M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Saul’s Disobedience
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “(A)Yahweh sent me to anoint you as king over His people, over Israel; so now, [a]obey the voice of the words of Yahweh. 2 Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘I will [b]punish Amalek (B)for what he did to Israel, how he set himself against him on the way while he was coming up from Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and (C)devote to destruction all that he has, and do not spare him; but (D)put to death both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
4 Then Saul summoned the people and [c]numbered them in (E)Telaim, 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men of Judah. 5 And Saul came to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley. 6 And Saul said to (F)the Kenites, “Go, depart; go down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; (G)you showed lovingkindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up from Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 7 So (H)Saul struck the Amalekites, from (I)Havilah as you go to (J)Shur, which is [d]east of Egypt. 8 And he seized (K)Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and (L)devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people (M)spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and they were not willing to devote them to destruction; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.
Yahweh Regrets He Made Saul King
10 Then the word of Yahweh came to Samuel, saying, 11 “(N)I regret that I have made Saul king, for (O)he has turned back from [e]following Me and has not established My words.” And Samuel became angry and (P)cried out to Yahweh all night. 12 Then Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told to Samuel, saying, “Saul came to (Q)Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on [f]down to (R)Gilgal.” 13 And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “(S)Blessed are you of Yahweh! I have established the word of Yahweh.” 14 But Samuel said, “(T)What then is this sound of the sheep in my ears and the sound of the oxen which I am hearing?” 15 And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for (U)the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God; but the rest we have devoted to destruction.” 16 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Wait, and let me tell you what Yahweh spoke to me last night.” And he said to him, “Speak!”
17 And Samuel said, “Is it not true, (V)though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And Yahweh anointed you king over Israel, 18 and Yahweh sent you on a [g]mission and said, ‘(W)Go and devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ 19 Why then did you not [h]obey the voice of Yahweh, (X)but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh?”
20 Then Saul said to Samuel, “(Y)I did [i]obey the voice of Yahweh and went on the way on which Yahweh sent me and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek and have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. 21 But (Z)the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to Yahweh your God at Gilgal.” 22 And Samuel said,
“(AA)Has Yahweh as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obeying the voice of Yahweh?
Behold, (AB)to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of (AC)divination,
And insubordination is as (AD)wickedness and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh,
(AE)He has also rejected you from being king.”
24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “(AF)I have sinned; (AG)I have indeed trespassed against the [j]command of Yahweh and your words because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 25 So now, (AH)please forgive my sin and return with me, that I may worship Yahweh.” 26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you; for (AI)you have rejected the word of Yahweh, and Yahweh has rejected you from being king over Israel.” 27 Then Samuel turned to go, but (AJ)Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “(AK)Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. 29 Also the (AL)Eternal One of Israel (AM)will not lie or have regret; for He is not a man that He should have regret.” 30 Then he said, “I have sinned; (AN)but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, (AO)that I may worship Yahweh your God.” 31 So Samuel returned, following after Saul, and Saul worshiped Yahweh.
32 Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag near to me, the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him [k]in chains. And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death has departed.” 33 But Samuel said, “(AP)As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before Yahweh at Gilgal.
34 Then Samuel went to (AQ)Ramah, but Saul went up to his house at (AR)Gibeah of Saul. 35 (AS)So Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel (AT)grieved over Saul. And Yahweh regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.
Be Subject to Government
13 Every [a](A)person is to be in (B)subjection to the governing authorities. For (C)there is no authority except [b]from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God. 2 Therefore [c]whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For (D)rulers are not a cause of fear for [d]good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of that authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, an (E)avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of that wrath, but also because of (F)conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 (G)Render to all what is due them: (H)tax to whom tax is due; (I)custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for (J)he who loves [e]his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “(K)You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, “(L)You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does not work evil against a neighbor; therefore (M)love is the fulfillment of the Law.
11 And do this, knowing the time, that it is (N)already the hour for you to (O)awaken from sleep; for now [f]salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 (P)The night is almost gone, and (Q)the day is at hand. Therefore let us lay aside (R)the deeds of darkness and put on (S)the armor of light. 13 Let us (T)walk properly as in the day, (U)not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But (V)put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh (W)in regard to its lusts.
The Anger of Yahweh Towards Judah
52 (A)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was [a](B)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of (C)Libnah. 2 And he did (D)what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that (E)Jehoiakim had done. 3 For through the (F)anger of Yahweh this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah (G)rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 (H)Now it happened in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his military force, against Jerusalem, and they camped against it and built a (I)siege wall all around [b]it. 5 (J)So the city came under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the (K)fourth month, the (L)famine was so strong in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 7 Then the city was (M)breached, and all the (N)men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were [c](O)all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the military force of the Chaldeans pursued the king and (P)overtook Zedekiah in the [d]plains of Jericho, and all his military force was scattered from him. 9 Then they seized the king and (Q)brought him up to the king of Babylon at (R)Riblah in the land of (S)Hamath, and he [e]spoke his judgment on him. 10 Then the king of Babylon (T)slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the [f]princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he (U)blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.
