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¶ Yon jou, David mande: -Pa rete yon moun menm nan fanmi Sayil la? Si genyen, mwen ta renmen aji byen avè l' poutèt Jonatan.

Te gen yon domestik ki t'ap travay lakay Sayil ki te rele Ziba. Yo fè chache l', yo mennen l' bay wa a. Wa a mande l': -Se ou menm nonm yo rele Ziba a? Li reponn: -Wi, monwa. Mwen la pou m' sèvi ou.

Wa a mande l': -Pa gen yon moun ki rete nan fanmi Sayil la, pou m' ka fè kichòy pou li jan mwen te pwomèt sa devan Bondye? Ziba reponn li: -Wi, gen yonn nan pitit gason Jonatan yo ki vivan toujou. Men, li enfim nan tou de pye l' yo.

Wa a mande l': -Kote l' ye? Ziba reponn: -Li kay Maki, pitit gason Amiyèl la, lavil Lodeba.

Se konsa, David voye chache l'.

Lè Mefibochèt, pitit Jonatan, pitit pitit Sayil la, rive, li mete ajenou, li bese tèt li rive atè devan David. David di l' konsa: -Mefibochèt? Li reponn: -Se mwen menm, monwa. M' la pou m' sèvi ou.

David di l' konsa: -Ou pa bezwen pè. Mwen pral aji byen avè ou poutèt Jonatan, papa ou. M'ap renmèt ou tout tè ki te pou Sayil, granpapa ou. Lèfini, chak jou w'a vin manje sou tab avè m'.

Mefibochèt bese tèt li byen ba ankò, li di: -Monwa, poukisa w'ap okipe yon vye chen tou mouri tankou mwen?

¶ Lè sa a, wa a rele Ziba, domestik Sayil la, li di l' konsa: -Mwen renmèt Mefibochèt, pitit pitit gason mèt ou a, tou sa ki te pou Sayil ak fanmi l'.

10 Ou men, ansanm ak pitit gason ou yo ak moun k'ap sèvi avè ou yo, nou pral travay tè a pou li. W'a pote rekòt la ba li pou rès fanmi l' ka jwenn manje pou yo manje. Men, Mefibochèt li menm ap toujou vin manje chak jou sou tab avè m'. Ziba te gen kenz pitit gason ak ven moun k'ap sèvi l'.

11 Ziba reponn li: -M'ap fè tou sa monwa ban m' lòd fè. Se konsa, Mefibochèt toujou manje sou tab ansanm ak David tankou si li te yonn nan pitit wa a.

12 Mefibochèt te gen yon pitit gason ki te piti joujou. Li te rele Mika. Tout moun ki te rete kay Ziba t'ap travay pou Mefibochèt.

13 Se konsa, Mefibochèt ki te enfim nan tou de pye l' yo rete lavil Jerizalèm. Li t'ap manje chak jou sou tab ansanm ak wa a.

10 ¶ Kèk tan apre sa, Nakach, wa lavil Amon an, mouri. Se pitit li, Anoun, ki moute wa nan plas li.

David di: -Se pou m' aji byen ak Anoun menm jan papa l', Nakach, te aji byen avè m'. Se konsa David voye mesaje al di Anoun jan sa te fè l' lapenn lè l' pran nouvèl lanmò papa l'. Lè mesaje yo rive lavil Amon,

chèf moun Amon yo di wa Anoun konsa: -Pa konprann se sèlman pou lanmò papa ou la kifè David voye mesaje sa yo bò kote ou pou konsole ou. Detwonpe ou. Li voye yo isit la pou yo wè jan lavil la ye, pou yo gade byen jan sa ap pase nan lavil la. Konsa, pita li ka vin pran lavil la nan men nou.

Sa Anoun fè lè sa a, li pran moun David te voye yo, li raze tout yon bò nan bab yo, li koupe anba rad yo ra dèyè yo, li voye yo tounen.

Mesye yo te wont anpil pou yo te tounen lakay yo konsa. Lè David vin konn sa ki te rive yo, li voye di yo rete lavil Jeriko, y'a tounen lakay yo lè bab yo va pouse ankò.

¶ Moun Amon yo vin konprann yo te fè David fache. Yo voye chache venmil (20.000) sòlda lavil Bètreyòb ak lavil Zoba nan peyi Aram lan, ak douzmil (12.000) gason lavil Tòb. Yo voye chache wa lavil Maka a tou ansanm ak mil (1.000) sòlda. Yo peye yo pou yo vin goumen pou yo.

David menm vin konn sa, li voye Joab ak tout lame vanyan sòlda li yo al kontre yo.

