M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 22
1 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel.”
Preparations for Building the Temple. 2 David ordered that all of the foreigners who were in the land of Israel be gathered together. He assigned them the task of serving as masons to prepare hewn stone to build the house of God. 3 David prepared quite a bit of iron for the nails to be used in the doors, the gates, and the joints. He also prepared so much bronze that it could not be measured. 4 He also had much cedar wood, for the Sidonians of Tyre had brought much cedar wood to David.
5 David said, “Solomon, my son, is young and inexperienced, and the house that will be built for the Lord must be tremendously magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout every land. I will therefore make preparations for it now.” So David made many preparations before he died.
6 He then summoned Solomon, his son, and he charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I wanted to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, 8 but the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Because you have shed so much blood and you have waged many wars, you will not build a house for my name because you have shed too much blood upon the earth before me. 9 Behold, a son will be born to you who will be a man of peace[a] and rest. I will give him a respite from all of his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon. I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. 10 He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’
11 “Now, my son, the Lord will be with you. You will prosper, and you will build a house for the Lord, your God, as he has proclaimed. 12 May the Lord give you insight and understanding when he sets you over Israel so that you might observe the law of the Lord, your God. 13 You will prosper if you carefully observe the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and be brave. Do not be afraid nor dismayed. 14 I have put myself to the trouble of preparing the following for the temple of the Lord: one hundred thousand talents of gold, one million talents of silver, so much bronze and iron that it could not even be weighed, and an abundance of wood and stone. You can now add to it.[b] 15 You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men who are skilled in every type of craft. 16 You cannot even count those who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. So now be about it, and the Lord will be with you.”
17 Charge to the Leaders. David commanded all of the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon, his son, saying, 18 “Is not the Lord, your God, with you? Has he not given you rest on every side? He has placed the inhabitants of the land in your hand, and the land has been subjected to the Lord and his people. 19 Now dedicate yourselves heart and soul to seeking the Lord, your God. Rise up and build a sanctuary for the Lord, your God. Bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and the sacred vessels of God into the temple that will be built for the name of the Lord.”
Chapter 3
Recommendations for Spouses.[a] 1 In the same way, you who are wives should accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if they do not believe the word, they may be won over without words simply by the conduct of their wives 2 as they observe your reverence and your chaste behavior.
3 [b]Do not seek to adorn yourself externally—by the braiding of your hair and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothing. 4 Rather, let your adornment be of your inner self, the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
5 It was in this way that the holy women who placed their hope in God long ago used to adorn themselves and be submissive to their husbands. 6 Thus, Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her “lord.” You are now her daughters as long as you live good lives and never allow fears to alarm you.
7 Likewise, you who are husbands must show consideration for your wives in your life together. Treat your wife with respect, for even though she is the weaker partner, she is also an equal heir of God’s gift[c] of life. Thus, your prayers will not be hindered in any way.
Mutual Love.[d] 8 Finally, all of you should be united in spirit, sympathetic, filled with love for one another, compassionate, and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or abuse with abuse. On the contrary, repay with a blessing. This is what you were called to do, so that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For:
“If anyone wishes to love life
and to experience good days,
he must restrain his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
11 He must turn away from evil and do good,
seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer.
However, the face of the Lord
is set against those who do evil.”
Christian Conduct in Suffering and Persecution
13 The Blessings of Suffering for Righteousness.[e] Now who is going to harm you if you are eager to do what is right? 14 Yet even if you should suffer for doing what is right, you are thereby blessed. Have no fear of others, and refuse to be intimidated by them. 15 Rather, revere Christ as Lord in your hearts.
Always be prepared to offer an explanation to anyone who asks you to justify the hope that is in you. However, do so with gentleness and respect 16 and with a clean conscience so that those who slander you for your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing what is right, if such is the will of God, than for doing what is wrong.
18 Christ’s Victory and Descent to the Netherworld, and Christian Baptism.[f] For Christ also suffered for our sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but raised to life in the spirit.
19 In the spirit[g] also he went to preach to the spirits in prison, 20 those who had refused to obey long ago while God waited patiently in the days of Noah during the building of the ark. In it only a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.
21 This water prefigured Baptism, which now saves you. It does so not by the washing away of dirt from the body but by the pledge of a good conscience given to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 22 He has entered heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
A Trial of God against Israel
Chapter 1
1 This is the word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth[a] during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and which he received in visions concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
I Will Reduce Samaria to a Ruin
2 Listen, all you peoples!
Give heed, O earth, and all who dwell in it.
