M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
22 David: Now this is the house of the Eternal God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel. We will no longer need to travel to Gibeon to sacrifice to God.
2 Having purchased a location for the new temple, David began preparations for its construction. He gathered the foreigners who were in Israel so they could help build the temple. He appointed stonecutters for the house of God; 3 and he prepared large quantities of iron (to cast the nails for the gate doors and the hinges), immeasurable amounts of bronze, 4 and enormous quantities of cedar logs (brought to David by the Sidonians and Tyrians).
Everyone in the region participates in building the Lord’s Jerusalem temple.
David: 5 Solomon, my dear son, is so young for such a grand project as the Eternal’s house. He does not have the experience required for a job that should be known throughout the nations as wondrous. I will prepare for the temple construction before Solomon ascends in my place. So David made all the preparations before his death.
6 Then David called for his son, Solomon, and instructed him to build a house for the Eternal God of Israel.
David: 7 My son, I had intended to build a house honoring the reputation of the Eternal One my God, 8 but the Eternal spoke to me.
The blood on David’s hands makes him ritually impure to build a holy structure and house like the Jerusalem temple.
Eternal One: You have shed much blood and waged great wars, My wars. But because of your conquests and the amount of blood you spilled on My behalf, you will not build a house honoring My reputation. 9 You will have a son named Solomon, who will be a man of rest. He will not fight wars for Me—I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.
The name “Solomon” has a similar spelling and sound to Shalom, the word for “peace.”
10 He will build a house honoring My reputation, a place where I shall dwell and where your people will worship Me. He will be My son and I will be his Father. I will establish his kingdom as My representative of My rule in Israel forever.
David: 11 My son, you will need His help to build the house of the Eternal One your God successfully, just as He plans and as I have prepared for you. 12 May He give you discretion, understanding, and command over Israel, for you will need to keep the laws of the Eternal One your God if you are to finish His temple. 13 Only then you will prosper, by following these statutes and ordinances for Israel, which the Eternal gave to Moses. You must be strong and courageous—never fear or be distraught.
14 I have meticulously prepared for the house of the Eternal.
David has already received a divine blueprint, has gathered materials, and has solicited international workers.
I have collected 3,750 tons of gold, 37,500 tons of silver, bronze, and iron (they are more readily available to us than gold is), and timber and stone. You may easily add to these materials as you need to because 15-16 there is no limit to the gold, silver, bronze, and iron. I have hired many workmen: stonecutters, stonemasons, carpenters, and tradesmen. Go now and work; build this magnificent, world-renowned temple, and may the Eternal be with you as you do it.
17 Having completed his instructions to Solomon, David then commanded all the tribal leaders of Israel to help Solomon.
David: 18 The Eternal One your God is with you. Now that He has provided the land for Israel, He has given you peace with your enemies on every border. 19 Now prepare yourself mentally and emotionally to follow the Eternal One your God. Go and build the temple of the Eternal God, so you may bring the covenant chest of the Eternal to rest there and take the holy vessels of God into His house for us to use in sacrifice.
Peter calls all believers to humility, submission, and service: everyone to God, citizens to rulers, slaves to masters, wives to husbands, and younger to elders.
3 1-2 In the same way, wives, you should patiently accept the authority of your husbands. This is so that even if they don’t obey God’s word, as they observe your pure respectful behavior, they may be persuaded without a word by the way you live. 3 Don’t focus on decorating your exterior by doing your hair or putting on fancy jewelry or wearing fashionable clothes; 4 let your adornment be what’s inside—the real you, the lasting beauty of a gracious and quiet spirit, in which God delights. 5 This is how, long ago, holy women who put their hope in God made themselves beautiful: by respecting the authority of their husbands. 6 Consider how Sarah, our mother, obeyed her husband, Abraham, and called him “lord,” and you will be her daughters as long as you boldly do what is right without fear and without anxiety.
7 In the same way, husbands, as you live with your wives, understand the situations women face as the weaker vessel. Each of you should respect your wife and value her as an equal heir in the gracious gift of life. Do this so that nothing will get in the way of your prayers.
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded and show sympathy, love, compassion, and humility to and for each other— 9 not paying back evil with evil or insult with insult, but repaying the bad with a blessing. It was this you were called to do, so that you might inherit a blessing. 10 It is written in the psalms,
If you love life
and want to live a good, long time,
Then be careful what you say.
Don’t tell lies or spread gossip or talk about improper things.
11 Walk away from the evil things in the world—just leave them behind, and do what is right,
and always seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the Lord watches over the righteous,
and His ears are attuned to their prayers.
But His face is set against His enemies;
He will punish evildoers.[a]
13 Why would anyone harm you if you eagerly do good? 14 Even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you will receive a blessing. Don’t let them frighten you. Don’t be intimidated, 15-16 but exalt Him as Lord in your heart. Always be ready to offer a defense, humbly and respectfully, when someone asks why you live in hope. Keep your conscience clear so that those who ridicule your good conduct in the Anointed and say bad things about you will be put to shame.
