M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
King Solomon’s Administration
4 So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. 2 These were his officials:
Azariah son[a] of Zadok was the priest.
3 Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were the secretaries.
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the record keeper.[b]
4 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the army.
Zadok and Abiathar were priests.
5 Azariah son of Nathan was supervisor over the governors.
Zabud son of Nathan, a priest, was the king’s personal advisor.[c]
6 Ahishar was the palace administrator,
and Adoniram son of Abda was in charge of forced labor.
7 Solomon had twelve governors, who were over all Israel. They supplied provisions for the king and for his palace. Each of them was assigned one month of the year during which he was responsible for supplying provisions. 8 These were their names:
Ben Hur[d] in the hill country of Ephraim,
9 Ben Deker in Makaz and in Sha’albim, Beth Shemesh, and
Elon Beth Hanan,
10 Ben Hesed in Arubboth (Sokoh and all the land of Hepher were his),
11 Ben Abinadad in all the heights of Dor[e] (Taphath daughter of
Solomon was his wife),
12 Ba’ana son of Ahilud in Ta’anach and Megiddo, and in all Beth
Shan, which is beside Zarethan, below Jezre’el, from Beth Shan to
Abel Meholah, up to the other side of Jokmeam,
13 Ben Geber in Ramoth Gilead (the villages of Jair son of Manasseh
in Gilead belonged to him, and the region of Argob in Bashan
belonged to him, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars),
14 Ahinadab son of Iddo in Mahanaim,
15 Ahima’az in Naphtali (he was married to Solomon’s
daughter Basemath),
16 Ba’ana son of Hushai in Asher and in Be’aloth,
17 Jehoshaphat son of Paruah in Issachar,
18 Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin,
19 Geber son of Uri in the land of Gilead (this included the land of both
Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, but there was
only one governor for that land).
The Glory of Solomon’s Rule
20 Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand by the sea. They were eating, drinking, and rejoicing. 21 Solomon was ruling all the kingdoms from the River[f] to the land of the Philistines, up to the border of Egypt. They sent tribute and workers to Solomon all the days of his life.[g] 22 Solomon’s provisions for one day were one hundred eighty bushels[h] of fine flour and three hundred sixty bushels[i] of plain flour, 23 ten stall-fed cattle, twenty pasture-fed cattle, and one hundred sheep, not to mention deer, gazelle, roebucks, and fattened poultry.
24 Since Solomon was ruling over everything west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, over all the kingdoms west of the River, he had peace on all sides. 25 Judah and Israel lived in safety, with every man sitting under his own vine and fig tree, from Dan to Beersheba, throughout Solomon’s days. 26 Solomon had four thousand[j] teams[k] of horses for his chariots and twelve thousand charioteers.
27 His governors supplied provisions for King Solomon and for all those who gathered at King Solomon’s table. Each governor was responsible for one month, so the court lacked nothing. 28 They brought the barley and straw for the horses and steeds[l] to the location assigned to each one of them.
29 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding and breadth of knowledge[m] like the sand on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom was greater than all the wisdom of the men of the East and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 He was wiser than any man, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, wiser than Heman, Kalkol, or Darda, the sons of Mahol. His name was known in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs numbered one thousand and five. 33 He spoke about trees, from the cedars of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He also spoke about animals, birds, reptiles and other crawling things, and fish. 34 From all the peoples and from all the kings of the earth who heard about Solomon’s wisdom, people came to listen to his wisdom.
Solomon Prepares to Build the Temple
5 Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon because he heard that Solomon had been anointed king in his father’s place, and because Hiram had been a dear friend of David all his days.[n]
2 Solomon sent the following message to Hiram.
3 You know that my father David was not able to build a house for the Name of the Lord his God, because of the wars that swirled around him until the Lord put his enemies under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. I have no adversary and face no dangerous situations. 5 Listen to this! I intend to build a house for the Name of the Lord my God, just as the Lord told my father, “Your son, whom I will put on your throne in your place, will build the house for my Name.” 6 Now give the order to cut cedar logs for me from Lebanon. My servants will work with your servants, and I will reimburse you whatever you specify as the pay for your servants, for you know that there is no one among us who knows how to cut lumber like the Sidonians.
7 When Hiram heard Solomon’s words, he was very happy and he said:
Blessed be the Lord this day because he has given David a wise son to rule over this great people.
8 So Hiram sent word to Solomon:
I have heard the message you sent me. I will provide all the cedar and fir logs that you desire. 9 My servants will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will put them into the sea as rafts and float them to the place that you tell me. Then we will dismantle them there, and you can transport them up from there. In exchange, you will provide all the food I desire for my palace.
