M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
9 1 Abimelech usurpeth the kingdom, and putteth his brethren to death. 7 Jotham proposeth a parable. 23 Hatred between Abimelech and the Shechemites. 26 Gaal conspireth against him, and is overcome. 53 Abimelech is wounded to death by a woman.
1 Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his [a]mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family, and house of his mother’s father, saying,
2 Say, I pray you, in the audience of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are seventy persons, reign over you, either that one reign over you? Remember also, that I am your [b]bone, and your flesh.
3 Then his mother’s brethren spake of him in the audience of all the men of Shechem, all these words: and their hearts were moved to follow Abimelech: for said they, He is our brother.
4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-Berith, wherewith Abimelech hired [c]vain and light fellows which followed him.
5 And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and [d]slew his brethren, the sons of Jerubbaal, about seventy persons upon one stone: yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left: for he hid himself.
6 ¶ And all the men of Shechem gathered together with all the house of [e]Millo, and came and made Abimelech King in the plain, where the stone was erected in Shechem.
7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, you men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.
8 [f]The trees went forth to anoint a King over them, and said unto the Olive tree, Reign thou over us.
9 But the Olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to advance me above the trees?
10 Then the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and be king over us.
11 But the fig tree answered them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to advance me above the trees?
12 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and be king over us.
13 But the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, whereby I cheer God and man, and go to advance me above the trees?
14 Then said all the trees unto the [g]bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.
15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If ye will indeed anoint me king over you, come, and put your trust under my shadow: and if not, the [h]fire shall come out of the bramble, and consume the Cedars of Lebanon.
16 Now therefore, if ye do truly and incorruptly to make Abimelech King, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and with his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands,
17 (For my father fought for you, and [i]adventured his life, and delivered you out of the hands of Midian.
18 And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his children, about seventy persons upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother.)
19 If ye then have dealt truly and purely with Jerubbaal, and with his house this day, then [j]rejoice ye with Abimelech, and let him rejoice with you.
20 But if not, let a fire come out from Abimelech, and consume the men of Shechem and the house of Millo: also let a fire come forth from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and consume Abimelech.
21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there for fear of Abimelech his brother.
22 So Abimelech reigned three years over Israel.
23 But God [k]sent an evil spirit between Abimelech, and the men of Shechem: and the men of Shechem brake their promise to Abimelech,
24 That the cruelty toward the seventy sons of Jerubbaal and their blood might come and be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which had slain them, and upon the men of Shechem, which had aided him to kill his brethren.
25 So the men of Shechem set men in wait for him in the tops of the mountains: who robbed all that passed that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.
26 Then Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and they went to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
27 Therefore they [l]went out into the field, and gathered in their grapes, and trode them, and made merry, and went into the house of their gods, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.
28 Then Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech? and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul is his officer? Serve rather the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?
29 Now would God this people were under mine hand: then would I put away Abimelech. And he said to [m]Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.
30 ¶ And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his wrath was kindled.
31 Therefore he sent messengers unto Abimelech [n]privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem, and behold, they fortify the city against thee.
32 Now therefore arise by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field.
33 And rise early in the morning as soon as the sun is up, and assault the city: and when he and the people that is with him, shall come out against thee, do to him [o]what thou canst.
34 ¶ So Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him by night: and they lay in wait against Shechem in four bands.
35 Then Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the folk that were with him, from lying in wait.
36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the tops of the mountains: and Zebul said unto him, The [p]shadow of the mountains seem men unto thee.
37 And Gaal spake again, and said, See, there come folk down [q]by the middle of the land, and another band cometh by the way of the plain of [r]Meonenim.
38 Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth that said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Is not this the people that thou hast despised? Go out now, I pray thee and fight with them.
39 And Gaal [s]went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
40 But Abimelech pursued him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded even unto the entering of the gate.
41 And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren that they should not dwell in Shechem.
42 ¶ And on the morrow, the people went out into the field: which was told Abimelech.
43 And he took the [t]people, and divided them into three bands, and laid wait in the fields, and looked, and behold, the people were come out of the city, and he rose up against them, and smote them.
44 And Abimelech, and the bands that were with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other bands ran upon all the people that were in the field, and slew them.
