M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 1
The Report of Saul’s Death. 1 Shortly after the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites, and he stayed for two days in Ziklag. 2 On the third day a man appeared from Saul’s camp, with his clothes in tatters and dirt on his head. Upon coming into David’s presence, he fell to the ground and paid him homage.
3 David asked him: “Where have you come from?” And he replied: “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.” 4 David then inquired: “What has happened there? Tell me!” The man answered: “The soldiers fled from the battle, but many of them fell and died. Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”
5 David then asked the young man who had brought the news: “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6 The young man replied: “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and I beheld Saul leaning on his spear as the chariots and the horsemen were closing in on him. 7 When he happened to turn around and saw me, he summoned me to him. I said: ‘Here I am.’ 8 Saul then said to me: ‘Who are you?’ And I told him: ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 Then he gave me this order: ‘Come here, stand over me, and kill me. The throes of death have overcome me, yet I am still alive.’
10 “Therefore, I stood over him and slew him, for I knew that he could not possibly survive because of the wounds he had suffered. Then I removed the crown that was on his head and the armlet from his arm, and I have brought them here to you, my lord.”
11 [a]Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and the men who were with him did the same. 12 They mourned and wept, and they fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, as well as for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 David then said to the young man who had brought him the report: “Where do you come from?” He answered: “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” 14 David thereupon asked him: “How was it that you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
15 Then David summoned one of his young soldiers and gave him this order: “Come here and strike him down!” The young man struck him down, and he died. 16 As he fell, David said to him: “Your blood be on your own head. You convicted yourself by your own testimony when you said: ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”
17 Elegy for Saul and Jonathan. David chanted the following lament over Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and he ordered that this dirge over them be taught to the people of Judah. It is recorded in the Book of Jashar.
19 [b]“Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your heights.
How the mighty have fallen!
20 “Do not mention it in Gath
or proclaim it in the streets of Ashkelon.
Let not the daughters of the Philistines rejoice
and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21 “You mountains of Gilboa,
may no dew or rain fall upon you,
and may your fields not bring forth grain.
For there the shields of the warriors were tarnished,
and the shield of Saul is no longer anointed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the slain,
from the flesh of the valiant,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
nor did the sword of Saul return unbloodied.
23 “Saul and Jonathan:
in life they were beloved and kind;
in death they were not separated.
They were swifter than eagles
and stronger than lions.
24 “O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul
who clothed you in scarlet and fine embroidery,
and who beautified your apparel with ornaments of gold.
25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain upon your heights.
26 “I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother.
To me you were greatly beloved.
Your love for me was more wonderful
than the love of a woman.
27 “The warriors have fallen,
and their weapons have been abandoned!”
The Gifts of the Spirit in the Service of the Church[a]
Chapter 12
Discerning the Gifts of the Spirit. 1 Now in regard to the gifts of the Spirit, brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were still pagans you were constantly being enticed and led astray to the worship of mute idols. 3 Therefore, I wish you to understand that no one speaking under the influence of the Spirit of God says, “May Jesus be cursed.”[b] Likewise, no one can say “Jesus is Lord,” except under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit Distributes the Gifts for the Common Good.[c] 4 There are different varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different forms of activity, but the same God who produces all of them in everyone.
7 To each of us, the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one, is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom; and to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit. 9 Another by the same Spirit is granted faith, while still another is granted the gift of healing by the same Spirit.
10 To one, is granted the gift of mighty deeds;[d] to another, the gift of prophecy; and to yet another, the gift to discern spirits. One receives the gift of tongues and another the ability to interpret them. 11 One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing them individually to each person as he wills.
12 You Are the Body of Christ.[e] The body is one, although it has many parts; and all the parts, though many, form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as free men, and we were all given the same Spirit to drink.
14 Now the body is one, although it has many parts. 15 If the foot were to say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it nevertheless still belongs to the body. 16 Or if an ear were to say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it nevertheless still belongs to the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, how would we be able to hear? If the whole body were an ear, how would we exercise a sense of smell? 18 But God arranged each part in the body as he intended. 19 If all the members were identical, where would the body be?
20 As it is, there are many members, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you,” any more than the head can say to the feet, “I do not need you.” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are in fact indispensable, 23 and those parts of the body that we regard as less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable parts are treated with greater propriety, 24 whereas our more respectable members have no need of this.
