Luke 14

1 And it happened, when he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, that they were watching him.

One day--it was a Sabbath--He was taking a meal at the house of one of the Rulers of the Pharisee party, while they were closely watching Him.

2 And look, a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him.

In front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.

3 Jesus, answering, spoke to the Law scholars and Pharisees, saying, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"

This led Jesus to ask the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it allowable to cure people on the Sabbath?"

4 But they were silent. He took him, and healed him, and let him go.

They gave Him no answer; so He took hold of the man, cured him, and sent him away.

5 He answered them, "Which of you, if your son or an ox fell into a well, would not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?"

Then He turned to them and said, "Which of you shall have a child or an ox fall into a well on the Sabbath day, and will not immediately lift him out?"

6 But they could make no reply to this.

To this they could make no reply.

7 He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them,

Then, when He noticed that the invited guests chose the best seats, He used this as an illustration and said to them,

8 "When you are invited by anyone to a marriage feast, do not sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him,

"When any one invites you to a wedding banquet, do not take the best seat, lest perhaps some more honoured guest than you may have been asked,

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 man who invited you both will come and will say to you, 'Make room for this guest,' and then you, ashamed, will move to 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.

On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests.

11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted.

12 He also said to the one who had invited him, "When you make a dinner or a supper, do not call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back.

Also to His host, who had invited Him, He said, "When you give a breakfast or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbours, lest perhaps they should invite you in return and a requital be made you.

13 But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind;

But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;

14 and you will be blessed, because they do not have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous."

and you will be blessed, because they have no means of requiting you, but there will be requital for you at the Resurrection of the righteous."

15 Now when one of those who were reclining with him heard these things, he said to him, "Blessed is he who will eat bread in the Kingdom of God."

After listening to this teaching, one of His fellow guests said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall feast in God's Kingdom."

16 But he said to him, "A certain man made a great supper, and he invited many people.

"A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests.

17 And he sent his servant at the hour for supper to tell those who were invited, 'Come, for everything is ready now.'

At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are 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.'

"But they all without exception began to excuse themselves. The first told him, "'I have purchased a piece of land, and must of necessity go and look at it. Pray hold me excused.'

19 "Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I must go try them out. Please have me excused.'

"A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.'

20 "Another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'

"Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me 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.'

"So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city--the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.'

22 "The servant said, 'Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.'

"Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.'

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,' replied the master, 'to the high roads and hedge-rows, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled.

24 For I tell you that none of those individuals who were invited will taste of my supper.'"

For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"

25 Now large crowds were going with him. He turned and said to them,

On His journey vast crowds attended Him, towards whom He turned and said,

26 "If anyone comes to me, and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

"If any one is coming to me who does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be a disciple of mine.

27 Whoever does not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

No one who does not carry his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.

28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?

"Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the cost, asking if he has the means to finish it? --

29 Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him,

lest perhaps, when he has laid the foundation and is unable to finish, all who see it shall begin to jeer at him,

30 saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.'

saying, 'This man began to build, but could not 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, marching to encounter another king in war, does not first sit down and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet the one who is advancing 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.

If not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers and sues for peace.

33 So therefore whoever of you who does not renounce all that he has, he cannot be my disciple.

Just as no one of you who does not detach himself from all that belongs to him can be a disciple of mine.

34 Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it?

"Salt is good: but if even the salt has become tasteless, what will you use 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."

Neither for land nor dunghill is it of any use; they throw it away. Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"