M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Athaliah and Joash
11 Now Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead. Then she killed all the royal family. 2 But Jehosheba took Joash, Ahaziah’s son. She stole him from among the other sons of the king who were about to be murdered. (Jehosheba was King Jehoram’s daughter and Ahaziah’s sister.) She put Joash and his nurse in a bedroom. She hid Joash from Athaliah. So he was not killed. 3 He was hidden with her in the Temple of the Lord for six years. During that time Athaliah ruled the land.
4 In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of groups of 100 men. He sent for guards and the Carites, the royal bodyguards. He brought them together in the Temple of the Lord. Then he made an agreement with them. There, in the Temple of the Lord, he made them promise loyalty. Then he showed them the king’s son. 5 He commanded them, “This is what you must do. A third of you who come in on the Sabbath will guard the king’s palace. 6 Another third of you will be at the Sur Gate. And another third will be at the gate behind the guard. This way you will guard the Temple. 7 Two groups will go off duty on the Sabbath. They must protect the Temple of the Lord for the king. 8 All of you must stand around the king. Each man must have his weapon in his hand. If anyone comes near, kill him. Stay close to the king when he goes out and when he comes in.”
9 The commanders over 100 men obeyed everything Jehoiada the priest had commanded. Each one took his men who were beginning their Sabbath duty. Each one also took those who were ending their Sabbath duty. Both groups came to Jehoiada the priest. 10 And he gave spears and shields to the commanders. They used to belong to King David. They were kept in the Temple of the Lord.
Joash Becomes King
11 Then each of the guards took his place. Each man had his weapon in his hand. There were guards from the south side of the Temple to the north side. They stood by the altar and the Temple and around the king. 12 Jehoiada brought out the king’s son. He put the crown on Joash. Then he gave Joash a copy of the Agreement with the Lord. They appointed him king and poured olive oil on him. They clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”
13 Athaliah heard the noise of the guards and the people. So she came to the people at the Temple of the Lord. 14 She looked, and there was the king. He was standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and trumpeters were standing beside him. All the people of the land were very happy and were blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes to show how upset she was. She screamed, “Traitors! Traitors!”
15 Jehoiada the priest gave orders to the commanders of 100 men who led the army. He said, “Surround her with soldiers. Kill with a sword anyone who follows her.” He said this because he had said, “Don’t put Athaliah to death in the Temple of the Lord.” 16 So they caught her when she came to where the horses enter the palace grounds. There she was put to death.
17 Then Jehoiada made an agreement. It was between the Lord and the king and the people. They agreed to be the Lord’s special people. He also made an agreement between the king and the people. 18 All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols into small pieces. And they killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars.
Then Jehoiada the priest placed guards at the Temple of the Lord. 19 He took with him the commanders of 100 men and the Carites, the royal bodyguards. He took the guards and all the people of the land. Together they took the king out of the Temple of the Lord. They went into the palace through the gate of the guards. Then the king sat on the royal throne. 20 So all the people of Judah were very happy. And Jerusalem had peace because Athaliah had been put to death with the sword at the palace.
21 Joash was seven years old when he became king.
12 Joash became king of Judah in Jehu’s seventh year as king of Israel. Joash ruled for 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah. She was from Beersheba. 2 Joash did what the Lord said was right all the time Jehoiada the priest taught him. 3 But the places where false gods were worshiped were not removed. The people still made sacrifices and burned incense there.
The Temple to Be Repaired
4 Joash said to the priests, “Take all the money brought as offerings to the Temple of the Lord. This includes the money each person owes in taxes. It also includes the money each person promises or brings to the Lord because he wants to. 5 Each priest must take the money from the people he serves. Then the priests must repair any damage they find in the Temple.”
6 But by the twenty-third year of Joash the priests still had not repaired the Temple. 7 So King Joash called for Jehoiada the priest and the other priests. He said to them, “Why are you not repairing the damage of the Temple? Don’t take any more money from the people you serve. But hand over the money for the repair of the Temple.” 8 The priests agreed not to take any more money from the people. And they agreed not to repair the Temple themselves.
9 But Jehoiada the priest took a box and made a hole in the top of it. Then he put it by the altar. It was on the right side as the people came into the Temple of the Lord. The priests guarding the doorway put all the money brought to the Temple of the Lord into the box.
10 Each time the priests saw that the box was full of money, the king’s royal assistant and the high priest came. They counted the money that had been brought to the Temple of the Lord. Then they put it into bags. 11 Next they weighed the money. They gave it to the men who were in charge of the work on the Temple. With it they paid the carpenters and the builders who worked on the Temple of the Lord. 12 They also paid the stoneworkers and stonecutters. They used the money to buy timber and cut stone. The money was used to repair the damage of the Temple of the Lord. It paid for everything.
