M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

In The Fifteenth Year of Tiberius, John Is Sent Out By God

3 Now in the fifteenth^[a] year of the government of Tiberius^[b] Caesar— Pontius Pilate^[c] being-governor of Judea, and Herod^[d] being-tetrarch^[e] of Galilee, and Philip^[f] his brother being tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias being tetrarch of Abilene, ² in-the-time-of the high priest Annas and Caiaphas— the word of God came to^[g] John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.

John Proclaims a Baptism of Repentance, In Fulfillment of Isaiah

³ And he went into all the surrounding-region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴ as it has been written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet [in Isa 40:3-5], “A voice of one shouting in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; be making His paths straight. ⁵ Every valley will be filled and every mountain and hill will be made-low. And the crooked paths will become straight, and the rough will become smooth paths. ⁶ And all flesh will see the salvation of God’”. ⁷ Therefore he was saying to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers— who showed^[h] you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance. And do not begin to say within^[i] yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’. For I say to you that God is able to raise-up children for Abraham from these stones! ⁹ And indeed the axe is already lying^[j] at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree not producing good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”.

The People Ask John What They Should Do To Produce Fruit Worthy of Repentance

¹⁰ And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “What then should we do?” ¹¹ And having responded, he was saying to them, “Let the one having two tunics^[k] give to the one not having, and let the one having food be doing likewise”. ¹² And tax collectors also came to be baptized. And they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” ¹³ And the one said to them, “Be collecting nothing more than the amount having been commanded”. ¹⁴ And ones serving-as-soldiers also were questioning him, saying, “And us, what should we do?” And he said to them, “Do not violently-extort^[l] anyone, nor extort-with-false-charges. And be content with your wages^[m]”.

John Says One More Powerful Is Coming, Who Will Baptize With The Spirit And Fire

¹⁵ And while the populace was waiting-in-expectation and all were pondering in their hearts about John— if perhaps he might be the Christ— ¹⁶ John responded, saying to everyone, “I am baptizing you with^[n] water, but the One more powerful than me is coming, of Whom I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals. He will baptize you with^[o] the Holy Spirit and fire^[p]— ¹⁷ Whose winnowing-tool is in His hand so as to clean-out^[q] His threshing floor and gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with an inextinguishable fire”. ¹⁸ So indeed, while also exhorting many other things, he was announcing-good-news-to the people.

Herod Locked Up John In Prison

¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch— while being rebuked^[r] by him concerning Herodias^[s], the wife of his brother, and concerning all the evil things which Herod did— ²⁰ also added this to everything: he also locked-up John in prison.

Jesus Was Baptized When All The People Were Baptized

²¹ And it came about when^[t] all the people were baptized, Jesus also having been baptized and praying, that the heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in a bodily form like^[u] a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son. With You I was^[v] well-pleased”.

At About Age Thirty, Jesus Begins His Ministry

²³ And Jesus Himself was, [when] beginning His ministry, about thirty years old, being a son, as it was being supposed, of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹ the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³² the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, ³³ the son of Aminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸ the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Consider Us As God’s Assistants And Stewards. Don’t Judge Anything Before The Time

4 Let a person be considering^[a] us in-this-manner: as attendants^[b] of Christ and stewards^[c] of the mysteries of God. ² Here^[d], furthermore, it is sought in^[e] stewards that one be found faithful^[f]. ³ Now to me, it is a very small thing that I should be examined^[g] by you, or by a human day of judgment. But I do not even examine myself ! ⁴ For I am conscious of nothing against myself, but I have not been declared-right^[h] by this, but the One examining me is the Lord. ⁵ So then do not be judging anything before the time, until the Lord comes, Who will both^[i] illuminate the hidden things of the darkness and reveal the motives^[j] of the hearts. And at-that-time the praise^[k] will come to each one from God.

Brothers, Learn From Apollos And Paul Not To Be Puffed Up About God’s Ministers

⁶ Now brothers, I applied^[l] these things to myself and Apollos for your sakes, in order that in us you might learn the saying “Do not go^[m] beyond the things which have been written”— in order that you might not be puffed-up, one on behalf of the one against the other. ⁷ For who discerns^[n] you to be superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if indeed you received it, why do you boast as-though not having received it?

For God Has Displayed Us Apostles As Last And Lowest In This World

⁸ You are already satisfied^[o]! You already became-rich! You became-kings^[p] without us! And o-that indeed you became-kings, in order that we also might reign with you. ⁹ For I think God displayed^[q] us the apostles as last^[r], like ones condemned-to-death— because we were-made^[s] a spectacle^[t] to the world, both to angels and to people. ¹⁰ We are foolish ones for the sake of Christ, but you are wise ones in Christ. We are weak ones, but you are strong ones. You are distinguished ones, but we are dishonored ones. ¹¹ Until the present hour indeed we hunger, and thirst, and are naked^[u], and are beaten, and live-transiently^[v], ¹² and labor— working with our own hands. ¹³ While being reviled^[w], we bless; while being persecuted, we endure; while being slandered, we conciliate^[x]. We were-made^[y] like the sweepings^[z] of the world, the scum^[aa] of all things, up to now.

I Am Writing To Admonish You As My Children. Be Imitators of Me

¹⁴ I am writing these things not shaming you, but admonishing you as my beloved children. ¹⁵ For if you should have ten-thousand tutors^[ab] in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers. For I fathered you in Christ Jesus through the good-news. ¹⁶ Therefore I exhort you— be^[ac] imitators of me. ¹⁷ For this reason I sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you as to my ways in Christ Jesus, just as I am teaching everywhere in every church. ¹⁸ Now some were puffed-up as-if I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills. And I shall come-to-know not the talk^[ad] of the ones having been puffed-up, but the power. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God is not in^[ae] talk, but in power. ²¹ What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness?