The Story of the Loving Father

¹¹ Then Jesus^[a] said, “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger one told his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So the father^[b] divided his property between them. ¹³ A few days later, the younger son gathered everything he owned and traveled to a distant country. There he wasted it all^[c] on wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went out to work for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ No one would give him anything, even though he would gladly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating.

¹⁷ “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more food than they can eat, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will get up, go to my father, and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven^[d] and you. ¹⁹ I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore. Treat me like one of your hired men.”’

²⁰ “So he got up and went to his father. While he was still far away, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son,^[e] threw his arms around him, and kissed him affectionately. ²¹ Then his son told him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven^[f] and you. I don’t deserve to be called your son anymore.’^{[g] 22} But the father told his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let’s eat and celebrate! ²⁴ Because my son was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now the father’s^[h] older son was in the field. As he was coming back to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called to one of the servants and asked what was happening. ²⁷ The servant^[i] told him, ‘Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got him back safely.’

²⁸ “Then the older son^[j] became angry and wouldn’t go into the house.^[k] So his father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Listen! All these years I’ve worked like a slave for you. I’ve never disobeyed a command of yours. Yet you’ve never given me so much as a young goat for a festival^[l] so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But this son of yours spent your money on prostitutes, and when he came back, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “His father^[m] told him, ‘My child, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and has been found.’”