M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Ish-bosheth Murdered

4 Now when ^[a]Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that ^(A)Abner had died in Hebron, ^[b](B)his courage failed, and all Israel was horrified. ² And Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of troops: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for ^(C)Beeroth is also considered ^(D)part of Benjamin, ³ and the Beerothites fled to ^(E)Gittaim and have lived there as strangers until this day).

⁴ Now ^(F)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was disabled in both feet. He was five years old when the ^(G)news of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up and fled. But it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and could no longer walk. And his name was ^[c](H)Mephibosheth.

⁵ So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of ^(I)Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while he was taking his midday rest. ^6 [d]And they came to the interior of the house as if ^[e]to get wheat, and ^(J)they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. ⁷ Now when they had come into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him, and they beheaded him. And they took his head and ^[f](K)traveled by way of the Arabah all night. ⁸ Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth ^(L)the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; so the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his ^[g]descendants.”

⁹ But David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, ^(M)who has redeemed my life from all distress, ^10 (N)when the one who informed me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ also ^[h]viewed himself as the bearer of good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now ^(O)require his blood from your hands and eliminate you both from the earth?” ¹² Then ^(P)David commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet, and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth ^(Q)and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

David King over All Israel

5 ^(R)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[i]said, “Behold, we are ^(S)your bone and your flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^(T)you were the one who led Israel ^[j]out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘^(U)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(V)a leader over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(W)made a covenant with them before the Lord in Hebron; then ^(X)they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(Y)thirty years old when he became king, and ^(Z)he reigned for forty years. ⁵ At Hebron ^(AA)he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

^6 (AB)Now the king and his men went to ^(AC)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they said to ^[k]David, “You shall not come in here, but even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,” ^[l]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is, ^(AD)the city of David. ⁸ And David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites is to reach those who limp and those who are blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” For that reason they say, “People who are blind and people who limp shall not come into the house.” ⁹ So David lived in the stronghold, and called it ^(AE)the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[m](AF)Millo and inward. ^10 (AG)David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of armies was with him.

^11 (AH)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, carpenters, and ^[n]stonemasons; and ^(AI)they built a house for David. ¹² And David realized that the Lord had appointed him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ Meanwhile ^(AJ)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(AK)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

War with the Philistines

¹⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, ^(AL)all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard about it, he went down to the ^(AM)stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines came and overran ^(AN)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So ^(AO)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” And ^(AP)the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.” ²⁰ Then David came to ^(AQ)Baal-perazim and ^[o]defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ^[p]Baal-perazim. ²¹ And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so ^(AR)David and his men carried them away.

²² Now ^(AS)the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ So ^(AT)David inquired of the Lord, but He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs. ²⁴ And it shall be, when ^(AU)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall ^[q]act promptly, for then ^(AV)the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him; he struck and killed the Philistines from ^[r](AW)Geba ^[s]as far as ^(AX)Gezer.

The Fact of Christ’s Resurrection

15 Now ^(A)I make known to you, brothers and sisters, the ^(B)gospel which I preached to you, which you also received, ^(C)in which you also stand, ² by which you also are saved, ^(D)if you hold firmly to ^[a]the word which I preached to you, ^(E)unless you believed in vain.

³ For ^(F)I handed down to you ^[b]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died ^(G)for our sins ^(H)according to the Scriptures, ⁴ and that He was buried, and that He was ^(I)raised on the third day ^(J)according to the Scriptures, ⁵ and that ^(K)He appeared to ^[c](L)Cephas, then ^(M)to the twelve. ⁶ After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some ^(N)have fallen asleep; ⁷ then He appeared to ^[d](O)James, then to ^(P)all the apostles; ⁸ and last of all, as ^[e]to one untimely born, ^(Q)He appeared to me also. ⁹ For I am ^(R)the least of the apostles, ^[f]and not fit to be called an apostle, because I ^(S)persecuted the church of God. ¹⁰ But by ^(T)the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I ^(U)labored even more than all of them, yet ^(V)not I, but the grace of God with me. ¹¹ Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

¹² Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there ^(W)is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁴ and ^(X)if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain. ¹⁵ Moreover, we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified ^[g]against God that He ^(Y)raised ^[h]Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised; ¹⁷ and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; ^(Z)you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then also those who ^(AA)have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If we have hoped in Christ only in this life, we are ^(AB)of all people most to be pitied.

The Order of Resurrection

²⁰ But the fact is, Christ ^(AC)has been raised from the dead, the ^(AD)first fruits of those who ^(AE)are asleep. ²¹ For since ^(AF)by a man death came, by a Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²² For ^(AG)as in Adam all die, so also in ^[i]Christ all will be made alive. ²³ But each in his own order: Christ ^(AH)the first fruits, after that ^(AI)those who are Christ’s at ^(AJ)His coming, ²⁴ then comes the end, when He hands over ^(AK)the kingdom to our ^(AL)God and Father, when He has abolished ^(AM)all rule and all authority and power. ²⁵ For He must reign ^(AN)until He has put all His enemies under His feet. ²⁶ The last enemy that will be ^(AO)abolished is death. ²⁷ For ^(AP)He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “^(AQ)All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that ^[j]this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. ²⁸ When ^(AR)all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that ^(AS)God may be all in all.

²⁹ For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized ^[k]for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized ^[l]for them? ³⁰ Why are we also ^(AT)in danger every hour? ³¹ I affirm, brothers and sisters, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, that ^(AU)I die daily. ³² If ^[m]from human motives I ^(AV)fought with wild beasts at ^(AW)Ephesus, what good is it to me? If the dead are not raised, ^(AX)let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. ^33 (AY)Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” ^34 (AZ)Sober up ^[n]morally and stop sinning, for some have ^(BA)no knowledge of God. ^(BB)I say this to your shame.

