8. “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins, but she loses one of them. She will light a lamp and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it.
9. And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’
10. In the same way, there is joy before the angels of God when 1 sinner changes his heart.”
11. Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons.
12. The younger son said to his father, ‘Give me my share of the property.’ So the father divided the property between his two sons.
13. Then the younger son gathered up all that was his and left. He traveled far away to another country. There he wasted his money in foolish living.
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 the country. The son was hungry and needed money.
15. So he got a job with one of the citizens there. The man sent the son into the fields to feed pigs.
16. The son was so hungry that he was willing to eat the food the pigs were eating. But no one gave him anything.
17. The son realized that he had been very foolish. He thought, ‘All of my father’s servants have plenty of food. But I am here, almost dying with hunger.
18. I will leave and return to my father. I’ll say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and against 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.“While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. He felt sorry for his son. So the father ran to him, and hugged and kissed him.
21. The son said, ‘Father, I have sinned against God and against 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 put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.