Luke 14
1 One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat in the home of a leading Pharisee, and those in attendance were watching Him closely.
On one occasion, as Jesus was going, on a Sabbath into the house of one of the leading Pharisees to dine, they were watching him closely.
2 Right there before Him was a man with dropsy.
There he saw before him a man who was suffering from dropsy.
3 So Jesus asked the experts in the law and the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?”
“Is it allowable,” said Jesus, addressing the students of the Law and the Pharisees, “to work a cure on the Sabbath, or is it not?”
4 But they remained silent. Then Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.
They remained silent. Jesus took hold of the man and cured him, and sent him away.
5 And He asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”
And he said to them, “Which of you, finding that your son or your ox has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull them out on the Sabbath day?”
6 And they were unable to answer these questions.
And they could not make any answer to that.
7 When Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, He told them a parable:
Observing that the guests were choosing the best places for themselves, Jesus told them this parable –
8 “When you are invited to a wedding banquet, do not sit in the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited.
“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding banquet, do not seat yourself in the best place. Someone of higher rank might have been invited by your host;
9 Then the host who invited both of you will come and tell you, ‘Give this man your seat.’ And in humiliation, you will have to take the last place.
and the host who invited you both will come and say to you ‘Make room for this person,’ and then you will begin in confusion to take the lowest place.
10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the last place, so that your host will come and tell you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in front of everyone at the table with you.
No, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place, so that, when the host who has invited you comes, he may say to you ‘Friend, come higher up’; and then you will be honored in the eyes of all your fellow guests.
11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
For everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled, and everyone who humbles themselves will be exalted.”
12 Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid.
Then Jesus went on to say to the man who had invited him, “When you give a breakfast or a dinner, do not ask your friends, or your brothers or sisters, or your relatives, or rich neighbors, because they might invite you in return, and so you should be repaid.
13 But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind,
No, when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
14 and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
and then you will be happy indeed, since they cannot reward you; for you will be rewarded at the resurrection of the just.”
15 When one of those reclining with Him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is everyone who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
One of the guests heard what he said and exclaimed, “Happy will be the person who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”
16 But Jesus replied, “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests.
But Jesus said to him, “A man was once giving a great dinner. He invited many people,
17 When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
and sent his servant, when it was time for the dinner, to say to those who had been invited ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 But one after another they all began to make excuses. The first one said, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go see it. Please excuse me.’
They all with one accord began to ask to be excused. The first said to the servant ‘I have bought a field and am obliged to go and look at it. I must ask you to consider me excused.’
19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.’
The next said ‘I have bought five pairs of bullocks, and I am on my way to try them. I must ask you to consider me excused’;
20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, so I cannot come.’
while the next said ‘I am just married, and for that reason I am unable to come.’
21 The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’
On his return the servant told his master all these answers. Then in anger the owner of the house said to his servant ‘Go out at once into the streets and alleys of the town, and bring in here the poor, and the crippled, and the blind, and the lame.’
22 ‘Sir,’ the servant replied, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’
Presently the servant said ‘Sir, your order has been carried out, and still there is room.’
23 So the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.
‘Go out,’ the master said, ‘into the roads and hedgerows, and make people come in, so that my house may be filled;
24 For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will taste my banquet.’”
for I tell you all that not one of those people who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
25 Large crowds were now traveling with Jesus, and He turned and said to them,
One day, when great crowds of people were walking with Jesus, he turned and said to them,
26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple.
“If any one comes to me and does not hate their father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes and even their life, he can be no disciple of mine.
27 And whoever does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.
Whoever does not carry their own cross, and walk in my steps, can be no disciple of mine.
28 Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?
Why, which of you, when you want to build a tower, does not first sit down and reckon the cost, to see if you have enough to complete it? –
29 Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will laugh at you,
30 saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’
and say ‘Here is a person who began to build and was not able to finish!’
31 Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
Or what king, when he is setting out to fight another king, does not first sit down and consider if with ten thousand men he is able to meet one who is coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 And if he is unable, he will send a delegation while the other king is still far off, to ask for terms of peace.
And if he cannot, then, while the other is still at a distance, he sends envoys and asks for terms of peace.
33 In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
And so with everyone of you who does not bid farewell to all you have – you cannot be a disciple of mine.
34 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned?
Yes, salt is good; but, if the salt itself should lose its strength, what will be used to season it?
35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
It is not fit either for the land or for the manure heap. People throw it away. Let those who have ears to hear with hear!”
