M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
18 2 David divideth his army into three parts. 9 Absalom is hanged, slain, and cast into a pit. 33 David lamenteth the death of Absalom.
1 Then David [a]numbered the people that were with him, and set over them captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds.
2 And David sent forth the third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and the third part under the hand of Abishai Joab’s brother, the son of Zeruiah: and the other third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the King said unto the people, I will go with you myself also.
3 But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not regard us, neither will they pass for us, though half of us were slain: but thou art [b]now worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succor us out of the city.
4 Then the king said unto them, What seemeth you best, that I will do. So the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.
5 And the king commanded Joab and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Entreat the young man Absalom gently for my sake. And all the people heard when the King gave all the Captains charge concerning Absalom.
6 So the people went out into the field to meet Israel, and the battle was in the [c]wood of Ephraim:
7 Where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David: so there was a great slaughter that day, even of twenty thousand.
8 ¶ For the battle was scattered over all the country: and the wood devoured much more people that day than did the sword.
9 ¶ Now Absalom met the servants of David, and Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule came under a great thick oak: and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up [d]between the heaven and the earth: and the mule that was under him went away.
10 And one that saw it, told Joab, saying, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.
11 Then Joab said unto the man that told him, And hast thou indeed seen? why then didst thou not there smite him to the ground, and I would have given thee ten (A)shekels of silver, and a girdle?
12 Then the man said unto Joab, Though I should [e]receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not lay mine hand upon the King’s son: for in our hearing the King charged thee, and Abishai, and Ittai, saying, Beware, lest any touch the young man Absalom.
13 If I had done it, it had been [f]the danger of my life: for nothing can be hid from the King: yea, thou thyself wouldest have been against me.
14 Then said Joab, I will not thus tarry with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them [g]through Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.
15 And ten servants that bare Joab’s armor, compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
16 Then Joab [h]blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for Joab held back the people.
17 And they took Absalom, and cast him into a great [i]pit in the wood, and laid a mighty great heap of stones upon him: and all Israel fled every one to his tent.
18 Now Absalom in his life time had taken and reared him up a pillar, which is in the (B)King’s dale: for he said, I have no [j]son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called unto this day, Absalom’s place.
19 ¶ Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, I pray thee, let me run and bear the King tidings that the Lord hath [k]delivered him out of the hand of his enemies.
20 And Joab said unto him, Thou [l]shalt not be the messenger today, but thou shalt bear tidings another time, but today thou shalt bear none: for the King’s son is dead.
21 Then said Joab to Cushi, Go, tell the King, what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab, and ran.
22 Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again to Joab, What, I pray thee, if I also run after Cushi? And Joab said, Wherefore now wilt thou run my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings to bring?
23 Yet what if I run? Then he said unto him, Run. So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overwent Cushi.
24 Now David sat between the two [m]gates. And the watchman went to the top of the gate upon the wall, and lift up his eyes, and saw, and behold, a man came running alone.
25 And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the King said, If he be alone, [n]he bringeth tidings. And he came apace, and drew near.
26 And the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called unto the potter, and said, Behold, another man runneth alone. And the King said, He also bringeth tidings.
27 And the watchman said, [o]Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. Then the King said, He is a [p]good man, and cometh with good tidings.
28 And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the King, Peace be with thee: and he fell down to the earth upon his face before the King, and said, Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath [q]shut up the men that lift up their hands against my Lord the King.
29 And the King said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the King’s [r]servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what.
30 And the King said unto him, Turn aside, and stand here: so he turned aside and stood still.
31 And behold, Cushi came, and Cushi said, [s]Tidings, my lord the King: for the Lord hath delivered thee this day out of the hand of all that rose against thee.
32 Then the King said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the King, and all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is.
33 And the King was [t]moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom: would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son.
11 2 He testifieth that for the great loves sake he beareth to the Corinthians, he is compelled 5 to utter his own praises: 9 and that he bestowed his labor on them without any reward, 13 that the false apostles should not surpass him in anything, 22 whom he far excelled in those things which are praiseworthy indeed.
1 Would [a]to God, ye could suffer a little my foolishness, and indeed, ye suffer me.
2 For I am jealous over you, with [b]godly jealousy: for I have prepared you for one husband, to [c]present you as a pure virgin to Christ:
3 But I fear lest as the (A)serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be [d]corrupt from the simplicity that is in [e]Christ:
4 [f]For if he that cometh, preacheth [g]another Jesus whom we have not preached: or if ye receive another spirit whom ye have not received: either another Gospel which ye have not received, ye might well have suffered him.
5 Verily I suppose that I was not inferior to the very chief Apostles.
6 [h]And though I be [i]rude in speaking, yet I am not so in knowledge, but among you we have been made manifest to the uttermost, in all things.
7 [j]Have I committed an offence, because I abased myself, that ye might be exalted, and because I preached to you the Gospel of God freely?
8 I robbed other Churches, and took wages of them to do you service.
9 And when I was present with you, and had need, (B)I was not slothful to the hindrance of any man: for that which was lacking unto me, the brethren which came from Macedonia, supplied, and in all things I kept, [k]and will keep myself, that I should not be grievous unto you.
10 The [l]truth of Christ is in me, that this rejoicing shall not be [m]shut up against me in the regions of Achaia.
11 Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
12 But what I do, that will I do, that I may cut away occasion from them which desire occasion, that they might be found like unto us in that wherein they [n]rejoice.
