M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Gifts for Building the Temple
29 King David said to ·all the Israelites who were gathered [the entire assembly], “God chose my son Solomon, who is young and ·hasn’t yet learned what he needs to know [inexperienced], ·but [and] the ·work is important [task is great/huge]. This ·palace [temple] is not for ·people [mortals]; it is for the Lord God. 2 I have ·done my best [made every effort; L according to all my strength] to prepare for building the ·Temple [L house] of my God. I have given gold for the things made of gold and silver for the things made of silver. I have given bronze for the things made of bronze and iron for the things made of iron. I have given wood for the things made of wood and onyx for the settings. I have given turquoise gems of many different colors, ·valuable [precious] stones, and ·white marble [alabaster]. I have given all these things in ·abundance [great quantities]. 3 I have already given this for the ·Temple [L house], but because of my ·devotion to [commitment to; delight in] the ·Temple [L house] of my God, I am also giving my own treasures of gold and silver. 4 I am giving ·about two hundred twenty thousand pounds [L three thousand talents] of gold from Ophir and ·about five hundred twenty thousand pounds [L seven thousand talents] of ·pure [refined] silver. They will be used to ·cover [overlay] the walls of the buildings 5 and for all the gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is ·ready [willing] to ·give himself [consecrate/devote yourself] to the service of the Lord today [C by also making an offering]?”
6 The ·family [clan] leaders and the ·leaders [chiefs; heads] of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of a thousand men and of a hundred men, and the ·leaders [officials; overseers] ·responsible for [in charge of] the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They donated ·about three hundred eighty thousand pounds [L five thousand talents] of gold, ·about seven hundred fifty thousand pounds [L ten thousand darics] of silver, ·about one million three hundred fifty thousand pounds [L eighteen thousand talents] of bronze, and ·about seven million five hundred thousand pounds [L one hundred thousand talents] of iron to the ·Temple [L house] of God. 8 People who had ·valuable gems [precious stones] gave them to the treasury of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, under the care of Jehiel, from the Gershon ·family [clan]. 9 The leaders gave ·willingly and completely [freely and wholeheartedly] to the Lord. The people rejoiced to see their leaders give so gladly, and King David was also ·very happy [filled with joy].
David’s Prayer
10 David ·praised [blessed] the Lord in ·front [the presence] of all the ·people who were gathered [assembly]. He said:
“We ·praise [bless] you, Lord,
God of our father Israel,
forever and ever.
11 Lord, ·you are great and powerful [yours is the greatness and power].
You have glory, victory, and ·honor [majesty; splendor].
Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you.
·The kingdom [Sovereignty; Dominion] belongs to you, Lord;
you are ·the ruler [head; exalted] over everything.
12 ·Riches [Wealth] and honor come from you.
You rule everything.
·You have the [L In your hand is] power and ·strength [might]
to make ·anyone [everyone] great and strong.
13 Now, our God, we thank you
and praise your glorious name.
14 “·These things did not really come from me and my people. [L But who am I and who are my people that we have this much to give?]
Everything comes from you;
we have given you back what ·you [L your hand] gave us.
15 We are like ·foreigners [aliens; T sojourners] and ·strangers [transients; nomads],
as our ·ancestors [fathers] were.
Our ·time [L days] on earth is like a shadow.
There is no ·hope [or security].
16 Lord our God, we have gathered all this abundance
to build your ·Temple [L house] for ·worship to you [L your holy name/Name].
But everything has come from ·you [L your hand];
everything belongs to you.
17 I know, my God, that you ·test [examine; search] people’s hearts.
You ·are happy when people do what is right [L delight/rejoice in integrity/T uprightness].
I ·was happy to [willingly; freely] give all these things,
and I gave with ·an honest heart [pure motives].
Your people gathered here ·are happy to [willingly] give to you,
and I rejoice to see their giving.
18 Lord, you are the God of our ·ancestors [fathers],
the God of Abraham, Isaac, and ·Jacob [Israel].
·Make your people want to serve you always [Keep these motives always in their heart],
and ·make them want to obey you [direct their heart toward you].
19 Give my son Solomon a ·desire to serve you [perfect heart; undivided mind; L whole heart].
Help him always obey your commands, laws, and rules.
Help him build ·the Temple [this temple/palace]
for which I have ·prepared [provided].”
20 Then David said to all the ·people who were gathered [assembly], “·Praise [Bless] the Lord your God.” So they all ·praised [blessed] the Lord, the God of their ·ancestors [fathers], and they bowed to the ground ·to give honor to [and prostrated themselves before] the Lord and the king.
