M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 16
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you continue to mourn for Saul, for I have rejected him as king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and go, I am sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem. I have seen a king for myself among his sons.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I am going to make a sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You will anoint for me whomever I point out to you.”
David Is Anointed as King. 4 Samuel did what the Lord had said. When he arrived in Bethlehem, the elders of the city came out to him trembling with fear. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel answered, “Yes. In peace I have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he purified Jesse and his sons, and he invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they arrived, he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely his anointed one stands before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or how tall he stands, for the Lord has rejected him. He does not see the way that men see, for men look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Jesse then summoned Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. He said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 9 Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. He said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” 10 Jesse made his seven sons pass in front of Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these either.”
11 Samuel asked Jesse, “Are these all of the children?” He said, “There is still the youngest; he is watching the sheep.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him and fetch him. We will not sit down until he has arrived.”
12 And so he sent for and brought him. He was ruddy, with a fine and handsome appearance. The Lord said, “Rise up and anoint him, for he is the one.” 13 Samuel took the horn of oil, and he anointed him in the midst of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day onward, and Samuel then returned to Ramah.
14 Saul’s Armor-Bearer.[a][b]Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit oppressed him.[c] 15 Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold, an evil spirit from God is troubling you. 16 Let our lord command your servants to seek out someone who is talented in playing the harp. When an evil spirit from God descends upon you, he can play and you will feel better.” 17 Saul said to his servants, “Find someone for me who plays well and bring him to me.” 18 One of his servants said, “I have seen a son of Jesse from Bethlehem who is talented at playing. He is strong and a brave warrior. He is prudent in his speech and handsome, and the Lord is with him.” 19 [d]So Saul sent messengers to Jesse saying, “Send me David, your son, who is tending the sheep.”
20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with David, his son, to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and entered into his service. He loved him very much, and he became his armor-bearer.
22 Saul sent to Jesse saying, “Please let David be in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 Whenever an evil spirit came upon Saul, David took a harp and played it. Saul revived and he felt better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
Chapter 14
The Weak and the Strong in the Community.[a] 1 Welcome anyone whose faith is weak, but do not get into arguments about doubts. 2 One person may have the faith to eat any kind of food, whereas a weak person may eat only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything must not look contemptuously on the one who does not, and the one who abstains must not pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed both. 4 What right do you have to pass judgment on someone else’s servant? The master will determine whether that servant will stand or fall. But the servant will be upheld, for the Lord has the power to enable him to stand.
5 One person may consider one day to be more sacred than another, while another may judge all days to be alike. Let everyone be convinced in his own beliefs. 6 Whoever observes the day observes it for the Lord. Also, the one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and thereby also gives thanks to God.
7 None of us lives for himself, and none of us dies for himself. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9 It was for this reason that Christ died and came to life again: so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
10 Why then do you pass judgment on your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? All of us will have to stand before the judgment seat of God. 11 For it is written,
“As I live, says the Lord,
every knee shall bow before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
12 Consideration for the Weak Conscience. So, then, each one of us will have to give an account of himself to God. 13 Therefore, let us cease passing judgment on one another, but rather judge never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. 14 I know, and am convinced in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. However, it is unclean for someone who believes it to be unclean.
15 If your brother is seriously offended by what you eat, then you are no longer being guided by love. Do not allow the food that you eat to destroy anyone for whom Christ died. 16 Do not let what you think is good to become what others say is evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 The one who serves Christ in such things is pleasing to God and respected by others.
19 Let us[b] then pursue the ways that lead to peace and mutual edification. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to cause others to fall by what you eat. 21 It is best not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything else that causes your brother to stumble.
22 Whatever faith you have, keep it between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to condemn himself because of what he approves. 23 But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not act from faith. Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.
Chapter 1
Jerusalem Deserted and Forsaken[a]
1 How deserted now is the city
that was formerly overflowing with people!
Once she was the greatest of the nations;
now she is like a widow.
Once she was a princess among the provinces;
now she is subjected to forced labor.
2 She weeps bitterly throughout the night,
with tears running down her cheeks.
Not a single one of those who loved her
remains to offer her comfort.
All of her friends[b] have betrayed her
and have become her enemies.
3 After enduring intense suffering and endless servitude,
Judah has gone into exile.
She lives among the nations
but finds no resting place.
