M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Naboth’s Vineyard
21 Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 And Ahab said to Naboth, ‘Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.’ 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.’ 4 Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, ‘I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.’ He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.
5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, ‘Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?’ 6 He said to her, ‘Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, “Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it”; but he answered, “I will not give you my vineyard.”’ 7 His wife Jezebel said to him, ‘Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9 She wrote in the letters, ‘Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; 10 seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, “You have cursed God and the king.” Then take him out, and stone him to death.’ 11 The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. 13 The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, ‘Naboth cursed God and the king.’ So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. 14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, ‘Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.’
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, ‘Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.’ 16 As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
Elijah Pronounces God’s Sentence
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18 Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules[a] in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19 You shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?’ You shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.’
20 Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O my enemy?’ He answered, ‘I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, 21 I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel; 22 and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin. 23 Also concerning Jezebel the Lord said, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.” 24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat.’
25 (Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 26 He acted most abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.)
27 When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth over his bare flesh; he fasted, lay in the sackcloth, and went about dejectedly. 28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 ‘Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster on his house.’
A Life Pleasing to God
4 Finally, brothers and sisters,[a] we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus that, as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God (as, in fact, you are doing), you should do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication; 4 that each one of you knows how to control your own body[b] in holiness and honour, 5 not with lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one wrongs or exploits a brother or sister[c] in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, just as we have already told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever rejects this rejects not human authority but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters,[d] you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; 10 and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters[e] throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved,[f] to do so more and more, 11 to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, 12 so that you may behave properly towards outsiders and be dependent on no one.
The Coming of the Lord
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[g] about those who have died,[h] so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.[i] 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.[j] 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord for ever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Golden Image
3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was sixty cubits and whose width was six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent for the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counsellors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, to assemble and come to the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 3 So the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counsellors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces, assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. When they were standing before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up, 4 the herald proclaimed aloud, ‘You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, you are to fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire.’ 7 Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshipped the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 Accordingly, at this time certain Chaldeans came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, ‘O king, live for ever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble, shall fall down and worship the golden statue, 11 and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These pay no heed to you, O king. They do not serve your gods and they do not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in; so they brought those men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not worship the golden statue that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, drum, and entire musical ensemble to fall down and worship the statue that I have made, well and good.[a] But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be thrown into a furnace of blazing fire, and who is the god that will deliver you out of my hands?’
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to present a defence to you in this matter. 17 If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and out of your hand, O king, let him deliver us.[b] 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods and we will not worship the golden statue that you have set up.’
The Fiery Furnace
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was so filled with rage against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face was distorted. He ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times more than was customary, 20 and ordered some of the strongest guards in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So the men were bound, still wearing their tunics,[c] their trousers,[d] their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the furnace of blazing fire. 22 Because the king’s command was urgent and the furnace was so overheated, the raging flames killed the men who lifted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. 23 But the three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
The Prayer of Azariah in the Furnace
24 They walked around in the midst of the flames, singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. 25 Then Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud:
26 ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and worthy of praise;
and glorious is your name for ever!
27 For you are just in all you have done;
all your works are true and your ways right,
and all your judgements are true.
28 You have executed true judgements in all you have brought upon us
and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors;
by a true judgement you have brought all this upon us because of our sins.
29 For we have sinned and broken your law in turning away from you;
in all matters we have sinned grievously.
30 We have not obeyed your commandments,
we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us for our own good.
31 So all that you have brought upon us,
and all that you have done to us,
you have done by a true judgement.
32 You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels,
and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.
33 And now we cannot open our mouths;
we, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach.
34 For your name’s sake do not give us up for ever,
and do not annul your covenant.
35 Do not withdraw your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham your beloved
and for the sake of your servant Isaac
and Israel your holy one,
36 to whom you promised
to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven
and like the sand on the shore of the sea.
37 For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any other nation,
and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins.
38 In our day we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader,
no burnt-offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.
39 Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,
40 as though it were with burnt-offerings of rams and bulls,
or with tens of thousands of fat lambs;
such may our sacrifice be in your sight today,
and may we unreservedly follow you,[e]
for no shame will come to those who trust in you.
41 And now with all our heart we follow you;
we fear you and seek your presence.
42 Do not put us to shame,
but deal with us in your patience
and in your abundant mercy.
43 Deliver us in accordance with your marvellous works,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.
44 Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame;
let them be disgraced and deprived of all power,
and let their strength be broken.
45 Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,
glorious over the whole world.’
The Song of the Three Jews
46 Now the king’s servants who threw them in kept stoking the furnace with naphtha, pitch, tow, and brushwood. 47 And the flames poured out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, 48 and spread out and burned those Chaldeans who were caught near the furnace. 49 But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, 50 and made the inside of the furnace as though a moist wind were whistling through it. The fire did not touch them at all and caused them no pain or distress.
51 Then the three with one voice praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace:
52 ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors,
and to be praised and highly exalted for ever;
And blessed is your glorious, holy name,
and to be highly praised and highly exalted for ever.
53 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
and to be extolled and highly glorified for ever.
54 Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne on the cherubim,
and to be praised and highly exalted for ever.
55 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
and to be extolled and highly exalted for ever.
56 Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
and to be sung and glorified for ever.
57 ‘Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
58 Bless the Lord, you heavens;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
59 Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
60 Bless the Lord, all you waters above the heavens;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
61 Bless the Lord, all you powers of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
62 Bless the Lord, sun and moon;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
63 Bless the Lord, stars of heaven;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
64 ‘Bless the Lord, all rain and dew;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
65 Bless the Lord, all you winds;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
66 Bless the Lord, fire and heat;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
67 Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
68 Bless the Lord, dews and falling snow;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
69 Bless the Lord, ice and cold;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
70 Bless the Lord, frosts and snows;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
71 Bless the Lord, nights and days;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
72 Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
73 Bless the Lord, lightnings and clouds;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
74 ‘Let the earth bless the Lord;
let it sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
75 Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
76 Bless the Lord, all that grows in the ground;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
77 Bless the Lord, you springs;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
78 Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
79 Bless the Lord, you whales and all that swim in the waters;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
80 Bless the Lord, all birds of the air;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
81 Bless the Lord, all wild animals and cattle;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
82 ‘Bless the Lord, all people on earth;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
83 Bless the Lord, O Israel;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
84 Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
85 Bless the Lord, you servants of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
86 Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the righteous;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
87 Bless the Lord, you who are holy and humble in heart;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
88 ‘Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
For he has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the power[f] of death,
and delivered us from the midst of the burning fiery furnace;
from the midst of the fire he has delivered us.
89 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures for ever.
90 All who worship the Lord, bless the God of gods,
sing praise to him and give thanks to him,
for his mercy endures for ever.’
91 Hearing them sing, and amazed at seeing them alive, King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counsellors, ‘Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?’ They answered the king, ‘True, O king.’ 92 He replied, ‘But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god.’[g] 93 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!’ So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. 94 And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counsellors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their tunics[h] were not harmed, and not even the smell of fire came from them. 95 Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. They disobeyed the king’s command and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. 96 Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that utters blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins; for there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.’ 97 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
BOOK V
(Psalms 107–150)
Psalm 107
Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Many Troubles
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom,
prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labour;
they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom,
and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze,
and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick[b] through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards,
and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress,
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.