Knox Bible

1

There was a sabbath day on which he was asked to take a meal with one of the chief Pharisees, and as he went into the house, they were watching him.

2

Here his eye was met by the sight of a man who had the dropsy.

3

Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees openly, Is healing allowed on the sabbath day?

4

Then, as they did not answer, he took the man by the hand, and sent him away healed.

5

And he turned on them, and said, Is there any one of you who will not pull out his ass or his ox immediately, if it falls into a pit on the sabbath?

6

To this they could make no answer.

7

He also had a parable for the guests who were invited, as he observed how they chose the chief places for themselves; he said to them:

8

When any man invites thee to a wedding, do not sit down in the chief place; he may have invited some guest whose rank is greater than thine.

9

If so, his host and thine will come and say to thee, Make room for this man; and so thou wilt find thyself taking, with a blush, the lowest place of all.

10

Rather, when thou art summoned, go straight to the lowest place and sit down there; so, when he who invited thee comes in, he will say, My friend, go higher than this; and then honour shall be thine before all that sit down in thy company.

11

Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he that humbles himself shall be exalted.

12

He said, moreover, to his host, When thou givest a dinner or a supper, do not ask thy neighbours to come, or thy brethren, or thy kindred, or thy friends who are rich; it may be they will send thee invitations in return, and so thou wilt be recompensed for thy pains.

13

Rather, when thou givest hospitality, invite poor men to come, the cripples, the lame, the blind:

14

so thou shalt win a blessing, for these cannot make thee any return; thy reward will come when the just rise again.

15

Hearing this, one of his fellow guests said to him, Blessed is the man who shall feast in the kingdom of God.

16

He answered him thus, There was a man that gave a great supper, and sent out many invitations.

17

And when the time came for his supper, he sent one of his own servants telling the invited guests to come, for all was now ready.

18

And all of them, with one accord, began making excuses. I have bought a farm, the first said to him, and I must needs go and look over it; I pray thee, count me excused.

19

And another said, I have bought five pair of oxen, and I am on my way to make trial of them; I pray thee, count me excused.

20

And another said, I have married a wife, and so I am unable to come.

21

The servant came back and told his master all this, whereupon the host fell into a rage, and said to his servant, Quick, go out into the streets and lanes of the city; bring in the poor, the cripples, the blind and the lame.

22

And when the servant told him, Sir, all has been done according to thy command, but there is room left still,

23

the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways and the hedge-rows, and give them no choice but to come in, that so my house may be filled.

24

I tell you, none of those who were first invited shall taste of my supper.✻

25

Great multitudes bore him company on his way; to these he turned, and said:

26

If any man comes to me, without hating his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters, yes, and his own life too, he can be no disciple of mine.

27

A man cannot be my disciple unless he takes up his own cross, and follows after me.

28

Consider, if one of you has a mind to build a tower, does he not first sit down and count the cost that must be paid, if he is to have enough to finish it?

29

Is he to lay the foundation, and then find himself unable to complete the work, so that all who see it will fall to mocking him

30

and saying, Here is a man who began to build, and could not finish his building?

31

Or if a king is setting out to join battle with another king, does he not first sit down and deliberate, whether with his army of ten thousand he can meet the onset of one who has twenty thousand?

32

If he cannot, then, while the other is still at a distance, he despatches envoys to ask for conditions of peace.

33

And so it is with you; none of you can be my disciple if he does not take leave of all that he possesses.

34

Salt is a good thing; but if the salt itself becomes tasteless, what is there left to give taste to it?

35

It is of no use either to the soil or to the dung-heap; it will be thrown away altogether. Listen, you that have ears to hear with.