^15:8“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins²⁴ and loses²⁵ one of them,²⁶ does not light a lamp, sweep²⁷ the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it? ^15:9Then²⁸ when she has found it, she calls together her²⁹ friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice³⁰ with me, for I have found the coin³¹ that I had lost.’ ^15:10In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels³² over one sinner who repents.”

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Footnotes

24 This silver coin is a drachma, equal to a denarius, that is, a day’s pay for the average laborer.
25 Grk “What woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses.” The initial participle ἔχουσα (echousa) has been translated as a finite verb parallel to ἀπολέσῃ (apolesē) in the conditional clause to improve the English style.
26 Grk “one coin.”
27 Grk “and sweep,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
28 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
29 Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun ( ).
30 Rejoice. Besides the theme of pursuing the lost, the other theme of the parable is the joy of finding them.
31 Grk “drachma.”
32 The whole of heaven is said to rejoice. Joy in the presence of God’s angels is a way of referring to God’s joy as well without having to name him explicitly. Contemporary Judaism tended to refer to God indirectly where possible out of reverence or respect for the divine name.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And 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.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

“Or what woman who has ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the silver coin I lost!’ I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.”

NLTNew Living Translation

“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Or what woman who has ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found the drachma that I had lost!’ In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

KJV 1900King James Version

Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

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