M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 20
Ahab’s Victory over the Arameans.[a] 1 Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, gathered together his entire army. He had thirty-two kings with him along with their horses and chariots. They went up and besieged Samaria, fighting against it.
2 He sent messengers into the city, to Ahab, the king of Israel, saying, “Thus says Ben-hadad: 3 ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as are the best of your wives and your children.’ ” 4 The king of Israel answered, “O king, my lord, I and all that I own are yours.”
5 The messengers came again and said, “Thus says Ben-hadad: ‘I have sent to you demanding that you send me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children. 6 Around this time tomorrow, I will send my servants to you. They will search through your palace and the houses of your servants. They will take hold of whatever they like and carry it away.’ ”
7 The king of Israel summoned all of the elders of the land and said, “See how this man is looking for trouble. He sent a message to me seeking my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, and I did not deny it to him.” 8 The elders and all of the people said to him, “Do not listen to him, do not agree!”
9 So he replied to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord, the king: ‘Your servant will do everything that you demanded the first time, but I cannot do this thing.’ ” The messengers went away and brought him the answer.
10 Then Ben-hadad sent to him, saying, “May the gods do this to me and more if there is enough dust remaining from Samaria to give a handful to each of those who follow me.”[b]
11 The king of Israel answered, “Say: ‘He who is putting on his armor should not boast like someone who is taking it off.’ ” 12 He heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in the tents and he said to his servants, “Get ready!” So they prepared to attack the city.
13 In the meantime, a prophet came to Ahab, the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Do you see this enormous mob? Behold, I will deliver them into your hands today so that you might know that I am the Lord.’ ” 14 Ahab said, “Who will do it?” He answered, “Thus says the Lord: ‘The young officers from the provinces.’ ” He asked, “Who should start the battle?” He answered, “You!”[c]
15 So he summoned the young officers from the provinces, and there were two hundred and thirty-two of them. Then he counted all of the Israelites there, and there were seven thousand.
16 They set out at noon when Ben-hadad and the thirty-two kings who were helping him were getting drunk in their tents. 17 The young officers from the provinces went out first. Ben-hadad sent out men who told him, “The men from Samaria are advancing.” 18 He said, “If they are coming out to make peace, take them alive, and even if they have come out to fight, take them alive.”
19 And so the young officers from the provinces came out from the city, and the army followed after them. 20 Each of them killed his opponent, and the Arameans fled away with Israel pursuing them. Ben-hadad, the king of Aram, escaped on a horse with some of his horsemen.
21 The king of Israel went out and defeated the horsemen and the chariots, and he killed a large number of the Arameans. 22 Afterwards, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen yourself, and see what must be done, for next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.”
23 The servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are the gods of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were. We should fight against them in the plain, and we will surely be stronger than they are. 24 Just do this, remove all of the kings from their command and replace them with the officers. 25 You must assemble an army as large as the army you lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will be able to fight against them in the plain. We will certainly be stronger than they are.” He listened to their advice and followed it.
26 In the spring of the year, Ben-hadad assembled the Arameans and went to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27 When the Israelites were assembled and given provisions, they went out against them. The Israelites camped opposite them, and they looked like two little flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.
28 The man of God arrived and spoke to the king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘The Arameans think that the Lord is the God of the hills but not the God of the lowlands. I will therefore deliver this enormous army into your hands, and thus you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
29 They camped opposite one another for seven days, and then on the seventh day they joined in battle. The Israelites killed one hundred thousand of the Aramean infantry in one day. 30 The rest of them escaped into the city of Aphek, but a wall collapsed upon twenty-seven thousand of the survivors.
Ben-hadad fled into the city and hid in an inner room. 31 His servants said to him, “Behold, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.” 32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and they put ropes around their heads and they went out to the king of Israel and said, “Ben-hadad said, ‘Please let me live.’ ” He answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”[d]
33 The men were listening carefully and they quickly took up his refrain, “Ben-hadad is your brother!” He said, “Go and bring him here.” When Ben-hadad came out to him, he had him join him in the chariot.
