M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David’s Last Words
23 Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David the son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man who was raised on high,
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
and the favorite psalmist of Israel:
2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
and His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said,
the Rock of Israel spoke to me:
He who rules over man justly,
who rules in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
a morning with no clouds,
gleaming after the rain
like grass from the land.
5 Is not my house like this with God?
For He made an everlasting covenant with me,
ordered in all things and secure.
For this is all my salvation and all my desire;
will He not make it flourish?
6 But the worthless individual is like a thorn tossed away, all of them,
for they cannot be taken with the hand.
7 But the man who touches them
must have an iron implement and the shaft of a spear,
and they must be burned with fire on the spot.
David’s Mighty Warriors(A)
8 These are the names of the warriors whom David had:
Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the three.[a] He was also known as Adino the Eznite, on account of eight hundred slain on one occasion.
9 After him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of Ahohi. He was among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered together there to fight when the men of Israel withdrew. 10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the people returned only to plunder.
11 After him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered into a troop, where the plot of the field was full of lentils, and the people fled before the Philistines. 12 He took his stand in the midst of the plot of land, defended it, and defeated the Philistines. The Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Then three[b] of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at the cave of Adullam during the harvest. Now the Philistine army was in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time, David was in the stronghold while the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David said longingly, “O that someone would give me a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem by the gate!” 16 The three warriors breached the Philistine camp and drew up water from the well in Bethlehem by the gate, and they brought it to David. However, he was not willing to drink it, so he poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord. 17 He said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, to drink this, the blood of the men who risked their lives.” So he was not willing to drink it.
These things the three warriors did.
18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty.[c] He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and won a name beside the three. 19 Was he more honored than the three? He became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done great acts. He struck down two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. 21 He struck down an Egyptian, an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff, seized the spear from the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear. 22 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did and won for himself a name alongside the three. 23 He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. So David set him over his bodyguard.
24 Among the thirty were
Asahel the brother of Joab,
Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite,
Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27 Abiezer the Anathothite,
Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite,
Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ithai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of Benjamin,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,
Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash,
31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
of the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan,
33 Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maakathite,
Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35 Hezro the Carmelite,
Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal the son of Nathan from Zobah,
the son of Hagri,
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
39 and Uriah the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
Law or Faith
3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth? Before your eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified. 2 I want to learn only this from you: Did you receive the Spirit through the works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Have you endured so many things for nothing, if indeed it was for nothing? 5 Does God give you the Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith? 6 Even Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[a] 7 Therefore know that those who are of faith are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel in advance to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”[b] 9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under the curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the Book of the Law, to do them.”[c] 11 Now it is evident that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, for “The just shall live by faith.”[d] 12 But the law is not of faith, for “The man who does them shall live by them.”[e] 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by being made a curse for us—as it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”[f]— 14 so that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
The Law and the Promise
15 Brothers, I am speaking in human terms: Though it is only a man’s covenant, yet if it is ratified, no one annuls or adds to it. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and his Seed. He does not say, “and to seeds,” meaning many, but “and to your Seed,”[g] meaning one, who is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not annul the covenant that was ratified by God in Christ, so as to nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise. But God gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to whom the promise was made. And it was ordained through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator for only one party, but God is one.
Slaves and Sons
21 Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? God forbid! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, righteousness would indeed come through the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all things under sin, that the promise through faith in Jesus Christ[h] might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were imprisoned under the law, kept for the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 So the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 You are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, and there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
A Lament for Egypt
30 The word of the Lord came to me again, saying: 2 Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God:
Howl,
“Woe to the day!”
3 For the day is near,
even the day of the Lord is near,
a cloudy day,
it shall be the time of doom for the nations.
4 The sword shall come upon Egypt,
and great pain shall be in Ethiopia,
when the slain fall in Egypt,
they take away her wealth,
and her foundations are broken down.
5 Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, all Arabia, Kub, and the men of the land that is in league shall fall with them by the sword.
6 Thus says the Lord:
Indeed, those who uphold Egypt shall fall,
and the pride of her power shall come down.
From Migdol to Syene
they shall fall in her by the sword,
says the Lord God.
7 They shall be desolate
in the midst of the countries that are desolate,
and her cities shall be
in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
8 They shall know that I am the Lord
when I have set a fire in Egypt
and when all her helpers are destroyed.
