M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Becomes King Over Israel

11 The whole community of Israel came together to see David at Hebron. They said, “We are your own flesh and blood. ² In the past, Saul was our king. But you led the men of Israel in battle. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will be the shepherd over my people Israel. You will become their ruler.’ ”

³ All the elders of Israel came to see King David at Hebron. There he made a covenant with them in front of the Lord. They anointed David as king over Israel. It happened just as the Lord had promised through Samuel.

David Captures Jerusalem

⁴ David and all the men of Israel marched to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was also called Jebus. The Jebusites who lived there ⁵ said to David, “You won’t get in here.” But David captured the fort of Zion. It became known as the City of David.

⁶ David had said, “Anyone who leads the attack against the Jebusites will become the commander of Israel’s army.” Joab went up first. So he became the commander of the army. He was the son of Zeruiah.

⁷ David moved into the fort. So it was called the City of David. ⁸ He built up the city around the fort. He filled in the low places. He built a wall around it. During that time, Joab built up the rest of the city. ⁹ David became more and more powerful. That’s because the Lord who rules over all was with him.

David’s Mighty Warriors

¹⁰ The chiefs of David’s mighty warriors and the whole community of Israel helped David greatly. They helped him become king over the entire land. That’s exactly what the Lord had promised him. ¹¹ Here is a list of David’s mighty warriors.

Jashobeam was chief of the officers. He was a Hakmonite. He used his spear against 300 men. He killed all of them at one time.

¹² Next to him was Eleazar. He was one of the three mighty warriors. He was the son of Dodai, the Ahohite. ¹³ Jashobeam was with David at Pas Dammim. The Philistines had gathered there for battle. Israel’s troops ran away from the Philistines. At the place where that happened, there was a field full of barley. ¹⁴ The three mighty warriors took their stand in the middle of the field. They didn’t let the Philistines capture it. They struck them down. The Lord helped them win a great battle.

¹⁵ David was near the rock at the cave of Adullam. Three of the 30 chiefs came down to him there. A group of Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ At that time David was in his usual place of safety. Some Philistine troops were stationed at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David really wanted some water. He said, “I wish someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸ So the three mighty warriors fought their way past the Philistine guards. They got some water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem. They took the water back to David. But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord. ¹⁹ “I would never drink that water!” David said. “It would be like drinking the blood of these men. They put their lives in danger by going to Bethlehem.” The men had put their lives in danger by bringing the water back. So David wouldn’t drink it.

Those were some of the brave things the three mighty warriors did.

²⁰ Abishai was chief over the three mighty warriors. He was the brother of Joab. Abishai used his spear against 300 men. He killed all of them. So he became as famous as the three mighty warriors. ²¹ He was honored twice as much as the three mighty warriors. He became their commander. But he wasn’t included among them.

²² Benaiah was a great hero from Kabzeel. He was the son of Jehoiada. Benaiah did many brave things. He struck down two of Moab’s best fighting men. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day. He killed a lion there. ²³ And Benaiah struck down an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet tall. The Egyptian was holding a spear as big as a weaver’s rod. Benaiah went out to fight against him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand. Then he killed him with it. ²⁴ Those were some of the brave things Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, did. He too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. ²⁵ He was honored more than any of the 30 chiefs. But he wasn’t included among the three mighty warriors. And David put him in charge of his own personal guards.

²⁶ Here is a list of David’s mighty warriors.

Fighting Men Join David

12 Some fighting men came to David at Ziklag. They were among those who helped him in battle. David had been forced to hide from Saul, the son of Kish. ² The men were armed with bows. They were able to shoot arrows or throw stones from a sling with either hand. They were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. Here is a list of them.

⁸ Some men of Gad went over to David’s side at his usual place of safety in the desert. They were brave fighting men. They were ready for battle. They were able to use shields and spears. Their faces were like the faces of lions. They could run as fast as antelopes in the mountains.

¹⁴ All these men of Gad were army commanders. The least important of them was equal to 100 men. The most important was equal to 1,000. ¹⁵ They went across the Jordan River when it was flowing over its banks. That happened in the first month of spring. They chased away everyone who lived in the valleys. They chased them away from the east and west sides of the river.

¹⁶ Some men from the territories of Benjamin and Judah also came to David at his usual place of safety. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them. He said to them, “Have you come to me in peace? Have you come to help me? If you have, I’m ready for you to join me. But suppose you have come to hand me over to my enemies when I haven’t even harmed anyone. Then may the God of our people see it and judge you.”

¹⁸ The Spirit of God came on Amasai. He was leader of the 30 chiefs. He said,

So David welcomed them. He made them leaders in his army.

