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.

And it came about that when he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees on the Sabbath, to have a meal, they were watching him.

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

And a certain man was there who had a disease.

3 Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

And Jesus, answering, said to the scribes and Pharisees, Is it right to make people well on the Sabbath or not?

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

But they said nothing. And he made him well 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, whose ox or ass has got into a water-hole, will not straight away get him out on the Sabbath?

6 They couldn’t answer him regarding these things.

And they had no answer to that question.

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

And he gave teaching in the form of a story to the guests who came to the feast, when he saw how they took the best seats; saying to them,

8 “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honourable than you might be invited by him,

When you get a request to come to a feast, do not take the best seat, for a more important man than you may be coming,

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 then the giver of the feast will come to you and say, Give your place to this man; and you, with shame, will have to take the lowest seat.

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 honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.

But when you come, go and take the lowest seat, so that when the giver of the feast comes, he may say to you, Friend, come up higher; and then you will have honour in the eyes of all the others who are there.

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

For every man who gives himself a high place will be put down, but he who takes a low place will be lifted up.

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 neighbours, or perhaps they might also return the favour, and pay you back.

And he said to the master of the house, When you give a feast, do not send for your friends and your brothers and your family or your neighbours who have wealth, for they may give a feast for you, and so you will get a reward.

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

But when you give a feast, send for the poor and the blind and those who are broken in body:

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 you will have a blessing, because they will not be able to give you any payment, and you will get your reward when the upright come back from the dead.

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!”

And, hearing these words, one of those who were at table with him said to him, Happy is the man who will be a guest in the kingdom of God.

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

And he said to them, A certain man gave a great feast, and sent word of it to a number of people.

17 He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’

And when the time had come, he sent his servants to say to them, Come, for all 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.’

And they all gave reasons why they were not able to come. The first said to him, I have got a new field, and it is necessary for me to go and see it: I am full of regret that I am unable to come.

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

And another said, I have got some cattle, and I am going to make a test of them: I am full of regret that I am unable to come.

20 “Another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I can’t come.’

And another said, I have been married, and so I am not able 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.’

And the servant came back and gave his master an account of these things. Then the master of the house was angry and said to the servant, Go out quickly into the streets of the town and get the poor, the blind, and those who are broken in body.

22 “The servant said, ‘Lord, it is done as you commanded, and there is still room.’

And the servant said, Lord, your orders have been done, 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.

And the lord said to the servant, Go out into the roads and the fields, and make them come in, so that my house may be full.

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 say to you that not one of those who were requested to come will have a taste of my feast.

25 Now great multitudes were going with him. He turned and said to them,

Now a great number of people went with him.

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.

And turning round, he said to them, If any man comes to me, and has not hate for his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even for his life, he may not be my disciple.

27 Whoever doesn’t bear his own cross and come after me, can’t be my disciple.

Whoever does not take up his cross and come after me may not be my disciple.

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?

For which of you, desiring to put up a tower, does not first give much thought to the price, if he will have enough to make it complete?

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

For fear that if he makes a start and is not able to go on with it to the end, all who see it will be laughing at him,

30 saying, ‘This man began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

And saying, This man made a start at building and is not able to make it complete.

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, going to war with another king, will not first take thought if he will be strong enough, with ten thousand men, to keep off him who comes 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.

Or while the other is still a great distance away, he sends representatives requesting conditions of peace.

33 So therefore, whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has, he can’t be my disciple.

And so whoever is not ready to give up all he has may not be my disciple.

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

For salt is good, but if the taste goes from it, of what use is 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 no good for the land or for the place of waste; no one has a use for it. He who has ears, let him give ear.