New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying:
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And Jesus, talking to them again in stories, said:
2 "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
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The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who made a feast when his son was married,
3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.
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And sent out his servants to get in the guests to the feast: and they would not come.
4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.'
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Again he sent out other servants, with orders to say to the guests, See, I have made ready my feast: my oxen and my fat beasts have been put to death, and all things are ready: come to the feast.
5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business,
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But they gave no attention, and went about their business, one to his farm, another to his trade:
6 while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.
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And the rest put violent hands on his servants, and did evil to them, and put them to death.
7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
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But the king was angry; and he sent his armies, and those who had put his servants to death he gave to destruction, burning down their town with fire.
8 Then he said to his slaves, "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.
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Then he said to his servants, The feast is ready but the guests were not good enough.
9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.'
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Go then to the cross-roads, and get all those whom you see to come to the bride-feast.
10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
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And those servants went out into the streets, and got together all those whom they came across, bad and good: and the feast was full of guests.
11 "But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,
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But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who had not on a guest's robe;
12 and he said to him, "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless.
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And he says to him, Friend, how came you in here not having a guest's robe? And he had nothing to say.
13 Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
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Then the king said to the servants, Put cords round his hands and feet and put him out into the dark; there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen."
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For out of all to whom the good news has come, only a small number will get salvation.
15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.
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Then the Pharisees went and had a meeting to see how they might make use of his words to take him.
16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.
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And they sent to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Master, we see that you are true, and that you are teaching the true way of God, and have no fear of anyone, because you have no respect for a man's position.
17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"
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Give us, then, your opinion of this: Is it right to give tax to Caesar, or not?
18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?
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But Jesus saw their trick and said, Oh false ones, why are you attempting to put me in the wrong?
19 Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius.
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Let me see the tax money. And they gave him a penny.
20 Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?"
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And he said to them, Whose is this image and name on it?
21 They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's."
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They say to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them, Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's.
22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
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And hearing it, they were full of wonder, and went away from him.
23 The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying,
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On the same day there came to him the Sadducees, who say that there is no coming back from the dead: and they put a question to him, saying,
24 "Teacher, Moses said, "If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.'
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Master, Moses said, If a man, at the time of his death, has no children, let his brother take his wife, and get a family for his brother;
25 Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother.
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Now there were among us seven brothers; and the first was married and at his death, having no seed, gave his wife to his brother;
26 The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh.
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In the same way the second and the third, up to the seventh.
27 Last of all, the woman herself died.
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And last of all the woman came to her end.
28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her."
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When they come back from the dead, then, whose wife will she be of the seven? because they all had her.
29 Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God.
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But Jesus said to them in answer, You are in error, not having knowledge of the Writings, or of the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
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For when they come back from the dead there are no husbands and wives, but they are as the angels in heaven.
31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God,
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But about the dead coming back to life, have you no knowledge of what was said to you by God in the Writings:
32 "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is God not of the dead, but of the living."
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I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead but of the living.
33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.
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And the people hearing it were surprised at his teaching.
34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
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But the Pharisees, hearing how the mouths of the Sadducees had been stopped, came together;
35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
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And one of them, a teacher of the law, put a question to him, testing him, and saying,
36 "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
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Master, which is the chief rule in the law?
37 He said to him, " "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
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And he said to him, Have love for the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the greatest and first commandment.
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This is the first and greatest rule.
39 And a second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
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And a second like it is this, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
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On these two rules all the law and the prophets are based.
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question:
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Now while the Pharisees were together, Jesus put a question to them, saying,
42 "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David."
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What is your opinion of the Christ? whose son is he? They say to him, The Son of David.
43 He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
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He says to them, How then does David in the Spirit give him the name of Lord, saying,
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, Be seated at my right hand, till I put under your feet all those who are against you?
45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?"
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If David then gives him the name of Lord, how is he his son?
46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
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And no one was able to give him an answer, and so great was their fear of him, that from that day no one put any more questions to him.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.