◀ All Reading Plans / M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan / Family: 2 Chronicles 11–12; Revelation 2. Secret: Zephaniah 3; John 1. (New American Bible (Revised Edition))

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The classic M'Cheyne plan--read the Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms or Gospels every day.

Duration: 365 days

2 Chronicles 11-12

Chapter 11

¹^(A)On his arrival in Jerusalem, Rehoboam assembled the house of Judah and Benjamin—one hundred and eighty thousand elite warriors—to wage war against Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam. ²However, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, a man of God: ³Say to Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin: ⁴“Thus says the Lord: You must not go out to war against your kinsmen. Return home, each of you, for it is I who have brought this about.” They obeyed the word of the Lord and turned back from going against Jeroboam.

Rehoboam’s Works.^[a] ⁵Rehoboam took up residence in Jerusalem and built fortified cities in Judah. ⁶He built up Bethlehem, Etam, Tekoa, ⁷Beth-zur, Soco, Adullam, ⁸Gath, Mareshah, Ziph, ⁹Adoraim, Lachish, Azekah, ¹⁰Zorah, Aijalon, and Hebron; these were fortified cities in Judah and Benjamin. ¹¹Then he strengthened the fortifications and put commanders in them, along with supplies of food, oil, and wine. ¹²In every city were shields and spears, and he made them very strong. Thus Judah and Benjamin remained his.

Refugees from the North. ¹³Now the priests and Levites throughout Israel presented themselves to him from all parts of their land, ¹⁴for the Levites left their assigned pasture lands and their holdings and came to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons rejected them as priests of the Lord.^(B) ¹⁵In their place, he himself appointed priests for the high places as well as for the satyrs and calves he had made.^(C) ¹⁶After them, all those, of every tribe of Israel, who set their hearts to seek the Lord, the God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the Lord, the God of their ancestors. ¹⁷Thus they strengthened the kingdom of Judah and made Rehoboam, son of Solomon, prevail for three years; for they walked in the way of David and Solomon three years.

Rehoboam’s Family. ¹⁸Rehoboam married Mahalath, daughter of Jerimoth, son of David and of Abihail, daughter of Eliab, son of Jesse. ¹⁹She bore him sons: Jehush, Shemariah, and Zaham. ²⁰After her, he married Maacah, daughter of Absalom, who bore him Abijah,^(D) Attai, Ziza, and Shelomith. ²¹Rehoboam loved Maacah, daughter of Absalom, more than all his other wives and concubines; he had taken eighteen wives and sixty concubines, and he fathered twenty-eight sons and sixty daughters. ²²Rehoboam put Abijah, son of Maacah, first among his brothers, as leader, for he intended to make him king. ²³He acted prudently, distributing his various sons throughout all the districts of Judah and Benjamin, in all the fortified cities; and he gave them generous provisions and sought an abundance of wives for them.

Chapter 12

Rehoboam’s Apostasy. ¹Once Rehoboam had established himself as king and was firmly in charge, he abandoned the law of the Lord, and so did all Israel with him.^(E) ²So in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem, for they had acted treacherously toward the Lord.^(F) ³He had twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen, and there was no counting the army that came with him from Egypt—Libyans, Sukkites,^[b] and Ethiopians. ⁴They captured the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. ⁵Then Shemaiah^(G) the prophet came to Rehoboam and the commanders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them: “Thus says the Lord: You have abandoned me, and so I have abandoned you to the power of Shishak.”

⁶Then the commanders of Israel and the king humbled themselves saying, “The Lord is in the right.” ⁷When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah: Because they have humbled themselves, I will not destroy them; I will give them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem through Shishak. ⁸But they shall be his servants. Then they will know what it is to serve me and what it is to serve the kingdoms of the earth. ⁹^(H)Thereupon Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the house of the king. He took everything, including the gold shields that Solomon had made. ¹⁰To replace them, King Rehoboam made bronze shields, which he entrusted to the officers of the attendants on duty at the entrance of the king’s house. ¹¹Whenever the king visited the house of the Lord, the attendants would carry them, and then return them to the guardroom. ¹²Because he had humbled himself, the anger of the Lord turned from him so as not to destroy him completely; in Judah, moreover, there was some good.

