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¹ And it occurred, on His going into a house of one of the Pharisee leaders on a sabbath to eat bread, even they were closely observing Him.² And behold, a certain man was dropsical before Him.³ And answering, Jesus spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, asking whether it is lawful to heal on the sabbath.⁴ And they were silent. And taking the man , He cured him and let him go.⁵ And answering to them He said, Whose ass or ox of yours shall fall into a pit, and he will not at once pull it up on the sabbath day?⁶ And they were not able to reply to Him against these things.

⁷ And He spoke a parable to those who had been invited, noting how they were choosing out the chief seats, saying to them,⁸ When you are invited by anyone to wedding feasts, do not recline at the chief seat lest one more honorable than you be invited by him,⁹ and coming, he who invited you will say to you, Give this one place. And then you begin with shame to take the last place.¹⁰ But when you are invited, going in, recline at the last place, so that when he who has invited you may come, he may say to you, Friend, go up higher. Then glory will be to you before those reclining with you.¹¹ For everyone exalting himself will be humbled, and the one humbling himself will be exalted.¹² And He also said to him who had invited Him, When you make a dinner or supper, do not call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also should invite you in return, and it become a repayment to you.¹³ But when you make a banquet, call the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;¹⁴ and then you will be blessed, for they have nothing to repay you. For it will be repaid to you in the resurrection of the just.

¹⁵ And one of those reclining with Him , hearing these things, he said to Him, Blessed are those eating bread in the kingdom of God.¹⁶ But He said to him, A certain man made a great supper and invited many.¹⁷ And he sent his slave at the supper hour to say to those who had been invited, Come, for now all is ready.¹⁸ And all with one mind began to beg off. The first said to him, I have bought a field, and I have need to go out and see it; I ask you, have me excused.¹⁹ And another said, I bought five yoke of oxen and I am going to try them out; I ask you, have me excused.²⁰ And another said, I married a wife, and for this reason I am not able to come.²¹ And having come up that slave reported these things to his lord. Then being angry, the housemaster said to his slave, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and maimed and lame and blind ones.²² And the slave said, Sir, it has been done as you ordered, and still there is room.²³ And the lord said to the slave, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.²⁴ For I say to you that not one of those men who had been invited shall taste of my supper.

²⁵ And great crowds came together to Him. And turning, He said to them,²⁶ If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers and sisters, and besides, even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.²⁷ And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me, he cannot be My disciple.²⁸ For who of you desiring to build a tower does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has the things to finish;²⁹ that having laid a foundation, and not having strength to finish, all those seeing begin to mock him,³⁰ saying, This man began to build, and did not have strength to finish.³¹ Or what king going to attack another king in war does not first sit down and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet those coming upon him with twenty thousands?³² But if not, he being still far off, sending a delegation, he asks the things for peace.³³ So then every one of you who does not abandon all his possessions is not able to be My disciple.³⁴ The salt is good, but if the salt becomes tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?³⁵ It is not fit for soil nor for manure; they throw it out. The one having ears to hear, let him hear.