Solomon Becomes King(A)
21 The next day the people sacrificed to the Lord. They offered burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to him of a thousand bulls, a thousand ·male sheep [rams], and a thousand male lambs. They also brought ·drink offerings [libations]. Many sacrifices were made for all the people of Israel. 22 That day the people ·ate and drank [feasted] with much joy, ·and the Lord was with them [L before the Lord].
And they ·made [designated; acknowledged] David’s son Solomon king for the second time. They ·poured olive oil on Solomon to appoint [anointed] him king ·in the presence of [before] the Lord. And they ·poured oil on Zadok to appoint him [anointed Zadok] as priest. 23 Then Solomon sat on the Lord’s throne as king and took his father David’s place. Solomon ·was very successful [prospered], and all the people of Israel obeyed him. 24 All the ·leaders [officials; chiefs] and ·soldiers [mighty warriors] and King David’s sons ·accepted Solomon as king and promised to obey him [pledged their allegiance to King Solomon]. 25 The Lord ·made Solomon great before [exalted Solomon in the sight of] all the Israelites and gave him greater royal ·splendor [majesty] than any king before him in Israel.
David’s Death
26 David son of Jesse was king over all Israel. 27 He had ·ruled [reigned] over Israel forty years—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 David died when he was old. He had lived a good, long life ·and had received many [full of] riches and honors. His son Solomon ·became king after him [reigned in his place].
29 ·Everything David did as king [The acts/events of King David], from ·beginning to end [first to last], is ·recorded [written] in the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Samuel the ·seer [prophet], the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Nathan the prophet, and the ·records [chronicles; annals] of Gad the ·seer [prophet]. 30 Those writings tell what David did ·as king of Israel [during his reign]. They tell about his power and what happened to him and to Israel and to all the kingdoms ·around them [of the earth/land].
Jesus Will Come Again
3 ·My friends [L Beloved], this is [L now] the second letter I have written you [C the first is probably 1 Peter] to ·help your honest minds remember [L awaken/arouse your sincere understanding/intentions with a reminder]. 2 I want you to ·think about [remember; recall] the words the holy prophets spoke in the past, and remember the command our Lord and Savior gave us through your apostles [Jude 17]. 3 It is most important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. ·People [L Scoffers] will ·laugh at [scoff at; ridicule] you. They will ·live doing the evil things they want to do [indulge their own desires/lusts; Jude 18]. 4 [L And] They will say, “·Jesus promised to come again. Where is he [L Where is his promised coming]? [L For] Our ·fathers [ancestors] have ·died [L fallen asleep], but ·the world [L all things] continues the way it has been since ·it was made [it began with creation].” 5 But they ·do not want to remember [willfully forget/ignore] what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven ·was made [came to be; Gen. 1:3–20; Ps. 33:6; 148:5; Heb. 11:3], and the earth was made from water [Gen. 1:2; Ps. 24:2] and with water [Gen. 1:6–7, 9; Ps. 33:7; 136:6; Prov. 8:27–29]. 6 ·Then [L Through these; C either the water and the word of God, or the heavens and earth which poured forth their water; Gen. 7:11] the world was flooded and destroyed ·with water [L being deluged with water; Gen. 6—9]. 7 And that same word of God is ·keeping [reserving; holding in store] heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire [Deut. 32:22; Is. 66:15–16; Zeph. 1:18; Mal. 4:1]. They are being kept for the judgment day and the destruction of ·all who are against God [L the ungodly/impious people].
8 But do not forget [ignore; miss] this one thing, ·dear friends [L beloved]: To the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day [C our perception of time is not the same as God’s; Ps. 90:4]. 9 The Lord is not ·slow [or late] in doing what he promised—the way some people understand ·slowness [lateness; Hab. 2:3]. But God is being patient with you [Ex. 34:6]. He does not want anyone to ·be lost [perish], but he wants all people to ·change their hearts and lives [L come to repentance].
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief [C with surprise and danger]. The ·skies [heavens] will ·disappear [pass away; Matt. 5:18; 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; 21:33] with a loud noise. ·Everything in them [L The elements; C either everything in the cosmos or specifically the heavenly bodies] will be ·destroyed [or dissolved] by ·fire [heat; burning], and the earth and ·everything in it [or all the deeds done on it] will be exposed.[a] 11 In that way everything will be ·destroyed [or dissolved]. So what kind of people should you be? You should live holy lives and ·serve God [be godly/pious], 12 as you wait for and ·look forward to [strive for; or hurry; hasten] the coming of the day of God. When that day comes, the ·skies [or heavens] will be ·destroyed [or dissolved] with fire, and ·everything in them [the elements; 3:10] will melt with ·heat [fire; burning]. 13 But God made a promise to us [Is. 65:17; 66:22], and we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth where ·goodness [righteousness] ·lives [makes its home].
