New International Version NIV
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
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Again Jesus used stories as illustrations when he spoke to them. He said,
2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
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"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who planned a wedding for his son.
3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
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He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the wedding, but they refused to come.
4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
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He sent other servants to tell the people who had been invited, 'I've prepared dinner. My bulls and fattened calves have been butchered. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding!'
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.
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"But they paid no attention and went away. Some went to work in their own fields, and others went to their businesses.
6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
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The rest grabbed the king's servants, mistreated them, and then killed them.
7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
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"The king became angry. He sent his soldiers, killed those murderers, and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.
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"Then the king said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited don't deserve the honor.
9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
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Go where the roads leave the city. Invite everyone you find to the wedding.'
10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
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The servants went into the streets and brought in all the good people and all the evil people they found. And the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
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"When the king came to see the guests, he saw a person who was not dressed in the wedding clothes [provided for the guests].
12 He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.
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He said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without proper wedding clothes?' "The man had nothing to say.
13 “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
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Then the king told his servants, 'Tie his hands and feet, and throw him outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.'
14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
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"Therefore, many are invited, but few of those are chosen to stay."
15 Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words.
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Then the Pharisees went away and planned to trap Jesus into saying the wrong thing.
16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are.
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They sent their disciples to him along with Herod's followers. They said to him, "Teacher, we know that you tell the truth and that you teach the truth about the way of God. You don't favor individuals because of who they are.
17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”
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So tell us what you think. Is it right to pay taxes to the emperor or not?"
18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?
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Jesus recognized their evil plan, so he asked, "Why do you test me, you hypocrites?
19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius,
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Show me a coin used to pay taxes." They brought him a coin.
20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”
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He said to them, "Whose face and name is this?"
21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
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They replied, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Very well, give the emperor what belongs to the emperor, and give God what belongs to God."
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.
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They were surprised to hear this. Then they left him alone and went away.
23 That same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him with a question.
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On that day some Sadducees, who say that people will never come back to life, came to Jesus. They asked him,
24 “Teacher,” they said, “Moses told us that if a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up offspring for him.
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"Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies childless, his brother should marry his widow and have children for his brother.'
25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children, he left his wife to his brother.
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There were seven brothers among us. The first married and died. Since he had no children, he left his widow to his brother.
26 The same thing happened to the second and third brother, right on down to the seventh.
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The second brother also died, as well as the third, and the rest of the seven brothers.
27 Finally, the woman died.
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At last the woman died.
28 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?”
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Now, when the dead come back to life, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers had been married to her."
29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.
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Jesus answered, "You're mistaken because you don't know the Scriptures or God's power.
30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
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When people come back to life, they don't marry. Rather, they are like the angels in heaven.
31 But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you,
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Haven't you read what God told you about the dead coming back to life? He said,
32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
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'I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' He's not the God of the dead but of the living."
33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.
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He amazed the crowds who heard his teaching.
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.
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When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.
35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
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One of them, an expert in Moses' Teachings, tested Jesus by asking,
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
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"Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in Moses' Teachings?"
37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
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Jesus answered him, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
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This is the greatest and most important commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
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The second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
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All of Moses' Teachings and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
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While the Pharisees were still gathered, Jesus asked them,
42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?”“The son of David,” they replied.
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"What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They answered him, "David's."
43 He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
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He said to them, "Then how can David, guided by the Spirit, call him Lord? David says,
44 “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” ’
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'The Lord said to my Lord, "Take the highest position in heaven until I put your enemies under your control."'
45 If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”
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If David calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"
46 No one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no one dared to ask him any more questions.
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No one could answer him, and from that time on no one dared to ask him another question.
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GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.