M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 13
The Ark Is Returned to Jerusalem.[a] 1 After David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds and with all of the leaders, 2 he spoke to the assembly of Israel, saying, “If you feel that this is good, for the Lord, our God, has willed it, then let us send messengers to the rest of our brethren throughout the land of Israel, including the priests and the Levites who are in their cities and pastures, so that they can come and join us. 3 Let us bring the Ark of God to where we are, for they did not make inquiry at it during the reign of Saul.”
4 The whole assembly said that they would do this, for all of the people considered it to be the right thing to do. 5 David assembled all of Israel, from the Shihor[b] in Egypt up to Lebo-hamath, to bring the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 David and all of the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah, that is, Kiriath-jearim, to bring up from there the Ark of God, the Lord, who dwells between the cherubim where his name is proclaimed. 7 They carried the Ark of the Lord on a new cart to the house of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart. 8 David and all of Israel played before the Lord with all their might, singing and playing on the harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to grab the Ark because the oxen had stumbled. 10 The Lord’s anger blazed against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had touched the Ark.[c] He died there before the Lord. 11 David was disturbed because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, which is why that place is called Perez-uzzah up to the present day.
12 David was afraid of the Lord that day, saying, “How shall I bring the Ark of God to myself?” 13 He did not take the Ark with him into the City of David. He had it carried into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 The Ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom, in his house, for three months. The Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that he owned.
Chapter 14
David in Jerusalem. 1 Now Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, along with cedar wood, masons, and carpenters to build him a palace. 2 David knew that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.
3 In Jerusalem David married more wives, and he had more sons and daughters. 4 These were the names of the children who were born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
David’s Victory over the Philistines. 8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all of Israel, all of the Philistines went up to seek out David. David heard about it and went out to meet them. 9 The Philistines arrived and spread themselves out in the Valley of Rephaim.
10 David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go out against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered them, “Go up, I will deliver them into your hands.”[d]
11 They went up to Baal-perazim, and there David defeated them. David said, “God has broken my enemies by my hand, just as when waters break forth.” This is why that place is called Baal-perazim. 12 They had left their gods there, and David gave an order that they be burned in the fire.
13 Still another time the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley. 14 David inquired of God again, and God said to him, “Do not attack them directly, but circle around them and attack them from behind the balsam trees. 15 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, go forth into battle, for God has gone forth before you to strike down the Philistines.”
16 David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer. 17 David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord caused all of the nations to fear him.
Salutation
Chapter 1
Greeting.[a] 1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: greetings.
Exhortation To Practice Patience
Trials—the Test of a Faith in Progress.[b] 2 My brethren, consider it a cause of great joy whenever you endure various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith will develop perseverance. 4 And let perseverance complete its work so that you may become perfect and complete, and not be deficient in any respect.
A Believer’s Prayer.[c] 5 If someone among you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he is to ask with faith, without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed about by the wind. 7 A man like that should not think that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8 since he is of two minds and inconsistent in everything he does.
Rich and Poor.[d] 9 The brother who is in modest circumstances should take pride in being raised up. 10 Likewise, the one who is rich should glory in being brought low, for he will disappear like a flower of the field. 11 Once the sun comes up with its scorching rays and withers the grass, its flower droops and its beauty vanishes. So too the rich man will fade away in the midst of his affairs.
12 Trials and Temptations. Blessed is the man who perseveres when he is tempted, for when he has been proven, he will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.[e]
13 [f]While experiencing temptation, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14 Rather, temptation occurs when someone is attracted and seduced by his own desire. 15 Then the desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and that sin, when it reaches full growth, gives birth to death.
16 Light and Life.[g] Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good act of giving and every perfect gift are from above, coming down from the Father of all light. With him there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. 18 By his own choice he gave us birth through the way of truth so that we may be a kind of firstfruits of all his creation.
Exhortation To Practice Faith
19 Living by God’s Word.[h] Remember this, my beloved brethren: everyone should be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to anger. 20 For human anger does not bring about the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore, rid yourselves of everything sordid and of every wicked excess, and welcome in all humility the word that is implanted in you and is able to save your souls.
