Chapter 15

  And all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near to him to hear him;  

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  and the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This [man] receives sinners and eats with them.  

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  And he spoke to them this parable, saying,  

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  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?  

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  and having found it, he lays it upon his own shoulders, rejoicing;  

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  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.  

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  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.  

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  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?  

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  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.  

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  Thus, I say unto you, there is joy before the angels of God for one repenting sinner.  

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  And he said, A certain man had two sons;  

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  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.  

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  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.  

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  But when he had spent all there arose a violent famine throughout that country, and he began to be in want.  

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  And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  

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  And he longed to fill his belly with the husks which the swine were eating; and no one gave to him.  

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  And coming to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have abundance of bread, and I perish here by famine.  

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  I will rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee;  

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  I am no longer worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.  

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  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.  

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  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.  

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  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;  

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  and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry:  

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  for this my son was dead and has come to life, was lost and has been found. And they began to make merry.  

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  And his elder son was in the field; and as, coming [up], he drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing.  

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  And having called one of the servants, he inquired what these things might be.  

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  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.  

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  But he became angry and would not go in. And his father went out and besought him.  

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  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:  

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  but when this thy son, who has devoured thy substance with harlots, is come, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.  

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  But he said to him, Child, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine.  

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  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.  

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