Read the Bible

¹ And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the rulers, [who was] of the Pharisees, to eat bread on [the] sabbath, that *they* were watching him.

² And behold, there was a certain dropsical [man] before him.

³ And Jesus answering spoke unto the doctors of the law and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?

⁴ But they were silent. And taking him he healed him and let him go.

⁵ And answering he said to them, Of which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a well, that he does not straightway pull him up on the sabbath day?

⁶ And they were not able to answer him to these things.

⁷ And he spoke a parable to those that were invited, remarking how they chose out the first places, saying to them,

⁸ When thou art invited by any one to a wedding, do not lay thyself down in the first place at table, lest perhaps a more honourable than thou be invited by him,

⁹ and he who invited thee and him come and say to thee, Give place to this [man], and then thou begin with shame to take the last place.

¹⁰ But when thou hast been invited, go and put thyself down in the last place, that when he who has invited thee comes, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have honour before all that are lying at table with thee;

¹¹ for every one that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that abases himself shall be exalted.

¹² And he said also to him that had invited him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsfolk, nor rich neighbours, lest it may be they also should invite thee in return, and a recompense be made thee.

¹³ But when thou makest a feast, call poor, crippled, lame, blind:

¹⁴ and thou shalt be blessed; for they have not [the means] to recompense thee; for it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the just.

¹⁵ And one of those that were lying at table with [them], hearing these things, said to him, Blessed [is] he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

¹⁶ And he said to him, A certain man made a great supper and invited many.

¹⁷ And he sent his bondman at the hour of supper to say to those who were invited, Come, for already all things are ready.

¹⁸ And all began, without exception, to excuse themselves. The first said to him, I have bought land, and I must go out and see it; I pray thee hold me for excused.

¹⁹ And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee hold me for excused.

²⁰ And another said, I have married a wife, and on this account I cannot come.

²¹ And the bondman came up and brought back word of these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, in anger, said to his bondman, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring here the poor and crippled and lame and blind.

²² And the bondman said, Sir, it is done as thou hast commanded, and there is still room.

²³ And the lord said to the bondman, Go out into the ways and fences and compel to come in, that my house may be filled;

²⁴ for I say to you, that not one of those men who were invited shall taste of my supper.

²⁵ And great crowds went with him; and, turning round, he said to them,

²⁶ If any man come to me, and shall not hate his own father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life too, he cannot be my disciple;

²⁷ and whoever does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ For which of you, desirous of building a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, if he have what [is needed] to complete it;

²⁹ in order that, having laid the foundation of it, and not being able to finish it, all who see it do not begin to mock at him,

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

³¹ Or what king, going on his way to engage in war with another king, does not, sitting down first, take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him coming against him with twenty thousand?

³² and if not, while he is yet far off, having sent an embassy, he asks for terms of peace.

³³ Thus then every one of you who forsakes not all that is his own cannot be my disciple.

³⁴ Salt [then] [is] good, but if the salt also has become savourless, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

³⁵ It is proper neither for land nor for dung; it is cast out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.