M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Asa Wars Against Baasha

16 In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign ^(A)Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built up Ramah in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah. ² Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of Yahweh and the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram, who lived in Damascus, saying, ³ “Let there be a covenant between ^[a]you and me, as between my father and your father. Behold, I have sent you silver and gold; go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel so that he will withdraw from me.” ⁴ So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his military forces against the cities of Israel, and they struck down Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all ^(B)the ^[b]store cities of Naphtali. ⁵ Now it happened that when Baasha heard of it, he ceased building up Ramah and stopped his work. ⁶ Then King Asa brought all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.

Asa Imprisons a Seer

⁷ Now at that time ^(C)Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “^(D)Because you have leaned on the king of Aram and have not leaned on Yahweh your God, therefore the military force of the king of Aram has escaped out of your hand. ⁸ Were not ^(E)the Ethiopians and the Lubim ^(F)a vast military force with an exceedingly vast number of chariots and horsemen? Yet ^(G)because you leaned on Yahweh, He gave them into your hand. ⁹ For ^(H)the eyes of Yahweh move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those ^(I)whose heart is wholly devoted to Him. You have acted foolishly in this. Indeed, from now on you will surely have wars.” ¹⁰ Then Asa was vexed with the seer and put him in ^[c]prison, for he was enraged at him for this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.

^11 (J)Now behold, the acts of Asa from first to last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. ¹² And Asa became diseased in his feet in the thirty-ninth year of his reign. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he ^(K)did not seek Yahweh, but the physicians. ¹³ So Asa slept with his fathers. And he died in the forty-first year of his reign. ¹⁴ And they buried him in his own tomb which he had ^[d]cut out for himself in the city of David, and they laid him in the resting place which he had filled ^(L)with spices of various kinds blended by the perfumers’ art; and ^(M)they made a very great fire for him.

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw ^[a]in the right hand of Him who ^(A)sits on the throne a ^(B)scroll written inside and on the back, ^(C)sealed up with seven seals. ² Then I saw a ^(D)strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” ³ And no one ^(E)in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁴ Then I was crying greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ And one of the elders *said to me, “Stop crying! Behold, the ^(F)Lion that is ^(G)from the tribe of Judah, the ^(H)Root of David, has overcome so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ Then I saw in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures and in the midst of ^(I)the elders a ^(J)Lamb standing, as if ^(K)slain, having seven ^(L)horns and ^(M)seven eyes, which are ^(N)the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. ⁷ And He came and took ^(O)the scroll out of the right hand of Him who ^(P)sits on the throne. ⁸ And when He had taken the scroll, the ^(Q)four living creatures and the ^(R)twenty-four elders ^(S)fell down before the ^(T)Lamb, each one having a ^(U)harp and ^(V)golden bowls full of incense, which are the ^(W)prayers of the ^[b]saints. ⁹ And they *sang a ^(X)new song, saying,

Angels Worship the Lamb

¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels ^(AF)around the throne and the ^(AG)living creatures and the ^(AH)elders; and the number of them was ^(AI)myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice,

¹³ And ^(AM)every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

¹⁴ And the ^(AQ)four living creatures kept saying, “^(AR)Amen.” And the ^(AS)elders ^(AT)fell down and worshiped.

Return to Me, Declares Yahweh

1 In the eighth month of the second year of ^(A)Darius, the word of ^[a]Yahweh came to ^(B)Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of ^(C)Iddo, saying, ² “Yahweh was very ^(D)wrathful against your fathers. ³ Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “^(E)Return to Me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. ⁴ “Do not be ^(F)like your fathers, to whom the ^(G)former prophets called out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “^(H)Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did ^(I)not listen or give heed to Me,” declares Yahweh. ⁵ “Your ^(J)fathers, where are they? And the ^(K)prophets, do they live forever? ⁶ But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My slaves the prophets, ^(L)overtake your fathers? Then they ^[b]returned and said, ‘^(M)As Yahweh of hosts purposed to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has done with us.’”’”

A Man on a Red Horse

⁷ On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, ⁸ I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a ^(N)red horse, and he was standing among the ^(O)myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and ^(P)white horses behind him. ⁹ Then I said, “My ^(Q)lord, what are these?” And the ^(R)angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” ¹⁰ And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom Yahweh has sent to ^[c](S)patrol the earth.” ¹¹ So they answered the angel of Yahweh who was ^(T)standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have ^[d]patrolled the earth, and behold, ^(U)all the earth is sitting still and quiet.”

