M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

13 Now Avshalom the son of David had a beautiful sister named Tamar. Some time after the previous events, Amnon the son of David fell in love with her. ² Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he became ill, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it would be impossible to approach her. ³ But Amnon had a friend named Yonadav the son of Shim‘ah David’s brother; and Yonadav was a very shrewd fellow. ⁴ He asked him, “Why, son of the king, are you growing thinner every day? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon answered him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Avshalom’s sister.” ⁵ Yonadav said to him, “Lie down on your bed, and pretend you’re sick. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food to eat, and have her prepare the food where I can watch. I’ll eat what she serves me.” ⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended he was sick. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes here where I can watch, and I’ll eat what she serves me.” ⁷ David sent this instruction home to Tamar: “Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare him some food.” ⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes while he watched, and baked the cakes. ⁹ Then she took the pan and turned them out in front of him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Have everyone leave me”; and everyone left him. ¹⁰ Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the room, so that I can have you serve me. Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the room to Amnon her brother. ¹¹ But when she brought them near, so that he could eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come to bed with me, my sister.” ¹² “No, my brother,” she answered him, “don’t force me! Things like this aren’t done in Isra’el; don’t behave so disgracefully! ¹³ Where could I go with such shame? And as for you, you will be regarded as one of Isra’el’s vulgar brutes. Now therefore, please! Speak to the king, because he won’t keep me from you.” ¹⁴ However, he wouldn’t listen to her; and since he was stronger than she, he overpowered her and raped her. ¹⁵ But then he was filled with utter revulsion for her — his hatred of her was even greater than the love he had had for her before. Amnon said to her, “Get up, and get out of here!” ¹⁶ “No,” she objected, “because throwing me out like this is an even worse thing than what you’ve already done to me!” But he wouldn’t listen to her; ¹⁷ he called his personal servant and said, “Get rid of this woman for me! Throw her out, and lock the door after her!” ¹⁸ She was wearing a long-sleeved robe (this was how they used to dress the king’s daughters who were virgins). His servant took her out and locked the door after her. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head, tore her long-sleeved robe that she was wearing, laid her hand on her head and went off, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰ Avshalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now, my sister, keep quiet; because he’s your brother. Don’t take the matter to heart.” But Tamar remained desolate in her brother Avshalom’s house.

²¹ When King David heard about all these things, he became very angry. ²² As for Avshalom, he refused to say a word to Amnon, either good or bad; for Avshalom hated Amnon for having raped his sister Tamar.

²³ Two years later, when Avshalom had sheep-shearers in Ba‘al-Hatzor, near Efrayim, Avshalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴ Avshalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has sheep-shearers; please let the king and his servants come along with your servant.” ²⁵ The king replied to Avshalom, “No, my son, let’s not all go — we don’t want to be a burden to you.” Avshalom pressed him, but he wouldn’t go; however he gave him his blessing. ²⁶ Then Avshalom said, “If you won’t go, then please let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Avshalom kept pressing him, so he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.

²⁸ Avshalom ordered his servants, “Pay close attention: when Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine, and I say to you, ‘Kill Amnon,’ then strike him down. Don’t be afraid — I’m the one ordering you to do it — but take courage, and be bold.” ²⁹ Avshalom’s servants did to Amnon as Avshalom had ordered. At this, all the king’s sons jumped up, mounted their mules and fled.

³⁰ While they were on their way, the news came to David that Avshalom had killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them was left alive. ³¹ The king got up, tore his clothes and lay on the ground, while all his servants stood by with their clothes torn too. ³² But then Yonadav, the son of Shim‘ah, David’s brother, spoke up; he said, “My lord shouldn’t think they have killed all the young men, the king’s sons. Only Amnon is dead; for Avshalom has meant to do this ever since the day he raped his sister Tamar. ³³ So my lord the king shouldn’t take it as seriously as if all the king’s sons are dead; only Amnon is dead.”

³⁴ However, Avshalom took flight. The young man keeping watch looked up and saw many people coming along the road behind him on the hillside. ³⁵ Yonadav said to the king, “Here, the king’s sons have come; it’s just as your servant said.” ³⁶ The moment he finished speaking, the king’s sons came, cried out and wept; and the king too, with all his servants, cried out in great pain. ³⁷ Avshalom fled and went to Talmai the son of ‘Ammihud, king of G’shur. David mourned for his son every day. ³⁸ So Avshalom fled, went to G’shur and stayed there three years. ³⁹ But as King David became reconciled to the death of his son Amnon, he was increasingly filled with longing to see Avshalom.

6 As God’s fellow-workers we also urge you not to receive his grace and then do nothing with it. ² For he says,

³ We try not to put obstacles in anyone’s path, so that no one can find fault with the work we do. ⁴ On the contrary, we try to commend ourselves in every way as workers for God by continually enduring troubles, hardships, calamities, ⁵ beatings, imprisonments, riots, overwork, lack of sleep and food. ⁶ We commend ourselves by our purity, knowledge, patience and kindness; by the Ruach HaKodesh; by genuineness of love ⁷ and truthfulness of speech; and by God’s power. We commend ourselves through our use of righteous weapons, whether for pressing our cause or defending it; ⁸ through being honored and dishonored, praised and blamed, considered deceptive and sincere, ⁹ unknown and famous. And we commend ourselves as God’s workers headed for death, yet look! we’re alive! as punished, yet not killed; ¹⁰ as having reason to be sad, yet always filled with joy; as poor, yet making many people rich; as having nothing, yet having everything!

¹¹ Dear friends in Corinth! We have spoken frankly to you, we have opened our hearts wide. ¹² Any constraint you feel has not been imposed by us, but by your own inner selves. ¹³ So, just to be “fair” (I am using the language of children), open wide your hearts too.

¹⁴ Do not yoke yourselves together in a team with unbelievers. For how can righteousness and lawlessness be partners? What fellowship does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony can there be between the Messiah and B’liya‘al? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement can there be between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God — as God said,

¹⁷ Therefore Adonai says,

says Adonai-Tzva’ot.”^[e]

20 On the tenth day of the fifth month of the seventh year, some of Isra’el’s leaders came to consult Adonai and sat with me; ² and the word of Adonai came to me: ³ “Human being, speak to Isra’el’s leaders; tell them that Adonai Elohim asks, ‘Have you come to consult me? As I live,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘I swear that I will not let you consult me.’

⁴ “Are you going to judge them? Human being, are you going to judge them? Then have them realize how disgusting their ancestors’ practices were. ⁵ Tell them that Adonai Elohim says this: ‘Back on the day when I chose Isra’el, I raised my hand to the descendants of the house of Ya‘akov. I revealed myself to them in the land of Egypt when I raised my hand to them and said, “I am Adonai your God.” ⁶ On the day I raised my hand to them, pledging to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land I had reconnoitered for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands, ⁷ I told them, “Each of you is to throw away the detestable things that draw your eyes. Do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am Adonai your God.”

⁸ “‘But they rebelled against me and wouldn’t listen to me; they did not, each of them, throw away the detestable things that drew their eyes; and they did not abandon the idols of Egypt. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them there in the land of Egypt. ⁹ But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they were living, in the sight of whom I had made myself known to them, in order to bring them out of the land of Egypt. ¹⁰ So I had them leave the land of Egypt and brought them into the desert. ¹¹ I gave them my laws and showed them my rulings; if a person obeys them, he will have life through them. ¹² I gave them my shabbats as a sign between me and them, so that they would know that I, Adonai, am the one who makes them holy.

¹³ “‘But the house of Isra’el rebelled against me in the desert. They did not live by my laws; and they rejected my rulings, which, if a person does, he will have life through them; moreover, they greatly profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them in the desert, in order to destroy them. ¹⁴ But concern for my own reputation kept me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out. ¹⁵ Yet I also raised my hand and swore to them in the desert that I would not bring them into the land I was giving them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most beautiful of all lands; ¹⁶ because they had rejected my rulings, did not live by my laws and profaned my shabbats; since their hearts went after their idols. ¹⁷ However, I spared them from complete destruction; I did not completely finish them off in the desert.

