Luke 14
1 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.
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 There he saw before him a man who was suffering from dropsy.
In front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.
3 ‘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?’
This led Jesus to ask the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it allowable to cure people on the Sabbath?"
4 They remained silent. Jesus took hold of the man and cured him, and sent him away.
They gave Him no answer; so He took hold of the man, cured him, and sent him away.
5 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?’
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 And they could not make any answer to that.
To this they could make no reply.
7 Observing that the guests were choosing the best places for themselves, Jesus told them this parable –
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 wedding banquet, do not seat yourself in the best place. Someone of higher rank might have been invited by your host;
"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 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.
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 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 honoured in the eyes of all your fellow guests.
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 themselves will be humbled, and everyone who humbles themselves will be exalted.’
For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted.
12 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 neighbours, because they might invite you in return, and so you should be repaid.
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 No, when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;
14 and then you will be happy indeed, since they cannot reward you; for you will be rewarded at the resurrection of the just.’
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 One of the guests heard what he said and exclaimed, ‘Happy will be the person 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 Jesus said to him, ‘A man was once giving a great dinner. He invited many people,
"A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests.
17 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.”
At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.'
18 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.”
"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 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”;
"A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.'
20 while the next said “I am just married, and for that reason I am unable to come.”
"Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me to come.'
21 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.”
"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 Presently the servant said “Sir, your order has been carried out, and still there is room.”
"Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.'
23 “Go out,” the master said, “into the roads and hedgerows, and make people come in, so 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 all that not one of those people who were invited will taste my dinner.”’
For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"
25 One day, when great crowds of people were walking with Jesus, he turned and said to them,
On His journey vast crowds attended Him, towards whom He turned and said,
26 ‘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.
"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 carry their own cross, and walk in my steps, can be no disciple of mine.
No one who does not carry his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.
28 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? –
"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 Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will laugh at you,
lest perhaps, when he has laid the foundation and is unable to finish, all who see it shall begin to jeer at him,
30 and say “Here is a person who began to build and was not able to finish!”
saying, 'This man began to build, but could not finish.'
31 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?
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 And if he cannot, then, while the other is still at a distance, he sends envoys and asks for terms of peace.
If not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers and sues for peace.
33 And so with everyone of you who does not bid farewell to all you have – you cannot be a disciple of mine.
Just as no one of you who does not detach himself from all that belongs to him can be a disciple of mine.
34 Yes, salt is good; but, if the salt itself should lose its strength, what will be used to season it?
"Salt is good: but if even the salt has become tasteless, what will you use to season it?
35 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!’
Neither for land nor dunghill is it of any use; they throw it away. Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"
