¹When he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees on a Sabbath to eat bread, they were watching him .

²Behold , a certain man who had dropsy was in front of him .

³Jesus , answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees , saying , “ Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath ?”

⁴But they were silent .

He took him , and healed him , and let him go .

⁵He answered them , “ Which of you , if your son or an ox fell into a well , wouldn’ t immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day ?”[#14:5 TR reads “donkey” instead of “son”]

⁶They couldn’t answer him regarding these things .

⁷He spoke a parable to those who were invited , when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them ,

⁸“ When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast , don’ t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honourable than you might be invited by him ,

⁹and he who invited both of you would come and tell you , ‘ Make room for this person .’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place .

¹⁰But when you are invited , go and sit in the lowest place , so that when he who invited you comes , he may tell you , ‘ Friend , move up higher.’ Then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you .

¹¹For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled , and whoever humbles himself will be exalted .”

¹²He also said to the one who had invited him , “ When you make a dinner or a supper , don’ t call your friends , nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen , nor rich neighbours , or perhaps they might also return the favour, and pay you back.

¹³But when you make a feast , ask the poor , the maimed, the lame , or the blind ;

¹⁴and you will be blessed , because they don’ t have the resources to repay you . For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous .”

¹⁵When one of those who sat at the table with him heard these things , he said to him , “Blessed is he who will feast in God ’s Kingdom!”

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

¹⁷He sent out his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited , ‘ Come , for everything is ready now .’

¹⁸They all as one began to make excuses .

“ The first said to him , ‘ I have bought a field, and I must go and see it . Please have me excused .’

¹⁹“ Another said , ‘ I have bought five yoke of oxen , and I must go try them out . Please have me excused .’

²⁰“ Another said , ‘ I have married a wife , and therefore I can ’t come .’

²¹“ That servant came , and told his lord these things . Then the master of the house , being angry , said to his servant , ‘ Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city , and bring in the poor , maimed, blind , and lame .’

²²“ The servant said , ‘ Lord , it is done as you commanded , and there is still room .’

²³“ The lord said to the servant , ‘ Go out into the highways and hedges , and compel them to come in , that my house may be filled .

²⁴For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste of my supper . For many are called , but few are chosen. ’”[#14:24 RP MT includes the last sentence. TR, NU, and FH MT omit: For many are called, but few are chosen.]

²⁵Now great multitudes were going with him . He turned and said to them ,

²⁶“ If anyone comes to me , and doesn’ t disregard his own father , mother , wife , children , brothers, and sisters, yes , and his own life also , he can ’ t be my disciple .[#14:26 or, hate]

²⁷Whoever doesn’ t bear his own cross and come after me , can ’ t be my disciple .

²⁸For which of you , desiring to build a tower , doesn’ t first sit down and count the cost , to see if he has enough to complete it ?

²⁹Or perhaps , when he has laid a foundation and isn’ t able to finish , everyone who sees begins to mock him ,

³⁰saying , ‘ This man began to build and wasn’ t able to finish .’

³¹Or what king , as he goes to encounter another king in war , will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand ?

³²Or else , while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an envoy and asks for conditions of peace .

³³So therefore , whoever of you who doesn’ t renounce all that he has , he can ’ t be my disciple .

³⁴“Salt is good , but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless , with what do you season it ?

³⁵It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile . It is thrown out . He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”