13 [o]For such false apostles are deceitful workers, and transform themselves into the Apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel: for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of [p]light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing, though his ministers transform themselves, as though they were the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
16 [q]I say again, Let no man think that I am foolish, or else take me even as a fool, that I also may boast myself a little.
17 That I speak, I speak it not after the Lord: but as it were foolishly, in this my great boasting.
18 Seeing that many rejoice after [the] flesh, I will rejoice also.
19 For ye suffer fools gladly, because that ye are wise.
20 [r]For ye suffer, even if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take your goods, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.
21 I speak as concerning the [s]reproach: as though that we had been [t]weak: but wherein any man is bold (I speak foolishly) I am bold also.
22 They are Hebrews, (C)so am I: they are Israelites, so am I: they are the seed of Abraham, so am I.
23 They are the ministers of Christ (I speak as a fool) I am [u]more: in labors more abundant: in stripes above measure: in prison more plenteously: in [v]death oft.
24 Of the Jews [w]five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 I was [x]thrice (D)beaten with rods: I was (E)once stoned: I suffered thrice (F)shipwreck: night and day have I been in the deep sea.
26 In journeying I was often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine own nation, in perils among the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren,
27 In weariness and [y]painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and in nakedness.
28 [z]Beside the things which are outward, I am cumbered daily, and have the care of all the Churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I burn not?
30 [aa]If I must needs rejoice, I will rejoice of mine infirmities.
31 The God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
32 In (G)Damascus the governor of the people under King Aretas, laid watch in the city of the Damascenes, and would have caught me.
33 But at a window was I let down in a basket through the wall, and escaped his hands.
25 2 The word of the Lord against Ammon, which rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem, 8 against Moab and Seir, Idumea and the Philistines.
1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them,
3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God, Thus saith the Lord God, Because thou saidest, [a]Ha, ha, against my Sanctuary, when it was polluted, and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate, and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity,
4 Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the [b]men of the East for a possession, and they shall set their [c]palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk:
5 And I will make [d]Rabbah a dwelling place for camels, and the Ammonites a sheepcote, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
6 For thus saith the Lord God, Because thou hast clapped the hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel,
7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee to be spoiled of the heathen, and I will root thee out from the people, and I will cause thee to be destroyed out of the countries, and I will destroy thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
8 Thus saith the Lord God, Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen,
9 Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab, even of the cities [e]of his cities, I say, in his frontiers with the pleasant country, Beth Jeshimoth, Baal Meon, and Kirjathaim.
10 I will call the men of the East against the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, so that the Ammonites shall no more be remembered among the nations.
11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab, and they shall know that I am the Lord.
12 ¶ Thus saith the Lord God, because that Edom hath done evil by taking vengeance upon the house of Judah, and hath committed great offence, and revenged himself upon them,
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and destroy man and beast out of it, and I will make it desolate from Teman, and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
14 And I will execute my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger, and according to mine indignation, and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God.
15 Thus saith the Lord God, Because the Philistines have executed vengeance, and revenged themselves with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred,
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God, behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the [f]Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the seacoast.
17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with rebukes of mine indignation, and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
73 1 The Prophet teacheth by his example that neither the worldly prosperity of the ungodly, 14 nor yet the affliction of the good ought to discourage God’s children: but rather ought to move us to consider our Father’s providence, and to cause us to reverence God’s judgments, 19 forasmuch as the wicked vanish away, 24 and the godly enter into life everlasting, 28 in hope whereof he resigneth himself into God’s hands.
A Psalm committed to Asaph.
1 Yet [a]God is good to Israel: even to the pure in heart.
2 As for me, my feet were almost gone: my steps had well near slipped.
3 For I fretted at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are [b]no bands in their death, but they are lusty and strong.
5 They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued with other men.
6 [c]Therefore pride is as a chain unto them, and cruelty covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out for fatness: [d]they have more than heart can wish.
8 They are licentious, and speak wickedly of their oppression: they talk presumptuously.
9 They [e]set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore his [f]people turn hither: for waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11 And they [g]say, How doth God know it? or is there knowledge in the most High?
12 Lo these are the wicked, yet prosper they always, and increase in riches.
13 Certainly I have cleansed mine heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocency.
14 For daily have I been punished, and chastened every morning.
15 If I say, [h]I will judge thus, behold the generation of thy children, I have trespassed.
16 Then thought I to know this, but it was too painful for me,
17 Until I went into the [i]Sanctuary of God: then understood I their end.
18 Surely thou hast set them in slippery places, and castest them down into desolation.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, perished and [j]horribly consumed,
20 As a dream when one awaketh! O Lord, when [k]thou raisest us up, thou shalt make their image despised.
21 Certainly mine heart was vexed, and I was pricked in my reins.
22 So foolish was I and ignorant: I was a [l]beast before thee.
23 Yet I was always [m]with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24 Thou wilt guide me by thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in [n]heaven but thee? and I have desired none in the earth with thee.
26 My flesh faileth and mine heart also: but God is the strength of mine heart, and my [o]portion forever.
27 For lo, that they withdraw themselves from thee, shall perish: thou destroyest all them that [p]go a whoring from thee.
28 As for me, it is good for me [q]to draw near to God: therefore I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
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