路加福音 15
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
迷失的羊
15 许多税吏和罪人都来听耶稣讲道， 2 法利赛人和律法教师埋怨说：“这个人竟和罪人来往，还跟他们一起吃饭。”
3 耶稣给他们讲了一个比喻： 4 “如果你们有人有一百只羊，走失了一只，难道他不暂时把那九十九只留在草场上，去找那只迷失的羊，一直到找着为止吗？ 5 他找到后，会欢欢喜喜地把那只羊扛回家， 6 并邀来朋友邻居，说，‘我走失的羊找到了，来和我一同庆祝吧！’ 7 我告诉你们，同样，一个罪人悔改，在天上也要这样为他欢喜，甚至比有九十九个不用悔改的义人还欢喜。
丢钱的比喻
8 “又比如一个妇人有十块钱，不小心弄丢了一块，难道她不点亮灯，打扫房子，仔细寻找一直到找着为止吗？ 9 她找到后，会邀朋友邻居来，说，‘我丢的钱找到了，来和我一同庆祝吧！’ 10 我告诉你们，同样，一个罪人悔改，上帝的众天使也会这样为他欢喜。”
浪子回头
11 耶稣又说：“某人有两个儿子。 12 小儿子对父亲说，‘父亲，请你把我应得的家产分给我。’父亲就把财产分给了两个儿子。
13 “没过几天，小儿子带着他所有的财物出门远游去了。他终日在外花天酒地，挥金如土， 14 很快囊空如洗，又遇到严重的饥荒，就陷入困境， 15 只好投靠一个当地人。那人派他到田里去放猪， 16 他饿到恨不得拿喂猪的豆荚充饥，可是连这些也没有人给他。 17 最后，他醒悟过来，心想，‘在我父亲家里，连雇工的口粮都绰绰有余，我现在却要在这里饿死吗？ 18 我要动身回到我父亲身边，对他说，父亲，我得罪了天，也得罪了你， 19 今后，我再也不配做你的儿子，请把我当作雇工看待吧。’ 20 于是他动身回家。
“他父亲远远地看见他，就动了慈心，跑上前去抱着他连连亲吻。 21 小儿子说，‘父亲，我得罪了天，也得罪了你，今后，我再也不配做你的儿子。’
22 “父亲却对奴仆说，‘赶快拿最好的袍子来给他穿上，给他戴上戒指，穿上鞋， 23 把那只肥牛犊牵来宰了，让我们一同欢宴庆祝！ 24 因我这儿子是死而复活、失而复得的。’于是他们欢宴庆祝。
25 “那时，大儿子正在田间。当他回来还没到门口，就听见家里传出奏乐跳舞的声音。 26 他叫来一个奴仆问个究竟。
27 “奴仆回答说，‘你弟弟回来了！你父亲因他无灾无难地回来，特地宰了那只肥牛犊。’ 28 大儿子很生气，不肯进去。父亲就出来劝他。
29 “他对父亲说，‘你看，我伺候你这么多年，从来没有违背过你的命令，可是你没有给过我一只羊羔，让我和朋友一同欢宴。 30 但你这个儿子在娼妓身上耗尽家财，一回来，你倒为他宰了肥牛犊！’
31 “父亲对他说，‘孩子啊！你一直在我身边，我所有的一切都是你的。 32 可是你弟弟是死而复活、失而复得的，所以我们应该欢喜快乐。’”
Luke 15
Contemporary English Version
One Sheep
(Matthew 18.12-14)
15 (A) Tax collectors[a] and sinners were all crowding around to listen to Jesus. 2 So the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law of Moses started grumbling, “This man is friendly with sinners. He even eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this story:
4 If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won't you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let's celebrate! I've found my lost sheep.”
7 Jesus said, “In the same way there is more happiness in heaven because of one sinner who turns to God than over 99 good people who don't need to.”
One Coin
8 Jesus told the people another story:
What will a woman do if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them? Won't she light a lamp, sweep the floor, and look carefully until she finds it? 9 Then she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, “Let's celebrate! I've found the coin I lost.”
10 Jesus said, “In the same way God's angels are happy when even one person turns to him.”
Two Sons
11 Jesus told them yet another story:
Once a man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, “Give me my share of the property.” So the father divided his property between his two sons.
13 Not long after that, the younger son packed up everything he owned and left for a foreign country, where he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 He had spent everything, when a bad famine spread through that whole land. Soon he had nothing to eat.
15 He went to work for a man in that country, and the man sent him out to take care of his pigs.[b] 16 He would have been glad to eat what the pigs were eating,[c] but no one gave him a thing.
17 Finally, he came to his senses and said, “My father's workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to death! 18 I will go to my father and say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer good enough to be called your son. Treat me like one of your workers.’ ”
20 The younger son got up and started back to his father. But when he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran to his son and hugged and kissed him.
21 The son said, “Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son.”
22 But his father said to the servants, “Hurry and bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and sandals[d] for his feet. 23 Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate. 24 This son of mine was dead, but has now come back to life. He was lost and has now been found.” And they began to celebrate.
25 The older son had been out in the field. But when he came near the house, he heard the music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants over and asked, “What's going on here?”
27 The servant answered, “Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father ordered us to kill the best calf.” 28 The older brother got so angry that he would not even go into the house.
His father came out and begged him to go in. 29 But he said to his father, “For years I have worked for you like a slave and have always obeyed you. But you have never even given me a little goat, so that I could give a dinner for my friends. 30 This other son of yours wasted your money on prostitutes. And now that he has come home, you ordered the best calf to be killed for a feast.”
31 His father replied, “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we should be glad and celebrate! Your brother was dead, but he is now alive. He was lost and has now been found.”
Footnotes
- 15.1 Tax collectors: See the note at 3.12.
- 15.15 pigs: The Jewish religion taught that pigs were not fit to eat or even to touch. A Jewish man would have felt terribly insulted if he had to feed pigs, much less eat with them.
- 15.16 what the pigs were eating: The Greek text has “(bean) pods,” which came from a tree in Palestine. These were used to feed animals. Poor people sometimes ate them too.
- 15.22 ring … sandals: These show that the young man's father fully accepted him as his son. A ring was a sign of high position in the family. Sandals showed that he was a son instead of a slave, since slaves did not usually wear sandals.
Luke 15
Common English Bible
Occasions for celebration
15 All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him. 2 The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.
8 “Or what woman, if she owns ten silver coins and loses one of them, won’t light a lamp and sweep the house, searching her home carefully until she finds it? 9 When she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, joy breaks out in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who changes both heart and life.”
11 Jesus said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the inheritance.’ Then the father divided his estate between them. 13 Soon afterward, the younger son gathered everything together and took a trip to a land far away. There, he wasted his wealth through extravagant living.
14 “When he had used up his resources, a severe food shortage arose in that country and he began to be in need. 15 He hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to eat his fill from what the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have more than enough food, but I’m starving to death! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son. Take me on as one of your hired hands.” ’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. His father ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him. 21 Then his son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly, bring out the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! 23 Fetch the fattened calf and slaughter it. We must celebrate with feasting 24 because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. Coming in from the field, he approached the house and heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what was going on. 27 The servant replied, ‘Your brother has arrived, and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he received his son back safe and sound.’ 28 Then the older son was furious and didn’t want to enter in, but his father came out and begged him. 29 He answered his father, ‘Look, I’ve served you all these years, and I never disobeyed your instruction. Yet you’ve never given me as much as a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours returned, after gobbling up your estate on prostitutes, you slaughtered the fattened calf for him.’ 31 Then his father said, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad because this brother of yours was dead and is alive. He was lost and is found.’”
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