Luke 14:12-24 - The Parable Of The Great Banquet

¹² Also to His host, who had invited Him, He said, "When you give a breakfast or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbours, lest perhaps they should invite you in return and a requital be made you. ¹³ But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; ¹⁴ and you will be blessed, because they have no means of requiting you, but there will be requital for you at the Resurrection of the righteous."

¹⁵ After listening to this teaching, one of His fellow guests said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall feast in God's Kingdom."

¹⁶ "A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests. ¹⁷ At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.'

¹⁸ "But they all without exception began to excuse themselves. The first told him, "'I have purchased a piece of land, and must of necessity go and look at it. Pray hold me excused.'

¹⁹ "A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.'

²⁰ "Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me to come.'

²¹ "So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city--the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.'

²² "Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.'

²³ "'Go out,' replied the master, 'to the high roads and hedge-rows, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled. ²⁴ For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"