M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Samuel’s Final Public Speech
12 Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have carefully listened to everything you said to me and placed a king over you.(A) 2 Now you can see that the king is leading you. As for me, I’m old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have led you from my youth until today. 3 Here I am. Bring charges against me before the Lord and His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken?(B) Whom have I wronged or mistreated? From whose hand have I taken a bribe to overlook something?[a][b](C) I will return it to you.”
4 “You haven’t wronged us, you haven’t mistreated us, and you haven’t taken anything from anyone’s hand,” they responded.
5 He said to them, “The Lord is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today that you haven’t found anything(D) in my hand.”(E)
“He is a witness,” they said.
6 Then Samuel said to the people, “The Lord, who appointed Moses and Aaron(F) and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt, is a witness.[c] 7 Now present yourselves, so I may confront you before the Lord about all the righteous acts He has done for you and your ancestors.
8 “When Jacob went to Egypt,[d] your ancestors cried out to the Lord,(G) and He sent them Moses and Aaron, who led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.(H) 9 But they forgot the Lord their God, so He handed them over to Sisera(I) commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab.(J) These enemies fought against them. 10 Then they cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned, for we abandoned the Lord and worshiped the Baals and the Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the power of our enemies,(K) and we will serve You.’ 11 So the Lord sent Jerubbaal,(L) Barak,[e](M) Jephthah,(N) and Samuel.(O) He rescued you from the power of the enemies around you, and you lived securely. 12 But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king rule over us’—even though the Lord your God is your king.
13 “Now here is the king you’ve chosen,(P) the one you requested.(Q) Look, this is the king the Lord has placed over you. 14 If you fear the Lord,(R) worship and obey Him, and if you don’t rebel against the Lord’s command, then both you and the king who rules over you will follow the Lord your God. 15 However, if you disobey the Lord(S) and rebel against His command, the Lord’s hand will be against you(T) and against your ancestors.[f](U)
16 “Now, therefore, present yourselves and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes.(V) 17 Isn’t the wheat harvest today?(W) I will call on the Lord and He will send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you committed in the Lord’s sight by requesting a king for yourselves.”(X) 18 Samuel called on the Lord, and on that day the Lord sent thunder and rain. As a result, all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.(Y)
19 They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants,(Z) so we won’t die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of requesting a king for ourselves.”(AA)
20 Samuel replied, “Don’t be afraid. Even though you have committed all this evil, don’t turn away from following the Lord.(AB) Instead, worship the Lord with all your heart. 21 Don’t turn away to follow worthless[g] things that can’t profit or deliver you; they are worthless.(AC) 22 The Lord will not abandon His people,(AD) because of His great name and because He has determined to make you His own people.(AE)
23 “As for me, I vow that I will not sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you.(AF) I will teach you the good and right way. 24 Above all, fear the Lord and worship Him faithfully with all your heart; consider the great things He has done for you.(AG) 25 However, if you continue to do what is evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”(AH)
Righteousness by Faith Alone
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them[a] is for their salvation! 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,(A) but not according to knowledge. 3 Because they disregarded the righteousness from God(B) and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end[b] of the law for righteousness(C) to everyone who believes.(D) 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.(E)[c] 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith(F) speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”(G)[d] that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “Who will go down into the abyss?”(H)[e] that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.(I) 8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.(J)[f] This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(K) and believe in your heart(L) that God raised Him from the dead,(M) you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame,(N)[g] 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,(O) since the same Lord(P) of all(Q) is rich to all who call on Him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.(R)[h]
Israel’s Rejection of the Message
14 But how can they call on Him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about Him?(S) And how can they hear without a preacher?(T) 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful[i] are the feet of those[j] who announce the gospel of good things!(U)[k] 16 But all did not obey the gospel.(V) For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?(W)[l] 17 So faith comes from what is heard,(X) and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.[m](Y) 18 But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:
19 But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said:
I will make you jealous
of those who are not a nation;(AA)
I will make you angry by a nation
that lacks understanding.(AB)[o]
20 And Isaiah says boldly:
I was found
by those who were not looking for Me;
I revealed Myself
to those who were not asking for Me.(AC)[p]
21 But to Israel he says: All day long I have spread out My hands to a disobedient and defiant people.(AD)[q]
Prophecies against Ammon
49 About the Ammonites,(A) this is what the Lord says:
Does Israel have no sons?
