M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samuel’s Farewell
12 Samuel said to all Israel, “You see that I have listened to your voice and to everything that you said to me. I have appointed a king over you. 2 Now, there he is. The king is walking before you. I am old and gray, but my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth till this very day.
3 “Here I am. Testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Have I defrauded anyone? Have I oppressed anyone? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to turn a blind eye to anything? If so, I will restore it for you.”
4 They replied, “You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything from anyone’s hand.”
5 So he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness today that you have not found anything in my hand.”
They said, “He is witness.”
6 So this is what Samuel said to the people:
It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now then, stand here, so that I may present the case against you before the Lord on the basis of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did for you and for your fathers.
8 When Jacob had gone down into Egypt,[a] your fathers cried out to the Lord, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 But they forgot the Lord their God, so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 10 They cried to the Lord and said, “We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord. We have served the Baals and the Ashtartes, but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.” 11 So the Lord sent Jerubbaal,[b] Bedan,[c] Jephthah, and Samuel, and he delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety.
12 But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, even though the Lord your God was your king, you said to me, “No, we want a king to reign over us.”
13 Now look, here is the king you have chosen, the king you asked for. You see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the Lord and serve him and listen to his voice and do not rebel against the mouth of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will be following the Lord your God. 15 But if you do not listen to the Lord’s voice but rebel against the mouth of the Lord, then the Lord’s hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.
16 Now then, take your positions here, and see this great thing that the Lord is about to do right in front of your eyes. 17 Isn’t today the time of wheat harvest? I will call to the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain,[d] so that you may know and see that your wickedness is great, that wickedness which you have done in the Lord’s sight by asking for a king.
18 Then Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day. Then all the people were very afraid of the Lord and of Samuel.
19 So all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we do not die, for we have added to all our sins also this evil, that we asked for a king for ourselves.”
20 Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil. Nevertheless, do not turn away from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away to pursue empty things that cannot help you or save you, because they are empty. 22 For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not forsake his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own people for himself. 23 As for me, it is unthinkable[e] that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you. Instead I will instruct you in the way that is good and right. 24 Above all, fear the Lord, and serve him in truth, with all your heart, considering the great things he has done for you. 25 But if you keep doing evil, you will be swept away, both you and your king.”
Prayer for Israelites to Believe
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 Indeed, I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but it is not consistent with knowledge. 3 Since they were ignorant of the righteousness from God and sought to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness from God. 4 For to everyone who believes, Christ is the end of the law, resulting in righteousness.
5 Indeed, Moses writes this about the righteousness that comes by the law: “The one who does these things will live by them.”[a] 6 But the righteousness that comes by faith speaks like this: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,”[d] that is, the word of faith that we are proclaiming. 9 Certainly, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and it is with the mouth that a person confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.”[e]
12 So there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord is Lord of all, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 Yes, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”[f]
Israel Rejected the Message God Sent
14 So then, how can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one about whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news of peace,[g] who preach the gospel of good things!”[h]
16 But not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who believed our message?”[i] 17 So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.[j]
18 But I ask, did they not hear? Of course, they certainly did.
The sound of their voice went out to all the earth,
and their words to the farthest parts of the world.[k]
19 Yet I ask, did Israel not understand? First, Moses says:
I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry with a nation that does not understand.[l]
20 And Isaiah also boldly says:
I was found by those who were not looking for me;
I became well known to those who were not asking for me.[m]
21 But about Israel he says:
All day long I stretched out my hands
to a people who disobey and oppose me.[n]
A Prophecy About Ammon
49 Concerning the people of Ammon, this is what the Lord says:
Has Israel no sons?
Has he no heir?
Why then does Milcom[a] possess Gad?
Why do his people live in Israel’s cities?
2 Watch, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will sound a battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites,
and it will become a desolate heap.
Her villages will be burned down,
and then Israel will possess those who possessed him,
declares the Lord.
3 Wail, Heshbon, for Ai is laid waste!
Cry, you daughters of Rabbah!
Put on sackcloth and mourn.
Run back and forth behind the walls,
because Milcom is about to go into captivity,
with his priests and his officials.
4 Why do you boast about your valleys,
your flowing valley, you backsliding daughter?
You trusted in your treasures, saying,
“Who will come against me?”
5 Look out! I will bring terror upon you,
says the Lord God of Armies,
terror from every side.
All of you will be completely driven out,
and there will be no one to gather together the fugitives.
6 But afterward I will restore the captives of the Ammonites,
declares the Lord.
A Prophecy Against Edom
7 Concerning Edom, this is what the Lord of Armies says:
Is there no more wisdom in Teman?
Has counsel perished from the prudent?[b]
Has their wisdom vanished?
8 Flee! Turn back!
Dwell in the depths, you who live in Dedan,
for I will bring the disaster of Esau on him when I punish him.
9 If grape pickers came to you,
wouldn’t they leave some grapes for gleaning?
If thieves came by night,
wouldn’t they stop when they had stolen enough?
10 But I have stripped Esau bare.
I have uncovered his secret places,
and he will not be able to hide himself.
His offspring are destroyed,
along with his brothers and his neighbors,
and he is no more.
11 Leave your fatherless children.
I will preserve their lives.
Let your widows trust in me.
12 For the Lord says: If those who did not deserve to drink from the cup must drink it, will you escape unpunished? No, you will not remain unpunished. You must drink. 13 For I have sworn by myself, declares the Lord, that Bozrah will become a horror, a disgrace, ruins, and a curse. All its cities will be perpetual ruins.
14 I have heard news from the Lord,
and a messenger has been sent to the nations:
“Gather yourselves together,
and come against her!
Rise up for the battle!”
15 Look, I have made you small among the nations
and despised among mankind.
16 The terror you instill has deceived you,
the pride of your heart.
You who dwell in the clefts of the rock,
who occupy the high point of the hill,
even though you make your nest as high as the eagle’s nest,
I will bring you down from there, declares the Lord.
17 Edom will become a horror.
Everyone who passes by it will be shocked,
and they will hiss because of all its disasters.
18 As Sodom and Gomorrah
and their neighboring cities were overthrown,
says the Lord,
no one will live there.
Not one person will dwell in it.
19 Watch this.
Like a lion coming out of the thickets of the Jordan
into the pastures that are always green,
I will suddenly chase Edom away from its land,
and I will appoint whomever I choose over it.
For who is like me?
Who can challenge me?
What shepherd can stand before me?
20 Therefore, hear what the Lord has planned for Edom,
what he intends to do against the people of Teman.
Even the little ones of the flock will be dragged away.
He will make their pasture desolate because of them.
21 The earth will tremble at the noise of their fall.
Their cry will be heard all the way to the Red Sea.
22 Watch, he will come up and fly like an eagle.
He will spread out his wings against Bozrah.
In that day the hearts of the strong warriors of Edom
will be like the heart of a woman during her labor pains.
A Prophecy Against Damascus
23 Concerning Damascus:
Hamath and Arpad are troubled,
for they have heard bad news.
They melt in fear.
Like a troubled sea,
they cannot find rest.
24 Damascus has become feeble.
She turns to flee.
Panic has seized her.
Anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her,
like those of a woman in labor.
25 Why is this famous city not yet forsaken,[c]
the joyful city?[d]
26 Therefore, her young men will fall in her streets,
and all her warriors will be destroyed on that day,
declares the Lord of Armies.
27 I will set fire to the walls of Damascus,
and it will devour the citadels of Ben Hadad.
A Prophecy Against Kedar and Hazor
28 Concerning Kedar and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck, this is what the Lord says:
Arise, go up to Kedar,
and destroy the people of the East.
29 Their tents and their flocks will be taken,
their tent curtains and everything in their tents.
Their camels will be taken away from them,
and men will shout to them, “Terror on every side!”
30 Quick, fly away!
Hide in deep caves, you who live in Hazor,
declares the Lord,
because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has plotted against you,
and he has made plans to defeat you.
31 Arise! Attack a nation at ease, that lives without care,
declares the Lord,
a nation that has neither gates nor bars, that lives by itself.
32 Their camels will be plunder,
and their vast herds of livestock a prize.
I will scatter to all the winds those who live in distant places,[e]
and I will bring disaster on them from every side,
declares the Lord.
33 Hazor will be a place where jackals live,
a desolate place forever.
No man will live there.
No one will live in that place even as a temporary resident.
A Prophecy About Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah:
35 This is what the Lord of Armies says.
Look, I will break the bow of Elam,[f]
the main source of its power.
36 I will bring against Elam the four winds,
from the four corners of the sky.
I will scatter its people to the four winds.
There will not be a nation
where the outcasts of Elam do not go.
37 I will make Elam terrified of their enemies,
those who seek their lives.
I will bring disaster on them,
namely, my fierce anger, declares the Lord,
and I will send the sword after them,
until I have consumed them.
38 I will set up my throne in Elam,
and there I will destroy their king and officials,
declares the Lord.
39 Yet I will reverse the captivity of Elam in days to come,
declares the Lord.
Psalm 26
Vindicate Me, O Lord
Heading
By David.
Affirmation of Innocence and Plea for Judgment
1 Judge me favorably, O Lord,
because I have walked in my integrity.
In the Lord I have trusted. I have not wavered.
2 Test me, O Lord, and examine me.
Refine my thoughts and my emotions,
3 for your mercy is in front of my eyes,
and I keep walking in your truth.
Separation From Evil
4 I do not sit with deceivers.
I do not associate with hypocrites.
5 I hate the company of evildoers.
I do not sit with the wicked.
Affirmation of Innocence and Love for God
6 I wash my hands from sin,
so I can march around your altar, O Lord,
7 to shout thanks to you
and to proclaim all your wonderful deeds.
8 Lord, I love the house where you reside,
the place where your glory dwells.
Separation From Evil
9 Do not snatch my soul away along with sinners,
nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 who grasp wicked schemes in their hands,
whose right hands are full of bribes.
Affirmation of Innocence and Prayer for Redemption
11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity.
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
12 My feet stand on level ground.
In the assemblies I will bless the Lord.
Psalm 27
The Stronghold of My Life
Heading
By David.
Safe in God’s Stronghold
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers advance against me to eat my flesh,
when my foes and my enemies come against me,
it is they who will stumble and fall.
3 If an army lines up against me, my heart will not fear.
If war rises against me, even then I will keep trusting.
Happy in God’s Temple
4 One thing I ask from the Lord. This is what I seek:
that I live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord,
and to seek him in his temple.[a]
5 Yes, he will hide me in his shelter on the day of trouble.
He will hide me in his tent.
He will set me high on a rock.
6 Then my head will be lifted up above the enemies who surround me.
I will offer sacrifices at his tent with a joyful shout.
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Confident in Prayer
7 Hear me, O Lord. With my voice I call.
Be merciful to me and answer me.
8 When you say, “Seek my face,” my heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger.
You have been my help.
Do not reject me or forsake me, O God who saves me.
10 If my father and my mother abandoned me,
the Lord would take me in.
Walking in God’s Path
11 Lord, teach me your way,
and lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.
12 Do not give me up to the desire of my foes,
because false witnesses rise up against me,
and so do those who breathe out violence.
At Home in God’s Land
13 Unless I was confident to see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living—[b]
14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart,
and wait for the Lord!
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.