M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Anointed King Over Judah

2 In the course of time, David inquired^(A) of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,”^(B) the Lord answered.

² So David went up there with his two wives,^(C) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail,^(D) the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ³ David also took the men who were with him,^(E) each with his family, and they settled in Hebron^(F) and its towns. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came to Hebron,^(G) and there they anointed^(H) David king over the tribe of Judah.

When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead^(I) who had buried Saul, ⁵ he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless^(J) you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. ⁶ May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness,^(K) and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. ⁷ Now then, be strong^(L) and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”

War Between the Houses of David and Saul^(M)

⁸ Meanwhile, Abner^(N) son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth^(O) son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.^{(P) 9} He made him king over Gilead,^(Q) Ashuri^(R) and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.^(S)

¹⁰ Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. ¹¹ The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.^(T)

¹² Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.^{(U) 13} Joab^(V) son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”

“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

¹⁵ So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. ¹⁶ Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger^(W) into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.^[a]

¹⁷ The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated^(X) by David’s men.^(Y)

¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah^(Z) were there: Joab,^(AA) Abishai^(AB) and Asahel.^(AC) Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle.^{(AD) 19} He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. ²⁰ Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“It is,” he answered.

²¹ Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

²² Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”^(AE)

²³ But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach,^(AF) and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.^(AG)

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. ²⁵ Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

²⁶ Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour^(AH) forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

²⁷ Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”

²⁸ So Joab^(AI) blew the trumpet,^(AJ) and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

²⁹ All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah.^(AK) They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours^[b] and came to Mahanaim.^(AL)

³⁰ Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. ³¹ But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. ³² They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb^(AM) at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

13 If I speak in the tongues^[a](A) of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy^(B) and can fathom all mysteries^(C) and all knowledge,^(D) and if I have a faith^(E) that can move mountains,^(F) but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor^(G) and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,^[b](H) but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient,^(I) love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.^{(J) 5} It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,^(K) it is not easily angered,^(L) it keeps no record of wrongs.^{(M) 6} Love does not delight in evil^(N) but rejoices with the truth.^{(O) 7} It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.^(P)

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,^(Q) they will cease; where there are tongues,^(R) they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part^(S) and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes,^(T) what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood^(U) behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;^(V) then we shall see face to face.^(W) Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.^(X)

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.^(Y) But the greatest of these is love.^(Z)

God’s Sure Judgment on Jerusalem

11 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah^(A) son of Benaiah, leaders^(B) of the people.^{(C) 2} The Lord said to me, “Son of man, these are the men who are plotting evil^(D) and giving wicked advice in this city.^{(E) 3} They say, ‘Haven’t our houses been recently rebuilt? This city is a pot,^(F) and we are the meat in it.’^{(G) 4} Therefore prophesy^(H) against them; prophesy, son of man.”

⁵ Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and he told me to say: “This is what the Lord says: That is what you are saying, you leaders in Israel, but I know what is going through your mind.^{(I) 6} You have killed many people in this city and filled its streets with the dead.^(J)

⁷ “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: The bodies you have thrown there are the meat and this city is the pot,^(K) but I will drive you out of it.^{(L) 8} You fear the sword,^(M) and the sword is what I will bring against you, declares the Sovereign Lord.^{(N) 9} I will drive you out of the city and deliver you into the hands^(O) of foreigners and inflict punishment on you.^{(P) 10} You will fall by the sword, and I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel.^(Q) Then you will know that I am the Lord. ¹¹ This city will not be a pot^(R) for you, nor will you be the meat in it; I will execute judgment on you at the borders of Israel. ¹² And you will know that I am the Lord,^(S) for you have not followed my decrees^(T) or kept my laws but have conformed to the standards of the nations around you.^(U)”

¹³ Now as I was prophesying, Pelatiah^(V) son of Benaiah died. Then I fell facedown and cried out in a loud voice, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! Will you completely destroy the remnant of Israel?^(W)”

The Promise of Israel’s Return

¹⁴ The word of the Lord came to me: ¹⁵ “Son of man, the people of Jerusalem have said of your fellow exiles and all the other Israelites, ‘They are far away from the Lord; this land was given to us as our possession.’^(X)

¹⁶ “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary^(Y) for them in the countries where they have gone.’

¹⁷ “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’^(Z)

¹⁸ “They will return to it and remove all its vile images^(AA) and detestable idols.^{(AB) 19} I will give them an undivided heart^(AC) and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone^(AD) and give them a heart of flesh.^{(AE) 20} Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.^(AF) They will be my people,^(AG) and I will be their God.^{(AH) 21} But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols,^(AI) I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.^(AJ)”

²² Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their wings, and the glory^(AK) of the God of Israel was above them.^{(AL) 23} The glory^(AM) of the Lord went up from within the city and stopped above the mountain^(AN) east of it. ²⁴ The Spirit^(AO) lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia^[a] in the vision^(AP) given by the Spirit of God.

Then the vision I had seen went up from me, ²⁵ and I told the exiles everything the Lord had shown me.^(AQ)

Psalm 50

A psalm of Asaph.

¹⁶ But to the wicked person, God says: