M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem
15 David constructed buildings in the City of David; he then prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said, “Only the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve before him perpetually.” 3 David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the ark of the Lord up to the place he had prepared for it. 4 David gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 From the descendants of Kohath: Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives.
6 From the descendants of Merari: Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives.
7 From the descendants of Gershom:[a] Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives.
8 From the descendants of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives.
9 From the descendants of Hebron: Eliel the leader and 80 of his relatives.
10 From the descendants of Uzziel: Amminadab the leader and 112 of his relatives.
11 David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, along with the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He told them: “You are the leaders of the Levites’ families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel up to the place I have prepared for it. 13 The first time you did not carry it; that is why the Lord God attacked us, because we did not ask him about the proper way to carry it.”[b] 14 The priests and Levites consecrated themselves so they could bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15 The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, just as Moses had commanded in keeping with the Lord’s instruction.[c]
16 David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint some of their relatives as musicians; they were to play various instruments, including stringed instruments and cymbals, and to sing loudly and joyfully.[d] 17 So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; one of his relatives, Asaph son of Berechiah; one of the descendants of Merari,[e] Ethan son of Kushaiah; 18 along with some of their relatives who were second in rank, including Zechariah,[f] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.
19 The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; 20 Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the harps according to the alamoth style;[g] 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to play the lyres according to the sheminith style,[h] as led by[i] the director; 22 Kenaniah, the leader of the Levites, was in charge of transport,[j] for he was well-informed[k] on this matter; 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were guardians[l] of the ark; 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer the priests were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; Obed-Edom and Jehiel were also guardians[m] of the ark.
25 So David, the leaders of Israel, and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the Lord’s covenant from the house of Obed-Edom with celebration. 26 When God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the Lord’s covenant, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was wrapped in a linen robe, as were all the Levites carrying the ark, the musicians, and Kenaniah the supervisor of transport and the musicians;[n] David also wore a linen ephod.[o] 28 All Israel brought up the ark of the Lord’s covenant; they were shouting, blowing trumpets, sounding cymbals, and playing stringed instruments. 29 As the ark of the Lord’s covenant entered the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out the window. When she saw King David jumping and celebrating, she despised him.[p]
Prejudice and the Law of Love
2 My brothers and sisters,[a] do not show prejudice[b] if you possess faith[c] in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.[d] 2 For if someone[e] comes into your assembly[f] wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, 3 do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say,[g] “You sit here in a good place,”[h] and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”?[i] 4 If so, have you not made distinctions[j] among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?[k] 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters![l] Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor![m] Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to?[n] 8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture,[o] “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”[p] you are doing well. 9 But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators.[q] 10 For the one who obeys the whole law but fails[r] in one point has become guilty of all of it.[s] 11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”[t] also said, “Do not murder.”[u] Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. 12 Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom.[v] 13 For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over[w] judgment.
Faith and Works Together
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,[x] if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith[y] save him?[z] 15 If a brother or sister[aa] is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs,[ab] what good is it? 17 So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.”[ac] Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by[ad] my works. 19 You believe that God is one; well and good.[ae] Even the demons believe that—and tremble with fear.[af]
20 But would you like evidence,[ag] you empty fellow,[ah] that faith without works is useless?[ai] 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,”[aj] and he was called God’s friend.[ak] 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
9 I saw the Lord[a] standing by the altar[b] and he said,
“Strike the tops of the support pillars,[c] so the thresholds shake!
Knock them down on the heads of all the people,[d]
and I will kill the survivors[e] with the sword.
No one will be able to run away;[f]
no one will be able to escape.[g]
2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld,[h]
my hand would pull them up from there.
Even if they could climb up to heaven,
I would drag them down from there.
3 Even if they were to hide on the top of Mount Carmel,
I would hunt them down and take them from there.
Even if they tried to hide from me[i] at the bottom of the sea,
from there[j] I would command the Sea Serpent[k] to bite them.
4 Even when their enemies drive them into captivity,[l]
from there[m] I will command the sword to kill them.
I will not let them out of my sight;
they will experience disaster, not prosperity.”[n]
5 The Sovereign Lord of Heaven’s Armies will do this.[o]
He touches the earth and it dissolves;[p]
all who live on it mourn.
The whole earth[q] rises like the Nile River,[r]
and then grows calm[s] like the Nile in Egypt.[t]
6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace[u] in heaven
and sets its foundation supports[v] on the earth.[w]
He summons the water of the sea
and pours it out on the earth’s surface.
The Lord is his name.
7 “You Israelites are just like the Ethiopians in my sight,”[x] says the Lord.
“Certainly I brought Israel up from the land of Egypt,
but I also brought the Philistines from Caphtor[y] and the Arameans from Kir.[z]
8 Look, the Sovereign Lord is watching[aa] the sinful nation,[ab]
and I will destroy it from the face of the earth.
But I will not completely destroy the family[ac] of Jacob,” says the Lord.
9 “For look, I am giving a command
and I will shake the family of Israel together with all the nations.
It will resemble a sieve being shaken,
when not even a pebble falls to the ground.[ad]
10 All the sinners among my people will die by the sword—
the ones who say, ‘Disaster will not come near, it will not confront us.’
The Restoration of the Davidic Dynasty
11 “In that day I will rebuild the collapsing hut[ae] of David.
