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

And he sent out his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.

Again he sent out other slaves saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and everything is ready; come to the wedding feast.”’

Then he *said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy.

Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the wedding feast.’

Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.

“But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes,

and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless.

And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.