³⁵ But ^(BC)someone will say, “How are ^(BD)the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?” ^36 (BE)You fool! That which you ^(BF)sow does not come to life unless it dies; ³⁷ and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of ^[o]something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body just as He wished, and ^(BG)to each of the seeds a body of its own. ³⁹ All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of mankind, another flesh of animals, another flesh of birds, and another of fish. ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. ⁴¹ There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

^42 (BH)So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown ^[p](BI)a perishable body, it is raised ^[q](BJ)an imperishable body; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in ^(BK)glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a ^(BL)natural body, it is raised a ^(BM)spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So also it is written: “The first ^(BN)man, Adam, became a living ^[r]person.” The ^(BO)last Adam was a ^(BP)life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man is ^(BQ)from the earth, ^[s](BR)earthy; the second Man is from heaven. ⁴⁸ As is the earthy one, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly One, ^(BS)so also are those who are heavenly. ⁴⁹ Just as we have ^(BT)borne the image of the earthy, ^[t]we ^(BU)will also bear the image of the heavenly.

The Mystery of Resurrection

⁵⁰ Now I say this, brothers and sisters, that ^(BV)flesh and blood cannot ^(BW)inherit the kingdom of God; nor does ^[u]the perishable inherit ^[v](BX)the imperishable. ⁵¹ Behold, I am telling you a ^[w](BY)mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be ^(BZ)changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for ^(CA)the trumpet will sound, and ^(CB)the dead will be raised ^[x]imperishable, and ^(CC)we will be changed. ⁵³ For this ^[y]perishable must put on ^[z](CD)the imperishable, and this ^(CE)mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ But when this ^[aa]perishable puts on ^[ab]the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written: “^(CF)Death has been swallowed up in victory. ^55 (CG)Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?” ⁵⁶ The sting of ^(CH)death is sin, and ^(CI)the power of sin is the Law; ⁵⁷ but ^(CJ)thanks be to God, who gives us the ^(CK)victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

^58 (CL)Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in ^(CM)the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

False Prophets Condemned

13 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy against the ^(A)prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy from their own ^[a]inspiration, ‘^(B)Listen to the word of the Lord! ³ This is what the Lord ^[b]God says: “Woe to the ^(C)foolish prophets who are following their own spirit and have ^(D)seen nothing! ⁴ Israel, your prophets have been like jackals among ruins. ⁵ You have not ^(E)gone up into the ^(F)breaches, nor did you build up a stone wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the ^(G)day of the Lord. ⁶ They see ^(H)deceit and lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; ^(I)yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word! ^7 (J)Did you not see a false vision and tell a lying divination when you said, ‘The Lord declares,’ but it is not I who have spoken?”’”

⁸ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Because you have spoken deceit and have seen a lie, therefore behold, ^(K)I am against you,” declares the Lord God. ⁹ “So My hand will be against the ^(L)prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will ^[c]have no place in the council of My people, ^(M)nor will they be written down in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel, ^[d]so that you may know that I am the Lord God. ¹⁰ It is definitely because they have ^(N)misled My people by saying, ‘^(O)Peace!’ when there is ^(P)no peace. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash; ¹¹ so tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that it will fall. A ^(Q)flooding rain will come, and you, hailstones, will fall, and a violent wind will break out. ¹² Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked, ‘Where is the plaster with which you plastered it?’” ¹³ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath. There will also be in My anger a flooding rain and ^(R)hailstones to consume it in wrath. ¹⁴ So I will tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and hurl it down to the ground, so that its ^(S)foundation is exposed; and when it falls, you will ^(T)perish in its midst. And you will ^(U)know that I am the Lord. ¹⁵ So I will expend My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it over with whitewash; and I will say to you, ‘The wall ^[e]is gone and those who plastered it are gone, ¹⁶ along with the prophets of Israel who prophesy to Jerusalem, and who ^(V)see a vision of peace for her when there is ^(W)no peace,’ declares the Lord God.

¹⁷ “Now you, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people who are ^(X)talking like prophets ^(Y)from their own ^[f]imagination. Prophesy against them ¹⁸ and say, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “Woe to the women who sew magic bands on ^[g]all wrists and make veils for the heads of persons of every stature to ^(Z)capture souls! Will you capture the souls of My people, but keep the souls of others alive for yourselves? ^19 (AA)For handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, you have profaned Me to My people, to put to death ^[h]some who should not die, and to ^(AB)keep ^[i]others alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies.”’”

²⁰ Therefore, this is what the Lord God says: “Behold, I am against your magic bands by which you capture souls there as ^[j]birds, and I will tear them from your arms; and I will let ^[k]them go, those souls whom you capture as ^[l]birds. ²¹ I will also tear off your veils and ^(AC)save My people from your hands, and they will no longer be in your hands as prey; and you will know that I am the Lord. ²² Because you ^(AD)disheartened the righteous with falsehood when I did not cause him pain, but you have ^[m](AE)encouraged the wicked not to ^(AF)turn from his wicked way to keep him alive, ²³ therefore you women will no longer see ^(AG)deceitful visions or practice divination, and I will ^(AH)save My people from your hands. So you will ^(AI)know that I am the Lord.”

Futility of Boastful Wickedness.

For the music director. A ^[a]Maskil of David, ^[b]when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said to him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”

Foolishness and Wickedness of People.

For the music director; according to ^[e]Mahalath. A ^[f]Maskil of David.

Prayer for Defense against Enemies.

For the music director; on stringed instruments. A ^[k]Maskil of David, ^[l]when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, “Is David not keeping himself hidden among us?”