Luke 14:7-24

7Now He began telling a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how 1they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, 8“Whenever you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, 2do not 3take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, 9and the one who invited you 4both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then 5in disgrace you will proceed to occupy the last place. 10But whenever you are invited, go and 6take the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, 7move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are 8dining at the table with you. 119For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

12Now He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “Whenever you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor wealthy neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you to a meal in return, and that will be your 10repayment. 13But whenever you give a 11banquet, invite people who are poor, who have disabilities, who are limping, and people who are blind; 14and you will be blessed, since they 12do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at 13the resurrection of the righteous.”

15Now when one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “14Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16But He said to him, “15A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is ready now.’ 18And yet they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I purchased a field and I need to go out to look at it; 16please consider me excused.’ 19And another one said, ‘I bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; 17please consider me excused.’ 20And another one said, ‘18I took a woman as my wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21And the slave came back and reported this 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 those who are poor, those with disabilities, those who are blind, and those who are limping.’ 22And later the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and the hedges and press upon them to come in, so that my house will be filled. 24For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my dinner.’”