¹³King Rehoboam was firmly in power in Jerusalem and continued to rule. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city in which, out of all the tribes of Israel, the Lord chose to set his name. His mother’s name was Naamah, the Ammonite.^(I) ¹⁴He did evil, for he had not set his heart to seek the Lord. ¹⁵^(J)The acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are recorded in the history of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the seer (his family record). There were wars between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days. ¹⁶Rehoboam rested with his ancestors; he was buried in the City of David. His son Abijah^[c] succeeded him as king.

Revelation 2

Chapter 2

To Ephesus. ¹^[a]“To the angel of the church^[b] in Ephesus,^[c] write this:

“‘The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this: ²“I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors.^[d] ³Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary. ⁴Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. ⁵Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. ⁶But you have this in your favor: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans,^[e] which I also hate.

⁷“‘“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor^[f] I will give the right to eat from the tree of life that is in the garden of God.”’^(A)

To Smyrna.^[g] ⁸“To the angel of the church in Smyrna,^[h] write this:

“‘The first and the last, who once died but came to life, says this: ⁹“I know your tribulation and poverty, but you are rich.^[i] I know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of Satan.^(B) ¹⁰Do not be afraid of anything that you are going to suffer. Indeed, the devil will throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will face an ordeal for ten days. Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

¹¹“‘“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.^(C) The victor shall not be harmed by the second death.”’^[j]

To Pergamum.^[k] ¹²“To the angel of the church in Pergamum,^[l] write this:

“‘The one with the sharp two-edged sword says this: ¹³“I know that you live where Satan’s throne^[m] is, and yet you hold fast to my name and have not denied your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was martyred among you, where Satan lives. ¹⁴^[n]Yet I have a few things against you. You have some people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the Israelites: to eat food sacrificed to idols and to play the harlot.^(D) ¹⁵Likewise, you also have some people who hold to the teaching of [the] Nicolaitans. ¹⁶Therefore, repent. Otherwise, I will come to you quickly and wage war against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷“‘“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna;^[o] I shall also give a white amulet upon which is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one who receives it.”’^(E)

To Thyatira.^[p] ¹⁸“To the angel of the church in Thyatira,^[q] write this:

“‘The Son of God, whose eyes are like a fiery flame and whose feet are like polished brass, says this: ¹⁹“I know your works, your love, faith, service, and endurance, and that your last works are greater than the first. ²⁰Yet I hold this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, who teaches and misleads my servants to play the harlot and to eat food sacrificed to idols.^[r] ²¹I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her harlotry. ²²So I will cast her on a sickbed and plunge those who commit adultery with her into intense suffering unless they repent of her works. ²³I will also put her children^[s] to death. Thus shall all the churches come to know that I am the searcher of hearts and minds and that I will give each of you what your works deserve.^(F) ²⁴But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not uphold this teaching and know nothing of the so-called deep secrets of Satan:^[t] on you I will place no further burden, ²⁵except that you must hold fast to what you have until I come.

²⁶“‘“To the victor,^[u] who keeps to my ways^[v] until the end,
I will give authority over the nations.^(G)
²⁷He will rule them with an iron rod.
Like clay vessels will they be smashed,

²⁸just as I received authority from my Father. And to him I will give the morning star.

²⁹“‘“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’

Footnotes

2:1–3:22 Each of the seven letters follows the same pattern: address; description of the exalted Christ; blame and/or praise for the church addressed; threat and/or admonition; final exhortation and promise to all Christians.
2:1–7 The letter to Ephesus praises the members of the church there for their works and virtues, including discerning false teachers (Rev 2:2–3), but admonishes them to repent and return to their former devotion (Rev 2:4–5). It concludes with a reference to the Nicolaitans (see note on Rev 2:6) and a promise that the victor will have access to eternal life (Rev 2:7).
2:1 Ephesus: this great ancient city had a population of ca. 250,000; it was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and the commercial, cultural, and religious center of Asia. The other six churches were located in the same province, situated roughly in a circle; they were selected for geographical reasons rather than for the size of their Christian communities. Walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands: this signifies that Christ is always present in the church; see note on Rev 1:4.
2:2 Who call themselves…impostors: this refers to unauthorized and perverse missionaries; cf. Acts 20:29–30.
2:6 Nicolaitans: these are perhaps the impostors of Rev 2:2; see note on Rev 2:14–15. There is little evidence for connecting this group with Nicolaus, the proselyte from Antioch, mentioned in Acts 6:5.
2:7 Victor: referring to any Christian individual who holds fast to the faith and does God’s will in the face of persecution. The tree of life that is in the garden of God: this is a reference to the tree in the primeval paradise (Gn 2:9); cf. Rev 22:2, 14, 19. The decree excluding humanity from the tree of life has been revoked by Christ.
2:8–11 The letter to Smyrna encourages the Christians in this important commercial center by telling them that although they are impoverished, they are nevertheless rich, and calls those Jews who are slandering them members of the assembly of Satan (Rev 2:9). There is no admonition; rather, the Christians are told that they will suffer much, even death, but the time of tribulation will be short compared to their eternal reward (Rev 2:10), and they will thus escape final damnation (Rev 2:11).
2:8 Smyrna: modern Izmir, ca. thirty miles north of Ephesus, and the chief city of Lydia, with a temple to the goddess Roma. It was renowned for its loyalty to Rome, and it also had a large Jewish community very hostile toward Christians.
2:9–10 The church in Smyrna was materially poor but spiritually rich. Accusations made by Jewish brethren there occasioned the persecution of Christians; cf. Acts 14:2, 19; 17:5, 13.
2:11 The second death: this refers to the eternal death, when sinners will receive their final punishment; cf. Rev 20:6, 14–15; 21:8.
2:12–17 The letter to Pergamum praises the members of the church for persevering in their faith in Christ even in the midst of a pagan setting and in face of persecution and martyrdom (Rev 2:13). But it admonishes them about members who advocate an unprincipled morality (Rev 2:14; cf. 2 Pt 2:15; Jude 11) and others who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:15; see note there). It urges them to repent (Rev 2:16) and promises them the hidden manna and Christ’s amulet (Rev 2:17).
2:12 Pergamum: modern Bergama, ca. forty-five miles northeast of Smyrna, a center for various kinds of pagan worship. It also had an outstanding library (the word parchment is derived from its name).
2:13 Satan’s throne: the reference is to emperor worship and other pagan practices that flourished in Pergamum, perhaps specifically to the white marble altar erected and dedicated to Zeus by Eumenes II (197–160 B.C.).
2:14–15 Like Balaam, the biblical prototype of the religious compromiser (cf. Nm 25:1–3; 31:16; 2 Pt 2:15; Jude 11), the Nicolaitans in Pergamum and Ephesus (Rev 2:6) accommodated their Christian faith to paganism. They abused the principle of liberty enunciated by Paul (1 Cor 9:19–23).
2:17 The hidden manna: this is the food of life; cf. Ps 78:24–25. White amulet: literally, “white stone,” on which was written a magical name, whose power could be tapped by one who knew the secret name. It is used here as a symbol of victory and joy; cf. Rev 3:4–5. New name: this is a reference to the Christian’s rebirth in Christ; cf. Rev 3:12; 19:12; Is 62:2; 65:15.
2:18–29 The letter to Thyatira praises the progress in virtue of this small Christian community (Rev 2:19) but admonishes them for tolerating a false prophet who leads them astray (Rev 2:20). Her fate is sealed, but there is hope of repentance for her followers (Rev 2:21–22). Otherwise, they too shall die (Rev 2:23). They are warned against Satanic power or knowledge (Rev 2:24–25). Those who remain faithful will share in the messianic reign, having authority over nations (Rev 2:26–27), and will in fact possess Christ himself (Rev 2:28).
2:18 Thyatira: modern Akhisar, ca. forty miles southeast of Pergamum, a frontier town famous for its workers’ guilds (cf. Acts 16:14), membership in which may have involved festal meals in pagan temples.
2:20 The scheming and treacherous Jezebel of old (cf. 1 Kgs 19:1–2; 21:1–14; 2 Kgs 9:22, 30–34) introduced pagan customs into the religion of Israel; this new Jezebel was doing the same to Christianity.
2:23 Children: spiritual descendants.
2:24 The so-called deep secrets of Satan: literally, “the deep things of Satan,” a scathing reference to the perverse teaching of the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:15).
2:26–28 The Christian who perseveres in faith will share in Christ’s messianic authority (cf. Ps 2:8–9) and resurrection victory over death, symbolized by the morning star; cf. Rev 22:16.
2:26 Who keeps to my ways: literally, “who keeps my works.”