Peter urges us always to be ready to give a reason for the hope that lives within us. But it is important that it be done not with arrogance and contempt, but with gentle ness and love—the same virtues that should guide our responses to any hostile challenge. This is one way we can glorify Jesus as King over all our lives—by exalting Him with both our emotions and our intellect.
17 For if it is the will of God that you suffer, then it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong. 18 The Anointed One suffered for sins once for all time—the righteous suffering for the unrighteous—so that He might bring us to God. Though He died in the flesh, He was made alive again through the Spirit. 19 And in the Spirit, He went and preached to those spirits held captive. 20 It was these who long ago lived in disobedience while God waited patiently as Noah was building the ark. At that time, only a tiny band—eight people—was spared from the flood.
21 The water through which the ark safely passed symbolizes now the ceremonial washing through baptism[b] that initiates you into salvation. You are saved not because it cleanses your body of filth but because of your appeal to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King. 22 Now He has entered heaven and sits at the right hand of God as heavenly messengers and authorities and powers submit to His supremacy.
1 These are the words of the Eternal One and the visions about the two capital cities of Israel and Judah, Samaria and Jerusalem, that were given to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah over Judah.
The Northern Kingdom of Israel, sometimes called Samaria after its capital city, was conquered by the Assyrian Empire in 722 b.c. The Southern Kingdom of Judah, where Micah lives and speaks, has been spared that fate, but at a high price: the people have lost the power to govern themselves, pay huge tributes to the Assyrians, and allow the corruption of their religious practices because of the Assyrians’ influence. All Israelites suffer under these conditions, but Micah’s attention is drawn especially to the poor and dispossessed; somehow, as often happens in wartime, rich people manage to get richer while the poor are exploited, and Micah is outraged at the way the rulers of Judah have taken advantage of those who had little—and now have less.
2 Listen, all of you people![a]
Pay attention, earth and all upon it!
The Eternal Lord gives evidence against you;
the Lord speaks from His holy temple.
3 Look at this: the Eternal is leaving His home in heaven,
and He is coming down to walk[b] over the high places of the earth.
4 The mountains will melt beneath His feet;
the valleys will burst open,
Like wax next to a raging fire,
as water pours from the heights.
5 Eternal One: All of this is happening because of the crimes of Jacob,
the wrongdoings of the people of Israel.
And what is the crime of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria?
And what is the high place of Judah? Isn’t it Jerusalem?
6 And so I will turn Samaria into a pile of ruins in an open field.
To make her properly into a place to plant a vineyard,
I will roll her stones into the valley
and bare her foundations for all to see.
7 I will shatter her images and burn her immoral riches with fire,
and all her idols I will break down.
They came from the earning of prostitutes, servants of other gods,
and they will be used again to pay the wages of another prostitute.
8 Because of this, I will howl and wail;
this is why I will go barefoot and naked,
Why I will scream like the jackals
and screech like the ostriches as if in mourning.
9 Eternal One: For her wounds cannot be cured because Samaria’s transgression has reached Judah.
It now has reached the gate of My people, even in Jerusalem.
This listing of 11 conquered Israelite cities begins with David’s quote about Gath when he was lamenting the deaths of Saul and Jonathan (2 Samuel 1:20).
10 Do not tell this in Gath. Do not weep even a little.[c]
In Beth-le-aphrah, wallow in the dust as you mourn.
11 Travel on, you who live in Shaphir, no longer beautiful but naked and ashamed.
You who live in Zaanan, do not come out when the enemy approaches.
Beth-ezel is weeping, “He is tearing you away from His foundations,”
and she won’t be there to support her neighbors.
12 Those who live in Maroth wait anxiously for good news;
the Eternal sends disaster down to the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Harness your horses to the chariots, you who live in the stronghold called Lachish;
in you are the seeds of the sin of My daughter Zion;
in you are the crimes of Israel.
14 That is why you will pay a dowry to Moresheth-gath
when Israel departs for exile.
The houses of Achzib will deceive and disappoint the kings of Israel.
15 I will send a conqueror again to all of you living in Mareshah,
and the glory of Israel, her treasures and leaders, will come to Adullam for refuge as David once did.
The list of cities given here matches the path Sennacherib took when he marched against Jerusalem in 701 b.c.
16 Cut off your hair and shave your heads. Prepare yourselves for slavery
on account of the children whom you pampered and privileged.
Make yourself as bald as an eagle,
for they have been removed from you into exile.
10 The Lord then recruited and deployed 70[a] more disciples. He sent them ahead, in teams of two, to visit all the towns and settlements between them and Jerusalem. 2 This is what He ordered.
Jesus: There’s a great harvest waiting in the fields, but there aren’t many good workers to harvest it. Pray that the Harvest Master will send out good workers to the fields.
3 It’s time for you 70 to go. I’m sending you out armed with vulnerability, like lambs walking into a pack of wolves. 4 Don’t bring a wallet. Don’t carry a backpack. I don’t even want you to wear sandals. Walk along barefoot, quietly, without stopping for small talk. 5 When you enter a house seeking lodging, say, “Peace on this house!” 6 If a child of peace—one who welcomes God’s message of peace—is there, your peace will rest on him. If not, don’t worry; nothing is wasted. 7 Stay where you’re welcomed. Become part of the family, eating and drinking whatever they give you. You’re My workers, and you deserve to be cared for. Again, don’t go from house to house, 8 but settle down in a town and eat whatever they serve you. 9 Heal the sick and say to the townspeople, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
10 Of course, not every town will welcome you. If you’re rejected, walk through the streets and say, 11 “We’re leaving this town. We’ll wipe off the dust that clings to our feet in protest against you. But even so, know this: the kingdom of God has come near.” 12 I tell you the truth, on judgment day, Sodom will have an easier time of it than the town that rejects My messengers.
13 It’s going to be bad for you, Chorazin! It’s going to be bad for you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works done in your streets had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, they would have been moved to turn to God and cry out in sackcloth and ashes. 14 On judgment day, Tyre and Sidon will have an easier time of it than you. 15 It’s going to be bad for you, too, Capernaum! Will you be celebrated to heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead.
16 Listen, disciples: if people give you a hearing, they’re giving Me a hearing. If they reject you, they’re rejecting Me. And if they reject Me, they’re rejecting the One who sent Me. So—go now!
17 When the 70[b] completed their mission and returned to report on their experiences, they were elated.
Seventy: It’s amazing, Lord! When we use Your name, the demons do what we say!
Jesus: 18 I know. I saw Satan falling from above like a lightning bolt. 19 I’ve given you true authority. You can smash vipers and scorpions under your feet.[c] You can walk all over the power of the enemy. You can’t be harmed. 20 But listen—that’s not the point. Don’t be elated that evil spirits leave when you say to leave. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
21 Then Jesus Himself became elated. The Holy Spirit was on Him, and He began to pray with joy.
Jesus: Thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth. Thank You for hiding Your mysteries from the wise and intellectual, instead revealing them to little children. Your ways are truly gracious. 22 My Father has given Me everything. No one knows the full identity of the Son except the Father, and nobody knows the full identity of the Father except the Son, and the Son fully reveals the Father to whomever He wishes. 23 (then almost in a whisper to the disciples) How blessed are your eyes to see what you see! 24 Many prophets and kings dreamed of seeing what you see, but they never got a glimpse. They dreamed of hearing what you hear, but they never heard it.
25 Just then a scholar of the Hebrew Scriptures tried to trap Jesus.
Scholar: Teacher, what must I do to experience the eternal life?
Jesus (answering with a question): 26 What is written in the Hebrew Scriptures? How do you interpret their answer to your question?
Scholar: 27 You shall love—“love the Eternal One your God with everything you have: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind”[d]—and “love your neighbor as yourself.”[e]
Jesus: 28 Perfect. Your answer is correct. Follow these commands and you will live.
29 The scholar was frustrated by this response because he was hoping to make himself appear smarter than Jesus.
Scholar: Ah, but who is my neighbor?
Jesus: 30 This fellow was traveling down from Jerusalem to Jericho when some robbers mugged him. They took his clothes, beat him to a pulp, and left him naked and bleeding and in critical condition. 31 By chance, a priest was going down that same road, and when he saw the wounded man, he crossed over to the other side and passed by. 32 Then a Levite who was on his way to assist in the temple also came and saw the victim lying there, and he too kept his distance. 33 Then a despised Samaritan journeyed by. When he saw the fellow, he felt compassion for him. 34 The Samaritan went over to him, stopped the bleeding, applied some first aid, and put the poor fellow on his donkey. He brought the man to an inn and cared for him through the night.
35 The next day, the Samaritan took out some money—two days’ wages[f] to be exact—and paid the innkeeper, saying, “Please take care of this fellow, and if this isn’t enough, I’ll repay you next time I pass through.”
36 Which of these three proved himself a neighbor to the man who had been mugged by the robbers?
Scholar: 37 The one who showed mercy to him.
Jesus: Well then, go and behave like that Samaritan.
This story brings together many themes from Jesus’ teaching of the Kingdom. Samaritans are seen as “half-breeds” by Jesus’ fellow Jews—racially mixed and also religiously compromised. By making a Samaritan the hero of the story, Jesus is once again tweaking assumptions and breaking out of conventional boxes: “In the kingdom of God,” Jesus is saying, “the outcasts and last can move to the front of the line.” The focus for Jesus is not on the kinds of sophisticated arguments preferred by the religious scholar; for Jesus the kingdom of God is about living life, and in particular, living a life of love for God and for neighbor—whoever that neighbor may be.
38 Jesus continued from there toward Jerusalem and came to another village. Martha, a resident of that village, welcomed Jesus into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, went and sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him teach. 40 Meanwhile Martha was anxious about all the hospitality arrangements.
Martha (interrupting Jesus): Lord, why don’t You care that my sister is leaving me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to get over here and help me.
Jesus: 41 Oh Martha, Martha, you are so anxious and concerned about a million details, 42 but really, only one thing matters. Mary has chosen that one thing, and I won’t take it away from her.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.