34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will give back the cities that my father took from your father. You can set up marketplaces in Damascus just like my father did in Samaria.” He answered, “I will release you on the basis of this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and released him.
35 Ahab Is Condemned by a Prophet.[e] One of the sons of the prophets, inspired by the word of the Lord, said to his companion, “Please strike me,” but the man refused to strike him. 36 So he said to him, “You have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, so as soon as you leave me, you will be killed by a lion.” As soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.
37 The prophet found another man and said, “Please strike me.” So the man struck and wounded him. 38 The prophet left and waited for the king along the road, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
39 As the king passed by, he cried out to the king, “Your servant went out into the heat of the battle. A man came over and brought a man to me saying, ‘Guard this man. If he escapes, then you will pay a life for a life, or else you will have to pay a talent of silver.’ 40 While your servant was busy here and there, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him, “That will be your judgment; you have decided it for yourself.” 41 He quickly removed the bandage from his face, and the king of Israel recognized that he was one of the prophets. 42 He then said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you have released from your hands a man whom I had designated for total destruction, your life will stand for his life, your people for his people.’ ” 43 The king of Israel, therefore, returned to his palace deeply troubled, and he arrived in Samaria.
Chapter 3
Standing Firm in the Lord.[a] 1 Therefore, when we[b] could not stand it any longer, we decided to remain alone in Athens. 2 We sent Timothy, our brother and coworker for God[c] in the gospel of Christ, to confirm and encourage you in your faith, 3 so that no one might be troubled by these hardships.
You yourselves realize that we were destined to endure such afflictions. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we warned you beforehand that we could suffer persecution, and that is what has now come to pass, as you are well aware. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn of your faith, lest the tempter might have put you to the test and all our labor might have been for naught.
6 But Timothy has just now returned to us from you and brought us the joyful news of your faith and love. He tells us that you always speak fondly of us and long to see us just as much as we long to see you.[d] 7 For this reason, brethren, in the midst of our distress and hardship we have been reassured by your faith. 8 For now we live inasmuch as you stand firm in the Lord.
Plea for Growth in Holiness. 9 How can we possibly give thanks to God for all the joy we feel in the presence of our God because of you? 10 We pray fervently day and night that we will be allowed to see you face to face once again and complete whatever may be lacking in your faith.
11 May our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus prepare the way to you. 12 May the Lord[e] cause your love to increase and overflow for one another and for everyone else, just as our love does for you. 13 May he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may stand blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.[f] [Amen.]
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream of the Shattered Statue[a]
Chapter 2
The King’s Dream. 1 During the second year of his reign, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him deeply and made sleep impossible. 2 Therefore, the king commanded that the magicians, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans[b] were to be summoned to interpret his dream. When they arrived and stood in his presence, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream, and my mind is troubled because I have been unable to interpret it.” 4 The Chaldeans replied to the king in Aramaic,[c] “May you live forever, O king. Relate your dream to us, your servants, and we will reveal its meaning to you.”
5 The king answered the Chaldeans, “This is what I have decided to do. If you are unable to tell me both the dream I had and its meaning, I will command that you be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be totally destroyed. 6 However, if you are able to tell me what I dreamed and its meaning, I will present you with gifts, rewards, and great honors. Therefore, tell me the content of the dream and its meaning.”
7 They replied a second time, “Let the king first reveal his dream to his servants, and we shall interpret its meaning for you.” 8 But the king responded, “It is clear to me that you are stalling for time, since you know what I have already resolved to do. 9 If you are unable to interpret my dream for me, there will only be one verdict for you. You have obviously decided to stall for time in the hope that some compromise may be reached. Therefore, relate the content of my dream to me so that I will be able to determine whether you can interpret it correctly.”
10 The Chaldeans answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who can do what you request, O king. Never has there been a king, no matter how great or powerful, who has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. 11 What you are requiring of us is much too difficult, and no one can satisfy the king’s demand except for the gods, whose dwelling is not among mortals.”
