts of joy,
carrying his sheaves.(H)
Psalm 127
The Blessing of the Lord
A Solomonic song of ascents.
1 Unless the Lord builds a house,
its builders labor over it in vain;(I)
unless the Lord watches over a city,
the watchman stays alert in vain.(J)
2 In vain you get up early and stay up late,
working hard to have enough food—
yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.[c](K)
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,
children, a reward.(L)
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons born in one’s youth.(M)
5 Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them.(N)
Such men will never be put to shame
when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.(O)
Psalm 128
Blessings for Those Who Fear God
A song of ascents.
1 How happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in His ways!(P)
2 You will surely eat
what your hands have worked for.(Q)
You will be happy,
and it will go well for you.(R)
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house,
your sons, like young olive trees
around your table.(S)
4 In this very way
the man who fears the Lord
will be blessed.(T)
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life(U)
6 and will see your children’s children!
Peace be with Israel.(V)
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