| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Jesus also told them other parables. He said, | 1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: |
| 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 can be compared to a king who gave 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 slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not 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 slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, 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 were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. |
| 6 Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. | 6The rest seized his slaves, insolently 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 furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire. |
| 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 slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. |
| 9 Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see.’ | 9So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' |
| 10 So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. | 10And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad 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 wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. |
| 12 ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how is it that you are here without wedding clothes?’ But the man had no reply. | 12And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' But he had nothing to say. |
| 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 said to his attendants, 'Tie him up 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 planned together to entrap him with his own 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 to him their disciples along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You do not court anyone's favor because you show no partiality. |
| 17Now tell us what you think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” | 17Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right 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 realized their evil intentions and said, "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." So they brought him a denarius. |
| 20he asked, “Whose picture and title are stamped on it?” | 20Jesus said to them, "Whose image is this, 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.” | 21They replied, "Caesar's." He said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." |
| 22His reply amazed them, and they went away. Discussion about Resurrection | 22Now when they heard this they were stunned, and 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: | 23The same day Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him and asked 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, Moses said, 'If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children for his brother.' |
| 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, and since he had no children 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 second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh. |
| 27Last of all, the woman also died. | 27Last 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, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her." |
| 29Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God. | 29Jesus answered them, "You are deceived, because you don't 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. | 30For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like 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, | 31Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, |
| 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.” | 32I 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 amazed at his teaching. |
| 34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. | 34Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. |
| 35One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: | 35And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: |
| 36“Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” | 36"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" |
| 37Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ | 37Jesus said to him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, 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.’ | 39The 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 depend on these two commandments." |
| 41Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question: | 41While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: |
| 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?" They said, "The son of David." |
| 43Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said, | 43He said to them, "How then does David by the Spirit call him 'Lord,' saying, |
| 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.’ | 44The 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?” | 45If David then calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" |
| 46No one could answer him. And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. | 46No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer. |
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