Luke 15

²But the religious leaders were upset. They whispered to each other, 'Look at Jesus — He spends time with bad people and even eats with them!'

³So Jesus told them a story.

⁴Jesus asked, 'If you had a hundred sheep and one got lost, wouldn't you leave the other ninety-nine and go searching until you found the missing one?'

⁵When the shepherd finally finds the lost sheep, he picks it up and carries it on his shoulders, full of joy.

⁶Back home, the shepherd gathers all his friends and neighbours and shouts, 'Celebrate with me! I found my lost sheep!'

⁷Jesus said, 'I am telling you the truth — all of heaven throws a party when even one person says sorry to God and turns back to Him. That is more wonderful than anything!'

⁸Jesus asked another question: 'If a woman had ten silver coins and lost one, wouldn't she light a lamp and sweep every corner of the house until she found it?'

⁹When she finally finds the coin, she calls her friends and neighbours and says, 'Come celebrate with me! I found the coin I had lost!'

¹⁰Jesus said, 'In the same way, all the angels of God are full of joy when one person turns back to God.'

¹¹Then Jesus told one more story. He said, 'There was a man who had two sons.'

¹²The younger son said to his father, 'Dad, give me my share of everything you will leave me one day.' So the father divided his money and property between them.

¹³Not long after that, the younger son packed everything up and went far away. In that faraway place, he spent all his money carelessly on wild living.

¹⁴When the son had spent every last coin, a terrible food shortage hit the whole country. He had nothing — no food, no money, no help.

¹⁵Desperate, he found work with a man in that country who sent him to look after pigs in the fields.

¹⁶He was so hungry he wanted to eat the scraps the pigs were eating — but nobody gave him anything.

¹⁷Then it was like he woke up and thought clearly for the first time. He said to himself, 'Even my father's servants have plenty to eat — and here I am, starving to death!'

¹⁸He made up his mind: 'I will get up, go home to my father, and tell him — Father, I have done wrong against God and against you.'

¹⁹He planned to say, 'I am not good enough to be called your son anymore. Please just let me be one of your workers.'

²⁰So he got up and started the long walk home. But while he was still far away, his father spotted him. His father's heart was bursting with love — he ran all the way to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.

²¹The son said, 'Dad, I have done wrong against God and against you. I am not good enough to be your son anymore.'

²²But before the son could say anything more, his father called out to his servants: 'Bring the best robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet!'

²³The father also said, 'Bring the best calf we have been saving and prepare a feast — we are going to eat and celebrate!'

²⁴The father said, 'My son was as good as dead — and now he is alive again! He was lost — and now he is found!' And the celebration began.

²⁵Meanwhile, the older brother had been out working in the fields. As he walked back toward the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶He stopped and asked one of the servants, 'What is going on in there?'

²⁷The servant told him, 'Your brother has come home! Your father has thrown a big feast because he came back safe and well.'

²⁸The older brother became angry and refused to go inside. So his father came out to him and gently begged him to come in.

²⁹The older son said, 'Father, I have worked for you all these years without ever disobeying you. But you have never even given me a small goat so I could celebrate with my friends!'

³⁰He continued, 'But the moment this son of yours shows up — the one who threw away your money on wicked living — you kill the best calf for him!'

³¹The father replied softly, 'My son, you have been with me all this time — and everything I have is already yours.'

³²The father said, 'But we had to celebrate and be happy! Your brother was as good as dead — and now he is alive again. He was lost — and now he is found.'