M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 27
Jotham. 1 Jotham was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok. 2 He did what was right in the sight of the Lord just as his father had done, although he did not enter the temple of the Lord. However, the people continued their corrupt practices.
3 Jotham built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, and he supervised the extensive construction on the wall of Ophel.[a] 4 He also built towns in the hill country of Judah as well as forts and towers in the wooded areas.
5 Later Jotham went to war against the king of the Ammonites and defeated them. As a result, the Ammonites had to give him one hundred talents of silver, together with ten thousand kors of wheat and ten thousand kors of barley. The Ammonites also paid him the same amount in the second and third year afterward. 6 Jotham became very powerful because he followed an unswerving course in the presence of the Lord, his God.
7 The rest of the acts of Jotham, all his wars and other projects, are recorded in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 8 He was twenty-five years old when he ascended the throne, and he reigned for sixteen years in Jerusalem. 9 Jotham slept with his ancestors, and he was buried in the City of David. His son Ahaz succeeded him.
Reforms of Hezekiah and Josiah
Chapter 28
The Impiety of Ahaz. 1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he ascended the throne, and he reigned in Jerusalem for sixteen years. Unlike what his ancestor David had done, he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord. 2 Rather, he followed the example of the kings of Israel and even cast molten idols of the Baals.
3 Furthermore, Ahaz offered burnt sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-hinnom[b] and even went so far as to immolate his sons by fire according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
Retribution. 5 Therefore, the Lord his God delivered him over into the hands of the king of Aram. After the Arameans defeated him, they took large numbers of captives and brought them to Damascus. He was also given over into the power of the king of Israel, who inflicted heavy casualties on him.[c] 6 In a single day, Pekah, the son of Remaliah, killed one hundred and twenty thousand valiant warriors.
7 Zichri, an Ephraimite warrior, killed Maaseiah, the king’s son, Azrikam, the commander of the palace, and Elkanah, who was second only to the king in authority. 8 The Israelites took captive from their kinsmen two hundred thousand women, sons and daughters. They also took immense quantities of booty from them and brought it all back to Samaria.
The Prophecy of Oded. 9 In Samaria there was a prophet of the Lord by the name of Oded. He went out to meet the army when it returned to Samaria, and he said: “It was because the Lord, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah that he delivered them into your hands. However, you have slaughtered them with an intense rage that has reached up to heaven.
10 “And now you have decided to force the people of Judah and Jerusalem to be your slaves. However, have you yourselves not been guilty of sins against the Lord, your God? 11 Now listen to me! Release the captives you have taken from your kinsmen, for the fierce anger of the Lord has been aroused against you.”
12 On hearing this, some of the Ephraimite leaders—Azariah, son of Jehohanan; Berechiah, son of Meshillemoth; Jehizkiah, son of Shallum; and Amasa, son of Hadlai—confronted those who were returning from the war 13 and said to them: “Do not bring these captives here, for what you are proposing will only increase our sins and our guilt. For our guilt is already substantial, and fierce anger threatens the security of Israel.”
14 Therefore, in the presence of the officials and the entire assembly, the soldiers surrendered the captives and the booty. 15 Then those Ephraimite leaders proceeded to help those who had been led away captive. From the booty they clothed those who were naked. They gave them clothing and sandals and gave them food, drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they mounted on donkeys and took them to their brethren in Jericho, the city of palm trees. Then they themselves returned to Samaria.
16 Other Sins of Ahaz. At that time King Ahaz sent a plea to the king of Assyria asking for help. 17 The Edomites had once again invaded and defeated Judah, and carried away captives.
18 Meanwhile, the Philistines had raided the towns in the foothills and the Negeb of Judah. They captured and occupied Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages, and settled there. 19 For the Lord had brought Judah low because of Ahaz, king of Israel,[d] who had behaved without restraint in Judah and had proved to be totally unfaithful to the Lord.
20 After that, Tiglath-pileser, king of Assyria, came to Ahaz, but rather than assisting him, he oppressed him instead. 21 Then Ahaz plundered the temple of the Lord, the palace of the king, and the house of his officials. He proceeded to give the plunder to the king of Assyria, but no help from him was forthcoming.
22 During this period of distress, King Ahaz became even more unfaithful to the Lord. 23 He proceeded to offer sacrifices to the gods of Damascus who had defeated him, thinking: “Since the gods of the king of Aram have supported them, I will sacrifice to them so that they may decide to help me.” However, they only caused further disaster to him and to all of Israel. 24 Then Ahaz gathered up the vessels of the house of God and broke them into pieces. After he shut up the doors of the house of the Lord he made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem. 25 In every city of Judah he built high places to offer sacrifices to other gods, thus provoking the anger of the Lord, the God of his ancestors.
26 The rest of his deeds and all his activities, from first to last, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 27 Ahaz slept with his ancestors, and he was buried in the city of Jerusalem, but he was not laid to rest in the tombs of the kings of Israel. His son Hezekiah succeeded him.
Chapter 14
The Song of the Martyrs.[a] 1 Next in my vision, I saw the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him were one hundred and forty-four thousand[b] people who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 I heard a sound from heaven like that of a mighty torrent or a loud peal of thunder. It was like the sound of harpists playing their harps.
3 They were singing a new song[c] before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn this song except the one hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. 4 These are the ones who have not defiled themselves with women.[d] They are virgins, and they follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed as the firstfruits of mankind for God and for the Lamb. 5 No lie was found on their lips. They are irreproachable.
The Nearness of the Judgment.[e] 6 Then I saw another angel flying in midair, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to all those who live on the earth, to every nation, race, language, and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the time has come for his judgment. Worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
8 A second angel followed him, saying:
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great.
