M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Stories of Elijah and Ahab
Chapter 17
Elijah Predicts a Drought.[a] 1 Now Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe in Gilead said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives before whom I stand, there shall be no dew or rain these years except at my word.”
2 Then the word of the Lord came to him saying, 3 “Go forth from here and go eastward to the Wadi Kerith near the Jordan and hide there. 4 You can drink from the brook there, and I have commanded the ravens there to feed you.” 5 So he went and did what the Lord had said, and he dwelt in the Wadi Kerith near the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.
7 After some time the wadi dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise and go to Zarephath[b] which belongs to Sidon and live there. I have commanded a woman there who is a widow to take care of you.”
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the gate to the city, there was a woman there who was a widow. She was gathering sticks, and he called out to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a jar so that I can have something to drink.”
11 As she went to get it for him, he called out to her and said, “Please also bring me a bit of bread in your hand.” 12 But she said to him, “As the Lord, your God, lives, I do not have any bread. I only have a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of oil in a jug. I am gathering two sticks so that I can prepare it for myself and my son so that we can eat it and die.”
13 Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do what you have said, but first make a small piece of bread and bring it to me. Afterwards, you can make some for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour will not be used up, the jug of oil will not go dry, up until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’ ”
15 She went and did what Elijah had told her to do. She, and he, and her household ate for a long time. 16 The jar of flour was not used up, and the jug of oil did not go dry, just as the word of the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
17 Elijah Restores Life to the Widow’s Son.[c] After these things happened, the son of the woman who owned the house fell ill. The illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
18 She said to Elijah, “What do I have to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to make me remember my sins,[d] and to put my son to death?” 19 He said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him from her lap and carried him to the upper room, and he laid him upon his own bed. 20 He called out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, have you brought disaster upon the widow with whom I am living by killing her son?” 21 He stretched himself out upon the boy three times, and he cried out to the Lord and said, “O Lord, my God, may this child’s life return to him.”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s voice, and the child’s life returned to him and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and handed him over to his mother saying, “See, your son is alive.” 24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of God that is in your mouth is true.”
Chapter 4
1 Masters, be just and fair in your treatment of your slaves, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
Assiduous Prayer.[a] 2 Persevere in prayer, with alert minds and thankful hearts. 3 At the same time, pray for us too, so that God may open a door to us to proclaim the word, the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it as clearly as I should.
Christian Behavior.[b] 5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of your opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be gracious and seasoned with wisdom, so that you will know how to respond properly to all.
Conclusion
Tychicus and Onesimus.[c] 7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you will know how we are and that he may cheer your hearts. 9 He will be accompanied by Onesimus, our trustworthy and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything that has happened here.
10 Paul’s Coworkers. Aristarchus,[d] my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, make him welcome.) 11 And Jesus who is called Justus also greets you. Of all those who are of the circumcision, these are the only ones who are working with me for the kingdom of God, and they have been a great comfort to me.
12 Epaphras sends you greetings. He is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, and he is always pleading earnestly in his prayers on your behalf so that you may seek perfection and fulfill the will of God. 13 I can testify for him that he has worked tirelessly for you and those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.[e] 14 Luke,[f] the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.
15 Notes for the Laodiceans. Give my greetings to the brethren in Laodicea, and to Nymphas[g] and the Church in her house. 16 Then when this letter has been read to you, see to it that it is also read to the Church at Laodicea; and I ask you in turn to read my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17 Also tell Archippus:[h] “See that you carry out fully the ministry that you received in the Lord.”
18 Paul’s Signature.[i] I, Paul, write this farewell in my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.
Chapter 47[a]
The Temple Stream. 1 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I beheld water flowing out eastward from under the threshold of the temple, for the temple faced east. The water was flowing down from the southern end of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He took me out through the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate that faces the east, where I saw that the water was trickling forth from the south side.
3 The man walked off to the east with a measuring line in his hand, and he measured off a thousand cubits. Then he led me through the water, which was ankle-deep. 4 Again, he measured off a thousand cubits and made me wade across the stream again. This time the water reached my knees. Again, he measured off a thousand cubits and made me wade across the stream again. This time the water reached my waist.
5 Once again, he measured off a thousand cubits, but now I beheld a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen, and it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed except by swimming. 6 He asked me, “Have you seen this, son of man?” Then he brought me back to the bank of the river.
7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows east and goes down into the Arabah and empties into the sea, whose salt waters it makes fresh.
9 “Wherever the river flows, swarms of living creatures will live there and multiply. There will be an abundance of fish, for this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh. 10 Also, fishermen will gather along its banks from En-gedi to Englaim, spreading their nets. All kinds of fish will be found there, like the fish of the Great Sea.
11 “However, its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Along the river, on both banks, fruit trees of every kind will grow, with leaves that never wither and with fruit that never fails. They will bear fresh fruit every month, because they will be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit will serve as food, and their leaves will serve for healing.”
The New Israel
13 Boundaries of the Land. Thus says the Lord God: These are the boundaries by which you are to divide the land as an inheritance for the twelve tribes of Israel, with two portions allotted to Joseph. 14 You are to divide it equally among them. Because I swore to your fathers that I would give it to your forefathers, this land will be given to you as your inheritance.
15 These will be the boundaries of the land: On the north side, from the Great Sea by the road from Hethlon, past Lebo-hamath, and on to Zedad, 16 Berothah, and Sibraim, between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath, as far as Hazar-enon, which is on the border of Hauran. 17 Thus, the border will extend from the sea to Hazar-enon, with the frontier of Hamath and Damascus to the north. This was the northern boundary.
18 On the east side, between Hauran and Damascus, along the Jordan between Gilead and the land of Israel, to the eastern sea and as far as Tamar. This is the eastern boundary.
19 On the south side, from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, and from there along the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea. This is the southern boundary.
20 On the west side is the Great Sea, which forms the boundary as far as a point parallel to and opposite Lebo-hamath. This is the western boundary.
21 The Northern Allotment. You are to distribute this land yourselves among the tribes of Israel 22 and allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who reside in your midst and have begotten children among you. You are to treat them as children of Israel. With you, they shall be allotted as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.[b] 23 In whatever tribe an alien settles, there you shall assign him his inheritance. This is the word of the Lord God.
Psalm 103[a]
Praise of God’s Providence
1 Of David.
Bless the Lord, O my soul;[b]
my entire being, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits.
3 He forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases.[c]
4 He redeems[d] your life from the pit
and crowns you with kindness and mercy.
5 He satisfies your years with good things
and renews your youth like an eagle’s.[e]
6 The Lord performs acts of righteousness
and administers justice for all who are oppressed.
7 [f]He made known his ways[g] to Moses,
his wondrous deeds to the people of Israel.
8 [h]The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
9 He will not always rebuke,
nor will he remain angry forever.
10 He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our offenses.
11 As high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his kindness toward those who fear him.[i]
12 As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.[j]
13 [k]As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were formed;
he remembers that we are only dust.[l]
15 The days of mortal man are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field.
16 The wind sweeps over him, and he is gone,
and his place never sees him again.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the kindness[m] of the Lord is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children,
18 with those who keep his covenant
and diligently observe his commandments.[n]
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.[o]
20 [p]Bless the Lord, O you his angels,[q]
you mighty in strength who do his bidding,
who obey his spoken word.
21 Bless the Lord, O you his hosts,
his ministers who do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
everywhere in his domain.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.[r]
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