9 In that day messengers shall go forth from Me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them as in the day of Egypt. For it is coming!
10 Thus says the Lord God:
I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease
by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
11 He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations,
shall be brought to destroy the land;
and they shall draw their swords against Egypt,
and fill the land with the slain.
12 I will make the rivers dry,
and sell the land into the hand of the wicked;
and I will make the land waste and all that is in it,
by the hand of strangers.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 Thus says the Lord God:
I will also destroy the idols,
and I will cause their images to cease from Memphis;
and no more shall there be a prince of the land of Egypt.
And I will put a fear in the land of Egypt.
14 I will make Pathros desolate,
and will set fire in Zoan,
and will execute judgments in Thebes.
15 I will pour out My fury upon Pelusium,
the strength of Egypt;
and I will cut off the multitude of Thebes.
16 I will set fire in Egypt;
Pelusium shall have great pain,
and Thebes shall be rent asunder,
and Memphis shall have distresses daily.
17 The young men of Heliopolis and of Bubastis
shall fall by the sword,
and the women shall go into captivity.
18 In Tahpanhes also the day shall be darkened,
when I break there the yokes of Egypt.
And the pomp of her strength shall cease in her;
as for her, a cloud shall cover her,
and her daughters shall go into captivity.
19 Thus I will execute judgments in Egypt,
and they shall know that I am the Lord.
A Prophecy Against Pharaoh
20 In the eleventh year, in the first month, on the seventh day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 21 Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And it has not been bound up to be healed or wrapped with a bandage to make it strong to hold the sword. 22 Therefore thus says the Lord God: I am against Pharaoh king of Egypt and will break his arms, both the strong and the broken. And I will cause the sword to fall out of his hand. 23 I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries. 24 For I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put My sword in his hand. But I will break the arms of Pharaoh so that he groans before him with the groanings of a wounded man. 25 So I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon, but the arms of Pharaoh shall fall down. Then they shall know that I am the Lord when I put My sword into the hand of the king of Babylon and he stretches it out upon the land of Egypt. 26 When I scatter the Egyptians among the nations and disperse them among the countries, then they shall know that I am the Lord.
38 But He being full of compassion
forgave their iniquity
and did not destroy them.
He constantly restrained His anger,
and did not stir up all His wrath;
39 for He remembered that they were but flesh,
like a wind that passes away and does not return.
40 How often they provoked Him in the wilderness
and grieved Him in the desert!
41 Yes, they tested God over and over,
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember His power,
nor the day when He delivered them from the enemy,
43 how He had performed His signs in Egypt
and His wonders in the fields of Zoan:
44 and He turned their rivers into blood,
so that they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which devoured them,
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave also their crops to the grasshopper
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail
and their sycamore trees with frost.
48 He gave up their cattle also to the hail
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He cast upon them the fierceness of His anger,
wrath, indignation, and trouble,
by sending angels bringing disaster.
50 He made a path for His anger;
He did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague,
51 And struck down all the firstborn in Egypt,
the first fruits of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 Then He led out His own people like sheep
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock;
53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid,
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 He brought them to the border of His holy land,
to the mountain that His right hand had acquired.
55 He cast out the nations also before them,
and divided for them their tribal allotments,
and made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.
56 Yet they tested and provoked the Most High God,
and did not keep His commands,
57 but turned back and acted unfaithfully like their fathers;
they turned aside like a deceitful bow.
58 For they provoked Him to anger with their high places
and moved Him to jealousy with their graven images.
59 When God heard this, He was full of wrath
and greatly rejected Israel
60 so that He left the tabernacle at Shiloh,
the tent where He lived among people,
61 and delivered His strength to captivity
and His glory into the enemy’s hand.
62 He gave His people over also to the sword;
He was enraged with His inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men,
and their maidens were not given to marriage in song.
64 Their priests fell by the sword,
and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord awoke as one out of sleep,
and like a mighty man who shouts because of wine.
66 He routed His enemies back,
and He made them a perpetual reproach.
67 Moreover, He rejected the tent of Joseph,
and He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loves.
69 He built His sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth that He has established perpetually.
70 He chose David His servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from following the nursing ewes He brought him
to shepherd Jacob His people,
and Israel His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart
and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.