Luke 15–16

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15Now ^zthe tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. ²And the Pharisees and the scribes ^agrumbled, saying, ^b“This man receives sinners and ^ceats with them.”

³So he told them this parable: ^4d“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, ^eif he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine ^fin the open country, and ^ggo after the one that is lost, until he finds it? ⁵And when he has found it, ^hhe lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for ⁱI have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who ^jrepents than over ninety-nine ^krighteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸“Or what woman, having ten silver coins,¹ if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? ⁹And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ ¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy before ^lthe angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Prodigal Son

¹¹And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. ¹²And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me ^mthe share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided ⁿhis property between them. ¹³Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in ^oreckless living. ¹⁴And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to² one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶And he ^pwas longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

¹⁷“But ^qwhen he ^rcame to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! ¹⁸I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, ^sI have sinned against ^theaven and before you. ^19uI am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.” ’ ²⁰And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ^vran and ^wembraced him and ^xkissed him. ²¹And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. ^uI am no longer worthy to be called your son.’^{3 22}But the father said to his servants,⁴ ‘Bring quickly ^ythe best robe, and put it on him, and put ^za ring on his hand, and ^ashoes on his feet. ²³And bring ^bthe fattened calf and kill it, and ^clet us eat and celebrate. ²⁴For this my son ^dwas 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 as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, ²⁹but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might ^ecelebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came, ^fwho has devoured ^gyour property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹And he said to him, ‘Son, ^hyou are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²It was fitting ^eto celebrate and be glad, for this your brother ⁱwas dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’ ”

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had ^ja manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ²And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your ^kmanagement, for you can no longer be manager.’ ³And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. ⁴I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶He said, ‘A hundred measures¹ of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ ⁷Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures² of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ ⁸The master commended the dishonest manager for his ^lshrewdness. For ^mthe sons of this world³ are ^lmore shrewd in dealing with their own generation than ⁿthe sons of light. ⁹And I tell you, ^omake friends for yourselves by means of ^punrighteous wealth,⁴ so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

^10q“One who is ^rfaithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹²And if you have not been faithful in ^sthat which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ^13pNo servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

The Law and the Kingdom of God

^14tThe Pharisees, who were ^ulovers of money, heard all these things, and they ^vridiculed him. ¹⁵And he said to them, “You are those who ^wjustify yourselves before men, but ^xGod knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men ^yis an abomination in the sight of God.

^16z“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then ^athe good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and ^beveryone forces his way into it.^{5 17}But ^cit is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.

Divorce and Remarriage

^18d“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹“There was a rich man who was clothed in ^epurple and fine linen and ^fwho feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰And at his gate ^gwas laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who desired to be fed with ^hwhat fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²²The poor man died and was carried by ⁱthe angels ^jto Abraham’s side.⁶ The rich man also died and was buried, ²³and in ^kHades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and ^lsaw Abraham far off and Lazarus ^jat his side. ²⁴And he called out, ^m‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and ⁿcool my tongue, for ^oI am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that ^pyou in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹But Abraham said, ‘They have ^qMoses and the Prophets; ^rlet them hear them.’ ³⁰And he said, ‘No, ^sfather Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹He said to him, ‘If they do not hear ^qMoses and the Prophets, ^tneither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”