Moun Amon yo soti, y' al pran pozisyon devan pòtay lavil Raba, kapital yo a. Moun Aram ki soti lavil Bètreyòb ak lavil Zoba yo ansanm ak mesye lavil Tòb yo ak mesye lavil Maka yo pran pozisyon nan plenn lan.

Joab te wè lame lènmi yo te ka atake l' ni sou devan ni sou dèyè. Sa l' fè? Li chwazi pi bon sòlda nan lame pèp Izrayèl la, li mete yo an pozisyon devan lame moun Aram yo.

10 Lèfini, li mete Abichayi, frè l' la, alatèt rès lame a, li fè yo pran pozisyon devan moun Amon yo.

11 Joab di Abichayi konsa: -Si ou wè moun Aram yo soti pou yo bat mwen, w'a vin ede m'. Konsa tou, si mwen wè moun Amon yo vle pi fò pase ou, m'a vin ede ou.

12 Mete gason sou nou. Kouraj! Nou pral goumen rèd mare pou pèp nou an ak pou lavil Bondye nou an. Bondye va fè sa li vle li menm.

13 Joab ak sòlda li yo mache sou moun Aram yo. Moun Aram yo kouri pou li.

14 Lè moun Amon yo wè moun Aram yo kouri ale, yo kouri tou pou Abichayi, yo antre nan lavil la. Lè sa a, Joab sispann batay la ak moun Amon yo, li tounen lavil Jerizalèm.

15 ¶ Lè moun Aram yo wè moun Izrayèl yo te bat yo ankò, yo sanble dènye sòlda yo te genyen.

16 Adadezè voye yon mesaj bay moun Aram ki rete lòt bò larivyè Lefrat la, pou yo pare vin goumen pou li. Yo reyini lavil Elam. Se Chobak, chèf lame Adadezè a, ki te alatèt yo.

17 Lè David vin konn sa, li sanble tout lame pèp Izrayèl la, li janbe lòt bò larivyè Jouden, li rive Elam. Moun Aram yo pran pozisyon devan li. Epi batay la konmanse.

18 Moun Izrayèl yo fè moun Aram yo kouri met deyò. David ak sòlda li yo touye sètsan (700) sòlda ki te sou cha lagè, katòzmil (14.000) sòlda ki te sou chwal. Yo blese Chobak, chèf lame lènmi yo, ki mouri la menm kote yo t'ap goumen an.

19 Lè tout ti wa ki te mete tèt ansanm ak Adadezè yo wè jan moun Izrayèl yo te bat yo, yo fè lapè ak yo, yo soumèt devan yo. Se konsa, moun Aram pa pran chans al pote moun Amon yo sekou ankò.

11 ¶ Nan prentan apre sa, nan epòk wa yo konn soti pou al fè lagè, David voye Joab ansanm ak tout lòt ofisye yo alatèt lame pèp Izrayèl la al goumen ak moun Amon yo. Yo ravaje peyi Amon an, yo sènen lavil Raba. David menm te rete lavil Jerizalèm.

Yon jou, bò aswè, David te fin fè yon ti poze, li leve, li soti al sou teras ki anwo palè a. Antan li la, li wè yon fanm ki t'ap benyen. Fanm lan te bèl anpil.

Li voye chache konnen ki moun fanm lan te ye. Yo vin di l' se Batcheba, pitit fi Eliyam lan, madan Ouri, moun peyi Et la.

David voye mesaje al chache l' mennen l' ba li, li kouche avè l'. Lè sa a Batcheba te fèk fin fè sèvis pou l' fè apre règ li. Apre sa, Batcheba tounen lakay li.

Fanm lan vin ansent. Li voye nouvèl bay David pou fè l' konn sa.

¶ David voye yon mesaj bay Joab, li mande l' pou l' voye Ouri, moun peyi Et la, ba li. Se konsa, Joab voye Ouri bay David.

Lè Ouri rive, David mande l' nouvèl Joab ak sòlda yo, ki jan batay la ye.

Apre sa, li di Ouri: -Desann al lakay ou non! Al poze kò ou! Ouri soti. David voye yon kado pou li lakay li.

Men Ouri pa al lakay li. Li kouche bò pòtay palè a ansanm ak tout lòt sòlda wa yo.

10 Lè David vin konnen Ouri pa t' al lakay li, li mande l': -Ou fèk antre soti nan vwayaj, poukisa ou pa al lakay ou?

11 Ouri reponn David: -Sòlda Izrayèl yo ak sòlda Jida yo byen lwen ap fè lagè, Bwat Kontra Seyè a ansanm ak yo. Kòmandan Joab ak lòt chèf lame monwa yo ap pase nwit deyò nan plenn yo. Ki jan ou vle pou m' al lakay mwen, manje, bwè, kouche ak madanm mwen? Mwen fè sèman sou tèt ou, menm jan ou vivan an, m' pa ka janm fè bagay konsa.