10 So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and fir that he desired. 11 In return, Solomon gave Hiram one hundred twenty thousand bushels[o] of wheat as provisions for his palace and one hundred twenty thousand gallons[p] of beaten[q] olive oil. Solomon gave this amount to Hiram every year. 12 The Lord gave wisdom to Solomon just as he had promised him, so there was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a treaty.
13 King Solomon drafted a labor force from all over Israel. It numbered thirty thousand men. 14 He sent ten thousand men per month to Lebanon in shifts. They would spend one month in Lebanon. Then for two months they would be at home. Adoniram was in charge of this forced labor. 15 Solomon had seventy thousand men to transport materials and eighty thousand men to quarry stones in the mountains, 16 not counting the officials who were overseeing the work for Solomon. There were thirty-three hundred men supervising the people who were doing the work. 17 The king gave a command, and they quarried large, high-quality stones to serve as a foundation for the temple building, which was made of trimmed stones. 18 Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders and the men from Gebal[r] cut and prepared the wood and stones to construct the temple building.[s]
Made Alive in Christ by Grace
2 You were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked when you followed the ways of this present world. You were following the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit now at work in the people who disobey.
3 Formerly, we all lived among them in the passions of our sinful flesh, as we carried out the desires of the sinful flesh and its thoughts. Like all the others, we were by nature objects of God’s wrath.
4 But God, because he is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6 He also raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. 7 He did this so that, in the coming ages, he might demonstrate the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.
United in Christ
11 Therefore, remember that at one time, you Gentiles in the flesh—the ones who are called “uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised” (which is performed physically by human hands)— 12 remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise. You were without hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace. He made the two groups one by destroying the wall of hostility that divided them 15 when he abolished the law of commandments and regulations in his flesh. He did this to create in himself one new person out of the two, in this way making peace. 16 And he did this to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross by putting the hostility to death on it.[a] 17 He also came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.[b]
19 So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. 20 You have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the Cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
An Oracle Against Mount Seir
35 The word of the Lord came to me. 2 Son of man, set your face against Mount Seir and prophesy against it. 3 Say this to it.
This is what the Lord God says. I am against you, Mount Seir. I will stretch out my hand against you and make you a desolate wasteland. 4 I will make your cities ruins, and you will be desolate. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
5 Because you cherished an ancient hatred and turned the Israelites over to the sword at the time of their disaster, at the time of their final punishment, 6 therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, I will subject you to bloodshed, and bloodshed will pursue you. Because you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you. 7 I will make Mount Seir a desolate wasteland and cut off from it all those who flee from it and want to return.[a] 8 I will fill its mountains with its slain. On your hills and in your valleys and in all your streambeds, those who have been run through by the sword will fall. 9 I will make you desolate forever, and your cities will not be re-inhabited. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
10 Because you said, “These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them, even though the Lord was there,” 11 therefore, as I live, declares the Lord God, I will treat you as you deserve for your anger and for your jealousy which you held against these two nations in your hostility, and I will make myself known among them when I judge you. 12 Then you will know that I, the Lord, have heard all the contemptuous statements that you uttered against the mountains of Israel: “They have been devastated and given to us for food.” 13 With your mouth you made proud boasts against me and heaped up arrogant words against me. I have heard it myself. 14 This is what the Lord God says. While the whole world celebrates, I will make you a desolation. 15 Because you celebrated when you took possession of the house of Israel because it was desolate, so will I deal with you. Mount Seir, you will be desolate, along with all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Psalm 85
You Showed Favor to Your Land
Heading
For the choir director. By the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
Past Goodness
1 You showed favor to your land, O Lord.
You restored Jacob.
2 You removed the guilt of your people. Interlude
You covered all their sin.
3 You put away all your wrath.
You turned from your burning anger.
Present Distress
4 Restore us, O God who saves us.
Put an end to your indignation with us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you extend your anger through all generations?
6 Will you not turn and revive us,
so that your people may rejoice in you?
Hope for the Future
7 Show us your mercy, O Lord,
and give us your salvation.
8 I will hear what the true God, the Lord, will say.
He indeed speaks peace to his people, to his favored ones,
but do not let them turn to foolish ways.
9 Surely his salvation is near for those who fear him,
so that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth meet together.
Righteousness and peace kiss each other.
11 Truth springs up from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed give good things,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness walks in front of him.
It prepares the way for his footsteps.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.