Luke 15:1–7
Accused of welcoming sinners, he answers with the parable of the lost sheep
Study it word by word1Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near to him to hear him.
2And both the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3So he told them this parable, saying,
4“What man among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until he finds it?
5And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6And when he comes into the house, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
7I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes his mind than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of a change of mind.
In its context
…
8Or what woman having ten drachmas, if she loses one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
9And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma that I had lost.’
Its words in the original
- ἮσανĒsan· be
Be, exist.
- ἐγγίζοντεςengizontes· come near
Come near, draw near; be at hand.
- τελῶναιtelōnai· tax collector
Tax collector, who collected taxes for Rome; despised by the people.
- ἁμαρτωλοὶhamartōloi· sinner
Sinner; in the Pharisees' mouth, someone who did not keep the law.
- ἀκούεινakouein· hear, listen
Hear, listen; also heed.
- διεγόγγυζονdiegongyzon· grumble
Grumble, complain among themselves.
- ΦαρισαῖοιPharisaioi· Pharisee
Pharisee: a member of a Jewish group that kept the law of Moses and the traditions of its teachers strictly.
- γραμματεῖςgrammateis· scribe
Scribe: a teacher of the Law of Moses, who copied it, explained it and applied it.
- λέγοντεςlegontes· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- προσδέχεταιprosdechetai· wait for, welcome
Wait for, look forward to; also welcome, receive.
- συνεσθίειsynesthiei· eat with
Eat with someone, share a meal.
- παραβολὴνparabolēn· parable, comparison
Parable: a comparison, a story from everyday life that teaches a truth about the kingdom.
- ἄνθρωποςanthrōpos· human being, man
Human being, person, man (without distinguishing male or female).
- ἔχωνechōn· have
Have, possess, hold.
- ἑκατὸνhekaton· hundred
One hundred.
- πρόβαταprobata· sheep
Sheep.
- ἀπολέσαςapolesas· destroy, perish
Destroy, cause to perish; in the middle voice, perish, be lost.
- ἓνhen· one
One.
- καταλείπειkataleipei· leave, abandon
Leave, leave behind; abandon.
- ἐνενήκονταenenēkonta· ninety
Ninety.
- ἐννέαennea· nine
Nine.
- ἐρήμῳerēmōi· wilderness, desolate
Wilderness: an uninhabited, uncultivated place; also lonely, deserted.
- πορεύεταιporeuetai· go
Go, set out; also live, walk in a way of life.
- εὕρῃheurēi· find
Find; in the passive, turn out to be, be found to be so.
- ἐπιτίθησινepitithēsin· put on, lay on
Put on, lay on.
- ὤμουςōmous· shoulder
Shoulder.
- χαίρωνchairōn· rejoice
Rejoice, be glad. As a greeting, "hail!" or "greetings!".
- ἐλθὼνelthōn· come, go
Come, arrive; go.
- οἶκονoikon· house
House; also household, family.
- συγκαλεῖsynkalei· call together
Call together, assemble.
- φίλουςphilous· friend
Friend.
- γείτοναςgeitonas· neighbor
Neighbor.
- ΣυγχάρητέSyncharēte· rejoice with
Rejoice with someone, share their joy.
- χαρὰchara· joy
Joy, gladness.
- οὐρανῷouranōi· heaven, sky
Heaven: the sky and, above all, the place of God. "The heavens" is sometimes a respectful way of saying "God".
- μετανοοῦντιmetanoounti· change one's mind
Change one's mind: turn around one's way of thinking, and with it one's way of living, to return to God. It is usually translated "repent".
- δικαίοιςdikaiois· righteous, just
Righteous, just: someone who lives by what is right before God.
- χρείανchreian· need
Need; what is lacking.
- μετανοίαςmetanoias· change of mind
Change of mind: turning around one's way of thinking and of living to return to God. It is usually translated "repentance".