M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(A)

15 After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared^(B) a place for the ark of God and pitched^(C) a tent for it. ² Then David said, “No one but the Levites^(D) may carry^(E) the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister^(F) before him forever.”

³ David assembled all Israel^(G) in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. ⁴ He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:^(H)

¹¹ Then David summoned Zadok^(L) and Abiathar^(M) the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites. ¹² He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate^(N) yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. ¹³ It was because you, the Levites,^(O) did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us.^(P) We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.^(Q)” ¹⁴ So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded^(R) in accordance with the word of the Lord.^(S)

¹⁶ David^(T) told the leaders of the Levites^(U) to appoint their fellow Levites as musicians^(V) to make a joyful sound with musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.^(W)

¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman^(X) son of Joel; from his relatives, Asaph^(Y) son of Berekiah; and from their relatives the Merarites,^(Z) Ethan son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸ and with them their relatives next in rank: Zechariah,^[b] Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom^(AA) and Jeiel,^[c] the gatekeepers.

¹⁹ The musicians Heman,^(AB) Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals; ²⁰ Zechariah, Jaaziel,^[d] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth,^{[e] 21} and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith.^{[f] 22} Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

²³ Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets^(AC) before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark^(AD) of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing. ²⁶ Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams^(AE) were sacrificed. ²⁷ Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the musicians, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.^{(AF) 28} So all Israel^(AG) brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts,^(AH) with the sounding of rams’ horns^(AI) and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

²⁹ As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

Favoritism Forbidden

2 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious^(A) Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.^{(B) 2} Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³ If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges^(C) with evil thoughts?

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters:^(D) Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world^(E) to be rich in faith^(F) and to inherit the kingdom^(G) he promised those who love him?^{(H) 6} But you have dishonored the poor.^(I) Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?^{(J) 7} Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

⁸ If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”^[a](K) you are doing right. ⁹ But if you show favoritism,^(L) you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.^{(M) 10} For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles^(N) at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.^{(O) 11} For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”^[b](P) also said, “You shall not murder.”^[c](Q) If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

¹² Speak and act as those who are going to be judged^(R) by the law that gives freedom,^{(S) 13} because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.^(T) Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Faith and Deeds

¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?^(U) Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.^{(V) 16} If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?^{(W) 17} In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.^(X)

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds,^(Y) and I will show you my faith^(Z) by my deeds.^{(AA) 19} You believe that there is one God.^(AB) Good! Even the demons believe that^(AC)—and shudder.

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless^[d]?^{(AD) 21} Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?^{(AE) 22} You see that his faith and his actions were working together,^(AF) and his faith was made complete by what he did.^{(AG) 23} And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”^[e](AH) and he was called God’s friend.^{(AI) 24} You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?^{(AJ) 26} As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.^(AK)

Israel to Be Destroyed

9 I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said:

Israel’s Restoration

¹¹ “In that day

¹³ “The days are coming,”^(AK) declares the Lord,

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness^(A)

4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,^(B) left the Jordan^(C) and was led by the Spirit^(D) into the wilderness, ² where for forty days^(E) he was tempted^[a] by the devil.^(F) He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God,^(G) tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’^[b]”^(H)

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.^{(I) 6} And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me,^(J) and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’^[c]”^(K)

⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

¹² Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[e]”^(M)

¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting,^(N) he left him^(O) until an opportune time.

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee^(P) in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside.^{(Q) 15} He was teaching in their synagogues,^(R) and everyone praised him.

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth,^(S) where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue,^(T) as was his custom. He stood up to read,^{(U) 17} and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.^(Y) The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled^(Z) in your hearing.”

²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.^(AA)

²³ Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown^(AB) what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”^(AC)

²⁴ “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.^{(AD) 25} I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.^{(AE) 26} Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.^{(AF) 27} And there were many in Israel with leprosy^[g] in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”^(AG)

²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town,^(AH) and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.^(AI)

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit^(AJ)

³¹ Then he went down to Capernaum,^(AK) a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath he taught the people. ³² They were amazed at his teaching,^(AL) because his words had authority.^(AM)

³³ In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, ³⁴ “Go away! What do you want with us,^(AN) Jesus of Nazareth?^(AO) Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are^(AP)—the Holy One of God!”^(AQ)

³⁵ “Be quiet!” Jesus said sternly.^(AR) “Come out of him!” Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

³⁶ All the people were amazed^(AS) and said to each other, “What words these are! With authority^(AT) and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!” ³⁷ And the news about him spread throughout the surrounding area.^(AU)

Jesus Heals Many^(AV)(AW)

³⁸ Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. ³⁹ So he bent over her and rebuked^(AX) the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

⁴⁰ At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one,^(AY) he healed them.^{(AZ) 41} Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!”^(BA) But he rebuked^(BB) them and would not allow them to speak,^(BC) because they knew he was the Messiah.

⁴² At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. ⁴³ But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God^(BD) to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” ⁴⁴ And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.^(BE)