Matthew 22:1-8

Parable of the Marriage Feast

1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying,

2 "¹The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king * who gave a ²wedding feast for his son.

3 "And he ³sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling * to come.

4 "Again he ⁴sent out other slaves saying, 'Tell those who have been invited, "Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast."'

5 "But they paid no attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another * to his business,

6 and the rest seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them.

7 "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.

8 "Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

Cross References

• 1. Matthew 13:24; Matthew 22:2-14; Luke 14:16-24
• 2. Luke 12:36; John 2:2
• 3. Matthew 21:34
• 4. Matthew 21:36

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "was compared to"
• [b] Lit "a man, a king"
• [c] Lit "made"
• [d] Or "field"