M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 18
David’s Conquests.[a] 1 After this, David defeated the Philistines. He subdued Gath and took it and its dependent towns from the Philistines.
2 He struck down Moab, and the Moabites became David’s vassals and brought him tribute.
3 The king defeated Hadadezer, the king of Zobah up to Hamath when he went forth to establish his power along the Euphrates River. 4 David took one thousand chariots from him, as well as seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung the chariot horses, keeping one hundred chariots for himself.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Arameans. 6 David then stationed men in Damascus of the Arameans, and the Arameans became David’s vassals, bringing him tribute. The Lord guarded over David wherever he went.
7 David took the gold shields from Hadadezer’s servants, and he brought them to Jerusalem. 8 He also brought large quantities of bronze from Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer’s cities. Solomon used the bronze to make the sea, the pillars, and vessels.
9 When Tou, the king of Hamath, heard how David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, 10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer was at war with Tou. He brought him objects of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David dedicated them to the Lord along with the gold and the silver that he had taken from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and from Amalek.
12 In addition to this, Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, killed eighteen thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 He also established outposts in Edom, so that all of Edom became David’s vassals. The Lord guarded over David wherever he went.
14 David reigned over all of Israel, and he gave judgment and justice to all of his people. 15 Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the archivist.
16 Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the priests, and Shavsha was the scribe. 17 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was in charge of the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were the officials of the king.[b]
Chapter 5
Woe to the Rich.[a] 1 Come now, you who are rich. Lament and weep over the miseries that will soon overwhelm you. 2 Your riches have rotted. Your clothes are all moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded. Their corrosion will serve as a witness against you and consume your flesh like a fire. You have hoarded wealth for the last days.
4 Behold, the wages you fraudulently withheld from the laborers who harvested your fields are crying out, and the cries of those harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have gorged yourselves as on the day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned the righteous man and murdered him, even though he offered you no resistance.
Patience, for the Lord’s Coming Is Near.[b] 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Think of how patiently a farmer awaits the precious crop from his fields until they have received the early and the late rains. 8 You too must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.[c]
9 Brethren, do not raise complaints against one another lest you yourselves be brought to judgment. Behold, the Judge is standing at the gates.
10 As an example of patience in enduring hardship, brethren, consider the Prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Indeed, those who had perseverance are the ones we call blessed. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and have come to understand the Lord’s purpose in this respect, because the Lord is merciful and compassionate.
12 Do Not Swear. Above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth, or use any oaths at all. Let your “Yes” mean “Yes” and your “No” mean “No.” Otherwise you may be condemned.[d]
13 Anointing of the Sick.[e]Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? He should send for the presbyters of the Church so that they may pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.
16 Confession and Intercession. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
17 Elijah was a man like us. Yet when he prayed fervently that it might not rain for three and a half years, it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and the heavens gave forth rain, and the earth once again brought forth its harvest.
Conclusion
19 The Peace of Fraternal Love.[f] My brethren, if one of you should stray from the truth and another succeeds in bringing him back, 20 remember this: A person who brings back a sinner from erring ways will rescue his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.
Chapter 2
1 Then the Lord ordained that a large fish would swallow Jonah and he remained in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights.
Prayer of Deliverance[a]
2 Then from the belly of the fish Jonah offered this prayer to the Lord, his God:
3 In my distress I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
From the belly of the netherworld I cried out for help,
and you heard my voice.
4 For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the sea,
and the flood enveloped me;
all your waves and your billows swept over me.
5 Then I thought, “I have been banished from your sight.
Will I ever be allowed again
to look upon your holy temple?”
6 The waters around me rose to my neck,
and the deep was closing around me;
seaweed was twined around my head.
7 Down I plunged to the roots of the mountains,
sinking to the netherworld
whose bars would imprison me forever.
But you brought me up alive from the pit,
O Lord, my God.
8 As my life was ebbing away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer reached you
in your holy temple.
9 Those who worship false gods
abandon the source of their mercy.
10 But I with hymns of praise
will offer sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will fulfill.
Salvation comes from the Lord.
11 Then, in response to a command from the Lord, the fish spewed Jonah out upon the land.
From the Beatitudes to the Parables[a]
Chapter 7
Jesus Heals the Centurion’s Servant.[b] 1 After Jesus had finished speaking to the people, he entered Capernaum. 2 A centurion who dwelt there had a servant whom he regarded highly and who was ill and near death. 3 When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to ask him if he would come and heal his servant.
4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “He deserves this favor from you, 5 for he loves our people, and he was the one who built our synagogue for us.”
6 Jesus went with them. When he drew near the house, the centurion sent friends to say to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. 7 That is the reason why I did not presume to approach you personally. But say the word and let my servant be healed. 8 For I also am a man subject to authority, with soldiers who are subject to me. I say to one: ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another: ‘Come here,’ and he comes, and to my servant: ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard these words, he was amazed, and, turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, “I tell you, in no one throughout Israel have I found faith as great as this.” 10 When the messengers returned to the house, they found the servant completely healthy.
11 Jesus Raises the Son of a Widow.[c] Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his widowed mother. A large group of people from the town accompanied her.
13 When the Lord saw her, he was filled with compassion, and he said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 After this, he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers halted. Then he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
16 Fear seized all who were present, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited his people.” 17 The news of what he had done spread throughout Judea and the surrounding region.
18 Jesus Answers the Baptist’s Question.[d] When the disciples of John brought him reports about all these things, 19 John designated two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 20 When they came to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ ”
21 At that time, Jesus had just cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits, and had restored the sight of many who were blind. 22 And he gave them this reply: “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. 23 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
24 Jesus Praises John the Baptist.[e]When John’s messengers had departed, Jesus spoke to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the wind? 25 What did you go out to see? Someone robed in fine clothing? Those who are robed in gorgeous clothing and live luxuriously are to be found in royal palaces. 26 Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and far more than a prophet. 27 This is the one about whom it is written:
‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
28 “I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John, and yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
29 (All the people who heard him, including the tax collectors, acknowledged the saving justice of God, for they had received John’s baptism. 30 However, the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who had refused his baptism rejected God’s plan for them.)
31 Indecisive Children.“Then to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? 32 They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to each other:
‘We played the flute for you,
but you would not dance;
we sang a dirge,
and you refused to mourn.’
33 “For John the Baptist has come, eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say: ‘He is possessed.’ 34 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say: ‘Look at him! He is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 35 Yet wisdom is proved right by all her children.”
36 Jesus Pardons a Sinful Woman.[f] One of the Pharisees invited Jesus to dine with him. When he arrived at the Pharisee’s house, he took his place at table. 37 A woman of that town, who was leading a sinful life, learned that Jesus was a dinner guest in the Pharisee’s house. Carrying with her an alabaster jar of ointment,[g] 38 she stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were really a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him—that she is a sinner.” 40 Jesus then said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He replied, “What is it, Teacher?”
41 “There were two men who were in debt to a certain creditor. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other owed fifty. 42 When they were unable to repay him, he canceled both debts. Now which one of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “I would imagine that it would be the one who was forgiven the larger amount.” Jesus replied, “You have judged rightly.”
44 Then, turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your home, and you provided no water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she has not ceased to kiss my feet from the time I came in. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore, I tell you: her many sins have been forgiven her because she has shown great love. But the one who has been forgiven little has little love.”
48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Those who were at table began to say to themselves, “Who is this man who even forgives sins?” 50 But Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
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