M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Amaziah Succeeds Joash in Judah
25 (A)Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 He did right in the sight of the Lord, (B)yet not with a whole heart. 3 Now (C)it came about as soon as the kingdom was [a]firmly in his grasp, that he killed his servants who had slain his father the king. 4 However, he did not put their children to death, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, which the Lord commanded, saying, “(D)Fathers shall not be put to death for sons, nor sons be put to death for fathers, but each shall be put to death for his own sin.”
Amaziah Defeats Edomites
5 Moreover, Amaziah assembled Judah and appointed them according to their fathers’ households under commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds throughout Judah and Benjamin; and he [b]took a census of those (E)from twenty years old and upward and found them to be (F)300,000 choice men, able to go to war and handle spear and shield. 6 He hired also 100,000 valiant warriors out of Israel for one hundred talents of silver. 7 But (G)a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. 8 But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will [c]bring you down before the enemy, (H)for God has power to help and to [d]bring down.” 9 Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “(I)The Lord has much more to give you than this.” 10 Then Amaziah [e]dismissed them, the troops which came to him from Ephraim, to go home; so their anger burned against Judah and they returned [f]home in fierce anger.
11 Now Amaziah strengthened himself and led his people forth, and went to (J)the Valley of Salt and struck down 10,000 of the sons of Seir. 12 The sons of Judah also captured 10,000 alive and brought them to the top of the cliff and threw them down from the top of the cliff, so that they were all dashed to pieces. 13 But the [g]troops whom Amaziah sent back from going with him to battle, raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon, and struck down 3,000 of them and plundered much spoil.
Amaziah Rebuked for Idolatry
14 Now after Amaziah came from slaughtering the Edomites, (K)he brought the gods of the sons of Seir, set them up as his gods, bowed down before them and burned incense to them. 15 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and He sent him a prophet who said to him, “Why have you sought the gods of the people (L)who have not delivered their own people from your hand?” 16 As he was talking with him, [h]the king said to him, “Have we appointed you a royal counselor? Stop! Why should you be struck down?” Then the prophet stopped and said, “I know that God has planned to destroy you, because you have done this and have not listened to my counsel.”
Amaziah Defeated by Joash of Israel
17 (M)Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, the king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us face each other.” 18 Joash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah, saying, “(N)The thorn bush which was in Lebanon sent to the cedar which was in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ But there passed by a wild beast that was in Lebanon and trampled the thorn bush. 19 You said, ‘Behold, you have [i]defeated Edom.’ And (O)your heart has [j]become proud in boasting. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?”
20 But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh, which belonged to Judah. 22 Judah was defeated [k]by Israel, and they fled each to his tent. 23 Then Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash the son of (P)Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and tore down the wall of Jerusalem from the Gate of Ephraim to the Corner Gate, 400 [l]cubits. 24 He took all the gold and silver and all the utensils which were found in the house of God with (Q)Obed-edom, and the treasures of the king’s house, the hostages also, and returned to Samaria.
25 (R)And Amaziah, the son of Joash king of Judah, lived fifteen years after the death of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, from first to last, behold, are they not written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel? 27 From the time that Amaziah turned away from following the Lord they conspired against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish and killed him there. 28 Then they brought him on horses and buried him with his fathers in the city of Judah.
The Woman, Israel
12 A great (A)sign appeared (B)in heaven: (C)a woman (D)clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2 and she was with child; and she *(E)cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
The Red Dragon, Satan
3 Then (F)another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red (G)dragon having (H)seven heads and (I)ten horns, and on his heads were (J)seven diadems. 4 And his tail *swept away a (K)third of the stars of heaven and (L)threw them to the earth. And the (M)dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth (N)he might devour her child.
The Male Child, Christ
5 And (O)she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to [a](P)rule all the [b]nations with a rod of iron; and her child was (Q)caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there [c]she would be nourished for (R)one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
The Angel, Michael
7 And there was war in heaven, (S)Michael and his angels waging war with the (T)dragon. The dragon and (U)his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great (V)dragon was thrown down, the (W)serpent of old who is called the devil and (X)Satan, who (Y)deceives the whole [d]world; he was (Z)thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard (AA)a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the (AB)salvation, and the power, and the (AC)kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the (AD)accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they (AE)overcame him because of (AF)the blood of the Lamb and because of (AG)the word of their testimony, and they (AH)did not love their life even [e]when faced with death. 12 For this reason, (AI)rejoice, O heavens and (AJ)you who [f]dwell in them. (AK)Woe to the earth and the sea, because (AL)the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only (AM)a short time.”
13 And when the (AN)dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted (AO)the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the (AP)two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly (AQ)into the wilderness to her place, where she *was nourished for (AR)a time and times and half a time, from the [g]presence of the serpent. 15 And the (AS)serpent [h]poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 [i]But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon [j]poured out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to (AT)make war with the rest of her [k](AU)children, who (AV)keep the commandments of God and (AW)hold to the testimony of Jesus.
The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
8 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came, saying, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I am (A)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 3 Thus says the Lord, ‘I will return to Zion and will (B)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of (C)Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.’ 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘(D)Old men and old women will again sit in the [a]streets of Jerusalem, each man with his staff in his hand because of [b]age. 5 And the [c]streets of the city will be filled with (E)boys and girls playing in its [d]streets.’ 6 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘If it is [e](F)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be [f](G)too difficult in My sight?’ declares the Lord of hosts. 7 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the [g](H)east and from the land of the [h]west; 8 and I will (I)bring them back and they will (J)live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be (K)My people, and I will be their God in [i]truth and righteousness.’
9 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Let your hands be (L)strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the (M)prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the Lord of hosts was laid, to the end that the temple might be built. 10 For before those days there was (N)no wage for man or any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no [j](O)peace because of [k]his enemies, and I (P)set all men one against another. 11 But now I will (Q)not [l]treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ declares the Lord of hosts. 12 ‘For there will be (R)peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their (S)dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit (T)all these things. 13 It will come about that just as you were a (U)curse among the nations, O house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a (V)blessing. Do not fear; let your (W)hands be strong.’
14 “For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Just as I (X)purposed to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to wrath,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘and I have not (Y)relented, 15 so I have again purposed in these days to (Z)do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. (AA)Do not fear! 16 These are the things which you should do: speak the (AB)truth to one another; (AC)judge with truth and judgment for peace in your [m]gates. 17 Also let none of you (AD)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love [n](AE)perjury; for all these are what I (AF)hate,’ declares the Lord.”
18 Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, 19 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘The fast of the (AG)fourth, the fast of the (AH)fifth, the fast of the (AI)seventh and the fast of the (AJ)tenth months will become (AK)joy, gladness, and [o]cheerful feasts for the house of Judah; so (AL)love truth and peace.’
20 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘It will yet be that (AM)peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. 21 The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, “Let us go at once to (AN)entreat the favor of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; [p]I will also go.” 22 So (AO)many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to (AP)entreat the favor of the Lord.’ 23 Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘In those days ten men from all the [q]nations will [r](AQ)grasp the [s]garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.”’”
The Death and Resurrection of Lazarus
11 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of (A)Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister (B)Martha. 2 It was the Mary who (C)anointed (D)the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, “(E)Lord, behold, (F)he whom You love is sick.” 4 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness is not to end in death, but for (G)the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by it.” 5 Now Jesus loved (H)Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days longer in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He *said to the disciples, “(I)Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples *said to Him, “(J)Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking (K)to stone You, and are You going there again?” 9 Jesus answered, “(L)Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10 But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11 This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our (M)friend Lazarus (N)has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” 12 The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will [a]recover.” 13 Now (O)Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of [b]literal sleep. 14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.” 16 (P)Therefore Thomas, who is called [c](Q)Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb (R)four days. 18 Now (S)Bethany was near Jerusalem, about [d]two miles off; 19 and many of (T)the Jews had come to (U)Martha and Mary, (V)to console them concerning their brother. 20 (W)Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but (X)Mary [e]stayed at the house. 21 Martha then said to Jesus, “(Y)Lord, (Z)if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 Even now I know that (AA)whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha *said to Him, “(AB)I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “(AC)I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me (AD)will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are [f](AE)the Christ, the Son of God, even [g](AF)He who comes into the world.”
28 When she had said this, she (AG)went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “(AH)The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she *got up quickly and was coming to Him.
30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but (AI)was still in the place where Martha met Him. 31 (AJ)Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and (AK)consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “(AL)Lord, (AM)if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and (AN)the Jews who came with her also weeping, He (AO)was deeply moved in spirit and [h](AP)was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They *said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus (AQ)wept. 36 So (AR)the Jews were saying, “See how He (AS)loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not this man, who (AT)opened the eyes of the blind man, [i]have kept this man also from dying?”
38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, *came to the tomb. Now it was a (AU)cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time [j]there will be a stench, for he has been dead (AV)four days.” 40 Jesus *said to her, “(AW)Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” 41 So they removed the (AX)stone. Then Jesus (AY)raised His eyes, and said, “(AZ)Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 I knew that You always hear Me; but (BA)because of the [k]people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that (BB)You sent Me.” 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” 44 The man who had died came forth, (BC)bound hand and foot with wrappings, and (BD)his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
45 (BE)Therefore many of the Jews (BF)who came to Mary, and (BG)saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the (BH)Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done.
Conspiracy to Kill Jesus
47 Therefore (BI)the chief priests and the Pharisees (BJ)convened a (BK)council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many [l](BL)signs. 48 If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our (BM)place and our nation.” 49 But one of them, (BN)Caiaphas, (BO)who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that (BP)it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” 51 Now he did not say this [m]on his own initiative, but (BQ)being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation, 52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also (BR)gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. 53 So from that day on they (BS)planned together to kill Him.
54 Therefore Jesus (BT)no longer continued to walk publicly among the Jews, but went away from there to the country near the wilderness, into a city called (BU)Ephraim; and there He stayed with the disciples.
55 Now (BV)the Passover of the Jews was near, and many went up to Jerusalem out of the country before the Passover (BW)to purify themselves. 56 So they (BX)were seeking for Jesus, and were saying to one another as they stood in the temple, “What do you think; that He will not come to the feast at all?” 57 Now (BY)the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where He was, he was to report it, so that they might seize Him.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.