M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Josiah Renews the Covenant
23 Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 The king went up to the House of the Lord, and every man of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets and all the people from the least to the greatest, went with him. In their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the House of the Lord.
3 Then the king stood before the pillar and made a covenant in the presence of the Lord to follow the Lord, to keep his commandments, his testimony, and his statutes with all his heart, and with all his soul to uphold the words of this covenant, which were written in this book.
Then all the people affirmed this covenant.
Josiah Cleanses the Land
4 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the lower-ranking priests, and the gatekeepers that they should remove from the temple of the Lord all the articles which had been made for Baal, for Asherah, and for the whole army of the heavens.[a] He burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley, and he took the ashes to Bethel. 5 He removed the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense at the high places[b] in the cities of Judah and in the area around Jerusalem, those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to the whole army of the heavens. 6 He took the Asherah pole from the House of the Lord to the Kidron Valley, outside of Jerusalem. He burned it there. He crushed it to dust and scattered the dust on the graves of the common people. 7 He tore down the houses of the male shrine prostitutes, which were in the House of the Lord, where women were weaving hangings for Asherah.
8 Then he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where the priests had been burning incense, from Gibeah to Beersheba. He tore down the high places by the gates, which were at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, who was the official over the city. This gate was to the left of the main gate to the city. 9 The priests from the high places could not go up to the Lord’s altar in Jerusalem, but they were allowed to eat unleavened bread in the midst of their brothers.
10 He defiled Tophet, which was in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, so that no one could make his son or daughter pass through the fire for Molek. 11 He removed the horses, which the kings of Judah had set up for the sun, from the entrance to the Lord’s house. They were near the office of Nathan Melek, the high official, which was in the temple courtyard. Then he burned the chariots of the sun.
12 The king tore down the altars that were on the roof of the chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the House of the Lord. He smashed them and threw the dust into the Kidron Valley. 13 The king defiled the high places which were east of Jerusalem on the south end of the Mount of Corruption,[c] which Solomon king of Israel had made for Ashtarte, the detestable goddess of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh, the detestable god of Moab, and for Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 He smashed the sacred memorial stones to bits, and he cut down the Asherah poles. Then he filled their sites with human bones.
15 Even the altar which was in Bethel, the high place which Jeroboam son of Nebat had made, which caused Israel to sin—he pulled down even that altar and its high place. Then he burned the high place. He ground the Asherah pole to powder and burned it.
16 Then Josiah turned and saw the graves that were there on the hill. He sent men and took the bones from the graves and burned them on the altar. So he defiled it in fulfillment of the word of the Lord, which the man of God ⎣proclaimed, when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the feast.
Then he turned and raised his eyes to the tomb of the man of God⎦ who proclaimed these things,[d] 17 and he asked, “What is that gravestone which I see over there?”
The men of the city told him, “It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you are doing against the altar of Bethel.”
18 Then he said, “Leave him alone. Let no one disturb his bones.” So they spared his bones along with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria. 19 Josiah removed all the shrines of the high places which the kings of Israel had made in the cities of Samaria, which provoked the Lord[e] to anger. He did to them just as he did in Bethel. 20 On the altars he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were present there, and he burned human bones on the altars. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
Josiah Celebrates the Passover
21 Then the king commanded all the people, “Observe the Passover to the Lord your God just as it is written in the Book of the Covenant.” 22 For they had not observed a Passover like this during the days of the judges who led Israel or during the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah. 23 But in King Josiah’s eighteenth year, this Passover to the Lord was observed in Jerusalem. 24 Josiah destroyed[f] the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the filthy idols, and all the detestable idols which were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, in order to comply with the words of the law, which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the House of the Lord.
Summary
25 Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, according to all the Law of Moses, and after him no one like him arose. 26 But even so, the Lord did not turn from his great wrath which burned against Judah because of all the offenses with which Manasseh had provoked him. 27 So the Lord said, “I will also remove Judah from my presence just as I removed Israel. I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and the house about which I said, ‘My Name will be there.’”
Josiah’s Death
28 As for the rest of Josiah’s acts and everything he did, are they not written in the annals of the kings of Judah?
29 In his days, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, went to join the king of Assyria for war at the Euphrates River.[g] King Josiah went to meet Neco in battle, but Neco killed King Josiah at Megiddo when he faced him. 30 His servants transported his body from Megiddo to Jerusalem in a chariot, and they buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him. They made him king in his father’s place.
Jehoahaz Son of Josiah, King of Judah
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah. 32 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, like all that his fathers had done.
33 Pharoah Neco imprisoned him in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, so that he could not rule as king in Jerusalem. Neco levied tribute on the land of one hundred talents[h] of silver and one talent[i] of gold. 34 Then Pharaoh Neco set up Eliakim son of Josiah as king in place of his father Josiah. But he changed his name to Jehoiakim. Then he took Jehoahaz to Egypt, and Jehoahaz died there.
Jehoiakim Son of Josiah, King of Judah
35 Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to provide the money, as demanded by Pharaoh. From each man according to his worth, he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land to give it to Pharaoh Neco.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah daughter of Pedaiah from Ramah. 37 He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, just like everything that his fathers had done.
Our High Priest Is Like Melchizedek
5 To be sure, every high priest is chosen from the people and is appointed to represent the people in the things pertaining to God, so that he may offer gifts, as well as sacrifices, for sins. 2 He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also weak in many ways. 3 And for this reason he is obligated to offer sacrifices for his own sins, just as he does for the people.
