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Luke 15
Lexham English Bible
Luke 15
Lexham English Bible
The Parable of the Lost Sheep
15 Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were drawing near to hear him. 2 And both the Pharisees and the scribes were complaining, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!”
3 So he told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the grassland and go after the one that was lost until he finds it? 5 And when he[a] has found it,[b] he places it[c] on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he[d] returns to his[e] home, he calls together his[f] friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 Or what woman who has ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?[g] 9 And when she[h] has found it,[i] she calls together her[j] friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the drachma that I had lost!’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 And he said, “A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his[k] father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to me.’ So he divided his[l] assets between them. 13 And after not many days, the younger son gathered everything and[m] went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth by[n] living wastefully. 14 And after[o] he had spent everything, there was a severe famine throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15 And he went and[p] hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to tend pigs. 16 And he was longing to fill his stomach with[q] the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving anything[r] to him.
17 “But when he[s] came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have an abundance of food,[t] and I am dying here from hunger! 18 I will set out and[u] go to my father and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight![v] 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make me like one of your hired workers.’ 20 And he set out and[w] came to his own father. But while[x] he was still a long way away, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him[y] and kissed him. 21 And his[z] son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight![aa] I am no longer worthy to be called your son!’ 22 But his[ab] father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it[ac] on him, and put a ring on his finger[ad] and sandals on his[ae] feet! 23 And bring the fattened calf—kill it[af] and let us eat and[ag] celebrate, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again! He was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and[ah] approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 And he summoned one of the slaves and[ai] asked what these things meant. 27 And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has gotten him back healthy.’ 28 But he became angry and did not want to go in. So his father came out and[aj] began to implore[ak] him. 29 But he answered and[al] said to his father, ‘Behold, so many years I have served you, and have never disobeyed your command! And you never gave me a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! 30 But when this son of yours returned—who has consumed your assets with prostitutes—you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 But he said to him, ‘Child, you are always with me, and everything I have belongs to you.[am] 32 But it was necessary to celebrate and to rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive, and was lost, and is found!’”
Footnotes
- Luke 15:5 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“has found”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 15:5 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 15:5 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 15:6 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“returns”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 15:6 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:6 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:8 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 15:9 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“has found”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 15:9 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 15:9 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:12 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“gathered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:13 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the adverbial participle of manner (“living”)
- Luke 15:14 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had spent”)
- Luke 15:15 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:16 Some manuscripts have “to stuff himself with”
- Luke 15:16 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 15:17 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
- Luke 15:17 Literally “of bread”
- Luke 15:18 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“set out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:18 Literally “in the sight of you”
- Luke 15:20 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“set out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:20 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“away”)
- Luke 15:20 Literally “fell on his neck”
- Luke 15:21 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:21 Literally “in the sight of you”
- Luke 15:22 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:22 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 15:22 Literally “hand,” but this is a metonymy of whole (“hand”) for part (“finger”)
- Luke 15:22 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Luke 15:23 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Luke 15:23 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“eat”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:25 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:26 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“summoned”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:28 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:28 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to implore”)
- Luke 15:29 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“answered”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Luke 15:31 Literally “all my things are yours”
Luke 15
New International Version
Luke 15
New International Version
The Parable of the Lost Sheep(A)
15 Now the tax collectors(B) and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”(C)
3 Then Jesus told them this parable:(D) 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?(E) 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’(F) 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.(G)
The Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’(H) 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”(I)
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.(J) 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’(K) So he divided his property(L) 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(M) 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.(N) 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(O) 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.(P)
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.(Q) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe(R) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger(S) 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;(T) he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.(U)
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(V) 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(W) with prostitutes(X) 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.’”(Y)
Footnotes
- Luke 15:8 Greek ten drachmas, each worth about a day’s wages
Luke 15
New Living Translation
Luke 15
New Living Translation
Parable of the Lost Sheep
15 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Parable of the Lost Coin
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Parable of the Lost Son
11 To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12 The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
13 “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. 14 About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. 15 He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. 16 The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
17 “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19 and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
20 “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.[b]’
22 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. 23 And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26 and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
28 “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29 but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 30 Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32 We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.