| 1 | And all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near to him to hear him; |
| 2 | and the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This [man] receives sinners and eats with them. |
| 3 | And he spoke to them this parable, saying, |
| 4 | What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost, until he find it? |
| 5 | and having found it, he lays it upon his own shoulders, rejoicing; |
| 6 | and being come to the house, calls together the friends and the neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep. |
| 7 | I say unto you, that thus there shall be joy in heaven for one repenting sinner, [more] than for ninety and nine righteous who have no need of repentance. |
| 8 | Or, what woman having ten drachmas, if she lose one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek carefully till she find it? |
| 9 | and having found it she calls together the friends and neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost. |
| 10 | Thus, I say unto you, there is joy before the angels of God for one repenting sinner. |
| 11 | And he said, A certain man had two sons; |
| 12 | and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give to me the share of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided to them what he was possessed of. |
| 13 | And after not many days the younger son gathering all together went away into a country a long way off, and there dissipated his property, living in debauchery. |
| 14 | But when he had spent all there arose a violent famine throughout that country, and he began to be in want. |
| 15 | And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. |
| 16 | And he longed to fill his belly with the husks which the swine were eating; and no one gave to him. |
| 17 | And coming to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have abundance of bread, and I perish here by famine. |
| 18 | I will rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee; |
| 19 | I am no longer worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. |
| 20 | And he rose up and went to his own father. But while he was yet a long way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell upon his neck, and covered him with kisses. |
| 21 | And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee; I am no longer worthy to be called thy son. |
| 22 | But the father said to his bondmen, Bring out the best robe and clothe him in [it], and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; |
| 23 | and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: |
| 24 | for this my son was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found. And they began to make merry. |
| 25 | And his elder son was in the field; and as, coming [up], he drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. |
| 26 | And having called one of the servants, he inquired what these things might be. |
| 27 | And he said to him, Thy brother is come, and thy father has killed the fatted calf because he has received him safe and well. |
| 28 | But he became angry and would not go in. And his father went out and besought him. |
| 29 | But he answering said to his father, Behold, so many years I serve thee, and never have I transgressed a commandment of thine; and to me hast thou never given a kid that I might make merry with my friends: |
| 30 | but when this thy son, who has devoured thy substance with harlots, is come, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. |
| 31 | But he said to him, Child, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. |
| 32 | But it was right to make merry and rejoice, because this thy brother was dead and has come to life again, and was lost and has been found. |