7 And He began speaking a parable to the invitedguests when He noticedhow6they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them,
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"When you are invited by someone to a weddingfeast, 7do not take the place of honor, for someone moredistinguished than you may have beeninvited by him,
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and he who invited you both* will come and say to you, 'Give your place to thisman,' and then8in disgrace you proceed to occupy the lastplace.
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"But when you are invited, go and recline at the lastplace, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, 'Friend, 9move up higher '; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you.
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"10For everyone who exaltshimself will be humbled, and he who humbleshimself will be exalted."
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And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheonor a dinner, do not invite your friendsor your brothersor your relativesorrichneighbors, otherwise they may alsoinvite you in return and that will be your repayment.
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"But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
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and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at 11the resurrection of the righteous."
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When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heardthis, he said to Him, "12Blessed is everyonewho will eatbread in the kingdom of God!"
Parable of the Dinner
16 But He said to him, "13A man was giving a bigdinner, and he invitedmany;
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and at the dinnerhour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is readynow.'
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"But they allalike*began to makeexcuses. The firstonesaid to him, 'I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; pleaseconsider me excused.'
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"Anotheronesaid, 'I have boughtfiveyoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; pleaseconsider me excused.'
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"Anotheronesaid, '14I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot*come.'
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"And the slavecame back and reportedthis to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'
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"And the slavesaid, 'Master, what you commanded has beendone, and still there is room.'
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"And the mastersaid to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.
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'For I tell you, none of thosemen who were invited shall taste of my dinner.' "
Discipleship Tested
25Nowlargecrowds were goingalong with Him; and He turned and said to them,
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"15Ifanyonecomes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his ownlife, he cannot* be My disciple.
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"Whoever does not 16carry his owncross and comeafter Me cannot* be My disciple.
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"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not firstsitdown and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
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"Otherwise*, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,
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saying, 'Thismanbegan to build and was not able to finish.'
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"Orwhatking, when he sets out to meetanotherking in battle, will not firstsitdown and 17considerwhether he is strongenough with tenthousand men to encounter the one comingagainst him with twentythousand?
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"Orelse, while the other is stillfaraway, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.
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"Sothen, none* of you can be My disciplewho18does not give up all his ownpossessions.
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"Therefore, salt is good; but 19ifevensalt has becometasteless, with what will it be seasoned?
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"It is useless*either for the soilor for the manurepile; it is thrown out. 20He who hasears to hear, let him hear."