16. Jesus replied, "A certain man hosted a large dinner and invited many people.
17. When it was time for the dinner to begin, he sent his servant to tell the invited guests, ‘Come! The dinner is now ready.’
18. One by one, they all began to make excuses. The first one told him, ‘I bought a farm and must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
19. Another said, ‘I bought five teams of oxen, and I’m going to check on them. Please excuse me.’