But God has so designed the body as to give greater honor to the more humble parts, 25 in order that there may be no dissension within the body and each part may have equal concern for all the others. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice together with it.
27 You therefore are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it. 28 And those whom God has appointed in the Church are first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then doers of mighty deeds, those who have the gifts of healing, helping others, administering, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all doers of mighty deeds? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31 Set your hearts on the greater gifts.
Hymn to Love.[f] Now I will show you a more excellent way.
Chapter 10
God’s Glory Leaves the Temple. 1 Then I looked and observed that above the vault that was over the heads of the cherubim there was what appeared to be a sapphire in the shape of a throne. 2 The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, “Go within the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill both of your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” As I looked on, the man entered.
3 The cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple as the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. 4 Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim to the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the entire court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. 5 The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God when he speaks.
6 When the Lord had commanded the man dressed in linen to take fire from between the wheels, from between the cherubim, the man entered and stood by one of the wheels. 7 Then one of the cherubim stretched out his hand to the fire in their midst, took up some of it, and put it into the hands of the man clothed in linen, who took it and then went outside. 8 The cherubim seemed to have under their wings what appeared to be a human hand.
9 As I looked on, I saw that there were four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub, and the wheels had the appearance of sparkling chrysolite. 10 As for their appearance, all four seemed to be identical, something like a wheel within a wheel.
11 When the cherubim moved, they went in any of the four directions without veering from their course. In whatever direction the front wheel faced, the others followed without swerving as they moved. 12 Their entire bodies—their backs, their hands, and their wings—were filled with eyes, as were their wheels.
13 As for the wheels, I heard them called “the wheelworks.” 14 Each one had four faces. The first face was that of a cherub, the second was that of a human, the third was that of a lion, and the fourth was that of an eagle.
15 The cherubim rose up—the identical living creatures that I had seen by the River Chebar. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels moved beside them, and when the cherubim lifted up their wings and rose from the ground, the wheels at their side did not veer. 17 When they stopped, the others stopped, and when they rose up, the others rose with them, for the Spirit of the living creatures was in them.
18 [a]Then the glory of the Lord came forth from the threshold of the temple and paused above the cherubim. 19 The cherubim lifted up their wings, and I beheld them as they rose from the ground, with the wheels beside them. They halted at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was with them.
20 These were the living creatures that I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew that they were cherubim. 21 Each had four faces and four wings, and underneath their wings were what appeared to be human hands. 22 Their faces were identical to those I had seen by the River Chebar. Each one moved straight ahead.
Psalm 49[a]
Deceptive Riches
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of the sons of Korah.
2 [c]Hear this, all you peoples;
listen carefully, all you inhabitants of the world,
3 whether lowborn or highborn,
rich and poor alike.
4 My mouth will speak words of wisdom,
and the utterance of my heart[d] will give understanding.
5 I will listen carefully to a proverb,
and with the harp[e] I will interpret my riddle.
6 Why should I be afraid in evil times
when I am beset by the wickedness of my foes,[f]
7 those who place their trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
8 [g]For no one can ever redeem himself
or pay a ransom to God for his release.
9 The price to ransom a life would be too costly;
no one would ever have enough
10 to enable him to live on forever
and avoid being consigned to the pit.
11 [h]For all can see that the wise die,
just as the foolish and the stupid also pass away,
and all leave their wealth to others.[i]
12 Their graves are their eternal homes,
their dwelling places for all generations,
even though they had named lands after themselves.
13 Despite his riches,
a man cannot escape death;
he is like the beasts that perish.[j]
14 Such is the destiny of those who trust in themselves alone,
the fate of those who are pleased with their lot.[k] Selah
15 Like sheep[l] they are destined for the netherworld,
with death as their shepherd.
They descend straight to the grave
where their bodies will waste away;
the netherworld will be their home.
16 But God will ransom me from the netherworld;
he will take me[m] to himself. Selah
17 [n]Do not be afraid when someone becomes rich
and the splendor of his house increases.
18 When he dies, he will take nothing with him;
his wealth will not accompany him below.[o]
19 Although during his lifetime he considered himself blessed:
“They will praise me because I have done well,”
20 he will end up joining the company of his ancestors
who will never again see the light.[p]
21 Despite his riches,
a man who does not have wisdom
is like the beasts that perish.[q]
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.