45 And when Abimelech had fought against the city all that day, he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and destroyed the city, and sowed [u]salt in it.
46 ¶ And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard it, they entered into an hold of the house of the god [v]Berith.
47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.
48 And Abimelech got him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him: and Abimelech took axes with him, and cut down boughs of trees, and took them, and bare them on his shoulder, and said unto the folk that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do like me.
49 Then all the people also cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire with them so all the men of the tower of Shechem [w]died also, about a thousand men and women.
50 ¶ Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and besieged Thebez, and took it.
51 But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all the chiefs of the city, and shut it to them, and went up to the top of the tower.
52 And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to set it on fire.
53 But a certain woman (A)cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and brake his brainpan.
54 Then Abimelech called hastily his page that bore his harness, and said unto him, Draw thy sword and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his page [x]thrust him through, and he died.
55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his own place.
56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father in slaying his seventy brethren.
57 Also all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God bring upon their heads. So upon them came the [y]curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
13 2 The holy Ghost commandeth that Paul and Barnabas be separated unto him. 6 At Paphos, 8 Elymas the sorcerer 11 is stricken blind: 14 From whence being come to Antioch, 17 They preach the Gospel, 45 the Jews vehemently withstanding them.
1 There [a]were also in the Church that was at Antioch, certain Prophets and teachers, as Barnabas, and Simeon called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen (which had been brought up with [b]Herod the Tetrarch) and Saul.
2 Now as they [c]ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have [d]called them.
3 [e]Then fasted they and prayed, and laid their hands on them, and let them go.
4 [f]And they after they were sent forth of the holy Ghost, came down unto [g]Seleucia, and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.
5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the Synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.
6 So when they had gone throughout the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, being a Jew, named Bar-Jesus,
7 Which was with the Deputy Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. He called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
8 [h]But Elymas the sorcerer, (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, and sought to turn away the Deputy from the faith.
9 Then Saul (which also is called Paul) being full of the holy Ghost, set his eyes on him,
10 [i]And said, O full of all subtlety and all [j]mischief, the child of the devil, and enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the straight ways of the Lord?
11 Now therefore behold, the [k]hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, and not see the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness, and he went about, seeking some to lead him by the hand.
12 Then the Deputy when he saw what was done, believed, and was astonied at the doctrine of the Lord.
13 [l]Now when Paul and they that were with him were departed by ship from Paphos, they came to Perga a city of Pamphylia: then John departed from them, and returned to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch a city of [m]Pisidia, and went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.
15 [n]And after the lecture of the Law and Prophets, the rulers of the Synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye [o]have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 [p]Then Paul stood up and beckoned with the hand, and said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, hearken.
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and [q]exalted the people when they dwelt in the land of (A)Egypt, and with an (B)[r]high arm brought them out thereof.
18 And about the time (C)of forty years, suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19 And he destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, and (D)divided their land to them by lot.
20 Then afterward he gave unto them (E)Judges about [s]four hundred and fifty years, unto the time of Samuel the Prophet.
21 So after that, they desired a (F)King, and God gave unto them (G)Saul, the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of [t]forty years.
22 And after he had taken him away, he raised up (H)David to be their King, of whom he witnessed, saying, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which will do all things that I will.
23 [u]Of this man’s seed hath God (I)according to his promise raised up to Israel, the Savior Jesus:
24 When (J)John had first preached [v]before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25 And when John had fulfilled his course, he said, (K)Whom ye think that I am, I am not he: but behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoe of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
26 [w]Ye men and brethren, children of the generation of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
27 [x]For the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the words of the Prophets, which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28 And though they found no cause of death in him, (L)yet desired they Pilate to kill him.
29 And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, they took him down from the tree, and put him in a sepulcher.
30 [y]But God (M)raised him up from the dead.
31 And he was seen many days of them, which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, which are his witnesses unto the people.
32 And we declare unto you, that touching the promise made unto the fathers,
33 God hath fulfilled it unto us their children, in that he [z]raised up Jesus, [aa]even as it is written in the second Psalm, (N)Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten thee.
34 Now as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he hath said thus, (O)I will give you the holy things of David, [ab]which are faithful.
35 [ac]Wherefore he saith also in another place, (P)Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption.
