Matthew 22:1-14

Lexham English Bible

The Parable of the Wedding Celebration

22 And continuing, Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man—a king—who gave a wedding celebration for his son. ³ And he sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the wedding celebration, and they did not want to come. ⁴ Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding celebration!”’ ⁵ But they paid no attention and^[a] went away—this one to his own field, that one to his business. ⁶ And the others, seizing his slaves, mistreated them^[b] and killed them.^{[c] 7} And the king was angry and sent his troops and^[d] destroyed those murderers and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding celebration is ready, but those who had been invited were not worthy. ⁹ Therefore, go out to the places where the roads exit the city and invite to the wedding celebration as many people as you find.’ ¹⁰ And those slaves went out into the roads and^[e] gathered everyone whom they found, both evil and good, and the wedding celebration was filled with dinner guests.^{[f] 11} But when^[g] the king came in to see the dinner guests,^[h] he saw a man there not dressed in wedding clothes. ¹² And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here, not having wedding clothes?’ But he could say nothing.^{[i] 13} Then the king said to the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot^[j] and^[k] throw him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ ¹⁴ For many are called but few are chosen.”