Zephaniah 3

Chapter 3 Jerusalem Reproached

¹Ah! Rebellious and polluted,
    the tyrannical city!^[a]
²It listens to no voice,
    accepts no correction;
In the Lord it has not trusted,
    nor drawn near to its God.^(A)
³Its officials within it
    are roaring lions;
Its judges are desert wolves
    that have no bones to gnaw by morning.^(B)
⁴Its prophets are reckless,
    treacherous people;
Its priests profane what is holy,
    and do violence to the law.^(C)
⁵But the Lord in its midst is just,
    doing no wrong;
Morning after morning rendering judgment
    unfailingly, at dawn;
    the wicked, however, know no shame.

⁶I have cut down nations,
    their battlements are laid waste;
I have made their streets deserted,
    with no one passing through;
Their cities are devastated,
    with no one dwelling in them.^(D)
⁷I said, “Surely now you will fear me,
    you will accept correction;
They cannot fail to see
    all I have brought upon them.”
Yet the more eagerly they have done
    all their corrupt deeds.

The Nations Punished and Jerusalem Restored

⁸Therefore, wait for me—oracle of the Lord—
    until the day when I arise as accuser;
For it is my decision to gather nations,
    to assemble kingdoms,
In order to pour out upon them my wrath,
    all my blazing anger;
For in the fire of my passion
    all the earth will be consumed.^(E)

⁹For then I will make pure
    the speech of the peoples,
That they all may call upon the name of the Lord,
    to serve him with one accord;
¹⁰From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia
    and as far as the recesses of the North,
    they shall bring me offerings.

¹¹    On that day
You will not be ashamed
    of all your deeds,
    when you rebelled against me;
For then I will remove from your midst
    the proud braggarts,
And you shall no longer exalt yourself
    on my holy mountain.
¹²But I will leave as a remnant in your midst
    a people humble and lowly,
Who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord—^(F)
¹³    the remnant of Israel.
They shall do no wrong
    and speak no lies;
Nor shall there be found in their mouths
    a deceitful tongue;
They shall pasture and lie down
    with none to disturb them.^(G)
¹⁴Shout for joy, daughter Zion!
    sing joyfully, Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
    daughter Jerusalem!^(H)
¹⁵The Lord has removed the judgment against you,
    he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst,
    you have no further misfortune to fear.
¹⁶    On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, Zion,
    do not be discouraged!
¹⁷The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
    a mighty savior,
Who will rejoice over you with gladness,
    and renew you in his love,
Who will sing joyfully because of you,^(I)
¹⁸    as on festival days.

I will remove disaster from among you,
    so that no one may recount your disgrace.
¹⁹At that time I will deal
    with all who oppress you;
I will save the lame,
    and assemble the outcasts;
I will give them praise and renown
    in every land where they were shamed.^(J)
²⁰At that time I will bring you home,
    and at that time I will gather you;
For I will give you renown and praise,
    among all the peoples of the earth,
When I bring about your restoration
    before your very eyes, says the Lord.^(K)

John 1

I. Prologue^[a]

Chapter 1

¹In the beginning^[b] was the Word,
    and the Word was with God,
    and the Word was God.^(A)
²He was in the beginning with God.
³^[c]All things came to be through him,
    and without him nothing came to be.^(B)
What came to be ⁴through him was life,
    and this life was the light of the human race;^(C)
⁵^[d]the light shines in the darkness,^(D)
    and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶^[e]A man named John was sent from God.^(E) ⁷He came for testimony,^[f] to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.^(F) ⁸He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.^(G) ⁹The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.^(H)

¹⁰He was in the world,
    and the world came to be through him,
    but the world did not know him.
¹¹He came to what was his own,
    but his own people^[g] did not accept him.

