M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
9 So all Israel was enrolled by their genealogies, and these were written in the Book of the Kings of Israel, until Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.
The Descent of Those Who Returned From Captivity
2 Now the first group of inhabitants who settled in their property in their cities consisted of Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.
The Israelites
3 People from Judah, people from Benjamin, people from Ephraim, and people from Manasseh lived in Jerusalem.
4 They included Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani[a] from the sons of Perez, the son of Judah.
5 From the Shilonites:[b] Asaiah the firstborn and his sons.
6 From the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their brothers, 690.
7 From the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, 8 also Ibneiah the son of Jeroham, and Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Mikri, and Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah, 9 and their brothers, according to their genealogies, 956 men. All these men were heads of families, listed according to their fathers’ houses.
The Priests
10 From the priests:
Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jakin, 11 and Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the supervisor of God’s house;
12 Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malkijah; and Ma’asai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer;
13 and their brothers, heads of their fathers’ houses, 1,760 very capable men for the work of the service in God’s house.
The Levites
14 From the Levites:
Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, from the descendants of Merari;
15 Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zikri, the son of Asaph;
16 Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berekiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
The Gatekeepers
17 The gatekeepers included Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brothers (Shallum was in charge), 18 who previously served in the King’s Gate on the east side of the Temple. They were the gatekeepers for the camp of the descendants of Levi. 19 Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, together with his brothers from his father’s house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, guardians of the entrance to the Tent. Their fathers had been over the Lord’s camp as guardians of the entrance.
20 Phinehas son of Eleazar had been ruler over them in the past, and the Lord had been with him.
21 Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper of the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 22 All these who were chosen to be gatekeepers in the doorways numbered 212.
Those whom David and Samuel the seer appointed to their office of trust were listed by genealogy, according to their villages. 23 So they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the Lord’s house, when the house was still a tent. 24 The gatekeepers were positioned on the four sides: east, west, north, and south. 25 Their brothers who were in their villages were to take turns coming in to be with them for a seven-day shift. 26 So four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were in an office of trust and were in charge of the rooms and the treasuries in God’s house. 27 They were stationed around God’s house through the night, because that duty was assigned to them, and their duty was to open it every morning. 28 Some of them were in charge of the vessels for the service. They counted them before and after each service. 29 Some of them also were in charge of the furnishings and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, wine, oil, incense, and spices.
30 Some of the sons of the priests prepared the mixture of the spices. 31 Mattithiah, one of the Levites, who was the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with making the flatbread for offerings. 32 Some of their brothers from the sons of the Kohathites were responsible for preparing the bread that was set out and arranged every Sabbath.
The Musicians
33 These are the singers, heads of fathers’ households of the Levites, who lived in the rooms at the temple and were free from other service, because they were busy with their work day and night. 34 These were heads of fathers’ households of the Levites, throughout their generations, head men. These lived at Jerusalem.
The Family Line of Saul
35 Jeiel, the father of Gibeon, whose wife’s name was Ma’akah, lived in Gibeon with 36 his firstborn son Abdon, and with Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. 38 Mikloth became the father of Shimeam. They also lived with their relatives in Jerusalem.
39 Ner became the father of Kish.
Kish became the father of Saul.
Saul became the father of Jonathan, Malkishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.[c]
40 The son of Jonathan was Meribbaal.[d] Meribbaal became the father of Micah.
41 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melek, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
42 Ahaz became the father of Jarah.[e]
Jarah became the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri.
Zimri became the father of Moza.
43 Moza became the father of Binea, and Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.
44 Azel had six sons, whose names were Azrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were the sons of Azel.
The Death of Saul
10 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and fell mortally wounded at Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were closing in on Saul and his sons. They struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua, the sons of Saul. 3 The attack directed at Saul was fierce. The archers targeted him and hit him, and he was in great pain from his wounds.
4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through so that these uncircumcised fellows do not come and abuse me.”
His armor bearer would not do it because he was too afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. 6 So Saul died, and his three sons, his entire house, died together.
7 When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that their army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in them.
8 On the next day when the Philistines came to strip those who had been killed in the battle, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They stripped Saul, carried off his head and his armor, and sent them throughout Philistia to spread the good news to their idols and people. 10 They put Saul’s armor and weapons in the temple of their gods and impaled his skull in the temple of Dagon.
11 The entire city of Jabesh Gilead heard about everything that the Philistines had done to Saul. 12 So all the courageous, strong men set out and carried away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons. They brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the terebinth[f] tree in Jabesh. Then they fasted for seven days.
13 Saul died as a result of the unfaithfulness which he had commited against the Lord by not keeping the Lord’s command and by seeking a medium to direct his actions. 14 He did not seek guidance from the Lord. That is why the Lord brought about his death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.
Run the Race
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us get rid of every burden and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and let us run with patient endurance the race that is laid out for us. 2 Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne. 3 Carefully consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinful people, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.
The Lord’s Discipline
4 You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood in your fight against sin. 5 Have you also forgotten the encouragement that addresses you as sons?
