14:7 Then ¹  when Jesus ²  noticed how the guests ³  chose the places of honor, ⁴  he told them a parable. He said to them, 14:8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, ⁵  do not take ⁶  the place of honor, because a person more distinguished than you may have been invited by your host. ⁷  14:9 So ⁸  the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this man your place.’ Then, ashamed, ⁹  you will begin to move to the least important ¹⁰  place. 14:10 But when you are invited, go and take the least important place, so that when your host ¹¹  approaches he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up here to a better place.’ ¹²  Then you will be honored in the presence of all who share the meal with you. 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but ¹³  the one who humbles ¹⁴  himself will be exalted.”

14:12 He ¹⁵  said also to the man ¹⁶  who had invited him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, ¹⁷  don’t invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors so you can be invited by them in return and get repaid. 14:13 But when you host an elaborate meal, ¹⁸  invite the poor, the crippled, ¹⁹  the lame, and ²⁰  the blind. ²¹  14:14 Then ²²  you will be blessed, ²³  because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid ²⁴  at the resurrection of the righteous.”

14:15 When ²⁵  one of those at the meal with Jesus ²⁶  heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone ²⁷  who will feast ²⁸  in the kingdom of God!” ²⁹  14:16 But Jesus ³⁰  said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet ³¹  and invited ³²  many guests. ³³  14:17 At ³⁴  the time for the banquet ³⁵  he sent his slave ³⁶  to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ 14:18 But one after another they all ³⁷  began to make excuses. ³⁸  The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, ³⁹  and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’ ⁴⁰  14:19 Another ⁴¹  said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, ⁴²  and I am going out ⁴³  to examine them. Please excuse me.’ 14:20 Another ⁴⁴  said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’ ⁴⁵  14:21 So ⁴⁶  the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the master of the household was furious ⁴⁷  and said to his slave, ‘Go out quickly ⁴⁸  to the streets and alleys of the city, ⁴⁹  and bring in the poor, ⁵⁰  the crippled, ⁵¹  the blind, and the lame.’ 14:22 Then ⁵²  the slave said, ‘Sir, what you instructed has been done, and there is still room.’ ⁵³  14:23 So ⁵⁴  the master said to his ⁵⁵  slave, ‘Go out to the highways ⁵⁶  and country roads ⁵⁷  and urge ⁵⁸  people ⁵⁹  to come in, so that my house will be filled. ⁶⁰  14:24 For I tell you, not one of those individuals ⁶¹  who were invited ⁶²  will taste my banquet!’” ⁶³