JMNT(i)
25 Now many (or: large) crowds (= hordes of people) continued traveling together with Him, and so, upon turning, He said to them,
26 "If anyone continues coming to (or: toward) Me, and does not habitually regard with a negative will (= put lesser importance to; hate, in the sense of giving less preference to) his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters – and still [more], even his own soul-life (his inner being and its concerns; the person which is himself) – he has no power and is unable to be My disciple!
27 "Whoever is not habitually picking up and carrying his own execution stake (or: the cross of himself; the cross which pertains to, or is, himself) and then continuing in coming behind Me – he has no power and is unable to be My disciple!
28 "For example, who among you people – wanting and intending to build a tower – is not first sitting down [and] progressively calculating (reckoning by use of pebbles) the expense – [to see] if he continues having (holding; possessing) sufficient resources [to bring it] into completion?
29 "– so that, after his laying a foundation and then not being [financially] strong enough to finish everything out, those folks continuing in watching might not at some point start to repeatedly ridicule and make fun of him,
30 "one after another saying, 'This person (human) started to progressively build, and yet he was not [financially] strong [enough] to finish [it] out.'
31 "Or, what king, continuing on his way to progressively engage into the midst of a war with a different king, will not first – after sitting down – proceed taking counsel with himself (consider, deliberate, ponder and plan) [to see] if he is powerful and able to undertake a face to face meeting, [himself being] in the midst of ten thousand [troops], with the [king] constantly coming upon him with twenty thousand [troops]?
32 "Now if in fact [he decides that he could] not, [at] his still being far away, through sending off a delegation of representatives he proceeds asking for the [terms that lead] toward peace.
33 "Thus, then (or: Therefore, in the same manner), everyone from among you folks who is not in the habit of setting-off and arranging-away from himself all his own possessions which are continuing to be his subsistence, he continues with no power and is unable to be My disciple.