Luke 14
1 And it came to pass, on his going into the house of a certain one of the chiefs of the Pharisees, on a sabbath, to eat bread, that 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 and lo, there was a certain dropsical man before him;
There he saw before him a man who was suffering from dropsy.
3 and Jesus answering spake to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, 'Is it lawful on the sabbath-day to heal?'
“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 and they were silent, and having taken hold of [him], he healed him, and let [him] go;
They remained silent. Jesus took hold of the man and cured him, and sent him away.
5 and answering them he said, 'Of which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a pit, and he will not immediately draw it up on the 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 and they were not able to answer him again unto these things.
And they could not make any answer to that.
7 And he spake a simile unto those called, marking how they were choosing out the first couches, saying unto them,
Observing that the guests were choosing the best places for themselves, Jesus told them this parable –
8 'When thou mayest be called by any one to marriage-feasts, thou mayest not recline on the first couch, lest a more honourable than thou may have been called 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 did call thee and him having come shall say to thee, Give to this one place, and then thou mayest begin with shame to occupy 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 thou mayest be called, having gone on, recline in the last place, that when he who called thee may come, he may say to thee, Friend, come up higher; then thou shalt have glory before those reclining with thee;
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 because every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'
For everyone who exalts themselves will be humbled, and everyone who humbles themselves will be exalted.”
12 And he said also to him who did call him, 'When thou mayest make a dinner or a supper, be not calling thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kindred, nor rich neighbours, lest they may also call thee again, and a recompense may come to thee;
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 thou mayest make a feast, be calling poor, maimed, lame, blind,
No, when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
14 and happy thou shalt be, because they have not to recompense thee, for it shall be recompensed to thee in the rising again 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 And one of those reclining with him, having heard these things, said to him, 'Happy [is] he who shall eat bread in the reign 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 and he said to him, 'A certain man made a great supper, and called many,
But Jesus said to him, “A man was once giving a great dinner. He invited many people,
17 and he sent his servant at the hour of the supper to say to those having been called, Be coming, because now are all things 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 'And they began with one consent all to excuse themselves: The first said to him, A field I bought, and I have need to go forth and see it; I beg of thee, 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 'And another said, Five yoke of oxen I bought, and I go on to prove them; I beg of thee, 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 and another said, A wife I married, and because of this I am not able to come.
while the next said ‘I am just married, and for that reason I am unable to come.’
21 'And that servant having come, told to his lord these things, then the master of the house, having been angry, said to his servant, Go forth quickly to the broad places and lanes of the city, and the poor, and maimed, and lame, and blind, bring in hither.
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 'And the servant said, Sir, it hath been done as thou didst command, and still there is room.
Presently the servant said ‘Sir, your order has been carried out, and still there is room.’
23 'And the lord said unto the servant, Go forth to the ways and hedges, and constrain 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 say to you, that none of those men who have been called shall taste of my supper.'
for I tell you all that not one of those people who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
25 And there were going on with him great multitudes, and having turned, he said unto them,
One day, when great crowds of people were walking with Jesus, he turned and said to them,
26 'If any one doth come unto me, and doth not hate his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and yet even his own life, he is not able to 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 doth not bear his cross, and come after me, is not able to be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry their own cross, and walk in my steps, can be no disciple of mine.
28 'For who of you, willing to build a tower, doth not first, having sat down, count the expence, whether he have the things for completing?
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 lest that he having laid a foundation, and not being able to finish, all who are beholding may begin 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 was not able to finish.
and say ‘Here is a person who began to build and was not able to finish!’
31 'Or what king going on to engage with another king in war, doth not, having sat down, first consult if he be able with ten thousand to meet him who with twenty thousand is coming against him?
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 not so — he being yet a long way off — having sent an embassy, he doth ask the things for 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, then, every one of you who doth not take leave of all that he himself hath, is not able to 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 'The salt [is] good, but if the salt doth become tasteless, with what shall it be seasoned?
Yes, salt is good; but, if the salt itself should lose its strength, what will be used to season it?
35 neither for land nor for manure is it fit — they cast it without. He who is having 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!”
