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

2 and the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This {man} receives sinners and eats with them.

3 And he spoke to them this parable, saying,

4 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?

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

6 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.

7 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.

8 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?

9 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.

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

11 And he said, A certain man had two sons;

12 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.

13 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

20 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.

21 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.

22 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;

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

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

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

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

27 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.

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

29 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:

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

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

32 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.

1 Y SE llegaban á él todos los publicanos y pecadores á oirle.

2 Y murmuraban los Fariseos y los escribas, diciendo: Este á los pecadores recibe, y con ellos come.

3 Y él les propuso esta parábola, diciendo:

4 ¿Qué hombre de vosotros, teniendo cien ovejas, si perdiere una de ellas, no deja las noventa y nueve en el desierto, y va á la que se perdió, hasta que la halle?

5 Y hallada, la pone sobre sus hombros gozoso;

6 Y viniendo á casa, junta á los amigos y á los vecinos, diciéndoles: Dadme el parabién, porque he hallado mi oveja que se había perdido.

7 Os digo, que así habrá más gozo en el cielo de un pecador que se arrepiente, que de noventa y nueve justos, que no necesitan arrepentimiento.

8 ¿O qué mujer que tiene diez dracmas, si perdiere una dracma, no enciende el candil, y barre la casa, y busca con diligencia hasta hallarla?

9 Y cuando la hubiere hallado, junta las amigas y las vecinas, diciendo: Dadme el parabién, porque he hallado la dracma que había perdido.

10 Así os digo que hay gozo delante de los ángeles de Dios por un pecador que se arrepiente.

11 Y dijo: Un hombre tenía dos hijos;

12 Y el menor de ellos dijo á su padre: Padre, dame la parte de la hacienda que me pertenece: y les repartió la hacienda.

13 Y no muchos días después, juntándolo todo el hijo menor, partió lejos á una provincia apartada; y allí desperdició su hacienda viviendo perdidamente.

14 Y cuando todo lo hubo malgastado, vino una grande hambre en aquella provincia, y comenzóle á faltar.

15 Y fué y se llegó á uno de los ciudadanos de aquella tierra, el cual le envió á su hacienda para que apacentase los puercos.

16 Y deseaba henchir su vientre de las algarrobas que comían los puercos; mas nadie se las daba.

17 Y volviendo en sí, dijo: ­Cuántos jornaleros en casa de mi padre tienen abundancia de pan, y yo aquí perezco de hambre!

18 Me levantaré, é iré á mi padre, y le diré: Padre, he pecado contra el cielo y contra ti;

19 Ya no soy digno de ser llamado tu hijo; hazme como á uno de tus jornaleros.

20 Y levantándose, vino á su padre. Y como aun estuviese lejos, viólo su padre, y fué movido á misericordia, y corrió, y echóse sobre su cuello, y besóle.

21 Y el hijo le dijo: Padre, he pecado contra el cielo, y contra ti, y ya no soy digno de ser llamado tu hijo.

22 Mas el padre dijo á sus siervos: Sacad el principal vestido, y vestidle; y poned un anillo en su mano, y zapatos en sus pies.

23 Y traed el becerro grueso, y matadlo, y comamos, y hagamos fiesta:

24 Porque este mi hijo muerto era, y ha revivido; habíase perdido, y es hallado. Y comenzaron á regocijarse.

25 Y su hijo el mayor estaba en el campo; el cual como vino, y llegó cerca de casa, oyó la sinfonía y las danzas;

26 Y llamando á uno de los criados, preguntóle qué era aquello.

27 Y él le dijo: Tu hermano ha venido; y tu padre ha muerto el becerro grueso, por haberle recibido salvo.

28 Entonces se enojó, y no quería entrar. Salió por tanto su padre, y le rogaba que entrase.

29 Mas él respondiendo, dijo al padre: He aquí tantos años te sirvo, no habiendo traspasado jamás tu mandamiento, y nunca me has dado un cabrito para gozarme con mis amigos:

30 Mas cuando vino éste tu hijo, que ha consumido tu hacienda con rameras, has matado para él el becerro grueso.

31 El entonces le dijo: Hijo, tú siempre estás conmigo, y todas mis cosas son tuyas.

32 Mas era menester hacer fiesta y holgar nos, porque este tu hermano muerto era, y ha revivido; habíase perdido, y es hallado.