“ Then he sent some more servants and said,‘ Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

王又打发别的仆人，说：‘你们告诉那被召的人，我的筵席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴席。’

王又打发别的仆人，说：‘你们去告诉那被邀的人，我的宴席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴宴。’

王又打发别的仆人，说：‘你们去告诉那被邀的人，我的宴席已经预备好了，牛和肥畜已经宰了，各样都齐备，请你们来赴宴。’

王再派其他奴仆去，说，‘去告诉被邀请的人，我的宴席已经备好，公牛和肥畜都宰了，一切都预备妥当，来赴婚宴吧！’

他再派另一些仆人去，说：‘你们告诉被邀请的人，我已经预备好了筵席，公牛和肥畜已经宰了，一切都预备妥当。来参加婚筵吧！’

王又派了别的奴仆，说：‘你们去对那些被邀请的人说，看哪，我的午餐我已经预备好了，公牛和肥畜已经宰杀了，一切都预备好了，请你们来赴婚宴。’

王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們告訴那被召的人，我的筵席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴席。』

王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們去告訴那被邀的人，我的宴席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴宴。』

王又打發別的僕人，說：『你們去告訴那被邀的人，我的宴席已經預備好了，牛和肥畜已經宰了，各樣都齊備，請你們來赴宴。』

王再派其他奴僕去，說，『去告訴被邀請的人，我的宴席已經備好，公牛和肥畜都宰了，一切都預備妥當，來赴婚宴吧！』

他再派另一些僕人去，說：‘你們告訴被邀請的人，我已經預備好了筵席，公牛和肥畜已經宰了，一切都預備妥當。來參加婚筵吧！’

他又差遣別的奴僕，說：「要告訴那些被請的人說：看哪，我的筵席我已經豫備好了；我的公牛和肥畜已經宰了，百物齊備了，來赴婚筵吧！」

王又派了別的奴僕，說：『你們去對那些被邀請的人說，看哪，我的午餐我已經預備好了，公牛和肥畜已經宰殺了，一切都預備好了，請你們來赴婚宴。』

復遣他僕曰、告所請者云、我餐已具、牛與肥畜已宰、百物俱備、可就筵矣、

又遣僕曰、告所請者云、我餐已具、牛與肥畜已宰、百物備、可就筵矣、

復遣他僕曰、爾告所請者云、我餐已具、我牛與肥畜已宰、百物齊備、請赴婚筵、

乃遣他僕曰：「告被柬者我已備筵、宰牛殺牲、百物畢具、請來參與嘉禮。」

“ Then he sent some more slaves. He said,‘ Tell those who were invited that I have prepared my dinner. I have killed my oxen and my fattest cattle. Everything is ready. Come to the wedding dinner.’

Again he sent other servants, saying,‘ Tell those who are invited,“ See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’

“ So he sent other servants to tell them,‘ The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet!’

Again, he sent out other servants and said,‘ Tell those who are invited: See, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

Again he sent other slaves, saying,‘ Tell those who have been invited,“ Behold, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened cattle are all butchered and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!” ’

Again, he sent out other servants, saying,‘ Tell those who are invited,“ See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.”’

Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them that are bidden, Behold, I have made ready my dinner; my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come to the marriage feast.

Again, he sent out other slaves, and said,‘ Tell those who are invited: Look, I’ve prepared my dinner; my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and[ my] fatlings[ are] killed, and all things[ are] ready: come unto the marriage.

Again he sent other slaves, saying,‘ Tell those who have been invited,“ Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’

Again he sent out other servants, saying,‘ Tell those who are invited,“ Behold, I have prepared my dinner. My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly:“ We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way.

“ Then he said to his servants,‘ The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.

Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch— as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited,‘ Come, for everything is now ready.’

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders. When they had assembled, Paul said to them:“ My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death.The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar. I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people.For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”They replied,“ We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God, and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets he tried to persuade them about Jesus.Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement:“ The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through Isaiah the prophet:“‘ Go to this people and say,“ You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’“ Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.He told them,“ The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.“ When you enter a house, first say,‘ Peace to this house.’If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.“ When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you.Heal the sick who are there and tell them,‘ The kingdom of God has come near to you.’But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,‘ Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.“ Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.“ Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die.I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves,“ How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”Jesus said to them,“ Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.

He told them,“ This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love.

Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars.She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all— how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?