1 Now it happened that, when He {Iesous, Invited Guest} entered the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, they were observing {parateroumenoi: scrutinizing closely} Him.
2 And behold, there was a certain man afflicted with dropsy {hydropikos: abnormal swelling} before Him {Iesous, Invited Teacher}.
3 And Jesus {Iesous, Wise Law Interpreter}, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath {sabbato: holy rest day}, or is it not?”
4 But they remained silent. Then He {Iesous, Compassionate Healer} took hold of him, healed {iasato: restored wholeness} him, and released him.
5 And He {Iesous, Compassionate Questioner} said to them, “Which of you, if your son or ox falls into a pit, would not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath {sabbaton: seventh-day rest}?”
6 And they were not able {ischyo: strength or power} to answer him in response to these things {tauta: preceding arguments}.
7 Now He {Iesous, Observant Teacher} told a parable to those who had been invited, after He noticed how they were choosing the chief seats {protoklisias: places of honor}.
8 Whenever someone invites you to a wedding feast, avoid reclining at the place of highest honor {protoklisian: foremost seat}, lest someone more honorable {entimoteros: of higher esteem} than you may have been invited by him.
9 And when the one who invited you and him comes, he will say to you, “Give this person the place,” and then you will begin, with shame{aischynes: public disgrace}, to occupy the lowest{eschaton: endmost position} place.
10 But whenever you are invited, go and recline in the lowest place {eschaton topon: humblest position}, so that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you, “Friend, move up higher.” Then you will have honor {doxa: societal recognition} in the presence of all who are reclining at table with you.
11 For everyone who exalts {hupson: self exalting} himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles {tapeinon: self lowering} himself will be exalted.
12 And He {Iesous, Divine Teacher} also spoke to the one who had invited Him, “When you prepare a dinner or supper, do not invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, or your wealthy neighbors, lest they, in turn, invite you back and there be repayment {antapodoma: return favor} to you.”
13 But whenever you make a banquet {dochen: shared festive meal}, call the poor, the crippled {anapeirous: physically impaired}, the lame, and the blind.
14 And you will be blessed {makarios: fortunate and honored}, because they do not have the means to repay you; for it will be repaid to you at the resurrection {anastasei: rising to life} of the righteous.
15 But one of those reclining {synanakeimenon: sharing the meal}, after hearing these things, said to Him, “Blessed is whoever will eat bread in the kingdom of God {Theos, Banquet-Giving King}.”
16 But He {Iesous, Teaching Host} said to him, “A certain man was making a great supper {deipnon: main evening meal} and invited many.”
17 And at the hour of the supper he sent his servant {doulos: household attendant} to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for all things are now prepared {hetoimos: prepared, arranged}.”
18 And they all began at once {apo mias: simultaneously} to excuse themselves. The first said to him, “I have bought a field, and I must go out to see it; I ask you, consider me excused {paraitemenon: released from obligation}.”
19 And another said, “I bought five yoke-pairs {zeuge: paired oxen} of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you, have me excused {pareitemenon: released from obligation}.”
20 And another {heteros: different respondent} declared, “I have taken a wife {gynaika: woman as spouse}, and for this reason I am not able to come.”
21 And the servant, having arrived, delivered these details to his master. Then the master of the house, having become angry, instructed his servant, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes {rhymas: narrow passageways} of the city and bring in here the poor {ptochous: completely destitute}, and the disabled, and the blind, and the lame.”
22 And the servant said, “Lord {Kyrios, Commanding Host}, what you commanded has been done, and there is still space {topos: remaining capacity}.”
23 And the Lord {Kyrios, Commanding Host} said to the servant, “Go out into the roads {hodous: public routes} and hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.”
24 For I {Iesous: Feast Host} say to you, not one of those men who were invited will taste my dinner {deipnon: Covenant Banquet}.
25 Now great crowds were traveling with Him {Iesous, Journey Leader}; and after He turned {strapheis: intentional turning}, He said to them:
26 If someone draws near to Me {Iesous, Supreme Lord} yet does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his very life—he cannot be My disciple {mathetes: fully committed learner}.
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross {stauron: costly self-denial} and come after Me {Iesous, Demanding Lord of Discipleship} is not able to be My disciple.
28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost {dapane: total expense}, to see whether he has enough for completion {apartismos: full finishing}?
29 Lest after someone lays a foundation {themelion: structural base} and is unable to finish it, all who see it begin to mock {empaizein: scorn publicly} him.
30 They say, "This man began {erxato: initiated work} to build {oikodomein: erect structure} but was not able to finish it."
31 Or which king, about to go to war against another king, would not first sit down and deliberate {bouleusetai: careful consideration} whether he is able, with ten thousand, to meet {sumbalein: engage in battle} the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 If not, while he is still far off, having sent a delegation {presbeian: official embassy}, he asks for terms of peace {eirenen: lasting harmony}.
33 Thus, therefore, every one of you who does not renounce all of his possessions cannot be My {Iesous, Sovereign Master} disciple {mathētēs: committed learner}.
34 Therefore, salt is good; but if even salt becomes tasteless {moranthē: lost flavor}, by what will it be seasoned {artythēsetai: restored flavor}?
35 It is not fit {eutheton: worthy for use} for the land or for the manure heap {koprian: pile for refuse}; they throw it outside. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.