Is he without an heir?
Why then has Milcom[a][b] dispossessed Gad(B)
and his people settled in their cities?
2 Therefore look, the days are coming—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
when I will make the shout of battle(C) heard
against Rabbah of the Ammonites.
It will become a desolate mound,
and its villages will be burned down.
Israel will dispossess their dispossessors,
says the Lord.
3 Wail, Heshbon,(D) for Ai is devastated;
cry out, daughters of Rabbah!
Clothe yourselves with sackcloth,(E) and lament;
run back and forth within your walls,[c]
because Milcom will go into exile
together with his priests and officials.(F)
4 Why do you brag about your valleys,
your flowing valley,[d]
you faithless daughter?
You who trust in your treasures
and boast, “Who can attack me?”
5 Look, I am about to bring terror on you(G)—
this is the declaration of
the Lord God of Hosts—
from all those around you.
You will be banished, each man headlong,
with no one to gather up the fugitives.
6 But after that, I will restore the fortunes[e] of the Ammonites.(H)
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Prophecies against Edom
7 About Edom, this is what the Lord of Hosts says:
Is there no longer wisdom in Teman?[f]
Has counsel perished from the prudent?
Has their wisdom rotted away?(I)
8 Run! Turn back! Lie low,
residents of Dedan,(J)
for I will bring Esau’s calamity on him
at the time I punish him.(K)
9 If grape harvesters came to you,
wouldn’t they leave some gleanings?(L)
Were thieves to come in the night,
they would destroy only what they wanted.(M)
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his secret places.(N)
He will try to hide himself, but he will be unable.
His descendants will be destroyed
along with his relatives and neighbors.
He will exist no longer.
11 Abandon your fatherless; I will preserve them;
let your widows trust in Me.(O)
12 “For this is what the Lord says: If those who do not deserve to drink the cup must drink it, can you possibly remain unpunished? You will not remain unpunished, for you must drink it too. 13 For by Myself I have sworn”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“Bozrah[g] will become a desolation, a disgrace, a ruin, and a curse, and all her cities will become ruins forever.”(P)
14 I have heard a message from the Lord;
a messenger has been sent among the nations:
Assemble yourselves to come against her.
Rise up for war!
15 Look, I will certainly make you insignificant among the nations,
despised among humanity.
16 As to the terror you cause,[h]
your presumptuous heart has deceived you.
You who live in the clefts of the rock,[i]
you who occupy the mountain summit,
though you elevate your nest like the eagle,
even from there I will bring you down.
This is the Lord’s declaration.(Q)
17 “Edom will become a desolation. Everyone who passes by her will be horrified and scoff because of all her wounds.(R) 18 As when Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors,”(S) says the Lord, “no one will live there; no human being will even stay in it as a temporary resident.(T)
19 “Look, it will be like a lion coming from the thickets[j] of the Jordan to the watered grazing land. Indeed, I will chase Edom away from her land in a flash. I will appoint whoever is chosen for her. For who is like Me? Who will summon Me?(U) Who is the shepherd who can stand against Me?”
20 Therefore, hear the plans that the Lord has drawn up against Edom and the strategies He has devised against the people of Teman:(V) The flock’s little lambs will certainly be dragged away,(W) and their grazing land will be made desolate because of them. 21 At the sound of their fall the earth will quake; the sound of her cry will be heard at the Red Sea.(X) 22 Look! It will be like an eagle soaring upward, then swooping down and spreading its wings over Bozrah. In that day the hearts of Edom’s warriors will be like the heart of a woman with contractions.(Y)
Prophecies against Damascus
23 About Damascus:(Z)
Hamath and Arpad are put to shame,(AA)
for they have heard a bad report and are agitated;
in the sea there is anxiety that cannot be calmed.
