M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

And There Will Be False Teachers Among You, Exploiting You

2 But false-prophets also came among the people, as there will also be false-teachers among you who will secretly-bring-in heresies of ^[a] destruction— even denying the Master having bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² And many will follow-after their sensualities^[b], because of whom the way of the truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in greed they will exploit^[c] you with fabricated words, for whom the judgment from-long-ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

God Will Reserve Them For Punishment And Protect The Righteous

⁴ For if God did not spare angels having sinned but handed-them-over to chains of gloom, having cast-them-into-hell, being reserved for^[d] judgment; ⁵ and He did not spare the ancient world but protected the eighth^[e] one, Noah, a proclaimer of righteousness, having brought a flood upon the world of ungodly ones; ⁶ and He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, having reduced-them-to-ashes by an overthrow, having made them an example of things coming to ungodly ones; ⁷ and He delivered Lot, a righteous one being oppressed^[f] by the conduct of the lawless^[g] ones in connection with sensuality (⁸ for by sight and hearing the righteous one dwelling among them day^[h] after day was tormenting his righteous soul with their lawless^[i] works)— ⁹ then the Lord knows-how to deliver godly ones from a trial^[j] and reserve unrighteous ones for the day of judgment while being punished, ¹⁰ and especially the ones proceeding after the flesh in^[k] a lust^[l] for^[m] defilement, and despising^[n] authority^[o].

They Are Self-Willed Slaves of Corruption Speaking Against The Things of God

Daring^[p], self-willed ones— they do not tremble while blaspheming glories^[q], ¹¹ where^[r] angels being greater in strength and power do not bring a blasphemous judgment against them from the Lord. ¹² But these ones are like unreasoning animals having been born as creatures-of-instinct^[s] for capture and destruction. While blaspheming in^[t] things which they are ignorant, they will also be destroyed in their^[u] destruction^[v], ¹³ being wronged as the wages of wrong-doing. Regarding the reveling during the day to be a pleasure, they are spots and blemishes reveling in their deceptions while feasting-with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of an adulteress^[w] and restless^[x] of sin, enticing^[y] unstable souls, having a heart trained in^[z] greed. Children of ^[aa] a curse!— ¹⁵ leaving-behind the straight way, they went-astray, having followed-after the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wrong-doing. ¹⁶ But he had a rebuke of his own law-violation: a speechless donkey having uttered in the voice of a human restrained the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷ These ones are waterless springs, and mists being driven by a storm, for whom the gloom of the darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For while uttering pompous^[ab] words of ^[ac] futility^[ad], they entice by the desires of the flesh, by^[ae] sensualities, the ones barely^[af] escaping-from the ones living in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom, themselves being slaves of corruption. For by what one has been defeated, by this he has been enslaved.

Their Slavery Now Is Worse Than Ever

²⁰ For if— having escaped-from the defilements of the world by the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and again having been entangled by these things— they^[ag] are defeated, then the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known, to turn-back from the holy commandment having been delivered to them. ²² The thing of the true proverb has happened to them— “The dog having returned to its own vomit”, and, “The sow having washed herself returns to a wallowing of the mire”.

At The House of a Pharisee, Jesus Heals a Man With Dropsy On The Sabbath

14 And it came about at His going into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, that they were closely-watching Him. ² And behold— a certain man in front of Him was suffering-from-dropsy. ³ And having responded, Jesus spoke to the Law-experts and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath, or not?” ⁴ But the ones were quiet. And having taken-hold-of him, He healed him, and sent him away. ⁵ And He said to them, “Whose son or ox of yours will fall into a well, and he will not immediately pull him up on the day of the Sabbath?” ⁶ And they were not able to answer-back to these things.

Jesus Says To The Ones Invited, Humble Yourself. Wait On The One Who Invited You

⁷ And He was speaking a parable^[a] to the ones having been invited, fixing-His-attention-on^[b] how they were choosing the places-of-honor, saying to them— ⁸ “Whenever you are invited by someone to wedding-celebrations, do not lie down [to eat] in the place-of-honor lest a more distinguished one than you may have been invited by him, ⁹ and having come, the one having invited you and him will say to you, ‘Give your place to this one’, and then you will begin to hold the last place with shame. ¹⁰ But whenever you are invited, having gone, fall back [to eat] in the last place, so that when the one having invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’. Then there will be glory for you in the presence of all the ones reclining back with you [to eat]. ¹¹ Because everyone exalting himself will be humbled. And the one humbling himself will be exalted”.

Jesus Says To The One Who Invited Him, Serve Those Who Cannot Repay

¹² And He was also saying to the one having invited Him, “Whenever you make a morning-meal^[c] or a dinner, do not be calling your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors— that they also might not perhaps invite you in return, and it become a repayment^[d] to you. ¹³ But whenever you make a reception, be inviting poor ones, crippled ones, lame ones, blind ones, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed because they do not have the means to repay you. For it will be repaid to you at the resurrection of the righteous”.

When The Invited Are Not Willing To Come, The Uninvited Will Be Welcomed

¹⁵ And one of the ones reclining back with Him [to eat], having heard these things, said to Him, “Blessed is whoever will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” ¹⁶ But the One said to him— “A certain man was making a great dinner, and he invited many. ¹⁷ And he sent-out his slave at the hour of the dinner to say to the ones having been invited, ‘Come, because it is already prepared’. ¹⁸ And they all alike began to excuse-themselves. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field. And I have a necessity, having gone out, to see it. I ask you, have me excused’. ¹⁹ And another said, ‘I bought five pair^[e] of oxen, and I am proceeding to test them. I ask you, have me excused’. ²⁰ And another said, ‘I married a woman, and for this reason I am not able to come’. ²¹ And having come, the slave reported these things to his master. Then, having become-angry^[f], the house-master said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the wide-roads^[g] and lanes^[h] of the city, and bring in here the poor ones and crippled ones and blind ones and lame ones’. ²² And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and there is still room’. ²³ And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out to the roads^[i] and fences, and compel^[j] them to come in, in order that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I say to you^[k] all that none of those men having been invited will taste my dinner’”.

Carry Your Own Cross And Follow Me. Calculate The Cost First

²⁵ And large crowds were proceeding-with Him. And having turned, He said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and furthermore, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ Whoever is not carrying his own cross^[l] and coming after Me, cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ For which of you wanting to build a tower does not first, having sat-down, calculate the cost to see whether he has enough for the completion?— ²⁹ in order that he having laid a foundation and not being able to finish it out, all the ones observing may not perhaps begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying that ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish it out!’ ³¹ Or what king going to engage another king in battle will not, having sat-down first, deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet^[m] the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise indeed, the one coming still being far away— the king, having sent-forth a delegation, asks the things for peace. ³³ So therefore, any of you who is not saying-goodbye^[n] to all his possessions cannot be My disciple. ³⁴ Therefore, salt is good. But if indeed the salt should become-tasteless, with what will it be seasoned? ³⁵ It is fit neither for soil nor for the manure-pile. They throw it outside. Let the one having ears to hear, hear”.