I will seal its[af] gaps,
repair its[ag] ruins,
and restore it to what it was like in days gone by.[ah]
12 As a result they[ai] will conquer those left in Edom[aj]
and all the nations subject to my rule.”[ak]
The Lord, who is about to do this, is speaking.
13 “Be sure of this,[al] the time is[am] coming,” says the Lord,
“when the plowman will catch up to the reaper,[an]
and the one who stomps the grapes[ao] will overtake[ap] the planter.[aq]
Juice will run down the slopes;[ar]
it will flow down all the hillsides.[as]
14 I will bring back my people, Israel;[at]
they will rebuild the cities lying in rubble[au] and settle down.[av]
They will plant vineyards and drink the wine they produce;[aw]
they will grow orchards[ax] and eat the fruit they produce.[ay]
15 I will plant them on their land,
and they will never again be uprooted from the[az] land I have given them,”
says the Lord your God.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then[a] Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River[b] and was led by the Spirit[c] in[d] the wilderness,[e] 2 where for forty days he endured temptations[f] from the devil. He[g] ate nothing[h] during those days, and when they were completed,[i] he was famished. 3 The devil said to him, “If[j] you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”[k] 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man[l] does not live by bread alone.’”[m]
5 Then[n] the devil[o] led him up[p] to a high place[q] and showed him in a flash all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he[r] said to him, “To you[s] I will grant this whole realm[t]—and the glory that goes along with it,[u] for it has been relinquished[v] to me, and I can give it to anyone I wish. 7 So then, if[w] you will worship[x] me, all this will be[y] yours.” 8 Jesus[z] answered him,[aa] “It is written, ‘You are to worship[ab] the Lord[ac] your God and serve only him.’”[ad]
9 Then[ae] the devil[af] brought him to Jerusalem, had him stand[ag] on the highest point of the temple,[ah] and said to him, “If[ai] you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’[aj] 11 and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”[ak] 12 Jesus[al] answered him,[am] “It is said, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”[an] 13 So[ao] when the devil[ap] had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.[aq]
The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee
14 Then[ar] Jesus, in the power of the Spirit,[as] returned to Galilee, and news about him spread[at] throughout the surrounding countryside.[au] 15 He[av] began to teach[aw] in their synagogues[ax] and was praised[ay] by all.
Rejection at Nazareth
16 Now[az] Jesus[ba] came to Nazareth,[bb] where he had been brought up, and went into the synagogue[bc] on the Sabbath day, as was his custom.[bd] He[be] stood up to read,[bf] 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He[bg] unrolled[bh] the scroll and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed[bi] me to proclaim good news[bj] to the poor.[bk]
He has sent me[bl] to proclaim release[bm] to the captives
and the regaining of sight[bn] to the blind,
to set free[bo] those who are oppressed,[bp]
19 to proclaim the year[bq] of the Lord’s favor.”[br]
20 Then[bs] he rolled up[bt] the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on[bu] him. 21 Then[bv] he began to tell them, “Today[bw] this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”[bx] 22 All[by] were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They[bz] said, “Isn’t this[ca] Joseph’s son?” 23 Jesus[cb] said to them, “No doubt you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’[cc] and say, ‘What we have heard that you did in Capernaum,[cd] do here in your hometown too.’” 24 And he added,[ce] “I tell you the truth,[cf] no prophet is acceptable[cg] in his hometown. 25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,[ch] when the sky[ci] was shut up three and a half years, and[cj] there was a great famine over all the land. 26 Yet[ck] Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.[cl] 27 And there were many lepers[cm] in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,[cn] yet[co] none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”[cp] 28 When they heard this, all the people[cq] in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, forced[cr] him out of the town,[cs] and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that[ct] they could throw him down the cliff.[cu] 30 But he passed through the crowd[cv] and went on his way.[cw]
Ministry in Capernaum
31 So[cx] he went down to Capernaum,[cy] a town[cz] in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he began to teach the people.[da] 32 They[db] were amazed[dc] at his teaching, because he spoke[dd] with authority.[de]
33 Now[df] in the synagogue[dg] there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean[dh] demon, and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ha! Leave us alone,[di] Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One[dj] of God.” 35 But[dk] Jesus rebuked him:[dl] “Silence! Come out of him!”[dm] Then, after the demon threw the man[dn] down in their midst, he came out of him without hurting him.[do] 36 They[dp] were all amazed and began to say[dq] to one another, “What’s happening here?[dr] For with authority and power[ds] he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” 37 So[dt] the news[du] about him spread into all areas of the region.[dv]
38 After Jesus left[dw] the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house.[dx] Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus[dy] to help her.[dz] 39 So[ea] he stood over her, commanded[eb] the fever, and it left her. Immediately[ec] she got up and began to serve[ed] them.
40 As the sun was setting, all those who had any relatives[ee] sick with various diseases brought them to Jesus.[ef] He placed[eg] his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 Demons also came out[eh] of many, crying out,[ei] “You are the Son of God!”[ej] But he rebuked[ek] them, and would not allow them to speak,[el] because they knew that he was the Christ.[em]
42 The next morning[en] Jesus[eo] departed and went to a deserted place. Yet[ep] the crowds were seeking him, and they came to him and tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But Jesus[eq] said to them, “I must[er] proclaim the good news of the kingdom[es] of God to the other towns[et] too, for that is what I was sent[eu] to do.”[ev] 44 So[ew] he continued to preach in the synagogues of Judea.[ex]
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