¹²^(I)But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, ¹³^[h]^(J)who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

¹⁴And the Word became flesh^[i]
    and made his dwelling among us,
    and we saw his glory,
    the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
    full of grace and truth.^(K)

¹⁵^[j]John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said,^(L) ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’” ¹⁶From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace,^[k] ¹⁷because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.^(M) ¹⁸No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God,^[l] who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.^(N)

II. The Book of Signs

John the Baptist’s Testimony to Himself. ¹⁹^[m]And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews^[n] from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites [to him] to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰^[o]he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted,^(O) “I am not the Messiah.” ²¹So they asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?”^[p] And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”^(P) ²²So they said to him, “Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?” ²³He said:

“I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert,^(Q)
“Make straight the way of the Lord,”’^[q]

as Isaiah the prophet said.” ²⁴Some Pharisees^[r] were also sent. ²⁵They asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?”^(R) ²⁶John answered them, “I baptize with water;^[s] but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,^(S) ²⁷the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” ²⁸This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,^[t] where John was baptizing.

John the Baptist’s Testimony to Jesus. ²⁹The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God,^[u] who takes away the sin of the world.^(T) ³⁰^[v]He is the one of whom I said,^(U) ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ ³¹I did not know him,^[w] but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” ³²John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove^[x] from the sky and remain upon him. ³³I did not know him,^(V) but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’^(W) ³⁴^[y]^(X)Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

The First Disciples.^(Y) ³⁵The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, ³⁶and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.”^[z] ³⁷The two disciples^[aa] heard what he said and followed Jesus. ³⁸Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” ³⁹He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.^[ab] ⁴⁰Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. ⁴¹He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah”^[ac] (which is translated Anointed).^(Z) ⁴²Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John;^[ad] you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).^(AA)

⁴³The next day he^[ae] decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” ⁴⁴Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. ⁴⁵Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”^(AB) ⁴⁶But Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” ⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Here is a true Israelite.^[af] There is no duplicity in him.” ⁴⁸^[ag]^(AC)Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” ⁴⁹Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God;^[ah] you are the King of Israel.”^(AD) ⁵⁰Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?^[ai] You will see greater things than this.” ⁵¹And he said to him, “Amen, amen,^[aj] I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”^(AE)

