M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Judah and Benjamin Fortified

11 When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he assembled one hundred eighty thousand chosen troops of the house of Judah and Benjamin to fight against Israel, to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam.^{(A) 2} But the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God:^{(B) 3} “Say to King Rehoboam of Judah, son of Solomon, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin: ⁴ Thus says the Lord: You shall not go up or fight against your kindred. Let everyone return home, for this thing is from me.” So they heeded the word of the Lord and turned back from the expedition against Jeroboam.^(C)

⁵ Rehoboam resided in Jerusalem, and he built cities for defense in Judah. ⁶ He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷ Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸ Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹ Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰ Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron, fortified cities that are in Judah and in Benjamin. ¹¹ He made the fortresses strong and put commanders in them and stores of food, oil, and wine. ¹² He also put large shields and spears in all the cities and made them very strong. So he held Judah and Benjamin.

Priests and Levites Support Rehoboam

¹³ The priests and the Levites who were in all Israel presented themselves to him from all their territories. ¹⁴ The Levites had left their pasturelands and possessions and had come to Judah and Jerusalem because Jeroboam and his sons had prevented them from serving as priests of the Lord^{(D) 15} and had appointed his own priests for the high places and for the goat-demons and for the calves that he had made.^{(E) 16} Those who had set their hearts to seek the Lord God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their ancestors.^{(F) 17} They strengthened the kingdom of Judah, and for three years they made Rehoboam son of Solomon secure, for they walked for three years in the way of David and Solomon.^(G)

Rehoboam’s Marriages

¹⁸ Rehoboam took as his wife Mahalath daughter of Jerimoth son of David and of Abihail daughter of Eliab son of Jesse.^{(H) 19} She bore him sons: Jeush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰ After her he took Maacah daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah, Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹ Rehoboam loved Maacah daughter of Absalom more than all his other wives and concubines (he took eighteen wives and sixty concubines and became the father of twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters).^{(I) 22} Rehoboam appointed Abijah son of Maacah as chief prince among his brothers, for he intended to make him king.^{(J) 23} He dealt wisely and distributed some of his sons through all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities; he gave them abundant provisions and found many wives for them.

Egypt Attacks Judah

12 When the rule of Rehoboam was established and he grew strong, he abandoned the law of the Lord, he and all Israel with him.^{(K) 2} In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up against Jerusalem^{(L) 3} with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand cavalry. A countless army came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukkiim, and Cushites.^{(M) 4} He took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. ⁵ Then the prophet Shemaiah came to Rehoboam and to the officers of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak and said to them, “Thus says the Lord: You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishak.”^{(N) 6} Then the officers of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, “The Lord is in the right.”^{(O) 7} When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak.^{(P) 8} Nevertheless, they shall be his servants, so that they may know the difference between serving me and serving the kingdoms of other lands.”^(Q)

⁹ So King Shishak of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made,^{(R) 10} but King Rehoboam made in place of them shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard who kept the door of the king’s house. ¹¹ Whenever the king went into the house of the Lord, the guard would come along bearing them and would then bring them back to the guardroom. ¹² Because he humbled himself, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so as not to destroy them completely; moreover, conditions were good in Judah.^(S)

Death of Rehoboam

¹³ So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign; he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.^{(T) 14} He did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the Lord.^(U)

¹⁵ Now the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are they not written in the records of the prophet Shemaiah and of the seer Iddo, recorded by genealogy? There were continual wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam.^{(V) 16} Rehoboam slept with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David, and his son Abijah succeeded him.^(W)

The Message to Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

² “I know your works, your toil and your endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not and have found them to be false.^{(A) 3} I also know that you are enduring and bearing up for the sake of my name and that you have not grown weary.^{(B) 4} But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember, then, from where you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷ Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.^(C)

The Message to Smyrna

⁸ “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of the First and the Last, who was dead and came to life:^(D)

⁹ “I know your affliction and your poverty, even though you are rich. I know the slander on the part of those who say that they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan.^{(E) 10} Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Beware, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.^{(F) 11} Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Whoever conquers will not be harmed by the second death.^(G)

The Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword:^(H)

¹³ “I know where you are living, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding fast to my name, and you did not deny your faith in me^[a] even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan lives. ¹⁴ But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel, so that they would eat food sacrificed to idols and engage in sexual immorality.^{[b](I) 15} So you also have some who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Repent, then. If not, I will come to you soon and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth.^{(J) 17} Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone, and on the white stone is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.^(K)

The Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze:^(L)

¹⁹ “I know your works: your love, faith, service, and endurance. I know that your latest works are greater than the first. ²⁰ But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to engage in sexual immorality^[c] and to eat food sacrificed to idols.^{(M) 21} I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.^{[d](N) 22} Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings, ²³ and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.^{(O) 24} But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,’ to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden;^{(P) 25} only hold fast to what you have until I come. ²⁶ To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,

²⁸ “even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.^{(S) 29} Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

The Wickedness of Jerusalem

Punishment and Conversion of the Nations

A Song of Joy

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.^{(A) 2} He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being^{(B) 4} in him was life,^[a] and the life was the light of all people.^{(C) 5} The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸ He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. ⁹ The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^[b](D)

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him.^{(E) 11} He came to what was his own,^[c] and his own people did not accept him. ¹² But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,^{(F) 13} who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.^(G)

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,^[d] full of grace and truth.^{(H) 15} (John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶ From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.^{[e](I) 17} The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.^{(J) 18} No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who^[f] is close to the Father’s heart,^[g] who has made him known.^(K)

The Testimony of John the Baptist

¹⁹ This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰ He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”^{[h](L) 21} And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”^{(M) 22} Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” ²³ He said,

as the prophet Isaiah said.^(N)

²⁴ Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. ²⁵ They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah,^[i] nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” ²⁶ John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, ²⁷ the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” ²⁸ This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

²⁹ The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!^{(O) 30} This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ ³¹ I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” ³² And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.^{(P) 33} I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’^{(Q) 34} And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”^[j]

The First Disciples of Jesus

³⁵ The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, ³⁶ and as he watched Jesus walk by he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”^{(R) 37} The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. ³⁸ When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?”^{(S) 39} He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. ⁴⁰ One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.^{(T) 41} He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed^[k]).^{(U) 42} He brought Simon^[l] to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas”^[m] (which is translated Peter^[n]).^(V)

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael

⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”^{(W) 44} Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.^{(X) 45} Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”^{(Y) 46} Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”^{(Z) 47} When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”^{(AA) 48} Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”^{(AB) 50} Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you,^[o] you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”^(AC)