¹⁹ Some people from the tribe of Manasseh went over to David’s side. They did this when he marched out with the Philistines to fight against Saul. But David and his men didn’t help the Philistines. That’s because after all the Philistine rulers had discussed the matter, they sent him away. They said, “Suppose he deserts to his master Saul. Then our heads will be cut off!” ²⁰ So David went to Ziklag. Here are the men of Manasseh who went over to his side. They were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai. They were leaders of groups of 1,000 men in Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David fight against enemy armies. All the men of Manasseh were brave fighting men. They were commanders in David’s army. ²² Day after day men came to help David. Soon he had a large army. It was like the army of God.

Other Fighting Men Join David at Hebron

²³ Large numbers of men came to David at Hebron. They were prepared for battle. They came to hand Saul’s kingdom over to him, just as the Lord had said. Here are the numbers of the men who came.

³⁸ All these fighting men offered to serve in the army.

Before they came to Hebron, they had agreed completely to make David king over all the Israelites. All the rest of the people also agreed to make David king. ³⁹ The men spent three days there with David. They ate and drank what their families had given them. ⁴⁰ Their neighbors also brought food. They brought it on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. They came from as far away as the territories of Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali. There was plenty of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep. The Israelites brought all these things because they were so happy.

Final Appeals

13 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. ² Don’t forget to welcome outsiders. By doing that, some people have welcomed angels without knowing it. ³ Keep on remembering those in prison. Do this as if you were together with them in prison. And remember those who are treated badly as if you yourselves were suffering.

⁴ All of you should honor marriage. You should keep the marriage bed pure. God will judge the person who commits adultery. He will judge everyone who commits sexual sins. ⁵ Don’t be controlled by love for money. Be happy with what you have. God has said,

⁶ So we can say boldly,

⁷ Remember your leaders. They spoke God’s word to you. Think about the results of their way of life. Copy their faith. ⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

⁹ Don’t let all kinds of strange teachings lead you astray. It is good that God’s grace makes our hearts strong. Don’t try to grow strong by eating foods that the law requires. They have no value for the people who eat them. ¹⁰ The priests, who are Levites, worship at the holy tent. But we have an altar that they have no right to eat from.

¹¹ The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Room. He brings their blood as a sin offering. But the bodies are burned outside the camp. ¹² Jesus also suffered outside the city gate. He suffered to make the people holy by spilling his own blood. ¹³ So let us go to him outside the camp. Let us be willing to suffer the shame he suffered. ¹⁴ Here we do not have a city that lasts. But we are looking for the city that is going to come.

¹⁵ So let us never stop offering to God our praise through Jesus. Let us talk openly about our faith in him. Then our words will be like an offering to God. ¹⁶ Don’t forget to do good. Don’t forget to share with others. God is pleased with those kinds of offerings.

¹⁷ Trust in your leaders. Put yourselves under their authority. Do this, because they keep watch over you. They know they are accountable to God for everything they do. Do this, so that their work will be a joy. If you make their work a heavy load, it won’t do you any good.

¹⁸ Pray for us. We feel sure we have done what is right. We desire to live as we should in every way. ¹⁹ I beg you to pray that I may return to you soon.

Final Blessing and Greetings

²⁰ Our Lord Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep. The God who gives peace brought him back from the dead. He did it because of the blood of the eternal covenant. Now may God ²¹ supply you with everything good. Then you can do what he wants. May he do in us what is pleasing to him. We can do it only with the help of Jesus Christ. Give him glory for ever and ever. Amen.

²² Brothers and sisters, I beg you to accept my word. It tells you to be faithful. Accept my word because I have written to you only a short letter.

²³ I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been set free. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.

²⁴ Greet all your leaders. Greet all the Lord’s people.

The believers from Italy send you their greetings.

²⁵ May grace be with you all.

Amos Has Visions of Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

7 The Lord and King gave me a vision. He was bringing large numbers of locusts on the land. The king’s share had already been harvested. Now the later crops were coming up. ² The locusts stripped the land clean. Then I cried out, “Lord and King, forgive Israel! How can Jacob’s people continue? They are such a weak nation!”

³ So the Lord had pity on them.

“I will let them continue for now,” he said.

⁴ The Lord and King gave me a second vision. He was using fire to punish his people. It dried up the deep waters. It burned the land up. ⁵ Then I cried out, “Lord and King, please stop! How can Jacob’s people continue? They are such a weak nation!”

⁶ So the Lord had pity on them.

“I will let them continue for now,” the Lord and King said.

⁷ Then the Lord gave me a third vision. He was standing by a wall. It had been built very straight, all the way up and down. He was holding a plumb line. ⁸ The Lord asked me, “What do you see, Amos?”

