Luke 14

1 One (Jewish day of rest/Sabbath day), Jesus went to eat [SYN] at the house of an important Pharisee. Some [men who studied the Jewish] laws and other Pharisees who were there were watching him carefully [to see if he would do something for which they could accuse him].

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat at the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees, the people there were watching him closely.

2 Unexpectedly, there was a man in front of Jesus whose arms and legs were swollen.

And behold, there in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.

3 Jesus said to them, “Is it permitted in [our(inc)] Jewish laws to heal [someone] (on our Jewish rest day/on the Sabbath), or not?”

In response Jesus said to the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

4 [They knew that their laws permitted it, but they thought that healing was work, which they thought was wrong to do] (on the Sabbath/on the Jewish rest day) (OR, [they knew that their laws permitted it, but they did not want to admit it]). So they did not reply. Then Jesus put his hands on the man and healed him. Then he told him to go [home].

But they remained silent. So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him away.

5 Then he said to the rest of them, “If you had a son or an ox that fell into a well on a (Sabbath/our day of rest), would you immediately [work to] pull him out, [or would you(sg) let him stay there until the next day]?”

Then he said to them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath will not immediately pull him out?”

6 [They knew that they would immediately work to pull him out, even on their day of rest, so they could not justly say that Jesus did wrong by healing the man on that day. So] they said nothing in reply to Jesus.

But they could give him no answer about these things.

7 Jesus noticed that those people who had been {whom [the Pharisee] had} invited [to the meal] chose [to sit in] the places where important [people usually sit]. Then he gave [this advice] to them:

When Jesus noticed how the guests were choosing the places of honor for themselves, he told them a parable:

8 “When one of you [(sg)] is invited by someone {someone invites one of you [(sg)]} to a wedding feast, do not sit in a place where important people sit. Perhaps the man [giving the feast] has invited a man more important than you [(sg)].

“When yoʋ are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not recline in the place of honor, in case someone more honorable than yoʋ has been invited by yoʋr host.

9 [When that man comes], the man who invited both of you will come to you [(sg)] and say to you, ‘Let this man take your seat!’ Then you [(sg)] will have to take the most undesirable seat, and you will be ashamed.

Then the host, who invited you both, will come and say to yoʋ, ‘Give yoʋr place to this person.’ And with shame yoʋ will begin moving to the least important place.

10 Instead, when you are invited {[someone] invites one of you} [to a feast], go and sit in the most undesirable seat. Then when the man who invited everyone comes, he will say to you [(sg)], ‘Friend, sit in a better seat!’ Then all the people who are eating with you [(sg)] will see that he is honoring you.

But when yoʋ are invited, go recline in the least important place, so that, when yoʋr host comes, he will say to yoʋ, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then yoʋ will be honored in the presence of those who are reclining at the table with yoʋ.

11 Also, [remember this]: [God] will humble those who exalt themselves. And [he] will exalt those who humble themselves.”

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

12 [Jesus] also said to [the Pharisee] who had invited him to the meal, “When you [(sg)] invite people to a midday or evening meal, do not invite your friends or your family or your other relatives or your rich neighbors. They can later invite you [(sg) for a meal]. In that way they will repay you.

Jesus also said to the man who had invited him, “When yoʋ prepare a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite yoʋr friends, yoʋr brothers, yoʋr relatives, or yoʋr rich neighbors. If yoʋ do, they may invite yoʋ in return, and yoʋ will be repaid.

13 Instead, when you [(sg)] give a feast, invite poor [people], crippled [people], lame [people], or blind [people].

But when yoʋ prepare a banquet, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind.

14 They will be unable to repay you. [But God will bless you! He] will repay you [at the time] when [he causes] righteous people to become alive again.”

Then yoʋ will be blessed. Since they do not have the means to repay yoʋ, yoʋ will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

15 One of those who were eating with Jesus heard him say that. He said to Jesus, “God [has truly] blessed [us Jews] who will eat [with the Messiah] when he starts to rule!”

When one of the men reclining at the table with Jesus heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is he who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”

16 But [to show that many Jews whom God had invited would not accept God’s invitation] [MET], Jesus replied to him, “One time a man [decided] to prepare a large feast. He invited many people to come.

Jesus said to him, “A man prepared a great banquet and invited many guests.

