¹Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming to hear him. ²But the Pharisees and the experts in the law were complaining, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³So Jesus told them this parable: ⁴“Which one of you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go look for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵Then when he has found it, he places it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶Returning home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my sheep that was lost.’ ⁷I tell you, 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 to repent. ⁸“Or what woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search thoroughly until she finds it?⁹Then 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.’ ¹⁰In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” ¹¹Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. ¹²The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. ¹³After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle. ¹⁴Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.¹⁷But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! ¹⁸I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.”’ ²⁰So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. ²¹Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²²But the father said to his slaves, ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! ²³Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate, ²⁴because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again—he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate. ²⁵“Now his older son was in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the slaves and asked what was happening.²⁷The slave replied, ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got his son back safe and sound.’ ²⁸But the older son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and appealed to him, ²⁹but he answered his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! ³⁰But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ ³¹Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours. ³²It was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’”