M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 29
Gifts for the Temple.[a] 1 King David then said to the whole assembly, “My son, Solomon, is the one whom God has chosen. He is young and inexperienced, and the task is great. This is not a palace for a human, but it is for the Lord God.
2 “I have made preparations for the temple of the Lord, my God, with all my resources: the gold, the golden objects, the silver, the silver objects, the bronze, the bronze objects, the iron, the iron objects, the wood, the wood objects, the stone, the onyx for settings, the glistening stones of various colors, all types of precious stones, and marble, all of them in great quantities.
3 “Moreover, in my devotion to the temple of my God, I have given gold and silver from my own possessions for the temple of my God in addition to everything that I have prepared for the holy temple. 4 This includes three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings. 5 It is also for the gold and the gold objects, the silver and the silver objects, and all types of work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing today to consecrate himself to the Lord?”
6 The leaders of the ancestral clans and the tribes of Israel, the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, and the supervisors of the king’s work gave willingly. 7 They gave five thousand talents and ten thousand darics[b] of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 Any of those who had found precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord through Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced because they had willingly responded and had given with their whole hearts to the Lord, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
10 [c]David praised the Lord in front of the whole assembly, and David said:
“Blessed are you, O Lord,
the God of Israel,
our father forever and ever.
11 “Yours, O Lord, are greatness,
power, glory, strength, and majesty,
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all.
12 Wealth and honor are from you,
you reign over all.
In your hand are power and might;
it to is in your hand make great and to give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we thank you,
and we praise your glorious name.
14 But who am I, and what are your people,
that we should be able to do this?
All things belong to you,
and everything that we have given you is from your hand.
15 We are foreigners and aliens,
as all our fathers were before us.
Our days are like a shadow upon the earth,
none of them abide.
16 O Lord, our God,
all of this wealth that we have to build a temple for you
and for your holy name is from your hand,
and it all belongs to you.
17 I know, my God,
that you have tested my heart,
and that you are pleased with
the integrity of my heart.
I have willingly offered you all these things.
And now I have seen your people who are present here.
They joyfully and willingly make
this offering to you.
18 O Lord, God of our fathers,
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
keep this desire in the inner thoughts
of your people forever,
and make their hearts loyal to you.
19 Give my son Solomon a pure heart
so that he might observe your commandments, your ordinances, and your statutes,
and do everything to build the temple
for which I have made provision.”
20 David then said to the whole assembly, “Praise the Lord, your God!” The whole assembly praised the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed down their heads, and they fell prostrate before the Lord and the king.
21 On the next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord: one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, and one thousand lambs. There were drink offerings and other sacrifices in abundance for all of Israel. 22 They ate and drank before the Lord that day with great joy.[d]
Then they acknowledged Solomon, the son of David, as king a second time, and they anointed him before the Lord to be ruler and Zadok to be priest. 23 Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord in the place of David, his father. He prospered and everyone in Israel obeyed him. 24 All of the leaders and mighty men and all of King David’s sons paid obeisance to King Solomon. 25 The Lord exalted Solomon greatly before all of Israel, and he bestowed upon him majesty and royal dignity as no king in Israel had ever had before him.
26 David, the son of Jesse, reigned over all of Israel. 27 He ruled over Israel for forty years. He reigned for seven years in Hebron, and he reigned for thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 28 He died at a good, old age in the fullness of his years. He had enjoyed wealth and honor. Then Solomon, his son, reigned in his stead.
29 [e]As for the other deeds of King David, from the beginning to the end, they are written in the Book of Samuel the Seer, the Book of Nathan the Prophet, and in the Book of Gad the Seer, 30 along with all of the details of his reign and his might and his own times and those of Israel and of all the kingdoms of the other lands.
Chapter 3
The Fact of Christ’s Return
The Day of the Lord Will Come.[a] 1 Beloved, this is now the second letter I have written to you. In both of them I have tried to stir up your memories for a clear understanding 2 so that you might remember the words spoken in the past by the holy Prophets and by the apostles at the command of our Lord and Savior.
3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will appear who have led lives of indulgence. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ that was promised? Ever since our ancestors[b] died, everything has remained just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
5 [c]These people deliberately ignore the fact that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago, and that the earth stands out of water and in water. 6 Furthermore, by these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word, the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and the destruction of sinners.
8 But do not ignore this one fact, beloved: with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. 9 The Lord does not delay in keeping his promise, as some think in terms of delay, but he is patient with you. It is not his wish that any should perish but rather that all should be brought to repentance.
