^14:16But Jesus⁵⁰ said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet⁵¹ and invited⁵² many guests.⁵³^14:17At⁵⁴ the time for the banquet⁵⁵ he sent his slave⁵⁶ to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ ^14:18But one after another they all⁵⁷ began to make excuses.⁵⁸ The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field,⁵⁹ and I must go out and see it. Please excuse me.’⁶⁰^14:19Another⁶¹ said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen,⁶² and I am going out⁶³ to examine them. Please excuse me.’ ^14:20Another⁶⁴ said, ‘I just got married, and I cannot come.’⁶⁵

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Footnotes

50 Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
51 Or “dinner.”
52 Presumably those invited would have sent a reply with the invitation stating their desire to attend, much like a modern R.S.V.P. Then they waited for the servant to announce the beginning of the celebration (D. L. Bock, Luke [], 2:).
53 The word “guests” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
54 Grk “And at.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
55 Or “dinner.”
56 See the note on the word “slave” in .
57 Or “all unanimously” ( ἀπό 6). “One after another” is suggested by L&N 61.2.
58 To make excuses and cancel at this point was an insult in the culture of the time. Regardless of customs concerning responses to invitations, refusal at this point was rude.
59 I have bought a field. An examination of newly bought land was a common practice. It was this person’s priority.
60 The expression Please excuse me is probably a polite way of refusing, given the dynamics of the situation, although it is important to note that an initial acceptance had probably been indicated and it was now a bit late for a refusal. The semantic equivalent of the phrase may well be “please accept my apologies.”
61 Grk “And another.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
62 Five yoke of oxen. This was a wealthy man, because the normal farmer had one or two yoke of oxen.
63 The translation “going out” for πορεύομαι (poreuomai) is used because “going” in this context could be understood to mean “I am about to” rather than the correct nuance, “I am on my way to.”
64 Grk “And another.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
65 I just got married, and I cannot come. There is no request to be excused here; just a refusal. Why this disqualifies attendance is not clear. The OT freed a newly married man from certain responsibilities such as serving in the army (Deut 20:7; 24:5), but that would hardly apply to a banquet. The invitation is not respected in any of the three cases.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet and invited many. And at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’

“But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’

“Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Then he told him, “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’

“But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’

“Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’

“And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’

NLTNew Living Translation

Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

But he said to him, “A certain man was giving a large banquet and invited many. And he sent his slave at the hour of the banquet to say to those who have been invited, ‘Come, because now it is ready!’ And they all alike began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field, and I must go out to look at it. I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine them. I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have married a wife, and for this reason I am not able to come.’

KJV 1900King James Version

Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many: And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

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