“A plumb line,” I replied.

Then the Lord said, “Look at what I am doing. I am hanging a plumb line next to my people Israel. It will show how crooked they are. I will no longer spare them.

Amaziah Tells Amos to Stop Prophesying

¹⁰ Amaziah was priest of Bethel. He sent a message to Jeroboam, the king of Israel. He said, “Amos is making evil plans against you right here in Israel. The people in the land can’t stand to listen to what he’s saying. ¹¹ Amos is telling them,

¹² Then Amaziah said to Amos, “Get out of Israel, you prophet! Go back to the land of Judah. Earn your living there. Do your prophesying there. ¹³ Don’t prophesy here at Bethel anymore. This is where the king worships. The main temple in the kingdom is located here.”

¹⁴ Amos answered Amaziah, “I was not a prophet. I wasn’t even the son of a prophet. I was a shepherd. I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. ¹⁵ But the Lord took me away from taking care of the flock. He said to me, ‘Go. Prophesy to my people Israel.’ ¹⁶ Now then, listen to the Lord’s message. You say,

¹⁷ “But the Lord says,

Jesus Is Born

2 In those days, Caesar Augustus made a law. It required that a list be made of everyone in the whole Roman world. ² It was the first time a list was made of the people while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ Everyone went to their own town to be listed.

⁴ So Joseph went also. He went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea. That is where Bethlehem, the town of David, was. Joseph went there because he belonged to the family line of David. ⁵ He went there with Mary to be listed. Mary was engaged to him. She was expecting a baby. ⁶ While Joseph and Mary were there, the time came for the child to be born. ⁷ She gave birth to her first baby. It was a boy. She wrapped him in large strips of cloth. Then she placed him in a manger. That’s because there was no guest room where they could stay.

⁸ There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby. It was night, and they were taking care of their sheep. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news. It will bring great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² Here is how you will know I am telling you the truth. You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a large group of angels from heaven also appeared. They were praising God. They said,

¹⁵ The angels left and went into heaven. Then the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the baby. The baby was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ After the shepherds had seen him, they told everyone. They reported what the angel had said about this child. ¹⁸ All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. She thought about them over and over. ²⁰ The shepherds returned. They gave glory and praise to God. Everything they had seen and heard was just as they had been told.

²¹ When the child was eight days old, he was circumcised. At the same time he was named Jesus. This was the name the angel had given him before his mother became pregnant.

Joseph and Mary Take Jesus to the Temple

²² The time came for making Mary “clean” as required by the Law of Moses. So Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem. There they presented him to the Lord. ²³ In the Law of the Lord it says, “The first boy born in every family must be set apart for the Lord.” (Exodus 13:2,12) ²⁴ They also offered a sacrifice. They did it in keeping with the Law, which says, “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” (Leviticus 12:8)

²⁵ In Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was a good and godly man. He was waiting for God’s promise to Israel to come true. The Holy Spirit was with him. ²⁶ The Spirit had told Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ The Spirit led him into the temple courtyard. Then Jesus’ parents brought the child in. They came to do for him what the Law required. ²⁸ Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said,

³³ The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them. He said to Mary, Jesus’ mother, “This child is going to cause many people in Israel to fall and to rise. God has sent him. But many will speak against him. ³⁵ The thoughts of many hearts will be known. A sword will wound your own soul too.”

³⁶ There was also a prophet named Anna. She was the daughter of Penuel from the tribe of Asher. Anna was very old. After getting married, she lived with her husband seven years. ³⁷ Then she was a widow until she was 84. She never left the temple. She worshiped night and day, praying and going without food. ³⁸ Anna came up to Jesus’ family at that moment. She gave thanks to God. And she spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the time when Jerusalem would be set free.

³⁹ Joseph and Mary did everything the Law of the Lord required. Then they returned to Galilee. They went to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong. He was very wise. He was blessed by God’s grace.

The Boy Jesus at the Temple

⁴¹ Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast. ⁴² When Jesus was 12 years old, they went up to the feast as usual. ⁴³ After the feast was over, his parents left to go back home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But they were not aware of it. ⁴⁴ They thought he was somewhere in their group. So they traveled on for a day. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵ They did not find him. So they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting with the teachers. He was listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ Everyone who heard him was amazed at how much he understood. They also were amazed at his answers. ⁴⁸ When his parents saw him, they were amazed. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been worried about you. We have been looking for you everywhere.”

⁴⁹ “Why were you looking for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what he meant by that.

⁵¹ Then he went back to Nazareth with them, and he obeyed them. But his mother kept all these things like a secret treasure in her heart. ⁵² Jesus became wiser and stronger. He also became more and more pleasing to God and to people.