Footnotes

1:1–18 The prologue states the main themes of the gospel: life, light, truth, the world, testimony, and the preexistence of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Logos, who reveals God the Father. In origin, it was probably an early Christian hymn. Its closest parallel is in other christological hymns, Col 1:15–20 and Phil 2:6–11. Its core (Jn 1:1–5, 10–11, 14) is poetic in structure, with short phrases linked by “staircase parallelism,” in which the last word of one phrase becomes the first word of the next. Prose inserts (at least Jn 1:6–8, 15) deal with John the Baptist.
1:1 In the beginning: also the first words of the Old Testament (Gn 1:1). Was: this verb is used three times with different meanings in this verse: existence, relationship, and predication. The Word (Greek logos): this term combines God’s dynamic, creative word (Genesis), personified preexistent Wisdom as the instrument of God’s creative activity (Proverbs), and the ultimate intelligibility of reality (Hellenistic philosophy). With God: the Greek preposition here connotes communication with another. Was God: lack of a definite article with “God” in Greek signifies predication rather than identification.
1:3 What came to be: while the oldest manuscripts have no punctuation here, the corrector of Bodmer Papyrus P⁷⁵, some manuscripts, and the Ante-Nicene Fathers take this phrase with what follows, as staircase parallelism. Connection with Jn 1:3 reflects fourth-century anti-Arianism.
1:5 The ethical dualism of light and darkness is paralleled in intertestamental literature and in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Overcome: “comprehend” is another possible translation, but cf. Jn 12:35; Wis 7:29–30.
1:6 John was sent just as Jesus was “sent” (Jn 4:34) in divine mission. Other references to John the Baptist in this gospel emphasize the differences between them and John’s subordinate role.
1:7 Testimony: the testimony theme of John is introduced, which portrays Jesus as if on trial throughout his ministry. All testify to Jesus: John the Baptist, the Samaritan woman, scripture, his works, the crowds, the Spirit, and his disciples.
1:11 What was his own…his own people: first a neuter, literally, “his own property/possession” (probably = Israel), then a masculine, “his own people” (the Israelites).
1:13 Believers in Jesus become children of God not through any of the three natural causes mentioned but through God who is the immediate cause of the new spiritual life. Were born: the Greek verb can mean “begotten” (by a male) or “born” (from a female or of parents). The variant “he who was begotten,” asserting Jesus’ virginal conception, is weakly attested in Old Latin and Syriac versions.
1:14 Flesh: the whole person, used probably against docetic tendencies (cf. 1 Jn 4:2; 2 Jn 7). Made his dwelling: literally, “pitched his tent/tabernacle.” Cf. the tabernacle or tent of meeting that was the place of God’s presence among his people (Ex 25:8–9). The incarnate Word is the new mode of God’s presence among his people. The Greek verb has the same consonants as the Aramaic word for God’s presence (Shekinah). Glory: God’s visible manifestation of majesty in power, which once filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34) and the temple (1 Kgs 8:10–11, 27), is now centered in Jesus. Only Son: Greek, monogenēs, but see note on Jn 1:18. Grace and truth: these words may represent two Old Testament terms describing Yahweh in covenant relationship with Israel (cf. Ex 34:6), thus God’s “love” and “fidelity.” The Word shares Yahweh’s covenant qualities.
1:15 This verse, interrupting Jn 1:14, 16 seems drawn from Jn 1:30.
1:16 Grace in place of grace: replacement of the Old Covenant with the New (cf. Jn 1:17). Other possible translations are “grace upon grace” (accumulation) and “grace for grace” (correspondence).
1:18 The only Son, God: while the vast majority of later textual witnesses have another reading, “the Son, the only one” or “the only Son,” the translation above follows the best and earliest manuscripts, monogenēs theos, but takes the first term to mean not just “Only One” but to include a filial relationship with the Father, as at Lk 9:38 (“only child”) or Hb 11:17 (“only son”) and as translated at Jn 1:14. The Logos is thus “only Son” and God but not Father/God.
1:19–51 The testimony of John the Baptist about the Messiah and Jesus’ self-revelation to the first disciples. This section constitutes the introduction to the gospel proper and is connected with the prose inserts in the prologue. It develops the major theme of testimony in four scenes: John’s negative testimony about himself; his positive testimony about Jesus; the revelation of Jesus to Andrew and Peter; the revelation of Jesus to Philip and Nathanael.
1:19 The Jews: throughout most of the gospel, the “Jews” does not refer to the Jewish people as such but to the hostile authorities, both Pharisees and Sadducees, particularly in Jerusalem, who refuse to believe in Jesus. The usage reflects the atmosphere, at the end of the first century, of polemics between church and synagogue, or possibly it refers to Jews as representative of a hostile world (Jn 1:10–11).
