Luke 14
1 When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him.
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 Behold, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him.
There he saw before him a man who was suffering from dropsy.
3 Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
“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 were silent. He took him, and healed him, and let him go.
They remained silent. Jesus took hold of the man and cured him, and sent him away.
5 He answered them, “Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, wouldn’t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?”
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 They couldn’t answer him regarding these things.
And they could not make any answer to that.
7 He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them,
Observing that the guests were choosing the best places for themselves, Jesus told them this parable –
8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him,
“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 and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest 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 lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit 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 whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
For everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled, and everyone who humbles themselves will be exalted.”
12 He also said to the one who had invited him, “When you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back.
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 make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind;
No, when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
14 and you will be blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in 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 who sat at the table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will feast in God’s Kingdom!”
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 he said to him, “A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people.
But Jesus said to him, “A man was once giving a great dinner. He invited many people,
17 He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’
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 They all as one began to make excuses. “The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please have me excused.’
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 must go try them out. Please have me excused.’
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 “Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’
while the next said ‘I am just married, and for that reason I am unable to come.’
21 “That servant came, and told his lord these things. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, maimed, blind, and 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 “The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’
Presently the servant said ‘Sir, your order has been carried out, and still there is room.’
23 “The lord said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
‘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 that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper. For many are called, but few are chosen.’”
for I tell you all that not one of those people who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
25 Now great multitudes were going with him. 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 doesn’t disregard his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t 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 Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross and come after me, can’t be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry their own cross, and walk in my steps, can be no disciple of mine.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough 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 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation and isn’t able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock 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 began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
and say ‘Here is a person who began to build and was not able to finish!’
31 Or what king, as he goes to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes 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 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions 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 So therefore, whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t 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 becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it?
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. 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!”
