141 And it came to pass, on his going into the house of a certain one of the chiefs of the Pharisees, on a sabbath, to eat bread, that they were watching him, 2 and lo, there was a certain dropsical man before him; 3 and Jesus answering spake to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, 'Is it lawful on the sabbath-day to heal?' 4 and they were silent, and having taken hold of 'him', he healed him, and let 'him' go; 5 and answering them he said, 'Of which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a pit, and he will not immediately draw it up on the sabbath-day?' 6 and they were not able to answer him again unto these things.
7 And he spake a simile unto those called, marking how they were choosing out the first couches, saying unto them, 8 'When thou mayest be called by any one to marriage-feasts, thou mayest not recline on the first couch, lest a more honourable than thou may have been called by him, 9 and he who did call thee and him having come shall say to thee, Give to this one place, and then thou mayest begin with shame to occupy the last place. 10 'But, when thou mayest be called, having gone on, recline in the last place, that when he who called thee may come, he may say to thee, Friend, come up higher; then thou shalt have glory before those reclining with thee; 11 because every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.' 12 And he said also to him who did call him, 'When thou mayest make a dinner or a supper, be not calling thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kindred, nor rich neighbours, lest they may also call thee again, and a recompense may come to thee; 13 but when thou mayest make a feast, be calling poor, maimed, lame, blind, 14 and happy thou shalt be, because they have not to recompense thee, for it shall be recompensed to thee in the rising again of the righteous.'
15 And one of those reclining with him, having heard these things, said to him, 'Happy 'is' he who shall eat bread in the reign of God;' 16 and he said to him, 'A certain man made a great supper, and called many, 17 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. 18 'And they began with one consent all to excuse themselves: The first said to him, A field I bought, and I have need to go forth and see it; I beg of thee, have me excused. 19 'And another said, Five yoke of oxen I bought, and I go on to prove them; I beg of thee, have me excused: 20 and another said, A wife I married, and because of this I am not able to come. 21 'And that servant having come, told to his lord these things, then the master of the house, having been angry, said to his servant, Go forth quickly to the broad places and lanes of the city, and the poor, and maimed, and lame, and blind, bring in hither. 22 'And the servant said, Sir, it hath been done as thou didst command, and still there is room. 23 'And the lord said unto the servant, Go forth to the ways and hedges, and constrain to come in, that my house may be filled; 24 for I say to you, that none of those men who have been called shall taste of my supper.'
25 And there were going on with him great multitudes, and having turned, he said unto them, 26 'If any one doth come unto me, and doth not hate his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and yet even his own life, he is not able to be my disciple; 27 and whoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, is not able to be my disciple. 28 'For who of you, willing to build a tower, doth not first, having sat down, count the expense, whether he have the things for completing? 29 lest that he having laid a foundation, and not being able to finish, all who are beholding may begin to mock him, 30 saying—This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31 'Or what king going on to engage with another king in war, doth not, having sat down, first consult if he be able with ten thousand to meet him who with twenty thousand is coming against him? 32 and if not so—he being yet a long way off—having sent an embassy, he doth ask the things for peace. 33 'So, then, every one of you who doth not take leave of all that he himself hath, is not able to be my disciple.
34 'The salt 'is' good, but if the salt doth become tasteless, with what shall it be seasoned? 35 neither for land nor for manure is it fit—they cast it without. He who is having ears to hear—let him hear.'
151 And all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming nigh to him, to hear him, 2 and the Pharisees and the scribes were murmuring, saying—This one doth receive sinners, and doth eat with them.' 3 And he spake unto them this simile, saying, 4 'What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one out of them, doth not leave behind the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go on after the lost one, till he may find it? 5 and having found, he doth lay 'it' on his shoulders rejoicing, 6 and having come to the house, he doth call together the friends and the neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, because I found my sheep—the lost one. 7 'I say to you, that so joy shall be in the heaven over one sinner reforming, rather than over ninety-nine righteous men, who have no need of reformation.
8 'Or what woman having ten drachms, if she may lose one drachm, doth not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and seek carefully till that she may find? 9 and having found, she doth call together the female friends and the neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I found the drachm that I lost. 10 'So I say to you, joy doth come before the messengers of God over one sinner reforming.'
11 And he said, 'A certain man had two sons, 12 and the younger of them said to the father, Father, give me the portion of the substance falling to 'me', and he divided to them the living. 13 'And not many days after, having gathered all together, the younger son went abroad to a far country, and there he scattered his substance, living riotously; 14 and he having spent all, there came a mighty famine on that country, and himself began to be in want; 15 and having gone on, he joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him to the fields to feed swine, 16 and he was desirous to fill his belly from the husks that the swine were eating, and no one was giving to him. 17 'And having come to himself, he said, How many hirelings of my father have a superabundance of bread, and I here with hunger am perishing! 18 having risen, I will go on unto my father, and will say to him, Father, I did sin—to the heaven, and before thee, 19 and no more am I worthy to be called thy son; make me as one of thy hirelings. 20 'And having risen, he went unto his own father, and he being yet far distant, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and having ran he fell upon his neck and kissed him; 21 and the son said to him, Father, I did sin—to the heaven, and before thee, and no more am I worthy to be called thy son. 22 'And the father said unto his servants, Bring forth the first robe, and clothe him, and give a ring for his hand, and sandals for the feet; 23 and having brought the fatted calf, kill 'it', and having eaten, we may be merry, 24 because this my son was dead, and did live again, and he was lost, and was found; and they began to be merry. 25 'And his elder son was in a field, and as, coming, he drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing, 26 and having called near one of the young men, he was inquiring what these things might be, 27 and he said to him—Thy brother is arrived, and thy father did kill the fatted calf, because in health he did receive him back. 28 'And he was angry, and would not go in, therefore his father, having come forth, was entreating him; 29 and he answering said to the father, Lo, so many years I do serve thee, and never thy command did I transgress, and to me thou didst never give a kid, that with my friends I might make merry; 30 but when thy son—this one who did devour thy living with harlots—came, thou didst kill to him the fatted calf. 31 'And he said to him, Child, thou art always with me, and all my things are thine; 32 but to be merry, and to be glad, it was needful, because this thy brother was dead, and did live again, he was lost, and was found.'
