M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Saves the Town of Keilah

23 David heard that the Philistines were attacking the town of Keilah and were stealing the newly harvested grain. ² So he asked the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines?”

“Yes,” the Lord answered. “Attack them and save Keilah.”

³ But David's men said to him, “We have enough to be afraid of here in Judah; it will be much worse if we go to Keilah and attack the Philistine forces!” ⁴ So David consulted the Lord again, and the Lord said to him, “Go and attack Keilah, because I will give you victory over the Philistines.” ⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah and attacked the Philistines; they killed many of them and took their livestock. And so it was that David saved the town.

⁶ When Abiathar son of Ahimelech escaped and joined David in Keilah, he took the ephod with him.

⁷ Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has put him in my power. David has trapped himself by going into a walled town with fortified gates.” ⁸ So Saul called his troops to war, to march against Keilah and besiege David and his men.

⁹ When David heard that Saul was planning to attack him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah and destroy it on account of me, your servant. ¹¹ Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to Saul? Will Saul really come, as I have heard? Lord, God of Israel, I beg you to answer me!”

The Lord answered, “Saul will come.”

¹² “And will the citizens of Keilah hand my men and me over to Saul?” David asked again.

“They will,” the Lord answered.

¹³ So David and his men—about six hundred in all—left Keilah at once and kept on the move. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up his plan.

David in the Hill Country

¹⁴ David stayed in hiding in the hill country, in the wilderness near Ziph. Saul was always trying to find him, but God did not turn David over to him. ¹⁵ David saw that Saul was out to kill him.

David was at Horesh, in the wilderness near Ziph. ¹⁶ Jonathan went to him there and encouraged him with assurances of God's protection, ¹⁷ saying to him, “Don't be afraid. My father Saul won't be able to harm you. He knows very well that you are the one who will be the king of Israel and that I will be next in rank to you.” ^18 (A)The two of them made a sacred promise of friendship to each other. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

^19 (B)Some people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding out in our territory at Horesh on Mount Hachilah, in the southern part of the Judean wilderness. ²⁰ We know, Your Majesty, how much you want to capture him; so come to our territory, and we will make sure that you catch him.”

²¹ Saul answered, “May the Lord bless you for being so kind to me! ²² Go and make sure once more; find out for certain where he is and who has seen him there. I hear that he is very cunning. ²³ Find out exactly the places where he hides, and be sure to bring back a report to me right away. Then I will go with you, and if he is still in the region, I will hunt him down, even if I have to search the whole land of Judah.”

²⁴ So they left and returned to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in a desolate valley in the southern part of the Judean wilderness. ²⁵ Saul and his men set out to look for David, but he heard about it and went to a rocky hill in the wilderness of Maon and stayed there. When Saul heard about this, he went after David. ²⁶ Saul and his men were on one side of the hill, separated from David and his men, who were on the other side. They were hurrying to get away from Saul and his men, who were closing in on them and were about to capture them. ²⁷ Just then a messenger arrived and said to Saul, “Come back at once! The Philistines are invading the country!” ²⁸ So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to fight the Philistines. That is why that place is called Separation Hill. ²⁹ David left and went to the region of Engedi, where he stayed in hiding.

Apostles of Christ

4 You should think of us as Christ's servants, who have been put in charge of God's secret truths. ² The one thing required of such servants is that they be faithful to their master. ³ Now, I am not at all concerned about being judged by you or by any human standard; I don't even pass judgment on myself. ^4 (A)My conscience is clear, but that does not prove that I am really innocent. The Lord is the one who passes judgment on me. ⁵ So you should not pass judgment on anyone before the right time comes. Final judgment must wait until the Lord comes; he will bring to light the dark secrets and expose the hidden purposes of people's minds. And then all will receive from God the praise they deserve.

⁶ For your sake, my friends, I have applied all this to Apollos and me, using the two of us as an example, so that you may learn what the saying means, “Observe the proper rules.” None of you should be proud of one person and despise another. ⁷ Who made you superior to others? Didn't God give you everything you have? Well, then, how can you boast, as if what you have were not a gift?

⁸ Do you already have everything you need? Are you already rich? Have you become kings, even though we are not? Well, I wish you really were kings, so that we could be kings together with you. ⁹ For it seems to me that God has given the very last place to us apostles, like people condemned to die in public as a spectacle for the whole world of angels and of human beings. ¹⁰ For Christ's sake we are fools; but you are wise in union with Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! We are despised, but you are honored! ¹¹ To this very moment we go hungry and thirsty; we are clothed in rags; we are beaten; we wander from place to place; ^12 (B)we wear ourselves out with hard work. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; ¹³ when we are insulted, we answer back with kind words. We are no more than this world's garbage; we are the scum of the earth to this very moment!

¹⁴ I write this to you, not because I want to make you feel ashamed, but to instruct you as my own dear children. ¹⁵ For even if you have ten thousand guardians in your Christian life, you have only one father. For in your life in union with Christ Jesus I have become your father by bringing the Good News to you. ^16 (C)I beg you, then, to follow my example. ¹⁷ For this purpose I am sending to you Timothy, who is my own dear and faithful son in the Christian life. He will remind you of the principles which I follow in the new life in union with Christ Jesus and which I teach in all the churches everywhere.

¹⁸ Some of you have become proud because you have thought that I would not be coming to visit you. ¹⁹ If the Lord is willing, however, I will come to you soon, and then I will find out for myself the power which these proud people have, and not just what they say. ²⁰ For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of words but of power. ²¹ Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a whip, or in a spirit of love and gentleness?

2 saying, “Mortal man, stand up. I want to talk to you.” ² While the voice was speaking, God's spirit entered me and raised me to my feet, and I heard the voice continue, ³ “Mortal man, I am sending you to the people of Israel. They have rebelled and turned against me and are still rebels, just as their ancestors were. ⁴ They are stubborn and do not respect me, so I am sending you to tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. ⁵ Whether those rebels listen to you or not, they will know that a prophet has been among them.

⁶ “But you, mortal man, must not be afraid of them or of anything they say. They will defy and despise you; it will be like living among scorpions. Still, don't be afraid of those rebels or of anything they say. ⁷ You will tell them whatever I tell you to say, whether they listen or not. Remember what rebels they are.

⁸ “Mortal man, listen to what I tell you. Don't be rebellious like them. Open your mouth and eat what I am going to give you.” ^9 (A)I saw a hand reaching out toward me, and it was holding a scroll. ¹⁰ The hand unrolled the scroll, and I saw that there was writing on both sides—cries of grief were written there, and wails and groans.

The Prayer of a Sufferer^[a]