¹⁸ “‘I said to their children in the desert, “Don’t live by the laws of your fathers, observe their rulings or defile yourselves with their idols. ¹⁹ I am Adonai your God; live by my laws, observe my rulings, and obey them, ²⁰ and keep my shabbats holy; and they will be a sign between me and you, so that you will know that I am Adonai your God.”

²¹ “‘But the children too rebelled against me. They did not live by my laws or observe my rulings, to obey them, which, if a person does, he will have life by them; and they profaned my shabbats. Then I said I would pour out my fury on them and spend my anger on them in the desert. ²² Nevertheless, I withdrew my hand and allowed concern for my own reputation to keep me from letting it be profaned in the sight of the nations who had seen when I brought them out.

²³ “‘I also raised my hand and swore to them in the desert that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries; ²⁴ because they hadn’t obeyed my rulings but had rejected my laws and profaned my shabbats, and their eyes had turned toward their fathers’ idols. ²⁵ I also gave them laws which did them no good and rulings by which they did not live; ²⁶ and I let them become defiled by their own gifts, in that they offered up their firstborn sons, so that I could fill them with revulsion, so that they would [finally] realize that I am Adonai.’

²⁷ “Therefore, human being, speak to the house of Isra’el; tell them that Adonai Elohim says, ‘Moreover, your ancestors blasphemed me by breaking faith with me in still another way: ²⁸ for after I had brought them into the land, which I had raised my hand in pledge to give them, they noted all its high hills and leafy trees and offered there their sacrifices; there they made offerings that provoked my anger, there they set out their sweet aromas, and there they poured out their drink offerings. ²⁹ When I asked them, “This high place where you go, what is the meaning of it?” they gave it the name Bamah* which it retains to this day.’

³⁰ “So tell the house of Isra’el that Adonai Elohim says, ‘You are defiling yourselves in the same way as your ancestors, following their abominations and fornicating with them; ³¹ and when offering your gifts, you make your children pass through the fire and defile yourselves with all your idols — to this day. So, am I supposed to allow you to consult me, house of Isra’el? As I live,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘I swear that I won’t have you consult me, ³² and that what you have in mind when you say, “We will be like the Goyim, like the families of the other countries, serving wood and stone,” will certainly not happen. ³³ As I live,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘I swear that surely with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury I myself will be king over you. ³⁴ I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered, with a mighty hand, with a stretched-out arm and with poured-out fury; ³⁵ then I will bring you into the desert of the peoples and judge you face to face. ³⁶ Just as I judged your ancestors in the desert of the land of Egypt, so will I judge you,’ says Adonai Elohim. ³⁷ ‘I will make you pass under the crook and bring you into the obligations of the covenant. ³⁸ I will rid you of the rebels who are in revolt against me — I will bring them out from the land where they are living, but they will not enter the land of Isra’el; then you will know that I am Adonai.’

³⁹ “As for you, house of Isra’el, here is what Adonai Elohim says: ‘Go on serving your idols, every one of you! But afterwards, [I swear that] you will listen to me, and you will no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and with your idols. ⁴⁰ For on my holy mountain, the high mountain of Isra’el,’ says Adonai Elohim, ‘the whole house of Isra’el, all of them, will serve me in the land. I will accept them there, and there I will require your contributions, your best gifts and all your consecrated things. ⁴¹ I will accept you with your sweet aroma when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you were scattered; and through you I will manifest my holiness in the sight of the nations.

⁴² “‘You will know that I am Adonai when I bring you into the land of Isra’el, into the country which I pledged, by raising my hand, to give to your ancestors. ⁴³ There you will remember your behavior and all the things you did by which you defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evils you committed. ⁴⁴ You will know that I am Adonai when I have dealt with you in a manner that preserves my reputation, and not according to your evil ways and corrupt actions, house of Isra’el’ says Adonai Elohim.”