Luke 15
Darby Translation
15 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.
Luke 15
Easy-to-Read Version
Joy in Heaven(A)
15 Many tax collectors and sinners came to listen to Jesus. 2 Then the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain, “Look, this man[a] welcomes sinners and even eats with them!”
3 Then Jesus told them this story: 4 “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but one of them gets lost. What will you do? You will leave the other 99 sheep there in the field and go out and look for the lost sheep. You will continue to search for it until you find it. 5 And when you find it, you will be very happy. You will carry it 6 home, go to your friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’ 7 In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner decides to change. There is more joy for that one sinner than for 99 good people who don’t need to change.
8 “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins,[b] but she loses one of them. She will take a light and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’ 10 In the same way, it’s a happy time for the angels of God when one sinner decides to change.”
Story About Two Sons
11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me now the part of your property that I am supposed to receive someday.’ So the father divided his wealth between his two sons.
13 “A few days later the younger son gathered up all that he had and left. He traveled far away to another country, and there he wasted his money living like a fool. 14 After he spent everything he had, there was a terrible famine throughout the country. He was hungry and needed money. 15 So he went and got a job with one of the people who lived there. The man sent him into the fields to feed pigs. 16 He was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.
17 “The son realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All my father’s hired workers have plenty of food. But here I am, almost dead because I have nothing to eat. 18 I will leave and go to my father. I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But let me be like one of your hired workers.’ 20 So he left and went to his father.
The Younger Son Returns
“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and felt sorry for him. So he ran to him and hugged and kissed him. 21 The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. 23 And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat. 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to have a party.
The Older Son Complains
25 “The older son had been out in the field. When he came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 So he called to one of the servant boys and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’ 27 The boy said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the best calf to eat. He is happy because he has his son back safe and sound.’
28 “The older son was angry and would not go in to the party. So his father went out and begged him to come in. 29 But he said to his father, ‘Look, for all these years I have worked like a slave for you. I have always done what you told me to do, and you never gave me even a young goat for a party with my friends. 30 But then this son of yours comes home after wasting your money on prostitutes, and you kill the best calf for him!’
31 “His father said to him, ‘Oh, my son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But this was a day to be happy and celebrate. Your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International