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,

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.

2 and behold, there was a certain dropsical man before Him;

There he saw before him a man who was suffering from dropsy.

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

“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?”

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

They remained silent. Jesus took hold of the man and cured him, and sent him away.

5 and answering them He said, “Of which of you will a donkey or ox fall into a pit, and he will not immediately draw it up on the Sabbath day?”

And he said to them: “Which of you, finding that his son or his ox has fallen into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath Day?”

6 And they were not able to answer Him again to these things.

And they could not make any answer to that.

7 And He spoke an allegory to those called, marking how they were choosing out the first couches, saying to them,

Observing that the guests were choosing the best places for themselves, Jesus told them this parable —

8 “When you may be called by anyone to wedding feasts, you may not recline on the first couch, lest [one] more honorable than you may have been called by him,

“When you are invited by any one to a wedding banquet, do not seat yourself in the best place, for fear that some one of higher rank should have been invited by your host;

9 and he who called you and him having come will say to you, Give to this one [your] place, and then you may begin to occupy the last place with shame.

and he who invited you both will come and say to you ‘Make room for this man,’ and then you will begin in confusion to take the lowest place.

10 But when you may be called, having gone on, recline in the last place, that when he who called you may come, he may say to you, Friend, come up higher; then you will have glory before those dining with you;

No, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place, so that, when he 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.

11 because everyone who is exalting himself will be humbled, and he who is humbling himself will be exalted.”

For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

12 And He also said to him who called Him, “When you may make an early meal or a dinner, do not be calling your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they may also call you again, and a repayment may come to you;

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 your relations, or rich neighbours, for fear that they should invite you in return, and so you should be repaid.

13 but when you may make a feast, be calling poor, maimed, lame, blind,

No, when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;

14 and you will be blessed, because they have nothing to repay you, for it will be repaid to you in the resurrection of the righteous.”

and then you will be happy indeed, since they cannot recompense you; for you shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the good.”

15 And one of those dining with Him, having heard these things, said to Him, “Blessed [is] he who will eat bread in the Kingdom of God”;

One of the guests heard what he said and exclaimed: “Happy will he be who shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God!”

16 and He said to him, “A certain man made a great dinner, and called many,

But Jesus said to him: “A man was once giving a great dinner. He invited many people,

17 and he sent his servant at the hour of the dinner to say to those having been called, Be coming, because now all things are ready.

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.’

18 And all began with one [voice] to excuse themselves. The first said to him, I bought a field, and I have need to go forth and see it; I beg of you, have me excused.

They all with one accord began to ask to be excused. The first man 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.’

19 And another said, I bought five yoke of oxen, and I go on to prove them; I beg of you, have me excused.

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’;

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

while the next said ‘I am just married, and for that reason I am unable to come.’

21 And that servant having come, told these things to his lord, then the master of the house, having been angry, said to his servant, Go forth quickly into the broad places and lanes of the city, and the poor, and maimed, and lame, and blind, bring in here.

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.’

22 And the servant said, Lord, it has been done as you commanded, and still there is room.

Presently the servant said ‘Sir, your order has been carried out, and still there is room.’

23 And the lord said to the servant, Go forth into the ways and hedges, and constrain to come in, that my house may be filled;

‘Go out,’ the master said, ‘into the roads and hedgerows, 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 will taste of my dinner.”

for I tell you all that not one of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

25 And there were going on with Him great multitudes, and having turned, He said to them,

One day, when great crowds of people were walking with Jesus, he turned and said to them:

26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does 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 any man comes to me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yes and his very life, he can be no disciple of mine.

27 and whoever does not carry his cross, and come after Me, is not able to be My disciple.

Whoever does not carry his own cross, and walk in my steps, can be no disciple of mine.

28 For who of you, willing to build a tower, does not first, having sat down, count the expense, whether he has the things for completing?

Why, which of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and reckon the cost, to see if 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,

For fear that, if he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish it, every one who sees it should begin to laugh at him,

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

and say ‘Here is a man who began to build and was not able to finish!’

31 Or what king going on to engage with another king in war, does not, having sat down, first consult if he with ten thousand is able to meet him who is coming against him with twenty thousand?

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?

32 And if not so—he being yet a long way off—having sent a delegation, he asks the things for peace.

And if he cannot, then, while the other is still at a distance, he sends envoys and asks for terms of peace.

33 So, then, everyone of you who does not take leave of all that he himself has, is not able to be My disciple.

And so with every one of you who does not bid farewell to all he has — he cannot be a disciple of mine.

34 The salt [is] good, but if the salt becomes tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?

Yes, salt is good; but, if the salt itself should lose its strength, what shall be used to season it?

35 It is neither fit for land nor for manure—they cast it outside. He who is having ears to hear—let him hear.”

It is not fit either for the land or for the manure heap. Men throw it away. Let him who has ears to hear with hear!”