12 David di li: -Bon. Ou mèt rete pase rès jounen an isit la. Denmen m'a voye ou ale. Se konsa, Ouri rete lavil Jerizalèm pou de jou ankò.

13 David envite l' vin manje avè l'. Li fè l' bwè jouk li sou. Men jou swa sa a tou, Ouri pa desann al lakay li. Li kouche sou kabann li ansanm ak sòlda palè wa yo.

14 ¶ Nan denmen, David ekri Joab yon lèt, li bay Ouri pote l' ale.

15 Nan lèt la, li te ekri: W'a mete Ouri devan nèt, kote batay la pi cho a. Apre sa, rale kò ou dèyè, kite yo touye l'.

16 Se konsa, Joab ki te sènen lavil Raba a voye Ouri kote li te konnen lènmi yo te pi fò a.

17 Lame lènmi yo soti nan lavil la, yo vin kontre ak lame Joab la. Gen anpil sòlda ak anpil ofisye lame David la ki te mouri. Ouri, moun peyi Et la, mouri tou.

18 Joab voye rakonte David tout ti detay sou jan batay la pase.

19 Epi li bay mesaje a lòd sa a: -Lè w'a fin rakonte wa a tout ti detay batay la,

20 li ka fè kòlè, li ka di ou: Poukisa nou te pwoche pre lavil la konsa pou m' te goumen ak lènmi yo? Se konnen nou pa konnen yo te ka rete sou tèt miray la pou yo tire flèch sou nou?

21 Nou gen lè bliye jan Abimelèk, pitit Jedeyon an te mouri lavil Tebès? Se yon fanm ki te rete sou tèt miray la, li voye yo wòl moulen sou li, li touye l' frèt. Poukisa atò nou te pwoche pre lavil la konsa? Si wa a pale konsa avè ou, w'a di l': Ouri, moun peyi Et la, ofisye lame ou la, mouri tou.

22 Mesaje a ale, li rakonte David tou sa Joab te ba li lòd rakonte l' la.

23 Li di l': -Lènmi nou yo te pi fò pase nou. Yo fè yon soti nan lavil la, yo vin goumen avè nou nan plenn lan. Men nou fè yo kase tèt tounen, nou kouri dèyè yo jouk devan pòtay lavil la.

24 Se lè sa a, yo rete sou tèt miray yo, yo voye flèch sou nou. Gen kèk ofisye lame wa a ki mouri. Ouri, moun peyi Et la, ofisye wa a, mouri tou.

25 David di mesaje a: -Ankouraje Joab. Di li li pa bezwen kite sa fatige l' twòp. Se toujou konsa lè y'ap fè lagè. Ou pa janm konnen kilès ki pral mouri. Di li pare pou li fè yon gwo atak sou lavil la pou li pran l'.

26 Lè Batcheba vin pran nouvèl mari l' te mouri, li pran lapenn pou li.

27 Lè seremoni lantèman yo fini, David voye chache l', li pran l' lakay li. Batcheba vin madanm li. Li fè yon pitit gason pou David. Men, sa David te fè a pa t' fè Seyè a plezi menm.

David and Mephibosheth

David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”(A)

Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba.(B) They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

“At your service,” he replied.

The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”

Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan;(C) he is lame(D) in both feet.”

“Where is he?” the king asked.

Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir(E) son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.(F)

David said, “Mephibosheth!”

“At your service,” he replied.

“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan.(G) I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.(H)

Mephibosheth(I) bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog(J) like me?”

Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s steward, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson(K) may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[a] table like one of the king’s sons.(L)

12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.(M) 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.

David Defeats the Ammonites(N)

10 In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash,(O) just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.

When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out(P) and overthrow it?” So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard,(Q) cut off their garments at the buttocks,(R) and sent them away.

When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious(S) to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean(T) foot soldiers from Beth Rehob(U) and Zobah,(V) as well as the king of Maakah(W) with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.(X)

On hearing this, David sent Joab(Y) out with the entire army of fighting men. The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maakah were by themselves in the open country.

Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 10 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai(Z) his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. 11 Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. 12 Be strong,(AA) and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”(AB)

13 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites(AC) realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

15 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River; they went to Helam, with Shobak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. 18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers.[b] He also struck down Shobak the commander of their army, and he died there. 19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject(AD) to them.

So the Arameans(AE) were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

David and Bathsheba

11 In the spring,(AF) at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab(AG) out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army.(AH) They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.(AI) But David remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof(AJ) of the palace. From the roof he saw(AK) a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba,(AL) the daughter of Eliam(AM) and the wife of Uriah(AN) the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her.(AO) She came to him, and he slept(AP) with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.)(AQ) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah(AR) the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”(AS) So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.

