Luke 15:11-32

New Catholic Bible

¹¹ The Parable of the Lost (or Prodigal) Son.^[a] Then he said: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that I will inherit.’ And so the father divided the property between them.

¹³ “A few days later the younger son gathered together everything he had and traveled to a distant country, where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent it all, a severe famine afflicted that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who sent him to his farm to feed the pigs.^{[b] 16} He would have willingly filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “Then he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more food than they can consume, while here I am, dying of hunger. ¹⁸ I will depart from this place and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me like one of your hired workers.” ’

²⁰ “So he set out for his father’s house. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to him, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. ²¹ Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quickly bring out the finest robe we have and put it on him. Place a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Then bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us celebrate with a feast. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, and now he has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Now the elder son had been out in the fields, and as he returned and drew near the house, he could hear the sounds of music and dancing. ²⁶ He summoned one of the servants and inquired what all this meant. ²⁷ The servant replied, ‘Your brother has come home, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸ The elder son then became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him, ²⁹ but he said to his father in reply, ‘All these years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never once disobeyed your orders. Even so, you have never even given me a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours returns after wasting his inheritance from you on prostitutes, you kill the fatted calf for him.’

³¹ “Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are with me always, and everything I have is yours. ³² But it was only right that we should celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and now he has been found.’ ”