4 No one takes this honor on himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 In the same way, Christ did not take the glory of becoming a high priest on himself, but God said to him:
You are my Son.
Today I have begotten you.[a]
6 He also said the same thing in another place:
You are a priest forever, like Melchizedek.[b]
7 In the days of his flesh,[c] he offered prayers and pleas with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was the Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. 9 After he was brought to his goal, he became the source of eternal salvation for everyone who obeys him, 10 because he was designated by God as a high priest, like Melchizedek.
Milk or Solid Food
11 We have much to say about this, and it is difficult to explain, because you have become too lazy to listen. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the beginning principles of God’s word all over again. You have become people who need milk, not solid food. 13 For everyone who lives on milk is not acquainted with the word of righteousness, because he is still an infant. 14 But solid food is for mature people, who have their senses trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil.
Announce the Day of the Lord
2 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion.
Sound the alarm on my holy mountain.
Let all who live in the land tremble with fear,
for the Day of the Lord is coming.
It is close at hand—
2 a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and frightening darkness.
Description of the Locust Army
Like dawn[a] spreading across the mountains,
a large and mighty people is coming.
There has been nothing like it from ancient times,
nor will there ever be again for generations to come.
3 In front of them, fire devours.
Behind them, a flame blazes.
In front of them, the land is like the Garden of Eden.
Behind them, it is a desolate wilderness.
There is no escaping them.
4 They look like horses.
They charge like cavalry.
5 With a noise like chariots
they bounce over the mountaintops,
like a crackling fire consuming stubble,
like a powerful army lined up for battle.
6 At the sight of them, peoples are in anguish.
Every face becomes flushed.[b]
7 They charge like strong warriors.
They climb over walls like soldiers.
They all march in formation.
They do not turn aside from their path.
8 They do not collide with each other.
Each marches straight ahead in his position.
They pierce through defenses without hesitating.[c]
9 They rush into the city.
They run along the city wall.
They climb into the houses.
Like thieves they enter through the windows.
10 In front of them the earth quakes.
The sky shudders.
The sun and moon become dark,
and the stars stop shining.
Announce the Day of the Lord
11 The Lord shouts at the head of his army.
His forces are very numerous,
and those who obey his command are powerful.
The Day of the Lord is great. It is terrifying.
Who can endure it?
Call to Repentance and Closing Prayer
12 Even now, declares the Lord,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and grief.
13 Tear your heart and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and abounding in mercy,
and he relents from sending disaster.
14 Who knows?
He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing—
grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord your God.
15 Blow the ram’s horn in Zion.
Set aside a day for fasting.
Call a solemn convocation.
16 Gather the people.
Consecrate the assembly.
Bring together the elders.
Gather the children, even those nursing at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her chamber.
17 Let the priests, who minister before the Lord,
weep between the temple porch and the altar.
Let them say:
Have compassion on your people, O Lord.
Do not subject the inheritance you have given us to the scorn of the nations.
Do not make us notorious among the nations as an object of ridicule.[d]
Why should they say among the peoples,
“Where is their God?”
A Dialogue Between the Lord and the Prophet
The Lord’s Promises
18 The Lord is zealous for his land,
and he will take pity on his people.
19 The Lord will respond to them:
I am sending you grain, new wine, and fresh oil,
enough to satisfy you fully.
Never again will I subject you to scorn among the nations.
20 I will drive the northern invaders far from you,
pushing them into a parched and desolate land.
Their vanguard will be driven into the eastern sea[e]
and their rearguard into the western sea.[f]
Then their stench will go up. Their foul smell will go up.
The Prophet’s Response
Yes, the Lord[g] has done great things.
21 Do not be afraid, O earth.
Celebrate and be glad.
Yes, the Lord has done great things.
22 Do not be afraid, you animals out in the field,
because the grazing lands are becoming green.
The trees are bearing their fruit.
The fig tree and the vine yield their riches.
23 Celebrate, you people of Zion!
Rejoice in the Lord your God,
because he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness.[h]
He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains,[i] as he did in the beginning.
24 The threshing floors will be filled with grain.
The vats will overflow with new wine and olive oil.
The Lord’s Promise
25 I will repay you for the years eaten by the swarming locusts,
by the young locusts, the mature locusts, and the grasshoppers,[j]
my great army that I sent among you.
26 You will have plenty to eat.
You will eat until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you.
Never again will my people be put to shame!
27 Then you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other.
Never again will my people be put to shame!
28 After this, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.[k]
Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams.
Your young men will see visions.
29 Even on the servants, both male and female,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.
30 I will show warning signs in the heavens and on the earth:
blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the great and terrifying day of the Lord.
32 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.[l]
So on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance,
as the Lord has promised, among the survivors whom the Lord calls.
Psalm 142
When My Spirit Grows Faint
Heading
A maskil[a] by David. When he was in the cave.[b] A prayer.
A Prayer for the Weary
1 With my voice I cry out to the Lord.
With my voice I call to the Lord for mercy.
2 I pour out my complaint before him.
I tell my distress before him.
3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
you are the one who knows my course.
On the path where I walk they have hidden a snare for me.
4 Look to my right and see.
There is no one who recognizes me.
There is no escape for me.
No one cares about my life.
5 I cry out to you, Lord.
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Pay attention to my loud cry,
because I am very weak.
Rescue me from those who pursue me,
because they are too strong for me.
7 Set me free from my prison,
so I can give thanks to your name.
Then the righteous will gather around me,
because you have accomplished your purpose for me.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.