M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 13
Reign of Jehoahaz of Israel. 1 Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, became the king over Israel in Samaria in the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, the king of Judah. He reigned for seventeen years.
2 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, following the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. He did not turn away from them. 3 The Lord’s anger blazed against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of Hazael, the king of Aram, and into the hands of Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael, throughout his entire reign.
4 Jehoahaz then pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord listened to him for he observed the suffering of Israel which was being oppressed by the king of Aram. 5 The Lord gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped from under the hand of the Arameans. The Israelites were able to live in their own homes as they had before.
6 But they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam who caused Israel to sin. They continued to walk in them. An Asherah continued to stand in Samaria.
7 There was nothing left to Jehoahaz’s men except for fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen. The king of Aram had destroyed the rest of them, making them like the dust that lies on the threshing floor.
8 As for the rest of the deeds of Jehoahaz, and all that he did, and all his achievements, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
9 Jehoahaz slept with his fathers, and he was buried in Samaria. Jehoash his son, reigned in his stead.
10 Reign of Jehoash of Israel. Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the thirty-seventh year of the reign of Joash, the king of Judah, and he reigned for sixteen years.
11 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin, but he walked in them.
12 As for the rest of the deeds of Jehoash, what he did, his achievements, and how he fought against Amaziah, the king of Judah, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
13 Jehoash slept with his fathers, and then Jeroboam sat upon his throne. Jehoash was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel.
14 Elisha’s Final Prophecy. Now Elisha had fallen sick with the illness from which he died. Jehoash, the king of Israel, went down to visit him and wept over him. He cried out, “My father! My father![a] The chariots and horsemen of Israel!”
15 Elisha said, “Bring a bow and arrows,” so he brought a bow and arrows. 16 He said to the king of Israel, “Take the bow in your hands,” so he took the bow in his hands. Elisha then put his hands on the king’s hands. 17 He said, “Open the east window,” and he opened it. Elisha said, “Shoot,” and he shot. He said, “The arrow of the deliverance of the Lord! The arrow of the deliverance from Aram! You will wipe out the Aramean in Aphek, totally devouring them.”
18 Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. He said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and then stopped.
19 The man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck it five or six times. Then you would have defeated Aram until it was consumed. As it is now, you will only defeat it three times.”
20 Elisha then died and was buried.
Now Moabite raiders used to raid the land during the spring. 21 Once while some people were burying a man, they spotted a band of raiders, and they cast the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb. When the man’s body touched Elisha’s bones, he came back to life and stood up on his feet.
22 Hazael, the king of Aram, oppressed Israel all throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. 23 But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion upon them and showed respect to them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Up to the present he had not yet destroyed them nor had he cast them out of his presence.
24 Hazael, the king of Aram, then died, and Ben-hadad, his son, reigned in his stead.
25 Then Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz, recaptured from the hands of Ben-hadad, the son of Hazael, the cities that he had taken from the hands of his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated him three times, and he recaptured the cities of Israel.
The Tasks of a Man of God[a]
Chapter 3
Repulse the Onslaughts of False Teachers. 1 You must realize that there will be great distress in the last days. 2 People will love nothing but themselves and money. They will be boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, 3 and devoid of natural affection. They will be implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, and haters of everything that is good. 4 They will be treacherous, reckless, conceited, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God 5 as they maintain the appearance of godliness[b] but deny its power. Avoid persons like that!
6 They are the type who insinuate themselves into households and gain control of the women there who are burdened by their sins and obsessed with their desires, 7 and who are always seeking to be taught but unable to ever arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men, with their depraved minds and their deceitful pretense of faith, also oppose the truth. 9 But they will not succeed in their efforts. As was the case with those men, their folly will become obvious to everyone.
10 Remain Faithful in Persecution. As for you, however, you have followed my teaching, my way of life, my aims, my faith, my patience, my love, my perseverance, 11 my persecutions, my sufferings—the things that I faced in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra and that I endured. Yet the Lord brought me out safely from all of them.[c]
12 Indeed, persecution will afflict all who want to lead a godly life in Christ Jesus, 13 while wicked people and impostors will grow ever worse, deceiving others and being themselves deceived. 14 But as for you, stand by what you have learned and firmly believed, because you know from whom you have learned it.[d]
15 Gain Wisdom from the Inspired Scriptures. Also remember that from the time you were a child you have known the sacred Scriptures. From these you can acquire the wisdom that will lead you to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in uprightness,[e] 17 so that the man of God may be proficient and equipped for good work of every kind.
Chapter 5
I Shall Punish Them All
1 Hear this, O priests!
Listen closely, O house of Israel!
Give heed, O house of the king,
for you will be called to judgment!
For you have been a snare at Mizpah,[a]
and a net spread out upon Tabor,
2 and a deep pit at Shittim;
I shall punish all of them.
3 I know Ephraim,
and Israel is not hidden from me.
Despite this, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot,
and Israel is defiled.
4 Their deeds do not allow them
to return to their God.
