M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Athaliah Seizes Control
11 When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son was dead, she went into action and destroyed all the royal heirs.[a] 2 But Jehosheba, King Joram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister, took Joash, the son of Ahaziah. She stole him away from among the king’s sons, who were to be killed. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom. He was kept hidden from Athaliah so that he was not killed. 3 He was kept hidden with her in the House of the Lord for six years while Athaliah was ruling over the land.
Jehoiada Makes Joash King
4 In the seventh year, Jehoiada sent a message and summoned the officers in charge of the units[b] of the Carians[c] and the guards to meet him at the House of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and had them swear an oath in the House of the Lord. Then he showed them the king’s son.
5 He commanded them, “This is how you will deploy: A third of you who are coming on duty on the Sabbath are to guard the palace of the king. 6 Another third will be stationed at the Sur Gate,[d] and the final third at the gate behind the guards who take turns protecting this temple.[e] 7 The two divisions of you who are going off duty on the Sabbath will protect the House of the Lord, together with the king.[f] 8 You will surround the king on all sides, every man with his weapons in his hand. Anyone who comes into the ranks will be put to death. You will accompany the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”
9 So the officers of the companies did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded. Each one took his men, those coming on duty on the Sabbath with those going off duty on the Sabbath, and they came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 The priest gave the officers in charge of the units the spears and shields which had belonged to King David and which were in the House of the Lord. 11 So the guards, each one with his weapon in his hand, stood around the king from the south side of the temple to the north side, near the altar of the temple. 12 Then Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and set the crown on him and gave him the Testimony,[g] and they made him king. They anointed him and clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”
Athaliah’s Death
13 When Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people, she went to them in the House of the Lord. 14 She looked, and there was the king standing beside the pillar according to the custom, and the officers and the trumpeters were in front of the king, and all the people of the land were celebrating and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”
15 Then Jehoiada the priest commanded the officers in charge of the units of the army, “Bring her out between the ranks! Anyone who follows her is to be put to death with the sword!”
Because the priest had said, “She is not to be killed in the House of the Lord,” 16 they laid hands on her as she was going through the passageway where the horses enter the king’s palace, and they killed her there.
17 Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord’s people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. 18 Then all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed its altar and its idols till they were dust. They also killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars. Then the priest posted a watch over the House of the Lord.
19 Then he took the officers of the companies and the Carians and the guards and all the people of the land, and they brought the king down from the House of the Lord. They entered the king’s palace through the gate of the guards. Then he sat on the throne of the kings. 20 All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. Athaliah had been put to death with the sword in the king’s palace.
21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.
Jehoash (Joash) Son of Ahaziah, King of Judah, Repairs the House of the Lord
12 In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash[h] became king, and he was king in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother’s name was Zibiah from Beersheba.[i]
2 Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord during the whole time that Jehoiada the priest instructed him, 3 but the high places were still not removed. The people were making sacrifices and burning incense on the high places.
4 Jehoash said to the priests, “All the silver from the sacred offerings which is brought into the House of the Lord—the redemption money which is assessed to each man in the census, all the money from the redemption of dedicated things, and all the money which any man brings to the House of the Lord as a gift from his heart— 5 the priests are to take it from the donor[j] and repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”[k]
6 But in the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, the priests had not repaired the damage to the temple. 7 So King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and he said to them, “Why aren’t you repairing the damage to the temple? Do not accept any more silver from those who are handing it in to you. Instead, put it toward repairing the damage to the temple.”
8 So the priests agreed that they would not take any silver from the people and that they themselves would not do the work of repairing the damage to the temple.
9 But Jehoiada the priest took a box, drilled a hole in its lid, and placed it at the right side of the altar as one entered the House of the Lord. Then the priests who were guarding the threshold put all the money which came into the House of the Lord there. 10 When they saw that there was a large quantity of silver in the box, the king’s secretary and the high priest went up and tied it in bags and tallied[l] the silver which was found in the House of the Lord.
11 Then they gave the silver which had been weighed out to those who were overseeing the work on the House of the Lord. They paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who were working on the House of the Lord, 12 and to the bricklayers and the stonemasons, who used it to buy wood and stone from the quarry to repair the damage to the House of the Lord and to meet all the expenses for repairing the building.
13 But the silver basins, snuffers, sprinkling bowls, trumpets, and all the gold and silver articles for the House of the Lord were not made from this silver which was brought into the House of the Lord. 14 Rather they paid it to the ones who were doing the work, and they repaired the House of the Lord with it. 15 They did not audit the men to whom they gave the silver to do the work, because they were acting honestly. 16 The silver from the restitution offerings and the silver from the sin offerings was not brought into the House of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.
Hazael Attacks Jerusalem
17 Then Hazael king of Aram came up and attacked Gath and captured it. Hazael turned to go up against Jerusalem. 18 So Jehoash king of Judah took all the sacred articles which his fathers Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah, kings of Judah, had dedicated, as well as the sacred articles that he himself had given and all the gold which was found in the treasuries of the House of the Lord and in the king’s palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram. So Hazael left Jerusalem.
The Wickedness and Death of Jehoash
19 As for the rest of the acts of Jehoash[m] and all the things he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah? 20 His servants conspired against him and killed Jehoash at Beth Millo, along the road down to Silla. 21 His servants Jozabad[n] son of Shimath and Jehozabad son of Shomer struck him down, and he died. They buried him with his fathers in the City of David. Then his son Amaziah became king in his place.
Encouragement to Be Strong
2 You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 Entrust the things you heard from me, in the presence of many witnesses, to faithful men who will also be able to teach others.