1:20 Messiah: the anointed agent of Yahweh, usually considered to be of Davidic descent. See further the note on Jn 1:41.
1:21 Elijah: the Baptist did not claim to be Elijah returned to earth (cf. Mal 3:19; Mt 11:14). The Prophet: probably the prophet like Moses (Dt 18:15; cf. Acts 3:22).
1:23 This is a repunctuation and reinterpretation (as in the synoptic gospels and Septuagint) of the Hebrew text of Is 40:3 which reads, “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord.”
1:24 Some Pharisees: other translations, such as “Now they had been sent from the Pharisees,” misunderstand the grammatical construction. This is a different group from that in Jn 1:19; the priests and Levites would have been Sadducees, not Pharisees.
1:26 I baptize with water: the synoptics add “but he will baptize you with the holy Spirit” (Mk 1:8) or “…holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3:11; Lk 3:16). John’s emphasis is on purification and preparation for a better baptism.
1:28 Bethany across the Jordan: site unknown. Another reading is “Bethabara.”
1:29 The Lamb of God: the background for this title may be the victorious apocalyptic lamb who would destroy evil in the world (Rev 5–7; 17:14); the paschal lamb, whose blood saved Israel (Ex 12); and/or the suffering servant led like a lamb to the slaughter as a sin-offering (Is 53:7, 10).
1:30 He existed before me: possibly as Elijah (to come, Jn 1:27); for the evangelist and his audience, Jesus’ preexistence would be implied (see note on Jn 1:1).
1:31 I did not know him: this gospel shows no knowledge of the tradition (Lk 1) about the kinship of Jesus and John the Baptist. The reason why I came baptizing with water: in this gospel, John’s baptism is not connected with forgiveness of sins; its purpose is revelatory, that Jesus may be made known to Israel.
1:32 Like a dove: a symbol of the new creation (Gn 8:8) or the community of Israel (Hos 11:11). Remain: the first use of a favorite verb in John, emphasizing the permanency of the relationship between Father and Son (as here) and between the Son and the Christian. Jesus is the permanent bearer of the Spirit.
1:34 The Son of God: this reading is supported by good Greek manuscripts, including the Chester Beatty and Bodmer Papyri and the Vatican Codex, but is suspect because it harmonizes this passage with the synoptic version: “This is my beloved Son” (Mt 3:17; Mk 1:11; Lk 3:22). The poorly attested alternate reading, “God’s chosen One,” is probably a reference to the Servant of Yahweh (Is 42:1).
1:36 John the Baptist’s testimony makes his disciples’ following of Jesus plausible.
1:37 The two disciples: Andrew (Jn 1:40) and, traditionally, John, son of Zebedee (see note on Jn 13:23).
1:39 Four in the afternoon: literally, the tenth hour, from sunrise, in the Roman calculation of time. Some suggest that the next day, beginning at sunset, was the sabbath; they would have stayed with Jesus to avoid travel on it.
1:41 Messiah: the Hebrew word māšîaḥ, “anointed one” (see note on Lk 2:11), appears in Greek as the transliterated messias only here and in Jn 4:25. Elsewhere the Greek translation christos is used.
1:42 Simon, the son of John: in Mt 16:17, Simon is called Bariōna, “son of Jonah,” a different tradition for the name of Simon’s father. Cephas: in Aramaic = the Rock; cf. Mt 16:18. Neither the Greek equivalent Petros nor, with one isolated exception, Cephas is attested as a personal name before Christian times.
1:43 He: grammatically, could be Peter, but logically is probably Jesus.
1:47 A true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him: Jacob was the first to bear the name “Israel” (Gn 32:29), but Jacob was a man of duplicity (Gn 27:35–36).
1:48 Under the fig tree: a symbol of messianic peace (cf. Mi 4:4; Zec 3:10).
1:49 Son of God: this title is used in the Old Testament, among other ways, as a title of adoption for the Davidic king (2 Sm 7:14; Ps 2:7; 89:27), and thus here, with King of Israel, in a messianic sense. For the evangelist, Son of God also points to Jesus’ divinity (cf. Jn 20:28).
1:50 Possibly a statement: “You [singular] believe because I saw you under the fig tree.”
1:51 The double “Amen” is characteristic of John. You is plural in Greek. The allusion is to Jacob’s ladder (Gn 28:12).

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

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Jerusalem Reproached

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I. Prologue^[a]

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M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Footnotes

Cross references

Chapter 2

Footnotes

Cross references

Chapter 3

Jerusalem Reproached

The Nations Punished and Jerusalem Restored

Footnotes

Cross references

I. Prologue[a]

Chapter 1

II. The Book of Signs

Footnotes

Cross references

I. Prologue^[a]