16. He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.
17. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’
18. But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’
19. And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’
20. And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’
21. The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’
22. The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’
23. The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled.
24. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’”
25. Great crowds were traveling with him, and he turned and addressed them,
26. “If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
28. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?
29. Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him
30. and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
31. Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
32. But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
33. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.
34. “Salt is good, but if salt itself loses its taste, with what can its flavor be restored?