₁Jesus again used parables in talking to the people. ₂“The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. ₃He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come. ₄So he sent other servants with this message for the guests: ‘My feast is ready now; my bullocks and prize calves have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!’ ₅But the invited guests paid no attention and went about their business: one went to his farm, another to his shop, ₆while others grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them. ₇The king was very angry; so he sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and burnt down their city. ₈Then he called his servants and said to them, ‘My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it. ₉Now go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many people as you find.’ ₁₀So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike; and the wedding hall was filled with people.

₁₁“The king went in to look at the guests and saw a man who was not wearing wedding clothes. ₁₂‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ the king asked him. But the man said nothing. ₁₃Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark. There he will cry and grind his teeth.’ ”

₁₄And Jesus concluded, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”