Luke 14
1 It happened one Sabbath, when he went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread, that 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 Behold, there in front of him was a man who was suffering from edema.
In front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.
3 Jesus asked the experts in the Jewish law and the Pharisees, “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 kept silent. So Jesus took hold of him, healed him, and sent him away.
They gave Him no answer; so He took hold of the man, cured him, and sent him away.
5 He said to them, “Which of you who has a son or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”
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 They were not able to give an answer to these things.
To this they could make no reply.
7 When Jesus noticed how those who were invited chose the seats of honor, he spoke a parable, saying 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 someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the place of honor, because someone may have been invited who is more honored than you.
"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 When the person who invited both of you arrives, he will say to you, 'Give this other person your place,' and then in shame you will proceed 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 down in the lowest place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, go 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 he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted.
12 Jesus also said to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbors, as they may also invite you in return, and you will 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 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind,
But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;
14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid in 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 When one of them who sat at the table with Jesus 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 Jesus said to him, “A certain man prepared a large dinner and invited many.
"A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests.
17 When the dinner was prepared, he sent his servant to say to those who were invited, 'Come, because 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 alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.'
"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 pairs of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please excuse me.'
"A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.'
20 Then another man 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 The servant came and told his master these things. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in here the poor, the crippled, 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 The servant said, 'Master, what you commanded has been done, and yet there is still room.'
"Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.'
23 The master 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 say to you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'”
For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"
25 Now large crowds were going with him, and 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, and even his own life, 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 carry 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 who desires to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost to calculate if he has what he needs 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, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin 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 take advice about whether he is able with ten thousand men to fight the other king who comes against him with twenty thousand men?
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 If not, while the other army is still far away, he sends a delegation 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, any one of you who does not give up all that he has 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 has lost its taste, how can it be made salty again?
"Salt is good: but if even the salt has become tasteless, what will you use to season it?
35 It is of no use for the soil or even for the manure pile. It is thrown away. 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!"
