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Then He said: “A certain man had two sons.
12
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.
13
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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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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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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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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“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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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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and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
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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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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.’
22
“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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And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let
us eat and be merry;
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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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“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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So he called one of the servants and asked what
these things meant.
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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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“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore
his father came out and pleaded with him.
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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 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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“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with
me, and all that I have is yours.
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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.’” |