M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

He prophesies of false teachers, and shows their punishment.

2 There were false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will slyly bring in damnable sects, even denying the Lord who has bought them, and bring upon themselves swift damnation. ² And many will follow their damnable ways, by which the way of truth will be ill spoken of. ³ And through covetousness they will with feigned words make merchandise of you. Their judgment is not far off, and their damnation sleeps not.

⁴ For God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept until the judgment. ⁵ And he did not spare the old world, but saved Noah, the preacher of righteousness, with seven others, and brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. ⁶ And he turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, overthrew them, damned them, and made them an example to all who afterwards would live ungodly. ⁷ But just Lot, vexed with the unclean ways of the wicked, he delivered. ⁸ For he, being righteous, and dwelling among them, was vexed in his righteous soul from day to day, with seeing and hearing their unlawful deeds.

⁹ So then, the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of affliction, and how to reserve the unjust for the day of judgment, to be punished; ¹⁰ namely those who walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise authority. Presumptuous they are, and stubborn, and fear not to speak evil of those who are in authority, ¹¹ whereas the angels, who are greater both in power and might, do not bring railing judgment against them before the Lord. ¹² But these, like brute beasts by nature born to be captured and destroyed, speak evil of that which they do not understand, and shall perish through their own destruction, ¹³ and receive the reward of unrighteousness.

They count it pleasure to live deliciously for a season. Spots they are, and vileness, living at pleasure, and in deceptive ways feasting with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease to sin, beguiling unstable souls. Hearts they have exercised with covetousness. They are cursed children, ¹⁵ and have forsaken the right way, and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the reward of unrighteousness – ¹⁶ but was rebuked for his iniquity: the tame and dumb beast, speaking with man’s voice, opposed the foolishness of the prophet.

¹⁷ These are wells without water, and clouds carried about by a tempest, for whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever. ¹⁸ For when they have spoken the swelling words of vanity, they beguile with wantonness through the lusts of the flesh those who were clean escaped, but now are wrapped in errors. ¹⁹ They promise them liberty, and are themselves the bond-servants of corruption. For by whomever a person is overcome, to him he is in bondage.

²⁰ For if, after they have escaped from the corruption of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and of the Saviour Jesus Christ, they are yet tangled again in it and overcome, then is the latter end worse with them than the beginning. ²¹ For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment given to them. ²² It has happened to them according to the true proverb: The dog is turned to his vomit again, and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.

Jesus eats with the Pharisee, heals a man with dropsy on the Sabbath, teaches to be lowly, tells of the great supper, and warns people who would follow him to first determine what it will cost them. The salt of the earth.

14 And it happened that he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on a Sabbath day, and they were watching him. ² And there was before him a man who had the dropsy. ³ And Jesus addressed the wise men of law and the Pharisees, asking, Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? ⁴ But they held their peace. And he took the man and healed him, and let him go. ⁵ And he spoke to them, saying, Which of you, having a donkey or an ox fallen into a pit, would not straightaway pull him out on the Sabbath day? ⁶ And they could not answer him in reply to that.

⁷ He put forth a similitude to the guests, when he observed how they sought out the seats of honour, and said to them, ⁸ When you are invited to a wedding by anyone, do not sit down in the highest place, lest a more honourable man than you be bidden by him, ⁹ and he who invited both him and you come and say to you, Make place for this man – and you then begin with shame to take the lowest seat. ¹⁰ But rather, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest seat, so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, Friend, sit up higher. Then you will have honour in the presence of those who sit at food with you. ¹¹ For whoever exalts himself will be brought low, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

¹² Then he said also to the man who had asked him to dinner, When you give a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends or your brethren, neither your kinsfolk or rich neighbours, lest they return the invitation and a recompense be made you. ¹³ But when you put on a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be happy; for they cannot recompense you, but you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

¹⁵ When one of those who sat at food also heard that, he said to Jesus, Happy is he who eats bread in the kingdom of God! 

¹⁶ Then Jesus said to him, A certain man prepared a great supper and invited many people. ¹⁷ And he sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. ¹⁸ And they all at once began to make excuse. The first said to him, I have bought a farm, and I need to go and see it; I pray you, have me excused. ¹⁹ And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen and I’m going to inspect them; I pray you, have me excused. ²⁰ The third said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

²¹ And the servant went and brought his master word of this. Then was the lord of the house displeased, and said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and quarters of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.

²² And the servant said, Lord, it is done as you ordered, and still there is room. ²³ And the lord said to the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I say to you that none of those men that were bidden shall taste of my supper.

²⁵ A great number of people went with Jesus, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ If a person comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife, and children, and brethren and sisters, and moreover his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ Which of you, thinking of building a tower, would not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has sufficient to complete it?– ²⁹ lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to complete it, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish it. ³¹ Or, what king goes to make battle against another king, and does not sit down first and cast in his mind whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000? ³² If not, while the other is yet a great way off, he will send ambassadors and seek peace. ³³ So now then, none of you who will not renounce all that he has can be my disciple.

³⁴ Salt is good. But if salt has lost her saltness, what can be seasoned with it? ³⁵ It is neither good for the land, nor yet for the dunghill, but men cast it out at the doors. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.