New King James Version

New Living Translation

1Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely.

1One Sabbath day Jesus went to eat dinner in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, and the people were watching him closely.

2And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.

2There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen.

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

3Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in religious law, “Is it permitted in the law to heal people on the Sabbath day, or not?”

4But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go.

4When they refused to answer, Jesus touched the sick man and healed him and sent him away.

5Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?”

5Then he turned to them and said, “Which of you doesn’t work on the Sabbath? If your son or your cow falls into a pit, don’t you rush to get him out?”

6And they could not answer Him regarding these things.

6Again they could not answer. Jesus Teaches about Humility

7So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:

7When Jesus noticed that all who had come to the dinner were trying to sit in the seats of honor near the head of the table, he gave them this advice:

8“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him;

8 “When you are invited to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the seat of honor. What if someone who is more distinguished than you has also been invited?

9and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place.

9 The host will come and say, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then you will be embarrassed, and you will have to take whatever seat is left at the foot of the table!

10But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you.

10 “Instead, take the lowest place at the foot of the table. Then when your host sees you, he will come and say, ‘Friend, we have a better place for you!’ Then you will be honored in front of all the other guests.

11For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

11 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.

12Then he turned to his host. “When you put on a luncheon or a banquet,” he said, “don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward.

13But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind.

13 Instead, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.

14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will reward you for inviting those who could not repay you.” Parable of the Great Feast

15Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

15Hearing this, a man sitting at the table with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!”

16Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many,

16Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations.

17and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’

17 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’

18But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’

18 But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’

19And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’

19 Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’

20Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

20 Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

21So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’

21 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’

22And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’

22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’

23Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.

24For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ”

24 For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’” The Cost of Being a Disciple

25Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them,

25A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them,

26“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

27And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

28For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?

29lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,

29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.

30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?

30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

31Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?

31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?

32Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.

32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away.

33So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.

33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

34“Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?

34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again?

35It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!”

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.