M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Amnon Violates Tamar
13 Now it happened afterwards that (A)Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was (B)Tamar, and (C)Amnon the son of David loved her. 2 And Amnon was so distressed because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin. So it was hard in Amnon’s sight to do anything to her. 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of [a](D)Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very [b]shrewd man. 4 And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Then Amnon said to him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.” 5 Jonadab then said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; and your father will come to see you, and you will say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand.’” 6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and the king came to see him, and Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and (E)make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
7 Then David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, and he was lying down. And she took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 9 And she took the pan and [c]dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “(F)Have everyone go out from me.” So everyone went out from him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the [d]bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon. 11 Then she brought them near to him to eat, but he (G)took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” 12 But she said to him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for (H)such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this (I)disgraceful thing! 13 As for me, where could I [e]get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. So now, please speak to the king, for (J)he will not withhold me from you.” 14 But he was not willing to listen to her voice. Now he was stronger than she, so he (K)violated her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away!” 16 But she said to him, “No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!” But he was not willing to listen to her. 17 Then he called his young man who attended him and said, “Now cast this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her.” 18 Now she had on (L)a [f]long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her. 19 (M)Then Tamar put [g]ashes on her head and (N)tore her [h]long-sleeved garment which was on her; and (O)she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.
20 So Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart.” So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom’s house. 21 Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry. 22 But Absalom did not speak to Amnon (P)either good or bad; for (Q)Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.
23 Now it happened after two full years that Absalom (R)had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
Absalom Strikes Down Amnon
24 And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” 25 But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, we should not all go, for we will be burdensome to you.” Although he [i]urged him, he was not willing to go, but blessed him. 26 Then (S)Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom [j]urged him, so he sent Amnon and all the king’s sons with him.
28 Then Absalom commanded his young men, saying, “See now, (T)when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be strong and be [k]valiant.” 29 Thus the young men of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose and each mounted (U)his mule and fled.
30 Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.” 31 Then the king arose, (V)tore his clothes and (W)lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 32 (X)But Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, “Do not let my lord [l]suppose they have put to death all the young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone has died; because by the [m]intent of Absalom this has been set since the day that he violated his sister Tamar. 33 So now, do not let my lord the king (Y)take the report to [n]heart, saying, ‘all the king’s sons have died,’ for only Amnon has died.”
34 Then (Z)Absalom fled. And (AA)the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain. 35 And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; according to your servant’s word, so it happened.” 36 As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and lifted their voices and wept; and also the king and all his servants wept [o]very bitterly.
37 Now (AB)Absalom had fled and went to (AC)Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of (AD)Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 38 (AE)So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 39 And the heart of King David was consumed with going out to Absalom; for (AF)he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he had died.
Commendable Ministers of God
6 And (A)working together with Him, (B)we also plead with you not to receive (C)the grace of God in vain— 2 for He says,
“(D)At the acceptable time I listened to you,
And on the day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— 3 (E)giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, 4 but in everything (F)commending ourselves as (G)ministers of God, (H)in much perseverance, in afflictions, in distresses, in hardships, 5 in (I)beatings, in imprisonments, in (J)disturbances, in labors, in sleeplessness, in (K)hunger, 6 in purity, in (L)knowledge, in (M)patience, in kindness, in the (N)Holy Spirit, in (O)unhypocritical love, 7 in (P)the word of truth, in (Q)the power of God; by (R)the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 by glory and (S)dishonor, by (T)evil report and good report; regarded as (U)deceivers and yet (V)true; 9 as unknown and yet well-known, as (W)dying and yet behold, (X)we live; as [a]punished and yet not put to death, 10 as (Y)sorrowful but always (Z)rejoicing, as (AA)poor but making many rich, as (AB)having nothing and yet possessing (AC)all things.
11 (AD)Our mouth [b]has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our (AE)heart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained [c]by us, but (AF)you are restrained in your own [d]affections. 13 Now in a like (AG)exchange—I speak as to (AH)children—open wide to us also.
14 (AI)Do not be unequally yoked with (AJ)unbelievers; for what (AK)partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what (AL)harmony has Christ with [e]Belial, or [f]what has a (AM)believer in common with an (AN)unbeliever? 16 Or (AO)what agreement has a [g]sanctuary of God with idols? For we are (AP)a sanctuary of (AQ)the living God; just as God said,
“(AR)I will (AS)dwell in them and (AT)walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 (AU)Therefore, (AV)come out from their midst and be separate,” says the [h]Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean,
And I will welcome you.
18 (AW)And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be (AX)sons and daughters to Me,”
says the [i]Lord Almighty.
The Abominations of the Fathers of Israel
20 Now it happened in the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth of the month, that [a]some of the (A)elders of Israel came to inquire of Yahweh and sat before me. 2 And the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 3 “Son of man, speak to the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Do you come to inquire of Me? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “(B)I will not be inquired of by you.”’ 4 Will you judge them, will you judge them, son of man? (C)Make them know the abominations of their fathers 5 and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “On the day when I (D)chose Israel and [b]swore to the seed of the house of Jacob and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, when I swore to them, saying, (E)I am Yahweh your God, 6 on that day I swore to them, (F)to bring them out from the land of Egypt into a land that I had [c]selected for them, (G)flowing with milk and honey, which is (H)the glory of all lands. 7 I said to them, ‘(I)Cast away, each of you, the detestable things of his eyes, and (J)do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; (K)I am Yahweh your God.’ 8 But they (L)rebelled against Me and were not willing to listen to Me; each one did not cast away the detestable things of their eyes, nor did they forsake the (M)idols of Egypt.
Then I said I would (N)pour out My wrath on them, to [d]spend My anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted (O)for the sake of My name, that it should (P)not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made Myself known to them by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the (Q)wilderness. 11 I gave them My (R)statutes and made them know My judgments, (S)which, if a man does them, he will live by them. 12 And I also gave them My sabbaths to be a (T)sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies them. 13 But the house of Israel (U)rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes, and they rejected My judgments, (V)which, if a man does them, he will live by them; and My (W)sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I said I would (X)pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to completely destroy them. 14 But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, before whose sight I had brought them out. 15 Also (Y)I swore to them in the wilderness that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands, 16 because they rejected My judgments, and as for My statutes, they did not walk in them; they even profaned My sabbaths, for their (Z)heart continually walked after their idols. 17 Yet My eye had pity on them rather than bringing them to ruin, and I did not make of them a (AA)complete destruction in the wilderness.
18 “I said to their [e](AB)children in the wilderness, ‘(AC)Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers and do not keep their judgments and do not defile yourselves with their idols. 19 (AD)I am Yahweh your God; (AE)walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them. 20 (AF)Keep My sabbaths holy; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.’ 21 But the (AG)children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, nor were they careful to do My judgments, which, if a man does them, he will live by them; they profaned My sabbaths. So I said I would pour out My wrath on them, to spend My anger against them in the wilderness. 22 But I (AH)turned back My hand and acted (AI)for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out. 23 Also I swore to them in the wilderness that I would (AJ)scatter them among the nations and [f]disperse them among the lands 24 because they had not done My judgments, but had rejected My statutes and had profaned My sabbaths, and (AK)their eyes were going after the idols of their fathers. 25 And I also gave them statutes that were (AL)not good and judgments by which they could not live; 26 and I pronounced them (AM)unclean because of their gifts, in that they (AN)caused all [g]their firstborn to pass through the fire so that I might make them desolate, in order that they might (AO)know that I am Yahweh.”’
27 “Therefore, son of man, (AP)speak to the house of Israel and say to them, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Yet in this your fathers have (AQ)blasphemed Me by (AR)acting unfaithfully against Me. 28 Indeed, I (AS)brought them into the land which I swore to give to them, and they saw every (AT)high hill and every leafy tree, and they offered there their sacrifices, and there they gave the provocation of their offering. There also they made their soothing aroma, and there they poured out their drink offerings. 29 Then I said to them, ‘What is the high place to which you are going?’ So its name is called [h]Bamah to this day.”’ 30 Therefore, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says Lord Yahweh, “Will you defile yourselves in the way of your (AU)fathers and play the harlot after their detestable things? 31 [i]And when you offer your gifts, when you (AV)cause your sons to pass through the fire, you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “I will not be inquired of by you. 32 And what (AW)comes upon your spirit will not happen, when you say: ‘We will be like the nations, like the families of the lands, (AX)to minister to wood and stone.’