For the spirit of immorality has possessed them,
and they no longer know the Lord.
5 Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;
Ephraim stumbles in their guilt,
and Judah stumbles with them.
6 With their sheep and their cattle,
they shall go forth to seek the Lord.
However, they will not find him,
for he has withdrawn from them.
7 They have betrayed the Lord,
for they have borne illegitimate children.[b]
Now the new moon shall devour them
along with their fields.
War between Israel and Judah[c]
8 Blow the horn in Gibeah,[d]
the trumpet in Ramah.
Sound the alarm at Beth-aven:
“Look behind you, O Benjamin!”
9 Ephraim shall become a wasteland
on the day of punishment.
Against the tribes of Israel
I have decreed certain doom.
10 The rulers of Judah act like men
who move their neighbor’s boundary line.
On them I will pour out
my wrath like a flood.
11 Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment,
being intent on pursuing idols.
12 Therefore, I am like an infectious sore for Ephraim,
like maggots for the house of Judah.
13 When Ephraim realized that he was ill
and Judah noted that he was covered with sores,
Ephraim went to Assyria,
and Judah sent envoys to the great king.
However, he has no power to cure you
or to heal your sores.
14 For I will be like a lion to Ephraim,
like a young lion to the house of Judah.
I myself will maul them and depart;
I will carry them off,
and no one will be able to rescue them.
15 I shall go back to my dwelling place
until they acknowledge their guilt
and seek my presence.[e]
In their affliction,
they will beseech my favor.
Chapter 6
Steadfast Love Rather than Sacrifice Is What Pleases Me
1 [f]“Come, let us return to the Lord;
he has wounded us, but he will heal us;
he has struck us down, but he will bind up our wounds.
2 After two days he will revive us;
on the third day[g] he will raise us up
to live in his presence.
3 Let us know the Lord;
let us strive to know him.
His coming is as sure as the dawn;
he will come to us like a shower,
like the spring rains that water the earth.”
4 What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your love is like a morning mist,
like the dew that quickly evaporates.
5 That is the reason why I cut them to pieces
by means of the prophets.
I have slaughtered them by the word of my mouth,
and my judgment goes forth like the dawn.
6 For steadfast love rather than sacrifice is what pleases me,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Their Wicked Deeds Are Constantly before My Eyes
7 But in their land[h] they broke the covenant;
it was there that they were unfaithful to me.
8 Gilead[i] is a city of evildoers,
stained with bloody footprints.
9 Like robbers waiting in ambush,
priests are banded together.
They commit murder on the road to Shechem,
perpetrating monstrous crimes.
10 I have witnessed a horrible thing
in the house of Israel.
There Ephraim engages in prostitution
and Israel is defiled.
11 And for you also, O Judah,
a harvest of reprisal has been designated.[j]
145 [a]I call out to you with my whole heart;
answer me, O Lord, so that I may observe your decrees.
146 I cry out to you;
save me so that I may obey your statutes.
147 I arise before dawn and cry out for help;
I place my hope in your word.
148 My eyes are awake before each watch of the night[b]
so that I may meditate on your word.
149 In accordance with your kindness[c] hear my voice, O Lord;
grant me life in accordance with your judgments.
150 [d]Those who plot wickedness draw near me,
but they are far from your law.
151 Yet you, O Lord, are near,
and all your precepts are true.
152 Long have I known your decrees
and that you have established them forever.
Resh
153 [e]See my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
154 Defend my cause and redeem me;[f]
let me live in accord with your word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked[g]
because they do not consider your decrees.
156 Great is your compassion, O Lord;
let me live in accord with your judgments.
157 My persecutors and my enemies are many,
but I do not cast aside your statutes.
158 I regard the faithless with indignation[h]
because they do not observe your word.
159 Consider how I love your precepts, O Lord;
let me live in accord with your kindness.[i]
160 Every word you utter is true,
and all your righteous judgments[j] are everlasting.
Shin
161 [k]The powerful persecute me without cause,
but it is your word that awes my heart.[l]
162 I rejoice in your word
like one who discovers a great treasure.
163 Falsehood I abhor and detest,
but I love your law.
164 Seven times[m] a day I praise you
for your righteous judgments.
165 Those who love your law have great peace;[n]
they encounter no stumbling blocks.
166 I await your salvation, O Lord,
and I carry out your precepts.
167 I obey your statutes,
for I love them dearly.
168 I obey your commands and your statutes;
indeed, all my ways are known to you.[o]
Taw
169 [p]May my cry come before you, O Lord;
grant me understanding according to your word.[q]
170 May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your word.
171 May my lips proclaim your praise
because you teach me your decrees.
172 May my tongue sing of your word,
for all of your precepts are upright.
173 May your hand[r] be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your commandments.
174 [s]I long for your salvation, O Lord,
and your law is my delight.
175 Give life to my soul that I may praise you,
and let your judgments sustain me.
176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep;[t]
seek out your servant,
for I have not forgotten your precepts.
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