Luke 14

1 One day--it was a Sabbath--He was taking a meal at the house of one of the Rulers of the Pharisee party, while they were closely watching Him.

And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the rulers, [who was] of the Pharisees, to eat bread on [the] sabbath, that they were watching him.

2 In front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.

And behold, there was a certain dropsical [man] before him.

3 This led Jesus to ask the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it allowable to cure people on the Sabbath?"

And Jesus answering spoke unto the doctors of the law and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?

4 They gave Him no answer; so He took hold of the man, cured him, and sent him away.

But they were silent. And taking him he healed him and let him go.

5 Then He turned to them and said, "Which of you shall have a child or an ox fall into a well on the Sabbath day, and will not immediately lift him out?"

And answering he said to them, Of which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a well, that he does not straightway pull him up on the sabbath day?

6 To this they could make no reply.

And they were not able to answer him to these things.

7 Then, when He noticed that the invited guests chose the best seats, He used this as an illustration and said to them,

And he spoke a parable to those that were invited, remarking how they chose out the first places, saying to them,

8 "When any one invites you to a wedding banquet, do not take the best seat, lest perhaps some more honoured guest than you may have been asked,

When thou art invited by any one to a wedding, do not lay thyself down in the first place at table, lest perhaps a more honourable than thou be invited by him,

9 and the man who invited you both will come and will say to you, 'Make room for this guest,' and then you, ashamed, will move to the lowest place.

and he who invited thee and him come and say to thee, Give place to this [man], and then thou begin with shame to take the last place.

10 On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests.

But when thou hast been invited, go and put thyself down in the last place, that when he who has invited thee comes, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have honour before all that are lying at table with thee;

11 For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted.

for every one that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that abases himself shall be exalted.

12 Also to His host, who had invited Him, He said, "When you give a breakfast or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbours, lest perhaps they should invite you in return and a requital be made you.

And he said also to him that had invited him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsfolk, nor rich neighbours, lest it may be they also should invite thee in return, and a recompense be made thee.

13 But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;

But when thou makest a feast, call poor, crippled, lame, blind:

14 and you will be blessed, because they have no means of requiting you, but there will be requital for you at the Resurrection of the righteous."

and thou shalt be blessed; for they have not [the means] to recompense thee; for it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the just.

15 After listening to this teaching, one of His fellow guests said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall feast in God's Kingdom."

And one of those that were lying at table with [them], hearing these things, said to him, Blessed [is] he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

16 "A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests.

And he said to him, A certain man made a great supper and invited many.

17 At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.'

And he sent his bondman at the hour of supper to say to those who were invited, Come, for already all things are ready.

18 "But they all without exception began to excuse themselves. The first told him, "'I have purchased a piece of land, and must of necessity go and look at it. Pray hold me excused.'

And all began, without exception, to excuse themselves. The first said to him, I have bought land, and I must go out and see it; I pray thee hold me for excused.

19 "A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.'

And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee hold me for excused.

20 "Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me to come.'

And another said, I have married a wife, and on this account I cannot come.

21 "So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city--the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.'

And the bondman came up and brought back word of these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, in anger, said to his bondman, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring here the poor and crippled and lame and blind.

22 "Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.'

And the bondman said, Sir, it is done as thou hast commanded, and there is still room.

23 "'Go out,' replied the master, 'to the high roads and hedge-rows, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled.

And the lord said to the bondman, Go out into the ways and fences and compel to come in, that my house may be filled;

24 For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"

for I say to you, that not one of those men who were invited shall taste of my supper.

25 On His journey vast crowds attended Him, towards whom He turned and said,

And great crowds went with him; and, turning round, he said to them,

26 "If any one is coming to me who does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be a disciple of mine.

If any man come to me, and shall not hate his own father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple;

27 No one who does not carry his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.

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

28 "Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the cost, asking if he has the means to finish it? --

For which of you, desirous of building a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, if he have what [is needed] to complete it;

29 lest perhaps, when he has laid the foundation and is unable to finish, all who see it shall begin to jeer at him,

in order that, having laid the foundation of it, and not being able to finish it, all who see it do not begin to mock at him,

30 saying, 'This man began to build, but could not finish.'

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

31 Or what king, marching to encounter another king in war, does not first sit down and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet the one who is advancing against him with twenty thousand?

Or what king, going on his way to engage in war with another king, does not, sitting down first, take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him coming against him with twenty thousand?

32 If not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers and sues for peace.

and if not, while he is yet far off, having sent an embassy, he asks for terms of peace.

33 Just as no one of you who does not detach himself from all that belongs to him can be a disciple of mine.

Thus then every one of you who forsakes not all that is his own cannot be my disciple.

34 "Salt is good: but if even the salt has become tasteless, what will you use to season it?

Salt [then] [is] good, but if the salt also has become savourless, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

35 Neither for land nor dunghill is it of any use; they throw it away. Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"

It is proper neither for land nor for dung; it is cast out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.