10 However, the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a mighty roar,[d] and the elements will be dissolved in flames, and the earth and all that it contains will be disclosed.
11 Wait for and Speed the Day of God.[e] Since everything is to be destroyed in this way, consider what sort of people you ought to be, living holy and saintly lives. 12 Wait for and speed the coming of the Day of God,[f] on which the heavens will be set ablaze and all the elements will melt because of the intense heat. 13 We eagerly await the promised new heavens and a new earth[g] in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, in expectation of all this, do everything possible to lead blameless lives that are above reproach so that he will find you at peace. 15 Think of our Lord’s patience as your opportunity to be saved;[h] our beloved brother Paul told you this when he wrote to you with the wisdom that was given to him, 16 speaking of it[i] in all his letters. In them, there are some things that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and the unstable distort in the same way that they distort the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Conclusion
17 Guard against Error and Grow in Grace. Therefore, beloved, you have been forewarned about this. Take care that you are not led astray by the errors of unprincipled people and thus lose your secure position. 18 Rather, grow in the grace and the knowledge[j] of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Doxology. To him be glory both now and for all eternity. Amen.
A New Trial against Israel
Chapter 6
My People, What Have I Done to You?
1 Listen to what the Lord has to say:
Arise and state your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hearken, you mountains, to the Lord’s accusations;
listen, you foundations that support the earth.
For the Lord has a case against his people;
he intends to present it to Israel.
3 O my people, what, have I done to you?
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I redeemed you from the place of slavery,
and I sent as your leaders
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
5 My people, remember the plan
that Balak, the king of Moab, devised,
and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered him.
Recall also your journey from Shittim[a] to Gilgal
so that you may know the saving justice of the Lord.
True Religion
6 With what will I come before the Lord
when I bow down before God on high?
Will I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Should I offer my firstborn son for my transgressions,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?[b]
8 The Lord has told you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
Only this: to do what is right, to show mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.[c]
Those Who Commit Fraud Will Themselves Be Frustrated
9 Consider carefully what the Lord cries out to the city,
for to fear his name is a mark of wisdom:
10 “Listen, you tribe of assembled citizens!
How can I ignore the false measure
and the accursed short bushel?
11 Can I overlook rigged scales
or a bag of fraudulent weights?
12 The wealthy men of the city are steeped in violence;
its inhabitants are liars
and their tongues speak deceitfully.
13 Therefore, I intend to strike you with devastation
because of your sins.
14 You will eat but not be satisfied,
for your stomach will continue to experience hunger.
You will acquire but be unable to save,
and what you do save,
I will deliver up to the sword.
15 You will sow
but you will not reap;
you will press the olives
but you will not anoint yourself with oil;
you will tread the grapes
but you will not drink the wine.
16 For you have kept the statutes of Omri
and all the practices of the house of Ahab;
you have adopted all their policies.
Therefore, I will make your land desolate
and your citizens an object of scorn.
From this time on
you will endure the scorn of other nations.”
Salvation—Joy and Torment of God[a]
Chapter 15
This Man Receives Sinners.[b] 1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus, 2 and the Pharisees and the scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
The Parable of the Lost Sheep.[c] 3 Therefore, he told them this parable: 4 “Which one of you, if you have a hundred sheep and lose one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he does find it, he lays it on his shoulders joyfully. 6 Then, when he returns home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin.[d] 8 “Or again, what woman who has ten silver coins[e] and loses one will not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching thoroughly until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I lost.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
11 The Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son.[f] Then he said: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that I will inherit.’ And so the father divided the property between them.
13 “A few days later the younger son gathered together everything he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissolute living. 14 When he had spent it all, a severe famine afflicted that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who sent him to his farm to feed the pigs.[g] 16 He would have willingly filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more food than they can consume, while here I am, dying of hunger. 18 I will depart from this place and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me like one of your hired workers.” ’
20 “So he set out for his father’s house. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the finest robe we have and put it on him. Place a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Then bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast. 24 For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, and now he has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now the elder son had been out in the fields, and as he returned and drew near the house, he could hear the sounds of music and dancing. 26 He summoned one of the servants and inquired what all this meant. 27 The servant replied, ‘Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ 28 The elder son then became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him, 29 but he said to his father in reply, ‘All these years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never once disobeyed your orders. Even so, you have never even given me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours returns after wasting his inheritance from you on prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him.’
31 “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are with me always, and everything I have is yours. 32 But it was only right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and now he has been found.’ ”
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