13 The money brought into the Temple of the Lord was not used to make silver cups. It was not used for wick trimmers, bowls or trumpets. And it wasn’t used for any gold or silver vessels. 14 They paid the money to the workers. And the workers used it to repair the Temple of the Lord. 15 They did not make the men tell how the money was spent. This was because the men were honest. 16 The money from the penalty offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the Temple of the Lord. It belonged to the priests.
Joash Saves Jerusalem
17 About this time Hazael king of Aram attacked Gath and captured it. Then he went to attack Jerusalem. 18 But Joash king of Judah took all the holy things his ancestors had given. His ancestors were the kings of Judah—Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah. He also took his own holy things. He took the gold that was found in the treasuries of the Temple of the Lord. And he took the gold from the palace. Joash sent all this treasure to Hazael king of Aram. Then Hazael turned away from Jerusalem.
19 Everything else Joash did is written down. It is in the book of the history of the kings of Judah. 20 His officers made plans against him. They killed him at Beth Millo on the road to Silla. 21 The officers who killed him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. Joash was buried with his ancestors in Jerusalem. And Amaziah, his son, became king in his place.
A Loyal Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 Timothy, you are like a son to me. Be strong in the grace that we have in Christ Jesus. 2 You and many others have heard what I have taught. You should teach the same thing to some people you can trust. Then they will be able to teach it to others. 3 Share in the troubles that we have. Accept them like a true soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 A soldier wants to please his commanding officer, so he does not waste his time doing the things that most people do. 5 If an athlete is running a race, he must obey all the rules in order to win. 6 The farmer who works hard should be the first person to get some of the food that he grew. 7 Think about these things that I am saying. The Lord will give you the ability to understand all these things.
8 Remember Jesus Christ. He is from the family of David. After Jesus died, he was raised from death. This is the Good News that I preach, 9 and I am suffering because of that Good News. I am even bound with chains like a criminal. But God’s teaching is not in chains. 10 So I patiently accept all these troubles. I do this so that those whom God has chosen can have the salvation that is in Christ Jesus. With that salvation comes glory that never ends.
11 This teaching is true:
If we died with him,
then we will also live with him.
12 If we accept suffering,
then we will also rule with him.
If we say we don’t know him,
then he will say he doesn’t know us.
13 If we are not faithful,
he will still be faithful,
because he must be true to who he is.
A Worker Pleasing to God
14 Continue teaching these things. And warn people before God not to argue about words. Arguing about words does not help anyone, and it ruins those who listen. 15 Do the best you can to be the kind of person that God will approve, and give yourself to him. Be a worker who is not ashamed of his work—a worker who uses the true teaching in the right way. 16 Stay away from those who talk about useless worldly things. That kind of talk will lead a person more and more away from God. 17 Their evil teaching will spread like a sickness inside the body. Hymenaeus and Philetus are men like that. 18 They have left the true teaching. They say that the rising from death of all men has already taken place. And those two men are destroying the faith of some people. 19 But God’s strong foundation continues to stand. These words are written on that foundation: “The Lord knows those who belong to him.”[a] And also these words are written on that foundation, “Everyone who says that he believes in the Lord must stop doing wrong.”
20 In a large house there are things made of gold and silver. But also there are things made of wood and clay. Some things are used for special purposes, and others are made for ordinary jobs. 21 If anyone makes himself clean from evil things, he will be used for special purposes. He will be made holy, and the Master can use him. He will be ready to do any good work.
22 Stay away from the evil desires of youth. Try hard to live right and to have faith, love, and peace. Work for these things together with those who have pure hearts and who trust in the Lord. 23 Stay away from foolish and stupid arguments. You know that such arguments grow into bigger arguments. 24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel! He must be kind to everyone. He must be a good teacher. He must be patient. 25 The Lord’s servant must gently teach those who do not agree with him. Maybe God will let them change their hearts so that they can accept the truth. 26 The devil has trapped them and causes them to do what he wants. But maybe they can wake up and free themselves from the devil’s trap.
Hosea Buys Gomer Back
3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again. She has had other lovers and has been unfaithful to you. But you must keep on loving her the way the Lord loves the people of Israel. This is true even though the Israelites worship other gods. They love to eat the raisin cakes.”[a]
2 So I bought Gomer for six ounces of silver and about ten bushels of barley. 3 Then I told her, “You must wait for me for many days. You must not be a prostitute. You must not be any other man’s lover. I, in turn, will wait for you.”