3 Share hardships as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the affairs of everyday life. If he does, he will not please the one who enlisted him. 5 Also, if someone competes as an athlete, he does not receive a crown unless he competes according to the rules. 6 The hardworking farmer should receive a share of the crops first. 7 Think about what I am saying, because the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, a descendant[a] of David, in accordance with my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they also may obtain[b] the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, along with eternal glory. 11 This saying is trustworthy:
Indeed, if we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with him;
If we deny him, he will also deny us;
13 If we are faithless, he remains faithful,
because he cannot deny himself.
Correctly Handle the Word of Truth
14 Remind people of these things, as you solemnly charge them in the presence of God[c] not to fight about words, which does no good and only ruins those who listen. 15 Make every effort to present yourself to God as one who is approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, correctly handling[d] the word of truth. 16 As for pointless chatter, avoid it, for it will lead to an ever greater measure of godlessness, 17 and their message will spread like gangrene. This includes Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have veered away from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are overturning the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless, God’s foundation stands firm, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,”[e] and “Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord keep away from wickedness.”[f]
20 In a large house there are articles[g] not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay—some for honorable use and some for dishonorable use. 21 So if anyone cleanses himself thoroughly from these things, he will be an instrument[h] for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master, and prepared to do every good work.
22 Flee from the lusts young people have and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 But avoid foolish and ignorant arguments, since you know they breed quarrels. 24 It is necessary that a servant of the Lord not quarrel but be kind toward everyone, able to teach, able to bear evil without resentment, 25 and gentle in correcting those who oppose him. God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap, after they were captured by him to do his will.
The Prophet’s Reconciliation With His Wife:
A Picture of the Lord’s Love
3 The Lord said to me, “Go again. Show love to a woman who is loved by another man, a woman who keeps committing adultery. Show love just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, even though they keep turning to other gods and loving the raisin cakes.”[a]
2 So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and nine bushels[b] of barley. 3 I said to her, “You will stay with me for many days. You must not be promiscuous.[c] You must not be with any other man, and I will also be for you.”
4 So the people of Israel will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred memorial stones, and without the special vest[d] or family idols.[e] 5 Afterward the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.
The Lord’s Charges Against Israel and Its Priests
4 Hear the word of the Lord, you people of Israel,
because the Lord has charges to make against the inhabitants of the land,
because there is no truth,
there is no mercy,
and there is no knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is cursing, lying, murder, theft, and adultery.
They break out in violence, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3 Therefore the land mourns,[f]
and everyone who dwells in it wastes away
along with the wild animals and the birds in the sky.
Even the fish of the sea have been removed.
4 Yet no one should bring charges.
No one should accuse,
because your people are like those who dispute with a priest.[g]
5 You will stumble by day,
and the prophet will also stumble with you by night.
I will also destroy your mother.
6 My people have been destroyed because of lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you
from serving as a priest for me.
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
7 The more they increased, the more they sinned against me.
I changed their glory into shame.[h]
8 They feed on the sin of my people.
They set their desire on things that make them guilty.
9 So it will be the same for people as for priests.
I will punish them for their ways.
I will repay them for their deeds.
10 They will eat, but not be satisfied.
They will engage in sexual immorality, but not increase.
This will take place because they have abandoned the Lord to devote themselves to 11 sexual sin.[i]
Wine and new wine take away their understanding.[j]
12 My people consult their wooden idol,
and their fortunetellers wand gives them information,
because a promiscuous spirit has led them astray,
and they behave like a whore instead of following their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops.
They burn incense on the hills, and under oaks, poplars, and terebinths,
because their shade is pleasant.
That is why your daughters commit fornication,[k]
and your brides commit adultery.
14 I will not punish your daughters when they commit fornication,
or your brides when they commit adultery,
because the men consort with prostitutes
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes.
So the people without understanding will come to ruin.
15 Though you, Israel, practice sexual immorality,
Judah should not follow your guilty way.
Do not go to Gilgal.
Do not go up to Beth Aven.
Do not swear, “As surely as the Lord lives.”
16 For Israel has become as stubborn as a heifer.
How can the Lord feed them like a lamb in a meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols.
Let him go his own way!
18 Their alcoholic drinks are used up,
but they keep practicing sexual immorality anyway.
Their rulers, who should be their shields, instead love shame.
19 The wings of the wind will sweep them away,
and they will be put to shame because of their sacrifices.
Ayin: It Is Time to Act
121 I have carried out what is just and right.
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee good for your servant.
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes wear out,
as I watch for your salvation and your righteousness.
124 Deal with your servant according to your mercy,
and teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant. Give me discernment,
so that I may know your testimonies.
126 Lord, it is time to do something!
They have broken your laws.
127 Because I love your commandments more than gold,
more than pure gold,
128 because I value everything in all your precepts,
I hate every wrong road.
Pe: Streams of Tears
129 Your testimonies are wonders.
That is why my soul guards them.
130 The doorway to your words lets in light.
It gives understanding to the inexperienced.
131 I open wide my mouth and I gasp,
because I long for your commandments.
132 Turn to me and give me grace.
This is your judgment for those who love your name.[a]
133 Keep my footsteps steady by your sayings,
and do not let any evil rule over me.
134 Redeem me from oppressive people,
and I will keep your precepts.
135 Make your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your statutes.
136 Streams of water run down from my eyes,
because they do not keep your laws.
Tsadhe: My Zeal for the Word
137 You are righteous, O Lord,
and your judgments are right.
138 You have commanded your testimonies.
They are righteous and very trustworthy.
139 My zeal wears me out,
because my foes forget your words.
140 Your saying has been thoroughly refined,
and your servant loves it.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
but I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is righteous forever,
and your law is truth.
143 Distress and anguish have found me,
but your commandments are my delights.
144 Your testimonies are right forever.
Give me understanding, and I will live.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.