24 Damascus has become weak;
she has turned to run;
panic has gripped her.
Distress and labor pains have seized her
like a woman in labor.
25 How can the city of praise not be abandoned,(AB)
the town that brings Me joy?
26 Therefore, her young men will fall in her public squares;
all the warriors will perish in that day.
This is the declaration of
the Lord of Hosts.(AC)
27 I will set fire to the wall of Damascus;
it will consume Ben-hadad’s citadels.(AD)
Prophecies against Kedar and Hazor
28 About Kedar(AE) and the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar,(AF) Babylon’s king, defeated, this is what the Lord says:
Rise up, go against Kedar,
and destroy the people of the east!
29 They will take their tents and their flocks
along with their tent curtains and all their equipment.
They will take their camels for themselves.
They will call out to them:
Terror is on every side!(AG)
30 Run! Escape quickly! Lie low,
residents of Hazor—
this is the Lord’s declaration—
for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
has drawn up a plan against you;
he has devised a strategy against you.
31 Rise up, go up against a nation at ease,
one living in security.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
They have no doors, not even a gate bar;
they live alone.(AH)
32 Their camels will become plunder,
and their massive herds of cattle will become spoil.(AI)
I will scatter them to the wind in every direction,
those who shave their temples;
I will bring calamity on them across all their borders.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
33 Hazor will become a jackals’ den,(AJ)
a desolation forever.
No one will live there;
no human being will even stay in it as a temporary resident.(AK)
Prophecies against Elam
34 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet about Elam[k] at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah.(AL) 35 This is what the Lord of Hosts says:
I am about to shatter Elam’s bow,(AM)
the source[l] of their might.
36 I will bring the four winds against Elam
from the four corners of the heavens,
and I will scatter them to all these winds.
There will not be a nation
to which Elam’s banished ones will not go.
37 I will devastate Elam before their enemies,
before those who want to take their lives.
I will bring disaster on them,
My burning anger.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
I will send the sword after them(AN)
until I finish them off.
38 I will set My throne in Elam,
and I will destroy the king and officials from there.
This is the Lord’s declaration.
Psalm 26
Prayer for Vindication
Davidic.
1 Vindicate me, Lord,
because I have lived with integrity
and have trusted in the Lord without wavering.(A)
2 Test me, Lord, and try me;
examine my heart and mind.(B)
3 For Your faithful love is before my eyes,
and I live by Your truth.(C)
4 I do not sit with the worthless
or associate with hypocrites.
5 I hate a crowd of evildoers,
and I do not sit with the wicked.(D)
6 I wash my hands[a] in innocence(E)
and go around Your altar, Lord,(F)
7 raising my voice in thanksgiving(G)
and telling about Your wonderful works.(H)
8 Lord, I love the house where You dwell,
the place where Your glory resides.(I)
9 Do not destroy me along with sinners,
or my life along with men of bloodshed(J)
10 in whose hands are evil schemes
and whose right hands are filled with bribes.(K)
11 But I live with integrity;
redeem me and be gracious to me.(L)
12 My foot stands on level ground;(M)
I will praise the Lord in the assemblies.(N)
Psalm 27
My Stronghold
Davidic.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?(O)
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom should I be afraid?(P)
2 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,(Q)
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.(R)
3 Though an army deploys against me,
my heart is not afraid;
though a war breaks out against me,
still I am confident.(S)
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,(T)
gazing on the beauty of the Lord(U)
and seeking Him in His temple.(V)
5 For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock.(W)
6 Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;(X)
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.(Y)
I will sing and make music to the Lord.(Z)
7 Lord, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.(AA)
8 My heart says this about You,
“You[b] are to seek My face.”
Lord, I will seek Your face.(AB)
9 Do not hide Your face from me;(AC)
do not turn Your servant away in anger.(AD)
You have been my helper;(AE)
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the Lord cares for me.(AF)
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