¹² Then the angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, ^(V)how long will You ^(W)have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been ^(X)indignant these ^(Y)seventy years?” ¹³ Yahweh answered the ^(Z)angel who was speaking with me with good words, ^(AA)comforting words. ¹⁴ So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “^(AB)Call out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I am ^(AC)exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. ¹⁵ But I am very ^(AD)wrathful with the nations who are ^(AE)at ease; for I was only a little wrathful, but they ^(AF)helped increase the calamity.” ¹⁶ Therefore thus says Yahweh, “I will ^(AG)return to Jerusalem with compassion; My ^(AH)house will be built in it,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and a measuring ^(AI)line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ ¹⁷ Again, call out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “My ^(AJ)cities will again overflow with good, and Yahweh will again ^(AK)comfort Zion and again ^(AL)choose Jerusalem.”’”

Four Horns and Craftsmen

^18 [e]Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, there were four horns. ¹⁹ So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the ^(AM)horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” ²⁰ Then Yahweh showed me four ^(AN)craftsmen. ²¹ And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the ^(AO)horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to cause them to tremble, to ^(AP)throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”

Jesus Goes to Galilee

4 Therefore when ^(A)Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and ^(B)baptizing more disciples than John ² (although ^(C)Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His ^(D)disciples were), ³ He left ^(E)Judea and went away ^(F)again into Galilee. ⁴ And He had to pass through ^(G)Samaria. ⁵ So He *came to a city of ^(H)Samaria called Sychar, near ^(I)the field that ^(J)Jacob gave to his son Joseph; ⁶ and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about ^[a]the sixth hour.

Jesus and the Samaritan Woman

⁷ A woman of Samaria *came to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸ For His ^(K)disciples had gone away into ^(L)the city to buy food. ⁹ Therefore the ^(M)Samaritan woman *said to Him, “How do You, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, being a Samaritan woman?” (For ^(N)Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you ^(O)living water.” ¹¹ She *said to Him, “^[b]Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where then do You get that ^(P)living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father Jacob, who ^(Q)gave us this well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?” ¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him ^(R)will never thirst—ever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to ^(S)eternal life.”

¹⁵ The woman *said to Him, “^[c]Sir, ^(T)give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come back here to draw.” ¹⁶ He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come back here.” ¹⁷ The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’; ¹⁸ for you had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.” ¹⁹ The woman *said to Him, “^[d]Sir, I see that You are ^(U)a prophet. ^20 (V)Our fathers worshiped on ^(W)this mountain, and you people say that ^(X)in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” ²¹ Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, ^(Y)an hour is coming when ^(Z)neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ^22 (AA)You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for ^(AB)salvation is from the Jews. ²³ But ^(AC)an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father ^(AD)in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. ²⁴ God is ^[e]spirit, and those who worship Him must worship ^(AE)in spirit and truth.” ²⁵ The woman *said to Him, “I know that ^(AF)Messiah is coming (^(AG)He who is called ^[f]Christ); when He comes, He will declare all things to us.” ²⁶ Jesus *said to her, “^(AH)I who speak to you am He.”

²⁷ And at this point His ^(AI)disciples came, and they were marveling that He was speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” ²⁸ So the woman left her water jar, and went into the city and *said to the men, ²⁹ “Come, see a man ^(AJ)who told me all the things that I have done; ^(AK)is this not the ^[g]Christ?” ³⁰ They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

³¹ Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “^(AL)Rabbi, eat.” ³² But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” ³³ So the ^(AM)disciples were saying to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” ³⁴ Jesus *said to them, “My food is to ^(AN)do the will of Him who sent Me and to ^(AO)finish His work. ³⁵ Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white ^(AP)for harvest. ³⁶ Even now he who reaps is receiving ^(AQ)wages and is gathering ^(AR)fruit for ^(AS)life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true, ‘^(AT)One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

Many Samaritans Believe

³⁹ From ^(AU)that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who bore witness, “^(AV)He told me all the things that I have done.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of His word; ⁴² and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is truly ^(AW)the Savior of the world.”

⁴³ And after ^(AX)the two days He went from there into Galilee. ⁴⁴ For Jesus Himself bore witness that ^(AY)a prophet has no honor in his own country. ⁴⁵ So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, ^(AZ)having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.

Jesus Heals a Royal Official’s Son

⁴⁶ Then He came again to ^(BA)Cana of Galilee ^(BB)where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at ^(BC)Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When he heard that Jesus had come ^(BD)out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was about to die. ⁴⁸ So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see ^[h](BE)signs and ^(BF)wonders, you will never believe.” ⁴⁹ The royal official *said to Him, “^[i]Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ Jesus *said to him, “^(BG)Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. ⁵¹ And while he was still going down, his slaves met him, saying that his ^[j]son was alive. ⁵² So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the ^[k]seventh hour the fever left him.” ⁵³ So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and ^(BH)his whole household. ⁵⁴ This is again a ^(BI)second ^[l]sign that Jesus did when He had ^(BJ)come out of Judea into Galilee.