Luke 15:1-23

¹The tax-gatherers and the outcasts were all drawing near to Jesus to listen to him;

²but the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law found fault. “This man always welcomes outcasts, and takes meals with them!” they complained.

³So Jesus told them this parable —

⁴“Who among you who has a hundred sheep, and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine out in the open country, and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

⁵And, when he has found it, he puts in on his shoulders rejoicing;

⁶and, on reaching home, he calls his friends and his neighbors together, and says ‘Come and rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’

⁷So, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one outcast who repents, than over ninety-nine religious people, who have no need to repent.

⁸Or again, what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?

⁹And, when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, and says ‘Come and rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I lost.’

¹⁰So, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of God's angels over one outcast who repents.”

¹¹Then Jesus continued, “A man had two sons;

¹²and the younger of them said to his father ‘Father, give me my share of the inheritance.’ So the father divided the property between them.

¹³A few days later the younger son got together all that he had, and went away into a distant land; and there he squandered his inheritance by leading a dissolute life.

¹⁴After he has spent all that he had, there was a severe famine through all that country, and he began to be in actual want.

¹⁵So he went and engaged himself to one of the people of that country, who sent him into his fields to tend pigs.

¹⁶He even longed to satisfy his hunger with the bean-pods on which the pigs were feeding; and no one gave him anything.

¹⁷But, when he came to himself, he said ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more bread than they can eat, while here am I starving to death!

¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and say to him “Father, I sinned against heaven and against you;

¹⁹I am no longer fit to be called your son; make me one of your hired servants.”’

²⁰And he got up and went to his father. But, while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was deeply moved; he ran and threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.

²¹‘Father,’ the son said, ‘I sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer fit to be called your son; make me one of your hired servants.’

²²But the father turned to his servants and said ‘Be quick and fetch a robe — the very best — and put it on him; give him a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet;

²³and bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry;