Luke 15:1
ἦσαν δὲ αὐτῷ ἐγγίζοντες πάντες οἱ τελῶναι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ.
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.
Luke 15:2
καὶ διεγόγγυζον οἵ τε Φαρισαῖοι καὶ οἱ γραμματεῖς λέγοντες ὅτι οὗτος ἁμαρτωλοὺς προσδέχεται— καὶ συνεσθίει αὐτοῖς.
This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people — even eating with them!
Luke 15:4
Τίς ἄνθρωπος ἐξ ὑμῶν ἔχων ἑκατὸν πρόβατα καὶ ἀπολέσας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἕν, οὐ καταλείπει τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καὶ πορεύεται ἐπὶ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἕως εὕρῃ αὐτό;
“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?
Luke 15:5
καὶ εὑρών, ἐπιτίθησιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὤμους αὐτοῦ χαίρων.
And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.
Luke 15:6
καὶ ἐλθὼν εἰς τὸν οἶκον, συνκαλεῖ τοὺς φίλους καὶ τοὺς γείτονας λέγων αὐτοῖς, Συνχάρητέ μοι ὅτι εὗρον τὸ πρόβατόν μου τὸ ἀπολωλός.
When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
Luke 15:7
λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι οὕτως, χαρὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἔσται ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι ἢ ἐπὶ ἐνενήκοντα ἐννέα δικαίοις οἵτινες οὐ χρείαν ἔχουσιν μετανοίας.
In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
Luke 15:8
ἢ τίς γυνὴ δραχμὰς ἔχουσα δέκα ἐὰν ἀπολέσῃ δραχμὴν μίαν· οὐχὶ ἅπτει λύχνον καὶ σαροῖ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ζητεῖ ἐπιμελῶς ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ;
“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?
Luke 15:9
καὶ εὑροῦσα, συνκαλεῖ τὰς φίλας καὶ γείτονας λέγουσα, Συνχάρητέ μοι ὅτι εὗρον τὴν δραχμὴν ἣν ἀπώλεσα.
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.’
Luke 15:10
οὕτως λέγω ὑμῖν, γίνεται χαρὰ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀγγέλων τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι.
In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Luke 15:11
εἶπεν δέ· ̓Άνθρωπός τις εἶχεν δύο υἱούς.
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons.
Luke 15:12
καὶ εἶπεν ὁ νεώτερος αὐτῶν τῷ πατρί, Πάτερ, δός μοι τὸ ἐπιβάλλον μέρος τῆς οὐσίας. ὁ δὲ διεῖλεν αὐτοῖς τὸν βίον.
The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
Luke 15:13
καὶ μετ᾽ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας συναγαγὼν πάντα ὁ νεώτερος υἱὸς ἀπεδήμησεν εἰς χώραν μακράν, καὶ ἐκεῖ διεσκόρπισεν τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ ζῶν ἀσώτως.
“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.
Luke 15:14
δαπανήσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ πάντα, ἐγένετο λιμὸς ἰσχυρὰ κατὰ τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην, καὶ αὐτὸς ἤρξατο ὑστερεῖσθαι.
About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.
Luke 15:15
καὶ πορευθεὶς ἐκολλήθη ἑνὶ τῶν πολιτῶν τῆς χώρας ἐκείνης, καὶ ἔπεμψεν αὐτὸν εἰς τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτοῦ βόσκειν χοίρους.
He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.
Luke 15:16
καὶ ἐπεθύμει χορτασθῆναι ἐκ τῶν κερατίων ὧν ἤσθιον οἱ χοῖροι. καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐδίδου αὐτῷ.
The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
Luke 15:17
εἰς ἑαυτὸν δὲ ἐλθὼν ἔφη, Πόσοι μίσθιοι τοῦ πατρός μου περισσεύονται ἄρτων, ἐγὼ δὲ λιμῷ ὧδε ἀπόλλυμαι.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger!
Luke 15:18
ἀναστὰς πορεύσομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ ἐρῶ αὐτῷ, Πάτερ, ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου,
I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,
Luke 15:19
οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος κληθῆναι υἱός σου. ποίησόν με ὡς ἕνα τῶν μισθίων σου.
and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
Luke 15:20
καὶ ἀναστὰς ἦλθεν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἑαυτοῦ. ἔτι δὲ αὐτοῦ μακρὰν ἀπέχοντος, εἶδεν αὐτὸν ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐσπλαγχνίσθη, καὶ δραμών, ἐπέπεσεν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατεφίλησεν αὐτόν.
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
Luke 15:21
εἶπεν δὲ ὁ υἱὸς αὐτῷ, Πάτερ, ἥμαρτον εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἐνώπιόν σου, οὐκέτι εἰμὶ ἄξιος κληθῆναι υἱός σου.
His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’
Luke 15:22
εἶπεν δὲ ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς τοὺς δούλους αὐτοῦ, Ταχύ· ἐξενέγκατε στολὴν τὴν πρώτην καὶ ἐνδύσατε αὐτόν. καὶ δότε δακτύλιον εἰς τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ καὶ ὑποδήματα εἰς τοὺς πόδας.
“But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet.
Luke 15:23
καὶ φέρετε τὸν μόσχον τὸν σιτευτὸν θύσατε· καὶ φαγόντες εὐφρανθῶμεν.
And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast,
Luke 15:24
ὅτι οὗτος ὁ υἱός μου νεκρὸς ἦν καὶ ἀνέζησεν· ἦν ἀπολωλώς, καὶ εὑρέθη. καὶ ἤρξαντο εὐφραίνεσθαι.
for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.
Luke 15:25
ἦν δέ, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ πρεσβύτερος ἐν ἀγρῷ· καὶ ὡς ἐρχόμενος ἤγγισεν τῇ οἰκίᾳ, ἤκουσεν συμφωνίας καὶ χορῶν,
“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house,
Luke 15:26
καὶ προσκαλεσάμενος ἕνα τῶν παίδων ἐπυνθάνετο τί ἂν εἴη ταῦτα.
Luke 15:27
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὅτι, Ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἥκει, καὶ ἔθυσεν ὁ πατήρ σου τὸν μόσχον τὸν σιτευτόν. ὅτι ὑγιαίνοντα αὐτὸν ἀπέλαβεν.
‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’
Luke 15:28
ὠργίσθη δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν εἰσελθεῖν. ὁ δὲ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ ἐξελθὼν παρεκάλει αὐτόν,
“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him,
Luke 15:29
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ, Ἰδοὺ τοσαῦτα ἔτη δουλεύω σοι καὶ οὐδέποτε ἐντολήν σου παρῆλθον· καὶ ἐμοὶ οὐδέποτε ἔδωκας ἔριφον ἵνα μετὰ τῶν φίλων μου εὐφρανθῶ.
but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.
Luke 15:30
ὅτε δὲ ὁ υἱός σου οὗτος ὁ καταφαγών σου τὸν βίον μετὰ πορνῶν ἦλθεν, ἔθυσας αὐτῷ τὸν σιτευτὸν μόσχον.
Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’