4 In the same way Israel will live many days without a king or leader. They will not have sacrifices or holy stone pillars. They will be without the holy vest or an idol. 5 After this, the people of Israel will return to the Lord their God. They will follow the Lord and the king from David’s family. In the last days they will come to the Lord. And he will bless them.
The Lord’s Word Against Israel
4 People of Israel, listen to the Lord’s message.
The Lord says he has this
against you who live in this country:
“The people are not true, not loyal to God.
They do not even know him.
2 They curse. They lie. They kill. They steal.
They are guilty of adultery.
They break all my laws.
One murder follows another.
3 Because of this the land dries up,
and all its people are dying off.
Even the wild animals are dying.
Even the birds of the air and the fish of the sea are dying.
God’s Case Against the Priests
4 “No one should accuse
or blame another person.
Don’t blame the people, you priests,
when they quarrel with you.
5 You will be ruined one of these days.
And your prophets will be ruined with you one of these nights.
I will also destroy your mother, the nation of Israel.
6 My people will be destroyed
because they have no knowledge.
You priests have refused to learn.
So I will refuse to let you be priests to me.
You have forgotten the teachings of your God.
So I will reject your children.
7 The more priests there are,
the more they sin against me.
I will take away their honor
and give them nothing but shame.
8 The priests live off the sin offerings of the people.
So they want the people to sin more and more.
9 The priests are as wrong as the people.
I will punish them both for what they have done.
I will repay them for the wrong they have done.
10 “They will eat
but not have enough.
They will sin sexually with the prostitutes.
But they will not have children.
This is because they left the Lord.
God’s Case Against the People
11 “Sexual sins, old wine and new wine
take away my people’s ability to understand.
12 My people ask wooden idols for advice.
They ask those sticks of wood to advise them!
Like prostitutes, they have chased after other gods.
They have left their own God.
13 They make sacrifices on the tops of the mountains.
They burn offerings on the hills,
under oaks, poplars and other trees.
They think the shade under those trees is nice.
So your daughters become prostitutes.
And your daughters-in-law are guilty of adultery.
14 “But I will not punish your daughters
when they become prostitutes.
I will not punish your daughters-in-law
for their sins of adultery.
I will not punish them
because you yourselves have sinned sexually with prostitutes.
You offer sacrifices with the temple prostitutes.
You foolish people are destroying yourselves.
15 “Israel, you act like a prostitute.
But don’t let Judah be guilty.
Don’t go to sacrifice at Gilgal.
Don’t go up to give offerings at Beth Aven.[b]
Don’t use the Lord’s name to make promises.
Don’t say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives . . .’
16 The people of Israel are stubborn
like a stubborn young cow.
How then can the Lord feed them
like lambs in a meadow?
17 Israel has chosen to worship idols.
So, let them.
18 Her rulers get drunk.
Then they give themselves to being prostitutes.
They love these disgraceful things.
19 They will be swept away as by a whirlwind.
Their sacrifices will bring them only shame.
121 I have done what is fair and right.
Don’t leave me to my enemies.
122 Promise that you will help me, your servant.
Don’t let proud people hurt me.
123 My eyes are tired from looking for your salvation
and for your good promise.
124 Show your love to me, your servant.
Teach me your demands.
125 I am your servant. Give me wisdom
so I can understand your rules.
126 Lord, it is time for you to do something.
People have disobeyed your teachings.
127 I love your commands
more than the purest gold.
128 I respect all your orders.
So I hate lying ways.
129 Your rules are wonderful.
That is why I obey them.
130 Learning your words gives wisdom
and understanding for the foolish.
131 I want to learn your commands.
I am like a person breathing hard and waiting impatiently.
132 Look at me and have mercy on me
as you do for those who love you.
133 Guide my steps as you promised.
Don’t let any sin control me.
134 Save me from harmful people.
Then I will obey your orders.
135 Show your kindness to me, your servant.
Teach me your demands.
136 Tears stream from my eyes
because people do not obey your teachings.
137 Lord, you do what is right.
And your laws are fair.
138 The rules you commanded are right
and completely trustworthy.
139 I am so upset I am worn out.
This is because my enemies have forgotten your words.
140 Your promises are proven.
I, your servant, love them.
141 I am unimportant and hated.
But I have not forgotten your orders.
142 Your goodness continues forever.
And your teachings are true.
143 I have had troubles and misery.
But I love your commands.
144 Your rules are good forever.
Help me understand so I can live.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.