Luke 9:51-14:35

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

A Samaritan Village Refuses to Receive Jesus

⁵¹ When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.^{(A) 52} And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to prepare for his arrival,^{(B) 53} but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”^{[a](C) 55} But he turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then^[b] they went on to another village.

Would-Be Followers of Jesus

⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”^{(D) 60} And Jesus^[c] said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶² And Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The Mission of the Seventy-Two

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[d] others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.^{(E) 2} He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.^{(F) 3} Go on your way; I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.^{(G) 4} Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.^{(H) 5} Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’^{(I) 6} And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.^{(J) 8} Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; ⁹ cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’^{[e](K) 10} But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’^{[f](L) 12} I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.^(M)

Woes to Unrepentant Cities

¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.^{(N) 14} Indeed, at the judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum,

¹⁶ “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”^(P)

The Return of the Seventy-Two

¹⁷ The seventy-two^[g] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”^{(Q) 18} He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.^{(R) 19} Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you.^{(S) 20} Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”^(T)

Jesus Rejoices

²¹ At that very hour Jesus^[h] rejoiced in the Holy Spirit^[i] and said, “I thank^[j] you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.^{[k](U) 22} All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”^(V)

²³ Then turning to the disciples, Jesus^[l] said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!^{(W) 24} For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see but did not see it and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”^(X)

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ An expert in the law stood up to test Jesus.^[m] “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”^{(Y) 26} He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” ²⁷ He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.”^{(Z) 28} And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”^(AA)

²⁹ But wanting to vindicate himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”^{(AB) 30} Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and took off, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan while traveling came upon him, and when he saw him he was moved with compassion.^{(AC) 34} He went to him and bandaged his wounds, treating them with oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him, and when I come back I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him.^{[n](AD) 39} She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s^[o] feet and listened to what he was saying.^{(AE) 40} But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—indeed only one.^[p] Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”^(AF)

The Lord’s Prayer

11 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”^{(AG) 2} So he said to them, “When you pray, say:

Perseverance in Prayer

⁵ And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything out of friendship, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.^(AI)

⁹ “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.^{(AJ) 10} For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. ¹¹ Is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for^[u] a fish, would give a snake instead of a fish? ¹² Or if the child asked for an egg, would give a scorpion? ¹³ If you, then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit^[v] to those who ask him!”

Jesus and Beelzebul

¹⁴ Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed.^{(AK) 15} But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” ¹⁶ Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven.^{(AL) 17} But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls.^{(AM) 18} If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?—for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. ¹⁹ Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists^[w] cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰ But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.^{(AN) 21} When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. ²² But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his plunder. ²³ Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.^(AO)

The Return of the Unclean Spirit

²⁴ “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but not finding any it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵ When it returns, it finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first.”^(AP)

True Blessedness

²⁷ While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!”^{(AQ) 28} But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!”^(AR)

The Sign of Jonah

²⁹ When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.^{(AS) 30} For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. ³¹ The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and indeed, something greater than Solomon is here!^{(AT) 32} The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and indeed, something greater than Jonah is here!^(AU)

The Light of the Body

³³ “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel basket;^[x] rather, one puts it on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.^{(AV) 34} Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but if it is unhealthy, your body is full of darkness.^{(AW) 35} Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. ³⁶ But if your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.”

Jesus Denounces Pharisees and Experts in the Law

³⁷ While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him, so he went in and took his place at the table.^{(AX) 38} The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner.^{(AY) 39} Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.^{(AZ) 40} You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ So give as alms those things that are within and then everything will be clean for you.^(BA)

⁴² “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others.^{(BB) 43} Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.^{(BC) 44} Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves on which people unknowingly walk.”^(BD)

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us, too.” ⁴⁶ And he said, “Woe also to you experts in the law! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them.^{(BE) 47} Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.^{(BF) 48} So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ For this reason the Wisdom of God said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,’^{(BG) 50} so that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against this generation.^{(BH) 52} Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”^(BI)

⁵³ When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees became hostile to him and began to interrogate him about many things, ⁵⁴ lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he might say.^(BJ)

A Warning against Hypocrisy

12 Meanwhile, when the crowd had gathered by the thousands, so that they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy.^{(BK) 2} Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known.^{(BL) 3} Therefore whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.

