Luke 14

1 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.

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

And a certain man was there who had a disease.

3 “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?”

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

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

But they said nothing. And he made him well and sent him away.

5 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?”

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 And they could not make any answer to that.

And they had no answer to that question.

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

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 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;

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 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.

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 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.

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 every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who 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 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.

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

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

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

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

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 Jesus said to him: “A man was once giving a great dinner. 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 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.’

And when the time had come, he sent his servants to say to them, Come, for all things are now ready.

18 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.’

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 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’;

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

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

21 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.’

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

And the servant said, Lord, your orders have been done, and still there is room.

23 ‘Go out,’ the master said, ‘into the roads and hedgerows, and make people come in, so 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 all that not one of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

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

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

Now a great number of people went with him.

26 “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.

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

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

28 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? —

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 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,

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

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

31 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?

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

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

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

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

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

For salt is good, but if the taste goes from it, of what use is it?

35 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!”

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.