M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 7
Solomon’s Palace.[a] 1 Now Solomon took thirteen years to completely finish building his own palace. 2 He built the palace out of Lebanon wood. It was one hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. It was built upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams stretching out upon the pillars. 3 It was roofed with cedar that lay over the beams that rested on the pillars. There were forty-five beams, fifteen in a row. 4 Its windows were set high in the wall in sets of three, each set facing the other. 5 All of the doorways and windows had rectangular frames, with the windows facing each other in sets of three.
6 He made a hall of pillars. It was fifty cubits long and thirty cubits wide. There was a porch in front of it with other pillars and covered over by a canopy.
7 There was a throne room, the hall of justice, where he would sit in judgment. He covered it with cedar from floor to ceiling. 8 The palace in which he lived had another court inside the hall which had the same design. Solomon also built another palace like this hall for Pharaoh’s daughter whom he wed.
9 All of these, from the outside to the great courtyard, and from the foundations to the eaves, were built with costly stone that had been trimmed with saws on the inside and outside edges. 10 The foundations were laid with costly stones that were quite large, some being ten cubits and some eight cubits. 11 Above these were costly stone, cut to measure, and cedar beams.
12 The great courtyard was surrounded by three layers of cut stone and one layer of cedar beams, as was the inner courtyard of the temple of the Lord and its porch.
13 [b]King Solomon brought back Hiram from Tyre. 14 His mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father had been a craftsman from Tyre who worked in bronze. He was wise and knowledgeable and a skilled craftsman with all varieties of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all of his work.
15 He cast two bronze pillars, each of them measured eighteen cubits high and twelve cubits in circumference.[c] 16 He also cast two bronze capitals to be set on the top of the pillars. Each of the capitals was five cubits high. 17 A network of chains decorated the capitals on top of the pillars, seven on each of the capitals. 18 He made two rows of pomegranates which covered the network upon the capitals on top of the pillars. He did this on each of the capitals. 19 The capitals on top of the pillars that were in the porch were in the shape of lilies, four cubits high. 20 Upon each of the capitals of the two pillars, on the outwardly curved surface between the network, there were two rows of pomegranates, two hundred in all. 21 He erected the pillars in the porch of the temple. He erected the pillar on the right and called it Jachin, and he erected the pillar on the left and called it Boaz. 22 On the top of the pillars there was lily work. Thus, the work on the pillars was completed.
23 Then he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one edge to the other. It was five cubits high, and thirty cubits in circumference. 24 Under the brim of its circumference there were gourds, ten to a cubit. There were two rows of gourds all around the sea, the gourds having been cast when the rest of it was cast. 25 It stood upon twelve oxen, three facing to the north, three facing to the west, three facing to the south, and three facing to the east. The sea rested upon them, and their hindquarters were on the inside. 26 It was a handsbreath thick, and its brim was like the brim of a cup, like a lily blossom. It held two thousand baths.
27 He also made ten bronze carts. Each cart was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high. 28 This is how the carts were made. They had panels, and the panels were set in frames. 29 There were lions, oxen, and cherubim on the panels between the frames. On the top of the frames was a stand. Below the lions and the oxen there were embossed wreaths.
30 Each cart had four bronze wheels and bronze axles. There were supports for a basin at the four corners. The supports were cast with wreaths on either side. 31 The opening at the top of the cart was one cubit, and the opening was round, shaped like a pedestal, and it was one and a half cubits deep. There were carvings around the opening. The panels of the cart were square and not round.
32 The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles for the wheels were attached to the cart. Each wheel was one and a half cubits high. 33 The wheels were made like chariot wheels, with axles, rims, spokes, and hubs, all of which were made from cast metal.
34 Each cart had four handles, one on each corner, the handles being one piece with the cart. 35 There was a circular band a half a cubit high at the top of the cart. The supports and the panels were attached to the top of the cart. 36 He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surface of the supports and the panels wherever he could, with wreaths all around them.
37 This is how he made the ten carts. They were all cast from one mold, so they were the same size and shape. 38 He then made ten bronze basins. Each basin held forty baths and was four cubits across. There was one basin for each of the ten carts.
39 He placed five of the stands at the right side of the temple, and five of the stands on the left side of the temple. He placed the sea on the right side of the temple, toward the southeast.
40 Hiram also made basins, and shovels, and bowls. Thus Hiram completed all of the work that he was doing for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowl-shaped capitals that were on the top of the two pillars, the two networks that covered the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the two pillars, 42 the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks, two rows of pomegranates for each of the networks that covered the two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars,[d] 43 the ten carts, and the ten basins upon the carts, 44 one sea, and the twelve oxen under the sea, 45 the pots, the shovels, and the basins.
All of the utensils that Hiram made for King Solomon for the temple of the Lord were made from bright bronze. 46 The king cast them in the plain of the Jordan, in the clay ground that lie between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 Solomon did not weigh any of these utensils because there were too many of them; the weight of the bronze used in them was not determined.
48 Solomon also made all of the furnishings that were in the temple of the Lord: the golden altar; the golden table upon which they laid the shewbread; 49 the lampstands made of pure gold, five on the right side and five on the left side; the flower work, the lamps, and the tongs, all made of gold; 50 the bowls, the snuffers, the sprinkling bowls, the spoons, and the censors, all made from pure gold; and the golden hinges for the inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the main part of the temple.
51 When King Solomon had completed all of the work on the temple of the Lord, Solomon brought in the things that David, his father, had dedicated: the silver, the gold, and the furnishings. He placed them in the treasury of the temple of the Lord.
New Life in the Church
For Christians in General[a]
Chapter 4
Christian Unity and Maturity.[b] 1 Therefore, as a prisoner for the Lord, I implore you to behave in a manner worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in a spirit of love. 3 Make every possible effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, as well as one hope to which you have been called by your vocation, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure in which Christ allotted it. 8 Therefore, it is written,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he took prisoners into captivity
and gave gifts to men.”
9 Now the word “ascended” implies that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth. 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.
11 It was he who established some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,[c] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry in building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us attain to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to full maturity, as measured by the full stature of Christ.
14 In this way, we will no longer be like children, tossed back and forth by the waves and swept along by every new wind of teaching, emanating from human cunning and craftiness and leading people into error. 15 Rather, professing truth and love, we will in all things grow into him who is the head, Christ. 16 From him, the entire body, joined and held together by every ligament, continues to grow and to build itself up in love, as each part performs its particular function.
17 The Newness of the Christian Life. Therefore, I declare and attest in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and their hardness of heart. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have abandoned themselves to vice, committing every kind of impurity in growing excess.
20 That is not how you learned Christ. 21 Clearly, you were told about him and were taught what the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to cast aside the old self of your former way of life that had been corrupted by its captivating desires. 23 You are to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self created in God’s image, in the way of uprightness and holiness that belong to the truth.
25 A Life Based on Love. Therefore, cease your lying and speak the truth to each other, for we are all members of one another. 26 If you are angry, do not sin. Do not let the sun set on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an opening. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must no longer do so; rather, let him labor, performing some honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with those in need.
29 Let no foul word ever pass your lips. Say only what is useful for edification, so that your words may benefit your listeners. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal for the day of redemption. 31 Remove all forms of bitterness and wrath and anger and shouting and slander, as well as all malice from your lives. 32 Rather, be kind to one another and compassionate, and forgive one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Chapter 37
Vision of the Dry Bones.[a] 1 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he carried me away by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley that was full of bones. 2 He made me walk among them in every direction so that I would be aware how great was the number of these bones on the floor of the valley, and they were exceedingly dry.
3 He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I replied, “Lord God, only you can know that.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I am going to cause breath to enter you, and you will come to life. 6 I will put sinews on you and cause flesh to grow over you and cover you with skin. I will put breath within you, and you will live, and you will know that I am the Lord.”
7 Therefore, I prophesied as I had been commanded to do, and as I was prophesying, I heard a noise, a sound of rattling, as the bones came together, bone uniting with bone. 8 As I watched, sinews and flesh grew upon the bones, and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the Spirit. Prophesy, son of man, and say to the Spirit: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O Spirit, and breathe into these slain so that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he had commanded me, and the Spirit entered into them. They came to life and stood on their feet, an immense army.