36 Howbeit, David after he had served his time by the counsel of God, he (Q)slept, and was laid with his fathers, and saw corruption.
37 But he whom God raised up, saw no corruption.
38 [ad]Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.
39 And from [ae]all things, from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses, by him everyone that believeth, is justified.
40 [af]Beware therefore lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the Prophets,
41 (R)Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and vanish away: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall not believe, if a man would declare it you.
42 ¶ [ag]And when they were come out of the Synagogue of the Jews, the Gentiles besought, that they would preach these words to them the next Sabbath day.
43 Now when the congregation was dissolved, many of the Jews and [ah]Proselytes that feared God, followed Paul and Barnabas, which spake unto them, and exhorted them to continue in the grace of God.
44 And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together, to hear the word of God.
45 [ai]But when the Jews saw the people, they were full of envy, and spake against those things, which were spoken of Paul, contrarying them, and railing on them.
46 [aj]Then Paul and Barnabas spake boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken unto you: but seeing ye put it from you, and [ak]judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, (S)I have made thee a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be the salvation unto the end of the world.
48 And when the Gentiles heard it, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were [al]ordained unto eternal life, believed.
49 Thus the word of the Lord was published throughout the whole country.
50 [am]But the Jews stirred certain [an]devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 [ao]But they (T)shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the holy Ghost.
22 1 He exhorteth the King to judgment and righteousness. 9 Why Jerusalem is brought into captivity. 11 The death of Shallum the son of Josiah is prophesied.
1 Thus said the Lord, Go down to the house of the King of Judah, and speak there this thing,
2 And say, Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah, that sittest upon the throne of David, thou and thy servants, and thy people that enter in by these gates.
3 Thus saith the Lord, (A)Execute ye judgment and [a]righteousness, and deliver the oppressed from the hand of the oppressor, and vex not the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow: do no violence, nor shed innocent blood in this place.
4 For if ye do this thing, then shall the kings sitting upon the throne of David enter in by the gates of this House, (B)and ride upon chariots and upon horses, both he and his servants and his people.
5 But if ye will not hear these words, I [b]swear by myself, saith the Lord, that this House shall be waste.
6 For thus hath the Lord spoken upon the king’s house of Judah, Thou art [c]Gilead unto me, and the head of Lebanon, yet surely I will make thee a wilderness, and as cities not inhabited.
7 And I will [d]prepare destroyers against thee, everyone with his weapons, and they shall cut down thy chief [e]cedar trees, and cast them in the fire.
8 [f]And many nations shall pass by this city, and they shall say every man to his neighbor, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this great city?
9 Then shall they answer, Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God, and worshipped other gods, and served them.
10 ¶ Weep not for the dead, and be not moved for them, but weep for him [g]that goeth out: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.
11 For thus saith the Lord, As touching [h]Shallum the son of Josiah King of Judah, which reigned for Josiah his father, which went out of this place, he shall not return thither,
12 But he shall die in the place, whither they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more.
13 ¶ Woe unto him that buildeth his house by [i]unrighteousness, and his chambers without equity: he useth his neighbor without wages, and giveth him not for his work.
14 He saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers: so he will make himself large windows, and ceiling with cedar, and paint them with vermilion.
15 Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy [j]father eat and drink and prosper, when he executed judgment and justice?
16 When he judged the cause of the afflicted and the poor, he prospered: was not this because he knew me, saith the Lord?
17 But thine eyes and thine heart are but only for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for destruction, even to do this.
18 Therefore thus saith the Lord against Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of Judah, They shall not [k]lament him, saying, Ah, my brother, or ah sister: neither shall they mourn for him, saying, Ah, lord, or ah, his glory.
19 He shall be buried, as an ass [l]is buried, even drawn and cast forth without the gates of Jerusalem.
20 ¶ Go up to [m]Lebanon, and cry: shout in [n]Bashan, and cry by the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed.
21 I spake unto thee when thou wast in prosperity: but thou saidest, I will not hear, this hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou wouldest not obey my voice.
22 The wind shall feed all thy pastors, [o]and thy lovers shall go into captivity: and then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded of all thy wickedness.
