Luke 14

¹ And it occurred at His coming into the house of a certain one of the chiefs of the Pharisees on a sabbath to eat bread, they were scrutinizing Him. ² And lo! a certain man in front of Him was dropsical. ³ And answering, Jesus spoke to those learned in the law and to the Pharisees, saying, "Is it allowed to cure on the sabbath or not?" ⁴ Now they are quiet. And, getting hold of him, He heals and dismisses him. ⁵ And answering, He said to them, "Whose son or ox of yours will be falling into a well and he will not immediately pull him up on the sabbath day?" ⁶ And they are not strong enough to answer Him again to these things. ⁷ Now He told a parable to those invited, attending to how they chose the first reclining places, saying to them, ⁸ "Whenever you may be invited by anyone to wedding festivities, you may not recline in the first reclining place, lest at some time one held in honor more than you may be invited by him, ⁹ and when he who invites you and him comes, he will be declaring to you, 'Give this one place.' And then, with shame, you should be beginning to retain the last place. ¹⁰ But, whenever you may be invited, going, lean back in the last place, that whenever he who has invited you may be coming, he will be declaring to you, 'Friend, step further up.' Then glory will be yours in the sight of all those lying back at table with you. ¹¹ For everyone exalting himself shall be humbled, and humbling himself shall be exalted." ¹² Now He said to him also who has invited Him, "Whenever you may be making a luncheon or a dinner, do not be summoning your friends, nor yet your brothers, nor yet your relatives, nor yet rich neighbors, lest at some time they also should be inviting you in return, and repayment may come to you. ¹³ But, whenever you may be making a reception, invite the poor, the cripples, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and happy will you be, for they have nothing to repay you, for it will be repaid you in the resurrection of the just." ¹⁵ Now hearing these things, someone of those lying back at table with Him, said to Him, "Happy is he who will be eating bread in the kingdom of God!" ¹⁶ Now He said to him, "A certain man made a great dinner, and invites many. ¹⁷ And he dispatches his slave at the dinner hour to say to those invited, 'Come, for already, it is ready!' ¹⁸ And they all begin, from one motive, to make excuse. The first said to him, 'I buy a field, and I have felt the necessity of coming out to see it. I am asking you to have me excused.' ¹⁹ And a different one said, 'I buy five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I am asking you to have me excused.' ²⁰ And a different one said, 'I marry a wife, and therefore I can not come.' ²¹ And, coming along, the slave reports these things to his lord. Then being indignant, the householder said to his slave, 'Come out quickly into the squares and streets of the city, and lead in here the poor, and cripples, and blind, and lame.' ²² And the slave said to him, 'Lord, what you enjoin is done, and still there is place.' ²³ And the lord said to the slave, 'Come out into the roads and stone dikes, and compel them to enter, that my house may be crammed. ²⁴ For I am saying to you that not one of those men who are invited shall be tasting of my dinner.'" ²⁵ Now vast throngs went together with Him. And, being turned, He said to them, ²⁶ "If anyone is coming to Me and is not hating his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and still more his soul besides, he can not be My disciple. ²⁷ And anyone who is not bearing his cross and coming after Me, can not be My disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, wanting to build a tower, is not first seated to calculate the expense, to see if he has the wherewithal? ²⁹ lest at some time, he laying a foundation and not being strong enough to finish up, all those beholding should begin to scoff at him, ³⁰ saying that 'This man begins building and is not strong enough to finish up!' ³¹ Or what king, going to engage another king in battle, will not, being seated, first plan to see if he is able to meet, with ten thousand, him who is coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise, surely, at his being still at a distance, he, dispatching an embassy, is asking the terms of peace. ³³ Thus, then, everyone of you who is not taking leave of all of his possessions, can not be My disciple. ³⁴ Ideal, then, is salt. Yet if even the salt should be made insipid, with what shall it be seasoned? ³⁵ Neither is it fit for the land nor for manure. Outside are they casting it. Who has ears to hear, let him hear!"