10 David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”

11 Uriah said to David, “The ark(AT) and Israel and Judah are staying in tents,[c] and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love(AU) to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”

12 Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter(AV) to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down(AW) and die.(AX)

16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelek(AY) son of Jerub-Besheth[d]? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall,(AZ) so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”

22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”

25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”

26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning(BA) was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased(BB) the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 9:11 Septuagint; Hebrew my
  2. 2 Samuel 10:18 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 19:18); Hebrew horsemen
  3. 2 Samuel 11:11 Or staying at Sukkoth
  4. 2 Samuel 11:21 Also known as Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon)

11 ¶ Jezi di ankò: Vwala, se te yon nonm ki te gen de pitit gason.

12 Pi piti a di papa l': Papa, ban m' pa m' nan byen nou yo. Lè sa a, papa a separe byen l' yo bay tou de.

13 Kèk jou apre, ti gason an ranmase tout afè l', li pati, li ale nan yon peyi byen lwen. Antan li la, li lage kò l' nan banbòch, li gaspiye tout lajan l'.

14 Lè msye fin depanse tout lajan l', yon gwo grangou tonbe sou peyi a. Lè sa a, li vin nan nesesite.

15 li al mande travay lakay yon abitan nan peyi a. Abitan an voye l' nan jaden l' al gade kochon.

16 Lè sa a, li ta byen renmen plen vant li ak sa kochon yo t'ap manje a, men pesonn pa t' ba li.

17 Se lè sa a atò li pran kalkile sou sitiyasyon l'. Li di konsa: Gade kantite moun k'ap travay kay papa m' pou lajan! Yo jwenn manje depase sa yo ka manje. Epi mwen menm, m'ap mouri grangou isit la.

18 M'ap leve, mwen pral tounen jwenn papa m', m'ap di li: Papa, mwen peche kont Bondye, mwen peche kont ou menm tou.

19 Mwen pa merite pou ou konsidere m' pou pitit ou ankò. Gade m' tankou yonn nan moun k'ap travay avè ou yo.

20 Li leve vre, li pran chemen tounen kay papa li. Msye te byen lwen kay la toujou lè papa a wè li. Kè papa a fè l' mal, li kouri al rankontre l', li pase men l' nan kou pitit la epi li bo li.

21 Pitit la di li: Papa, mwen peche kont Bondye, mwen peche kont ou menm tou; mwen pa merite pou ou konsidere m' pou pitit ou ankò.

22 Men, papa a di domestik li yo: Ale vit. Pote pi bèl rad la, mete l' sou li pou mwen. Mete yon bag nan dwèt li, mete soulye nan pye li.

23 Al chache jenn ti towo nou t'ap angrese a, touye l'. Ann fete, ann manje.

24 Paske, pitit gason m' sa a te mouri, men li tounen vivan ankò; li te pèdi, koulye a mwen jwenn li. Epi, yo kòmanse fè fèt.

25 Lè sa a, pi gran gason an te nan jaden. Antan l'ap soti nan jaden, lè l' rive pre kay la, li tande mizik la ak vwa moun k'ap danse yo.

26 Li rele yonn nan domestik yo, li mande li: Sak genyen?

27 Domestik la di li: Ti frè ou la tounen. Papa ou fè touye jenn ti towo nou t'ap angrese a, paske li jwenn msye an sante.

28 Gran frè a fè kòlè, li derefize antre nan kay la. Papa a soti, li mande l' pou l' antre.

29 Men, gran frè a reponn papa a: Gade tout tan mwen genyen depi m'ap sèvi ou; mwen pa janm derespekte lòd ou. Men, ou pa janm ban m' yon ti kabrit menm pou m' fè fèt ak zanmi m' yo.

30 Men, lè pitit gason ou lan tounen, li menm ki fin gaspiye tout byen ou yo ak jennès, se pou li ou fè touye jenn towo nou t'ap angrese a.

31 Papa a di li: Pitit mwen, ou toujou la avè m'; tout sa m' genyen se pou ou.

32 Men, fòk kanmenm nou te fè fèt, nou pa t' ka pa kontan, paske frè ou la te mouri, men li tounen vivan, li te pèdi, mwen jwenn li koulye a.

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The Parable of the Lost Son

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.(A) 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’(B) So he divided his property(C) between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth(D) in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.(E) 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned(F) against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.(G)

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.(H) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe(I) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger(J) and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;(K) he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.(L)

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28 “The older brother became angry(M) and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property(N) with prostitutes(O) comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘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 again; he was lost and is found.’”(P)

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