7. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table.
8. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
9. and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place.
10. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
11. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12. Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
13. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
14. blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
15. One of his fellow guests on hearing this said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.”
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.’