14:12 He 1 said also to the man 2 who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, 3 don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid. 14:13 But when you host an elaborate meal, 4 invite the poor, the crippled, 5 the lame, and 6 the blind. 7 14:14 Then 8 you will be blessed, 9 because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid 10 at the resurrection of the righteous.”
14:15 When 11 one of those at the meal with Jesus 12 heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone 13 who will feast 14 in the kingdom of God!” 15 14:16 But Jesus 16 said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet 17 and invited 18 many guests. 19 14:17 At 20 the time for the banquet 21 he sent his slave 22 to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ 14:18 But one after another they all 23 began to make excuses. 24 The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, 25 and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ 26 14:19 Another 27 said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, 28 and I am going out 29 to examine them. Please excuse me.’ 14:20 Another 30 said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’ 31 14:21 So 32 the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious 33 and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly 34 to the streets and alleys of the city, 35 and bring in the poor, 36 the crippled, 37 the blind, and the lame.’ 14:22 Then 38 the slave said, ‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is still room.’ 39 14:23 So 40 the master said to his 41 slave, ‘Go out to the highways 42 and country roads 43 and urge 44 people 45 to come in, so that my house will be filled. 46 14:24 For I tell you, not one of those individuals 47 who were invited 48 will taste my banquet!’” 49
14:25 Now large crowds 50 were accompanying Jesus, 51 and turning to them he said, 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate 52 his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, 53 he cannot be my disciple. 14:27 Whoever does not carry his own cross 54 and follow 55 me cannot be my disciple. 14:28 For which of you, wanting to build a tower, doesn’t sit down 56 first and compute the cost 57 to see if he has enough money to complete it? 14:29 Otherwise, 58 when he has laid 59 a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, 60 all who see it 61 will begin to make fun of 62 him. 14:30 They will say, 63 ‘This man 64 began to build and was not able to finish!’ 65 14:31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down 66 first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose 67 the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 14:32 If he cannot succeed, 68 he will send a representative 69 while the other is still a long way off and ask for terms of peace. 70 14:33 In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. 71
14:34 “Salt 72 is good, but if salt loses its flavor, 73 how can its flavor be restored? 14:35 It is of no value 74 for the soil or for the manure pile; it is to be thrown out. 75 The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” 76