14 [L Therefore] ·Dear friends [L Beloved], ·since [or while] you are waiting for this to happen, ·do your best [make every effort; strive] to be [L found] without ·sin [L spot] and without ·fault [L blemish; C the characteristics of the false teachers in 2:13]. ·Try [Make every effort; Strive] to be at peace with God. 15 ·Remember [Consider; Bear in mind] that ·we are saved because our Lord is patient [L our Lord’s patience is our salvation; C his delay in coming allows more to be saved]. Our ·dear [L beloved] brother Paul told you the same thing when he wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes about ·this [L these things] in all his letters. Some things in Paul’s letters are hard to understand, and people who are ·ignorant [untaught] and ·weak in faith [unstable] ·explain these things falsely [L twist/distort them]. They also ·falsely explain [L twist; distort] the other Scriptures, ·but they are destroying themselves by doing this [or which will lead to their destruction].
17 [L Therefore] ·Dear friends [L Beloved], since you already ·know [are forewarned] about this, be ·careful [on guard]. Do not let those ·evil [lawless; unprincipled] people lead you away ·by the wrong they do [or by their deception; or into error]. Be ·careful [on guard] so you will not fall from your own ·strong faith [stability; firm position]. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him now and ·forever [L to the day of eternity]! ·Amen [So be it].
The Lord’s Case
6 Now hear what the Lord says:
“Get up; plead ·your [or my] case in front of the mountains;
let the hills hear your ·story [L voice].
2 Mountains, listen to the Lord’s ·legal case [accusation; indictment].
·Strong [Enduring] foundations of the earth, listen.
The Lord has a ·legal case [accusation; indictment] against his people,
and he will ·accuse [contend with] Israel.”
3 He says, “My people, what did I do to you?
How ·did I make you tired of me [have I wearied you]?
·Tell [Answer] me.
4 I brought you from the land of Egypt [Ex. 12:51]
and ·freed [redeemed] you from slavery;
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam [Ex. 15:20] to you.
5 My people, remember
the evil plans of Balak king of Moab [Num. 22:5]
and what Balaam son of Beor told Balak [Num. 22–24].
Remember what happened from Acacia to Gilgal [Josh. 3:1; 4:19–24]
so that you will know the ·Lord does what is right [righteousness/justice of the Lord]!”
6 You say, “What can I bring with me
when I come before the Lord,
when I bow before ·God on high [the exalted God]?
Should I come before him with burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17],
with year-old calves?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand ·male sheep [rams]?
Will he be pleased with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Should I give my ·first child [firstborn] for ·the evil I have done [my transgression]?
Should I give ·my very own child [L the fruit of my body] for ·my sin [L the sin of my soul]?”
8 The Lord has told you, ·human [T O man], what is good;
he has told you what ·he wants [the Lord requires] from you:
to do what is ·right to other people [just],
love ·being kind to others [mercy; lovingkindness],
and ·live humbly, obeying [walk humbly with] your God.
9 The voice of the Lord ·calls [cries out] to the city,
and ·the wise person [L wisdom] ·honors him [L sees/acknowledges his name].
So ·pay attention [listen] to the ·rod of punishment [L rod];
pay attention to the One who ·threatens to punish [appointed it].
10 Are there still in the wicked house
wicked treasures
and the cursed false measure?
11 Can I forgive people who cheat others
with ·wrong [wicked] weights and [L deceptive] scales [Prov. 11:1]?
12 The rich people of the city
·do cruel things [L are full of violence].
Its people tell lies;
·they do not tell the truth [L their tongues in their mouths are deceitful].
13 As for me, I will make you sick.
I will ·attack [strike] you, ruining you because of your sins.
14 You will eat, but you won’t ·become full [be satisfied];
you will still be hungry and empty.
You will store up, but save nothing,
and what you store up, ·the sword will destroy [L I will give to the sword].
15 You will plant,
but you won’t harvest.
You will ·step on your [press; tread] olives,
but you won’t ·get any oil from them [anoint yourself with oil].
You will ·crush [tread] the grapes,
but you will not drink the new wine.
16 This is because you ·obey [keep; observe] the ·laws [statutes] of King Omri [C a wicked king of Israel; 1 Kin. 16:25, 26]
and do all the things that Ahab’s family does [C another wicked king of Israel; 1 Kin. 16:30–33; 21:25, 26];
you follow their ·advice [or traditions; policies].
So I will ·let you be destroyed [make you a desolation].
The people in your city will be ·laughed at [taunted; L a hissing],
and other nations will ·make fun of [mock] you.
A Lost Sheep, a Lost Coin(A)
15 The tax collectors [C who were despised because they worked for the Roman rulers and were notorious for corruption and extortion] and sinners all ·came [drew near] to listen to Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] began to ·complain [murmur; grumble]: “Look, this man ·welcomes [associates with; receives] sinners and even eats with them [C indicating social acceptance].”
3 ·Then [So] Jesus told them this ·story [parable]: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep but loses one of them. ·Then he will [L Won’t he…?] leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the ·open field [wilderness; desert] and go out and look for the lost sheep until he finds it. 5 And when he finds it, he ·happily [joyfully] puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. He calls ·to [together] his friends and neighbors and says, ‘·Be happy [Rejoice] with me because I found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, I tell you there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who ·changes his heart and life [repents], than over ninety-nine ·good [righteous; C self-righteous] people who don’t need to ·change [repent].
8 “[L Or] Suppose a woman has ten silver coins [C Greek: drachmas; each equal to about a day’s wage], but loses one. ·She will [Won’t she…?] light a lamp, sweep the house, and ·look [search] carefully for the coin until she finds it. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘·Be happy [Rejoice] with me because I have found the ·coin [L drachma] that I lost.’ 10 In the same way, [L I tell you] there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner ·changes his heart and life [repents].”
The Son Who Left Home
11 Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the ·property [estate; C his inheritance].’ So the father divided the ·property [wealth; assets; L life] between his two sons. 13 ·Then [Some time later; L After not many days] the younger son gathered up all that was his and traveled ·far away to another [to a distant] country. There he ·wasted [squandered; scattered] his money in ·foolish [wild; reckless] living. 14 After he had spent everything, a time came when there was ·no food anywhere [L a severe famine] in the country, and the son ·was poor and hungry [L began to be in need]. 15 So he ·got a job with [hired himself out to] one of the citizens there who sent the son into the fields to feed pigs [C degrading work, since pigs were ritually unclean and detestable animals to Jews]. 16 The son was so hungry that he wanted to ·eat [or fill his stomach with] the pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 When he ·realized what he was doing [came to his senses; L came to himself], he thought, ‘All of my father’s ·servants [hired workers] have ·plenty of [more than enough; abundant] ·food [bread]. But I am here, ·almost dying [perishing] with hunger. 18 I will ·leave and return [get up and go] to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against ·God [L heaven; C Jews often used “heaven” for “God” out of reverence for the divine Name] and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son, but ·let me be [make me] like one of your ·servants [hired workers].”’ 20 So the son left and went to his father.
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt ·sorry [compassion] for his son. So the father ran to him [C an undignified act for a family patriarch; evidence of his unrestrained love] and hugged and kissed him. 21 The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against ·God [L heaven; v. 18] and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’[a] 22 But the father said to his ·servants [slaves], ‘Hurry! Bring the ·best clothes [L first/best robe; C either the father’s own, or a ceremonial robe for an honored guest] and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger [C probably a signet ring indicating sonship and authority; Gen. 41:42] and sandals on his feet [C slaves went barefoot]. 23 And get our ·fat [fattened; C prepared for slaughter] calf and kill it [C people only occasionally ate meat; such a large animal indicates a major celebration] so we can have a feast and celebrate. 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “The older son was in the field, and as he came closer to the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 So he ·called to [summoned] one of the [household] servants and asked what all this meant. 27 The servant said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the ·fat [fattened; v. 23] calf, because your brother came home ·safely [healthy; safe and sound].’ 28 The older son was angry and ·would not [had no desire to] go in to the feast. So his father went out and ·begged [urged; encouraged] him to come in. 29 But the older son ·said to [answered] his father, ‘[L Look; T Behold] I have served you like a slave for many years and have ·always obeyed [never disobeyed; L never neglected] your commands. But you never gave me even a young goat to ·have at a feast [celebrate] with my friends. 30 But ·your other son [L this son of yours], who ·wasted [squandered; devoured] ·all your money [your property; L your life] on prostitutes, comes home, and you kill the fat [fattened; v. 23] calf for him!’ 31 The father said to him, ‘·Son [Child], you ·are always with [or have always stood by] me, and all that I have is yours. 32 [L But] We had to celebrate and ·be happy [rejoice] because ·your brother [L this brother of yours; v. 30] was dead, but ·now he is alive [has come back to life]. He was lost, but now he is found.’”
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