Matthew 22:2-13

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

3And he sent his servants to call those who had [previously] been invited to the wedding feast, but they refused to come.

4Then he sent out some other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened calves are butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.” ’

5But they paid no attention [they disregarded the invitation, treating it with contempt] and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.

6The rest [of the invited guests] seized his servants and mistreated them [insulting and humiliating them] and killed them.

7The king was enraged [when he heard this], and sent his soldiers and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

8Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding [feast] is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

9So go to the main highways that lead out of the city, and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’

10Those servants went out into the streets and gathered together all the people they could find, both bad and good; so the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests [sitting at the banquet table].

11“But when the king came in to see the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed [appropriately] in wedding clothes,

12and he said, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wearing the wedding clothes [that were provided for you]?’ And the man was speechless and without excuse.

13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the darkness outside; in that place there will be weeping [over sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [over distress and anger].’