23. And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat.
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 had been out in the field. When he came near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing.
26. So he called to one of the servant boys and asked, ‘What does all this mean?’
27. The boy said, ‘Your brother has come back, and your father killed the best calf to eat. He is happy because he has his son back safe and sound.’
28. “The older son was angry and would not go in to the party. So his father went out and begged him to come in.
29. But he said to his father, ‘Look, for all these years I have worked like a slave for you. I have always done what you told me to do, and you never gave me even a young goat for a party with my friends.
30. But then this son of yours comes home after wasting your money on prostitutes, and you kill the best calf for him!’
31. “His father said to him, ‘Oh, my son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.
32. But this was a day to be happy and celebrate. Your brother was dead, but now he is alive. He was lost, but now he is found.’”