She has made all the nations drink
the wine of the wrath of her immorality.”
9 A third angel followed them, crying out in a loud voice, “Anyone who worships the beast or its image and receives its mark on his forehead or hand 10 will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured undiluted into the cup of his wrath.[f] Such people will be tormented in burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever. There will be no respite day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or for those who receive the mark of its name.”
12 This demands patient endurance on the part of the saints who keep the commandments of God and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed[g] are those who die in the Lord from now on.”
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will find rest from their labors, for their deeds go with them.”
14 One Like a Son of Man.[h] Now in my vision, I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one “like a son of man,”[i] with a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Another angel then came out of the temple and called out in a loud voice to the one seated on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the time to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So the one who was seated on the cloud swept over the earth with his sickle, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he, too, had a sharp sickle. 18 Then from the altar came forth still another angel who was in charge of the fire, and he cried out in a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters from the vines of the earth, for her grapes are ripe.”
19 So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered in its vintage, which he then cast into the great winepress of God’s wrath. 20 The winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress to the height of a horse’s bridle for a distance of two hundred miles.
Chapter 10
Be Faithful to the Lord
1 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime.
It is the Lord who makes the storm clouds.
He will send forth the showers of rain
and grass in the fields for everyone.
2 For the household gods utter nonsense,
and diviners are misled by false signs.
The dreams they relate are deceitful,
offering empty consolation.
That is why the people
wander about like sheep;
they are in distress
for lack of a shepherd.
I Will Reunite and Save
3 My anger has been set ablaze by the shepherds,
and I will punish the leaders of the flock.
For the Lord of hosts cares for his flock,
the house of Judah,
and will make it his royal warhorse.
4 From Judah will emerge the cornerstone,
from it the tent peg,
from it the bow ready for battle,
from it all the commanders.
5 Together they will be like warriors
trampling the mud of the streets in battle.
They will fight because the Lord is with them,
and they will rout even those on horseback.
6 I will strengthen the house of Judah,
and I will save the house of Joseph.
I will bring them back
because I have taken pity on them,
and they will be
as though I had never cast them off;
for I am the Lord, their God,
and I will answer them.
7 Then the people of Ephraim will be like warriors,
and their hearts will be cheered as if by wine.
Their children will see it and rejoice;
their hearts will rejoice in the Lord.
8 I will signal them to gather together,
for I have redeemed them;
they will be as numerous
as they were before.
9 I scattered them among the nations,
yet in far-off countries they will remember me;
they will rear their children and return.
10 I will bring them home from the land of Egypt
and gather them from Assyria.
I will lead them into Gilead and into Lebanon,
until there is no more room to accommodate them.
11 They will pass through the Sea of Egypt,
and the waves of the sea will be subdued,
while the depths of the Nile will be dried up.
The pride of Assyria will be cast down,
and the scepter of Egypt will be taken away.
12 I will make them strong in the Lord,
and they will march in my name,
says the Lord.
The Testament of the Lord[a]
Chapter 13
Jesus Washes the Feet of the Disciples.[b] 1 As the feast of Passover drew near, Jesus was aware that his hour had come to depart from this world and to go to the Father. He had loved his own who were in the world, and he loved them to the end.
2 The devil had already put it into the mind of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. During supper, 3 Jesus, fully aware that the Father had entrusted all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, 4 got up from the table, removed his outer garments, and took a towel that he tied around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel wrapped around his waist.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not understand now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you will have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
10 Jesus then said, “Anyone who has bathed has no need to wash further, except for his feet, for he is clean all over. You also are clean, although not every one of you is clean.” 11 He knew the one who was going to betray him. That is why he added the words, “Not every one of you is clean.”
12 After he had finished washing their feet and had once again put on his outer garments, he reclined at table and said to them,
“Do you understand
what I have done for you?
13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’
and rightly so,
for that is what I am.
14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet,
you also should wash one another’s feet.
15 “I have given you an example.
What I have done for you,
you should also do.
16 Amen, amen, I say to you,
a servant is not greater than his master,
nor is a messenger greater
than the one who sent him.
17 “Now that you know these things,
you will be blessed
if you do them.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal[c]
18 “I am not speaking about all of you.
I know those whom I have chosen.
However, what the Scripture says
must be fulfilled,
‘The one who ate bread with me
has raised his heel against me.’
19 “I tell you this now,
before it occurs,
so that when it does occur,
you may believe that I am.[d]
20 Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever receives the one I send
receives me,
and whoever receives me
receives the one who sent me.”
21 After saying this, Jesus was deeply distressed, and he declared,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
one of you will betray me.”
22 The disciples looked at one another, puzzled as to which one of them he meant. 23 One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. 24 Simon Peter signaled to him to ask Jesus which one he meant.
25 Therefore, leaning back toward Jesus, he asked, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread after I have dipped it into the dish.” And when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.
27 As soon as Judas had received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus then said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he had said this to him. 29 Some thought that since Judas was in charge of the money bag, Jesus was telling him to purchase what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor. 30 As soon as Judas had received the piece of bread, he immediately departed. It was night.
31 After Judas had departed, Jesus said,
“Now is the Son of Man glorified,
and God is glorified in him.
32 If God is glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
A New Commandment[e]
33 “My children,
I will be with you
only a short time longer.
You will look for me,
and, as I told the Jews,
so I now say to you,
‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’
34 “I give you a new commandment:
love one another.
Just as I have loved you,
so you should also love one another.
35 This is how everyone will know
that you are my disciples:
if you love one another.”
36 Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial.[f] Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered,
“Where I am going,
you cannot follow me now,
but you will follow me later on.”
37 Peter said, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Amen, amen, I say to you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times.
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