23 Thou that dwellest in Lebanon, and makest thy nest in the [p]cedars, how beautiful shalt thou be when sorrows come upon thee, as the sorrow of a woman in travail?
24 As I live, saith the Lord, though [q]Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were the signet of my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence.
25 And I will give thee into the hand of them that seek thy life, and into the hand of them, whose face thou fearest, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
26 And I will cause them to carry thee away, and thy mother that bare thee into another country, where ye were not born, and there shall ye die.
27 But to the land, whereunto they desire to return, they shall not return thither.
28 Is not this man Coniah as a despised and broken idol? or as a vessel, wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they carried away, he and his seed, and cast out into a land that they know not?
29 O [r]earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.
30 Thus saith the Lord, Write this [s]man destitute of children, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for there shall be no man of his seed that shall prosper and sit upon the throne of David, or bear rule anymore in Judah.
8 1 The miracle of the seven loaves. 11 The Jews seek signs. 15 To beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. 22 A blind man healed. 27 The people’s sundry opinions of Christ. 29 The Apostles acknowledge Christ. 31 He foretelleth his death. 33 Peter, Satan. 35 To save and lose the life. 38 To be ashamed of Christ.
1 In (A)those days, when there was a very great multitude, and had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him, and said unto them,
2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with me three days, and have nothing to eat.
3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they would [a]faint by the way: for some of them came from far.
4 Then his disciples answered him, Whence can a man satisfy these with bread here in the wilderness?
5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
6 Then he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, brake them, and gave to his disciples to set before them, and they did set them before the people.
7 They had also a few small fishes: and when he had given thanks, he commanded them also to be set before them,
8 So they did eat, and were sufficed, and they took up of the broken meat that was left, seven baskets full.
9 (And they that had eaten, were about four thousand) so he sent them away.
10 ¶ (B)And anon he entered into a ship with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.
11 (C)[b]And the Pharisees [c]came forth, and began to dispute with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, and tempting him.
12 Then he [d]sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, Why doth this generation seek a sign? Verily I say unto you, [e]a sign shall not be given unto this generation.
13 ¶ So he left them, and went into the ship again, and departed to the other side.
14 ¶ (D)And they had forgotten to take bread, neither had they in the ship with them, but one loaf.
15 [f]And he charged them, saying, Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the leaven of Herod.
16 [g]And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is, because we have no bread.
17 And when Jesus knew it, he said unto them, Why reason you thus, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your hearts yet hardened?
18 Have ye eyes, and see not? and have ye ears, and hear not? and do ye not remember?
19 (E)When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of broken meat took ye up? They said unto him, Twelve.
20 And when I brake seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of the leavings of broken meat took ye up? And they said, Seven.
21 Then he said unto them, [h]How is it that ye understand not?
22 [i]And he came to Bethsaida, and they brought a blind man unto him, and desired him to touch him.
23 Then he took the blind by the hand, and led him out of the town, and spat in his eyes, and put his hands upon him, and asked him, if he saw ought.
24 And he looked up, and said, I [j]see men: for I see them walking like trees.
25 After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him [k]look again. And he was restored to his sight, and saw every man afar off clearly.
26 [l]And he sent him home to his house, saying, Neither go into the town, nor tell it to any in the town.
27 ¶ (F)[m]And Jesus went out, and his disciples into the towns of Caesarea Philippi. And by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?
28 And they answered, Some say, John Baptist: and some, Elijah: and some, one of the Prophets.
29 And he said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Then Peter answered, and said unto him, Thou art that Christ.
30 [n]And he sharply charged them, that concerning him they should tell no man.
31 [o]Then he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things, and should be reproved of the Elders, and of the high Priests, and of the Scribes, and be slain, and within three days rise again.
32 [p]And he spake that thing boldly. Then Peter took him aside, and began to rebuke him.
33 Then he turned back and looked on his disciples, and rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou [q]understandest not the things that are of God, but the things that are of men.
34 ¶ [r]And he called the people unto him with his disciples, and said unto them, (G)Whosoever will follow me, let him forsake himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
35 For whosoever will (H)save his life, shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel’s, he shall save it.
36 [s]For what shall it profit a man, though he should win the whole world, if he lose his soul?
37 Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?
38 (I)For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words among this adulterous and sinful generation, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed also, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels.
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