Yahweh Judges His People
33 “As I live,” declares Lord Yahweh, “surely with a strong hand and with an (AY)outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be (AZ)king over you. 34 And I will (BA)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered, with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with (BB)wrath poured out; 35 and I will bring you into the (BC)wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I (BD)entered into judgment with your fathers in the (BE)wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you,” declares Lord Yahweh. 37 “And I will make you (BF)pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 and I will (BG)purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will (BH)not enter the [j]land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am Yahweh.
39 “As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says Lord Yahweh, “(BI)Go, serve everyone his idols; [k]but after this you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will (BJ)profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. 40 For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh, “there the whole house of Israel, (BK)all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I will (BL)accept them, and there I will [l]seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. 41 [m]As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I (BM)bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered; and I will prove Myself (BN)holy among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And (BO)you will know that I am Yahweh, (BP)when I bring you onto the ground of Israel, into the (BQ)land which I swore to give to your fathers. 43 And there you will (BR)remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves; and you will (BS)loathe yourselves to your own faces for all the evil things that you have done. 44 Then (BT)you will know that I am Yahweh when I have dealt with you (BU)for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares Lord Yahweh.’”
45 [n]Now the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 46 “Son of man, set your face toward [o]Teman and speak, dripping out words, against the (BV)south and (BW)prophesy against the (BX)forest [p]land of the Negev 47 and say to the forest of the Negev, ‘Hear the word of Yahweh: thus says Lord Yahweh, “Behold, I am about to (BY)kindle a fire in you, and it will consume every [q]green tree in you, as well as every dry tree; the blazing flame will not be quenched, and [r](BZ)the whole surface from south to north will be scorched by it. 48 And all flesh will see that I, Yahweh, have made it burn; it shall (CA)not be quenched.”’” 49 Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! They are saying of me, ‘Is he not just speaking (CB)parables?’”
Come and See the Works of God
For the choir director. A Song. A Psalm.
66 (A)Make a loud shout to God, all the earth;
2 Sing praise for the (B)glory of His name;
Establish His (C)praise as glorious.
3 Say to God, “How [a](D)fearsome are Your works!
Because of the abundance of Your strength Your enemies will [b](E)cower before You.
4 (F)All the earth will worship You,
And will (G)sing praises to You;
They will sing praises to Your name.” [c]Selah.
5 (H)Come and see the works of God,
Who is (I)fearsome in His deeds toward the sons of men.
6 He (J)turned the sea into dry land;
They passed through (K)the river on foot;
There let us (L)be glad in Him!
7 He (M)rules by His might forever;
His (N)eyes keep watch on the nations;
Let not the rebellious (O)exalt themselves. Selah.
8 Bless our God, O peoples,
And [d](P)make the sound of His praise heard,
9 Who [e](Q)establishes us among the living
And (R)does not allow our feet to stumble.
10 For You have (S)tested us, O God;
You have (T)refined us as silver is refined.
11 You (U)brought us into the net;
You established an oppressive burden upon our loins.
12 You made men (V)ride over our heads;
We went through (W)fire and through water,
Yet You (X)brought us out into a place of abundance.
13 I shall (Y)come into Your house with burnt offerings;
I shall (Z)pay You my vows,
14 Which my lips uttered
And my mouth spoke when I was (AA)in distress.
15 I shall (AB)offer to You burnt offerings of fat beasts,
With the smoke of (AC)rams;
I shall make an offering of [f]bulls with male goats. Selah.
16 (AD)Come and hear, all who [g]fear God,
And I will (AE)recount what He has done for my soul.
17 I called out to Him with my mouth,
And [h]He was (AF)exalted with my tongue.
18 If I [i](AG)see wickedness in my heart,
The (AH)Lord [j]will not [k]hear;
19 But certainly (AI)God has heard;
He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.
20 (AJ)Blessed be God,
Who (AK)has not turned away my prayer
Nor His lovingkindness from me.
Cause Your Face to Shine upon Us
For the choir director. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.
67 God be gracious to us and (AL)bless us,
And (AM)cause His face to shine [l]upon us— [m]Selah.
2 That (AN)Your way may be known on the earth,
(AO)Your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the (AP)peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4 Let the (AQ)nations be glad and sing for joy;
For You will (AR)judge the peoples with uprightness
And (AS)lead the nations on the earth. Selah.
5 Let the (AT)peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
6 The (AU)earth has yielded its produce;
God, our God, (AV)blesses us.
7 God blesses us,
[n]That (AW)all the ends of the earth may fear Him.
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