Luke 14

All 35 verses in the Clear Bible Translation. Tap a verse to compare the KJV and read what it means.

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1. 1One Sabbath, Jesus went to eat at the home of a prominent Pharisee leader. The other guests were watching him closely.
2. 2Right there in front of him was a man suffering from severe swelling in his body.
3. 3Jesus turned to the experts in the law and the Pharisees and asked, "Does the law allow healing on the Sabbath, or not?"
4. 4They refused to answer. So Jesus took hold of the man, healed him, and sent him on his way.
5. 5Then he said to them, "If your donkey or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn't you immediately pull it out?"
6. 6They had nothing to say to that.
7. 7Jesus noticed how the guests were choosing the best seats at the table, so he told them this parable:
8. 8"When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don't take the seat of honor. Someone more important than you may have been invited,
9. 9and the host will come over and say, 'Please give your seat to this person.' Then you'll have to move to the lowest seat, feeling ashamed.
10. 10Instead, when you're invited, sit in the lowest place. That way, when the host sees you, he'll say, 'Friend, come sit up here!' And everyone at the table will see you honored.
11. 11Because everyone who lifts himself up will be brought low, and everyone who humbles himself will be lifted up."
12. 12Then Jesus said to the man who had invited him, "When you host a lunch or dinner, don't invite your friends, your brothers, your relatives, or your wealthy neighbors, because they might invite you back, and you would be repaid."
13. 13Instead, when you throw a feast, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind.
14. 14“You will be blessed because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
15. 15One of the guests at the table heard this and said to Jesus, "What a blessing it will be to feast in the kingdom of God!"
16. 16Jesus replied, "A man once prepared a grand banquet and invited many guests.
17. 17When everything was ready, he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come! Everything is prepared.'
18. 18But one after another, they all started making excuses. The first one said, 'I just bought a piece of land and I need to go look at it. Please excuse me.'
19. 19Another said, 'I just bought 5 yoke of oxen and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'
20. 20Another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'
21. 21The servant returned and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant, “Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city and bring in the poor, those with missing or injured limbs, those who cannot walk, and the blind.”
22. 22The servant returned and said, 'Sir, I've done what you ordered, but there's still room.'
23. 23The master told him, 'Then go out to the roads and country lanes and urge people to come in, so that my house will be full.
24. 24Because I'm telling you, not one of those people who were originally invited will get even a taste of my banquet.'"
25. 25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. He turned around and said to them,
26. 26If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27. 27Anyone who doesn't carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28. 28Suppose you want to build a tower. Wouldn't you first sit down and figure out the cost to make sure you can finish it?
29. 29Otherwise, you might lay the foundation and then run out of money. Everyone who sees it will laugh at you,
30. 30saying, 'This man started to build and was not able to finish.'
31. 31Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won't he first sit down and consider whether his 10,000 soldiers can defeat the one coming against him with 20,000?
32. 32If he can't win, he'll send a delegation while the enemy is still far away to negotiate terms of peace.
33. 33In the same way, anyone who doesn't give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
34. 34Salt is good. But if salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?
35. 35It's useless — no good for the soil, no good even for the manure pile. People just throw it away. If you have ears to hear, then listen!"