12 On hearing this, the king flew into a violent rage and ordered that all the wise men of Babylon were to be put to death. 13 There-fore, the decree was issued for their execution, and a search was also made for Daniel and his companions so that they also might be executed.
14 As Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, prepared to execute the wise men of Babylon, Daniel approached him, and with prudent words and discretion 15 he said to him, “May I ask you why the king has issued such a harsh decree?” When Arioch explained what had occurred, 16 Daniel went off and asked the king to decree a stay of execution so that he might have the opportunity to offer his interpretation to the king.
17 The Prayer of Daniel. Then Daniel went home and informed his companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, what had happened. 18 He also asked them to implore the God of heaven[d] for his mercy in regard to the mystery so that he and his companions might not perish along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision during the night, and Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 This is what Daniel said,
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
for wisdom and power are his.
21 He directs the changes of the times and seasons;
he controls the appointment and the removal of kings.
He endows the wise with wisdom
and confers knowledge on those who have understanding.
22 He reveals deep and hidden mysteries
and knows what lies in the darkness,
for light dwells with him.
23 To you, O God of my fathers,
I offer thanks and praise
because you have given me wisdom and power.
Now you have made known to me
what we asked of you;
you have revealed to us the king’s dream.”
24 The Statue Turned Upside Down.[e]Then Daniel went to Arioch, whom the king had designated to execute the wise men of Babylon, and he said to him, “Do not put the wise men of Babylon to death. Bring me into the presence of the king, and I will reveal to him the interpretation of the dream.”
25 Arioch immediately brought Daniel to the king and said to him, “Among the exiles from Judah I have located a man who can reveal the meaning of the dream to the king.” 26 The king said to Daniel, “Are you able to tell me the dream that I experienced and to reveal its meaning to me?”
27 Daniel stood in the king’s presence and replied, “None of the wise men, the enchanters, the sorcerers, or the astrologers has been able to explain to the king the dream about which you have been so disturbed. 28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has disclosed to King Nebuchadnezzar what is to take place at the end of this age. These were the dreams and the visions that passed through your head as you lay in your bed.
29 “While you were lying there, O king, thoughts came to you about what would happen in the future, and the revealer of mysteries showed you what will take place. 30 This mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than any living person, but for the sole purpose that the interpretation may be made known to you and also that you may understand the thoughts that have entered your mind.
31 “In the vision that you had, Your Majesty, you beheld a huge statue that was dazzling in its brightness. It stood before you, frightening in its appearance. 32 The head of the statue was of fine gold, its chest and its arms were of silver, its belly and its thighs were of bronze, 33 its legs were of iron, and its feet were partly of iron and partly of clay.
34 “While you were gazing at the statue, a stone broke away, untouched by any human hand, and struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, shattering them to pieces. 35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were all shattered into pieces as fine as the chaff on the threshing floor during the summer. The wind carried them away without leaving a trace. However, the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the entire earth.
36 “That was the dream. Now we shall offer to the king its interpretation. 37 Your Majesty, you are the king of kings to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom with its power, its might, and its glory. 38 He has entrusted to your care men, wild beasts, and birds of the air, wherever they may dwell. You are the head of gold.
39 “After you another kingdom will arise, inferior to yours, followed by a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. 40 There will then be a fourth kingdom, as strong as iron. Just as iron crushes and smashes everything to pieces, it will crush and pulverize all the other kingdoms.
41 “Like the feet and the toes that you saw, composed partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but it will have some of the strength of iron just as you saw the iron mixed with the clay tile. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly potter’s clay, the kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 And just as you saw the iron mixed with the clay, so will the people mix together in marriage, but they will not remain united, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 “In the times of those kings, the God of heaven shall establish a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom fall under the power of another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of your vision of the stone untouched by human hands being hewn from the mountain and crushing the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”
46 Nebuchadnezzar Prostrates Himself before God. Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell prostrate and paid homage to Daniel, and he gave orders that a grain offering and incense be presented to him. 47 The king said to Daniel, “Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and the revealer of mysteries. That is why you were able to reveal this mystery.”