17 When it was the day for the feast, he sent his servant to tell those who had been {whom he had} invited, ‘Come [now] because everything is ready!’

At the time for the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

18 But [when the servant did that], all of the people [whom he had invited] began to say why they did not want to come. The first [man the servant went to] said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please [ask your master to] forgive me for not coming!’

But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I need to go out and see it. I ask yoʋ to have me excused.’

19 Another person said, ‘I have just bought five pair of oxen, and I must go to examine them. Please [ask your master to] forgive me for not coming!’

Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am on my way to try them out. I ask yoʋ to have me excused.’

20 Another person said, ‘I have just been married. So I cannot come.’

Still another said, ‘I have married a woman, and for that reason I cannot come.’

21 So the servant returned to his master and reported what [everyone had said]. The owner of the house was angry [when he heard the reasons they gave for not] coming. He said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly to the streets and alleys of the city [and find] poor and crippled and blind and lame [people, and bring] them here into [my house]!’

So the servant came back and told these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind.’

22 [After the servant went and did that], he [came back and] said, ‘Sir, I have done what you [(sg)] told me to do, but there is still room [for more people].’

After the servant had done so, he said, ‘Master, it has been done as yoʋ commanded, and there is still room.’

23 [So] his master said to him, ‘Then go [outside the city]. Search for people along the highways. Search also along the narrow roads with hedges beside them [where homeless people may be staying]. Strongly urge the people in those places to come to [my house]. I want it to be full of [people]!’”

So the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.

24 [Then Jesus said], “I tell you [(pl)] this: Very few of you [Jewish] people will enjoy my feast, even though [I] invited you [first to eat it with me when I become king].”

For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

25 Large groups of people were traveling with [Jesus]. He turned and said to them,

Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and said to them,

26 “If anyone comes to me who loves his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters [more than] [HYP] [he loves me], he cannot be my disciple. He must even love me more than he loves his own life!

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

27 [People who are ready to execute a prisoner make] him carry his cross [MET] [to the place where others will nail him] on it. Only those who are willing [to allow others to hurt them and disgrace them] like that because of being my disciples, and who are willing to obey what I teach, can be my disciples.

And whoever does not bear his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 [I will illustrate] [MET]. If one of you desired to build a (tower/big house), (you would surely first sit down and determine how much it would cost!/would you not first sit down and determine how much it would cost?) [RHQ] Then you would determine whether you had enough money to complete it.

For which of you who wants to build a tower does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see if he has what he needs to complete it?

29 [If you did not do that], if you laid the foundation and were not able to finish [the rest of the tower], everyone who saw it would make fun of you.

For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, all who are looking on will begin to mock him,

30 They would say, ‘This man started to build [a tower], but he was not able to finish it!’

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

31 Or, if a king decided to [send his army to] war against another king, (he would surely first sit down [with those who] advised [him]./would he not first sit down [with those who] advised [him]?) [RHQ] They would determine whether [his army], which had only 10,000 soldiers, could defeat the [other army], which had 20,000 soldiers, and was about to attack his [army].

Or what king, when he is going out to confront another king in battle, does not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to face the king who is coming against him with twenty thousand men?

32 If he [decided] that his army could not [defeat that army], he would send messengers to [the other king] while the other army was still far away. He would tell the messengers to say to that king, ‘What things must I do to have peace with your country?’

If he is not able to do so, he sends a delegation while the other is still far away and asks for terms of peace.

33 So, similarly, if any one of you does not first decide that you [(sg)] are [willing to] give up all that you have, you cannot be my disciple.”

So then, any one of you who does not give up all his possessions cannot be my disciple.

34 [Jesus also said, “You are like] [MET] salt, which is useful [to put on food]. But (salt certainly cannot be made {[you] certainly cannot make salt} to taste salty again if it stops tasting salty!/can salt be made {can [you] make salt} to taste salty again if it quits tasting salty?) [RHQ]

“Salt is good, but if salt loses its flavor, with what shall it be seasoned?

35 [If salt does not taste salty any more], it is not good for the soil or even for the manure heap. [People] throw it away. [The same thing will happen to you if you become useless to God]. If you want to understand what I just said [IDM], you must consider [carefully] what you have heard!”

It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, so it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”