Luke 15:1-15

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15 All^(A) the tax collectors^(B) and sinners were approaching to listen to Him. ² And the Pharisees and scribes were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners^(C) and eats with them!”

³ So He told them this parable:^{(D) 4} “What man among you, who has 100 sheep and loses one of them,^(E) does not leave the 99 in the open field^[a] and go after the lost one until he finds it? ⁵ When he has found it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, ⁶ and coming home, he calls his friends and neighbors together, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep!’ ⁷ I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven^(F) over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don’t need repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ “Or what woman who has 10 silver coins,^[b] if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ When she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’ ¹⁰ I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels^(G) over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ He also said: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate I have coming to me.’ So he distributed the assets^[c] to them. ¹³ Not many days later, the younger son gathered together all he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered^(H) his estate in foolish living.^{(I) 14} After he had spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he had nothing.^{[d] 15} Then he went to work for^[e] one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.^(J)