20

in his garden; and it grows to be a great tree, so that the birds of heaven rest on its branches.

Again he said, To what shall I compare the 21 kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman takes and mixes in three measures of meal, till the whole is leavened.

22

And he was going through the towns and villages, teaching, on his way to Jerusalem. 23 And one said to him, Master, will but few be 24 saved? And Jesus said to them, Strive to enter through the narrow gate. For many, I say to you, will desire to enter, and will not be 25 able. And you, after the master of the house has risen and shut the door, will stand without and knock, and say, Master! Master! open for us; and he will answer you, I know not whence 26 you are. Then you will say, We have eaten

and drunk with thee, and thou hast taught in 27 our streets. And he will answer, I tell you, I know not whence you are; depart from me, all 28 you workers of iniquity. Then will be wailing and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the kingdom of God, and are yourselves shut out. And men will come from the East and the 29 West, and the North and the South, who will take their places at table in the kingdom of God. And lo! there are those who are last, 30 who will be first; and those who are first, who will be last.

THE same day, certain Pharisees came to him 31 and said, Go away, and depart hence; for Herod designs to kill you. And he said to them, Go 32 and tell that fox, Lo! I cast out dæmons and perform cures to-day and to-morrow, and on the third day my work will be accomplished. But 33 to-day and to-morrow and the next day I must go on, for it cannot be that a teacher from God should perish out of Jerusalem. Jerusalem! 34 Jerusalem! who killest the teachers from God, and stonest those who are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a bird gathers her young under her wings, and you would not! Lo! your house is deserted. I 35 declare to you, You will not see me till the time when you may say, Blessed be he who comes in the name of the LORD!

Verses 34, 35. See Matthew xxiii. 37-39.

14

AND he entered the house of a ruler who was a Pharisee, to eat, on the Sabbath; and 2 those present were watching him. And lo! a man who had a dropsy presented himself before 3 him. And Jesus said to the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, Is it lawful to cure on the 4 Sabbath? And they were silent. And he took the man and healed him, and dismissed him; 5 and said to them, Is there any one of you, who, if his son or his ox should fall into a pit on the Sabbath-day, would not immediately draw 6 him out? And they could make him no answer to this.

7

And when he observed how those who had been invited chose out the highest places at table, 8 he spoke a parable to them, saying, When you are invited by any one to a feast, do not take the highest place, lest one more deserving of 9 honor than you may have been invited, and he who invited you both should come and say to you, Give place to this man; when you with 10 shame will take the lowest place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, that, when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, Friend, go up higher. So you will be honored in the presence of the other guests.

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, 11 and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

And he said also to him who had invited him, 12 When you make a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relations, nor your rich neighbors; lest they invite you in turn, and you be repaid. But when 13 you make an entertainment, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind; and you will be 14 blessed; for they cannot repay you, but you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.

And on hearing this, one of the guests said 15 to him, Blessed is he who shall feast in the kingdom of God. And Jesus said to him, A 16 certain man made a great supper, and invited many; and at the hour of supper he sent his 17 servant to tell those who were invited to come, for that all things were ready. But with one 18 accord they all began to offer excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a field, and must go and see it; I beg that I may be excused. And 19 another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am going to try them; I beg that I may be excused. And another said, I have married a 20 wife, and therefore I cannot come. And the 21 servant returned and told his master what they

said; and he, being angry, said to his servant, Go quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring here the poor, the maimed, the 22 lame, and the blind. Afterward his servant told him, Master, what you directed has been 23 done, and still there is room. And his master said to him, Go into the highways and among the inclosures without the city, and constrain whom you find to come in, that my house may be full.

24

25

Thus I tell you, that none of those men who have been invited will taste of my supper.

AND a great multitude was travelling along 26 with him; and he turned and said to them, No one who comes to me can be my disciple, unless he hate his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his 27 own life also. And whoever does not follow me, bearing his cross, cannot be my disciple.

28

Which of you, should he think of building a tower, would not first sit down and reckon the cost, and see whether he have enough to com29 plete it? lest, having laid the foundation and

Verses 26, 27. See Matthew x. 37, 38.