Beginning

14 And it came to pass when he went into a bais of a certain one of the Rashei HaPerushim on Shabbos for betziat halechem, and they were watching him closely,

² And there in front of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was a certain ish suffering from dropsy,

³ And in reply, Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach spoke to the Baalei Torah and Perushim, saying, Is it mutar (permissible) on Shabbos to give refuah or not?

⁴ But they kept silent. And having taken hold of him, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach granted him refuah and sent him away.

⁵ And to them Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Who of you having a ben or an ox fall into a well and will not ofen ort (immediately) pull him out on Shabbos?

⁶ And they were not able to make a counter argument keneged (against) this.

⁷ And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach began speaking a mashal to the seudah (banquet supper) invitees, when he noticed how they had been picking out the rashei hamoshavot (chief seats) at the tish, saying to them,

⁸ When you are invited by someone to a Chasunoh (wedding), you should not recline at tish in the rashei hamoshavot (chief seats), lest a more distinguished person than you may have been invited by him,

⁹ And he who invited you both shall come and say to you, Give place to this one, and then in bushah (shame) you proceed to occupy the seat of humiliation, the low seat.

¹⁰ But when you are invited, go and recline at tish in the moshav hashafel (low seat), so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, Chaver, move up to a higher place; then you will have kavod in the sight of all with you at the tish.

¹¹ For everyone exalting himself shall be humbled, and the one humbling himself shall be exalted.

¹² And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was speaking also to the one who invited him, When you prepare a seudah or a Melave Malkah, do not invite your chaverim or your achim or your krovey mishpochot (relatives) or your shchenim haashirim, lest they also should invite you in return and repayment come to you.

¹³ But when you prepare a seudah (feast), invite the aniyim (the poor), the baalei hamum (the maimed), the pisechim (the lame), the ivrim (blind),

¹⁴ And Birkat Shomayim (the Blessing of Heaven) will befall you, because they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid in the Yom Tekumat HaTzadikkim (Day of the Resurrection of the Righteous, Rev 20:5).

¹⁵ And when a certain one of those reclining at tish with Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach heard these things, he said to him, Ashrey is he who will eat lechem in the Malchut Hashem! [YESHAYAH 25:6]

¹⁶ But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to him, A certain man was preparing a big seudah, and he invited many;

¹⁷ And at the dinner hour, he sent his eved to say to the seudah invitees, Come, because everything is ready now.

¹⁸ But each began to come up with a teretz (excuse). The rishon (first) said to him, I bought a sadeh (field) and I am compelled to go out and look at it. Please be mekabel (receive, accept) my teretz.

¹⁹ And another said, I have bought chamesh pair of oxen, and I am going to try them out. Please be mekabel my teretz (excuse).

²⁰ And another said, I took a wife and therefore I am not able to come.

²¹ And the eved returned and reported this to his Adon. Then the Baal Bayit became angry and said to his eved, Go out quickly into the rekhovot (streets) and lanes of the shtetl and bring in here the aniyim (the poor) and the baalei hamum (the maimed) and the ivrim (blind) and the pisechim (the lame).

²² And the eved said, Adoni, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.

²³ And the Adon said to the eved, Go out to the rekhovot and along the boundaries and urge them to come in, in order that My Beis may be filled.

²⁴ For I say to you that no one of those Bnei Adam who were invited will taste my seudah.

²⁵ And large multitudes were accompanying him, and Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach turned and said to them,

²⁶ If someone comes to me, and does not hate [hyperbolically, in comparison to Moshiach] his own Abba and Em (mother) and isha and yeladim and achim and achayot and in addition also his own life [in the Olam Hazeh], he is not able to be my [Moshiach’s] talmid.

²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own etz [of self denial] and come after me [Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach] is not able to be my [Moshiach’s] talmid.

²⁸ For who among you, wanting to build a migdal (tower), will not first sit down and rechen (calculate) the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?

²⁹ Otherwise, having laid his yesod (foundation) and not being able to finish it, everyone seeing it may begin to make leitzonus (fun, mockery) of him,

³⁰ Saying, This man began to build and was not able to finish.

³¹ Or what melech, going out to make milchamah (war) against another melech, will not first sit down and consider if he is able with aseret alafim (ten thousand) to meet the one with esrim elef (twenty thousand) coming against him?

³² Or else, while the other is noch (yet) far away, he sends an embassy delegation and seeks terms for shalom.

³³ So, then, none of you can become my talmid if you do not renounce all your [idolatrous] holdings.

³⁴ Therefore, melach (salt) is tov; but if even melach should become tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?

³⁵ It is useless either for the land or for the dung hill; they throw it away. The one who has ears to hear, shema!

15 Now all the mochesim (taxcollectors) and the chote’im (sinners) were coming near Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach to listen to him.