48 Then the king conferred a high rank on Daniel and gave him many handsome gifts. He also appointed him ruler over the whole province of Babylon and chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon. 49 Furthermore, at Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as administrators of the province of Babylon. However, Daniel remained at the king’s court.
Psalm 106[a]
Israel’s Confession of Sin and God’s Mercy
1 Alleluia.
Give thanks[b] to the Lord, for he is good;
his kindness endures forever.
2 Who can possibly recount the mighty acts of the Lord
and fully proclaim his praise?[c]
3 Blessed[d] are those who do what is right
and practice justice constantly.
4 Remember me, O Lord, out of the love you have for your people;
come to me with your salvation.[e]
5 Let me delight in the success of your chosen ones,
share in the joy of your nation,
and glory in your heritage.
6 [f]Like our ancestors, we[g] have sinned;
we have gone astray and done evil.
7 When our ancestors were in Egypt,
they failed to be mindful of your wonders;
they did not remember your many kindnesses
and rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake[h]
so that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up;
he led them through the depths as through a wilderness.
10 He saved them from those who hated them;
from the hand of the enemy he delivered them.
11 The waters closed over their adversaries;
not a single one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his words
and sang his praises.[i]
13 [j]But they soon forgot what he had done
and had no confidence in his plan.
14 In the wilderness they yielded to their cravings;
in the wasteland they put God to the test.
15 He gave them everything they wanted
but struck them with a consuming disease.
16 [k]In the camp they grew envious of Moses
and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the Lord.
17 The earth parted and swallowed Dathan
and closed over the company of Abiram.
18 Fire blazed all through them,
and the wicked were consumed in flames.
19 [l]They constructed a calf at Horeb
and worshiped this molten image.
20 They exchanged their Glory[m]
for an image of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who had saved them,
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wonders in the land of Ham,[n]
and awesome deeds at the Red Sea.
23 He was contemplating their destruction,
but Moses, his chosen one,
stood in the breach[o] before him
to keep his wrath from destroying them.
24 [p]Then they derided the land of delights,[q]
for they had no faith in his word.
25 They grumbled in their tents
and refused to obey the voice of the Lord.
26 Therefore, he swore with uplifted hand
to strike them down in the wilderness
27 and disperse their descendants among the nations,
scattering them in foreign lands.
28 [r]They joined in worshiping Baal of Peor
and ate food sacrificed to lifeless gods.
29 They provoked the Lord to anger by their evil deeds,
and a plague broke out among them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and executed judgment,
and the plague came to an end.
31 This was credited to him as righteousness[s]
for all the generations to come.
32 [t]At the waters of Meribah[u] they angered the Lord,
and Moses endured difficulties because of them.
33 For they rebelled against the Spirit of God,
and rash words issued from Moses’ lips.[v]
34 [w]They did not exterminate the peoples
as the Lord had commanded them to do.
35 Rather, they mingled with the nations
and adopted their practices.
36 They worshiped their idols,
which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed to false gods[x]
their sons and their daughters.
38 They shed innocent blood,
the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan,
polluting the land with their blood.
39 Thus, they defiled themselves by their actions
and prostituted themselves by their conduct.[y]
40 [z]Then the anger of the Lord flared up against his people,
and he abhorred his own heritage.
41 He handed them over to the nations,
and their foes became their rulers.
42 Their enemies oppressed them
and kept them in subjection to their power.
43 Time and again he came to their rescue,
but they rebelled against his counsel
and sank low because of their sin.
44 Even so, he took pity on their distress
when he heard their cries.
45 He called to mind his covenant[aa] with them,
and he relented because of his great mercy.
46 He aroused compassion for them
on the part of all their captors.
47 Save us, O Lord, our God,
and gather us from among the nations,
so that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in praising[ab] you.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.[ac]
Let all the people say, “Amen.”
Alleluia.[ad]
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