12 (V)Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the (W)nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, (X)Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 13 And he (Y)burned the house of Yahweh, the (Z)king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. 14 So all the military force of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard (AA)tore down all the walls around Jerusalem. 15 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard (AB)took away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who remained in the city, the [g](AC)defectors who had defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the artisans. 16 But (AD)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had some of the poorest of the land remain to be vinedressers and [h]plowmen.
17 Now the bronze (AE)pillars which belonged to the house of Yahweh and the (AF)stands and the bronze (AG)sea, which were in the house of Yahweh, the Chaldeans shattered and carried all their bronze to Babylon. 18 They also took away the (AH)pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the bowls, the [i]pans, and all the bronze vessels which were used to minister. 19 And the captain of the guard also took away the (AI)cups, the firepans, the bowls, the pots, the lampstands, the [j]pans, and the offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver. 20 The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under [k]the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of Yahweh—the bronze of all these vessels was (AJ)beyond weight. 21 As for the pillars, the (AK)height of each pillar was [l]eighteen cubits, and [m]it was twelve cubits in (AL)circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. 22 Now a (AM)capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and (AN)pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. 23 There were ninety-six [n]exposed pomegranates; all (AO)the pomegranates numbered one hundred on the network all around.
24 Then the captain of the guard took (AP)Seraiah the chief priest and (AQ)Zephaniah the second priest, with the three [o](AR)doorkeepers of the temple. 25 And from the city he took one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven [p]of the (AS)king’s advisers who were found in the city, and the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. 26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and (AT)led them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 27 Then the king of Babylon (AU)struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah (AV)went into exile from its land.
28 These are the people whom (AW)Nebuchadnezzar took away into exile: in the [q]seventh year 3,023 Jews; 29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; 30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, (AX)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took away into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.
31 (AY)Now it happened in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that [r]Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, (AZ)lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison; 32 (BA)and he spoke to him good words, and he set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 33 So [s]Jehoiachin (BB)changed his prison clothes and [t](BC)had his meals in [u]the king’s presence continually all the days of his life. 34 For his allowance, a (BD)continual allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.
Into Your Hand I Commit My Spirit
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
31 (A)In You, O Yahweh, I have taken refuge;
Let me never (B)be ashamed;
(C)In Your righteousness protect me.
2 (D)Incline Your ear to me, deliver me quickly;
Be to me a (E)rock of [a]strength,
A fortress to save me.
3 For You are my [b](F)high rock and my fortress;
For (G)Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
4 You will (H)bring me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my (I)strength.
5 (J)Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have (K)ransomed me, O Yahweh, (L)God of truth.
6 I hate those who (M)regard worthless idols,
But I (N)trust in Yahweh.
7 I will (O)rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,
Because You have (P)seen my affliction;
You have known the troubles of my soul,
8 And You have not (Q)given me over into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place.
9 Be gracious to me, O Yahweh, for (R)I am in distress;
My (S)eye is wasted away from grief, (T)my soul and [c]my body also.
10 For my life is worn down with (U)sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My (V)strength fails because of my iniquity,
And (W)my bones waste away.
11 Among all my adversaries, I have become a (X)reproach,
Especially to my (Y)neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I am (Z)forgotten like a dead man—out of [d]mind—
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard [e](AA)the bad report of many,
(AB)Terror is on every side;
While they (AC)took counsel together against me,
They (AD)schemed to take my life.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Yahweh,
I say, “(AE)You are my God.”
15 My (AF)times are in Your hand;
(AG)Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who pursue me.
16 Make Your (AH)face to shine upon Your slave;
(AI)Save me in Your lovingkindness.
17 O Yahweh, let me not be (AJ)put to shame, for I call upon You;
Let the (AK)wicked be put to shame, let them (AL)be silent in Sheol.
18 Let the (AM)lying lips be mute,
Which (AN)speak arrogantly against the righteous
With lofty pride and contempt.
19 How great is Your (AO)goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have worked for those who (AP)take refuge in You,
(AQ)Before the sons of men!
20 You hide them in the (AR)secret place of Your presence from the (AS)conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a [f]shelter from the (AT)strife of tongues.
21 (AU)Blessed be Yahweh,
For He has made (AV)marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged (AW)city.
22 As for me, (AX)I said in my alarm,
“I am (AY)cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless, You (AZ)heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You for help.
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