For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

but when thou mayest make a feast, be calling poor, maimed, lame, blind,

And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) is he who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!”

and he sent his servant at the hour of the supper to say to those having been called, Be coming, because now are all things ready.

Every single one of them began asking to be excused. The first told him, "I bought a field, and I need to go out and inspect it. Please excuse me.'

And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am going out to try them; I pray that I may be excused.

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

For fear that if he makes a start and is not able to go on with it to the end, all who see it will be laughing at him,

Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

And, if not, by any means, while he is yet afar off, he sendeth, an embassy, and requesteth the conditions of peace.

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.”

But all the tax-collectors and the sinners were, unto him, drawing near, to be hearkening unto him;

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if one of them gets loose and goes away, will not let the ninety-nine be in the waste land by themselves, and go after the wandering one, till he sees where it is?

And when he gets back to his house, he sends for his neighbours and friends, saying to them, Be glad with me, for I have got back my sheep which had gone away.

I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Or what woman, who has ten silver coins [Note: These coins each amounted to about one day of a farm laborer's pay, or about $60-$84 in 1994], and if she loses one of them, would not light a lamp, sweep the house and search for it diligently until she finds it?

And when she has it again, she gets her friends and neighbours together, saying, Be glad with me, for I have got back the bit of silver which had gone from me.

And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me that part of your property which will be mine. And he made division of his goods between them.

And after not many days, the younger son gathered everything [and] went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth [by] living wastefully.

And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.

And he went his way, and joined himself unto one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to be feeding swine.

And he used to long to be filled with the pods which the swine were eating; and, no man, was giving unto him.

And coming to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have abundance of bread, and I perish here by famine.

I will be up and off to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;

And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.

But the father turned to his servants and said 'Be quick and fetch a robe--the very best--and put it on him; give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet;

And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:

For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field. And as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.

And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be.

But he said to his father, ‘Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never neglected or disobeyed your command. Yet you have never given me [so much as] a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends;

son, said he to him, you shall continue to be with me, and all that I have shall be thine.

It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a property manager who was reported to be squandering his possessions.

And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward.

"Then the steward said within himself, "'What am I to do? For my master is taking away the stewardship from me. I am not strong enough for field labour: to beg, I should be ashamed.

I know what I will do, that when I shall have been removed from the stewardship I may be received into their houses.

So he summoned his master’s debtors one by one, and he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

and this unfaithful steward was commended by his master for being so provident. for they who look to this world, manage their affairs with more prudence, than those who have a prospect of a better.

And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.

"The person who is trustworthy in regard to very small matters, [such as material possessions] is also [likely to be] trustworthy in regard to large matters, [such as spiritual values], and the person who does not do what is right in very small matters is also not [likely] to do what is right in large ones.

If, therefore, you have not been faithful in the riches procured by injustice, who will commit to you the true?

And if you are not faithful with what belongs to another, how can you ever be given what is your own?

'No domestic is able to serve two lords, for either the one he will hate, and the other he will love; or one he will hold to, and of the other he will be heedless; ye are not able to serve God and mammon.'

And He told them: “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly admired by people is revolting in God’s sight.

The law and the prophets were till John: but then came the preaching of the kingdom of God, and everyone makes his way into it by force.

But heaven and earth will come to an end before the smallest letter of the law may be dropped out.

"Every person who divorces his wife and marries another woman becomes sexually unfaithful to her [i.e., because he is still regarded by God as married to his first wife. See Matt. 19:9]. And the person who marries someone who has been divorced by her husband commits sexual sin with her [i.e., because she is still rightfully married to her first husband].

Now, a certain man, was rich, and he used to clothe himself with purple and fine linen, making merry day by day, brilliantly.

And there was a poor man, by name Lazarus, who was laid at his gateway full of sores,

And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

In the afterlife, where he was in constant torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus by his side.

And having cried out, he said, Father Abraham, be merciful to me, and send Lazarus, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame.

And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that they that would pass from hence to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from thence to us.

But Abraham said, 'They have [the writings of] Moses and the prophets; let them pay attention to them.'

And he said, No, father Abraham, but if someone went to them from the dead, their hearts would be changed.

And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

And he said to his disciples, It cannot be but that offences come, but woe to him by whom they come!

It would be more profitable for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should be a snare to one of these little ones.

Pay attention and always be on guard [looking out for one another]! If your brother sins and disregards God’s precepts, solemnly warn him; and if he repents and changes, forgive him.

And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

But which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat?

on the contrary, will not say to him - Make somewhat ready, that I may dine, - and, girding thyself, be ministering unto me, until I have eaten and drunk; and, after these things, thou, shalt eat and drink?

He will not {be grateful} to the slave because he did what was ordered, [will he]?

As He entered a village, He was met by ten lepers who stood at a distance;

And they raised a voice, saying, Jesus, Master, be merciful to us.

And he fell on his face at Jesus' feet and thanked Him. And he was a Samaritan. [Note: Samaritans were despised by the Jews and regarded as a 'half-breeds'].

and he said to him, 'Having risen, be going on, thy faith hath saved thee.'

And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

People won't be saying, "Look! Here it is!' or "There it is!' because now the kingdom of God is among you."

And he said to his disciples, "The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not be able to do so.

And people will be saying to you, 'Look, there [He is]! Look, here [He is]! Do not leave or follow after them.

For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

People continued to eat, drink, marry, and be married, right up to the day when Noah went into the ark, and the Flood came and destroyed them all.

It will be the same as it was in the days of Lot: People went on eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building.

Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back.

If anyone makes an attempt to keep his life, it will be taken from him, but if anyone gives up his life, he will keep it.

I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.

Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together.

And he told them a parable to [show that] they must always pray and not be discouraged,

Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.

So, will God not grant justice to His elect [i.e., His people] who call out to Him [i.e., in prayer] day and night? Will He be slow in helping them?

I say to you that he will quickly do right in their cause. But when the Son of man comes, will there be any faith on earth?

the Pharisee having stood by himself, thus prayed: God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax-gatherer;

I fast twice a week. I pay the tithe on all my gains.'

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.