Gospel (Matthew ХXII:1-14)

22

¹ And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,

² "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,

³ and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come.

⁴ 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.

⁵ But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business,

⁶ while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.

⁷ The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

⁸ Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.

⁹ Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.'

¹⁰ And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

¹¹ "But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.

¹² And he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless.

¹³ Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot and cast 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."