² And both the Perushim and the Sofrim were grumbling, saying, This one gives a kabbalat panim reception to chote’im (sinners) and eats at tish with them.

³ And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach told them this mashal, saying,

⁴ What man of you, if he has meah kevasim (a hundred sheep) and has lost from them one, does not leave the tishim vteshah (ninety-nine) in the open pasture, and go for the one which has been lost until he finds it?

⁵ And when he has found it, he puts it on his shoulders with lev same’ach. [TEHILLIM 23;119; YIRMEYAH 31:10; YECHEZKEL 34:11-16]

⁶ And when he returns to his bais, he calls together his chaverim and his shchenim (neighbors), saying to them, Make a simcha with me, because I have found my keves (sheep), the one that was lost!

⁷ I say to you that in the same way there will be more simcha in Shomayim over one choteh (sinner) who becomes a baal teshuva than over tishim vteshah tzaddikim who have no need of teshuva.

⁸ Or what isha having asaret (ten) drachmas, if she loses one drachma, will not light a licht (light) and sweep the bais and search carefully until she finds it?

⁹ And having found it, she calls together chaverim and shchenim saying, Have simcha with me, for I have found the drachma which I lost.

¹⁰ In the same way, I say to you, there is simcha in the presence of the malachim Hashem over one choteh (sinner) who becomes a baal teshuva.

¹¹ And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, A certain ben Adam had shnei banim (two sons).

¹² And the younger of them said to his Abba, Avi, give to me the share of the estate that falls to me. And his Abba divided his wealth between them.

¹³ And not many yamim later, having gathered together everything, the younger ben went on a journey to a far away country, and there he squandered his osher (riches) with gilui arayot (sexual immorality) and loose living. [YESHAYAH 59:2]

¹⁴ And when he had spent everything, there came a severe ra’av (famine) throughout that aretz, and he began to be nitzrach (needy).

¹⁵ And he went and became associated with one of the citizens of that aretz, and he sent him into his fields to feed chazirim, [VAYIKRA 11:7]

¹⁶ And he was longing to fill his mogen (stomach) with the pods which the chazirim were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.

¹⁷ When he came to his senses, his seichel told him, How many of my Abba’s sachirim (hired workers) have more than enough okhel (food) and I am perishing here with hunger.

¹⁸ I will get up and go to my Abba, and I will say, Avi, I sinned against Shomayim and in your sight. [VAYIKRA 26:40; TEHILLIM 51:6(4)]

¹⁹ I no longer have the zchus (merit) worthy to be called a ben of my Abba. Make me as one of your sachirim (hired workers).

²⁰ And when he got up he came home to his own Abba. And while he was still a long way off, his Abba saw him, and was filled with rachmei Shomayim (heavenly mercy, compassion) and tears, and fell upon his neck and kissed him. [Gn 45:14]

²¹ And bno said to the Abba, Avi, I sinned against Shomayim and in your sight. No longer do I have the zchus (merit) to be worthy to be called your ben. [Psa 51:6(4)]

²² But his Abba said to his avadim, Shnel! (Quick!) Bring out the best kaftan and clothe him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals for his feet, [ZECHARYAH 3:4; BERESHIS 41:42]

²³ And bring the fattened calf, and slaughter it, and let us eat and have a simcha,

²⁴ Because this ben of mine was dead and now he has returned l’Chayyim! He had been lost and now he is found. And they began to make a simcha.

²⁵ But the Abba’s alterer ben (older son) was in the sadeh (field). And as he was coming, he drew near to the bais, and he heard the zemirot (table songs), and the sound of the klezmer (musician) and the [chasidic] dancing,

²⁶ And having summoned one of the avadim (servants), the alterer ben (older son) was inquiring what these things might be.

²⁷ And the eved said to him, Your ach is present, and your Abba sacrificed the fattened calf, because your Abba received him back bari v’shalem (safe and sound).

²⁸ And the alterer ben was filled with ka’as (anger), and he did not want to enter. But his Abba came out and was pleading with him.

²⁹ But in reply the alterer ben said to his Abba, Hinei, so many years I serve you and never a mitzvah of you I disobeyed, and never for me did you give even a young goat that with my chaverim I might make a simcha.

³⁰ But when shows up this ben of yours, the one having devoured your property with zonot (prostitutes), you sacrificed for him the fattened calf. [MISHLE 29:3]

³¹ And the Abba said to him, Beni, you are always with me, and everything which is mine is yours.

³² But now it was necessary for us to have lev samei’ach and make a simcha, because the ach of you was dead and he has returned lChayyim! He has been lost and now is found. [MALACHI 3:17]

16 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was saying also to the talmidim, A certain oisher (rich man) had a sochen (steward, estate manager or agent), and the charge brought against him was that he was squandering the property of the oisher (rich man).