Exhortation to Fearless Confession

⁴ “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that can do nothing more.^{(BM) 5} But I will show you whom to fear: fear the one who, after killing, has authority^[y] to cast into hell.^[z] Yes, I tell you, fear that one!^{(BN) 6} Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. ⁷ But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.^(BO)

⁸ “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God,^{(BP) 9} but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God. ¹⁰ And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.^{(BQ) 11} When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how or what^[aa] you will answer or what you are to say,^{(BR) 12} for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³ Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”^{(BS) 15} And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”^{(BT) 16} Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷ And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’^{(BU) 20} But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’^{(BV) 21} So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”^(BW)

Do Not Worry

²² He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food and the body more than clothing. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!^{(BX) 25} And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?^{[ab](BY) 26} If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? ²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,^[ac] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.^{(BZ) 28} But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not keep seeking what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. ³⁰ For it is the nations^[ad] of the world that seek all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.^{(CA) 31} Instead, seek his^[ae] kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.^{(CB) 33} Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.^{(CC) 34} For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.^(CD)

Watchful Slaves

³⁵ “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;^{(CE) 36} be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. ³⁷ Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them.^{(CF) 38} If he comes during the middle of the night or near dawn and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

³⁹ “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he^[af] would not have let his house be broken into.^{(CG) 40} You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”^(CH)

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Slave

⁴¹ Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?” ⁴² And the Lord said, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent manager whom his master will put in charge of his slaves, to give them their allowance of food at the proper time?^{(CI) 43} Blessed is that slave whom his master will find at work when he arrives. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put that one in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But if that slave says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the other slaves, men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk, ⁴⁶ the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he does not know and will cut him in pieces^[ag] and put him with the unfaithful. ⁴⁷ That slave who knew what his master wanted but did not prepare himself or do what was wanted will receive a severe beating.^{(CJ) 48} But the one who did not know and did what deserved a beating will receive a light beating. From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.^(CK)

Jesus the Cause of Division

⁴⁹ “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what constraint I am under until it is completed!^{(CL) 51} Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!^{(CM) 52} From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; ⁵³ they will be divided:

Interpreting the Time

⁵⁴ He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain,’ and so it happens.^{(CO) 55} And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,’ and it happens.^{(CP) 56} You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?^(CQ)

Settling with Your Opponent

⁵⁷ “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ Thus when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to reach a settlement,^[ah] or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison.^{(CR) 59} I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”^(CS)

Repent or Perish

13 At that very time there were some present who told Jesus^[ai] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.^{(CT) 2} He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?^{(CU) 3} No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. ⁴ Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the other people living in Jerusalem?^{(CV) 5} No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish just as they did.”

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

⁶ Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none.^{(CW) 7} So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’^{(CX) 8} He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. ⁹ If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman

¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.^{(CY) 14} But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.”^{(CZ) 15} But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water?^{(DA) 16} And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”^{(DB) 17} When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

¹⁸ He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

The Parable of the Yeast

²⁰ And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

The Narrow Door

²² Jesus^[aj] went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.^{(DC) 23} Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” He said to them, ²⁴ “Strive to enter through the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.^{(DD) 25} Once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’^{(DE) 26} Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ ²⁷ But he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!’^{(DF) 28} There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out.^{(DG) 29} Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and take their places at the banquet in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”^(DH)

The Lament over Jerusalem

³¹ At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” ³² He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me,^[ak] ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.^{(DI) 33} Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ ³⁴ Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!^{(DJ) 35} See, your house is left to you.^[al] And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when^[am] you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”^(DK)

Jesus Heals the Man with Edema

14 On one occasion when Jesus^[an] was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely.^{(DL) 2} Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had edema. ³ And Jesus asked the experts in the law and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath or not?”^{(DM) 4} But they were silent. So Jesus^[ao] took him and healed him and sent him away. ⁵ Then he said to them, “If one of you has a child^[ap] or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a Sabbath day?”^{(DN) 6} And they could not reply to this.

Humility and Hospitality

⁷ When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable.^{(DO) 8} “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host,^{(DP) 9} and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.^{(DQ) 11} For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”^(DR)

¹² He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.^{(DS) 14} And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

The Parable of the Great Dinner

¹⁵ One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”^{(DT) 16} Then Jesus^[aq] said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. ¹⁷ At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is ready now.’^{(DU) 18} But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ ¹⁹ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ ²⁰ Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’^{(DV) 21} So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’^{(DW) 22} And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ ²³ Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I tell you,^[ar] none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’ ”^(DX)

The Cost of Discipleship

²⁵ Now large crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.^{(DY) 27} Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.^{(DZ) 28} For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he cannot, then while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.^(EA)

About Salt

³⁴ “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?^{[as](EB) 35} It is useful neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it away. If you have ears to hear, then hear!”^(EC)