4. The Prodigal Son   浪子回頭

Luke

    Another time, the tax-gatherers and other bad characters were all crowding in to listen to Jesus; and the Pharisees and the doctors of the law began grumbling among themselves: "This fellow", they said, "welcomes sinners and eats with them."  He answered them with this parable: "If one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the missing one until he has found it?  How delighted he is then!  He lifts it on to his shoulders, and home he goes to call his friends and neighbors together.  'Rejoice with me!' he cries.  'I have found my lost sheep.'  In the same way, I tell you, there will be greater joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who do not need to repent."

    Again he said: "There was once a man who had two sons.  The younger said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the property.'  So he divided his estate between them.  A few days later the younger son turned the whole of his share into cash and left home for a distant country, where he squandered it in reckless living.  He had spent it all.  So he went and attached himself to one of the local landowners, who sent him on to his farm to mind the pigs.  He would have been glad to fill his belly with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything.  Then he came to his senses and said, 'I will set off and go to my father.'

    "While he was still a long way off his father saw him, and his heart went out to him.  He ran to meet him, flung his arms round him, and kissed him.  The son said, 'Father, I have sinned, against God and against you.  I am no longer fit to be called your son.'  But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! fetch a robe, my best one, and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet.  Bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us have a feast to celebrate the day.  For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.'

    "Now the elder son was out on the farm; and on his way back, as he approached the house, he heard music and dancing.  He called one of the servants and asked what it meant.  The servant told him, 'Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound.'  But he was angry and refused to go in.  His father came out and pleaded with him; but he retorted. 'You know how I have slaved for you all these years, I never once disobeyed your orders, and you never gave me so much as a kid, for a feast with my friends.  But now that this son of yours turns up, after running through your money with his women, you kill the fatted calf for him.'  'My boy,' said the father, 'you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  How could we help celebrating this happy day?  Your brother here was dead and has come back to life, was lost and is found.'"

路加福音

    有一次，一些稅吏和罪人擠近耶穌去聽他講道。那些法利賽人和律法師在下面嘟嚷說：「這個人款待罪人，又和他們一起吃飯。」耶穌便講了一則寓言回答他們的責難：「假如你們誰有一百隻羊，丟了一隻，難道他不先讓那九十九隻羊待在牧場，自己去尋找那隻迷途的羔羊嗎？找到後，他會多麼高興！他把牠背著回家，然後把朋友和鄰居都請來。喊道：『你們替我高興吧！我找到了那隻丟失的羊了。』同樣，我告訴你們：在天上，一個悔改了的罪人帶來的喜悅比九十九個無須悔改的正人君子使人感到的喜悅還要大呢！」

    耶穌又說道：「從前，有一個人有兩個兒子。小兒子對他說：『父親，把我應得的那份家產交給我吧。』那人就把產業分給了自己的兩個兒子。幾天以後，小兒子把他分得的家產賣了錢，到遠方去了。在那兒他揮霍無度，縱情享受，把錢全都花光了。於是，他去投靠當地的一個地主，地主就讓他放豬。因為沒有人給他東西吃，他恨不得拿豬吃的豆莢充飢。這樣他終於醒悟了，說：『我要回家找我父親去。』離家還很遠，他的父親就看見了他，心情十分激動。他跑向兒子，伸出雙臂擁抱他，親吻他。兒子說：『父親，我得罪了上帝，也得罪了你，不配做你的兒子。』但他父親卻對僕人說：『快去把我那件最好的袍子拿來給他穿上。給他戴上戒指，穿上鞋。把那隻肥牛犢宰了，設宴慶賀。因為我這個兒子就像死而復生，失而復得！』

    這時，大兒子幹完田裡的活回家。還沒到家門口，便聽到一片鼓樂聲。他問一個僕人那是怎麼回事。僕人告訴他：『你弟弟回來了。他平安歸來，你父親宰了頭肥牛犢為他慶賀。』大兒子很生氣，拒不進屋。他父親出來勸他。大兒子說：『我盡心服侍你這麼多年，從未違背過你的意願，可是你連隻羊羔都沒有給過我，好叫我和朋友們吃一頓。而這個拿你的錢在外面和女人胡混的兒子一回來，你就為他宰肥牛犢慶賀。』他父親說：『孩子，你一直和我在一起，我所有的一切都是你的。你這個弟弟死而復生，失而復得，我們能不慶賀一下這個好日子嗎？』」