11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They continue to say, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope has vanished, and we are cut off completely.’ 12 Therefore, prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: My people, I am going to open your graves and raise you up from them and bring you back to the land of Israel. 13 Then you will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you up from them, O my people. 14 When I put my Spirit within you, you will live, and I will resettle you on your own soil. Then you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and I have done this, says the Lord.’ ”
15 Union of the Two Sticks.[b] This word of the Lord came to me: 16 Son of man, take a stick and write on it: “Judah and those Israelites associated with him.” Then take another stick and write on it: “Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.” 17 Then join the two sticks together so that they form one stick in your hand.
18 When your countrymen say to you, “Will you not tell us what you mean by this?” 19 say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in Ephraim’s hand, and of the tribes of Israel loyal to him, and I will join it to the stick of Judah. I will make them a single stick instead of two, and they shall be one in my hand.
20 When the sticks upon which you have written are held up in your hand for everyone to see, 21 say to them: Thus says the Lord God: I will take the Israelites from the nations among which they have been exiled. I will gather them from every side and bring them back to their land.
22 I will unify them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule over them all. Never again will they be two separate nations, nor will they be divided into two kingdoms. 23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and their loathsome images or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all of their sins of apostasy that they have committed, and I will cleanse them. Thus, they will be my people, and I will be their God.
24 My servant David will be their king, and they all will have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be scrupulous in obeying my statutes. 25 They will live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, the land in which your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and my servant David will be their prince forever.
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them, and I will bless and multiply them and establish my sanctuary among them forever. 27 I will make my dwelling with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel when I establish my sanctuary among them forevermore.
Psalm 87[a]
Zion, Home of All Nations
1 A psalm of the sons of Korah.[b] A song.
The Lord has founded a city[c]
on the holy mountains.
2 He loves the gates of Zion
more than[d] any dwelling in Jacob.
3 Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God. Selah
4 [e]“I number Rahab and Babylon
among those who acknowledge the Lord,
as well as Philistia, Tyre, and Ethiopia;
concerning them it can be said,
‘This one was born there.’ ”[f] Selah
5 However, of Zion it will be said,
“They were all born there,
for the Most High himself establishes her.”[g]
6 The Lord records in the register[h] of the peoples,
“This one was born there.” Selah
7 And as they play, they all sing,[i]
“In you are all my fountains.”
Psalm 88[j]
Prayer in Affliction
1 A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah.[k] For the director. According to Mahalath. For singing. A maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
2 [l]O Lord, the God of my salvation,
day and night I cry out to you.
3 Let my prayer come before you;
give ear to my cry for help.
4 [m]For my soul[n] is filled with misery,
and my life draws near to the netherworld.
5 I am numbered among those who go down to the pit;[o]
all strength has failed me.
6 I have been abandoned among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
like those whom you remember no longer
and whom your hand has abandoned.[p]
7 [q]You have lowered me into the depths of the pit,
into the darkest regions of the abyss.
8 Your wrath lies heavy upon me;
all your waves engulf me. Selah
9 You have caused my closest friends to shun me
and made me hateful in their sight.
I am shut in with no means of escape,[r]
10 and my eyes grow dim[s] with my suffering.
[t]Every day I call out to you, O Lord,
and spread out my hands to you.
11 Do you perform wonders[u] for the dead?
Do the shades rise up and give you praise? Selah
12 Is your kindness[v] celebrated in the grave,
or your faithfulness in the tomb?
13 Are your wonders known in the region of darkness,
or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?[w]
14 [x]But for my part, I cry out to you, O Lord;
in the morning my prayer rises before you.
15 Why do you cast me away, O Lord?[y]
Why do you hide your face from me?
16 Since infancy I have been wretched and close to death;
I have borne your terrors
and have now reached the point of exhaustion.
17 Your wrath has weighed down upon me;
your terrors have destroyed me.
18 All day long they surround me like a flood;
they encircle me completely.
19 You have caused my friends and neighbors to shun me;
my sole companion now is darkness.[z]
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