Luke 15 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Many tax collectors {\cf2\super [257]} and bad people came to listen to Jesus.

² Then the Pharisees {\cf2\super [258]} and the teachers of the law began to complain, “Look! This man (Jesus) welcomes bad people and even eats with them!”

³ Then Jesus told them this story:

⁴ “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but he loses one of them. Then he will leave the other 99 sheep alone and go out and look for the lost sheep. The man will continue to search for the lost sheep until he finds it.

⁵ And when he finds the sheep, the man is very happy. The man carries the sheep

⁶ to his home. He goes to his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’

⁷ In the same way, I tell you, heaven is a happy place when one sinner changes his heart. There is more joy for that one sinner than there is for 99 good people that don’t need to change their hearts.

⁸ “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins, {\cf2\super [259]} but she loses one of them. The woman will take a light and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it.

⁹ And when she finds the lost coin, she will call her friends and neighbors and say to them, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’

¹⁰ In the same way, the angels of God are very happy when one sinner changes his heart.”

¹¹ Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons.

¹² The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my part of all the things we own!’ So the father divided the wealth with his two sons.

¹³ Then the younger son gathered up all that he had and left. He traveled far away to another country. There the son wasted his money living like a fool.

¹⁴ He spent everything that he had. Soon after that, the land became very dry, and there was no rain. There was not enough food to eat anywhere in that country. The son was hungry and needed money.

¹⁵ So he went and got a job with one of the people of that country. The man sent the son into the fields to feed pigs.

¹⁶ The son was so hungry that he wanted to eat the food that the pigs were eating. But no person gave him anything.

¹⁷ The boy realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All of my father’s servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dead because I have nothing to eat.

¹⁸ I will leave and go to my father. I will say to him: Father, I sinned against God and have done wrong to you.

¹⁹ I am not good enough to be called your son. But let me be like one of your servants.’

²⁰ So the son left and went to his father.

²¹ The son said, ‘Father, I sinned against God and have done wrong to you. I am not good enough to be called your son.’

²² But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and dress him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good shoes on his feet.

²³ Bring our fat calf. We will kill it and have plenty to eat. Then we can have a party!

²⁴ My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to have a party.

²⁵ “The older son was in the field. He came closer to the house. He heard the sound of music and dancing.

²⁶ So the older son called to one of the servant boys and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’

²⁷ The servant said, ‘Your brother has come back. Your father killed the fat calf to eat. Your father is happy because your brother came home safely!’

²⁸ The older son was angry and would not go in to the party. So his father went out to ask him to come in.

²⁹ The son said to his father, ‘I have served you like a slave for many years! I have always obeyed your commands. But you never killed even a goat for me! You never gave a party for me and my friends.

³⁰ But your other son has wasted all your money on prostitutes. {\cf2\super [260]} Then he comes home, and you kill the fat calf for him!’

³¹ But the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me. All that I have is yours too.

³² We must be happy and have a party; because your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”