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By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were hanging around Jesus, listening intently.

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Now the tax collectors and "sinners" were all gathering around to hear him.

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Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.

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Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.

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The Pharisees and religion scholars were not pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, "He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends."

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But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

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And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

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This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such despicable people--even eating with them!

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Their grumbling triggered this story.

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Then Jesus told them this parable:

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So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

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So Jesus used this illustration:

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"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it?

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"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?

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"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?

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"If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it?

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When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing,

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And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders

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And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

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And then you would joyfully carry it home on your shoulders.

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and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, "Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!'

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and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.'

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And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

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When you arrived, you would call together your friends and neighbors to rejoice with you because your lost sheep was found.

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Count on it--there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

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I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

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I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

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In the same way, heaven will be happier over one lost sinner who returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!

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"Or imagine a woman who has ten coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and scour the house, looking in every nook and cranny until she finds it?

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"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?

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"Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?

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"Or suppose a woman has ten valuable silver coins and loses one. Won't she light a lamp and look in every corner of the house and sweep every nook and cranny until she finds it?

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And when she finds it you can be sure she'll call her friends and neighbors: "Celebrate with me! I found my lost coin!'

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And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.'

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And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, "Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'

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And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors to rejoice with her because she has found her lost coin.

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Count on it--that's the kind of party God's angels throw every time one lost soul turns to God."

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In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

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Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

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In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents."

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Then he said, "There was once a man who had two sons.

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Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons.

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Then He said: "A certain man had two sons.

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To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: "A man had two sons.

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The younger said to his father, "Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'"So the father divided the property between them.

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The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.

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And the younger of them said to his father, "Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood.

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The younger son told his father, 'I want my share of your estate now, instead of waiting until you die.' So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

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It wasn't long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had.

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"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

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And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.

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"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and took a trip to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money on wild living.

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After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt.

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After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need.

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But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.

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About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve.

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He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs.

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So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.

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Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.

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He persuaded a local farmer to hire him to feed his pigs.

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He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any.

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He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

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And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.

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The boy became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

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"That brought him to his senses. He said, "All those farmhands working for my father sit down to three meals a day, and here I am starving to death.

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"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!

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"But when he came to himself, he said, "How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

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"When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, 'At home even the hired men have food enough to spare, and here I am, dying of hunger!

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I'm going back to my father. I'll say to him, Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you;

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I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

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I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you,

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I will go home to my father and say, "Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you,

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I don't deserve to be called your son. Take me on as a hired hand.'

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I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.'

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and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."'

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and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired man."'

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He got right up and went home to his father. "When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.

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So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

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"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

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"So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

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The son started his speech: "Father, I've sinned against God, I've sinned before you; I don't deserve to be called your son ever again.'

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"The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. '

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And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

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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. '

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"But the father wasn't listening. He was calling to the servants, "Quick. Bring a clean set of clothes and dress him. Put the family ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

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"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

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"But the father said to his servants, "Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.

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"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.

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Then get a grain-fed heifer and roast it. We're going to feast! We're going to have a wonderful time!

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Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate.

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And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry;

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And kill the calf we have been fattening in the pen. We must celebrate with a feast,

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My son is here--given up for dead and now alive! Given up for lost and now found!' And they began to have a wonderful time.

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For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.

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for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.

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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.

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"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing.

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"Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing.

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"Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

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"Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house,

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Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on.

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So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.

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So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.

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and he asked one of the servants what was going on.

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He told him, "Your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast--barbecued beef!-because he has him home safe and sound.'

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'Your brother has come,' he replied, 'and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'

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And he said to him, "Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'

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'Your brother is back,' he was told, 'and your father has killed the calf we were fattening and has prepared a great feast. We are celebrating because of his safe return.'

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"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen.

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"The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.

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"But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.

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"The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in. His father came out and begged him,

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The son said, "Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends?

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But he answered his father, 'Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.

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So he answered and said to his father, "Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.

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but he replied, 'All these years I've worked hard 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.

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Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'

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But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'

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But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'

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Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the finest calf we have.'

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"His father said, "Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours--

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"'My son,' the father said, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

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"And he said to him, "Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

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"His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you and I are very close, and everything I have is yours.

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but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"

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But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'"

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It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found."'

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We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'"