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,

Then it happened, when He entered the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they were watching Him closely.

2 and lo, there was a certain dropsical man before him;

And then, there in front of Him was a man who had dropsy!

3 and Jesus answering spake to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, 'Is it lawful on the sabbath-day to heal?'

And Jesus reacted by saying to the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

4 and they were silent, and having taken hold of [him], he healed him, and let [him] go;

But they kept silent. So He took hold of him, healed him, and let him go.

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?'

Then He addressed them saying, “Which of you, if a son or an ox falls into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

6 and they were not able to answer him again unto these things.

And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

7 And he spake a simile unto those called, marking how they were choosing out the first couches, saying unto them,

Then He told a parable to those who were invited, having observed how they kept trying for the best places, saying to them:

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,

“Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not recline in the place of honor, in case someone more honorable than you has been invited by him;

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.

then he who invited you both will come and say, ‘You, give this man place!’ and then, with shame, you start 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;

Rather, whenever you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will have honor in the presence of your fellow guests.

11 because every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'

Because everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself 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 He said directly to His host: “Whenever you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.

13 but when thou mayest make a feast, be calling poor, maimed, lame, blind,

But whenever you make a banquet, 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 you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you—you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

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;'

Well when one of the fellow-recliners heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who will eat dinner in the Kingdom of God!”

16 and he said to him, 'A certain man made a great supper, and called many,

So He said to him: “A certain man prepared a great banquet and invited many.

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 at meal time he sent his slave to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, because 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.

But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him: ‘I bought a field, and I need to go and see it. I ask you to have 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:

Another said: ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’

20 and another said, A wife I married, and because of this I am not able to come.

Yet another said, ‘I have married a wife, and so I cannot 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.

So that slave came and reported these things to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’

22 'And the servant said, Sir, it hath been done as thou didst command, and still there is room.

And the slave said, ‘Master, what you ordered has been done, and there is still 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;

Then the master said to the slave: ‘Go out to the roads and hedges 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 that none of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet!’”

25 And there were going on with him great multitudes, and having turned, he said unto them,

Now large crowds were traveling with Him, and turning He 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 anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

27 and whoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, is not able to be my disciple.

And whoever does not carry his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

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?

“Further, which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the cost, whether he has 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,

This so he does not lay a foundation without being able to finish, and all who see it begin to ridicule him,

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

saying, ‘This man 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, going to engage another king in battle, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet the one 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 not, while the other is still far away he sends a delegation and asks for terms for 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.

“So likewise, any of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.

34 'The salt [is] good, but if the salt doth become tasteless, with what shall it be seasoned?

Salt is good; but should the salt become insipid, with what can it be seasoned?

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 fit for neither soil nor fertilizer; it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”