M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

1 In-as-much-as many undertook^[a] to compile a narrative about the things having been fulfilled^[b] among us, ² just as the eyewitnesses from the first^[c] and ones having become servants of the word handed-down to us, ³ it seemed good to me also, having closely-followed^[d] everything carefully from-the-beginning^[e], to write it for you in-order, most-excellent Theophilus, ⁴ in order that you may fully-know the certainty of the things about which you were instructed.

The Birth of John And Jesus

⁵ In the days of Herod^[f], king of Judea:

There Was a Priest Named Zechariah Whose Wife Elizabeth Was Barren

There was a certain priest— Zechariah by name, from the division of Abijah— and a wife for him from the daughters of Aaron. And her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous ones in the sight of God, walking in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord as blameless^[g] ones. ⁷ And there was not a child for them, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced in their days.

During His Temple Service, an Angel Tells Him Elizabeth Will Bear a Son

⁸ And it came about during his serving-as-priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ that according to the custom^[h] of the priestly-office, he obtained-by-lot that he might offer-incense^[i], [after] having entered into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the offering of incense. ¹¹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And having seen him, Zechariah was frightened, and fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be fearing, Zechariah, because your prayer was heard. And your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And there will be joy and gladness for you. And many will rejoice over his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will never drink wine and fermented-drink^[j], and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still of ^[k] his mother’s womb, ¹⁶ and he will turn-back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go-ahead before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn-back^[l] the hearts of fathers to their children, and to turn back disobedient ones with^[m] the understanding^[n] of righteous ones, to prepare a people having been made-ready for the Lord”. ¹⁸ And Zechariah said to the angel, “Based-on what shall I know this? For I am an old-man, and my wife is advanced in her days”. ¹⁹ And having responded, the angel said to him, “I am Gabriel, the one standing in the presence of God. And I was sent forth to speak to you, and to announce these things as-good-news to you. ²⁰ And behold— you shall be silent and not able to speak until which day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper-time”. ²¹ And the people were waiting for Zechariah. And they were wondering during his delaying in the temple. ²² And having come out, he was not able to speak to them. And they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he was motioning to them and continuing to be mute.

Elizabeth Conceives And Hides It For Five Months

²³ And it came about that when the days of his service were fulfilled, he went to his house. ²⁴ And after these days, Elizabeth his wife conceived. And she was concealing herself for five months, saying ²⁵ that “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days in which He looked-upon me to take-away my reproach among people”.

In The Sixth Month, an Angel Appears To Mary, a Virgin Promised In Marriage To Joseph

²⁶ Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent-forth from God to a city of Galilee for which the name was Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin having been promised-in-marriage^[o] to a man for whom the name was Joseph, from the house of David. And the name of the virgin was Mary. ²⁸ And having come-in to^[p] her, he said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you”. ²⁹ But the one was very-troubled at the statement, and was pondering what-kind-of greeting this might be.

The Angel Tells Mary She Will Give Birth To a Son— Jesus, The Son of God

³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be fearing, Mary. For you found favor^[q] with God. ³¹ And behold— you will conceive in your womb and give-birth to a son. And you shall call His name Jesus. ³² This One will be great, and will be called ‘Son of the Most-High’. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father. ³³ And He will reign^[r] over the house of Jacob forever. And there will not be an end of His kingdom”. ³⁴ And Mary said to the angel, “How will this happen, since I am not knowing^[s] a man?” ³⁵ And having responded, the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most-High will overshadow you. For this reason^[t] also the Holy Child being born will be called God’s Son. ³⁶ And behold— Elizabeth your relative also herself has conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month for her, the one being called barren, ³⁷ because no word^[u] from God will be impossible”. ³⁸ And Mary said, “Behold the slave of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word”. And the angel departed from her.

1 Paul^[a], a called apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, ² to the church of God being in Corinth, to ones having been sanctified^[b] in Christ Jesus, called saints^[c], with all the ones calling-upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, their Lord and ours: ³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴ I am giving-thanks to my God always for you for the grace of God having been given to you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ because you were enriched in everything in^[d] Him— in all speech^[e] and all knowledge, ⁶ even as the testimony of ^[f] Christ was confirmed^[g] in^[h] you— ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any gift while eagerly-awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⁸ Who also will confirm you until the end so as to be blameless^[i] on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ God is faithful, through Whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Brothers, Be of One Mind; Stop Dividing Over Your Leaders

¹⁰ Now I exhort you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all be speaking the same thing, and that there not be divisions among you, but that you be made-complete^[j] in the same mind^[k] and in the same purpose^[l]. ¹¹ For it was made-clear to me concerning you, my brothers, by the ones^[m] of Chloe, that there are quarrels among you. ¹² Now I mean this: that each of you is saying “I am of Paul”, and “I of Apollos”, and “I of Cephas”, and “I of Christ”.

Has Christ Been Divided? Were You Baptized Into Paul? Thankfully, I Did Not Baptize You!

¹³ Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? ¹⁴ I give-thanks to God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, ¹⁵ so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name! ¹⁶ Now I baptized also the household of Stephanas. As to the rest, I do not know if I baptized any other.

For I Was Not Sent To Baptize, But To Announce The Gospel Without Wisdom of Speech

¹⁷ For Christ did not send me forth to be baptizing, but to be announcing-the-good-news— not in wisdom of speech, in order that the cross of Christ may not be made-empty^[n].

For God Intends The Gospel To Be Both Foolishness And Powerful

¹⁸ For the speech^[o] of the cross is foolishness to the ones perishing, but is the power of God to us being saved. ¹⁹ For it has been written [in Isa 29:14]: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise ones, and I will set-aside the intelligence^[p] of the intelligent ones”. ²⁰ Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe^[q]? Where is the debater of this age? Did not God make-foolish the wisdom of the world?

For God Saves Those Who Believe The “Foolishness” of Christ Crucified

²¹ For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know^[r] God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of ^[s] the proclamation to save the ones believing. ²² Because indeed Jews are asking-for signs and Greeks are seeking wisdom, ²³ but we are proclaiming Christ crucified^[t]— to Jews, an offense; and to Gentiles, foolishness; ²⁴ but to the called ones themselves, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ Because the foolish thing^[u] of God is wiser than humans, and the weak thing of God is stronger than humans.

God Chose To Save The Foolish And Weak To Shame Human Self-Effort

²⁶ For look-at^[v] your calling, brothers— that there are not many wise according-to^[w] the flesh, not many powerful, not many well-born^[x]. ²⁷ But God chose^[y] the foolish things of the world in order that He might be putting the wise ones to shame. And God chose the weak things of the world in order that He might be putting the strong things to shame. ²⁸ And God chose the low-born^[z] things of the world, and the things having been treated-with-contempt^[aa]— the things not being^[ab], in order that He might bring-to-nothing the things being, ²⁹ so that no flesh may boast in the sight of God. ³⁰ But by Him you are in Christ Jesus, Who became wisdom to us from God— both righteousness and holiness^[ac], and redemption— ³¹ in order that just as it has been written [in Jer 9:24], “Let the one boasting be boasting in the Lord”.