Day 10 of 14

¹Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming close to him to hear him.

²The Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them."

³He told them this parable.

⁴"Which of you men, if you had one hundred sheep, and lost one of them, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one that was lost, until he found it?

⁵When he has found it, he carries it on his shoulders, rejoicing.

⁶When he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'

⁷I tell you that even so there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

⁸Or what woman, if she had ten drachma coins, if she lost one drachma coin, would not light a lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she found it?

⁹When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost.'

¹⁰Even so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner repenting."

¹¹He said, "A certain man had two sons.

¹²The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of your property.' He divided his livelihood between them.

¹³Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.

¹⁴When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in that country, and he began to be in need.

¹⁵He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs.

¹⁶He wanted to fill his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any.

¹⁷But when he came to himself he said, 'How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying with hunger!

¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight.

¹⁹I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants."'

²⁰"He arose, and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

²¹The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'

²²"But the father said to his servants, 'Quickly, bring out the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.

²³Bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate;

²⁴for this, my son, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.' They began to celebrate.

²⁵"Now his elder son was in the field. As he came near to the house, he heard music and dancing.

²⁶He called one of the servants to him, and asked what was going on.

²⁷He said to him, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and healthy.'

²⁸But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father came out, and begged him.

²⁹But he answered his father, 'Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.

³⁰But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.'

³¹"He said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.

³²But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.'"

¹Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jewish people.

²The same came to him by night, and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him."

³Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."

⁴Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

⁵Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God!

⁶That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'

⁸The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."

⁹Nicodemus answered him, "How can these things be?"

¹⁰Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not understand these things?

¹¹Truly, truly, I tell you, we speak that which we know, and testify of that which we have seen, and you do not receive our witness.

¹²If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

¹³No one has ascended into heaven, but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man.

¹⁴As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.

¹⁸He who believes in him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

¹⁹This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

²⁰For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.

²¹But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God."

²²After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them, and baptized.

²³John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came, and were baptized.

²⁴For John was not yet thrown into prison.

²⁵There arose therefore a questioning on the part of John's disciples with a Jew about purification.

²⁶They came to John, and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, the same baptizes, and everyone is coming to him."

²⁷John answered, "A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.

²⁸You yourselves bear me witness that I said, 'I am not the Messiah,' but, 'I have been sent before him.'

²⁹He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This, my joy, therefore is made full.

³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease.

³¹He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the Earth belongs to the Earth, and speaks of the Earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.

³²What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.

³³He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true.

³⁴For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for he gives the Spirit without measure.

³⁵The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.

³⁶One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won't see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."