Let the Lord God be a witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.
3 Take note that the Lord is leaving his dwelling place;
he comes down and treads upon the heights of the earth.
4 The mountains melt at his touch,
and the valleys are torn open,
like wax near a fire,
like water pouring down a hillside.
5 All this is the result
of the crime of Jacob
and the sins of Israel.
What is the crime of Jacob?
Is it not Samaria?
And what is the sin of the house of Judah?
Is it not Jerusalem?
6 Therefore, I will reduce Samaria
to a ruin in the open country,
a place for planting vineyards.
I will hurl down her stones into the valley
and lay bare her foundations.
7 All of her idols will be shattered,
all of her earnings will be consumed by fire,
and all of her statues I will lay waste.
For she amassed her gifts
from the wages of prostitution,[b]
and the earnings of a prostitute
they once more will become.
I Will Lament and Wail[c]
8 This is the reason why I will lament and wail,
why I will go barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and mourn like a desert owl.
9 There is no remedy for the wounds
that the Lord inflicts;
now the blow has fallen on Judah.
It has reached the very gate of my people,
even to Jerusalem.
10 Do not announce it in Gath,
nor shed any tears.
In Beth-leaphrah
roll yourselves in the dust.
11 Begin your journey,
you inhabitants of Shaphir.
Those who dwell in Zaanan
have not left their city.
Beth-ezel is filled with lamentation
and no longer can offer you support.
12 The inhabitants of Maroth
are filled with despair.
For disaster has come down from the Lord
to the very gate of Jerusalem.
13 Harness the steeds to the chariots
you inhabitants of Lachish.
You first led the daughter of Zion into sin;
the crimes of Israel can be traced to you.
14 Therefore, you shall offer parting gifts
to Moresheth-gath.
Beth-achzib will prove to be deceptive
to the kings of Israel.
15 I will again send a conqueror against you,
O inhabitants of Mareshah.
And the glory of Israel
shall be transferred to Adullam.
16 Shave your heads in mourning
for the children who were your delight.
Make yourselves as bald as the eagle,
for they have gone from you into exile.
The Mission of All the Disciples
Chapter 10
The Mission of the Seventy-Two[a] 1 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. 2 He said to them: “The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers for his harvest.
3 “Go on your way. Behold, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no money bag or sack and wear no sandals. Greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 If a man of peace lives there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.
7 “Remain in the same house, and eat and drink whatever is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Cure the sick who are there, and say, ‘The kingdom of God has come unto you.’
10 “But whenever you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go out into the streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to us we wipe off our feet as a sign against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.’ 12 I tell you, on that day[b] it will be more bearable for Sodom than for that town.
13 Woe to the Cities of Galilee.[c]“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty deeds performed in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have come to repentance long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will be brought down to the netherworld.[d]
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
17 Joy of the Missionaries.[e] The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and they said, “Lord, in your name even the demons are subject to us.” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you the power to tread upon snakes and scorpions and all the forces of the enemy, and nothing will ever harm you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in the knowledge that the spirits are subject to you. Rejoice rather that your names are inscribed in heaven.”
21 Joy of Jesus.[f]At that very hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned and have revealed them to children. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
22 “All things have been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
23 The Privilege of Discipleship. Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 I tell you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
25 The Greatest Commandment.[g]And behold, a lawyer came forward to test Jesus by asking, “Teacher, what must I do to gain eternal life?” 26 Jesus said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 Jesus then said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
29 The Parable of the Good Samaritan. But because the man wished to justify himself, he asked, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down[h] from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him and beat him, and then went off leaving him half-dead. 31 A priest happened to be traveling along that same road, but when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 A Levite[i] likewise came to that spot and saw him, but he too passed by on the other side.
33 “But a Samaritan who was traveling along that road came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion. 34 He went up to him and bandaged his wounds after having poured oil and wine on them. Then he brought him upon his own animal to an inn and looked after him.
35 “The next day, he took out two denarii[j] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Look after him, and when I return I will repay you for anything more you might spend.’
36 “Which of those three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37 He answered, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”[k]
38 Martha and Mary.[l] In the course of their journey, he came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.
40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks. So she came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 The Lord answered her: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and upset about many things, 42 when only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”
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