My son, do not regard the Lord’s discipline lightly,
and do not become weary of his correction.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one whom he loves,
and he corrects every son he accepts.[a]
7 Endure suffering as discipline. God is dealing with you as sons. Is there a son whose father does not discipline him? 8 If you are not disciplined (and all of us have received it), then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 In addition, we have earthly fathers[b] who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not submit even more to the Father of the spirits[c] and live? 10 They disciplined us for a little while, according to what seemed best to them, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may have a share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant when it is happening, but painful, yet later it yields a peaceful harvest of righteousness for those who have been trained by it.
12 Therefore strengthen your weak hands and feeble knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated but rather healed.
14 Pursue peace with everyone and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. 15 Take care so that no one falls short of God’s grace and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and so defile many. 16 Take care that no one becomes sexually immoral or worldly, like Esau, who gave away his right as firstborn for a single meal. 17 Certainly you know that afterward he was rejected when he wanted to inherit the blessing, for he found no chance to change his father’s mind, even though he sought it with tears.
You Have Come to Mount Zion
18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched[d] and to burning fire, to darkness, to gloom, to a raging storm, 19 to the sound of a trumpet, and to a voice that spoke. Those who heard the voice asked that not one more word be added, 20 because they could not endure what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.”[e] 21 The sight was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[f]
22 Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God; to the heavenly Jerusalem; to tens of thousands of angels in joyful assembly; 23 to the church of the firstborn whose names are written in heaven; to God, who is the judge of all; to the spirits of righteous people who have been made perfect; 24 to Jesus, the mediator of a new testament;[g] and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message than the blood of Abel.
25 See to it that you do not refuse to listen to the one who is speaking. For if those people did not escape when they refused to listen to the one who spoke God’s message on earth, how much less likely is it that we will escape, if we turn away from the one who spoke God’s message to us from heaven? 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven.”[h]
27 The words “once more” clearly indicate the removal of the things that are being shaken, that is, the things that have been made, so that the things that cannot be shaken remain permanently. 28 Therefore, since we are going to receive an unshakeable kingdom, let us be thankful. This is how we serve God in an acceptable way, with reverence and awe. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Judgment Against Complacency
6 Woe to[a] you who are complacent in Zion,
you who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
you distinguished people of the leading nation,
to whom the house of Israel comes.
2 Travel to Kalneh and look.
Go from there to Hamath Rabbah,
and go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than those kingdoms?
Are their territories greater than your territory?[b]
3 You who are trying to put off the evil day,
you bring near the session for violence!
4 Those who lie on ivory beds,
sprawling upon their couches,
eating lambs from the flock
and calves straight from the stall,
5 improvising tunes on the lyre,
composing music for themselves on musical instruments like David,
6 drinking large bowls of wine—
they slather[c] themselves with the most expensive perfumed oils,
but they do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.
7 That is why they will go into exile as the first of the exiles.
Those who sprawl out at their feasts for the dead will depart.
Certain Destruction for Proud Israel
8 The Lord God swears by himself,
declares the Lord, the God of Armies:
I detest the pride of Jacob,
and I hate his citadels,
so I will hand over the city and everything in it.
9 If ten men happen to survive in one house, they will die. 10 When a relative who burns the bodies[d] comes to take away the bones from the house, he will say to whoever remains in the recesses of the house, “Is there anyone else still with you?” And they will say, “No one.” And he will say, “Silence! For you must not invoke the name of the Lord!”[e]
11 Look, the Lord is indeed giving a command, and he will smash the largest house into fragments and the smallest house into splinters.
12 Do horses run on a rocky cliff?
Does anyone plow the sea with an ox?[f]
Yet you turn justice into poison
and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood.
13 You are rejoicing over Lo Debar.
You are saying, “Was it not by our strength that we captured Karnaim for ourselves?”
14 Indeed, I am about to raise up a nation against you, O house of Israel,
declares the Lord, the God of Armies.
They will oppress you from Lebo Hamath to the Canyon of the Arabah.[g]
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39 In those days Mary got up and hurried to the hill country, to a town of Judah. 40 She entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 Just as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 She called out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 In fact, just now, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy! 45 Blessed is she who believed, because the promises spoken to her from the Lord will be fulfilled!”
Mary’s Song
46 Then Mary said,
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
47 and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior,
48 because he has looked with favor on the humble state of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 because the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is
his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones.
He has lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent
away empty.
54 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his offspring[a] forever.
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.
John the Baptist Is Born
57 When the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they were rejoicing with her. 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. They wanted to call him Zechariah after the name of the father. 60 But his mother answered, “No. He will be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 They made signs to his father, to see what he wanted to name him.
63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.
64 Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened, his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came on all who lived around them. In the entire hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 And everyone who heard this took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” Clearly, the hand of the Lord was with him.
Zechariah’s Song
67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
68 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited us and prepared redemption for his people.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
70 just as he said long ago through the mouth of his holy prophets.
71 He raised up salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
72 in order to show mercy to our fathers by remembering his holy covenant,
73 the oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
74 to grant deliverance to us from the hand of our enemies,
so that we are able to serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
because you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of God’s tender mercies,
by which the Rising Sun from on high will visit us,
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 The child continued to grow and became strong in spirit. He lived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.