22 Be doers of the word and not just hearers who only deceive themselves. 23 For anyone who listens to the word and fails to do it is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror. 24 After seeing his reflection, he goes off and immediately forgets what he looked like. 25 However, the one who looks intently at the perfect law of freedom and perseveres—not forgetting what he has heard but putting it into practice—will be blessed in everything he does.
26 If anyone thinks that he is religious but does not restrain his tongue, he is deceiving himself, and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and undefiled is this: to come to the aid of orphans and widows in their hardships and to keep oneself untarnished by the world.
Chapter 8
The Vision of the Fruit Basket.[a] 1 This is what the Lord God showed me: a basket of ripe fruit. 2 He asked, “What do you see, Amos?” I replied, “A basket of ripe fruit.” Then the Lord said to me:
The time is ripe for my people Israel;
I will never again pardon their offenses.
3 The songs of the temple shall become wailings on that day;
there will be corpses strewn everywhere.
Be silent! Thus says the Lord God.
Listen, You Who Crush the Poor
4 Hear this, you who crush the needy
and trample upon the poor of the land.
5 “When will the new moon be over,” you ask,
“so that we may sell our grain,
and the Sabbath,
so that we may market our wheat?
Then we can make the bushel measure smaller
and increase the shekel-weight
by adjusting the scales fraudulently.
6 We can buy the poor man for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals;
we can even sell the refuse of the wheat.”
7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Never will I forget any of their deeds.
8 Will not the land tremble because of this?
Will not everyone mourn who dwells in it?
The whole earth will rise like the Nile,
swelling and then subsiding
like the River of Egypt.
I Will Turn Your Feasts into Mourning
9 On that day, says the Lord God,
I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning,
and all your songs into lamentation.
I will make you cover your loins with sackcloth
and shave your heads.
I will make it like mourning for an only son
and the end of it like a bitter day.[b]
11 The days are surely coming, says the Lord God,
when I will send a famine upon the land,
not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water,
but for hearing the word of the Lord.
12 People will stagger from sea to sea
and wander from north to east,
in search of the word of the Lord,
but they will not find it.
13 On that day, fair maidens and young men
will faint from thirst.
14 Those who swear by the shameful idol of Samaria
and say, “As your god lives, O Dan,”
and, “By the sacred path to Beer-sheba,”
will all fall and never rise again.[c]
The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry[a]
Chapter 3
The Ministry of John the Baptist. 1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias[b] was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,[c] the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. 3 He journeyed throughout the entire region of the Jordan valley, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
and every mountain and hill shall be leveled;
the winding roads shall be straightened
and the rough paths made smooth,
6 and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
7 He admonished the crowds who came out to be baptized by him: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Produce good fruits as proof of your repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 9 Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10 When the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11 he said to them in reply, “Anyone who has two coats must share with the person who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors were coming to him to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He answered them, “Cease collecting more than the amount prescribed.” 14 Some soldiers also asked him, “What about us? What should we do?” He replied, “Do not extort money from anyone, do not falsely accuse or threaten anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.”
15 As the people began to experience a feeling of expectancy, they all wondered in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. 16 John answered, telling them all: “I baptize you with water, but there is one coming who is more powerful than I am. I am not worthy to loosen the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
19 But Herod the tetrarch, after having been rebuked by John because of his affair with Herodias, his brother’s wife, in addition to all the other evil deeds he had done, 20 added still this, that he put John in prison.[d]
21 The Baptism of Jesus.[e] After John had baptized all the people, and while Jesus was engaged in prayer after also having been baptized, heaven opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.”
23 The Genealogy of Jesus.[f] When Jesus began his ministry, he was about thirty years old. He was the son, as it was thought, of Joseph,[g]
the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melchi,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias,
the son of Semein, the son of Josech,
the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan,
the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel,
the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua,
the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah,
the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed,
the son of Boaz, the son of Sala,
the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab,
the son of Admin,
the son of Arni, the son of Hezron,
the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac,
the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad,
the son of Shem, the son of Noah,
the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel,
the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
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