Luke 15–16

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were drawing near to hear him. ²And both the Pharisees and the scribes were complaining, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!”

³So he told them this parable, saying, ⁴“What man of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the grassland and go after the one that was lost until he finds it? ⁵And when he^* has found it,^* he places it^* on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶And when he^* returns to his^* home, he calls together his^* friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost!’ ⁷I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸Or 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?^{* 9}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!’ ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹And he said, “A certain man had two sons. ¹²And the younger of them said to his^* father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that is coming to me.’ So he divided his^* assets between them. ¹³And after not many days, the younger son gathered everything and^* went on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth by^* living wastefully. ¹⁴And after^* he had spent everything, there was a severe famine throughout that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵And he went and^* hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to tend pigs. ¹⁶And he was longing to fill his stomach with^a the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving anything^* to him.

¹⁷“But when he^* came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have an abundance of food,^b and I am dying here from hunger! ¹⁸I will set out and^* go to my father and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight!^{c 19}I am no longer worthy to be called your son! Make me like one of your hired workers.’ ²⁰And he set out and^* came to his own father. But while^* he was still a long way away, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him^d and kissed him. ²¹And his^* son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight!^e I am no longer worthy to be called your son!’ ²²But his^* father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it^* on him, and put a ring on his finger^f and sandals on his^* feet! ²³And bring the fattened calf—kill it^* and let us eat and^* celebrate, ²⁴because this son of mine was 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 when he came and^* approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶And he summoned one of the slaves 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 gotten him back healthy.’ ²⁸But he became angry and did not want to go in. So his father came out and^* began to implore^* him. ²⁹But he answered and^* said to his father, ‘Behold, so many years I have served you, and have never disobeyed your command! And you never gave me a young goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! ³⁰But when this son of yours returned—who has consumed your assets with prostitutes—you killed the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹But he said to him, ‘Child, you are always with me, and everything I have belongs to you.^{g 32}But it was necessary to celebrate and to rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive, and was lost, and is found!’ ”

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16And he also said to the disciples, “A certain man was rich, who had a manager. And charges were brought to him that this person was squandering his possessions. ²And he summoned him and^* said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give the account of your management, because you can no longer manage.’ ³And the manager said to himself, ‘What should I do, because my master is taking away the management from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg. ⁴I know what I should do, so that when I am removed from the management they will welcome me into their homes!’ ⁵And he summoned each one of his own master’s debtors and^* said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶And he said, ‘A hundred measures of olive oil.’ So he said to him, ‘Take your promissory note and sit down quickly and^* write fifty.’ ⁷Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your promissory note and write eighty.’ ⁸And the master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light with regard to their own generation.^{a 9}And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it runs out they will welcome you into the eternal dwellings.

¹⁰“The one who is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and the one who is dishonest in very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹If then you have not been faithful with unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches?^{* 12}And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you your own? ¹³No domestic slave is able to serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and money.”

Hypocrisy, Law, and the Kingdom of God

¹⁴Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. ¹⁵And he said to them, “You are the ones who justify themselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts! For what is considered exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

¹⁶“The law and the prophets were until John; from that time on the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is urgently pressed^b into it. ¹⁷But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to become invalid.

On Divorce

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

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹“Now a certain man was rich, and dressed in purple cloth and fine linen, feasting sumptuously every day. ²⁰And a certain poor man named^c Lazarus, covered with sores, lay at his gate, ²¹and was longing to be filled with what fell from the table of the rich man. But even the dogs came and^* licked his sores. ²²Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s side.^d And the rich man also died and was buried. ²³And in Hades he lifted up his eyes as he^* was in torment and^* saw Abraham from a distance, and Lazarus at his side.^{e 24}And he called out and^* said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he could dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am suffering pain in this flame!’ ²⁵But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you received your good things during your life, and Lazarus likewise bad things. But now he is comforted here, but you are suffering pain. ²⁶And in addition to all these things, a great chasm has been established between us and you, so that those who want to cross over from here to you are not able to do so,^* nor can they cross over from there to us.’ ²⁷So he said, ‘Then I ask you, father, that you send him to my father’s house, ²⁸for I have five brothers, so that he could warn them, in order that they also should not come to this place of torment!’ ²⁹But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must listen to them.’ ³⁰And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent!’ ³¹But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone rises from the dead.’ ”