In the midst of her distress
her persecutors have overtaken her.
4 The roads to Zion mourn,
for no pilgrims now come to her festivals.
All of her gateways are deserted;
her priests groan,
her young maidens are grief-stricken
and their fate is bitter.
5 Her foes have become her masters,
and her enemies prosper,
for the Lord has made her suffer
for her endless transgressions.
Her children are no longer there,
having been taken captive by their oppressor.
6 Every vestige of splendor
has departed from the daughter of Zion.[c]
Her princes have become like stags
that can find no pasture;
with their strength exhausted
they flee before their pursuers.
7 In the days of her misery and distress
Jerusalem will remember those times
when her people were overcome by the enemy,
and she had no one to help her.
Her foes mocked her unceasingly
and laughed over her downfall.
8 Because Jerusalem had sinned so grievously,
she was regarded as an object of defilement.
All those who honored her now despise her
after having beheld her nakedness.
She herself groans in anguish
and turns her face away.
9 Her filthiness befouled her skirts;
she gave no thought to her future.
Her downfall was incredible,
and there was no one to comfort her.
“O Lord, look at my affliction,
for the enemy has triumphed.”
10 The enemy stretched out their hands
to seize all her treasures.
She beheld the nations
invade her sanctuary,
those whom you had forbidden
to come into your assembly.
11 All her people groan
as they desperately search for bread.
They trade their treasures for food
to keep themselves alive.
Look, O Lord, and see
how worthless I have become.
12 All of you who pass this way,
look and see.
Is there any sorrow like the sorrow
that has been inflicted upon me
which the Lord forced me to suffer
on the day of his fierce anger?
13 From on high he sent down fire
that lodged deep in my bones.
He spread a net for my feet
and turned me back.
He left me desolate
and in a state of weakness all day long.
14 My sins have been bound into a yoke,
woven together by his hand.
They weigh down my neck
and sap my strength.
The Lord has handed me over
to those whom I cannot withstand.
15 The Lord has totally rejected
all the warriors in my midst,
and he has summoned an army against me
to crush my young warriors.
The Lord has trodden in the winepress
the virgin daughter of Judah.
16 This is why I weep
and my eyes flow with tears.
Anyone who could comfort and strengthen me
is far from my presence.
My children are desolate,
for the enemy has prevailed.
17 Zion stretches out her hands
but there is no one to comfort her
The Lord has commanded the neighbors of Jacob
to become his enemies.
In their midst Jerusalem has become
an unclean thing to be avoided.
18 The Lord has acted justly,
for I rebelled against his command.
Listen, all you peoples,
and behold my suffering.
My maidens and my youths
have been taken into captivity.
19 I called out to my allies
but they failed me.
My priests and my elders
perished in the city
where they searched for food
to keep themselves alive.
20 Behold, O Lord, how great is my distress.
My inner being is in turmoil.
My heart recoils within me
because I have been so rebellious.
In the streets the sword causes bereavement;
in the houses death reigns.
21 People have heard my groans,
but no one has offered to comfort me.
All my enemies have learned of my troubles,
and they are pleased at what you have done.
Hasten the day[d] you have proclaimed
so that they may become like me.
22 Let all their wicked deeds come before you,
and deal with them
as you have dealt with me
because of all my sins.
My groans never cease,
and I am sick at heart.
Psalm 32[a]
The Joy of Being Forgiven
1 Of David. A maskil.[b]
[c]Blessed is the one whose offense is forgiven,
whose sin is erased.
2 Blessed is the one to whom the Lord charges no guilt
and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 As long as I remained silent,[d]
my body wasted away
as the result of my groaning throughout the day.
4 For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength withered steadily
as though consumed by the summer heat.[e] Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I made no attempt to conceal my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my offenses[f] to the Lord,”
and you removed the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore, let everyone who is faithful pray to you
where you may be found.[g]
Even if great floods threaten,
they will never reach him.
7 You are a place of refuge for me;
you preserve me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.[h] Selah
8 I will instruct you
and guide you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you
and keep my eyes upon you.
9 Do not behave without understanding
like a horse or a mule;
if its temper is not curbed with bit and bridle,
it will not come near you.
10 The wicked has a multitude of troubles,
but the man who trusts in the Lord
is surrounded by kindness.[i]
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous;
shout for joy, all you upright of heart.[j]
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