Daily Reading for Personal Growth, 40 Days with God

¹¹ And He said, There was a certain man who had two sons;

¹² And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the part of the property that falls [to me]. And he divided the estate between them.^(A)

¹³ And not many days after that, the younger son gathered up all that he had and journeyed into a distant country, and there he wasted his fortune in reckless and loose [from restraint] living.

¹⁴ And when he had spent all he had, a ^[a]mighty famine came upon that country, and he began to fall behind and be in want.

¹⁵ So he went and forced (glued) himself upon one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed hogs.

¹⁶ And he would gladly have fed on and ^[b]filled his belly with the ^[c]carob pods that the hogs were eating, but [they could not satisfy his hunger and] nobody gave him anything [better].^(B)

¹⁷ Then when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father have enough food, and [even food] to spare, but I am perishing (dying) here of hunger!

¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight.

¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; [just] make me like one of your hired servants.

²⁰ So he got up and came to his [own] father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness [for him]; and he ran and embraced him and kissed him [^[d]fervently].

²¹ And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son [I no longer deserve to be recognized as a son of yours]!

²² But the father said to his bond servants, Bring quickly the best robe (the festive robe of honor) and put it on him; and give him a ring for his hand and sandals for his feet.^(C)

²³ And bring out ^[e]that [wheat-]fattened calf and kill it; and let us ^[f]revel and feast and be happy and make merry,

²⁴ Because this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found! And they began to ^[g]revel and feast and make merry.

²⁵ But his older son was in the field; and as he returned and came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶ And having called one of the servant [boys] to him, he began to ask what this meant.

²⁷ And he said to him, Your brother has come, and your father has killed ^[h]that [wheat-]fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and well.

²⁸ But [the elder brother] was angry [with deep-seated wrath] and resolved not to go in. Then his father came out and began to plead with him,

²⁹ But he answered his father, Look! These many years I have served you, and I have never disobeyed your command. Yet you never gave me [so much as] a [little] kid, that I might ^[i]revel and feast and be happy and make merry with my friends;

³⁰ But when this son of yours arrived, who has devoured your estate with immoral women, you have killed for him ^[j]that [wheat-] fattened calf!

³¹ And the father said to him, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

³² But it was fitting to make merry, to ^[k]revel and feast and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!