² And having called him, the oisher said to the sochen, What is this I hear about you? Submit to a bikoret beshbonot (audit) for that which is under your pekuddat (stewardship care), for you are no longer able to be sochen.

³ And the sochen said to himself, What may I do, because Adoni takes away the pekuddat from me? I am not strong enough to dig, I am ashamed to beg.

⁴ Oh! I have daas of what I may do, that when I am removed from the work of the sochen, they may receive me into their batim.

⁵ And having summoned his Adon’s debtors one by one, he was saying to the first, How much do you owe Adoni?

⁶ And he said, One hundred jugs of olive oil. And the sochen said to him, Take your bill, sit down, quickly write fifty.

⁷ Then to another he said, And you, how much do you owe? And he said, One hundred containers of wheat. He says to him, Take your bill and write eighty.

⁸ And the Baal Bayit praised the unrighteous sochen because he acted with chochmah. Because the Bnei HaOlam HaZeh have more seichel in dealing with their own generation than the Bnei HaOhr. [Psa 17:14; 18:26]

⁹ And I say to you, use the mammon (the wealth of the Olam HaZeh) to make for yourselves yedidim (friends, chaverim), so that when unrighteous mammon fails, they may welcome you into the mishkenot olam (eternal dwellings of the Olam HaBah).

¹⁰ The one oisgehalten in little, also is neeman in much, and the one who is unrighteous in little, also in much is unrighteous.

¹¹ If, then, you were not ne’eman with unrighteous mammon, who will entrust you with hon emes ?

¹² And if you were not neeman with that which belongs to another, who will give you what is your own?

¹³ No eved is able to serve two adonim; for either he will have sinah (hatred) toward the one and he will have ahavah (love) toward the other, or one he will be devoted to and the other he will despise. Your avodas service cannot be for both Hashem and Mammon.

¹⁴ And the Perushim, who were ohavei kesef (lovers of money), heard all this and they made leitzonus (fun) of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.

¹⁵ And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, You are the ones who in the sight of Bnei Adam credit yourself as being yitzdak im Hashem (justified with G-d, IYOV 25:4), but Hashem has daas (knowledge) of your levavot. Because the thing highly esteemed among Bnei Adam is a to’eva (abomination) before Hashem.

¹⁶ The Torah and the Neviim were proclaimed until Yochanan; since then it is the Malchut Hashem that is being preached as Besuras HaGeulah, and anyone entering it must strive to do so.

¹⁷ But it is easier for HaShomayim and HaAretz to pass away than for one tag (ornamental flourish) of the Torah to fail.

¹⁸ Anyone giving the get to his isha and taking another wife commits ni’uf (adultery), and the one marrying a gerusha (divorcee) commits ni’uf (adultery).

¹⁹ Now there was a certain oisher (rich man). He was dressed in purple and fine linen, and yom yom (daily) he feasted sumptuosly and every day for him was to make a simcha. [YECHEZKEL 16:49]

²⁰ And there was a certain ish oni (poor man) covered with sores, Elazar by name, who had been laid at the oisher’s sha’ar (gate).

²¹ And the ish oni Elazar longed to fill his mogen (stomach) with what fell from the oisher’s tish. But even the kelevim (dogs) were coming and licking the sores of the ish oni (poor man).

²² And it came to pass that Elazar died, and he was carried away by the malachim to the tish at the kheyk (bosom) of Avraham Avinu. And then the oisher (rich man) died also, and he was buried.

²³ And lifting up his eynayim in Sheol, where he was in the torments of agony, he sees Avraham Avinu off in the distance and Elazar at tish at his kheyk (bosom).

²⁴ And he called, Avraham Avinu! Chaneni na and send Elazar that he may dip the tip of his finger into the mayim and cool my tongue, because I am in torment in this moked (fire). [YESHAYAH 66:24]

²⁵ But Avraham Avinu said, Beni, have zikaron (recollection) that you received your tov in the span of your days, and Elazar likewise received the ra’ah. But now he is given nechamah (comfort) here, but you, yisurim (sufferings, torments). [TEHILLIM 17:14]

²⁶ And, in addition to all these things, there has been fixed between us and you a tehom gedolah (a great abyss, chasm), so that the ones wishing to come over from here to you are not able, neither from there to us may they cross over.

²⁷ And the oisher said, I ask you then, Avraham Avinu, that you may send Elazar to the bais of Avi,

²⁸ for I have chamesh achim (five brothers) that he may warn them, lest also they may come to this place of yisurim (torments).

²⁹ But Avraham Avinu says, They have Moshe Rabbeinu and the Neviim. Let them listen to them.

³⁰ But the oisher said, Lo (no), Avraham Avinu, but if someone from the Mesim should go to them, they will make teshuva.

³¹ But Avraham said to him, If Moshe Rabbeinu and the Neviim they do not listen to, neither if someone should make his Techiyah from the Mesim should they be persuaded.