| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Jesus also told them other parables. He said, | 1Once again, Jesus spoke to them in parables: |
| 2 “The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. | 2“The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. |
| 3 When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! | 3He sent his servants to call those he had invited to the banquet, but they refused to come. |
| 4 “So he sent other servants to tell them, ‘The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’ | 4Again, he sent other servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner. My oxen and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ |
| 5 But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. | 5But they paid no attention and went away, one to his field, another to his business. |
| 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. | 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. |
| 7 “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. | 7The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. |
| 8 And he said to his servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren’t worthy of the honor. | 8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited were not worthy. |
| 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ | 9Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’ |
| 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. | 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered everyone they could find, both evil and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. |
| 11 “But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn’t wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. | 11But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. |
| 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. | 12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. |
| 13 Then the king said to his aides, ‘Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ | 13Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ |
| 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Taxes for Caesar | 14For many are called, but few are chosen.” |
| 15Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which he could be arrested. | 15Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words. |
| 16They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. | 16They sent their disciples to Him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that You are honest and that You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You seek favor from no one, because You pay no attention to external appearance. |
| 17Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” | 17So tell us what You think: Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” |
| 18But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” he said. “Why are you trying to trap me? | 18But Jesus knew their evil intent and said, “You hypocrites, why are you testing Me? |
| 19 Here, show me the coin used for the tax.” When they handed him a Roman coin, | 19Show Me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. |
| 20he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” | 20“Whose image is this,” He asked, “and whose inscription?” |
| 21“Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” | 21“Caesar’s,” they answered. So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” |
| 22His reply amazed them, and they went away. Discussion about Resurrection | 22And when they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him and went away. |
| 23That same day Jesus was approached by some Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. They posed this question: | 23That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and questioned Him. |
| 24“Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name.’ | 24“Teacher,” they said, “Moses declared that if a man dies without having children, his brother is to marry the widow and raise up offspring for him. |
| 25Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. | 25Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died without having children. So he left his wife to his brother. |
| 26But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. | 26The same thing happened to the second and third brothers, down to the seventh. |
| 27Last of all, the woman also died. | 27And last of all, the woman died. |
| 28So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her.” | 28In the resurrection, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? For all of them were married to her.” |
| 29Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. | 29Jesus answered, “You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. |
| 30 For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven. | 30In the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage. Instead, they will be like the angels in heaven. |
| 31 “But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead—haven’t you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, | 31But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what God said to you: |
| 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ So he is the God of the living, not the dead.” | 32‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” |
| 33When the crowds heard him, they were astounded at his teaching. The Most Important Commandment | 33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. |
| 34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. | 34And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together. |
| 35One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: | 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with a question: |
| 36“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” | 36“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” |
| 37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ | 37Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ |
| 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. | 38This is the first and greatest commandment. |
| 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ | 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ |
| 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Whose Son Is the Messiah? | 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” |
| 41Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: | 41While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus questioned them: |
| 42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “He is the son of David.” | 42“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered. |
| 43Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said, | 43Jesus said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord’? For he says: |
| 44 ‘The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’ | 44‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand until I put Your enemies under Your feet.” ’ |
| 45 Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?” | 45So if David calls Him ‘Lord,’ how can He be David’s son?” |
| 46No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. | 46No one was able to answer a word, and from that day on no one dared to question Him any further. |
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